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Tag Archives: New Horizons

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Hazy Pluto

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 25, 2015 by Bob TrembleyJuly 25, 2015

Flowing ice and a surprising extended haze are among the newest discoveries from NASA’s New Horizons mission, which reveal distant Pluto to be an icy world of wonders. “We knew that a mission to Pluto would bring some surprises, and now — 10 days after closest approach — we can say that our expectation has been more than surpassed,” said John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. “With flowing ices, exotic surface chemistry, mountain ranges, and vast haze, Pluto is showing a diversity of planetary geology that is truly thrilling.” Just seven hours after closest approach, New Horizons aimed its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) back at Pluto, capturing sunlight streaming through the atmosphere and revealing hazes as high as 80 miles (130 kilometers) above Pluto’s surface. A preliminary analysis of the image shows two distinct layers of haze — one about 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the surface and the other at an altitude of about … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space Exploration | Tagged Atmosphere, Flyby, New Horizons, Pluto | Leave a reply

New Horizons Encounter With Pluto

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 13, 2015 by Bob TrembleyJuly 13, 2015

As the New Horizons probe passes by dwarf planet Pluto and its satellites on July 14th, it will use a host of instruments to collect data. The following is the sequence of events for the flyby: On approach, LORRI takes critical optical navigation images to confirm the spacecraft is on the right course for the flyby.  The team can use these data to adjust timing of the observation sequence as late as July 12. Final radio transmission prior to closest approach is received at ~11:15pm EDT on July 13. During the flyby on July 14, LORRI will take high-resolution B/W images, Ralph / MVIC will make color maps, and Ralph / LEISA will image the system in the infrared, all of which will help determine the geology and composition of the surface. Closest approach to Pluto is at 7:49:57 a.m. EDT on July 14. Approximately one hour after closest approach, at 8:51am EDT on July 14, the spacecraft will turn around and, with Pluto between it and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space Exploration | Tagged Encounter, Flyby, New Horizons, Pluto | Leave a reply

New Horizons Pluto Mission Recovered from Anomaly

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 7, 2015 by Bob TrembleyJuly 7, 2015

NASA’s New Horizon’s mission, scheduled to flyby dwarf planet Pluto and its moons on July 14th, suffered an anomaly on July 4th, causing a temporary loss of communications with the spacecraft. No images were scheduled to be taken during the down-time, and science data collection was only minimally affected. From a John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Press Release: The recovery from a July 4 anomaly that sent the New Horizons spacecraft into safe mode is proceeding according to plan, with the mission team preparing to return to normal science operations on time on July 7. Mission managers reported during a July 6 media teleconference that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft resumed operations on its main computer overnight. The sequence of commands for the Pluto flyby have now been uplinked to the spacecraft, and full, as-planned science observations of Pluto, its moons and the solar winds will resume at 12:34 p.m. EDT July 7. The quick response to the weekend computer glitch … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space Exploration | Tagged Anomaly, New Horizons, Pluto | Leave a reply

New Horizons Returns First Color Image of Pluto and Charon

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on April 14, 2015 by Bob TrembleyApril 14, 2015

This image of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, was taken on April 9th by the Ralph color imager aboard NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, and downloaded to Earth the following day. The image was taken from a distance of about 115 million kilometers (71 million miles) – about the distance from the Sun to Venus. This is the first color image ever taken of the Pluto-charon system by a robotic spacecraft on approach. The image is a preliminary reconstruction, to be further processed later by the New Horizons science team. Although blurry at this distance, distinct differences can be seen between the two bodies. The resolution will continue to improve as New Horizons approaches Pluto for its flyby on July 14, 2015. The data rate from New Horizons will be very low at its great distance – it will take months for all the data to be completely downloaded. Source: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu

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Posted in Science, Space Exploration | Tagged New Horizons, Pluto | Leave a reply

In Praise of Flyby Missions, Part One

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on April 14, 2015 by Bill HigginsApril 12, 2015

I was chatting with a friend in an online forum when the subject of Pluto came up. He is quite knowledgeable about spaceflight, but has not followed the New Horizons mission closely. My friend expressed disappointment at learning that New Horizons was a flyby, not an orbiter, and would only spend a few hours in close proximity to Pluto and its moons. I suppose that he may have in mind all the spacecraft which, in the last decade or so, have been orbiting other planets. There’s Cassini circling Saturn, Messenger circling Mercury, and whole fleets of Venus and Mars orbiters, to say nothing of the multiple rovers on the surface of Mars. We’ve also seen probes orbiting several asteroids and the Moon. Perhaps he’s accustomed to the luxury of images and other scientific results streaming constantly Earthward. At irregular intervals, scientists hold a press conference and show us another planetary wonder or two. Pluto’s different. It’s never been visited, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged New Horizons, planetary science, Pluto, Spacecraft | Leave a reply

New Horizons Spacecraft Wakes Up for Pluto Encounter

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 7, 2014 by Bob TrembleyMarch 21, 2015

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has come out of hibernation for the last time on 6 Dec. 2014. Between now and then, while the Pluto-bound probe enjoys three more weeks of electronic slumber, work on Earth is well under way to prepare the spacecraft for a six-month encounter with the dwarf planet that begins in January. “New Horizons is healthy and cruising quietly through deep space – nearly three billion miles from home – but its rest is nearly over,” says Alice Bowman, New Horizons mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. “It’s time for New Horizons to wake up, get to work, and start making history.” Since launching in January 2006, New Horizons has spent 1,873 days in hibernation – about two-thirds of its flight time – spread over 18 separate hibernation periods from mid-2007 to late 2014 that ranged from 36 days to 202 days long. In hibernation mode much of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planet, Space Exploration | Tagged New Horizons, Pluto | Leave a reply

New Worlds in 2015: Missions to Ceres and Pluto

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on November 30, 2014 by Bill HigginsMarch 21, 2015

Among the spacecraft now exploring the solar system are two that, if all goes well, will give us our first close-range views of distant worlds. Having orbited Vesta for over a year, then departed, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is presently cruising through the asteroid belt for a rendezvous with the largest asteroid, Ceres. In April, Dawn’s ion-propulsion thrusters will ease it into orbit, beginning a prolonged campaign to study Ceres. The low density of the 950-km-diameter asteroid suggests that it may contain frozen water in abundance. It may be a specimen, or at least a relative, of the kind of protoplanets that merged long ago to form the major planets. As for Vesta, previous explanations of its nature do not match the wealth of new data on its geochemical composition. Following Dawn’s extended visit, studies of Vesta and similar bodies are entering a new era. Meanwhile, the New Horizons spacecraft is nearing its own target, Pluto. Launched by the U.S. in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planet, Science, Space Exploration | Tagged Ceres, Dawn, New Horizons, Pluto, Vesta | 1 Reply

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Specola Guestbook | September 16, 1934: Pope Pius XI

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 21, 2021 by Robert MackeFebruary 21, 2021
This entry is part 82 of 82 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, Nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is not technically from the guest book.  It is from a separate parchment reserved … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Castel Gandolfo, Pius XI, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Specola Guestbook, Vatican Observatory | Leave a reply

The Sun Rules!

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 20, 2021 by Christopher M. GraneyFebruary 2, 2021

If they [the stars] are suns having the same nature as our sun, why do not these suns collectively outdistance our sun in brilliance? Why do they all together transmit so dim a light…? When sunlight bursts into a sealed room through a hole made with a tiny pin point, … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History | 1 Reply

Rheita trench

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 19, 2021 by Richard HillFebruary 24, 2021
This entry is part 41 of 41 in the series Lunarcy

The area on either side of the crater Metius (90km diameter) seen near center in this image, is complex and fascinating. To the right is the obvious Vallis Rheita, formed when ejecta from the Mare Nectaris impact created a line of over a dozen craters. The crater Rheita (71km) itself … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Moon, Uncategorized | Tagged Craters, Janssen, Metius, Vallis Rheita | Leave a reply

Mars Inspiration

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 19, 2021 by Deirdre KelleghanFebruary 24, 2021

Perseverance This week Perseverance landed on Mars. What an achievement for both NASA and the world of exploration. It brought back memories of my visit to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center in 2011. My visit then was to see the launch of Curiosity to Mars. An event that blew … Continue reading…

Posted in Outreach, Space Exploration | Tagged Curiosity, Mars, Mars 2020, Painting, Perseverance | Leave a reply

Skyward by David Levy: February 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 19, 2021 by David LevyFebruary 19, 2021
This entry is part 28 of 28 in the series Skyward by David Levy

Orion in Winter As twilight deepens these evenings, Orion is just clearing the eastern horizon. Robert Frost wrote eloquently in his famous poem “The Star Splitter” “You know Orion always comes up sideways, Throwing a leg up over our fence of mountains.” Whenever I see Orion rising, which is almost … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Betelgeuse, David Levy, Orion, Robert Frost | 1 Reply

ⓜ The Grateful Astronomer, Part 2

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 18, 2021 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoFebruary 24, 2021
This entry is part 59 of 60 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… in 2013 I was invited to give a talk at the Jesuit parish in central London, and then the British online site Thinking Faith invited me to adapt it for one of their postings. They wanted a shorter version to fit their format; here is the … Continue reading…

Posted in And Then I Wrote, Religion | Tagged Cosmology, faith and science, Hawking, Leibnitz | Leave a reply
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Recent Comments

  • Fr. Bruce Wilkinson February 23, 2021 at 4:05 pm on In the Sky This Week – February 23, 2021I completely agree with you that putting cameras on EVERY space mission - without question and without fail. The ability to see the accomplishments of the various robotic missions have inspired future generations to want to become part of the space exploration crowd
  • Ed Yepez February 20, 2021 at 7:51 am on The Sun Rules!Excellent! Thank you very much for presenting this in such an understandable form. Also let me appreciate the math.(a lot of which I had forgotten) With Kepler, how you can make the correct observations, yet still come to an erroneous conclusion? But the observations remain correct, even useful for further...
  • Bob Trembley February 19, 2021 at 5:16 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021I joined a NASA Night Sky Network Zoom Watch Party - it was pretty cool! When I joined, an engineer was talking about his work on the helicopter - those wings are HUGE! I watched the the landing with my in-laws; it was cool to see the same image up...
  • Richard Hill February 19, 2021 at 12:54 am on Skyward by David Levy: February 2021Very nice meteor photo! Reminds me of one Geminid I saw as I was walking to night lunch on Kitt Peak. It passed right through Orion. Burned a memory in my brain.
  • Benjamin Goodison February 18, 2021 at 5:26 pm on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021... and three days later, Perseverance finally touched down successfully and is snapping its first images!I'm sure there were more than a few spontaneous prayers in the NASA control room in those last few minutes... there certainly were at my end :) Really looking forward to the wealth of new...
  • Bob Trembley February 16, 2021 at 8:31 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021Oh my goodness! Thank you SO MUCH for the kind replies!
  • Joseph O'Donnell February 16, 2021 at 8:00 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021Thank you for this. Always so helpful and enlightening.
  • Stan Sienkiewicz February 16, 2021 at 7:47 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021Bob, another great post. Wonderful way to start the day. Thanks for putting in the time to create these posts. Educational, beautiful, and awe inspiring. I really appreciate seeing these each week. Thank you, Stan
  • Fr. James Kurzynski February 12, 2021 at 10:40 pm on Space Exploration As An Act Of Interfaith Dialogue.Thanks Joel! I greatly appreciate your insight and encouragement!
  • Fr. James Kurzynski February 10, 2021 at 10:46 am on Polar Vortex, Snowy Owls, Puffins, and Answering the Question: Fr. James, If Global Warming Is Real, Why Am I So Cold?Thanks for you response! My apologies if it came across that Wisconsin was the southernmost Snowy Owls travel. That was not my intent. In my prep, I saw articles of sightings as south as Texas. The point being that some birds go south, others don't, and its a bit of...
  • Jim Cook February 10, 2021 at 8:05 am on Polar Vortex, Snowy Owls, Puffins, and Answering the Question: Fr. James, If Global Warming Is Real, Why Am I So Cold?Wisconsin is actually NOT very far south to find Snowy Owls in winter, as you can see from its eBird range map: https://ebird.org/science/status-and-trends/snoowl1/range-map I've subscribed to eBird's Snowy Owl reports list for almost 10 years now and while some years have seen more reports of sightings than others, they typically...
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé February 8, 2021 at 8:38 am on A telescope made by an Angel…Br. Guy: This would make a great beginning to your opening address to the Solar Eclipse Retreat in 2024 for Bishops/Priests. I am going to save this. Fr. Timothy Sauppé
  • Richard Saam February 7, 2021 at 10:20 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceI want to make an additional point on hexagons: In the realm of crystallography as described in solid state physics, there is an equivalence between real(energy) and reciprocal(momentum) hexagonal space. This was mathematically presented in Charles Kittel's (recently deceased) text "Introduction to Solid State Physics". And then something to ponder:...
  • Joel Hopko February 1, 2021 at 11:23 am on Space Exploration As An Act Of Interfaith Dialogue.Fr. Kurzynski -- I too was very moved by the Emirates and the other national efforts (Japanese, Indian etc.) Like you I found in them an expression of the human spirit and even the religious wellsprings that can inspire us toward a shared destiny beyond our fear and confusion. Thanks...
  • Richard Saam February 1, 2021 at 10:33 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceAdding to Fernando's comments 'hexagons are pretty much everywhere in the universe': It can be argued that universal space time can be expressed as oscillating virtual hexagonal (~50 cm, ~8 hr) lattice units conforming to the conservation of energy and momentum and the universe vacuum energy density. There is some...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 27, 2021 at 9:05 am on Faith, Science and Astronomy TextbooksGood! Glad to hear it. As for myself I still think they need more on Kepler, at least if they are going to throw in bits of history with any religion content. It would help with those many students who are afraid that science is all about being non-theistic.
  • Joel Hopko January 24, 2021 at 12:24 pm on Faith, Science and Astronomy TextbooksProfessor Graney -- Call me easily placated, but I was actually somewhat relieved that most of the texts reviewed at least attempted to provide some nuance to the Galileo narrative. Certainly an improvement over the "martyr for science" trope so frequently dispensed over popular media. Obviously much work remains, but...
  • Fr. James Kurzynski January 20, 2021 at 6:48 am on Space Missions In 2021: What Are You Most Excited To See In This New Year?Thanks Janine! I love your reflection on the Al Amal mission! I was so impressed with the video they produced and, yes, I can't wait to see the United Arab Emirates contribution to science! It's something that isn't mentioned much, but should be mentioned more: True science, by its very...
  • Janine Samz January 19, 2021 at 9:37 am on Space Missions In 2021: What Are You Most Excited To See In This New Year?Thank you, Father. Let's see. I am drawn to three! The Emirates one is interesting because of the extent of what they are looking for and from history I know the Arab culture used to be a leader in science. It would be interesting to see them at work again...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 19, 2021 at 8:59 am on “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing SeasonMy experience with students and the general public is that a reasonable number of people will be amazed by the real universe. For example, people who saw the conjunction on the 21st were generally amazed. But certainly Cosmos seems to think that stuff has to be over the top.

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