In the Sky This Week – January 28, 2020
The handle of the "Big Dipper" asterism points nearly straight down toward the northeastern horizon at midnight this week.
The handle of the "Big Dipper" points down in the northeastern sky at midnight. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The waxing crescent Moon appears near at dusk on Jan 29th & 30th.
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- The waxing crescent Moon appears close to Venus above the southwestern horizon at dusk on Jan 29th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
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- The waxing crescent Moon appears very close to Venus above the southwestern horizon at dusk on Jan 28th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon appears near the star Aldebaran at dusk on the evenings of February 2nd-4th.
Jupiter appears low and Mars appears high above the southeastern horizon at dawn this week.
Jupiter low and Mars high above the southeastern horizon at dawn this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
M 47
Messier 47 (M47 or NGC 2422) is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771. It was later independently discovered again, under the current name NGC 2422.
There is actually no cluster in the position indicated by Messier, which he expressed in terms of its right ascension and declination with respect to the star 2 Puppis. However, if the signs of Messier's coordinate differences are changed, the position matches that of NGC 2422. Until the equivalency of M47 with NGC 2422 was found, M47 was considered a lost Messier Object. The discovery that M47 and NGC 2422 were the same cluster only came in 1959 with a realization by Canadian astronomer T. F. Morris.
M47 is at a distance of about 1,600 light-years from Earth with an estimated age of about 78 million years. The member stars of M47 have been measured down to about red dwarfs at apparent magnitude 19. There are around 500 members, the brightest being HD 60855, a magnitude 5.7 Be star. The cluster is dominated by hot class B main sequence and giant stars, but a noticeable colour contrast comes from several bright red giants.
Location of M 47. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
This spectacular image of the star cluster Messier 47 was taken using the Wide Field Imager camera, installed on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. This young open cluster is dominated by a sprinkling of brilliant blue stars but also contains a few contrasting red giant stars. Credit: ESO.
The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening.
The first quarter Moon occurs on February 2nd, it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
After February 2nd, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.
The Moon from 2020-01-28 - 2020-02-03. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
Proposed House bill pushes NASA's crewed moon landing back to 2028 https://t.co/lOj3iOp6m9 pic.twitter.com/4Uixl0PbSk
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) January 28, 2020
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine expressed reservations Monday about a NASA authorization bill introduced in the House last week that he fears could constrain the agency’s approach to human space exploration. https://t.co/4rraLAEyFa pic.twitter.com/BecQzDZoOL
— SpaceNews (@SpaceNews_Inc) January 28, 2020
We have a spot! Sunspot AR2757 is a member of old Solar Cycle 24.
The northern coronal hole remains small, while the southern hole is huge!
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Jan. 27, 2020:
Some awesome prominences on the Sun'd limb over the last couple days - the location of sunspot AR2757 is easily visible as the bright orange region in the video below.
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Jan. 27, 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.
Facebook: SolarActivity
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 323.6 km/sec (↑), with a density of 6.3 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1257 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
#SolarOrbiter, an @ESA & @NASA collaborative mission, launches in February! This spacecraft will study the Sun from a unique perspective: its tilted orbit carries it out of the plane of the planets so it can take the first-ever pictures of the Sun’s poles. https://t.co/rX55sMOpWf pic.twitter.com/W3oME8LtKg
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) January 27, 2020
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2018 (last updated Oct. 1, 2019)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 931,886 (+1222)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 BO2 |
2020-Jan-28
|
10.5 LD
|
10.7
|
19
|
| 2020 BJ7 |
2020-Jan-28
|
1.2 LD
|
20.2
|
8
|
| 2020 BG9 |
2020-Jan-28
|
12.5 LD
|
10.2
|
18
|
| 2020 BJ1 |
2020-Jan-29
|
15.5 LD
|
11
|
51
|
| 2018 AL12 |
2020-Jan-30
|
18.2 LD
|
17.7
|
39
|
| 2020 BV7 |
2020-Jan-30
|
5.9 LD
|
8.3
|
9
|
| 2020 BR8 |
2020-Jan-31
|
9.7 LD
|
29.4
|
27
|
| 2020 BZ4 |
2020-Jan-31
|
5.7 LD
|
9
|
10
|
| 2017 AE5 |
2020-Feb-01
|
13.6 LD
|
9
|
123
|
| 2020 BD9 |
2020-Feb-02
|
16.4 LD
|
7.6
|
39
|
| 2013 BA74 |
2020-Feb-04
|
3.7 LD
|
7.4
|
28
|
| 2020 BL8 |
2020-Feb-08
|
6.6 LD
|
3.2
|
29
|
| 2020 BW5 |
2020-Feb-09
|
5.2 LD
|
9
|
18
|
| 163373 |
2020-Feb-15
|
15.1 LD
|
15.2
|
589
|
| 2018 CW2 |
2020-Feb-17
|
6 LD
|
10.2
|
28
|
| 2020 BL7 |
2020-Feb-19
|
13.6 LD
|
8.7
|
35
|
| 2020 BC9 |
2020-Feb-20
|
14 LD
|
9.3
|
75
|
| 2019 BE5 |
2020-Feb-20
|
13.9 LD
|
14.8
|
34
|
| 2011 DR |
2020-Feb-23
|
14.7 LD
|
5.8
|
25
|
| 2016 CO246 |
2020-Feb-23
|
18.4 LD
|
5.9
|
25
|
| 2012 DS30 |
2020-Feb-26
|
12.3 LD
|
5.4
|
22
|
| 2015 BK509 |
2020-Feb-29
|
18.7 LD
|
12.5
|
118
|
| 2017 BM123 |
2020-Mar-01
|
10.5 LD
|
8.1
|
65
|
| 2018 RF6 |
2020-Mar-10
|
11.2 LD
|
12.6
|
36
|
| 2008 UB95 |
2020-Mar-11
|
18.5 LD
|
7.6
|
41
|
| 2018 GY |
2020-Mar-15
|
6.2 LD
|
9.5
|
39
|
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
The latest Minor Planet Center circular is out with several newly named asteroids: https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2020/MPC_20200109.pdf
On Jan. 27, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 4 fireballs.
(3 sporadics, 1 alpha Antilid)
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). From: Spaceweather.com
Fireball News
185 reports and many videos about this 100t TNT #fireball that occurred over #Cyprus on January 21th - https://t.co/C2gb45n8Dp pic.twitter.com/pGdjTQtAVg
— AMSMETEORS (@amsmeteors) January 23, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system - the Parker Solar Probe will reach perihelion #4 on Jan. 29th at about 4:30 a.m. EST.
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-01-28. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-01-28. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the outer solar system - the orbit of transneptunian object 148780 Altjira is highlighted:
Outer Solar System 2020-01-28 - Orbit of binary transneptunian object 148780 Altjira is highlighted. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
(148780) Altjira
148780 Altjira /ælˈtʃɪrə/ is a binary classical Kuiper belt object (cubewano). The secondary, S/2007 (148780) 1, is large compared to the primary, 140 kilometres (87 mi) vs. 160 kilometres (99 mi). The Altjiran lightcurve is quite flat (Δmag<0.10), which is indicative of a "quasi-spherical body with a homogeneous surface".
The satellite's orbit has the following parameters: semi-major-axis, 9904 ± 56 km; period, 139.561 ± 0.047 days; eccentricity, 0.3445 ± 0.0045; and inclination, 35.19 ± 0.19°(retrograde). The total system mass is about 4 × 1018 kg.
It was named after the Arrernte creation deity, Altjira, who created the Earth during the Dreamtime and then retired to the sky.. - Wikipedia
Artist's conception of S/2007 (148780) 1 seen in the distance from above (148780) Altjira. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
It’s all good in the neighborhood.
Passed over Nightingale yesterday … looow and slooow.
Learn more about the flyover here: https://t.co/CRJeRZTEdn pic.twitter.com/jUZpACdaHr
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) January 22, 2020
International Space Station
Congratulations to teams around the world on the repair of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the @Space_Station! Back to studying the fundamental physics of our universe thanks to years of hard work designing and executing a complex and unique repair plan. pic.twitter.com/8qEiWKX2AC
— Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) January 27, 2020
Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble welcomes the Year of the Rat with a view of its own favorite rodents, NGC 4676A and B, and highlights the planetary origins of the Chinese zodiac’s 12-year timetable. #LunarNewYear pic.twitter.com/wrUpDfB4ZE
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) January 25, 2020
Climate
Lake Kariba, the world's largest reservoir by volume, stands between 10 and 20 percent of capacity and at its lowest point in more than two decades.
Learn more and view more "images of change": https://t.co/6QGoSTmyoX pic.twitter.com/7Z9vGfF3Yf
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) January 27, 2020
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.
T.K. Lawless County Park becomes Michigan's 2nd Dark Sky park!
Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park has been designated as an IDSPark! Parks Director, Scott Wyman says, “Through the parks, we've always been able to say that we are stewards of the land, but I’m very proud to say that now, we are stewards of the land & the sky"https://t.co/yopVKWc57Z
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) January 15, 2020
The Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to Barnards's star.
Stars up to ten light-years from the Sun. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley
Barnards's Star
Barnard's Star, also known as Barnard's Runaway Star, is a very low-mass red dwarf star approximately six light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus (the Snake-holder). It is very old, and moving relatively fast.
In 1916, the American astronomer E. E. Barnard measured its proper motion as 10.3 arcseconds per year. This is the largest-known proper motion of any star relative to the Sun. At a distance of about 1.8 parsecs from the Solar System, or just under six light-years, Barnard's Star is the nearest known star in the constellation Ophiuchus, and the fourth-closest known individual star to the Sun, after the three components of the Alpha Centauri system. Despite its proximity, Barnard's Star, at a dim apparent magnitude of about nine, is not visible with the unaided eye; however, it is much brighter in infrared light than it is in visible light. - Wikipedia
Distance of Barnard's Star from Sol. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Barnard's Star b (also designated GJ 699 b) is a candidate super-Earth-like exoplanet and ice planet that orbits Barnard's Star in the constellation of Ophiuchus. The exoplanet's discovery by an international team of astronomers – including the European Southern Observatory and Carnegie Institution for Science – was officially announced on 14 November 2018. It is the first confirmed planet orbiting Barnard's Star... - Wikipedia
Orbit of exoplanet Barnard's Star b. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist's conception of exoplanet Barnard's Star b. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
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.
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.
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.
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