In the Sky This Week – January 12, 2021
Venus appears very low above the southeastern horizon before sunrise.
Venus appears very low above the southeastern horizon before sunrise. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury continue to form a triple conjunction in the southwestern sky at dusk - Saturn may be a bit difficult to see; Mercury appears slightly higher above the horizon each evening.
Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury form a triple conjunction on Jan 12th in the southwestern sky at dusk. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
Mercury appears in the southwestern sky at dusk - the Moon joins Mercury on the evening of Jan 15th.
The Moon joins Mercury in the southwestern sky at dusk on Jan 15th. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
Mars appears high in the southern sky after sunset; the constellations Orion, Taurus and Canis Major appear lower and to the east of Mars.
Mars appears very high in the southern sky after sunset. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
If you look almost straight up at 3:00 AM, you can sky-hop from the Big Dipper to Arcturus and Spica.
Sky Hopping with the Big Dipper at 3:00 AM. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.
The Moon is a waning crescent - visible low to the east before sunrise.
The new Moon occurs on Jan. 13th - the Moon will be hidden in the glare of the Sun.
After Jan. 13th, the Moon will be a waxing crescent - visible toward the southwest in early evening.
The Moon from 2021-01-12 - 2021-01-18 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, 2021 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
This year, tiny cameras will head to the Moon aboard a landing spacecraft as part of our @NASAArtemis program. They’ll help picture & study craters made when touching down on the lunar surface to help predict landing impacts. More: https://t.co/XlOsu20l32 pic.twitter.com/WMXFJwj33g
— NASA (@NASA) January 8, 2021
We're now targeting Sat., Jan. 16 for a hot fire test of the rocket that will launch @NASAArtemis I to the Moon.
On Tues., Jan. 12 at 1pm ET, experts from @NASA_Marshall, @NASAStennis, @BoeingSpace & @AerojetRdyne will discuss the test. How to listen in: https://t.co/GThauQyYqp pic.twitter.com/Wc1kfp98CS
— NASA (@NASA) January 11, 2021
The Sun has been spot-free for 9 days.
The northern coronal hole remains diminished; the southern coronal hole has opened up a bit, and has a very large tendril stretching up towards the equator that is rotating in to view. Above that tendril is a bright region of coronal activity without a sunspot.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) January 11, 2021:
A couple long-lived prominences appear on the Sun's limb over the last couple days; that region of coronal activity appears like an orange scar seen in the video below.
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) January 11, 2021:
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
The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for Tuesday, January 12th, 202 1 goes out to Juan Payá for this awesome prominence image. Juan commented: "Crowned Solar Telescope. Camera CMOS ZWO ASI 120 MM."
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 447.3 km/sec, with a density of 6.5 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
Uranus and Neptune may be far from the Sun, but they can be just as vulnerable to its influence as the closer planets. New NASA research finds that intense solar activity can trigger new “magnetic seasons” on these icy worlds. https://t.co/Z6xTdjimHS pic.twitter.com/B6C22lVjkB
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) January 11, 2021
Nanoflares are a long-theorized — but still unconfirmed — candidate for the incredible heating of the Sun's outer atmosphere. Using data from two NASA satellite missions, scientists may have made the first observation of a nanoflare from start to finish: https://t.co/DO4UOG4jvt pic.twitter.com/UYdjr6IzA1
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) January 5, 2021
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered (NASA): 1,043,301 (+1010)
Total Minor Planets discovered (MPC): 1,026,572 (This value has not been updated in several weeks)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2021 AY3 |
2021-Jan-12
|
9.2 LD
|
13
|
29
|
| 2021 AX1 |
2021-Jan-12
|
1.5 LD
|
9.1
|
11
|
| 2021 AA2 |
2021-Jan-12
|
6.8 LD
|
8.5
|
18
|
| 2017 QW1 |
2021-Jan-15
|
17.8 LD
|
4
|
20
|
| 2021 AC1 |
2021-Jan-16
|
8.1 LD
|
6.1
|
32
|
| 2021 AL1 |
2021-Jan-16
|
9.4 LD
|
13.5
|
30
|
| 2021 AD |
2021-Jan-16
|
12.5 LD
|
8.5
|
44
|
| 2021 AE2 |
2021-Jan-17
|
16.9 LD
|
5.4
|
40
|
| 65717 |
2021-Jan-17
|
18.5 LD
|
3.6
|
246
|
| 2021 AN1 |
2021-Jan-18
|
5.6 LD
|
5.9
|
14
|
| 2021 AN4 |
2021-Jan-19
|
12 LD
|
3.6
|
12
|
| 2020 WT5 |
2021-Jan-20
|
19.6 LD
|
8.6
|
133
|
| 2020 YE5 |
2021-Jan-22
|
1.1 LD
|
10.5
|
23
|
| 2020 XB7 |
2021-Jan-22
|
7.1 LD
|
8.3
|
45
|
| 2018 BX |
2021-Jan-22
|
8.9 LD
|
6.1
|
5
|
| 2020 PP |
2021-Jan-23
|
18.2 LD
|
8.4
|
222
|
| 2018 BA3 |
2021-Jan-25
|
1.5 LD
|
8.1
|
20
|
| 468727 |
2021-Jan-25
|
15.8 LD
|
14.9
|
257
|
| 2021 AL |
2021-Jan-26
|
10.9 LD
|
7.4
|
38
|
| 2020 TB12 |
2021-Feb-01
|
6.8 LD
|
8.9
|
152
|
| 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
|
10.7 LD
|
8.4
|
206
|
| 2015 EQ |
2021-Feb-23
|
18 LD
|
10.5
|
21
|
| 2011 DW |
2021-Mar-01
|
13.9 LD
|
13.6
|
89
|
| 2011 EH17 |
2021-Mar-02
|
9.6 LD
|
16.8
|
43
|
| 2016 DV1 |
2021-Mar-02
|
3.9 LD
|
18.4
|
39
|
| 1999 RM45 |
2021-Mar-02
|
7.7 LD
|
20
|
468
|
| 2020 SP |
2021-Mar-03
|
18.4 LD
|
3.9
|
14
|
| 535844 |
2021-Mar-10
|
14.2 LD
|
7.3
|
162
|
| 2020 FM |
2021-Mar-10
|
18.2 LD
|
13.3
|
57
|
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
Asteroid News
I'm not at all sure how I missed the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System account on Twitter, but I'm following them now!
Our SAAO colleagues have completed the assembly of the ATLAS dome! Thanks to Nic and Willie for recording it!https://t.co/WXdIOvARIy
— ATLAS Project (@fallingstarIfA) December 11, 2020
ATLAS discovers its 13th comet of 2020. https://t.co/Xc4tqrTgL6
— ATLAS Project (@fallingstarIfA) December 11, 2020
On January 11, 2021, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 4 fireballs!
(4 sporadics)
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
We confirm. It looks like a fireball - https://t.co/xg1AiMyhD0 - We didn't receive any reports about this event so far though.
— AMSMETEORS (@amsmeteors) December 23, 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, 2021-01-12. Credit: Bob Trembley / NASA Eyes on the Solar System.
Trajectory of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover on January 12, 2021:
Trajectory of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover on 2021-01-12. 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, 2021-01-12. 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 dwarf planet 225088 Gonggong (2007 OR10) is highlighted:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2021-01-05. Credit: Bob Trembley / NASA Eyes on the Solar System.
Mars Perseverance Rover: #CountdownToMars
Students, join me on the #CountdownToMars! Build your own mission and “land” it along with me when I touch down on February 18. Register and let's go together: https://t.co/D9EO9ra8IX
Plus: Reply with questions about my mission for a chance to be featured LIVE on landing day. pic.twitter.com/GovKp1JWHF
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) January 12, 2021
International Space Station:
The Atmospheric Waves Experiment has passed another step towards a 2022 launch! AWE will study atmospheric gravity waves — which shape our upper atmosphere's response to space weather — from its vantage point on the @Space_Station. More from @USUAggies. ⬇️ https://t.co/lVleyKGN3Y
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) January 6, 2021
HiRISE - on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:
#OTD in 2007, HiRISE, a camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, captured this photo of Jupiter from Mars orbit. @NASAMars pic.twitter.com/lwMqzbjwAy
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) January 11, 2021
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Almost two decades ago, @NASAHubble watched a tiny patch of sky and found 10,000 galaxies. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope would see a patch 100 times larger ▪️ ⬛️.. You do the math. https://t.co/JUbBVuewhL pic.twitter.com/cK0ZJ0ld4Y
— Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (@NASARoman) January 11, 2021
To read more on Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, see: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-telescope-named-for-mother-of-hubble-nancy-grace-roman/
Juno at Jupiter:
Putting in some overtime: the @NASAInSight Mars lander and the #JunoMission Jupiter orbiter have received mission extensions. An independent review panel found that both are likely to bring new discoveries – and new questions – about our solar system: https://t.co/fHSJoYZTQa pic.twitter.com/e1pgjsXCAk
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) January 8, 2021
Hubble Space Telescope:
Attention bookworms! 📚 Discover the story of Hubble in a newly released book all about the riveting history of the telescope and its first 30 years operating in space. “Not Yet Imagined” is available for FREE download now!
Start reading: https://t.co/Q1d3kL8lra pic.twitter.com/vrf3Vqtrqk
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) January 8, 2021
Climate:
The first of two identical satellites to be launched five years apart, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will make high precision ocean altimetry measurements to continue the work previously done by Jason-1, Jason-2/OSTM, and the Jason-3 missions. A secondary objective is to collect high resolution vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor through the Radio Occultation instrument. This is used to help numerical weather predictions.
Attention Teachers & #SciComm! 🛰️🌎 Join @NASAJPL_Edu as they explore NASA's Earth science satellite fleet which monitors our changing planet. Discussions will include science standards and @NASA educational resources.
🗓️ Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. PST/ 6 p.m ESThttps://t.co/JLJtIVqxgk— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) January 11, 2021
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
Sometimes, doing these posts, I come across something that makes me go "Oh WOW!" This is one of those!
📣Discovery Alert!📣
Astronomers have confirmed an exoplanet – a planet beyond our solar system – orbiting in a triple-star system ~1,800 light-years away.
It took years, and some scientific detective work with multiple telescopes to confirm KOI-5Ab. https://t.co/wpT2RZUt1x pic.twitter.com/Z1PJC6GTVm— NASA Exoplanets (@NASAExoplanets) January 11, 2021
The KOI-5 star system consists of three stars, labeled A, B, and C in this diagram. Star A and B orbit each other every 30 years. Star C orbits stars A and B every 400 years. The system hosts one known planet, called KOI-5Ab, which was discovered and characterized using data from NASA's Kepler and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) missions, as well as ground-based telescopes. KOI-5Ab is about half the mass of Saturn and orbits star A roughly every five days. Its orbit is titled 50 degrees relative to the plane of stars A and B. Astronomers suspect that this misaligned orbit was caused by star B, which gravitationally kicked the planet during its development, skewing its orbit and causing it to migrate inward.
The KOI-5 star system. Credit: Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC).
This picture is the one my wife said "THAT one!" to:
Aurora taken by Marianne Bergli on November 25, 2020 @ Kvaløya, Tromsø, Norway
SpaceWeather.com Realtime Aurora Gallery: https://spaceweathergallery.com/aurora_gallery.html
Here's insight from a recent study on how artificial nightlight affects predator-prey interactions. This is one of the first research studies done to examine the ecological impacts of #lightpollution on a large scale. https://t.co/yKf8oaN9HN
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) January 11, 2021
Visit an International Dark Sky Park: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/
For Kids:
Educators – take your students to Mars! The “Mission to Mars” challenge offers education plans, activities, live events, and fun ways to learn from @NASAPersevere's landing next month. #CountdownToMars
🛰 Details: https://t.co/Q4XTryKdXg
🚀 Register: https://t.co/cVNVUUl0th pic.twitter.com/sPX9TrLTTw
— NASA Mars (@NASAMars) January 8, 2021
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
The galaxy NGC 6946 is nothing short of spectacular. In the last century alone, NGC 6946 has experienced 10 observed supernovae, earning its nickname as the Fireworks Galaxy. In comparison, our Milky Way averages just one to two supernova events per century. This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the stars, spiral arms, and various stellar environments of NGC 6946 in phenomenal detail.
We are able to marvel at NGC 6946 as it is a face-on galaxy, which means that we see the galaxy “facing” us, rather than seeing it from the side (known as edge-on). The Fireworks Galaxy is further classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy and as a starburst galaxy. The former means the structure of NGC 6946 sits between a full spiral and a barred spiral galaxy, with only a slight bar in its center, and the latter means it has an exceptionally high rate of star formation.
The galaxy resides 25.2 million light-years away, along the border of the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus (The Swan).
Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Spiral Galaxy NGC 6946. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Leroy, K.S. Long.
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.
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
Aurora - Bob Trembley
The Universe - Universe Today