In the Sky This Week – October 27, 2020
I'm a volunteer ambassador for NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission - I can not tell you how excited I am about the recent successful, maybe overly successful, sample acquisition from the surface of asteroid Bennu! The sample head is full of rocks an dust, and apparently a large rock has prevented a mylar flap from sealing the sample head, and some smaller rocks are escaping! The sample head should be safely stowed away today - that can't happen soon enough for me!
The pandemic has prevented me from doing in-person lectures about the mission, but I've been covering the mission in these weekly posts, and I was able to book Dolores Hill from the OSIRIS-REx mission to speak at the Astronomy at the Beach event - so I don't feel too awful about my lack of lecturing...
The red giant star Arcturus competes with Venus for the title of "morning star" in the eastern predawn sky ... Venus wins!
Venus and the red giant star Arcturus appear in the eastern predawn sky all week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon dances with Mars from Oct. 27th - 31st in the eastern sky after sunset.
The Moon dances with Mars from Oct. 27th - 31st in the Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky at sunset - the pair of planets appear low on the southwestern horizon at 10:30 PM.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southwestern sky at dusk. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon is a waxing gibbous - visible to the southeast in early evening, up for most of the night.
The full Moon occurs on Nov. 1st - it rises at sunset, is visible high in the sky around midnight, and is visible all night.
After Nov. 1st, the Moon will be a waning gibbous - rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.
The Moon from 2020-10-27 - 2020-11-02. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of a section of the Moon on Oct. 27th (left) and Nov. 2nd (right) - showing the play of shadows. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
We’ve known that hydroxyl (OH and/or H2O) exists on the Moon for over a decade, since detection from the missions @CassiniSaturn, Deep Impact, and @ISRO's Chandrayaan-1, but these missions could not separate the OH signal from an H2O signal.
Full video: https://t.co/32sqpu606N pic.twitter.com/YnuKI1E4E0
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) October 26, 2020
Sunspot AR2778 is the largest of new solar cycle #25; SpaceWeather.com says "The primary dark core of AR2778 is about the size of Earth. Altogether, the sunspot group sprawls 90,000 km across the face of the sun, dimensions which make it an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. Amateur astronomers with safely-filtered optics are encouraged to monitor developments." When I was editing the image below, I noticed the tiny sunspot in the upper right - it's not labeled on SpaceWeather.com, and I'm not sure if this is a new sunspot or an older one.
Sunspots on 2020-10-27. Credit: NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams. Edited by Bob Trembley.
The southern coronal hole has diminished from last week - the northern coronal hole has made up for it in size and tendrils; there are several regions of intense coronal loop activity.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 26, 2020:
Prominences everywhere! Keep you eye on the middle of the Sun's northern hemisphere during the last second of the video below!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 26, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for October 27th, 2020 is this awesome prominence lifting off by Jim Ferreira from California using a Daystar filter.
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 508.0 km/sec (↑↑), with a density of 7.9 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1320 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
Our STEREO mission launched 14 years ago today! STEREO provides valuable data on the Sun, its atmosphere, and the inner solar system. Earlier this year, STEREO captured these views of comet ATLAS as it swooped by the Sun. https://t.co/UdrmLJJvbh pic.twitter.com/7WLXsxtyvT
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 25, 2020
As you get into the sinister spirit for #Halloween, look to the cosmos for creepy celestial displays. 👻✨ In 2014, active regions on the Sun traced out an eerie jack-o’-lantern’s face, seen in ultraviolet light by our Sun-watching satellite. https://t.co/uI9DCMr3RQ pic.twitter.com/CZDb0hdzwL
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 24, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 313, this year: 2400, all time: 24,254 (+245)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered (NASA): 1,019,529 (+3,464)
Total Minor Planets discovered (MPC): 993,960
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered (NASA): 1,019,529 (+3,464)
Total Minor Planets discovered (MPC): 993,960
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 UU4 |
2020-Oct-27
|
1.9 LD
|
11.1
|
15
|
| 2020 TD8 |
2020-Oct-27
|
1.6 LD
|
7.6
|
14
|
| 2020 UC4 |
2020-Oct-27
|
6.2 LD
|
8.8
|
21
|
| 2005 UV64 |
2020-Oct-27
|
19.3 LD
|
3.5
|
18
|
| 2020 TQ2 |
2020-Oct-27
|
16.3 LD
|
5.2
|
26
|
| 2020 TR5 |
2020-Oct-28
|
4 LD
|
8.8
|
20
|
| 2020 TS5 |
2020-Oct-28
|
9.4 LD
|
5.7
|
21
|
| 2020 UN1 |
2020-Oct-28
|
4.1 LD
|
10.1
|
29
|
| 2020 TM7 |
2020-Oct-28
|
5.4 LD
|
12.9
|
28
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
29
|
| 2020 UD4 |
2020-Oct-29
|
9.5 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2020 TO8 |
2020-Oct-29
|
14.7 LD
|
8.9
|
24
|
| 2020 TR2 |
2020-Oct-29
|
8.8 LD
|
14.5
|
54
|
| 2020 UN5 |
2020-Oct-30
|
11.5 LD
|
9.1
|
14
|
| 2020 UX3 |
2020-Oct-31
|
13.4 LD
|
16.2
|
36
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 UA3 |
2020-Nov-03
|
5.6 LD
|
6
|
16
|
| 2020 UW1 |
2020-Nov-03
|
20 LD
|
12.8
|
58
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2020 UR2 |
2020-Nov-04
|
13.9 LD
|
4.7
|
27
|
| 2020 UM2 |
2020-Nov-04
|
14.9 LD
|
2.8
|
13
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2020 UW2 |
2020-Nov-06
|
14.7 LD
|
6.2
|
39
|
| 2020 TY1 |
2020-Nov-07
|
14.7 LD
|
13
|
107
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.5 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
| 2020 UN3 |
2020-Nov-10
|
11.7 LD
|
7.6
|
55
|
| 2020 UL3 |
2020-Nov-10
|
15.4 LD
|
11.2
|
79
|
| 2020 TB9 |
2020-Nov-14
|
13.1 LD
|
6
|
24
|
| 2020 ST1 |
2020-Nov-14
|
19.1 LD
|
8.1
|
149
|
| 2019 VL5 |
2020-Nov-15
|
8.5 LD
|
8.2
|
23
|
| 2020 UB5 |
2020-Nov-16
|
20 LD
|
4.4
|
36
|
| 2017 WJ16 |
2020-Nov-23
|
5 LD
|
4.8
|
49
|
| 2020 TJ8 |
2020-Nov-24
|
16.8 LD
|
4.6
|
32
|
| 2018 RQ4 |
2020-Nov-26
|
8.1 LD
|
7.4
|
15
|
| 2020 KZ2 |
2020-Nov-28
|
5.7 LD
|
3.9
|
10
|
| 153201 |
2020-Nov-29
|
11.2 LD
|
25.1
|
490
|
| 2020 SO |
2020-Dec-01
|
0.1 LD
|
3.9
|
6
|
| 2019 XH2 |
2020-Dec-02
|
16.1 LD
|
6.4
|
6
|
| 2018 PK21 |
2020-Dec-08
|
12.2 LD
|
3.1
|
23
|
| 2019 XQ1 |
2020-Dec-13
|
18.4 LD
|
8.6
|
30
|
| 2017 XQ60 |
2020-Dec-21
|
10.8 LD
|
15.6
|
47
|
| 2011 CL50 |
2020-Dec-24
|
3.1 LD
|
3.4
|
11
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
On October 26, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 8 fireballs.
(6 sporadics, 2 Orionids)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News
Uma bola de fogo brilhante explodiu no céu noturno em Porto Rico por volta de 07:45 UTC em 17 de outubro de 2020.
A trajetória sugere que ela se moveu sobre o canal de Mona em direção a Desecheo, de acordo com a Sociedade de Astronomia de Caribe (SAC).#boladefogo #fireball pic.twitter.com/db6jQIVKMr
— EXOSS Meteors 🇧🇷 ☄️💫 (@exossorg) October 25, 2020
Position of the planets in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-10-27. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-10-27. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system.
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-10-27 - the orbit of TNO Haumea is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Solar System News
Soooooo, about that whole "phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus" thing.https://t.co/o4JJsJ75RW
— Philth Plaigue (@BadAstronomer) October 26, 2020
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission:
Tomorrow, the OSIRIS-REx mission will begin the process to stow its abundant sample of asteroid Bennu. It’s a few days earlier than originally anticipated, but the team is working hard to make sure we get every bit of Bennu we possibly can. More details: https://t.co/b7Wnoz219q pic.twitter.com/PXIlkZhnzi
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) October 26, 2020
International Space Station: #SpaceStation20th
For 20 years, astronauts have been snapping photos of Earth from the @Space_Station. Astronauts are trained for the job of collecting images for this scientific dataset, now more than 3 million pictures strong. #SpaceStation20th pic.twitter.com/8fzqgLAo8H
— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) October 26, 2020
Calling all Kerbonauts! We’re partnering with @NASA to celebrate 20 years of human presence on the @Space_Station. What would 20 years of Kerbal presence look like? Read the thread for details. ⬇️ #SpaceStation20th pic.twitter.com/KoTeGVp5vQ
— Kerbal Space Program (@KerbalSpaceP) October 26, 2020
HiRISE - on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:
HiPOD 27 Oct 20: Irregular Depressions near Makhambet Crater
Also visible in a Context Camera image, our image shows a small section of irregular, circular depressions, filled with small crested dunes. https://t.co/L5xhPI6bFl
NASA/JPL/UArizona#Mars #science pic.twitter.com/tyRQp5860Z
— HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) October 27, 2020
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter:
After Chandrayaan-1, the next evidence for water on the moon came from @LRO_NASA in 2013, confirming the existence of hydrogen-rich areas near the Moon's south pole and strongly suggesting the presence of water! pic.twitter.com/mdnxIK9ZLi
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) October 22, 2020
Climate: View the Earth as your Mother, not as a trash can.
"We are interdependent on each other, as well as on our Mother Earth." — His Holiness Pope Francis (@Pontifex) https://t.co/W33P8D2qWk
— TEDCountdown (@TEDCountdown) October 25, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
💀 Dead galaxies!
☢️ Radiation bursts!
👻 Ghostly matter!Our new Galaxy of Horrors posters are here, just in time for #Halloween! Download them now ... if you dare: https://t.co/w7soVV982L #NASAHalloween pic.twitter.com/y6OVCROYbB
— NASA Exoplanets☠️ Where every day is Halloween (@NASAExoplanets) October 26, 2020
Have you registered for the 2020 Global Conference yet? Join us 11/13-14 for a global conversation about the cultural and environmental threat that #lightpollution poses to people worldwide. Advance registration is free but required to reserve your spot: https://t.co/Lwl8j4dwGO pic.twitter.com/U44uq6Ytb1
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) October 26, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
This #HubbleClassic features a cluster of stars called Hodge 301, at lower right, embedded in the Tarantula Nebula. Many of the cluster's stars have already exploded as supernovae, shocking gas in the nebula and creating the filaments in the upper left: https://t.co/ttgN82J5Tc pic.twitter.com/Ph6JqW6LSI
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 27, 2020
Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to the Ross 780 (Gliese 876) system, about 15 light years distant.
Gliese 1002 is about 15 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 876
Gliese 876 is a red dwarf approximately 15 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius. It is one of the closest known stars to the Sun confirmed to possess a planetary system with more than two planets, after Gliese 1061, YZ Ceti, Tau Ceti, and Luyten's Star; as of 2018, four extrasolar planets have been found to orbit the star. The planetary system is also notable for the orbital properties of its planets. It is the only known system of orbital companions to exhibit a near-triple conjunction in the rare phenomenon of Laplace resonance (a type of resonance first noted in Jupiter's inner three Galilean moons). It is also the first extrasolar system around a normal star with measured coplanarity. While planets b and c are located in the system's habitable zone, they are giant planets believed to be analogous to Jupiter.
On June 23, 1998, an extrasolar planet was announced in orbit around Gliese 876 by two independent teams led by Geoffrey Marcy and Xavier Delfosse. The planet was designated Gliese 876 b and was detected by Doppler spectroscopy. Based on luminosity measurement, the circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ) is believed to be located between 0.116 and 0.227 AU. On January 9, 2001, a second planet designated Gliese 876 c was detected, inside the orbit of the previously-discovered planet. The relationship between the orbital periods initially disguised the planet's radial velocity signature as an increased orbital eccentricity of the outer planet. Eugenio Rivera and Jack Lissauer found that the two planets undergo strong gravitational interactions as they orbit the star, causing the orbital elements to change rapidly. On June 13, 2005, further observations by a team led by Rivera revealed a third planet, designated Gliese 876 d inside the orbits of the two Jupiter-size planets. In January 2009, the mutual inclination between planets b and c was determined using a combination of radial velocity and astrometric measurements. The planets were found to be almost coplanar, with an angle of only 5.0+3.9
−2.3° between their orbital planes.On June 23, 2010, astronomers announced a fourth planet, designated Gliese 876 e. This discovery better constrained the mass and orbital properties of the other three planets, including the high eccentricity of the innermost planet. This also filled out the system inside e's orbit; additional planets there would be unstable at this system's age. In 2014, reanalysis of the existing radial velocities showed the possible presence of two additional planets. These planets would have almost the same mass as Gliese 876d. In 2018 a study using hundreds of new radial velocity measurements found no evidence for these planets. If this system has a comet disc, it is undetectable "brighter than the fractional dust luminosity 10−5" of a recent Herschel study. None of these planets transit the star from the perspective of Earth, making it difficult to study their properties.
GJ 876 is a candidate parent system for the ʻOumuamua object. The trajectory of this interstellar object took it near the star about 820,000 years ago with a velocity of 5 km/s, after which it has been perturbed by six other stars. - Wikipedia
Gliese 876 System Diagram
Ross 780 (Gliese 876) System Diagram. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 876 Orbital Diagrams
Ross 780 (Gliese 876) Orbital Diagram - Top View. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Ross 780 (Gliese 876) Orbital Diagram - Side View. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist Rendering of a Hot Subneptune Exoplanet Orbiting Gliese 876
Artistic rendering of a hot subneptune exoplanet orbiting red dwarf star Gliese 876. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Cover Image:
Captured on Oct. 22, this series of three images shows that the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) sampling head on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is full of rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu, as well as the fact that some of these particles are escaping the sampler head. Analysis by the OSIRIS-REx team suggests that bits of material are passing through small gaps where the head’s mylar flap is slightly wedged open. The mylar flap (the black bulge visible in the 9 o’clock position inside the ring) is designed to keep the collected material locked inside, and these unsealed areas appear to be caused by larger rocks that didn’t fully pass through the flap. Based on available imagery, the team suspects there is plentiful sample inside the head, and is on a path to stow the sample as quickly as possible. The images were taken by the spacecraft’s SamCam camera as part of the sample verification procedure following the spacecraft’s Oct. 20 sample collection attempt. The TAGSAM system was developed by Lockheed Martin Space to acquire a sample of asteroid material in a low-gravity environment. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
What I was listening to when I was editing this:
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – October 20, 2020
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky all week; from my location, the ISS appears with Venus at 5:30 AM on Oct. 23rd. If you'd like to see if the ISS will be over your position, you can use the tracker on the Heavens-Above website, or any number of smartphone apps.
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky all week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon dances with Saturn and Jupiter from Oct. 20-23 in the southern sky after sunset.
Conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn from 10-20 - 10-23 in the southern sky at dusk. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Here's a close-up of the conjunction on Oct. 22nd:
Close-up of the conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn on Oct. 22nd in the southern sky at dusk. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars is at opposition and very bright in the eastern sky after sunset; Mars is visible all night long, and I've seen some spectacular images taken of it! Uranus is almost in the center between Mars and the Pleiades star cluster.
Mars appears high in the eastern sky after sunset. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
I watched #Mars for over 4 hours last night, and put together hundreds of thousands of images to create this animation of it’s rotation
Credit 🔭 by James McCarthy pic.twitter.com/4zbfpccYeS
— Domenico (@AvatarDomy) October 13, 2020
The Moon is a waxing crescent - visible toward the southwest in early evening.
The first quarter Moon occurs on Fri. Oct. 23rd - it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
After Oct. 23rd, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous - visible to the southeast in early evening, up for most of the night.
The Moon from 2020-10-20 - 2020-10-26. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of a section of the Moon on Oct. 21st. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
I'm sorry, but if I spit my coffee laughing, I've got to post it!
NASA Builds 4G Tower On Moon Tastefully Disguised As Pine Tree https://t.co/5hWp9Q5cmM pic.twitter.com/DDcUZ1A9r9
— The Onion (@TheOnion) October 19, 2020
Here's some real Moon news:
Photobomb!!!! https://t.co/YxxU21hRQR
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) October 19, 2020
The Sun has an active spot - AR2776 is blowing off B-class solar flares. Watching the video below, you can see a flare's shock wave propagating across the Sun's face! There is also intense coronal loop activity over the sunspot. Large coronal holes remain are open at both poles - the northen hemisphere has several additional holes.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 19, 2020:
WOW! Prominences, prominences, and some more prominences!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 19, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for Tuesday, October 20th, 2020 goes out to Alessandro Bianconi for this incredible close-up of NOAA AR12766.
Alessandro commented: AR12776 2020.10.18 - C14HD edge + Astrosolar 3.8 full aperture, 10micron GM2000HPSII, Celestron Skyris618M, R Astrodon filter, Barlow 2X C.Zeiss.
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 368.4 km/sec (↑), with a density of 1.9 protons/cm3 (↓↓) at 1320 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
Our Interstellar Boundary Explorer launched to space 12 years ago today! IBEX studies our solar system’s boundary to interstellar space by measuring particles that rocket back towards Earth from this region. https://t.co/N3tJf0bvSd pic.twitter.com/5z7alnQQhj
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 19, 2020
Today, @OSIRISREx attempts to collect a sample of asteroid Bennu. Studying this sample will help scientists learn about the formation of our solar system & origins of life on Earth — and how the solar wind affects small worlds like Bennu. #ToBennuAndBack https://t.co/Y5cz6tyCh2 pic.twitter.com/0YAnjk8SyO
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 20, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 227, this year: 2314, all time: 24,009 (+157)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 1,016,065 (+20,310) - We've passed the 1 million known asteroids threshold! And we've passed it by a lot!
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 1,016,065 (+20,310) - We've passed the 1 million known asteroids threshold! And we've passed it by a lot!
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 UT |
2020-Oct-20
|
19.7 LD
|
7
|
12
|
| 2020 UQ |
2020-Oct-20
|
5.1 LD
|
15.7
|
15
|
| 2020 UC |
2020-Oct-20
|
3.7 LD
|
7.9
|
11
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2020 UR |
2020-Oct-20
|
3.5 LD
|
12.6
|
10
|
| 2020 UB |
2020-Oct-20
|
1.9 LD
|
10.6
|
9
|
| 2020 UB1 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
8.4
|
44
|
| 2020 TC3 |
2020-Oct-20
|
13.4 LD
|
12.2
|
39
|
| 2020 TW6 |
2020-Oct-20
|
10.8 LD
|
9.6
|
26
|
| 2020 UP1 |
2020-Oct-20
|
16.5 LD
|
17.3
|
27
|
| 2020 SG3 |
2020-Oct-20
|
19.5 LD
|
5.3
|
38
|
| 2020 UA |
2020-Oct-21
|
0.1 LD
|
7.8
|
8
|
| 2020 UY |
2020-Oct-21
|
0.9 LD
|
7
|
5
|
| 2020 US |
2020-Oct-21
|
2.2 LD
|
13.6
|
12
|
| 2020 TM6 |
2020-Oct-21
|
9.5 LD
|
8.6
|
20
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2020 TK6 |
2020-Oct-22
|
4.7 LD
|
7.9
|
18
|
| 2020 UV |
2020-Oct-22
|
1.3 LD
|
8.3
|
12
|
| 2020 TX1 |
2020-Oct-22
|
16.1 LD
|
7.9
|
22
|
| 2020 TG1 |
2020-Oct-22
|
18.4 LD
|
13.7
|
63
|
| 2020 UK1 |
2020-Oct-23
|
13.5 LD
|
9
|
28
|
| 2020 TK4 |
2020-Oct-23
|
8.6 LD
|
8.9
|
18
|
| 2020 TT5 |
2020-Oct-23
|
5.1 LD
|
4.9
|
14
|
| 2020 UG |
2020-Oct-23
|
5.9 LD
|
7.1
|
17
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.4 LD
|
12.5
|
41
|
| 2020 UM1 |
2020-Oct-25
|
10.7 LD
|
15.1
|
24
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 TD8 |
2020-Oct-27
|
1.6 LD
|
7.6
|
14
|
| 2005 UV64 |
2020-Oct-27
|
19.3 LD
|
3.5
|
18
|
| 2020 TQ2 |
2020-Oct-27
|
16.3 LD
|
5.2
|
26
|
| 2020 TR5 |
2020-Oct-28
|
4 LD
|
8.8
|
20
|
| 2020 TS5 |
2020-Oct-28
|
9.4 LD
|
5.8
|
21
|
| 2020 UN1 |
2020-Oct-28
|
4.1 LD
|
10.1
|
29
|
| 2020 TM7 |
2020-Oct-28
|
5.4 LD
|
12.9
|
27
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
29
|
| 2020 TO8 |
2020-Oct-29
|
14.7 LD
|
8.9
|
26
|
| 2020 TR2 |
2020-Oct-29
|
8.8 LD
|
14.5
|
55
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2020 TY1 |
2020-Nov-07
|
14.7 LD
|
13
|
112
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.5 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
| 2020 ST1 |
2020-Nov-14
|
19.1 LD
|
8.1
|
156
|
| 2019 VL5 |
2020-Nov-15
|
8.5 LD
|
8.2
|
23
|
| 2017 WJ16 |
2020-Nov-23
|
5 LD
|
4.8
|
49
|
| 2020 TJ8 |
2020-Nov-24
|
16.8 LD
|
4.6
|
32
|
| 2018 RQ4 |
2020-Nov-26
|
8.1 LD
|
7.4
|
15
|
| 2020 KZ2 |
2020-Nov-28
|
5.7 LD
|
3.9
|
10
|
| 153201 |
2020-Nov-29
|
11.2 LD
|
25.1
|
490
|
| 2020 SO |
2020-Dec-01
|
0.1 LD
|
3.9
|
7
|
| 2019 XH2 |
2020-Dec-02
|
16.1 LD
|
6.4
|
6
|
| 2018 PK21 |
2020-Dec-08
|
12.2 LD
|
3.1
|
23
|
| 2019 XQ1 |
2020-Dec-13
|
18.4 LD
|
8.6
|
30
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News: Asteroid Bennu and OSIRIS-REx is all over the news!
NASA is set to touch an asteroid, break off a sample, and bring it back to Earth for the first time during a history-making mission that culminates on Tuesday. https://t.co/dDa7sw9aN7
— ABC News (@ABC) October 20, 2020
Take a tour of asteroid Bennu!
New Minor Planet Center Circular with 2 new named asteroids
(101810) Beiyou = 1999 JA6
Discovered 1999 May 8 by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program atXinglong.
Beiyou (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications) is a key multidisciplinary research university of China, with programs in engineering, management, humanities and sciences, and information technology.
(120461) Gandhi = 1990 TK9
Discovered 1990 Oct. 10 by F. Börngen and L. D. Schmadel at Tautenburg.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) was an Indian lawyer who advocated the complete independence of India. Gandhi believed that nonviolence was the path to liberty, and he became a model for many.
MPC Circular: https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2020/MPC_20200924.pdf
On October 19, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 16 fireballs.
(11 sporadics, 4 Orionids, 1 epsilon Geminid)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News
#Fireball seen from Hampshire at 20:28 UT this evening (16/10/2020). pic.twitter.com/9QXy7nvbEv
— Richard (@nova_foresta) October 16, 2020
Orionids Meteor Shower:
The #Orionids meteor shower is coming to a night sky near you. Peak activity occurs overnight tonight, 20/21 October, with around 20-30 meteors per hour (weather permitting).
and https://t.co/cS6UJTWbM0 pic.twitter.com/1PTATxy565
— ESA (@esa) October 20, 2020
Position of the planets in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-10-20. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-10-20. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system.
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-10-20. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission - Sample Collection TODAY!
International Space Station:
Have you ever wondered what it's like to perform science experiments in space?
Learn more about some of the science and people that have called the @Space_Station home in this episode of @NASA’s Curious Universe podcast.
🎧Listen & subscribe: https://t.co/2PrWE5Ot9G pic.twitter.com/roHrlfx57F
— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) October 12, 2020
Onward on our countdown toward #SpaceStation20th with the year 2006!
Expeditions 13 and 14 called the space station home. By the end of 2006, space station assembly was about 52% complete, weighing in at approximately 470,000 lbs. pic.twitter.com/LHkAfSxzCU— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 19, 2020
Mars HiRISE:
Gully monitoring - https://t.co/wDEHAtsBMO pic.twitter.com/6mlg45mnA6
— HiRISE Bot (@HiRISEBot) October 20, 2020
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:
A #Mars landscape by Curiosity rover.
We can see the Mount Sharp in the middle of Gale crater, but we can see also an "Earth-desert-like landscape" with a strange beauty but also with an absolute lack of life.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS pic.twitter.com/B8TAy1b6Fe
— Xavi Bros (@Xavi_Bros) October 16, 2020
Climate: Every time I see my grandchild, I worry about her future Earth
The monthly GISTEMP surface temperature analysis update has been posted. The global mean temperature anomaly for September 2020 was 1.00°C above the 1951-1980 September average. https://t.co/EDTZWLm1mU pic.twitter.com/jKoc6uxcVx
— NASA GISS (@NASAGISS) October 14, 2020
📈 411.24 parts per million (ppm) #CO2 in the atmosphere October 18, 2020 📈 Up from 408.90 ppm a year ago 📈 Mauna Loa Observatory @NOAA data & graphic: https://t.co/MZIEphYygh 📈 https://t.co/DpFGQoYEwb tracking: https://t.co/PTTkLiPGm2 🙏 View & share often 🙏 pic.twitter.com/sbFluAhPfa
— CO2_Earth (@CO2_earth) October 19, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Planet-hunting is our TESS mission’s specialty. It just completed its two-year primary mission, where it imaged about 75% of the sky, and it will be continuing its search for new worlds until 2022! https://t.co/4I0G3FfkqD pic.twitter.com/ZgjTNfyu9e
— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) August 11, 2020
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Our #Exmoor Dark Skies Festival starts tomorrow, with many events starting to sell out! We really can't wait to show the magic of #darkskies and what it means to be an @IDADarkSky Reserve.
Still time to book at: https://t.co/9rcS7TYvcB
📸@KeithTrueman #ExmoorDSF pic.twitter.com/IwBFvdKNhQ— Exmoor National Park (@ExmoorNP) October 15, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
#HubbleFriday This Hubble image shows a special type of star-forming nursery, known as Free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules (or frEGGs for short).
FrEGGS are dark, compact globules of dust and gas, some of which create low-mass stars: https://t.co/9Vuh8Enn45 pic.twitter.com/XwstAEzrnZ
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 16, 2020
Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to the Gliese 1002 system, about 15.8 light years distant.
Gliese 1002 is about 15 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 1002
Gliese 1002 is a red dwarf star. It is located relatively near our Sun, at a distance of about 15.8 light years, in the constellation Cetus.
This appears to be a relatively quiescent star, and no flare activity has been detected. - Wikipedia
That's pretty much it - since this system has no actual exoplanets discovered yet, SpaceEngine took the liberty of populating the system with a multitude of exoplanets and moons
Artist Rendering of a Gas Giant Exoplanet Orbiting Gliese 1002
Artistic rendering of a gas giant exoplanet and asteroid moon orbiting red dwarf star Gliese 1002. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist Rendering of a Rocky Exoplanet Orbiting Gliese 1002
Artistic rendering of a rocky exoplanet and red dwarf star Gliese 1002 seen from a tidally-locked moon of the exoplanet - the rear of the exoplanet is illuminated by starshine from the moon. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
What I was listening to when I was editing this:
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
OSIRIS-REx to Gather Sample from Asteroid Bennu on Oct. 20th
On Tuesday October 20, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will gather a sample from the surface of an asteroid - a first in U.S. space exploration history!
The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); the spacecraft has been in proximity to the asteroid for quite some time, mapping the surface in great detail. Asteroid Bennu's unexpectedly rocky surface made selection of a safe sample location difficult, but eventually 4 candidates were selected and a final site chosen. The spacecraft has done two test-runs of its sample collection maneuver in August, getting to within 131 ft (40 m) of the asteroid's surface.
OSIRIS-REx has made several discoveries as it has surveyed the surface of asteroid Bennu - it saw particles being ejected from the asteroids surface.
We’ve also learned a lot about Bennu’s gravity field. Using the natural supply of mini gravity probes (ejected particles), the team discovered that the interior of Bennu is not uniform. pic.twitter.com/JUdGvf145p
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) October 10, 2020
OSIRIS-REx found carbon-bearing material and organic compounds on Bennu's surface!
It’s official. Carbon-bearing material (including organic compounds!) is widespread on Bennu’s surface and present at site Nightingale. So, I'll likely achieve a major mission goal: collecting carbonaceous material. pic.twitter.com/w24Rynj8lw
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) October 8, 2020
Pieces of asteroid Vesta, which suffered a massive impact in the distant past, may have been detected on the surface of Bennu!
University students and researchers noticed an x-ray outburst from a black hole while using instruments on OSIRIS-REx.
The sampling mechanism on OSIRIS-REx is designed to allow for three sample acquisition attempts; after a sample has been successfully collected, the spacecraft will return the sample to Earth, arriving in 2023.
OSIRIS-REx TAGSAM. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
OSIRIS-REx is one of several currently active sample return missions - JAXA's HAYABUSA2 spacecraft is currently returning to Earth with a sample from asteroid Ryugu.
SAMPLE RETURN MISSIONS ACTIVE IN 2020 This infographic shows all sample return missions active and expected to be active in 2020. Credit: The Planetary Society
On a personal note: I've been an asteroid fanatic since 2012, and I'm an ambassador for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission - I am ridiculously excited about this sample acquisition! I wish the spacecraft had some onboard sample analysis capability - having to wait till 2023 may drive me crazy! But I know, I know... adding that would greatly increase the mission's complexity, launch weight, cost and pretty much everything else.
Follow the OSIRIS-REx sample acquisition live online:
Live Coverage: https://www.nasa.gov/live - 3pm EDT - and on NASA TV.
Twitter: @OSIRISREx - 1:45 pm EDT - for a live play-by play during the sample acquisition.
OSIRIS-REx maneuvers during sample acquisition. Credit: NASA/JPL- Caltech
In the Sky This Week – October 13, 2020
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky all week; the waning crescent Moon appears near Venus on the mornings of Oct. 13th and 14th.
-
- Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky all week – its orbit is shown in red – Venus appears a bit lower each morning. The waning crescent Moon appears above Venus on Oct. 13th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky all week; the waning crescent Moon appears above Venus on Oct. 14th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset, and set in the southwest around midnight. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars is at opposition - when it and the Earth are in-line with the Sun; this is also when Mars is closest to the Earth in their orbits, so now is a great time to go observe Mars!
Mars appears in the eastern sky after sunset, is high in the southeastern sky at midnight, and sets in the west with the sunrise. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Here's a close-up of the Mars opposition:
Mars Opposition on 2020-10-13. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
The Moon is a waning crescent - visible low to the east before sunrise.
The new Moon occurs on Oct. 16th - the Moon will not be visible at this time... unless it get's smacked by an asteroid...
The Moon returns to the southwestern sky at dusk as a waxing crescent by early next week.
The Moon from 2020-10-13 - 2020-10-19. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of a section of the Moon on Oct. 14th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
BIG NEWS: #NASA and #JAXA to send Planetary Society-supported sample technology to the Moon and Phobos!
PlanetVac, developed by Honeybee Robotics, is designed to be a reliable, flexible, low-cost sample collection technology.
Full story at https://t.co/hzrDzOiXk5 pic.twitter.com/O6im3X2iAz
— Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) October 12, 2020
The Sun has a spot! AR2775 was indicated on SpaceWeather.com, but I could not see it even in the 4K hi-rez image - you can see where it is in the video below, it's in the lower right, with a lot of coronal loop activity. Large coronal holes are open at both poles.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 12, 2020:
Prominences galore... again! Lots of activity over the last several days!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 12, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for October 13th, 2020 is this full disk image by Rossana Miani.
Equipment details: Skywatcher AZEQ5, ASI 174MM, SolarMax II 60mm, Barlow2x.
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 292.8 km/sec (↓), with a density of 15.7 protons/cm3 (↑↑) at 1204 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
This SUNday, explore how observations of our own star, the Sun, can help us recognize stellar activity on distant stars — and understand whether they might host planets with conditions for life. https://t.co/eciKII3d1f pic.twitter.com/PVA2meyv1a
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 11, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 78, this year: 2160, all time: 24,009 (+77)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,755 (+377)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,755 (+377)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 TA3 |
2020-Oct-13
|
13.2 LD
|
6.4
|
18
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2020 TD |
2020-Oct-14
|
18.9 LD
|
14.4
|
47
|
| 2020 TO2 |
2020-Oct-14
|
3.2 LD
|
12.8
|
18
|
| 2020 TU2 |
2020-Oct-14
|
16.5 LD
|
13.5
|
55
|
| 2020 RM6 |
2020-Oct-15
|
13 LD
|
7.7
|
37
|
| 2020 TE2 |
2020-Oct-16
|
6.4 LD
|
5.8
|
19
|
| 2020 TG |
2020-Oct-17
|
16.7 LD
|
5.8
|
26
|
| 2020 TJ2 |
2020-Oct-19
|
5.3 LD
|
14.6
|
29
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2020 TC3 |
2020-Oct-20
|
13.4 LD
|
12.2
|
34
|
| 2020 SG3 |
2020-Oct-20
|
19.5 LD
|
5.3
|
37
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2020 TX1 |
2020-Oct-22
|
16.1 LD
|
8
|
23
|
| 2020 TG1 |
2020-Oct-22
|
18.4 LD
|
13.7
|
63
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 TQ2 |
2020-Oct-27
|
16.3 LD
|
5.2
|
26
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
28
|
| 2020 TR2 |
2020-Oct-29
|
8.9 LD
|
14.5
|
54
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2020 TY1 |
2020-Nov-07
|
14.9 LD
|
13.2
|
106
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.5 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
| 2020 ST1 |
2020-Nov-14
|
19.1 LD
|
8.1
|
154
|
| 2019 VL5 |
2020-Nov-15
|
8.5 LD
|
8.2
|
23
|
| 2017 WJ16 |
2020-Nov-23
|
5 LD
|
4.8
|
49
|
| 2018 RQ4 |
2020-Nov-26
|
8.1 LD
|
7.4
|
15
|
| 2020 KZ2 |
2020-Nov-28
|
5.7 LD
|
3.9
|
10
|
| 153201 |
2020-Nov-29
|
11.2 LD
|
25.1
|
490
|
| 2020 SO |
2020-Dec-01
|
0.1 LD
|
3.9
|
7
|
| 2019 XH2 |
2020-Dec-02
|
16.1 LD
|
6.4
|
6
|
| 2018 PK21 |
2020-Dec-08
|
12.2 LD
|
3.1
|
23
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
What looks like an asteroid that is expected to be pulled into Earth's orbit next month in fact may be an old rocket from a failed 1966 moon-landing mission, NASA’s leading asteroid expert says. The object is not expected to hit Earth. https://t.co/8sbCIFPU3B
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 11, 2020
On October 12, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 21 fireballs.
(20 sporadics, 1 Southern Taurid)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News: Meteorite Fall in Northeastern Mexico!
CAE METEORITO EN #VICTORIA, #TAMAULIPAS.
Reportan caída de meteorito en Ejido Lázaro Cárdenas en #CdVictoria, como en varias partes del norte del País. pic.twitter.com/AL10tLzCeP— ¡México Se Entere!🌐 (@MxSeEntere) October 7, 2020
Position of the planets in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets in the inner solar system, 2020-10-13. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets, and dwarf planet Ceres in the inner solar system, 2020-10-13. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - the orbit of transneptunian object (TNO) Eris is highlighted.
Position of the planets and several transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-10-13. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission:
Want to know asteroid Bennu better? Take a tour of this small world I've been hanging out with. #ToBennuAndBack pic.twitter.com/1bOipvGmf9
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) October 12, 2020
International Space Station:
The Soyuz rocket that will launch three Exp 64 crewmates to the station on Wednesday rolled out to its launch pad in Kazakhstan. More... https://t.co/QJNGlCe4vI pic.twitter.com/2UZeNuhOCW
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 12, 2020
Three Exp 64 crew will begin a 6-month space research mission on the station on Oct. 14 at 3:54am ET just over 3 hours after launching. https://t.co/qpyi2LM11l pic.twitter.com/kzcA1NIjtd
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 11, 2020
Mars HiRISE:
A Chasm in Gale Crater's Interior Mound on Mars. Created with @HiRISE DTM data and artificially colorized imageryhttps://t.co/wVPDvbV8lkhttps://t.co/TLYVIhAFLBhttps://t.co/Tk4c4c9IIR pic.twitter.com/M8oeWaiapH
— Kevin M. Gill (@kevinmgill) October 13, 2020
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:
As you enjoy Mars glowing in the eastern sky this evening, just remember that bright, red dot is actually an active world. The HiRISE camera aboard our Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has even caught avalanches in progress! More: https://t.co/Er7dUDDa00 pic.twitter.com/XaTeYo6YS7
— NASA Mars (@NASAMars) October 6, 2020
Climate: Having a grandchild changes the way you look at Earth's future
Did you know that carbon dioxide from human activity is increasing more than 250 times faster than it did from natural sources after the last Ice Age?
The evidence for climate change is compelling. Learn more at our updated "Evidence" page. https://t.co/UgU4KgxtMW
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) October 8, 2020
Meet some of the people behind the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite. This international effort will help us further understand our changing climate and rising sea levels. https://t.co/JAw2xkCJxB#SeeingTheSeas pic.twitter.com/Jor6pmgmfu
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) October 7, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
#AstroNews The IDA Dark Sky Defender Award awarded to the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach project Globe At Night – Sky Brightness Monitoring Network, a multinational project for long-term monitoring of night sky conditions around the world. https://t.co/ZRRUJLmLOP
— IAU OAO (@IAU_Outreach) November 18, 2018
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
👁️ Sometimes when we look out into the shadowy depths of the cosmos, we find it looking right back! 🙀 @NASAHubble captured stunning detail in this spine-chilling cat’s eye here: https://t.co/07UuV1bvmu pic.twitter.com/ibTkGdnmNB
— NASA Universe (@NASAUniverse) October 12, 2020
Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to the Gliese 229 system, about 19 light years distant.
Gliese 229 is about 19 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 229
Gliese 229 (also written as Gl 229 or GJ 229) is a binary system composed of red dwarf and brown dwarf about 19 light years away in the constellation Lepus. Primary component has 58% of the mass of the Sun, 69% of the Sun's radius, and a very low projected rotation velocity of 1 km/s at the stellar equator.
The star is known to be a low activity flare star, which means it undergoes random increases in luminosity because of magnetic activity at the surface. The spectrum shows emission lines of calcium in the H and K bands. The emission of X-rays has been detected from the corona of this star. These may be caused by magnetic loops interacting with the gas of the star's outer atmosphere. No large-scale star spot activity has been detected.
The space velocity components of this star are U = +12, V = –11 and W = –12 km/s. The orbit of this star through the Milky Way galaxy has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an orbital inclination of 0.005.
A substellar companion was discovered in 1994 by Caltech astronomers Kulkarni, Tadashi Nakajima, Keith Matthews, and Rebecca Oppenheimer, and Johns Hopkins scientists Sam Durrance and David Golimowski. It was confirmed in 1995 as Gliese 229B, one of the first two instances of clear evidence for a brown dwarf, along with Teide 1. Although too small to sustain hydrogen-burning nuclear fusion as in a main sequence star, with a mass of 21 to 52.4 times that of Jupiter (0.02 to 0.05 solar masses), it is still too massive to be a planet. As a brown dwarf, its core temperature is high enough to initiate the fusion of deuterium with a proton to form helium-3, but it is thought that it used up all its deuterium fuel long ago. This object now has a surface temperature of 950 K.
In March 2014, a super-Neptune mass planet candidate was announced in a much closer-in orbit around GJ 229. Given the proximity to the Sun, the orbit of GJ 229Ab might be fully characterized by the Gaia space-astrometry mission or via direct imaging. In 2020, a super-Earth mass planet was discovered around GJ 229. It orbits the star closer in than GJ 229Ab, and is located in the star's habitable zone. - Wikipedia
Orbit of Red Dwarf Gliese 229 A
This is a REALLY unusual system! When I was composing the images below, I centered on the exoplanet, and time-accelerated until the companion brown dwarf was in the frame with the band of the Milky Way; because the brown dwarf orbits so far away from the red dwarf, it does not move very fast across the sky. BUT! Because of the high inclination of the exoplanet, the brown dwarf appears to loop up and down! Very strange!
Orbit of Exoplanet Gliese 229 A b (red) around Red Dwarf Gliese 229 A, and orbit of Gliese 229 A (green) around the Gliese 229 Barycenter. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Orbit of Brown Dwarf Gliese 229 B
Orbit of Brown Dwarf Gliese 229 B around Gliese 229 Barycenter. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist's Rendering of a Neptune-like Exoplanet Orbiting Red Dwarf Gliese 229 A
Artistic rendering of Exoplanet Gliese 229 A b - Brown Dwarf Gliese 229 B is in the distance to the right. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist's Rendering of Brown Dwarf Gliese 229 B
Artistic rendering of Brown Dwarf Gliese 229 B - Red Dwarf Gliese 229 A is in the distance to the left. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – October 6, 2020
World Space Week runs from Oct. 4-10 - this year's theme is "Satellites Improve Life." World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1999 that World Space Week will be held each year from October 4-10. These dates commemorate two events:
- October 4, 1957: Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, and the dawn of the space age.
- October 10, 1967: The signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.
World Space Week consists of space education and outreach events held by space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetaria, museums, and astronomy clubs around the world in a common timeframe. These synchronized space events attract greater public and media attention. Register new events, and search for events near you here: https://www.worldspaceweek.org/events/
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky, having moved towards the eastern horizon, far from its close conjunction with Regulus last week; the Moon forms a temporary asterism with the stars Pollux and Procyon on the morning of Oct. 11th
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky; the Moon forms a temporary asterism with the stars Pollux and Procyon on the morning of Oct. 11th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon appears near the star Regulus in the constellation Leo, and forms a temporary asterism with Venus in the predawn sky on Oct. 13th; Venus appeared near Regulus for a couple days last week.
The Moon appears near Regulus, and forms a temporary asterism with Venus in the predawn sky on Oct. 13th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset - simply great targets for observing!
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset all week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars appears high in the southwestern predawn sky this week; the Moon appears in the southern sky on Oct. 7th, and moves eastward with each morning.
Mars appears high in the southwestern predawn sky this week; the Moon appears in the southern sky on Oct. 7th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
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 Sat. Oct. 10th - rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.
After Oct. 10th, the Moon will be a waning crescent - visible low to the east before sunrise.
The Moon from 2020-10-06 - 2020-10-12. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Interesting shadows on this annotated close-up of 2 sections of the Moon on Oct. 12th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
As we propel forward to the 🌜 Moon, 🔴 Mars, & beyond the 🌌 stars, we'll need advanced 3D printing construction systems to help us build livable & workable spaces off-world. @NASA_Technology is teaming up with a commercial partner to do just that: https://t.co/fLvtAqEIXw pic.twitter.com/fKTPV0Ac7r
— NASA (@NASA) October 1, 2020
The Sun has been spotless for 10 days now; coronal holes continue to remain open at both poles - one rotating out of view, the other forming in the southern hemisphere. The region with a lot of coronal loop activity from last week remains active, and is rotating out of view.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 5, 2020:
WOW! Lots of prominence activity over the last several days! You may have to watch the video below several times before you see them all!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) October 5, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for Tuesday, October 6th, 2020 goes out to Mike Wenz for this fantastic prominence.
Mike commented: "Prominence activity on Oct. 3. Image taken with a 152mm refractor, Daystar Quark H-alpha filter and a QHY5III290M camera."
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 352.0 km/sec (↓↓), with a density of 8.3 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1410 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
This #SunDay, read about the newly-released data from @ESASolarOrbiter, including measurements of high-energy particles, magnetic fields, and plasma waves in the inner solar system. 💥🧲🌊 https://t.co/RZmS75swEz pic.twitter.com/bazRNDSHvm
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 4, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 3, this year: 2084, all time: 23,932(+13)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,378 (+30)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,378 (+30)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 RR2 |
2020-Oct-06
|
16.3 LD
|
4.1
|
28
|
| 2020 RK2 |
2020-Oct-07
|
10 LD
|
6.7
|
50
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2020 SR6 |
2020-Oct-08
|
7.1 LD
|
5.3
|
26
|
| 2020 SX3 |
2020-Oct-08
|
4.4 LD
|
10.9
|
53
|
| 2020 RO1 |
2020-Oct-09
|
17.4 LD
|
3.2
|
30
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2020 RM6 |
2020-Oct-15
|
13 LD
|
7.7
|
38
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2020 SG3 |
2020-Oct-20
|
19.5 LD
|
5.3
|
34
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
28
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.4 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
| 2020 ST1 |
2020-Nov-14
|
19.1 LD
|
8.1
|
162
|
| 2019 VL5 |
2020-Nov-15
|
8.5 LD
|
8.2
|
23
|
| 2017 WJ16 |
2020-Nov-23
|
5 LD
|
4.8
|
49
|
| 2018 RQ4 |
2020-Nov-26
|
8.1 LD
|
7.4
|
15
|
| 2020 KZ2 |
2020-Nov-28
|
5.7 LD
|
3.9
|
10
|
| 153201 |
2020-Nov-29
|
11.2 LD
|
25.1
|
490
|
| 2020 SO |
2020-Dec-01
|
0.1 LD
|
3.9
|
8
|
| 2019 XH2 |
2020-Dec-02
|
16.1 LD
|
6.4
|
6
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
These are the orbits of the Near-Earth astroids that we discovered in just the past two weeks! Earth's neighborhood can be pretty crowded.
Plot made with CSS Orbit View (https://t.co/ZJlnCndKvm)
None of these objects pose an impact risk with Earth.@AsteroidWatch @UArizonaLPL pic.twitter.com/uSfva6Mkp0— Catalina Sky Survey (@catalina_sky) October 5, 2020
On October 5, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 7 fireballs.
6 sporadics, 1 Southern Taurid)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
ANOTHER HUGE SUPERBOLIDE ON OCT. 1st, THIS TIME OVER BRASIL. It seems that the #Taurids roar again!
Here our #SPMN290920 event of previous night over #Catalonia:https://t.co/qoencHQAxY@amsmeteors @FireballsSky @RedSpmn @sjb_astro @AsteroidDay @asteroidanalyst @deepbluedot https://t.co/tVOC0ALXri— Dr. Josep M. Trigo 🎗️#PlanetaryDefense #DART HERA (@Josep_Trigo) October 1, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-10-06. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Close-up of the positions of Earth, Mars and the Mars 2020 rover on Oct. 6th - Mars is having a "close encounter" today (62 million km) with Earth. It won't pass this close again until Sept. 2035!
Position of the Mars 2020 Rover, 2020-10-06. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system - the orbit of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is highlighted.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-10-06. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - the orbit of transneptunian object (TNO) Arrokoth is highlighted.
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-10-06. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
The orbit of TNO Arrokoth seen from an oblique angle:
Side -view of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-10-06. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
The "reverse vacuum" TAGSAM on @OSIRISREx was invented by our engineer who used a plastic cup, air compressor, and gravel driveway to conduct the first test. The system will be used to collect a sample from asteroid Bennu. #ToBennuAndBack
Watch a behind-the-scenes lab test:
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) October 6, 2020
International Space Station
This is SO COOL!
Have you ever seen a rocket launch -- from space? If you search for a dot in this video, you'll find out it's a rocket, the Russian Progress MS-10 bringing supplies to the International Space Station in November 2018 [read more: https://t.co/4aWECA9iud] pic.twitter.com/SotRDyZYtJ
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 5, 2020
Mars HiRISE: AI used to find tiny craters on Mars
Check out my writing debut for @EarthSky science: @NASAJPL scientists use AI to find tiny craters on Mars. Photos: NASA-JPL (1) MRO CTX black speck (2) confirmed as crater cluster by HiRISE. https://t.co/PWJy8vLjgG #mars #nasa #jpl #ArtificialIntelligence pic.twitter.com/907qXG0MxM
— Amy Oliver (@nerdyastronomer) October 5, 2020
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: MRO detected by 60cm radio dish antenna
#NASA MRO detected. Audible in the 60cm dish. Mars is presently 62.1 million km away. pic.twitter.com/2kynzORC9e
— Scott Tilley (@coastal8049) October 4, 2020
Climate: I have a grandchild; I want to Earth to be a safe and healthy place for her to live in.
What causes sea level to rise? 🌊
NASA Climate Kids’ latest video explains two main causes of our changing sea level!
Learn more here > https://t.co/AhovLVdWs1 pic.twitter.com/V3lyjSsicd
— NASA Space Place (@NASAspaceplace) October 5, 2020
Climate change is reshaping Earth's coastlines, and the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission, scheduled for launch Nov. 10, will precisely measure sea level rise to benefit humanity.
Here are five things to know about this historic U.S.-European effort: https://t.co/QwKzo2uQOT pic.twitter.com/QDi0LneqVL
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) October 2, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Great to hear that the Elan Valley is applying to be an IDA Dark Sky Place. Had fab time stargazing there in 2011. http://t.co/vnZVId595s
— Will Gater (@willgater) December 8, 2013
Added to EarthSky's Best Places to Stargaze...Westcliffe, Coloradohttps://t.co/NaCAXPlDB8
Certified by IDA as a Dark Sky Community... pic.twitter.com/EOFyQwoDIt
— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) March 27, 2017
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
#HubbleClassic Billowing clouds of super-hot gas form "wings" around a massive, young star in this star-forming region named Sharpless 2-106. A ring of dust and gas orbiting the star acts like a belt, cinching the expanding nebula into an hourglass shape: https://t.co/dXj1VesZdA pic.twitter.com/KDQs8UjMJI
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 6, 2020
Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to the Luyten 145-141 (LP 145-141) system, about 15 light years distant.
Luyten 145-141 (LP 145-141) is about 15 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Luyten 145-141
LP 145-141 (also LAWD 37) is a white dwarf located 15 light years from the Solar System. According to a 2009 paper, it is the fourth closest known white dwarf to the Sun (after Sirius B, Procyon B, and van Maanen's star.)
LP 145-141 is known at least from 1917, when its proper motion was published by R. T. A. Innes and H. E. Wood in Volume 37 of Circular of the Union Observatory. The corresponding designation is UO 37. (Note: this designation is not unique for this star, that is all other stars, listed in the table in the Volume 37 of this Circular, also could be called by this name)
LP 145-141 may be a member of the Wolf 219 moving group, which has seven possible members. These stars share a similar motion through space, which may indicate a common origin. This group has an estimated space velocity of 160 km/s and is following a highly eccentric orbit through the Milky Way galaxy.
White dwarfs are no longer generating energy at their cores through nuclear fusion, and instead are steadily radiating away their remaining heat. LP 145-141 has a DQ spectral classification, indicating that it is a rare type of white dwarf which displays evidence of atomic or molecular carbon in its spectrum.
LP 145-141 has only 75% of the Sun's mass, but it is the remnant of a massive main-sequence star that had an estimated 4.4 solar masses. While it was on the main sequence, it probably was a spectral class B star (in the range B4-B9). Most of the star's original mass was shed after it passed into the asymptotic giant branch stage, just prior to becoming a white dwarf.
A survey with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed no visible orbiting companions, at least down to the limit of detection.
Its proximity, mass and temperature have led to it being considered a good candidate to look for Jupiter-like planets. Its relatively large mass and high temperature mean that the system is relatively short-lived and hence of more recent origin. - Wikipedia
Artist's Rendering of a Jupiter-like Exoplanet Orbiting LP 145-141
Artistic rendering of an exoplanet orbiting Luyten 145-141. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – September 29, 2020
The Astronomy at the Beach event has come and gone, and although we did not have the amount of attendees we've had at in-person events, we did have some sessions with a lot of viewers. The speakers were fantastic, and many of the sessions were recorded, so you can access the event website and watch replays! I spent the last several months helping the board of the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs (GLAAC) with their website for the event, and was monitoring several events simultaneously as they were happening during the event. Now that the event is over, I'm thinking about how GLAAC can help promote Michigan's astronomy clubs, and their presenters who have expressed an interest in doing remote presentations for in-school and at-home classrooms.
Venus appears low in the eastern predawn sky all week near the star Regulus in Leo - look for the inverted question mark asterism. At the same time over in the northeastern sky, the handle of the Big Dipper asterism is pointing down towards the horizon.
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky near the star Regulus all week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Venus appears very near the star Regulus on the mornings of October 3rd and 4th.
-
- Venus appears in conjunction the star Regulus in the predawn sky on Oct. 3rd. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- Venus appears in conjunction the star Regulus in the predawn sky on Oct. 4th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset; the Moon appears over in the southeastern sky.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset the Moon appears in the southeastern sky on Sept. 29th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars appears in the southeastern sky after midnight this week; the Moon moves eastward each evening, getting closer to Mars.
Mars and the Moon appear high in the southeastern sky around midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon appears close to Mars from Oct. 2-4th - appearing very close to Mars on Oct. 3rd.
-
- The Moon appears in a very close conjunction with Mars in the southeastern sky at midnight on Oct. 3rd. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- The Moon appears in a very close conjunction with Mars at midnight on Oct. 3rd. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
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 Oct. 1st - rising at sunset, visible high in the sky around midnight, and visible all night.
After Oct. 1st, the Moon will be a waning gibbous - rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.
The Moon from 2020-09-29 - 2020-10-04. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of the Moon on Oct. 4th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
We want to see your lunar artwork! Share your creations and see others' on the official International #ObserveTheMoon Night gallery! https://t.co/ZvOiLdA0ea
Art by Onur Cengiz pic.twitter.com/qYeb04dYtf
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) September 26, 2020
The Sun has been spotless for 3 days; the northern coronal hole continues to be huge - with a thick tendril stretching southward - very near a region with a LOT of coronal loop activity!
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 28, 2020:
Lots of prominence activity over the last several days!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 28, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for September 29th, 2020 goes out to Otto Gruebl for this Calcium image.
Comments by Otto: "Sun in CaK of 27.9.2020 from Taurikura, Northland with decaying AR 2773 and two small prominences Lunt 60 refractor w.Lunt CaK module B1200, ZWO ASI 174 MM,Ioptron AZ Pro Autostakkert,Photoshop CC 2018"
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 604.9 km/sec (↑↑), with a density of 8.2 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1241 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
Data from NASA missions — like our Solar Dynamics Observatory and the retired RHESSI satellite — is helping scientists study potential connections between solar flares and “sunquakes,” seismic waves on the Sun. More from @UCBerkeley: https://t.co/UMczVuuChr pic.twitter.com/nzmfoQdEjd
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 22, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 318, this year: 2071, all time: 23,919 (+74)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,348 (+142)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,348 (+142)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 PM7 |
2020-Sep-29
|
7.5 LD
|
8.3
|
118
|
| 2020 SV5 |
2020-Sep-30
|
3.4 LD
|
13.7
|
20
|
| 2020 SQ |
2020-Sep-30
|
5.7 LD
|
5.9
|
12
|
| 2020 SO2 |
2020-Sep-30
|
18.1 LD
|
14.8
|
39
|
| 2020 SM4 |
2020-Oct-01
|
8.2 LD
|
7.6
|
10
|
| 2020 SU5 |
2020-Oct-01
|
5.4 LD
|
9.4
|
16
|
| 2020 RJ3 |
2020-Oct-01
|
15.3 LD
|
15.5
|
71
|
| 2001 GP2 |
2020-Oct-01
|
6.1 LD
|
2.2
|
15
|
| 2020 RZ3 |
2020-Oct-02
|
15.6 LD
|
13.3
|
37
|
| 2020 SY3 |
2020-Oct-03
|
16.6 LD
|
7.8
|
24
|
| 2010 UC |
2020-Oct-04
|
14.6 LD
|
3.2
|
12
|
| 2020 RV2 |
2020-Oct-05
|
14.9 LD
|
4.2
|
26
|
| 2020 RR2 |
2020-Oct-06
|
16.3 LD
|
4.1
|
28
|
| 2020 RK2 |
2020-Oct-07
|
10 LD
|
6.7
|
49
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2020 SX3 |
2020-Oct-08
|
4.4 LD
|
10.9
|
50
|
| 2020 RO1 |
2020-Oct-09
|
17.4 LD
|
3.2
|
29
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2020 RM6 |
2020-Oct-15
|
13 LD
|
7.7
|
39
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2020 SG3 |
2020-Oct-20
|
19.5 LD
|
5.3
|
34
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
27
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.4 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
| 2020 ST1 |
2020-Nov-14
|
19.1 LD
|
8.1
|
163
|
| 2019 VL5 |
2020-Nov-15
|
8.5 LD
|
8.2
|
23
|
| 2017 WJ16 |
2020-Nov-23
|
5 LD
|
4.8
|
49
|
| 2018 RQ4 |
2020-Nov-26
|
8.1 LD
|
7.4
|
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
Asteroid News:
On September 28, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 21 fireballs.
(21 sporadics)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
Listen to @BBCr4today (from 1:45:37 until 1:49:00 in). The NEMETODE meteor network tracked the #earthgrazer across the UK. (https://t.co/TrBxbN7Dpx @Cmdr_Hadfield #meteor @paulhaworth #fireball pic.twitter.com/WwEqna9rny
— SCAMP (@SCAMP_Meteors) September 28, 2020
Some preliminary results on the earthgrazing #fireball of yesterday morning, from Dutch all-sky #meteor camera images.
Rare case of a meteor that definitely went in and out of the atmosphere again! Just like the famous 1972 Grand Tetons fireball@MVerstraaten @cgbassa @Doenker pic.twitter.com/cYIPXb1oOE— Dr Marco Langbroek (@Marco_Langbroek) September 23, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-09-29. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-09-29. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-09-29. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
At the very end of the TAGSAM arm is the sample collector head - it's sort of like my hand, and it'll be the only part of me that touches Bennu's surface while gathering a sample.
Image details: https://t.co/7N4az6wO7y pic.twitter.com/mOJoGCAYsu
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) September 28, 2020
International Space Station
Weather has pushed the launch of a U.S. cargo mission to Thursday and the Exp 63 crew is back to work after a weekend of leak tests. More... https://t.co/pNtJnqM9hU pic.twitter.com/vjbNSr5swu
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 28, 2020
NEWS: We’re now targeting 2:40am ET Saturday, Oct. 31, for the launch of the @NASA and @SpaceX Crew-1 mission to send astronauts to the @Space_Station. Here is the latest #LaunchAmerica update: https://t.co/UXtCHLq247 pic.twitter.com/szkUUQMVv1
— Kathy Lueders (@KathyLueders) September 29, 2020
Climate
The world's latest sea level-monitoring satellite has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to be prepared for its Nov. 10 launch. Once in orbit, the mission will collect highly accurate measurements for more than 90% of the ocean. https://t.co/0JtXSTzJTW
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 28, 2020
We often get questions from readers about Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. Arctic sea ice has declined over the past five decades, while Antarctic sea ice has increased, and then declined. Why do they behave differently? We answer. https://t.co/iqn0pysdY6
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 24, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Did you know we offer free printable wildlife workbooks for children 5+ to help teach them about light pollution?
Check out all of our resources for educators here: https://t.co/tz4LUlezDk pic.twitter.com/gjFcMRocLC
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) September 28, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
#HubbleFriday Everything you see in this Hubble image makes up only a tiny fraction of this galaxy’s bulk.
NGC 5585 has far more dark matter than similarly sized galaxies. Dark matter can’t be directly observed, and what it is remains a mystery: https://t.co/Y2lIgfmpmm pic.twitter.com/l88dXgAnuG
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 25, 2020
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – September 22, 2020
Astronomy at the Beach - This Weekend!
The Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs hosts the annual Astronomy at the Beach event every September - this year it will be held online the 25th & 26th! The lineup of speakers and presentations for the event is simply amazing; four of the presenters just happen to write for the Sacred Space Astronomy site! If you are interested at all in astronomy, these are must-see presentations - and many will take questions from the viewing audience!
Website and Schedule: https://www.glaac.org/astronomy-at-the-beach-2020/
Having meetings with Michigan astronomers and working on the website for the Astronomy at the Beach event has been a great way to get to know the astronomers of GLAAC member clubs I've only had a little contact with in the past. I was thinking this morning how incredibly fortunate I am to be in the company of so many astronomers - both amateur and professional. I only wish I would have known about Michigan's community of astronomers several decades ago.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset, and the Moon appears near the star Antares after sunset on Sept. 22nd.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset and set in the early morning hours; the Moon appears in the southwestern sky on Sept. 22nd, and moves towards the pair of planets for several days. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon moves southward and appears near Jupiter and Saturn after sunset on Sept 27th and 28th.
-
- The Moon appears near Jupiter in the southern sky after sunset on Sept. 24th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- The Moon appears near Saturn the southern sky after sunset on Sept. 25th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars appears in the southeastern sky after midnight this week; the Pleiades star cluster and the bright star Aldebaran, the red eye of Taurus, appear in the eastern sky after midnight.
Mars appears high in the southeastern sky after midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Venus appears low in the eastern predawn sky all week, each morning a bit lower towards the horizon; the constellation Orion appears higher and to the south.
Venus is visible low in the eastern predawn sky this week - appearing a bit lower each morning. The constellation Orion appears high(ish) in the southeastern predawn sky. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon is a waxing crescent - visible to the southwest in the early evening.
The first quarter Moon occurs on Sept. 24th - visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
After Sept. 24th, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous - visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.
The Moon from 2020-09-22 - 2020-09-28. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of the Moon on Sep. 25th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
International Observe the Moon Night - Sept. 26th
A time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon. Note that we encourage you to interpret “observe” broadly.
International Observe the Moon Night this year conveniently falls on the weekend of the Astronomy at the Beach event!
The Sun has been spot-free for 32 days; the northern coronal hole has remains monstrous and has grown tendrils, the coronal hole at the south pole appears to have diminished from last week. Something exciting this way comes! A region with a LOT of coronal loop activity is rotating into view.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 21, 2020:
Prominence activity everywhere over the last several days; the region rotating into view with coronal loops above is throwing prominences all over the place!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 21, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020 goes out to Jean-paul Desgrees for this great prominence image.
Jean-paul commented: "SUN on the 21.09.2020th - TS130mm glasses on MESU MK2, Quark H alpha filter, UVIRcut, ASI178M. No tasks but a beautiful protuberance."
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 322.7 km/sec (↓), with a density of 5.0 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1321 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News - We're officially in the next solar cycle
Our Sun has entered a new cycle. A panel co-sponsored by @NOAA & @NASA has announced that the Sun’s low point in activity happened in December 2019, marking the start of a new solar cycle. https://t.co/VC44pSdDJO
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 15, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 244 (+128), this year: 1997 (+133), all time: 23,845 (+135)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,206 (+270)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 995,206 (+270)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 RD5 |
2020-Sep-22
|
10.6 LD
|
17.2
|
53
|
| 2020 SM2 |
2020-Sep-22
|
3.1 LD
|
4.5
|
6
|
| 2020 RB6 |
2020-Sep-22
|
6.7 LD
|
19.8
|
29
|
| 2020 RU7 |
2020-Sep-22
|
15.3 LD
|
6.3
|
30
|
| 2020 RE8 |
2020-Sep-23
|
18.1 LD
|
10.7
|
30
|
| 2020 RA2 |
2020-Sep-23
|
18.4 LD
|
5.4
|
22
|
| 2020 SN |
2020-Sep-24
|
8.9 LD
|
6.9
|
42
|
| 2020 SW |
2020-Sep-24
|
0.1 LD
|
7.7
|
6
|
| 2020 RO |
2020-Sep-25
|
15.3 LD
|
11.8
|
78
|
| 2020 SM |
2020-Sep-25
|
15.6 LD
|
18.4
|
60
|
| 2020 RF4 |
2020-Sep-26
|
11.7 LD
|
13.8
|
42
|
| 2020 RF5 |
2020-Sep-27
|
14.1 LD
|
3.9
|
53
|
| 2020 PM7 |
2020-Sep-29
|
7.5 LD
|
8.3
|
121
|
| 2020 SQ |
2020-Sep-30
|
5.7 LD
|
5.9
|
11
|
| 2020 SO2 |
2020-Sep-30
|
18.1 LD
|
14.8
|
39
|
| 2020 RJ3 |
2020-Oct-01
|
15.3 LD
|
15.5
|
67
|
| 2001 GP2 |
2020-Oct-01
|
6.1 LD
|
2.2
|
15
|
| 2020 RZ3 |
2020-Oct-02
|
15.7 LD
|
13.3
|
35
|
| 2010 UC |
2020-Oct-04
|
14.6 LD
|
3.2
|
12
|
| 2020 RV2 |
2020-Oct-05
|
14.9 LD
|
4.2
|
25
|
| 2020 RR2 |
2020-Oct-06
|
16.3 LD
|
4.1
|
29
|
| 2020 RK2 |
2020-Oct-07
|
10 LD
|
6.7
|
49
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2020 RO1 |
2020-Oct-09
|
17.4 LD
|
3.2
|
29
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2020 RM6 |
2020-Oct-15
|
13 LD
|
7.7
|
39
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
27
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.4 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
| 2020 ST1 |
2020-Nov-14
|
19.1 LD
|
8.1
|
166
|
| 2019 VL5 |
2020-Nov-15
|
8.5 LD
|
8.2
|
23
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
Asteroid 2020 SW to approach Earth at just 0.07 LD https://t.co/6qmERdQVjl via @skymednews pic.twitter.com/IPJ4UFDnay
— Skywatch Media News (@skymednews) September 20, 2020
On September 21, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 13 fireballs.
(13 sporadics)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
On 2020 September 22 at 03:53UT #allsky #EN905 #Benningbroek captured this very, very long earthgrazer. Never seen such a long trail. #fireball @IMOmeteors @amsmeteors @BOAM_meteore @UKMeteorNetwork @NASAJPL pic.twitter.com/AYFLvih1F8
— Jos Nijland (@Jos_Nijland) September 22, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system:
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-09-22. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-09-22. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-09-22. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
Well, Bennu's surprised us yet again!
It appears some pieces of asteroid Vesta - the target of @NASA_Dawn 's mission - ended up on asteroid Bennu. This new discovery sheds light on Bennu's history and formation 💥
Read more about the team's findings: https://t.co/CCMkVYfomb pic.twitter.com/J0wOgHoot6
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) September 21, 2020
International Space Station
On Sept. 29, we are launching @ISS_Research & products to the @Space_Station:
🌱 Growing radishes in space
🧬 Cancer therapies
🚽 Space toilets
🌊 Water recovery
🎥 A @felixandpaul VR camera
💫 An @EsteeLauder serumTune in Sept. 24 at 1pm ET for more: https://t.co/8zYnJqIrKU pic.twitter.com/6VDMqQ7Zr5
— NASA (@NASA) September 21, 2020
Climate
This year’s Arctic sea ice cover shrank to the second lowest extent since modern record-keeping began in the late 1970s, at 1.44 million square miles (3.74 million square kilometers). https://t.co/DttbIMg749
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 21, 2020
UPDATE: Last month's global average concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) was about 414 parts per million (ppm).
⬆️ about 24 ppm from August 2010
⬆️ about 45 ppm from August 2000
⬆️ about 60 ppm from August 1990https://t.co/qjYgQZqqbL— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 16, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Fall migration is underway! Did you know light pollution doesn’t just erase our view of the night sky, it has a devastating impact on migrating birds?
This year, we've teamed up with @audubonsociety to bring awareness to the issue.
Learn more: https://t.co/eS8wFhbxx9 pic.twitter.com/WR8y3pMWTD
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) September 15, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe: Veil Nebula
#HubbleClassic Fly through tangled filaments of glowing gases in the Veil Nebula, the remnant of a star that exploded thousands of years ago.
This scientific visualization is based on Hubble observations of the nebula & was released 5 years ago this week: https://t.co/RLJchhHQfW pic.twitter.com/5KrQuP4edE
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 22, 2020
Frame from a 3-D visualization of a fly-through across a small portion of the Veil Nebula as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This region is a small part of a huge expanding remnant from a star that exploded many thousands of years ago. Hubble resolves tangled rope-like filaments of glowing gases. The 3-D model has been created for illustrative purposes and shows that that the giant bubble of gas has a thin, rippled surface. It also highlights that the emission from different chemical elements arises from different layers of gas within the nebula. In the imagery, emission from hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen are shown in red, green, and blue, respectively.
CREDITS: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, and L. Frattare (Viz 3D Team, STScI);
Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – September 15, 2020
I've been working with the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs (GLAAC) on their annual Astronomy at the Beach event - Sept. 25 & 26; we're holding the event online this year for obvious reasons. We have a fantastic set of speakers for the event, and several astronomers will be live-broadcasting from their observatories and driveways across Michigan and from Arizona!
Our headliners are Br. Guy & Dan Davis - co-authors of Turn Left at Orion, David Levy - comet discoverer extraordinaire and author on the Sacred Space Astronomy site, and Dolores Hill of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. Several astronomers from GLAAC-member clubs will be giving presentations and participating in panel discussions about astronomy and space science; I will be giving three presentations myself and monitoring the event's "Ops Channel" over the weekend. Several of the persons giving presentations are volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors - like my wife and I. Many of the presenters have expressed a willingness to do presentations remotely for in-school and at-home schools!
Website and Schedule: https://www.glaac.org/astronomy-at-the-beach-2020/
The multi-month conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter appears in the southern sky after sunset near the constellation Sagittarius - the pair of planets set in the wee hours of the morning.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky at midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
I was alerted during the last night's meeting of the Warren Astronomical Society that there would be some shadow-transits on Jupiter during the Astronomy at the Beach event - as I was writing this post I got to wondering if there would be any this week, and BOY are there ever!
-
- Jupiter-Io Shadow Transit Sept. 15 at 9:00 PM. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- Jupiter-Europa Shadow Transit Sept. 18 at 10:45 PM. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- Jupiter-Io Shadow Transit Sept. 22 at 11:00 PM. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars appears in the eastern sky around midnight this week; I heard at last night's meeting of the Warren Astronomical Society that you may be able to see the planet Uranus from dark sky site with your naked eye!
Mars appears high in the eastern sky at midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky all week, each morning a bit lower towards the horizon; the stars Procyon and Sirius form a temporary asterism with Venus across the east-southeastern sky. I'm told that many of the "UFO calls" the Michigan Science Center gets is because of Venus... well it IS bright!
Venus appears in the eastern predawn sky this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
A waxing crescent Moon appears in the southwestern sky at dusk from Sept. 19-23rd - be sure to look for earthshine!
A waxing crescent Moon appears in the southwestern sky at dusk from Sept. 19-23rd. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The smoke from the western wildfires was a topic of discussion during last night's meeting of the Warren Astronomical Society.
Seattle before, yesterday, & today. (Same time of the day)#seattlesmoke #WAwildfires pic.twitter.com/iOSIb9MaiU
— Dr. Naresh Hanchate, PhD (@Naresh_hanchate) September 12, 2020
The Moon is a waning crescent, visible low to the east before sunrise.
The new Moon occurs on Sept. 17th - no annoying moonlight to add to your obscured view because of clouds from the western state's forest fires.
After Sept. 17th, the Moon will be a waxing crescent, visible to the southwest in the early evening.
The Moon from 2020-09-15 - 2020-09-21-++. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of the Moon on Sep. 21st. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
College students! Help @NASA launch to the Moon by joining #Artemis Student Challenges!
Interested in designing spacesuit user interfaces to assist astronauts with lunar exploration? Join the #NASASUITS info-session on 9/16 at 5pm ET! 🚀🌕
Session 🔗: https://t.co/Nq79eBKt8q pic.twitter.com/l5myGf8jRF
— NASA STEM Engagement (@NASASTEM) September 15, 2020
International Observe the Moon Night - Sept. 26th
A time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon. Note that we encourage you to interpret “observe” broadly.
International Observe the Moon Night this year conveniently falls on the weekend of the Astronomy at the Beach event!
The Sun has not had a spot in 25 days; the northern coronal hole has gone from monstrous to yawning, the coronal hole at the south pole also remain s open and fairly large.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 14, 2020:
Lots of prominence activity over the last several days; lots of filament activity too - keep your eye on the face of the Sun in the lower left of the animation below.
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 14, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for September 14th, 2020 goes to Horváth Attila Róbert Hozé for this awesome prominence image.
Congratulations Hoźe and thank you for sharing your work with our group. Details: “The pictures were taken on 12,09,2020 Lunt LS 50 Hydrogen Alpha Filter System integrated into Bresser Messier 127/1200 acromat, 2,5x Televue Powermate 3000mm focus.With ASI290 MM camera. Average of 10% of 3,000 pieces 10 ms frames.”
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 368.6 km/sec (↑), with a density of 3.9 protons/cm3 (↓) at 1321 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
The Sun's activity has a major impact on astronauts & the spacecraft they travel in — so understanding the solar cycle is key as we explore further beyond Earth. https://t.co/PfNMSADs9V
Join us as scientists discuss solar cycle prediction on Sept. 15: https://t.co/v6bb2jABe2 pic.twitter.com/XvECPrh2mE
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 13, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 116 (+99), this year: 1864 (+107), all time: 23,710 (+108)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 994,936 (+524)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 994,936 (+524)
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 RA4 |
2020-Sep-15
|
11.3 LD
|
9
|
15
|
| 2020 RJ2 |
2020-Sep-16
|
3.5 LD
|
3.9
|
5
|
| 2020 RW3 |
2020-Sep-16
|
6.7 LD
|
12
|
18
|
| 2020 RN1 |
2020-Sep-17
|
18.5 LD
|
9.8
|
31
|
| 2014 QJ33 |
2020-Sep-17
|
6.7 LD
|
8.7
|
65
|
| 2020 RQ3 |
2020-Sep-19
|
6.2 LD
|
25.4
|
31
|
| 2017 SL16 |
2020-Sep-20
|
8.9 LD
|
6.4
|
25
|
| 2020 RA2 |
2020-Sep-23
|
18.4 LD
|
5.4
|
23
|
| 2020 RO |
2020-Sep-25
|
15.3 LD
|
11.8
|
78
|
| 2020 RF4 |
2020-Sep-26
|
11.7 LD
|
13.8
|
43
|
| 2020 PM7 |
2020-Sep-29
|
7.5 LD
|
8.3
|
122
|
| 2020 RJ3 |
2020-Oct-01
|
15.3 LD
|
15.5
|
68
|
| 2001 GP2 |
2020-Oct-01
|
6.1 LD
|
2.2
|
15
|
| 2020 RZ3 |
2020-Oct-02
|
15.7 LD
|
13.3
|
34
|
| 2010 UC |
2020-Oct-04
|
14.6 LD
|
3.2
|
12
|
| 2020 RV2 |
2020-Oct-05
|
14.8 LD
|
4.2
|
26
|
| 2020 RR2 |
2020-Oct-06
|
16.3 LD
|
4.1
|
29
|
| 2020 RK2 |
2020-Oct-07
|
10.1 LD
|
6.8
|
47
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2020 RO1 |
2020-Oct-09
|
17.4 LD
|
3.2
|
32
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
27
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
| 2019 XS |
2020-Nov-07
|
15.4 LD
|
9.4
|
51
|
| 2018 VS4 |
2020-Nov-09
|
14.9 LD
|
10.1
|
25
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
Are you interested in Near-Earth Asteroid research at the @SAAO and @UCT_news?
I am excited to share my MSc research in a poster for #RASPoster2020. See a sneak peek below or the full poster at https://t.co/1NMKv2GxxE. pic.twitter.com/kjJ9tjmBAI
— Petro (@petro_jvr) September 14, 2020
On September 14, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 3 fireballs.
(3 sporadics)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
Meteor Fireball Electrifies the Sky over California https://t.co/UKgHILa4LH via @skymednews pic.twitter.com/4Sg4tF89cR
— Skywatch Media News (@skymednews) September 10, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system.
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-09-15. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-09-15 - the orbit of comet 67P is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - the orbit of transneptunian object 2007 OR10 is highlighted:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-09-15 - the orbit of TNO 2007 OR10 is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Orbit of transneptunian object 2007 OR10 seen from a different angle.
Alternate view of the orbit of TNO 2007 OR10, with the plane of the ecliptic tilted nearly edge-on. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
Bennu: an asteroid that throws marble-sized rocks, has building-sized boulders, and didn't give us many options for a sample collection site.
So, if collecting a sample from Bennu is so challenging, why are we doing it? pic.twitter.com/SeI87yXpCA
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) September 14, 2020
International Space Station
The Exp 63 crew checked out hardware today supporting life science, combustion research and Earth observations. More... https://t.co/lCBWjQNc1J pic.twitter.com/hSEhRVAks7
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 14, 2020
NASA Perseverance Mars Rover
Meet Diana Trujillo, an engineer helping search for signs of ancient life on Mars with her work on @NASAPersevere.
In honor of #HispanicHeritageMonth, tune in Sept. 15, 2pm PT (5pm ET, 2100 UTC) for a bilingual live chat. Submit Qs in English or Spanish: https://t.co/thUWTHDQ14 pic.twitter.com/H1ZsycriKR
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) September 10, 2020
Climate
NASA’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) recently imaged active fires across California, showing multiple areas hotter than 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius, shown in red). https://t.co/GN6LfUV5aG
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 10, 2020
See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Jackson Lake State Park in Colorado gets International Dark Sky Park Designation
"Located about a hour-and-a-half from Denver in western Morgan County, Jackson Lake is the 19th state park in the country to receive the designation but the only state park in Colorado."
Story: [LINK]
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
#HubbleClassic Normal spiral galaxies appear flat when viewed from the side. But the disk of this unusual edge-on galaxy, called ESO 510-G13, is warped. The distortion is likely caused by the gravitational pull of another galaxy: https://t.co/n4Aq23VEdN pic.twitter.com/eXubxaHRnX
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 15, 2020
#HubbleFriday Colorful stars pack together in this Hubble image of globular cluster NGC 1805.
This tight grouping of thousands of stars is located near the edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way: https://t.co/0DVn92ZWna pic.twitter.com/0Kgp8DOpWG
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 11, 2020
And in the BIG NEWS department!
Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a byproduct of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth. About 10 years ago NASA discovered microbial life at 120,000ft in Earth’s upper atmosphere. It’s time to prioritize Venus. https://t.co/hm8TOEQ9es
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) September 14, 2020
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – September 8, 2020
My wife has recuperated from her appendectomy - for the most part - she's still in the recliner by evening, taking it easy. Her middle-school opening got delayed for a week, but she had to go into school this morning to do set up. She's not having any students today - they start tomorrow, and knowing the history of Connie catching everything sick students bring into school... well... if I sit and think about it, I'm quite likely terrified at a situation that seems dangerous and completely out of my control. I'm not sure if playing complicated and immersive video games is "handling the situation very well," but it sure keeps my mind off it...
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset near the constellation Sagittarius, and are visible for several hours into the early morning.
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky at 10:00 pm this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars appears in the east-southeastern sky at 3:00 AM this week - the Moon appears in the eastern sky with Mars on Sept. 9th.
Mars and the Moon appear high in the east-southeastern sky at 3:00 AM on Sept. 9th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Venus and the constellation Orion appear in the east-southeastern predawn sky on Sept. 9nd.
Venus and and the constellation Orion appear in the eastern predawn sky on Sept. 9th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon appears in the Eastern predawn sky with Venus from Sept. 11-14th, appearing VERY near Venus on Sept. 13th.
The Moon appears in the Eastern predawn sky with Venus from Sept. 11-14th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
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 Sept. 10th, rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.
After Sept. 10th, the Moon will be a waning crescent, visible low to the east before sunrise.
The Moon from 2020-09-08 - 2020-09-14. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of the Moon on Sep. 11th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
A researcher recently found a form of iron oxide, or rust, on the Moon. Rust forms when iron is exposed to oxygen and water. The Moon isn't supposed to have liquid water, so how can it be rusting?https://t.co/n12wT9gIwQ pic.twitter.com/FEMf3ZRxdp
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) September 4, 2020
To get to the Moon, you need a lot of power. 🔥The boosters for @NASA's SLS rocket are the largest, most powerful ever built for flight.
Check out the drone footage from Wednesday's Flight Support Booster (FSB-1) test, then learn more about the test >> https://t.co/r767bMcaVb pic.twitter.com/uCZxNGw8c5
— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) September 3, 2020
International Observe the Moon Night - Sept. 26th
A time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon. Note that we encourage you to interpret “observe” broadly.
The Sun has been spot-free for 18 days; the northern coronal hole remains monstrous, the coronal hole at the south pole as a couple tendrils reaching towards the equator.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 7, 2020:
More long-lasting large prominences over the last several days have made for great astrophoto targets!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 7, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for Monday, September 7th, 2020 goes out to Paul Andrew for this amazing prominence capture.
Paul commented: "A nice prominence captured on 6th September from Kent, UK, with my Lunt LS152, ZWO ASI290MM camera, and a Tele Vue 2.5x Powermate."
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 316.0 km/sec (↓), with a density of 6.5 protons/cm3 (↓) at 1415 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
The retired Orbiting Geophysics Observatory 1 satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere this weekend. This spacecraft studied Earth’s magnetic field during its mission in the 1960s. https://t.co/LIs7ViWCNa
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 1, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 17 (+17), this year: 1757 (+16), all time: 23,602 (+16)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 994,412 (+29) - closing in on 1 million!
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 994,412 (+29) - closing in on 1 million!
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 RC |
2020-Sep-06
|
12.9 LD
|
16.6
|
150
|
| 2020 PT4 |
2020-Sep-08
|
4.9 LD
|
12.6
|
36
|
| 2020 RJ |
2020-Sep-08
|
3.3 LD
|
9.3
|
25
|
| 2020 RM |
2020-Sep-11
|
2.7 LD
|
6.5
|
14
|
| 2012 RM15 |
2020-Sep-12
|
14.9 LD
|
9.8
|
45
|
| 2017 US |
2020-Sep-13
|
17.3 LD
|
5.9
|
21
|
| 2020 QL2 |
2020-Sep-14
|
17.9 LD
|
10.6
|
71
|
| 2014 QJ33 |
2020-Sep-17
|
6.7 LD
|
8.7
|
65
|
| 2017 SL16 |
2020-Sep-20
|
8.9 LD
|
6.4
|
25
|
| 2020 RO |
2020-Sep-25
|
15.3 LD
|
11.8
|
77
|
| 2001 GP2 |
2020-Oct-01
|
6.1 LD
|
2.2
|
15
|
| 2010 UC |
2020-Oct-04
|
14.6 LD
|
3.2
|
12
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
80
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
27
|
| 2018 VP1 |
2020-Nov-02
|
1.1 LD
|
9.7
|
2
|
| 2020 HF4 |
2020-Nov-03
|
16.2 LD
|
2.9
|
11
|
| 2010 JL88 |
2020-Nov-05
|
10.5 LD
|
15.7
|
16
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
Maui youths keep an eye on dying satellite, asteroid: Five curious students help NASA, perform cutting-edge astronomy - https://t.co/c6g53lq39I
— The Maui News (@TheMauiNewsHI) September 5, 2020
On September 7, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 25 fireballs.
(19 sporadics, 6 September epsilon Perseids)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
Fireball over the south of Spain on Sep. 3 - https://t.co/Pv1Z5yfQxM This beautiful meteor overflew the south of Spain on 2020 September 3 at about 2:35 local time (equivalent to 0:35 UT). It was generated by a sporadic meteoroid following an asteroid-like orbit that hit th... pic.twitter.com/IaxQ9lDaah
— MeteorNews (@eMeteorNews) September 5, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system.
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-09-08. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-09-08 - the orbit of asteroid Vesta is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - the orbit of comet Siding Spring is highlighted:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-09-08 - the orbit of comet Siding Spring is highlighted. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Extreme Zoom-out showing Siding Spring's Orbit:
The full orbit of comet Siding Spring; you can just see the orbit of Sedna stretching towards the logo. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
#OTD in 2016, a ULA #AtlasV launched @OSIRISREx into a hyperbolic trajectory away from Earth on its journey to return an asteroid sample. The spacecraft is scheduled to contact the surface of Bennu on Oct. 20, 2020. #ExplorationEnabled
Launch highlights: https://t.co/rsBrKeqcsc pic.twitter.com/XmolpYEBRS
— ULA (@ulalaunch) September 8, 2020
International Space Station
Typhoon Haishen pic.twitter.com/TbnlJC7taw
— Chris Cassidy (@Astro_SEAL) September 6, 2020
Studying tiny particles suspended in a liquid on the station may improve everyday household products and even future Mars missions. https://t.co/9tFcInazbH
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 2, 2020
NASA Perseverance Mars Rover
The en-route Mars rover @NASAPersevere has an identical twin that will stay here on Earth, named Optimism.
Which I'm sure is a great name, but in my opinion they really missed out not naming it "Robot @CaptMarkKelly."https://t.co/AETm4KrwPu
— David Hitt (@davidhitt) September 8, 2020
Climate
NASA's Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will not only measure sea level changes, but it will also measure the temperature, pressure & humidity of Earth's atmosphere. This will help scientists improve weather forecasts and better track tropical storms. https://t.co/4Nl23Zfwhf
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 4, 2020
The human impacts on the environment are profound and pervasive. NASA scientists are exploring how COVID-19 stay-at-home measures affect the environment (air, crops, fire, pollution, traffic) and how the environment influences the spread of the virus. https://t.co/FvBQyjElHF
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 3, 2020
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Northern Ireland's Davagh Forest Park Designated as a Dark Sky Park
Davagh Forest Park has been designated as an IDSPark, making it the 1st ever IDSP in Northern Ireland. This area is culturally significant as the site of the Beaghmore Stone Circles, a complex of early Bronze Age megalithic features, stone circles & cairnshttps://t.co/xwenVDp3gy
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) September 4, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
Point of view is everything.
Galaxy NGC 2188 is a barred spiral, but only its very narrow outer edge is visible to us on Earth.
📸 @NASAHubble: https://t.co/OCRqXsH8ag pic.twitter.com/VFx0aGycp6
— NASA (@NASA) September 6, 2020
It's #ReadABookDay! 📚 Hubble’s digital library is full of free, downloadable e-books about our mission and discoveries.
Check them out: https://t.co/j70rAYxuD7 pic.twitter.com/ngor6yudTQ
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 6, 2020
Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to the Gliese 687 system, about 15 light years distant.
Gliese 687 is about 15 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 687
Gliese 687, or GJ 687 (Gliese–Jahreiß 687) is a red dwarf in the constellation Draco. This is one of the closest stars to the Sun and lies at an approximate distance of less than 15 light years. Even though it is close by, it has a magnitude of about 9, so it can only be seen through a moderately sized telescope. Gliese 687 has a high proper motion, advancing 1.304 arcseconds per year across the sky. It has a net relative velocity of about 39 km/s. It is known to have a Neptune-mass planet. Old books and articles refer to it as Argelander Oeltzen 17415.
Gliese 687 has about 40% of the Sun's mass and nearly 50% of the Sun's radius. Compared to the Sun, it has a slightly higher proportion of elements with higher atomic numbers than helium. It appears to have a rotation of 60 days and to be somewhat chromospherically active.
It displays no excess of infrared radiation that would indicate orbiting dust.
In 2014, it was discovered to have a planet, Gliese 687 b, with a minimum mass of 18.394 Earth masses (which makes it comparable to Neptune), an orbital period of 38.14 days, a low orbital eccentricity and inside the habitable zone. Another Neptune mass planet candidate was discovered in 2020, in a further out and much colder orbit. - Wikipedia
Gliese 687 System Diagram
Gliese 687 System Diagram. NOTE: Exoplanet Gliese 687 c has not been added into SpaceEngine yet. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 687 Exoplanet Orbital Diagram
Gliese 687 Orbital Diagram. NOTE: Exoplanet Gliese 687 c has not been added into SpaceEngine yet. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist's Renderings of Exoplanet Gliese 687 b
Artistic rendering of red dwarf Gliese 687 seen through the hypothetical rings of real exoplanet Gliese 687 b. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
In the Sky This Week – September 2, 2020
My wife is home recuperating from her appendectomy; she's healing well and starting to feel better - so naturally, she's overdoing it... She's been spending a lot of time in the recliner in the basement, with the parrots and I. Andromeda, our Senegal parrot has been simply loving all the time she's been spending with Connie!
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky after sunset, moving to the southwest in the late evening and early morning hours; the pair of planets set shortly after 2:00 AM.
The Moon joined Saturn and Jupiter in the southern sky at midnight Sept. 1st. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The Moon appears in the sky above the bright star Fomalhaut for a good part of the night; Fomalhaut rises in the southeast around 10:00 PM, and sets in the southwest around 5:00 AM.
The Moon appears in the south-southeastern sky with the star Fomalhaut at midnight on Sept. 2nd. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars rises in the east around 10:00 PM, and appears high in the southwestern sky at sunrise. The Moon appears in a very close conjunction with Mars in the early morning hours of Sept. 6th.
There will be a very close conjunction of the Moon and Mars in the eastern sky during the early morning hours on Sept. 6th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Here's a close-up of the Mars-Moon conjunction:
The Moon will be less than 1 degree from Mars in the eastern sky during the early morning hours on Sept. 6th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Venus and several stars make a temporary asterism spanning the eastern predawn sky on Sept. 2nd; Venus moves northward and down towards the horizon over the next few days breaking the asterism up.
Venus and several stars make a temporary asterism in the eastern predawn sky on Sept. 2nd. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
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 Sept. 3rd, rising at sunset, visible high in the sky around midnight, and visible all night long.
After Sept. 3rd, the Moon will be a waning gibbous, rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.
The Moon from 2020-09-01 - 2020-09-07. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of the Moon on Sep. 5th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
NASA's Artemis program is taking humans back to the Moon by 2024. The space agency has confirmed that the next person to set foot on lunar soil will be a woman. These are the possible astronauts. pic.twitter.com/ULYQtZX63J
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) August 28, 2020
International Observe the Moon Night - Sept. 26th
A time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon. Note that we encourage you to interpret “observe” broadly.
The Sun remains spot-free; the northern coronal hole is monstrous, with a small friend just to the south. The coronal hole at the Sun's south pole appears to have diminished.
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 1, 2020:
Several long-lasting large prominences with twists and loops! Just watch this video - WOW!
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) September 1, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for September 1, 2020 goes out to Chuck Pavlick.
Equipment details: “Proms from this morning 8-31-20. taken with the Lunt 60 and ASI 1600mm camera.”
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 510.8 km/sec (↑↑), with a density of 7.5 protons/cm3 (↓) at 1421 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
A novel, highly-reflective coating could one day help spacecraft get within about half a million miles from the Sun — even closer than #ParkerSolarProbe, which will fly about 4 million miles from our star! More about this @NASA_Technology concept: https://t.co/udnd5eP0MM pic.twitter.com/iueGhVgQ71
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 2, 2020
I am reminded of the 1980 SF novel: Sundiver by David Brin.
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 0, this year: 1741 (+24), all time: 23,586 (+25)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 994,383 (+2197) - closing in on 1 million!
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 994,383 (+2197) - closing in on 1 million!
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 QG5 |
2020-Sep-01
|
7.8 LD
|
14.2
|
27
|
| 2011 ES4 |
2020-Sep-01
|
0.3 LD
|
8.2
|
30
|
| 2020 PG6 |
2020-Sep-02
|
5.9 LD
|
6.6
|
14
|
| 465824 |
2020-Sep-06
|
19.4 LD
|
14
|
162
|
| 2020 PT4 |
2020-Sep-08
|
4.9 LD
|
12.6
|
37
|
| 2012 RM15 |
2020-Sep-12
|
14.9 LD
|
9.8
|
45
|
| 2017 US |
2020-Sep-13
|
17.3 LD
|
5.9
|
21
|
| 2020 QL2 |
2020-Sep-14
|
17.9 LD
|
10.6
|
71
|
| 2014 QJ33 |
2020-Sep-17
|
6.7 LD
|
8.7
|
65
|
| 2017 SL16 |
2020-Sep-20
|
8.9 LD
|
6.4
|
25
|
| 2001 GP2 |
2020-Oct-01
|
6.1 LD
|
2.2
|
15
|
| 2010 UC |
2020-Oct-04
|
14.6 LD
|
3.2
|
12
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
| 2017 TK6 |
2020-Oct-24
|
17.3 LD
|
12.4
|
41
|
| 2008 GM2 |
2020-Oct-25
|
17.7 LD
|
3.6
|
8
|
| 2020 QD5 |
2020-Oct-26
|
10.1 LD
|
8.6
|
79
|
| 2020 OK5 |
2020-Oct-29
|
6.4 LD
|
1.3
|
26
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
I really detest it when major news outlets use asteroids as a scare tactic to get clicks...
NEWSFLASH! Asteroids pass close to the Earth EVERY day!
See https://t.co/C5x3pBEPse close approaches.Looking at 2018 VP1's trajectory on the JPL Small Body Database Browser, it comes to just within, and well above the Moon's orbit - not what I consider "extremely close..." pic.twitter.com/a054fQpiVi
— AstroBalrog (@AstroBalrog) September 2, 2020
On September 1, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 6 fireballs.
(6 sporadics)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
Meteorite recovered after breaking through bamboo ceiling in Pernambuco, Brazil.
Vídeo: Explosão misteriosa assusta moradores do sertão pernambucano
Um morador de um dos municípios gravou um vídeo mostrando estragos no telhado da casa da irmã e mostra uma pedra grande que levou o povo a comentar que acha que são estilhaços da queda de um #meteoro. pic.twitter.com/9Gs8MSBtlX— EXOSS Meteors 🇧🇷 ☄️💫 (@exossorg) August 19, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system.
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-09-01. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-09-01. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - dwarf planet Sedna is highlighted:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-09-01 - trans-Neptunian object Sedna is highlighted, currently near its perihelion. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Extreme Zoom-out showing Sedna's Orbit:
Orbit of trans-Neptunian object Sedna; Sedna has an orbital period of 11,400 years - the second longest orbital period of any known object in the Solar System of comparable size or larger! Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
NASA's Lucy Mission to the Trojan Asteroids
Lucy has passed Key Decision Point D! We are now officially approved to move on to phase D, where we assemble, test and launch this spacecraft! 🚀https://t.co/KEpns8Gd4o
— Lucy Mission (@LucyMission) August 28, 2020
JAXA HAYABUSA2 Asteroid Sample Return Mission
It's only 100 days before we return to Earth! 🛰🌏 Hayabusa2 is now 50 million km from Earth and it takes ~5.5 mins (round trip) to communicate with the spacecraft. We will continue to modify the trajectory (TCM) to deliver the capsule safely to Woomera, Australia on December 6! pic.twitter.com/x842YUH3iK
— HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) August 28, 2020
International Space Station - Student Payload Opportunity With Citizen Science
WOW! This is SO cool! Students can design and build an experiment that will go to the ISS, stay there for 30 days, and return! I am "bouncing in my chair" excited about this! Do you think I can pass myself off as a K-12 student?
#Artemis Generation collegiate students can fly research to the @Space_Station!🛰
Join us tomorrow, 9/3 at 5pm ET for a webinar to learn about this #STEMonStation opportunity – or visit the SPOCS website!
Session 🔗: https://t.co/2dIRK4Tjh5
Website 🔗: https://t.co/vJ5rgZ93bc pic.twitter.com/R0FvfLQBKX— NASA STEM Engagement (@NASASTEM) September 2, 2020
NASA Perseverance Mars Rover
LIVE NOW 🔴
Come meet our engineer Michelle Colizzi and learn more about the capsule she worked on that keeps @NASAPersevere safe in space. https://t.co/ehcB87Ecss pic.twitter.com/C9m9vdp7dM— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 27, 2020
Climate
Earth-observing instruments on @NASA satellites and aircraft are mapping the current fires in California, providing critical data products to agencies on the ground that are responding to the emergency. https://t.co/B8pP9QwbDH pic.twitter.com/5Xf5DSAQUg
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) September 1, 2020
As Earth warms, glaciers all over the globe are melting and retreating, forming pools of water called glacial lakes. The volume of these lakes has increased by 50% since 1990, due to climate change. https://t.co/UqPja8IhKQ
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) September 1, 2020
The @NASA / @JAXA_en GPM satellite flew over #HurricaneLaura last night at 10pm CT shortly before landfall, capturing this 3D data on the structure and intensity of precipitation within the storm. Learn more: https://t.co/Od3I2HYGvX pic.twitter.com/URACrNKFlU
— NASA Precipitation 🛰️⛈️ (@NASARain) August 27, 2020
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
Utah's East Canyon State Park Designated as a Dark Sky park
Congrats to Utah's @east_state for being designated as an IDSPark. Utah now has more IDA-certified state parks than any other U.S. state! East Canyon is located about 20 miles from Salt Lake City, which means it’s readily accessible to millions of people!https://t.co/fQFtWZ5GdF
— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) August 28, 2020
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
#HubbleClassic The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy is ablaze with star formation.
New stars are born in glowing, pink clouds of gas along the edges of the galaxy's dark, spiraling dust lanes. Also called M83, the galaxy is one of the brightest in our night sky: https://t.co/YxjugEc8jr pic.twitter.com/RzisLFxoQc
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) September 1, 2020
Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood
Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to the Gliese 674 system, about 15 light years distant.
Gliese 674 is about 14 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 674
Gliese 674 (Gliese–Jahreiß 674) is a pre-main-sequence red dwarf approximately 15 light years away in the southern constellation of Ara. Gliese 674, as is typical for young red dwarfs, is strongly active, with regular ultraviolet flares. As of 2019, the strongest ultraviolet flare detected had a total energy of 5.6*1023 joules and a duration of a few hours.
On January 7, 2007, Bonfils used the HARPS spectrograph in ESO and found an intermediate mass planet orbiting close to the red dwarf star in an unusually eccentric orbit.- Wikipedia
Gliese 674 System Diagram
Gliese 674 System Diagram. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Gliese 674 Exoplanet Orbital Diagram
Gliese 674 Orbital Diagram. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artist's Renderings of the Gliese 674 system
Artistic rendering of red dwarf Gliese 674 seen form behind exoplanet Gliese 674 b. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Artistic rendering of red dwarf Gliese 674 with exoplanet Gliese 674 b seen in the distance on the left. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today
2021 Vatican Observatory Calendars
The Vatican Observatory calendars have been a tradition since the year 2000! Each month, the calendar features a beautiful photograph of the heavens by some of the leading astrophotographers from around the world. The 2021 calendar features the works of:
- Mark Hanson, Stellar Winds Observatory, USA
- Damian Peach, UK
- Bernard Miller, USA
- R. Jay GaBany, USA
- Robert Gendler, USA
- Josef Pöpsel, Stefan Binnewies, Capella Observatory, Germany
- Johannes Schedler (chart32.de), Panther Observatory, Chile/Austria
- Bernhard Hubl, Austria
- Dario Giannobile, Italy
- Anthony Ayiomamitis, Greece
- J-P Metsavainio, Finland
- Tony Hallas, USA
- Adam Block, Steward Observatory - University of Arizona, USA
Here's a taste of the beautiful images of the heavens in the Vatican Observatory 2021 calendar:
For 21 years, the Vatican Observatory Guild has helped to support and promote our work through the distribution of the Official Calendar of the Vatican Observatory. Each contribution of $25 or more entitles a Guild Member to receive or give a copy of the 2021 Calendar.
In the Sky This Week – August 25, 2020
Get Well Connie!
As I was working on images for this post yesterday, I had to rush my wife Connie to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy; hospital rules would not allow me to see her after she was admitted, and it was several hours before she was able to get into the operating room... Her appendix was removed and had not ruptured - which is what we were hoping for. As I'm writing this, she is eating for the first time in 24 hours, and it looks like they are starting on release paperwork.
I love my wife dearly, but if she had a mutant super-power, it would be the ability to have calamitous things happen to her, or around her, frequently! Honestly, I've joked about this oddity for decades! Every time she gets hurt, I hum the first few bars of the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" theme! That theme song is Connie's ringtone on my smartphone - I even made an older version of this banner for her - decades ago!
What do I mean? Well... random injuries galore, a mysteriously snapped tendon walking down stairs, that thing that looked like a heart attack, but after scoping and a stress test turned out to be - who knows what? And the engine fire that consumed her D.C. tour bus filled with her middle school students - which she heroically got all off without injury... depositing them on to the side of a hill... during a thunderstorm! Seriously! <Indiana Jones Theme!>
Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southern sky around midnight - I wanted the contrast what this scene would look like from suburban skies, verses a dark sky site.
The Moon appears with Saturn and Jupiter the southern sky after sunset for the next several days.
Saturn and Jupiter appear the southern sky with the Moon at 9:30 PM on Aug. 25th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- The Moon appears near Jupiter the southern sky at 9:30 PM on Aug. 28th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
-
- The Moon appears near Saturn in the southern sky at 9:30 PM on Aug. 29th. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Mars appears in the eastern sky during the early morning hours this week.
Uranus and Mars appear in the eastern sky at midnight this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
Before dawn, Mars will appear high in the southern sky.
Mars appears high in the southern sky at 5:00 AM this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.
The planet Venus appears on the eastern horizon with the constellation Orion during the predawn hours.
The Andromeda galaxy (M31) appears almost directly overhead at 4:30 AM this week.
The first quarter Moon occurs on Aug. 25th - it is visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
After the 25th, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.
The Moon from 2020-08-24 - 2020-08-31. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA's Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page - it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features - helpful for logging your observations!
Annotated close-up of the Moon on Aug. 28th. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Moon News
International Artist's Day may be 2 months away, but you can celebrate early by submitting your lunar-inspired artwork to the official International #ObserveTheMoon Night Flickr page https://t.co/JJOx0SICyU through September 26. 🎨 Art by Muskan Choradia pic.twitter.com/T0GTodgcRg
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) August 25, 2020
More on International Observe the Moon Night - Sept. 26th
The Sun continues to be is spot-free; the coronal hole at the Sun's north pole appears to have widened, with a string of coronal holes appearing in the northern mid latitudes. The coronal hole at the south pole remains open, and appears lop-sided in the video below
The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) August 24, 2020:
Several prominences and a lot of coronal activity on the Sun's limb recently; see if you can spot the eclipse in a couple frames in the video below.
The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) August 24, 2020:
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
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.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.
Solar Activity on Facebook - Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak
Solar Corona
Solar wind speed is 350.2 km/sec (↑), with a density of 13.8 protons/cm3 (↓) at 1430 UT.
Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun's limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO
Sun News
Our ACE mission launched 23 years ago today! 🚀 The ACE spacecraft orbits between the Sun and Earth, about a million miles from our planet, where it monitors and studies solar wind and particles streaming toward us from the Sun. https://t.co/I4wYgA5JP1 pic.twitter.com/8AafYnTjpJ
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) August 25, 2020
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 221 (+113), this year: 1717 (+114), all time: 23,561 (+110)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 992,191 (+751) - closing in on 1 million!
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037 (last updated June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 992,191 (+751) - closing in on 1 million!
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2020 QE2 |
2020-Aug-25
|
20 LD
|
12.6
|
35
|
| 2020 QP1 |
2020-Aug-25
|
19.6 LD
|
8.7
|
20
|
| 2016 AH164 |
2020-Aug-26
|
15.7 LD
|
5.6
|
4
|
| 2020 PF3 |
2020-Aug-26
|
6.4 LD
|
9.6
|
26
|
| 2020 QQ2 |
2020-Aug-27
|
8.6 LD
|
6.2
|
16
|
| 2011 ES4 |
2020-Sep-01
|
0.3 LD
|
8.2
|
30
|
| 2020 PG6 |
2020-Sep-02
|
5.9 LD
|
6.6
|
14
|
| 465824 |
2020-Sep-06
|
19.4 LD
|
14
|
162
|
| 2020 PT4 |
2020-Sep-08
|
4.9 LD
|
12.6
|
39
|
| 2012 RM15 |
2020-Sep-12
|
14.9 LD
|
9.8
|
45
|
| 2017 US |
2020-Sep-13
|
17.3 LD
|
5.9
|
21
|
| 2020 QL2 |
2020-Sep-14
|
17.9 LD
|
10.6
|
72
|
| 2014 QJ33 |
2020-Sep-18
|
11.5 LD
|
8.3
|
65
|
| 2017 SL16 |
2020-Sep-20
|
8.9 LD
|
6.4
|
25
|
| 2001 GP2 |
2020-Oct-01
|
6.1 LD
|
2.2
|
15
|
| 2010 UC |
2020-Oct-04
|
14.6 LD
|
3.2
|
12
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2020-Oct-07
|
11.9 LD
|
7.6
|
16
|
| 2018 GD2 |
2020-Oct-13
|
16.4 LD
|
6.7
|
5
|
| 2017 UH5 |
2020-Oct-20
|
8.9 LD
|
5.9
|
18
|
| 2018 VG |
2020-Oct-21
|
15.1 LD
|
6.7
|
12
|
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com
Asteroid News:
New Minor Planet Center Circular: lots of observations, but no newly named asteroids: https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2020/MPC_20200807.pdf
On August 24, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 27 fireballs.
(26 sporadics, 1 Southern Delta Aquariid)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). Credit: SpaceWeather.com
Fireball News:
Exciting news! A new paper led by @haaadry just came out that outlines how we're setting up a Global #Fireball Observatory to find out where #Space #Rocks come from & the fun things we hope to discover. You can read all about it: https://t.co/ScScbERk33 @UofGGES @ImperialRSM
— UK Fireball Network (@FireballsUK) August 7, 2020
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system.
Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-08-25. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and the Parker Solar Probe on 2020-08-25. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets in the middle solar system:
Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-08-25. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system - dwarf planet Haumea is highlighted:
Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-08-25 (oblique-view). Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.
Highlight: Haumea
Artist impression of dwarf planet Haumea (1,920 × 1,540 × 990 km) seen from above - with rings (ring radius ~2,287 km, width ~70 km) . Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley
Haumea (minor-planet designation 136108 Haumea) is a likely dwarf planet located beyond Neptune's orbit. It was discovered in 2004 by a team headed by Mike Brown of Caltech at the Palomar Observatory in the United States and independently in 2005 by a team headed by José Luis Ortiz Moreno at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain, though the latter claim has been contested. On September 17, 2008, it was named after Haumea, the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, under the expectation by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) that it would prove to be a dwarf planet. It is probably the third-largest known trans-Neptunian object, after Eris and Pluto.
Haumea's mass is about one-third that of Pluto, and 1/1400 that of Earth. Although its shape has not been directly observed, calculations from its light curve are consistent with it being a Jacobi ellipsoid (the shape it would be if it's a dwarf planet), with its major axis twice as long as its minor. In October 2017, astronomers announced the discovery of a ring system around Haumea, representing the first ring system discovered for a trans-Neptunian object. Haumea's gravity was until recently thought to be sufficient for it to have relaxed into hydrostatic equilibrium, though that is now unclear. Haumea's elongated shape together with its rapid rotation, rings, and high albedo (from a surface of crystalline water ice), are thought to be the consequences of a giant collision, which left Haumea the largest member of a collisional family that includes several large trans-Neptunian objects and Haumea's two known moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka. - Wikipedia
There is an lot more about Haumea in this Wikipedia article.
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- Artist impression looking at Haumea from above its moon Namaka (dia. ~170 km). Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley
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- Artist impression looking at Haumea from above its moon Hi’iaka (dia. ~310km). Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley
Artist impression from the surface of Haumea looking towards the Sun - the rings are faintly visible. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley
Read more about Haumea on NASA's Solar System Exploration site: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/haumea/in-depth/
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
Asteroid Bennu may be a rocky world, but samples of it could help scientists better understand how #OceanWorlds have formed within our Solar System.
Explore these watery worlds 💧 https://t.co/QgK0RcttCs
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) August 24, 2020
International Space Station
The Exp 63 crew will spend another day inside the station's Russian segment as mission controllers continue leak detection work to collect more data. More... https://t.co/OLyC4sgtFq pic.twitter.com/uOWYsaLet8
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 24, 2020
Tropical Storm Laura was viewed from external station cameras prior to making landfall on Cuba on Sunday, Aug. 23. pic.twitter.com/s1NW06BjXF
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 24, 2020
NASA Perseverance Mars Rover
Follow me on my journey to Mars with @NASA_Eyes. The web app provides you with the precise location of my whereabouts in real-time, using real data. I’m learning space is a big place and I’m delighted to have you see how my team and I navigate it. https://t.co/EWJsfNdPxk pic.twitter.com/DGZVsupkix
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) August 22, 2020
Climate
Sea levels are rising faster than at any time in the 20th century, a direct result of global warming. In a new study, @NASA scientists have more accurately measured sea level rise since 1900, with rates since 2000 being unprecedented. https://t.co/y4K8PLQHtS
— NASA Climate (@NASAClimate) August 21, 2020
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.
Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.
NASA's Black Marble - Explore Global Light Pollution
The US at Night from 2016. Credit: NASA's Black Marble.
Hubble: Beautiful Universe
ESA/Hubble #Flashback: The globular cluster NGC 1783 is one of the biggest globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Credit: @ESA / @Hubble_Space / @NASA
Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt (https://t.co/LGmblRY3iE) https://t.co/Mdj9mnDUXZ pic.twitter.com/E56N3ZBpI4— HUBBLE (@HUBBLE_space) August 24, 2020
Kerbal Space Program Milestone
I'm taking a break this week from my tour of nearby stars, and wanted to talk about something I've mentioned a bazillion times: Kerbal Space Program. Yesterday, I reached 4000 hours in Kerbal Space Program on Steam! My time in KSP is actually much greater than 4K - I helped beta test KerbalEDU, and I ran KSP offline several times while on various trips.
Screen shot of Kerbal Space Program from Bob Trembley's Steam library.
I wrote about KSP on this site in 2015, heaping praise on the app, and exclaiming how fantastically educational it can be. Time has not diminished my love for Kerbal Space Program! The developers of KSP recently partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA); KSP now has new parts and missions mirroring the Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, and the current joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury!
Screenshot of comet 67P from Kerbal Space Program's Rosetta mission. Credit: Kerbal Space Program / Bob Trembley.
Stay safe, be well, and look up!
Apps used for this post:
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator - free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It's a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.
NOTE: Stellarium version 0.20.2 has been released! Get it free here: http://stellarium.org/en/
Section header image credits:
The Sky - Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target - Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon - NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs - Credited to YouTube
Comets - Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News - NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets - Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution - NASA's Black Marble
The Universe - Universe Today