In the Sky This Week – December 29, 2020
Jupiter and Saturn appear above the southwestern horizon at dusk - they continue to move away from each other with each night. As the Earth's orbit brings the Sun between us and the pair of planets, they set shortly after sunset, and will not be visible after the first week of 2021.
Jupiter and Saturn and appear above the southwestern horizon at dusk. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
Mars and Uranus appear above the southeastern horizon at dusk - they appear above western horizon around midnight; Mars sets in the west shortly before 2:00 AM.
Mars appears above the western horizon before midnight. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
Venus appears in the southeastern predawn sky all week - appearing much lower than it has been in recent weeks.
Venus appears in the southeastern predawn sky. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
The constellation Orion appears in the southeastern sky at 8:00 PM - the Moon appears in the constellation Gemini from Dec. 29-30th.
The Moon appears in the constellation Gemini from Dec. 29-30. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
The constellations Ursa Major and Leo appear in the east-northeastern sky at 1:00 AM - the Moon appears in Leo from Jan 2-4th.
The constellations Ursa Major and Leo appear in the east-northeastern sky after midnight. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
The full Moon occurs on Dec, 30th - rising at sunset, visible high in the sky around midnight, and visible all night; I saw this through my skylight as I was making my coffee this morning.
After Dec. 29th, the Moon will be a waning gibbous - rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.
The Moon from 2020-12-29 - 2021-01-04. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Moon News
We are looking for ideas on how to excavate the Moon’s icy regolith, or dirt, and deliver it to a hypothetical processing plant at the lunar South Pole.
Enter the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge and be a part of the #Artemis program: https://t.co/tIAwHE6fFk pic.twitter.com/WXpwp1Yv0C
— NASA’s Artemis Program (@NASAArtemis) December 27, 2020
A Convert-O-Tron 250 ISRU from KSP.
Let me just mention that In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) components have been part of Kerbal Space Program for years, and I have completed missions that require locating resources on the Moon's surface using orbital reconnaissance, landing mining equipment on the Moon, mining resources, and returning those resources to lunar orbit for processing at a space station. Yea... there's a reason I like KSP...
NASA recently gave out a new round of grants for its favourite up and coming innovative space projects. One of which is a plan to fit a 1 km radio telescope inside a crater on the far side of the Moon, the largest radio telescope in the Solar System https://t.co/3NEsqpwoER pic.twitter.com/MXrqZy8xOO
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 28, 2020
The Sun has an interesting face with 2 spots - crack out your telescopes with solar filters! Neither sunspot poses a threat for strong flares.
The Sun on Dec. 29th - both of the sunspots have stable magnetic fields that pose little threat for strong flares. Credit: SDO/HMI/spaceweather.com
The face of the Sun where the sunspots are show a lot coronal activity - there appears to be another region of coronal activity rotating into view.
The northern coronal hole appears to have opened a bit; the southern coronal hole remains small. There are a couple small coronal holes on either side of the equator.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) December 28, 2020:
Several prominences across the Sun's limb; the two sunspot regions look like angry scars in 304 A - AR2796 (leftmost of the 2 sunspots) is spitting a lot of low-level flares.
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) December 28, 2020:
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for Tuesday, December 29th, 2020 goes out to Randy Shivak for this incredible Hi-Resolution shot of a solar prominence. Randy commented: "Images captured today 12/28/2020 using the 152mm F8 refractor with the Daystar .5 angstrom PE filter, Baader D-ERF, Baader TZ3 and ZWO 174MM camera."
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 470.9 km/sec, with a density of 9.0 protons/cm3 at 1120 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
This morning, @ESA & @NASA’s #SolarOrbiter completes its first Venus flyby! The spacecraft uses the planet’s gravity to swing closer to the Sun and tilt its orbit for the first-ever view of the Sun’s poles.
Learn more about the flyby: https://t.co/JsMJ07Imlp pic.twitter.com/qJCSQi5CXW
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) December 27, 2020
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered (NASA): 1,041,080
Total Minor Planets discovered (MPC): 1,026,572
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 XZ4 |
2020-Dec-29
|
5.4 LD
|
8.7
|
37
|
| 2012 UK171 |
2020-Dec-30
|
15.5 LD
|
4.7
|
47
|
| 2020 YB4 |
2020-Dec-31
|
15.9 LD
|
14.9
|
37
|
| 2019 YB4 |
2021-Jan-02
|
16.8 LD
|
7.2
|
16
|
| 2020 YA1 |
2021-Jan-03
|
4.1 LD
|
3.7
|
16
|
| 2020 YP4 |
2021-Jan-03
|
5.7 LD
|
6.8
|
22
|
| 2003 AF23 |
2021-Jan-03
|
18.3 LD
|
15.8
|
235
|
| 2019 QW2 |
2021-Jan-03
|
8.8 LD
|
4.9
|
39
|
| 2012 BT1 |
2021-Jan-04
|
13.6 LD
|
7.7
|
12
|
| 2016 CO247 |
2021-Jan-06
|
19.3 LD
|
16.7
|
282
|
| 2018 KP1 |
2021-Jan-06
|
8.2 LD
|
4.4
|
34
|
| 332446 |
2021-Jan-06
|
9.6 LD
|
11
|
408
|
| 2015 NU13 |
2021-Jan-09
|
14.8 LD
|
15.1
|
408
|
| 2020 RO6 |
2021-Jan-11
|
19.5 LD
|
7.9
|
108
|
| 2013 YS2 |
2021-Jan-11
|
18.2 LD
|
3.7
|
78
|
| 2017 QW1 |
2021-Jan-15
|
17.8 LD
|
4
|
20
|
| 65717 |
2021-Jan-17
|
18.5 LD
|
3.6
|
246
|
| 2020 WT5 |
2021-Jan-20
|
19.6 LD
|
8.6
|
132
|
| 2020 XB7 |
2021-Jan-22
|
7.2 LD
|
8.4
|
50
|
| 2018 BX |
2021-Jan-22
|
8.9 LD
|
6.1
|
5
|
| 2020 PP |
2021-Jan-23
|
18.2 LD
|
8.4
|
218
|
| 2018 BA3 |
2021-Jan-25
|
1.5 LD
|
8.1
|
20
|
| 468727 |
2021-Jan-25
|
15.8 LD
|
14.9
|
257
|
| 2020 TB12 |
2021-Feb-01
|
6.8 LD
|
8.9
|
159
|
| 2016 CL136 |
2021-Feb-01
|
13.8 LD
|
18.1
|
186
|
| 2020 SO |
2021-Feb-02
|
0.6 LD
|
1.8
|
7
|
| 2018 PN22 |
2021-Feb-05
|
12.8 LD
|
2.5
|
11
|
| 2018 CH2 |
2021-Feb-05
|
14.6 LD
|
9.9
|
9
|
| 2018 RB |
2021-Feb-07
|
18.3 LD
|
22.5
|
155
|
| 2008 DB |
2021-Feb-10
|
13.1 LD
|
6
|
25
|
| 2019 YP5 |
2021-Feb-10
|
8.2 LD
|
13.5
|
123
|
| 2020 CX1 |
2021-Feb-18
|
4.9 LD
|
8.3
|
54
|
| 2020 BV9 |
2021-Feb-22
|
14.7 LD
|
7.6
|
22
|
| 2020 XU6 |
2021-Feb-22
|
10.8 LD
|
8.4
|
197
|
| 2015 EQ |
2021-Feb-23
|
18 LD
|
10.5
|
21
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
On December 28, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 15 fireballs!
(13 sporadics, 1 Leonis Minorid, 1 Quadrantid)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News
Huge fireball exploded over China on Dec. 22, 23h23 UT (7:23 local time). Most energetic event for 2 years!
If you observed it, please report: https://t.co/CFIfduq6zL pic.twitter.com/d7onJC1fEq— IMO Meteor Org. (@IMOmeteors) December 24, 2020
If you see a bright meteor or a fireball, please REPORT IT to the American Meteor Society and the International Meteor Organization!
Position of the planets and several spacecraft in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-12-29. Credit: Bob Trembley / NASA Eyes on the Solar System.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system - the orbit of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is highlighted.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-12-29. Credit: Bob Trembley / NASA Eyes on the Solar System.
Position of the planets, dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - the orbit of bilobed TNO Arrokoth is highlighted.
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-12-29. Credit: Bob Trembley / NASA Eyes on the Solar System.
Solar System News
How did we get here? How do stars and planets come into being? What happens during a star's life, and what fate will its planets meet when it dies? Come along on this interactive interstellar journey through time: https://t.co/D1b6BCxila pic.twitter.com/Yi0OVA7k43
— NASA (@NASA) December 27, 2020
Mars Persevere Rover:
I’m on a one-way mission to Mars, but the samples I collect there will be the first things ever to make a round trip. In the search for signs of ancient life on Mars, see how super-clean sample tubes make for super-clean science. https://t.co/icIt9rVe00 #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/9DzY9biZEL
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) December 22, 2020
International Space Station:
The Exp 64 crew spent the weekend after Christmas exploring advanced therapies for vision loss, bone conditions and cancer. Read more... https://t.co/Q3txF6pn8I pic.twitter.com/nuMysoND9P
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) December 28, 2020
Hours of operation for Mission Control at NASA Johnson?
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Flight controllers get a special❄️ #Holiday ❄️shoutout from @Space_Station residents @NASA_Astronauts Kate Rubins, @AstroVicGlover, & @Astro_illini!📸: NASA/Anthony Vareha pic.twitter.com/tYgrQpz5H8
— Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) December 24, 2020
HiRISE - on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:
It's Monday! And what do Mars and Monday have in common? Well nothing... but they both start with 'M' and that's all we need to gush over these captivating @HiRISE images of the Red Planet. 🤩
Get your Monday Martian fix any day of the week: https://t.co/VNXla76YIR pic.twitter.com/A90oxLW24j— NASA 360 (@NASA360) December 28, 2020
Hubble Space Telescope #Hubble30
ESA/Hubble #Flashback: This bright spiral galaxy is known as NGC 2441, located in the northern constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe).
Credit: @ESA / @Hubble_Space / @NASA
Acknowledgement: Nick Rose https://t.co/DkgA0wvigH pic.twitter.com/IH6CDhf17n— HUBBLE (@HUBBLE_space) December 29, 2020
Juno at Jupiter:
Juno has observed that Jupiter’s magnetic field is changing over time. More: https://t.co/dyWgvUXJTm
See other recent science findings: https://t.co/DIk5EGZU3w pic.twitter.com/0o97kScy6L
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) December 28, 2020
Landsat:
Happy #StatehoodDay, Iowa! #HawkeyeState
Download free Landsat state mosaics at https://t.co/md9tVayMqk or Landsat data from EarthExplorer https://t.co/APul1Gvoa4#Iowa #DesMoines #Landsat #Earthobservation @NASA_Landsat pic.twitter.com/ArjOGGlaPk
— USGS Landsat Program (@USGSLandsat) December 28, 2020
Climate:
Plants help mitigate climate change. The more carbon dioxide they absorb, the less CO2 remains in the atmosphere. But scientists have found that 86% of land ecosystems are becoming less efficient at absorbing increasing levels of the greenhouse gas: https://t.co/JXuNhaFRFx pic.twitter.com/n0xBbtQRl1
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) December 23, 2020
📈 414.60 ppm #CO2 in the last full week of 2020 📈 Up from 412.30 ppm a year ago 📈 NOAA Mauna Loa data: https://t.co/WxFPTcniYz 📈 Weekly https://t.co/DpFGQoYEwb updates & graphics: https://t.co/idlRE62qB1 & https://t.co/u4YMb03Oou 📈 pic.twitter.com/bcqXsKUq4d
— CO2_Earth (@CO2_earth) December 29, 2020
NISAR Mission (Synthetic Aperture Radar) #NISAR
What’s it like trying to build a NASA Earth satellite from home? The #NISAR team shares their experience and tells us more about the upcoming mission and what it's like working with our partners from @isro 🇮🇳 halfway around the world. pic.twitter.com/ZX7XlzlOWl
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) December 17, 2020
In our new Data User Profile, read how Dr. Paul Siqueira is exploring and developing new uses for Synthetic Aperture Radar (#SAR) for environmental remote sensing, SAR processing, and to study ecosystem changes over time. https://t.co/lAU27rTFte, #NISAR pic.twitter.com/WSGZfeFAt7
— NASAEarthdata (@NASAEarthData) August 27, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Exoplanet News - YOU Can Help Find Exoplanets!
There are so many ways to get involved with citizen science. In fact, @NASA has several ways you can help discover worlds! https://t.co/H3qSzlLxiP
Image credit: NPS pic.twitter.com/npuelJh7ls
— NASA Exoplanets (@NASAExoplanets) December 16, 2020
A spectacular view of the "northern lights" as seen from the @Space_Station! This 2017 image shows the station's solar arrays in the foreground and entrancing reds and greens of the auroras, dancing above Earth.
Enjoy more images like this: https://t.co/YoKGR08XUL pic.twitter.com/Dv1bd6eFZB
— NASA (@NASA) December 25, 2020
Wales - Almost a Dark Sky Nation!
Will Wales become the first IDA Dark Sky Nation? 🤔 https://t.co/h6wP191Xbl
— Dr. John Barentine FRAS (@JohnBarentine) July 14, 2019
For Kids:
Is your student out-of-this-world imaginative? If so, their artwork could be featured on NASA Space Place! 💫
Find details on this month’s prompt and submission guidelines here: https://t.co/X0ppNbbxjc
⏰ Deadline: Dec. 31st pic.twitter.com/t67PlXBJEu
— NASA Space Place (@NASAspaceplace) December 27, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
This Hubble image captures Caldwell 78 (or NGC 6541), a globular star cluster roughly 22,000 light-years from Earth. The cluster is bright enough that backyard stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere can easily spot it with binoculars.
Credits: NASA, ESA, and G. Piotto (Università degli Studi di Padova); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
ET Phone Home? Wouldn't THAT be Interesting?
A mysterious signal is coming from the closest star to our own, Proxima Centauri, a star too dim to see from Earth with the naked eye, at 4.2 light-years away. https://t.co/tps3pf8Zbv
— Scientific American (@sciam) December 23, 2020
An as-yet unexplained radio signal appears to be coming from the direction of the star closest to the sun—a small red star roughly 4.2 light-years away called Proxima Centauri. https://t.co/crOcz6At2R
— National Geographic Magazine (@NatGeoMag) December 21, 2020
Alien hunters detect mysterious radio signal from nearby star - It's almost certainly not an extraterrestrial telegram. But waves that seemed to come from the vicinity of Proxima Centauri will help astronomers refine their search techniques. https://t.co/BwwkKKoNqh #SETI pic.twitter.com/lQqwkMNvSi
— The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) December 19, 2020
What I was listening to when I was editing this:
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Software Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
NOTE: An update to Stellarium has been released!
Stellarium v0.20.4 has been released! https://t.co/J8KqNQUTxn
— Stellarium Dev. Team (@StellariumDev) December 28, 2020
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today