Tag Archives: Parker Solar Probe

In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021

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This entry is part 183 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover lands on Thursday Feb. 18th, and NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events as the rover nears entry, descent, and landing. Touchdown on Mars is scheduled for approximately 3:55 p.m. EST Thursday! This will be the second landing on Mars using the sky crane maneuver to lower the heavy rover down to the surface. The waxing crescent Moon appears high in the west-southwestern sky after sunset on Feb. 16th. The Moon appears near Mars high in the southern sky after sunset on Feb. 18th, then by the star Aldebaran on Feb. 19th and 20th. Mercury and Saturn appear low above the east-southeastern horizon before dawn this week; by early next week those two planets will be a bit higher above the horizon, and Jupiter will join them. In a previous post, I wondered if a space telescope observing the Sun would catch a glimpse of these planets… sure did! … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – August 13, 2019

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This entry is part 110 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

The past couple days have certainly been a “voyage of discovery” for me. It started when I saw this tweet showing a massive release of energy from the Milky Way’s central black hole: Sagittarius A*. For those who are interested in the details of our observations of Sgr A* this year (including this one), see our recently accepted paper in Astrophysical Journal Letters. Read the pre-print of the paper here: https://t.co/cqqinNSKxK — Tuan Do (@quantumpenguin) August 12, 2019 The outburst took place over the short span of two and a half hours! WOW and then some! I stopped everything I was doing and went upstairs to show my wife, who also said WOW! I showed the tweet to some members of the Warren Astronomical Society at last Sunday’s Perseid Party at Stargate Observatory – they said WOW too… and then they cajoled me into presenting something about it at the W.A.S. meeting Thursday night – so go me! Dr. Do … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – June 4, 2019

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This entry is part 100 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

Mars continues to dim in the west-northwestern sky after sunset, and Mercury appears low near the horizon all week. A thin crescent Moon appears near Mars on June 5th, and moves towards the south each day. The Moon appears by the star Regulus on June 7th and 8th. Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares have been slowly crawling across the southern sky for several weeks; Antares sets a bit earlier each morning. Venus appears very low on the horizon just before sunrise all week. Earthshine Earthshine is visible earthlight reflected from the Moon’s night side. It is also known as the Moon’s ashen glow or as “the new Moon with the old Moon in her arm.” Earthshine is most readily visible from a few nights before until a few nights after a new moon, during the (waxing or waning) crescent phase. – Wikipedia The next few days will be the ideal time to try and catch a glimpse of Earthshine!   The Moon is a … Continue reading →

What Scientists Found After Sifting Through Dust in the Solar System

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Just as dust gathers in corners and along bookshelves in our homes, dust piles up in space too. But when the dust settles in the solar system, it’s often in rings. Several dust rings circle the Sun. The rings trace the orbits of planets, whose gravity tugs dust into place around the Sun, as it drifts by on its way to the center of the solar system. The dust consists of crushed-up remains from the formation of the solar system, some 4.6 billion years ago — rubble from asteroid collisions or crumbs from blazing comets. Dust is dispersed throughout the entire solar system, but it collects at grainy rings overlying the orbits of Earth and Venus, rings that can be seen with telescopes on Earth. By studying this dust — what it’s made of, where it comes from, and how it moves through space — scientists seek clues to understanding the birth of planets and the composition of all that … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – January 29, 2019

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This entry is part 81 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

When I was in Tucson recently, I marveled at the lack of orange sky glow over the city – the night sky was beautiful, and you could see many more stars from within the Tucson city limits, than I can see living 24 miles north of Detroit. See my previous post about Light Pollution. Venus continues to move away from Jupiter in the southeastern predawn sky; a waning crescent Moon joins Venus and Jupiter on the mornings of Jan. 29-31. Several familiar constellations and bright stars appear in the east-southeastern sky after sunset. Mars appears high in the southwestern sky after sunset all week. Mars is a little getting higher, and drifting a little westward with each day. I haven’t touched on the sky seen from the southern hemisphere in a while, so here’s the southeastern sky at 11:00 PM as seen from Río Gallegos – far to the south in South America. Crux – the “Southern Cross” is visible, as is Rigel Kentaurus, … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – October 30, 2018

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This entry is part 68 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

The Moon will appear low in the eastern sky between the constellations Gemini and Orion during the early morning hours on Oct. 30th. That same Moon will appear high in the sky as dawn’s light begins to show. There will be a conjunction of the crescent Moon and the star Regulus low in the eastern sky, early in the morning hours on Nov. 2nd. A very thin crescent Moon will appear with the star Arcturus in the eastern predawn sky on Nov. 5th. Mars and Saturn continue to put on a show in the southern sky after sunset. Observing Target: The Dance of the Planets Over the next week, the positions of Jupiter and Mercury change drastically in southwestern sky at dusk! Mercury stays low but gets brighter – Jupiter makes a quick dive towards the horizon, and will soon to be hidden by the glare of the Sun. Comets Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the news: You can find Comet 46P/Wirtanen in … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – October 2, 2018

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This entry is part 64 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

The Moon joins the constellations Gemini and Orion high south in the predawn sky. Mars and Saturn continue to be excellent observing targets in the southern sky after sunset. You might be able to catch a glimpse of Venus this week if you have a clear southwestern horizon; Venus is VERY low in the sky at sunset. Observing Target: M45 – The Pleiades The Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters) is an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus. The cluster contains several hot, B-type stars, and is among the nearest star clusters to Earth. The Pleiades easily visible to the naked eye – binoculars work great for viewing the Pleiades; if you want to use a telescope, you’ll need to use a longer focal-length (lower magnification) eyepiece. Time-exposures of the Pleiades reveal a blue nebulosity surrounding the stars; once thought to be left over from the formation of the cluster, it is now thought to be … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – September 18, 2018

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This entry is part 62 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

Canis Major, with the bright star Sirius, is now fully above the horizon in the southeastern predawn sky. The Moon joins Mars and Saturn in the southwestern sky after dusk for several days this week. Venus is very low on the Southwestern sky, and is only visible for about 1/2 hour at dusk before being obscured by trees or buildings on the horizon. Jupiter sets shortly before 10:00 PM The Moon The Moon is a waxing gibbous just after first quarter; visible in the southern sky after dusk, the Moon is an excellent observing target for the next several days. The Moon will be full on September 24th. Observing Target: The Lunar Terminator The lunar terminator – NOT a rampaging cyborg from a dystopian future… but rather the division between the illuminated and dark hemispheres of the Moon. Observing the terminator on the Moon around the time of first or third quarters can be fascinating! Over the course of several hours, you can … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – August 28, 2018

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This entry is part 59 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

Sirius “the Dog Star” appears in the southeastern predawn sky below the constellation Orion. If you look closely you may catch a glimpse of Mercury low in the east shortly before sunrise. The splash of planets across the southern sky is free of the glare of the Moon – assuming your skies aren’t obscured by smoke, or the ever-present cloud cover Michigan frequently offers, they should make for excellent observing all week. In the southwestern sky at dusk, Jupiter continues to move slowly westward toward Venus, as Venus moves slowly southward. Venus continues to appear lower in the sky each evening. The Moon The Moon is a waning gibbous heading towards third-quarter on September 3rd. Next week the Moon will be a waning crescent. Observing Target: The Double Cluster NGC 869 and NGC 884 are open clusters located about 7600 light years away in the constellation of Perseus. The clusters most likely formed around 12.5 – 13 million years ago. “The clusters are both located in the Perseus … Continue reading →