Posts by Bob Trembley

In the Sky This Week – October 15, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 118 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

Saturn and Jupiter are excellent observing targets all week after sunset - Jupiter is getting lower towards the horizon each evening. I'm also noting that it's getting darker earlier each evening.

Saturn and Jupiter in the southwestern sky after sunset on Oct. 15, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Moon appears in the predawn sky this week, moving from west to east; the waning gibbous Moon appears high in the western sky before sunrise on Oct. 15 & 16th.

The waning gibbous Moon high in the western sky before sunrise on Oct. 15 & 16th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

On Oct. 17 and 18th, the waning gibbous Moon appears near the star Aldebaran in the southwestern predawn sky.

The third-quarter Moon appears high in the southern predawn sky near the star Pollux on Oct. 21st.

The thrid-quarter Moon high in the southern sky on Oct. 21, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Mars appears low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Mars

The planet Mars appears low on the eastern horizon before dawn. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Orion was again impossible to miss high in the southern predawn sky.

Constellation Orion

The constellation Orion, high in the southern predawn sky. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse is generally the ninth-brightest star in the night sky and second-brightest in the constellation of Orion (after Rigel). It is a distinctly reddish, semiregular variable star whose apparent magnitude varies between +0.0 and +1.3, the widest range of any first-magnitude star. At near-infrared wavelengths, Betelgeuse is the brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation α Orionis, which is Latinised to Alpha Orionis and abbreviated Alpha Ori or α Ori.

Classified as a red supergiant of spectral type M1-2, Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye. If Betelgeuse were at the center of the Solar System, its surface would extend past the asteroid belt, engulfing the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and possibly Jupiter. However, there are several other red supergiants in the Milky Way that are larger, such as Mu Cephei and VY Canis Majoris. Calculations of its mass range from slightly under ten to a little over twenty times that of the Sun. It is calculated to be 640 light-years away, yielding an absolute magnitude of about −6. Less than 10 million years old, Betelgeuse has evolved rapidly because of its high mass. Having been ejected from its birthplace in the Orion OB1 Association—which includes the stars in Orion's Belt—this runaway star has been observed moving through the interstellar medium at a speed of 30 km/s, creating a bow shock over four light-years wide. Betelgeuse is in the last stages of its evolution, and it is expected to explode as a supernova within the next million years. - Wikipedia

This is the first direct image of a star other than the Sun, made with the Hubble Space Telescope. Called Alpha Orionis, or Betelgeuse, it is a red supergiant star marking the shoulder of the winter constellation Orion the Hunter. The Hubble image reveals a huge ultraviolet atmosphere with a mysterious hot spot on the stellar behemoth's surface. The enormous bright spot, more than ten times the diameter of Earth, is at least 2, 000 Kelvin degrees hotter than the surface of the star. Credit: Andrea Dupree (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Ronald Gilliland (STScI), NASA and ESA

Constellation Orion

Deep-sky objects in the constellation Orion. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley


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 third-quarter Moon occurs on October 21st, rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.

Moon

The Moon from Oct. 15-21, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

The sun has been spotless for 12 days; coronal holes appear at both poles - with a tendril stretching up towards the equator from the south pole.

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 15, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 193 angstroms]

Some impressive prominences on the Sun's limb! I enlarged a couple below.

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 15, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

Prominences on the Sun - Oct. 15 2019 see in 304 Angstroms. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, edited by Bob Trembley.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 304 angstroms]

The solar wind speed is 361.4 km/sec (↓), with a density of 2.8 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1342 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 SR8
2019-Oct-16
13.5 LD
9.8
26
2019 TE2
2019-Oct-18
8.2 LD
10.1
29
2019 TW6
2019-Oct-18
14.8 LD
5.6
19
2019 TP5
2019-Oct-18
8.2 LD
18.6
29
2019 TA1
2019-Oct-18
15.5 LD
6.4
22
2019 TM7
2019-Oct-18
10.9 LD
23.8
57
2019 TK5
2019-Oct-19
2.5 LD
5.8
11
2019 TG7
2019-Oct-19
16.8 LD
7.6
23
2019 SJ8
2019-Oct-19
11.6 LD
7.4
48
2019 TQ2
2019-Oct-25
12.8 LD
12.4
35
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34
2019 TR2
2019-Oct-29
19.4 LD
13.9
73
2015 JD1
2019-Nov-03
12.9 LD
11.9
269
2010 JG
2019-Nov-12
19.6 LD
14.9
235
481394
2019-Nov-21
11.3 LD
7.9
372
2008 EA9
2019-Nov-23
10.5 LD
2.2
10
2017 AP4
2019-Dec-03
8.5 LD
7.5
15
2018 XW2
2019-Dec-07
17.4 LD
13
28

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

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 116 (+52) , this year: 2252 (+54), all time: 21169 (+60)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2018  (last updated  Oct. 1, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 829,334 (+588)

Asteroid News



On Oct. 14, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 8 fireballs.
(8 sporadics)

Fireball Orbits

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

Comet C/2019 Q4

Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system:

Inner Solar System

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Oct. 15 2019 - the orbit of asteroid 101955 Bennu is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Oct. 15, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley

Position of the planets and a several bodies in the outer solar system:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Oct. 15, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley

2014 UZ224 a trans-neptunian object (TNO) and possible dwarf planet orbiting in the scattered disc. As of October 2018, it was approximately 90.7 astronomical units (1.357×1010 km) from the Sun, and will slowly decrease in distance until it reaches its perihelion of 38 AU sometime near 2142. The discoverers have nicknamed it "DeeDee" for "Distant Dwarf".

2014 UZ224 was discovered by a team led by David Gerdes using data collected by the large camera Dark Energy Camera (DECam). It has a diameter of ~635 km (395 mi) and reflects just 13 percent of the sunlight that hits it on its 1,136 year orbit around the sun. Since the numbering of (532037) 2013 FY27 in May 2019, 2014 UZ224 is the largest unnumbered object in the Solar System. -Wikipedia

2014 UZ224

Orbit of Trans-neptunian object 2014 UZ224 - Oct. 15, 2019. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

2014 UZ224

Artist's conception of 2014 UZ224, a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) and possible dwarf planet orbiting in the scattered disc. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

2014 UZ224

Artist's conception of the surface of 2014 UZ224, looking towards the Sun - the band of the Milky Way on the left. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

 

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Pictured: large, similar textured boulders located in asteroid Bennu’s northern hemisphere. The image was taken on August 2, from 0.4 miles (0.7 km) away. The long, horizontal boulder (right center) is 18 ft (5.5 m) long, about the length of a full-size pickup truck.

Landsat

Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4073 (+16)
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 892
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1182 (-1)
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 791  (-3)

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 Artwork by Bob Trembley: Cat's Eye Gas Giant

This hypothetical Neptune-like exoplanet orbits the smaller of two stars in a binary star system; for a short period during the exoplanet's orbit, the larger star appears on the opposite side of the sky from the exoplanet's host star - creating very thin band of shadow on the exoplanet.

Hypothetical Cat's Eye Exoplanet. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

When the two stars are about 90° apart, the shadow spreads into a wedge - I guess this would be the Startled Cat's Eye Gas Giant!

Hypothetical Cat's Eye Exoplanet when the stars are at an 90° angle in the sky. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Alexei Leonov, First Human To Walk in Space, Passes at Age 85

I'm embarrassed to admit that I was unaware that cosmonaut Leonov was also an artist!


https://twitter.com/HumanoidHistory/status/1183338488483270656/photo/1
https://twitter.com/HumanoidHistory/status/1183805637081391105/photo/1
https://twitter.com/RusHeritageUK/status/1182741827256029189/photo/1

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.

World Space Week Lander on the Mun. Credit: Kerbal Space Program / Bob Trembley

 

Endeavour Space Academy – 2019 Session #2: An Unexpected Lesson in Light Pollution

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by

I started off our last club meeting by showing my "In the Sky" post I'd written the day before - hey... why not!? Several of the students said that they had seen Ursa Major, and a couple said they could see the Mizar/Alcor double star! This week's constellation was Cassiopeia; I showed the students where to find the constellation, and some deep-sky objects in the Cassiopeia, including the open cluster M103.

Constellation Cassiopeia

The constellation Cassiopeia in the northwestern predawn sky on Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

I discussed the differences between open and globular star clusters, and showed a few examples of each.

We discussed galaxy mergers, and I showed this animation of galaxy mergers seen from different perspectives:

We then discussed how the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way will collide in several billion years; I showed this PBS video about the collision:

During the video, one of the students asked my wife "What is that band of stars behind the narrator?" I stopped the video, and brought up a photo of the Milky Way as seen from a dark sky site, and asked my students if any of them had ever seen this:

Time-exposure of the Milky Way from northern lower Michigan. Credit: Doug Bock (Twitter: Mars_1956).

Of the 15 students in the club that day, only one had ever seen the Milky Way. I hung my head and sighed. I proceeded to show the students images of the structure of the Milky Way galaxy: top-down showing the spiral arms, and a side view showing the galaxy's disk and bulge, and where the Sun is located.

Annotated artist's concept of a top-down view of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech)

Edge-on spiral galaxy ESO 121-6. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

So here our solar system is, in the middle of this enormous flat disk of stars, gas and dust; from our viewpoint, that disk stretches completely us around in the sky, and looks like a silvery band. Unless you are far away in space, half of that band is hidden by the Earth. From the dawn of human civilization until about 100 years ago, every human on Earth could see the Milky Way, every night. What happened? Light pollution.

"... more than 80% of the world and more than 99% of the U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies. The Milky Way is hidden from more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans." - The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness

Light Pollution in the Chicago Skyline in 2012. Credit: Bob Trembley

For the next several minutes, my wife and I discussed light pollution with the students, and we showed them nighttime images of Earth from NASA's Black Marble site - the students gasped!

Midwest and Northeastern U.S. at night from NASA's Black Marble website.

My wife and I related the story of the 1994 power outage in Los Angeles where residents called observatories asking what the weird silvery band of light they were seeing in the sky... This story actually tells me two things: 1) those people have never seen the night sky from a dark sky site, and 2) those people didn't know the Milky Way was there in the first place - which speaks volumes about the quality of basic astronomy education they've received.

In an odd bit of serendipity, the main presentation at the recent meeting of the Warren Astronomical Society was given by Dr. Sally Oey, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Michigan, about light pollution! Dr. Oey is involved with Michigan Dark Skies; I walked away with several pamphlets from the International Dark Sky Association. Dr. Oey told the audience that if they had a non-shielded streetlight near their home that they would like replaced to simply call DTE customer service. I've contacted them via Twitter and am having a conversation with support as I'm writing this.

Here's what you're missing:

 

In the Sky This Week – October 8, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 117 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

This week is World Space Week! Held annually every October 4-10th, it is the largest space event on Earth, with more than 5,000 events in over 80 countries. The theme for 2019 is: “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars.”

“The General Assembly declares 4 to 10 October World Space Week to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition” - UN General Assembly resolution, 6 December 1999

Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon continue to be excellent observing targets all week after sunset.

The waxing gibbous Moon with Saturn and Jupiter in the southern sky after sunset, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The waxing gibbous Moon is in the southwestern sky at midnight on Oct. 8th.

The waxing gibbous Moon in the southwestern sky at midnight, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

At midnight on Oct. 11th, the waxing gibbous Moon is high in the southern sky.

The waxing gibbous Moon high in the southern sky at midnight, Oct. 11, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The full Moon appears in the southeastern sky at midnight, Oct. 14th.

The full Moon in the southeastern sky at midnight, Oct. 14, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Mars appears a bit higher each morning in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Mars very low in the eastern predawn sky, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

 

Constellation Pegasus

Pegasus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the 88 constellations recognised today.

With an apparent magnitude varying between 2.37 and 2.45, the brightest star in Pegasus is the orange supergiant Epsilon Pegasi, also known as Enif, which marks the horse's muzzle. Alpha (Markab), Beta (Scheat), and Gamma (Algenib), together with Alpha Andromedae (Alpheratz, once also designated Delta Pegasi) form the large asterism known as the Square of Pegasus. Twelve star systems have been found to have exoplanets. 51 Pegasi was the first Sun-like star discovered to have an exoplanet companion. - Wikipedia

Continuing with my plan to get students in my after-school club to recognize constellations in the nighttime sky just after sunset, I've moved to the eastern sky where Pegasus should be easy to spot above the Moon on Oct. 13th - look for the "Great Square."

Constellation Pegasus

Constellation Pegasus in the eastern sky after sunset on Oct. 13, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Western artwork for the constellation Pegasus is that of a winged horse.

Constellation Pegasus with Artwork

Constellation Pegasus with (with Western artwork shown) in the eastern sky after sunset on Oct. 13, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The globular cluster M15 is in Pegasus, just above the horse's snout.

Globular Cluster M15. Credits: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

 

The Moon is a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.

The full  Moon occurs on October 14th, rising at sunset, high in the sky around midnight, and visible all night.

After October 14th, the Moon will be a waning gibbous, rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.

Moon

The Moon from Oct. 8-14, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News

That emerging spot from last week got a designation: AR2749, but is near impossible to see in visible light. The active region is moving across the face of the Sun, and is visible in ultraviolet light just below the equator offset from the center of the Sun's face in both images below. The northern coronal hole has remained open and huge for weeks - the southern hole is much less pronounced.

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 1, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 193 angstroms]

Prominences, prominences everywhere!

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 1, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 304 angstroms]

The solar wind speed is 385.3 km/sec (↓), with a density of 1.4 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1127 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 TU
2019-Oct-08
4.4 LD
9.8
22
2019 TW1
2019-Oct-08
1.5 LD
11.7
10
2019 RK
2019-Oct-08
16.7 LD
3
30
2019 TC1
2019-Oct-08
3.5 LD
13.1
12
2019 SB6
2019-Oct-08
7.8 LD
7.8
16
2019 TM
2019-Oct-08
9.4 LD
12.9
38
2019 TS
2019-Oct-08
8.4 LD
7.8
29
2019 TV1
2019-Oct-09
17.1 LD
9
23
2019 TZ
2019-Oct-09
8.1 LD
11.6
18
2019 SL7
2019-Oct-09
1.4 LD
17.1
22
2019 SX5
2019-Oct-10
17.7 LD
21.8
83
2019 TN1
2019-Oct-12
12.9 LD
8.6
15
2019 SK8
2019-Oct-12
10.5 LD
8.4
21
2019 SV9
2019-Oct-12
8.6 LD
13.5
30
2019 SE2
2019-Oct-12
19.2 LD
10.2
55
2019 TH2
2019-Oct-13
9.3 LD
7.8
19
2019 TT1
2019-Oct-13
2.9 LD
13.3
23
2019 SR8
2019-Oct-16
13.5 LD
9.8
26
2019 TE2
2019-Oct-18
8.3 LD
10.1
27
2019 TA1
2019-Oct-18
15.5 LD
6.4
22
2019 SJ8
2019-Oct-19
11.6 LD
7.4
47
2019 TQ2
2019-Oct-25
12.8 LD
12.4
35
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34
2019 TR2
2019-Oct-29
19.4 LD
13.9
73
2015 JD1
2019-Nov-03
12.9 LD
11.9
269
2010 JG
2019-Nov-12
19.6 LD
14.9
235
481394
2019-Nov-21
11.3 LD
7.9
372
2008 EA9
2019-Nov-23
10.5 LD
2.2
10
2017 AP4
2019-Dec-03
8.5 LD
7.5
15

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

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 64 (-153), this year: 2198 (+110), all time: 21109 (+111)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2018  (last updated  Oct. 1, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 828,746 (+5945)


On Oct. 7, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 12 fireballs.
(12 sporadics)

Fireball Orbits

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

Comet C/2019 Q4

Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system:

Inner Solar System

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Oct. 8 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a several bodies in the outer solar system:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

90482 Orcus is a trans-neptunian object (TNO) with a very large moon.

Orbit of Orcus

Orbits of trans-neptunian object (TNO) 90482 Orcus, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: JPL Small Body Database.

Last week, I mentioned that I spent rather more time there than I thought playing around in the Pluto system in SpaceEngine.... yeaaaa.... Same thing with the 90482 Orcus system...

Orcus and Vanth

Artist's conception of 90482 Orcus (right) and Asteroid Vanth (left) in the year 2019. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Vanth could be tidally-locked with Orcus, with an orbital period of  9.7 days; the rotation period of 90482 Orcus is unknown.

Artist's conception of Vanth seen from 90482 Orcus in the year 2019. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

As with Pluto's moons, 90482 Orcus' moon Vanth currently orbits at a very steep angle compared to the plane of the ecliptic. However, in 2174 the orbital plane will be flat-on to the plane of the ecliptic, and the two bodies will eclipse each other with each orbit - just like Pluto and Charon will in 2103! (See my last post for images.)

Artist's conception of an eclipse shadow of Vanth on 90482 Orcus in the year 2174. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

As Vanth's shadow crosses 90482 Orcus it creates this bizarre teardrop shape:

Artist's conception of a teardrop eclipse shadow of Vanth on 90482 Orcus in the year 2174. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

At totality, the shadow of 90482 Orcus completely covers the smaller Vanth.

Artist's conception of an eclipse shadow from 90482 Orcus on Vanth in the year 2174. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

In real-time, the eclipse shadows of both these bodies race over the surface of the other:

Artist's conception of an eclipse shadow from 90482 Orcus on the surface of Vanth in the year 2174. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

 

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Orbit of OSIRIS-REx Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley

NASA Climate

Landsat Wants YOUR Pictures of Clouds

 

Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4057 
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 892
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1184
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 794  (-10)

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.

2019 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to Exoplanet Researchers 


Here's the same post on Twitter: [LINK]

Exoplanet Artwork by Bob Trembley: 51 Pegasi b

51 Pegasi b (abbreviated 51 Peg b), unofficially dubbed Bellerophon /bɛˈlɛrəfɒn/, later formally named Dimidium /dɪˈmɪdiəm/, is an extrasolar planet approximately 50 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus. It was the first exoplanet to be discovered orbiting a main-sequence star, the Sun-like 51 Pegasi, and marked a breakthrough in astronomical research. It is the prototype for a class of planets called hot Jupiters.

In 2017, traces of water were discovered in the planet's atmosphere. - Wikipedia

Dimidium

Artist's concept of exoplanet Dimidium (51 Pegasi b). Credit: SpaceEngine/Bob Trembley

NASA Infographic: Profile of planet 51 Pegasi b

The first exoplanet discovered around a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi b made us question what we knew of our universe and launched the search for new worlds. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

JPL "Visions of the Future" Retro Travel Poster for 51 Pegasi b:

While there is much debate over which exoplanet discovery is considered the "first," one stands out from the rest. In 1995, scientists discovered 51 Pegasi b, forever changing the way we see the universe and our place in it. The exoplanet is about half the mass of Jupiter, with a seemingly impossible, star-hugging orbit of only 4.2 Earth days. Not only was it the first planet confirmed to orbit a sun-like star, it also ushered in a whole new class of planets called Hot Jupiters: hot, massive planets orbiting closer to their stars than Mercury. Today, powerful observatories like NASA's Kepler space telescope will continue the hunt of distant planets. Credit: JPL

 

"Chesley Bonestell - A Brush With The Future" screens in Champaign Illinois

The space art of Chesley Bonestell was something I loved during my childhood - I wish I could make this showing!

Here's one of my favorites:

 

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.

World Space Week Lander on the Mun. Credit: Kerbal Space Program / Bob Trembley

 

Southeastern Michigan to Have Four ISS Fly-Overs from Oct. 7-10

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by

The International Space Station will be visible four times over southeastern Michigan shortly after sunset from Oct.7-10, 2019.

Fly-over info from Heavens-Above.com (from my driveway in Chesterfield, MI):

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
07 Oct -2.6 20:46:34 10° WNW 20:49:38 35° SW 20:50:12 32° SSW visible
08 Oct -3.4 19:57:52 10° WNW 20:01:10 62° SW 20:03:59 13° SE visible
09 Oct -0.9 20:47:14 10° W 20:48:55 13° SW 20:50:37 10° SSW visible
10 Oct -1.5 19:57:51 10° W 20:00:32 22° SW 20:03:11 10° S visible

 

You can find and chart exact times for several different satellite fly-overs from your location on the Heavens-Above.com website.

ISS News:

‘Hot Jupiter’ Exoplanet Found with 18-Hour Orbit

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by

Astronomers have found an exoplanet that orbits its host star every 18 hours - a new record!

Artist's concept of exoplanet NGTS-10 b and host star (side view, close - star granulation visible, actual scale). Credit: SpaceEngine/Bob Trembley

Exoplanet NGTS-10 b has twice the mass of Jupiter, and orbits so close to its class K6V orange dwarf host star that the star's gravity will flatten the planet into an oblate spheroid. The planet is classified as a "Hot Jupiter" - with the star-facing side of the planet being incandescently bright!

Artist's concept of exoplanet NGTS-10 b. Credit: SpaceEngine/Bob Trembley

Using data from the announcement paper on arXiv.org and The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia, I added the star and exoplanet into SpaceEngine and took some screenshots; I actually spent quite a bit of time fooling around in this system... I took some artistic liberty with the comet-like tail and wide auroras, but I figured being cooked by the star's heat, and blasted by the star's stellar wind will cause the planet's atmosphere to expand WAY out and be blown away, so why not?!

Over 4000 exoplanets have been confirmed as of this writing, and there are thousands more awaiting confirmation. In my weekly "In the Sky" posts, I include exoplanet artwork - I really want to give the impression that these planets orbiting other stars are actual PLACES.

Artist's concept of a cyclone in the atmosphere of exoplanet NGTS-10 b. Credit: SpaceEngine/Bob Trembley

NGTS-10 b orbits it's host star at 1.46 times the Roche radius, beyond which gravitational forces will rip the planet apart - a fate likely to occur to this planet in an estimated 38 million years.

Animation of a moon being torn apart by gravitational forces after having crossed the Roche limit. Credit: BBC - The Planets.

NGTS stands for Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS):

The primary goal of the NGTS is to search for transiting exoplanets around bright, nearby stars using a technique called transit photometry, which precisely measures the slight dimming of a star’s light when a planet passes in front of it. Recent discoveries of Neptune-sized planets and super-Earths in other planetary systems have revealed that low-mass planets around solar-type stars are very common, but their composition and structure are extraordinarily diverse and remain open areas of study. The NGTS is designed to fill this observation gap between Earth-sized planets and gas giants, by searching for planets with diameters between two and eight times that of Earth. - ESO

Update:

Not being satisfied with playing with NGTS-10 in only one simulator, I created the NGTS-10 system in Universe Sandbox too:

Simulation of exoplanet NGTS-10 b and its host star. Credit: Universe Sandbox/Bob Trembley

I've shared this Universe Sandbox simulation of the NGTS-10 system on Steam: [LINK]

Universe Sandbox can simulate the break-up of bodies that have crossed the Roche limit, so I tweaked the orbit of exoplanet NGTS-10 b in Universe Sandbox until it was just at the point where it started to break-up:

I've shared the break-up simulation of exoplanet NGTS-10 b on Steam: [LINK]

 

In the Sky This Week – October 1, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 116 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon will be excellent sidewalk astronomy targets all week.

Moon, Saturn and Jupiter

Waxing crescent Moon low on the horizon with Jupiter and Saturn in the southwestern sky after sunset on Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Moon appears near both Jupiter and Saturn during this week.

The Moon leaves Saturn and Jupiter behind by the beginning of next week, but this sky is still great for doing observing sessions!

Moon, Saturn and Jupiter

The Moon, Saturn and Jupiter across the southern sky after sunset on Oct. 7, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Mars emerges from the glare of the Sun and appears low in the eastern predawn sky just before sunrise.

Mars in the east

Mars very low in the eastern predawn sky, Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Pleiades are high (and hard to miss) in the eastern predawn sky.

Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades

The bright stars Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster in the eastern predawn sky Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The constellation Cassiopeia appears in the northwestern predawn sky, and in the northeastern sky after sunset.

M103 - Open Star Cluster in Cassiopeia

Messier 103 (also known as M103, or NGC 581) is an open cluster where a few thousand stars formed in the constellation Cassiopeia. This open cluster was discovered in 1781 by Charles Messier's friend and collaborator Pierre Méchain. It is one of the most distant open clusters known, with distances of 8,000 to 9,500 light-years from the earth and ranging about 15 light-years apart. There are about 40 member stars within M103, two of which have magnitudes 10.5, and a 10.8 red giant, which is the brightest within the cluster. Observation of M103 is generally dominated by the appearance of Struve 131, though the star is not a member of the 172-star cluster. M103 is about 25 million years old. - Wikipedia

Messier 103. Credit: Bill McSorley / Sky at Night

There are quite a few deep-sky objects in Cassiopeia.

Deep Sky Objects in Cassiopeia

Deep sky objects in the constellation Cassiopeia. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Infrared light reveals wispy lanes of gas and dust in Cassiopeia.

Cassiopeia in IR

The northeastern sky seen in far infrared from the AKARI Far-Infrared All-Sky Survey. Color composition: (blue: N60; green: WideS; red: WideL). AKARI FIS All-Sky Survey HEALPIX map produced by the Centre d'Analyse de Donees Etendues (CADE) with the original processed data from ISAS/JAXA. See http://www.ir.isas.jaxa.jp/AKARI/Archive/Images/FIS_AllSkyMap/Doi_AKARI_FIR_AllSkySurvey.pdf
Source: Stellarium, Edited by: Bob Trembley

 

The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening.

The first-quarter Moon occurs on Saturday October 5th, it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening - great for sidewalk astronomy!

After October 5th, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.

Moon

The Moon from Oct. 1-7, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News

The Sun has an emerging spot! As of this writing, the spot has not been assigned an Active Region (AR) number.

The northern coronal hole continues to be ginormous, and the southern hole seems to have reopened. A moderate-sized coronal hole also appears below the equator.

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 1, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 193 angstroms]

LOOK at that really cool prominence in the lower right!

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 1, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

Here's a rotated close-up:

Sunspot Oct. 1 2019 (No AR yet) see in 304 Angstroms. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 304 angstroms]

The solar wind speed is 526.5 km/sec (↑), with a density of 0.3 protons/cm3 (↓) at 1300 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News - Sounding Rocket Payload Looks at the Sun

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 SH3
2019-Sep-30
3.1 LD
14.2
27
2019 SN3
2019-Sep-30
2.2 LD
7.7
16
2019 SP
2019-Sep-30
6.6 LD
15.1
46
2018 FK5
2019-Oct-01
13.3 LD
10.5
8
2019 SX3
2019-Oct-02
8.7 LD
8.7
30
2019 SA6
2019-Oct-02
11.8 LD
16.6
30
2018 LG4
2019-Oct-02
13.8 LD
8.1
12
2019 SP3
2019-Oct-03
1 LD
8.7
19
2017 TJ4
2019-Oct-05
13.5 LD
8.9
32
2019 SZ4
2019-Oct-06
18.7 LD
6.5
25
2019 SB6
2019-Oct-08
7.7 LD
7.9
16
2019 RK
2019-Oct-08
16.7 LD
3
30
2019 SL7
2019-Oct-09
1.4 LD
17.1
21
2019 SX5
2019-Oct-10
17.7 LD
21.8
84
2019 SE2
2019-Oct-12
19.2 LD
10.2
54
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34
2015 JD1
2019-Nov-03
12.9 LD
11.9
269
2010 JG
2019-Nov-12
19.6 LD
14.9
235
481394
2019-Nov-21
11.3 LD
7.9
372
2008 EA9
2019-Nov-23
10.5 LD
2.2
10

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


Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 217 (+91), this year: 2088 (+91), all time: 20998 (+85)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2018  (+3) (last updated  Oct. 1, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 822,801 (+25,744 !!!) - We passed the 800K mark sooner than I predicted a few weeks ago... then again, this jump was HUGE!


On Sep.24, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 23 fireballs.
(21 sporadics, 1 southern Taurid)

Fireball Orbits

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

Comet C/2019 Q4

Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system - the Parker Solar Probe will soon pass orbit of Venus.

Inner Solar System

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Oct. 1 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a several bodies in the outer solar system:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Pluto's Orbit compared to the plane of the ecliptic:

Orbit of Pluto

Orbit of Pluto, Oct. 1, 2019 - showing inclination to the plane of the ecliptic. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

I spent some time in the Pluto system in SpaceEngine generating images for this post. Actually, I spent rather more time there than I thought, but hey, it's fun to get completely lost in something you love!

Pluto's moons orbit at a very steep angle compared to the plane of the ecliptic; in 2019 the orbital plane of Pluto's moons is also nearly flat-on to the plane of the ecliptic - there is no chance of Pluto and Charon eclipsing each other.

Orbit of Pluto's Moons

Artist's conception of a the orbital plane of Pluto's moons in the year 2019 compared to the plane of the ecliptic - rear view. Pluto's orbit is red, other planet's orbits are shown in green. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Pluto and Charon orbit so close to each other that they are tidally-locked with each other; they orbit a common barycenter - which is above the surface of Pluto, so Pluto appears to wobble as Charon orbits around it.

Orbital Plane of Pluto's Moons

Artist's conception of a the orbital plane of Pluto's moons in the year 2019 - side view. The light blue square is the Pluto-Charon barycenter. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

From the surface of Pluto, you will always see the same face of Charon - the same applies to Pluto from the surface of Charon! Each body also appear to hang motionless in the other's sky, as the stars move slowly in the background.

Charon seen from Pluto

Artist's conception of Charon seen from the surface of Pluto. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Pluto has several smaller moons; Styx is a dwarf moon of Pluto, measuring 16 × 9 × 8 km:

Between Two Worlds

"Between Two Worlds." Artist's conception of dwarf moon Styx seen with Charon and Pluto in the distance. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

I landed on Styx in SpaceEngine, and looked at Charon and Pluto on the horizon; Styx is also tidally-locked with Pluto, so Pluto hangs motionless, while Charon moves in front of it.

Charon and Pluto

"Worlds on the Horizon." Artist's conception of Charon and Pluto on Styx's Horizon in the year 2103, when the system's orbital plane is 90° to the plane of the ecliptic. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

I had a thought while I was playing around in the Pluto system: Pluto and Charon currently cannot eclipse each other... what about when Pluto has rotated 1/4 of the way around the Sun, and the orbital plane of its moons will be 90° to the plane of the ecliptic? I accelerated time in SpaceEngine and found that from around 2099-2107, Pluto and Charon will be eclipsing each other with every orbit!

Artist's conception of a total eclipse of Charon on Pluto in the year 2103 seen from above Charon; the system's orbital plane is 90° to the plane of the ecliptic in 2103. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

I wonder what the light-curve of these events might look like from Earth? Will this be something astronomers of 2100 will be observing? One also has to wonder what instruments astronomers will be using to look Pluto in 2100; the James Webb Space Telescope will part of the distant past by then.

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News - International #ObserveTheMoon Night is October 5th

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Landsat

NASA Climate

Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4057  (+2)
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 892  (+15)
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1184  (+107)
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 804  (-11)

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 Artwork by Bob Trembley

Proxima Centauri b (also called Proxima b or Alpha Centauri Cb) is an exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, which is the closest star to the Sun and part of a triple star system. It is located about 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs, 40 trillion km, or 25 trillion miles) from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus, making it the closest known exoplanet to the Solar System.

Proxima Centauri b orbits the star at a distance of roughly 0.05 AU (7,500,000 km; 4,600,000 mi) with an orbital period of approximately 11.2 Earth days, and has an estimated mass of at least 1.3 times that of the Earth. Its habitability has not been established, though it is unlikely to be habitable since the planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2,000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind. - Wikipedia

Proxima Centauri b

Artist's conception of exoplanet Proxima Centauri b - the closest known exoplanet, orbiting its parent red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Proxima Centauri b

Artist's conception of exoplanet Proxima Centauri b with the Megallantic Clouds in the background. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

 

Happy Birthday NASA

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. NEW update this week!

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.

Endeavour Space Academy – 2019 Session #1

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
Endeavour Space Academy

PCs used by students in the Endeavour Space Academy at Endeavour School, Ray, Michigan. Credit: Bob Trembley

For our first after-school club meeting of 2019, Mrs. Trembley introduced us both as volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors; I told the students I was the outreach officer for the Warren Astronomical Society, and about the WAS' free open house and star party - every 4th Saturday of the month at Stargate Observatory - which happens THIS Saturday!

Big Dipper

Big Dipper Asterism of constellation Ursa Major with star-hopping guide (red) to Polaris, the north star. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

I told the students I work for the Vatican Observatory Foundation, and that I write a weekly "In the Sky" post... and that they should read it. 🙂

We told the students our goal this year was to get them observing the nighttime sky - we're starting them off with the constellation Ursa Major (and the Big Dipper) - which I wrote about in my latest "In the Sky" post. I was truly surprised by how many of the students had never noticed the Big Dipper in the northwestern sky, or if they had, were unaware of what it was!

M51

M51 or the Whirlpool Galaxy. Found just above the end of the "handle" of the big dipper (Ursa Major).

I had the students use NASA's Solar System Exploration Website and its orrery - and they DIVED into it! They brought up planets, moons and space probes; they were all over the place and it was wonderful to watch!

I used Stellarium-Web on a projector, and showed the students how to find Ursa Major in the northwestern sky after sunset. I then zoomed in to Mizar / Alcor and showed it was a multiple star system, and M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy - which some of the students recognized. I gave the students a few minutes to use Stellarium-Web for themselves, and learn the controls.

We gave the students handouts with directions on how to find Ursa Major, and tasked them with finding the constellation this week, and look for Mizar to see if they could see the double star with their own eyes. The handout included a slightly modified version of the Astronomical League's observing log, which we'll be using this year.

I showed the video: "The Life Cycle of Stars" on Youtube.

For the last 20 minutes of the club, we let the students explore the two websites they'd used, or run Kerbal Space Program - which several students choose to do!

Next week, my wife wants the students to construct and learn how to use a planisphere - we'll be using the one from the Cranbrook Institute of Science website.

In the Sky This Week – September 24, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 115 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

Saturn and Jupiter continue to make excellent observing targets after sunset all week.

South-southwestern sky

Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares in the south-southwestern sky at 9:00 PM this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

A recent tweet from the Hubble Space Telescope shows Saturn's rings in all their glory! I got a chance to see Saturn through a large telescope recently - the Cassini Division was clearly visible.

By midnight, Saturn is near to setting in the southwestern sky, and star Fomalhaut is high in the southern sky.

Saturn and Fomalhaut

Saturn and the star Fomalhaut in the south-southwestern sky at midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

The constellation Orion is high in the southern sky before sunrise; I saw it this morning as my wife drove off to work - it's impossible to miss above the roof of my house!

Orion

The constellation Orion is high in the southern sky before sunrise. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Moon will be between the stars Regulus and Algieba before sunrise on September 26th - if you're up, be sure to look for earthshine! (Note: the Moon is shown magnified for better visualization.)

Conjunction of the Moon and Regulus

Conjunction of the waning crescent Moon and the star Regulus - 6:00 AM Sep. 26th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

 

The Constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater she-bear," referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa Minor, the lesser bear. Wikipedia

My wife and I having our first meeting of our after-school club, the Endeavour Space Academy, this week. We're going to concentrate on observing this year, and getting to know the night sky - I want students to be able to see and identify objects in the early evening sky (before it gets too late for them...); we're starting with something everyone in the northern hemisphere has already seen, but may not have known they've seen: the constellation Ursa Major, and it's right there to the north after sunset.

Constellation Ursa Major

Constellation Ursa Major (with lines shown) in the North-northwestern sky at 9:00 PM on Sep. 24th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Most people will be familiar with "the Big Dipper" - which is an asterism - a pattern of stars that is not a constellation. The two farthest stars in Dipper's bowl can be used as a "star-hopping" guide the the north star, Polaris; I actually found myself doing this very thing the other evening without thinking about it!

Big Dipper

Big Dipper Asterism of constellation Ursa Major with star-hopping guide (red) to Polaris, the north star at 9:00 PM on Sep. 24th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Western sky art for the constellation Ursa Major:

Constellation Ursa Major Western Artwork

Constellation Ursa Major at 9:00 PM on Sep. 24th with Western sky art shown. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Arabic sky art for the constellation Ursa Major:

Ursa Major Arabic Sky Art

Constellation Ursa Major at 9:00 PM on Sep. 24th with Arabic sky art shown. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Ursa Major is host to numerous deep-sky objects (DSO); if I cranked up the number of visible DSO markers all the way up in Stellarium, this image would be filled with red and orange markers!

Ursa Major Deep Sky Objects

Major deep-sky objects in constellation Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The human eye is really a pretty terrible tool for doing astronomy... it can not perceive infrared, so we're missing out on seeing the clouds of gas and dust that our Sun is drifting through:

Ursa Major in Far-Infrared

Constellation Ursa Major at 9:00 PM on Sep. 24th seen in far infrared from the AKARI Far-Infrared All-Sky Survey. Color composition: (blue: N60; green: WideS; red: WideL). AKARI FIS All-Sky Survey HEALPIX map produced by the Centre d'Analyse de Donees Etendues (CADE) with the original processed data from ISAS/JAXA. See http://www.ir.isas.jaxa.jp/AKARI/Archive/Images/FIS_AllSkyMap/Doi_AKARI_FIR_AllSkySurvey.pdf
Source: Stellarium, Edited by: Bob Trembley

Sometimes I get asked "Why is the sky dark?" I respond with "It's NOT! You just can't see all the different light pouring down on you!" If you could see microwaves, the sky would be glowing in all directions from the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB).

Cosmic Microwave Background

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation around the constellation Ursa Major from the the Planck mission - PLANCK R2 LFI color composition - 30-44-70 GHz.
The Planck mission will collect and characterise radiation from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) using sensitive radio receivers operating at extremely low temperatures. These receivers will determine the black body equivalent temperature of the background radiation and will be capable of distinguishing temperature variations of about one microkelvin. These measurements will be used to produce the best ever maps of anisotropies in the CMB radiation field.
Source: Stellarium, edited by: Bob Trembley

 

The Moon is a waning crescent, visible low to the east before sunrise - my favorite in the morning with coffee! Both my wife and I saw it with bright earthshine this morning.

The new Moon occurs on  September 28nd, deep-sky photographers rejoice!

After September 28nd, the Moon will be a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening; more opportunity to see earthshine!

Moon

The Moon from Sep. 24-30, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

I was rather pleased with how well SpaceEngine simulated earthshine on the waxing crescent Moon early next week:

Earthshine

Simulation of earthshine on the waxing crescent Moon seen from space above South America - Sep. 30, 2019. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Moon News

The Sun has been spot-free for 21 days; the northern coronal hole remains huge, the southern hole is all but closed, and a monster coronal is on the equator, facing right at us!

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Sept. 24, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 193 angstroms]

One really large prominence recently, and several smaller ones over the last couple days

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Sept. 24, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 304 angstroms]

The solar wind speed is 451.4 km/sec (↑), with a density of 606 protons/cm3 (↑) at 2106 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
523934
2019-Sep-24
10.9 LD
22.3
257
2019 SW1
2019-Sep-24
3 LD
12.7
13
2019 QY3
2019-Sep-26
13.9 LD
8.4
40
2019 SP2
2019-Sep-26
5.7 LD
9.4
57
2017 KP27
2019-Sep-26
4.2 LD
4.7
25
2006 QV89
2019-Sep-27
18.1 LD
4.1
31
2019 SO1
2019-Sep-29
11.3 LD
7.5
16
2019 SP
2019-Sep-30
6.7 LD
14.8
46
2018 FK5
2019-Oct-01
13.3 LD
10.5
8
2018 LG4
2019-Oct-02
13.8 LD
8.1
12
2017 TJ4
2019-Oct-05
13.5 LD
8.9
32
2019 RK
2019-Oct-08
16.7 LD
3.1
31
2019 SE2
2019-Oct-12
19.3 LD
10.2
55
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34
2015 JD1
2019-Nov-03
12.9 LD
11.9
269
2010 JG
2019-Nov-12
19.6 LD
14.9
235
481394
2019-Nov-21
11.3 LD
7.9
372

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


Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 126 (+65), this year: 1997 (+56), all time: 20913 (+55)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2015 (last updated  Sep. 10, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 797,057 (+127)


On Sep.24, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 56 fireballs.
(55 sporadics, 1 southern Taurid)

Fireball Orbits

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

Comet C/2019 Q4

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the inner solar system:

Inner Solar System

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Sep. 24, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Sep. 24, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the outer solar system, with the orbit of dwarf planet Eris highlighted:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Sep. 24, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Dwarf planet Eris has a Moon: Dysnomia.

Dysnomia

Artist's conception of dwarf planet Eris seen from above its moon Dysnomia. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

I used SpaceEngine to land on Dysnomia and look at Eris on the horizon:

Dysnomia

Artist's conception of dwarf planet Eris seen from the surface of its moon Dysnomia. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Dysnomia orbits Eris with an eccentricity of < 0.013 - not quite but almost circular; Earth's Moon has an eccentricity of 0.0549. Dysnomia's orbit around Eris is inclined to the solar system's plane of the ecliptic.

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News - International #ObserveTheMoon Night is October 5th

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA Spitzer Space Telescope

Kerbal Space Program 2 and NASA Get Mentioned by XKCD

XKCD seems to be under the impression that when KSP2 is released "next spring," a lot of geeks (like myself) will be playing it non-stop (well, it's true)... this includes persons at NASA who work on the Mars 2020 Rover - which is scheduled to launch just about the same time or shortly after KSP2 is released.

Send Your Name To Mars on the Mars 2020 Rover

NASA Climate

Climate


Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4055
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 877
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1077
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 815  (+93)

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 Artwork by Bob Trembley

Exoplanet PSR J1719-14 b is a hot meganeptune orbiting a pulsar every 2 hours and 10 minutes. The exoplanet is tidally-locked to its parent, and rotates so fast that it has an oblateness of 0.078. Orbiting only about 658,000 km from the pulsar, the exoplanet's atmosphere temperature is around 4700°C!

Hot Exoplanet PSR J1719-14 b

Artist's conception of hot exoplanet PSR J1719-14 b orbiting it's parent pulsar. The LMC, SMC and Lagoon Nebula are in the background. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

Using SpaceEngine, I zoomed-in close to pulsar PSR J1719-14 and noticed some interesting gravitational lensing effects:

Gravitational lensing around a pulsar

Gravitational lensing around pulsar PSR J1719-14. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

 

Most Massive Neutron Star Ever

Become A Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador - Application Period Ends Soon!

 

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. NEW update this week!

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.

In the Sky This Week – September 17, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 114 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

I never got a chance to observe the planet Uranus this last weekend; I was busy non-stop during the Astronomy at the Beach event with my Virtual Reality (VR) gear showing dozens of attendees a VR fly-over of Saturn in OVERVIEW (A Walk Through The Universe); I had a line both evenings. Everyone has been completely blown away by it - from kids to fellow astronomers!  Attendees also got to see Saturn through telescopes on the observing field - which was a wonderful bit of synchronicity.

Now, MORE THAN EVER, I want to get a dozen Windows 10 workstations and VR headsets, so I can show VR educational apps at schools, planetariums, libraries, SF conventions and whatnot! VR is a great way for the public experience the wonders of astronomy - I've actually had a couple people GASP as I removed the headset and they had to "come back to reality."

Broken record again... Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares are still in the south-southwestern sky all week after sunset...I added the names of two other bright stars, which I'm going to try to see in the sky and remember their names this week.

Saturn, Jupiter and the stars Antares, Nunki and Kaus Australis in the southern sky at 9:00 PM this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

By midnight, Saturn is low in the southwestern sky, and star Fomalhaut is in the southern sky. Fomalhaut has a planet orbiting it, Dagon, which I discuss in the Exoplanet section below.

Fomalhaut and Saturn

The star Fomalhaut and Saturn in the south-southwestern sky at midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Moon will be in the southern predawn sky with the constellations Orion and Taurus for several days this week.

The Moon will be near the constellations Taurus and Orion in the southern predawn sky on Sept. 17th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Moon will be close to the star Aldebaran on September 20th.

The Moon near the star Aldebaran high in the southern predawn sky on Sept. 20, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

By September 23rd, the Moon will be high in the southern sky, close to the star Pollux.

The Moon somewhat near the star Pollux high in the southern predawn sky on Sept. 23, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The full Moon is all alone in the southern sky at midnight on September 14th.

The full Moon in the southern sky

The full Moon in the southern sky at midnight on Sep. 14, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

NGC 7293 - The Helix Nebula

Helix Nebula

This composite image is a view of the colorful Helix Nebula taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the Mosaic II Camera on the 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The object is so large that both telescopes were needed to capture a complete view. The Helix is a planetary nebula, the glowing gaseous envelope expelled by a dying, sun-like star. The Helix resembles a simple doughnut as seen from Earth. But looks can be deceiving. New evidence suggests that the Helix consists of two gaseous disks nearly perpendicular to each other. Credit: NASA, ESA, C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University), and M. Meixner, P. McCullough, and G. Bacon ( Space Telescope Science Institute)

The Helix Nebula, also known as NGC 7293, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. The distance, measured by the Gaia mission, is 655±13 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Cat's Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle. The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the "Eye of God" in pop culture, as well as the "Eye of Sauron".

 

The Helix Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula, formed by an intermediate to low-mass star, which sheds its outer layers near the end of its evolution. Gases from the star in the surrounding space appear, from our vantage point, as if we are looking down a helix structure. The remnant central stellar core, known as a planetary nebula nucleus or PNN, is destined to become a white dwarf star. The observed glow of the central star is so energetic that it causes the previously expelled gases to brightly fluoresce.

The nebula is in the constellation of Aquarius, and lies about 650 light-years away, spanning about 0.8 parsecs (2.5 light-years). Its age is estimated to be ~10,600 years, based on its measured expansion rate of 31 km/s.- Paraphrased from Wikipedia

Here's the location of the Helix Nebula in the southern sky; use the star Fomalhaut as a guide:

Location of NGC 7293 - the Helix Nebula Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Here's a close-up of the location of NGC 7293 showing a couple bright stars to use as guides.

NGC 7293 - the Helix Nebula

Close-up of the location of NGC 7293 - the Helix Nebula Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Here's an image of the Helix Nebula seen in multiple frequencies from multiple space telescopes:

Multifrequency composite image of the Helix nebula: infrared from the Spitzer space telescope - central nebula is rendered in green (wavelengths of 3.6 to 4.5 microns) and red (8 to 24 microns), with WISE data covering the outer areas in green (3.4 to 4.5 microns) and red (12 to 22 microns). Ultraviolet data from GALEX appears as blue (0.15 to 2.3 microns). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Moon is a waning gibbous, rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.

The third-quarter Moon occurs on  September 22nd, rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.

After September 22nd, the Moon will be a waning crescent, visible low to the east before sunrise - my favorite in the morning with coffee!

Moon

The Moon from Sep. 17- 23, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News - India's Vikram Lander to be Imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

 

The Sun has been spot-free for 14 days; large coronal holes remain open at both poles.

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Sept. 17, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 193 angstroms]

Light prominence activity for the last couple days - but enough for some astrophotos!

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Sept. 17, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 304 angstroms]

The solar wind speed is 360.4 km/sec (↓), with a density of  2.5 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1500 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News

Charged particles in Earth’s atmosphere – which make up the ionosphere – create bands of color above Earth’s surface, known as airglow. ICON, depicted in this artist’s concept, will study the ionosphere from a height of about 350 miles to understand how the combined effects of terrestrial weather and space weather influence this ionized layer of particles. Credit: NASA Goddard's Conceptual Image Lab/B. Monroe

 

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 RP2
2019-Sep-20
8.5 LD
1.6
6
2017 SL16
2019-Sep-21
7.9 LD
6.5
25
2017 SM21
2019-Sep-21
11.5 LD
9.6
20
2019 RE2
2019-Sep-21
19.7 LD
8.7
38
2019 RB3
2019-Sep-21
19 LD
11.8
51
2019 QZ1
2019-Sep-22
12.5 LD
8.2
77
523934
2019-Sep-24
10.9 LD
22.3
257
2019 QY3
2019-Sep-26
13.9 LD
8.4
41
2017 KP27
2019-Sep-26
4.2 LD
4.7
25
2006 QV89
2019-Sep-27
18.1 LD
4.1
31
2018 FK5
2019-Oct-01
13.3 LD
10.5
8
2018 LG4
2019-Oct-02
13.8 LD
8.1
12
2017 TJ4
2019-Oct-05
13.5 LD
8.9
32
2019 RK
2019-Oct-08
16.7 LD
3.1
32
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34
2015 JD1
2019-Nov-03
12.9 LD
11.9
269
2010 JG
2019-Nov-12
19.6 LD
14.9
235

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


Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 71 (-27?), this year: 1941 (-567?), all time: 20858 (+22)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2015 (last updated  Sep. 10, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 796,930 (+29)


On Sep/ 9, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 24 fireballs.
(23 sporadics, 1 Sept. epsilon Perseid)

Fireball Orbits

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

Spectrum of Interstellar Comet C/2019 Q4 Obtained

Visible spectrum of interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 obtained with the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (La Palma,Spain). We show the template spectrum of the D-type class as defined in the DeMeo et al. (2009) taxonomy. An example of the acquisition images is also included in the plot. Credit: Julia de Le ́on, Javier Licandro, Miquel Serra-Ricart, Antonio Cabrera-Lavers, Joan Font Serra, Riccardo Scarpa, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos and Ra ́ul de la Fuente Marcos

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the inner solar system:

Inner Solar System

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Sep. 17, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Sep. 17, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the outer solar system:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Sep. 17, 2019 - the orbit of dwarf planet Haumea is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Alternate view of the orbit of dwarf planet Haumea, showing its inclination to the plane of the ecliptic:

Orbit of Haumea

Orbit of dwarf planet Haumea, Sep. 17, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

I zoomed-in to Haumea and saw that it has two moons - I'm pretty sure I was unaware of that! I also saw that Haumea has rings - which I did know about. I wasn't impressed with how NASA's Eyes depicted Haumea and its moons, so I used SpaceEngine to create the following pics:

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA Juno Mission

Cassini Mission - Shamelessly Plugged by Kerbal Space Program!

Climate

Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4055 (+11)
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 531 (+346!)
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1077  (+33)
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 722  (-9)

Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive

Exoplanet Artwork by Bob Trembley

Fomalhaut b, formally named Dagon, is a is a confirmed, directly imaged extrasolar object and candidate planet orbiting the A-type main-sequence star Fomalhaut, approximately 25 light-years away in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus. The object was initially announced in 2008 and confirmed as real in 2012 from images taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope and, according to calculations reported in January 2013, has a 1,700-year, highly elliptical orbit. It has a periastron of 7.4 billion km (~50 AU) and an apastron of about 44 billion km (~300 AU). As of May 25, 2013 it is 110 AU from its parent star. - Wikipedia

 

NASA's SOFIA to Conduct its First Scientific Research Flight Over Europe

Become A Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador - Application Period Still Open!

 

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.

Just Passing Through! A Second Interstellar Object Detected.

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by

Artist impression of hyperbolic comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov). Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

On September 10th, a tweet caught my attention:

Apparently the object named #gb00234 was a second interstellar object on a hyperbolic trajectory through the solar system! Over the next couple days, more information about the object was posted:

Then I saw this post, which had the comet's name: C/2019 Q4:

I plugged the name into JPL's Small Body Database Browser, and found it!

Hyperbolic comet C/2019 Q4 in the inner solar system. Credit: JPL Small Body Database.

Hyperbolic comet C/2019 Q4 hyperbolic trajectory in the outer solar system. Credit: JPL Small Body Database.

Dr. Heidi Hammel tweeted that she wished people would not post about this new object using the image of asteroid ʻOumuamua, the first interstellar object detected:

So I created the new object in SpaceEngine, with an oblateness value of 0.8, and used that image as this post's header - go ahead and use that image if you wish!

Here's the artist impression image of asteroid ʻOumuamua to jog your memory:

ʻOumuamua

Artist's impression of ʻOumuamua, the first known interstellar object to pass through the Solar System. Original: ESO/M. Kornmesser Derivative: nagualdesign

This new object will be visible for months, making it's closest approach to Earth in December; astronomers will have lots of time to observe it! I'll be following developments, and keep you posted in my In the Sky posts.

In the Sky This Week – September 10, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 113 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

If you live in the Midwest, especially in southeastern Michigan, this weekend is the annual Astronomy at the Beach event - both Friday and Saturday (13th and 14th of September). I'll be crewing the Warren Astronomical Society's table again this year - stop by, and I'll chat your ear off! For the first time I'll be presenting at AATB! I'm giving my Sun lecture, and maybe squeezing in some demos of space simulation software.

There will be astronomers from clubs and societies across southeastern Michigan who set up their telescopes, presentations and hands-on activities, a sky scavenger hunt, club tables with freebies and enthusiastic astronomers to chat with. The 2018 Astronomy at the Beach events had 5000 attendees! I expect to be pretty tired on Sunday.Astronomy at the Beach

I feel like a broken clock repeating that Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares are in the south-southwestern sky all week after sunset... but there they are... Jupiter is setting earlier each night tho.

Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares in the southern sky at 8:45 PM from Sep. 3-8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Orion rises earlier each morning in the southeastern sky before sunrise.

Orion

Orion in the southeastern sky at 6:00 AM this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Saturn and the Moon make great observing targets after sunset through the weekend.

Moon and Saturn

The waxing gibbous Moon and Saturn in the south-southeastern sky at 8:45 PM on Sep. 10, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

By midnight on Sep. 11th, Saturn will be low(ish) on the horizon and the Moon will be high in the southern sky

Moon and Saturn

The waxing gibbous Moon and Saturn in the south-southwestern sky at midnight on Sep. 11, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

The full Moon is all alone in the southern sky at midnight on Sep. 14th.

The full Moon in the southern sky

The full Moon in the southern sky at midnight on Sep. 14, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Uranus

Uranus

The planet Uranus taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Uranus (from the Latin name Ūranus for the Greek god Οὐρανός) is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. Uranus is similar in composition to Neptune, and both have bulk chemical compositions which differ from that of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. For this reason, scientists often classify Uranus and Neptune as "ice giants" to distinguish them from the gas giants. Uranus's atmosphere is similar to Jupiter's and Saturn's in its primary composition of hydrogen and helium, but it contains more "ices" such as water, ammonia, and methane, along with traces of other hydrocarbons. It has the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System, with a minimum temperature of 49 K (−224 °C; −371 °F), and has a complex, layered cloud structure with water thought to make up the lowest clouds and methane the uppermost layer of clouds. The interior of Uranus is mainly composed of ices and rock.

Like the other giant planets, Uranus has a ring system, a magnetosphere, and numerous moons. The Uranian system has a unique configuration because its axis of rotation is tilted sideways, nearly into the plane of its solar orbit. Its north and south poles, therefore, lie where most other planets have their equators. - Wikipedia

"Uranus and Neptune are the 'Ugly Stepchildren' of Solar System Exploration... One fly-by in the 80's, and that's it!" - Bob Trembley

Check out NASA's solarsystem.nasa.gov site - it's got wonderful information on numerous solar system bodies - including Uranus. I'm planning on seeing Uranus during Astronomy at the Beach - I hope I get the chance.

Position of Uranus

Position of Uranus in the eastern sky at 11:00 PM on Sep. 13, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

As I was writing this post, I found this NOVA video - I'll have to show this series to students in my after-school astronomy and space science club:

I show this video to my after-school club - It's informative and humorous:

The Moon is a waxing gibbous, it is visible to the southeast in early evening, up for most of the night.

The full Moon occurs on Saturday September 14th, it rises at sunset, is visible high in the sky around midnight, and is visible all night.

After September 14th, the Moon will be a waning gibbous, rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.

Moon

The Moon from Sep. 10-16, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News - India's Vikram Moon Lander May Have Survived Landing

India's Moon lander may not have crashed, but rather suffered a "hard landing," and ended up on its side. Engineers are trying to regain communications.

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter prior to integration and launch. Credit: ISRO

India's #Chandrayaan2 orbiter remains in lunar orbit and will continue its seven-year mission to study the Moon. Even though Vikram's landing didn't go as planned, this is a fantastic accomplishment for ISRO, and just goes to show that landing on another celestial body is HARD!

The Sun has been spot-free for 7 days - apparently AR2748, which I mentioned last week, vanished on the day I posted.

The north pole coronal hole is yawning; the hole at the south pole seems to have opened up a bit. One small coronal hole appears near the equator.

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Sept. 10, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.


More excellent prominences for photographs over the last couple days.

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Sept. 10, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

The solar wind speed is 504.13 km/sec (↓), with a density of  2.2 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1400 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 RO1
2019-Sep-04
7.3 LD
14
15
2019 QX3
2019-Sep-04
11.2 LD
17.8
32
2019 RB2
2019-Sep-04
1.1 LD
6.6
10
2019 RZ
2019-Sep-04
12.4 LD
16
28
2019 RF1
2019-Sep-04
3.5 LD
6
6
2019 QE1
2019-Sep-05
13.2 LD
6.6
33
2019 RP1
2019-Sep-05
0.1 LD
25.9
10
2019 RM1
2019-Sep-05
8.2 LD
7.6
10
2019 RD1
2019-Sep-06
6.1 LD
7.1
15
2019 GT3
2019-Sep-06
19.5 LD
13.6
213
2019 RA
2019-Sep-07
4.5 LD
5.7
29
2019 RC1
2019-Sep-07
0.5 LD
20.4
6
2019 QZ
2019-Sep-08
15.7 LD
4.3
22
2019 RX1
2019-Sep-09
9.7 LD
13.3
29
2019 QZ3
2019-Sep-09
9.7 LD
7.5
40
2019 RG2
2019-Sep-09
1.4 LD
22
12
2019 QY4
2019-Sep-10
2.5 LD
7.8
10
2019 RH
2019-Sep-10
7 LD
16.8
23
2019 RJ1
2019-Sep-12
10.8 LD
10.4
15
2010 RM82
2019-Sep-13
18.2 LD
14.6
23
2013 CV83
2019-Sep-13
16.1 LD
13.1
62
504800
2019-Sep-14
13.9 LD
14.4
155
2019 RT
2019-Sep-14
13.7 LD
16.6
48
2019 RQ2
2019-Sep-14
9.4 LD
17.2
30
467317
2019-Sep-14
13.9 LD
6.4
389
2019 JF1
2019-Sep-16
11.2 LD
4.3
62
2018 FU1
2019-Sep-16
18.4 LD
4.7
16
2019 RC
2019-Sep-16
17.5 LD
15.2
154
2019 RP2
2019-Sep-20
8.5 LD
1.6
6
2017 SL16
2019-Sep-21
7.9 LD
6.5
25
2017 SM21
2019-Sep-21
11.5 LD
9.6
20
2019 RE2
2019-Sep-21
19.7 LD
8.7
38
2019 QZ1
2019-Sep-22
12.5 LD
8.2
77
523934
2019-Sep-24
10.9 LD
22.3
257
2019 QY3
2019-Sep-26
13.9 LD
8.4
41
2017 KP27
2019-Sep-26
6.2 LD
4.8
25
2006 QV89
2019-Sep-27
18.1 LD
4.1
31
2018 FK5
2019-Oct-01
13.3 LD
10.5
8
2018 LG4
2019-Oct-02
13.8 LD
8.1
12
2017 TJ4
2019-Oct-05
13.5 LD
8.9
32
2019 RK
2019-Oct-08
16.7 LD
3
31
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34
2015 JD1
2019-Nov-03
12.9 LD
11.9
269

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


Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 98 (+98), this year: 2508 (+567), all time: 20836 (+59)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2015 (+32) (last updated  Sep. 10, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 796,901 (+99)


On Sep/ 9, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 16 fireballs.
(15 sporadics, 1 alpha Aurigid)

Fireball Orbits

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

 

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the inner solar system:

Position of the planets

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Sep. 10, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Sep. 10, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the outer solar system:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Sep. 10, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

 

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Parker Solar Probe

Landsat - Shamelessly Plugged by Kerbal Space Program!

Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4044 
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 531
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1044
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 731  (-3)

Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive

Exoplanet Artwork by Bob Trembley

Exoplanet OGLE-2008-BLG b is a Uranus-type planet orbiting ~ 18 AU from its host star. Abstract: [Link]

Hypothetical view of exoplanet OGLE-2008-BLG-092 b. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

 

Become A Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador - Application Period Still Open!

 

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.

In the Sky This Week – September 3, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on by
This entry is part 112 of 118 in the series In the Sky This Week

The school year is starting back up, and my wife and I will again be running an after-school astronomy and space science club: the Endeavour Space Academy. This year, I'm going to concentrate on different bodies in the solar system, and the science of how astronomy is done. Students will also be required to log some observing sessions. During the first few minutes, I take the students through my latest "In the Sky" post for current events, and what to look for in the sky.

Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon grace the southern sky all week, making this a great time to do early evening sidewalk astronomy!

Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon

Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon in the south-southwestern sky at 10:00 PM from Sep. 3-8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Before sunrise the constellation Orion can be seen in the southeastern sky.

Orion

Orion in the southeastern predawn sky this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Ursa Major appears in the north-northwestern sky at 10:00 PM this week

Big Dipper pointing to Polaris

The "Big Dipper" asterism of Ursa Major with a red line showing how to star-hop to Polaris "the North Star" in the north-northwestern sky at 10:00 PM this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

M 20 - The Trifid Nebula

M 20 - The Trifid Nebula

Trifid Nebula (Messier 20). Image: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ), Hubble Space Telescope, Martin Pugh; Processing: Robert Gendler.

"Messier 20 (M20), also known as the Trifid Nebula, is a famous star-forming region located in the constellation Sagittarius.

The nebula’s designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 6514. The name Trifid refers to its three-lobed appearance. Messier 20 consists of several different objects: an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, a dark nebula and an open star cluster.

The dark nebula, catalogued as Barnard 85, consists of dust clouds that absorb and block light from the bright objects behind them. It is responsible for the apparent gaps in the larger emission nebula that give M20 its trifurcated look.

The other two types of nebulae – emission and reflection – make M20 glow in different colours in images.

Emission nebulae are energised by the ultraviolet light of nearby stars and usually appear red in photographs. These nebulae are clouds of extremely hot hydrogen gas and usually regions where new stars are being formed. The light of the stars illuminates the surrounding clouds, ionizing photons in large portions of the clouds.

Reflection nebulae, which typically appear blue in images, consist mostly of clouds of interstellar dust. They are also usually star-forming regions, but unlike emission nebulae, which emit spectral line radiation from ionized hydrogen, reflection nebulae do not emit any light of their own, but simply reflect the light of nearby stars.

Messier 20 is a popular target for amateur astronomers as it is quite bright, even when seen through a small telescope. It has an apparent magnitude of 6.3 and lies at an approximate distance of 5,200 light years, or 1,600 parsecs, from Earth. M20 has a linear diameter of over 40 light years and is only 300,000 years old. - messier-objects.com

As a child of the 1960's, I remember the first time I learned about the Trifid Nebula - it was after having seen the movie "The Day Of The Triffids;" I am unable to think about M 20 without thinking about the monster movie... Oh to see a meteor shower like the one in the beginning of that movie! Although meteors don't typically come from all different directions like in the movie tho...

The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening.

The first-quarter Moon occurs on Friday September 6th, it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.

After September 6th, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.

Moon

The Moon from Sep. 3-9, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News

The Sun has a very small spot - Spaceweather.com says that "AR2748 has a magnetic polarity that identifies it as a member of old Solar Cycle 24. It poses no threat for strong solar flares."

The north pole coronal hole continues to be enormous, while it appears that the hole at the south pole has diminished greatly. Several smaller coronal holes pepper the Sun's face.

Some excellent prominences for photographs over the last couple days. The location of sunspot AR2748 can be seen as the bright area just above the equator.

The solar wind speed is 625.3 km/sec (↑), with a density of  0.6 protons/cm3 (↓) at 1300 UT.

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image

Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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.

Sun News

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters::

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 QA5
2019-Sep-02
5.7 LD
13.5
21
2019 QX1
2019-Sep-02
18.9 LD
16.8
30
2019 OF2
2019-Sep-03
18.3 LD
10.7
53
2018 DE1
2019-Sep-03
12.7 LD
6.6
28
2019 QX3
2019-Sep-04
11.2 LD
17.8
32
2019 QE1
2019-Sep-05
13.2 LD
6.6
34
2019 GT3
2019-Sep-06
19.5 LD
13.6
218
2019 QZ
2019-Sep-08
15.7 LD
4.3
21
2019 QZ3
2019-Sep-09
9.7 LD
7.5
40
2019 QY4
2019-Sep-10
2.5 LD
7.8
9
2010 RM82
2019-Sep-13
18.2 LD
14.6
23
2013 CV83
2019-Sep-13
16.1 LD
13.1
62
504800
2019-Sep-14
13.9 LD
14.4
155
467317
2019-Sep-14
13.9 LD
6.4
389
2019 JF1
2019-Sep-16
11.2 LD
4.3
62
2018 FU1
2019-Sep-16
18.4 LD
4.7
16
2017 SL16
2019-Sep-21
7.9 LD
6.5
25
2017 SM21
2019-Sep-21
11.5 LD
9.6
20
2019 QZ1
2019-Sep-22
12.5 LD
8.2
77
523934
2019-Sep-24
10.9 LD
22.3
257
2019 QY3
2019-Sep-26
13.9 LD
8.4
41
2017 KP27
2019-Sep-26
6.2 LD
4.8
25
2006 QV89
2019-Sep-27
18.1 LD
4.1
31
2018 FK5
2019-Oct-01
13.3 LD
10.5
8
2018 LG4
2019-Oct-02
13.8 LD
8.1
12
2017 TJ4
2019-Oct-05
13.5 LD
8.9
32
162082
2019-Oct-25
16.2 LD
11.2
589
2017 TG5
2019-Oct-25
14.4 LD
11.9
34

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


Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 0, this year: 1941  (+654), all time: 20777 (+63)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 1983  (last updated  May 8, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 796,802 (+116)


On Aug. 26, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 35 fireballs.
(34 sporadics, 1 alpha Aurigid)

Fireball Orbits

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


Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the inner solar system - I highlighted the Parker Solar Probe, which has passed perihelion #3 on September 1st.

Inner Solar System

Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, Sep. 3, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Sep. 3, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the outer solar system - I highlighted dwarf planet Eris:

Outer Solar System

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Sep. 3, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

This pic is a hypothetical view of the dwarf planet Eris looking back at the planets; I kept the orbit line (red) to show its inclination to the plane of the ecliptic.

Hypothetical view of dwarf planet Eris. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.

Eris

Hypothetical view from the surface of Eris. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.

NASA's Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

Solar System News

OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Parker Solar Probe

Earth Weather Monitoring

Exoplanet

All Exoplanets 4044  (+1)
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2354
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2345  
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2420 
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 422
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 389
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 531
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 29
TESS Project Candidates 1075  (+31)
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 734  (+60 - WOW!)

Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive

Exoplanet Artwork by Bob Trembley

Since I mentioned the Trifid Nebula above, I thought I'd include a planet orbiting a star (actually, a double star!) very close to the nebula. One has to wonder what the effects on society and the study of astronomy might have been if the Trifid Nebula was this large in our night sky?

Exoplanet near Trifid Nebula

Hypothetical exoplanet with a lumpy asteroid exomoon near the Trifid Nebula. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.

 

Become A Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador - Application Period Now Open!

 

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
The Universe - Universe Today

APOLLO 50th Anniversary

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was July 20, 2019.