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Tag Archives: Parker Solar Probe

In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 16, 2021 by Bob TrembleyFebruary 16, 2021
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach, Space Exploration | Tagged Jupiter, M1-63, Mars, Mars Perseverance Rover, Mercury, Moon, Parker Solar Probe, Saturn, Sun, TOI 451 | 5 Replies

In the Sky This Week – August 13, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on August 13, 2019 by Bob TrembleyAugust 13, 2019
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Jupiter, Mercury, Moon, OSIRIS REx, Parker Solar Probe, Sagittarius A*, Saturn, Sgr A*, Sun | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – June 4, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on June 4, 2019 by Bob TrembleyJune 4, 2019
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Earthshine, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Moon, NGTS-4, Opposition, Parker Solar Probe, Saturn, Sun, Venus | Leave a reply

What Scientists Found After Sifting Through Dust in the Solar System

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 13, 2019 by Bob TrembleyMarch 13, 2019

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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Science | Tagged Dust, Dust Rings, Mercury, Parker Solar Probe, STEREO, Venus | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – January 29, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 29, 2019 by Bob TrembleyJanuary 29, 2019
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Asteroids, clust, Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma, Globular clusters, Google Earth VR, Landsat 7, Moon, Omega Centauri, OSIRIS REx, Parker Solar Probe, Sketchfab, Sun | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – October 30, 2018

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on October 30, 2018 by Bob TrembleyOctober 30, 2018
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Comet 46P/Wirtanen, Coronal Hole, Hubble Space Telescope, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Parker Solar Probe, Saturn, Sun | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – October 2, 2018

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on October 2, 2018 by Bob TrembleyOctober 2, 2018
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Jupiter, M45, Mars, Moon, Parker Solar Probe, Pleiades, Saturn, Sun, Venus, World Space Week | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – September 18, 2018

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on September 18, 2018 by Bob TrembleySeptember 18, 2018
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Jupiter, Mars InSight, Moon, OSIRIS REx, Parker Solar Probe, Pluto, Saturn, Sun, Terminator, Venus | 3 Replies

In the Sky This Week – August 28, 2018

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on August 28, 2018 by Bob TrembleyAugust 28, 2018
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 →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Double Cluster, Jupiter, Mars, Mars InSight, Moon, OSIRIS REx, Parker Solar Probe, Saturn, Sun | Leave a reply
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Specola Guestbook | December 26, 1934: Giuseppe Bugatto

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 7, 2021 by Robert MackeFebruary 1, 2021
This entry is part 84 of 84 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 from December 26, 1934, when Giuseppe Bugatto made a visit. Next to his … Continue reading…

Posted in History | Tagged Bugatto, L'Osservatore Romano, Specola Guestbook, Vatican Observatory | Leave a reply

Misinformative Books from Surprising Places

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 6, 2021 by Christopher M. GraneyFebruary 22, 2021

Misinformation.  It is a big topic these days, and a big problem.  And when the topic is astronomy and the Copernican Revolution, misinformation abounds, even in the relatively durable, more controlled medium of books.  “Caveat lector!” applies to this topic—“Let the reader beware!” Two recently-published books are especially disappointing in … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History | 3 Replies

Solar Sketching in h-alpha – Prominences dancing on the limb

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 5, 2021 by Deirdre KelleghanMarch 5, 2021

                                Astronomical Sketching Astronomical sketching is not just about drawing pictures. It is about learning. This kind of sketching is about observing the subject very closely at the far end of your telescope. Sketching at … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Education | Tagged animation, Filaments, gifs, h-alpha, Movement, Proms, PST, Solar Sketching | Leave a reply

Finding the Unexpected

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 4, 2021 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoMarch 4, 2021
This entry is part 61 of 61 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… in 2014, the magazine US Catholic solicited a couple of articles about science fiction from me. One of them ran in 2014 under the title “Get Lost In Space” and the other they included only on their web site. I reprint both of them here… along … Continue reading…

Posted in And Then I Wrote, Popular Culture | Tagged Science fiction | Leave a reply

From the V.O. Faith and Science Pages: The Road of Science and the Ways to God

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 3, 2021 by Faith and ScienceJanuary 29, 2021

Today’s featured entry from the Vatican Observatory Faith and Science pages: “The Road of Science and the Ways to God” (click here for it) A book by Stanley L. Jaki: “Originally presented as the Gifford Lectures for 1975 and 1976 at the University of Edinburgh, this challenging work illuminates the … Continue reading…

Posted in From the V.O. Faith and Science Pages | Leave a reply

In the Sky this Week – March 2, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 2, 2021 by Bob TrembleyMarch 2, 2021
This entry is part 185 of 185 in the series In the Sky This Week

This week, the Moon appears in the predawn sky, Mars is in a close conjunction with the Pleiades star cluster, and the planets Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn appear low above the horizon before dawn; Mercury and Jupiter appear in a very close conjunction – less than 1 degree apart, as they swap positions over the course of several days.

Continue reading...
Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Conjunction, Eagle Nebula, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Pleiades, Saturn, Sun, The Pillars of Creation | Leave a reply
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Recent Comments

  • Christopher M. Graney March 6, 2021 at 3:42 pm on Misinformative Books from Surprising PlacesThanks, Joel. And Ed, what is the source that said Galileo confirmed Copernicus? Can you give a link?
  • Joel Hopko March 6, 2021 at 11:54 am on Misinformative Books from Surprising PlacesProfessor Graney -- Ironic but perhaps understandable that the painstaking technical work of centuries should be reduced to a melodramatic contest of intrenched religious bigots bent on obscuring the truth versus "enlightened" clear seeing individuals heroically battling the establishment. After all, melodrama consistent outsells even the best technical literature. Still...
  • Ed Yepez March 6, 2021 at 7:45 am on Misinformative Books from Surprising PlacesA quick "google" come up with Galileo confirming Copernicus. If I understand correctly, they made observations that ageeed with heliocentrism, but "Confirmation" came later (Newton?)
  • Fr. James Kurzynski March 2, 2021 at 8:20 pm on Georges Lemaitre – Father of the “Big Bang”You're very welcome Fr. Madley! Thank you!
  • Fr. Jeffrey Madley March 2, 2021 at 11:57 am on Georges Lemaitre – Father of the “Big Bang”Excellent article about Msgr. Lemaitre, Fr. Jim. Nice to know people in the Church have contributed to science.
  • 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...

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