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Space and Astronomy Thread
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balthasar
30-11-2013
Originally Posted by cmq2:
“Animation of the slides: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-...CO&Detector=C3”

Thank you for posting that.
TelevisionUser
01-12-2013
Originally Posted by Kapellmeister:
“I'll have a look out for Lovejoy. I've got a 10'' Dobsonian that I wheel out when it's clear/not freezing cold so hopefully I'll see something through it!”

Good luck with that and I hope that bears results. I also have a winter sky gem to look out for in the form of the Kemble's Cascade asterism which can be found here: http://www.nightskyinfo.com/archive/kembles_cascade/

Incidentally, we have John Dobson to thank for the invention of the Dobsonian telescopes and I very much approve of his sidewalk astronomy initiatives.

Originally Posted by cmq2:
“The latest SOHO image shows Ison's remnants as a fading smudge: http://soho.esac.esa.int/data/realti...24/latest.html”

Originally Posted by balthasar:
“Thank you for posting that.”

It'll probably be towards the end of the week before we'll find out if this major cometary fragment is going to put on some form of display (see http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n.../#.UpuR_ieAXIY).

And now for some astro news:

Indian probe begins journey to Mars
India's mission to Mars has embarked on its 300-day journey to the Red Planet. Early on Sunday the spacecraft fired its main engine for more than 20 minutes, giving it the correct velocity to leave Earth's orbit. It will now cruise for 680m km (422m miles), setting up an encounter with its target on 24 September 2014.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25163113

China space: 'Jade Rabbit' lunar mission blasts off
China has launched its first lunar rover mission, the next key step in the Asian superpower's ambitious space programme. The Chang'e-3 mission blasted off from Xichang in the south at 01:30 Monday local time (17:30 GMT Sunday). The Long March rocket's payload includes a landing module and a six-wheeled robotic rover called Yutu (or Jade Rabbit).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25178299
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597
(compare with the Soviet Union's 40 year old Lunokhod programme)

Engine trouble delays SpaceX launch on Thanksgiving
Topped with a television broadcasting satellite, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket fired its engines and was moments away from liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, but the commercial booster aborted the launch after computers detected the engines were too slow building up thrust.
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/00.../#.UpuRaCeAXIY
(the live launch was aborted about 45 secs before lift off - dayum!)
cmq2
03-12-2013
Clear video of how the sun demolished comet Ison: http://youtu.be/kcROVqmF9SY?t=1m3s
TelevisionUser
08-12-2013
Originally Posted by cmq2:
“Clear video of how the sun demolished comet Ison: http://youtu.be/kcROVqmF9SY?t=1m3s”

It's now quite clear that the remnants of Comet Ison won't be putting on a display of any sort this year and that's a pity. More care should be taken in future not to give advance publicity to hyped-up lemons of which we've had two this year. If anyone wants to see a real comet, the modest Comet Lovejoy is still with us and the relevant star charts are here: http://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see...-charts-photos

In terms of other objects to see in the winter night sky, there's always the Moore Winter Marathon to have a go at and the links are below:
http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/ne...inter-marathon
http://astrog80.astro.cf.ac.uk/mwm/

And now for some astro news...

SpaceX launches SES commercial TV satellite for Asia
The California outfit has just launched a new platform for satellite operator SES to serve its growing customer base in India and South East Asia. It is the first time SpaceX has put a satellite in a geostationary transfer orbit, far above the Earth. The launch took place at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25210742

The Mystery of Making the Moon
Scientists are fairly certain that our Moon formed as the result of a huge collision, early in the life of our solar system. But while they thought they had a good answer for what kind of collision it was, new information from chemical analysis of the Moon rocks returned by the Apollo missions has thrown the standard theories into doubt.
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/episode/201...cember-7-2013/

X-ray telescope, gravity wave probes to be led by ESA
The European Space Agency has decided its next two big science missions, each costing more than $1.3 billion, will be a massive X-ray telescope and a long-proposed observatory to confirm the existence of gravitational waves predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.
http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n13.../#.UqSsGSfl5CU
atg
09-12-2013
Originally Posted by TelevisionUser:
“It's now quite clear that the remnants of Comet Ison won't be putting on a display of any sort this year and that's a pity. More care should be taken in future not to give advance publicity to hyped-up lemons of which we've had two this year.”

Yes, down with these publicity seeking, here today and gone tomorrow (or last Thursday), comets.
cmq2
10-12-2013
A Pre-Hubble attempt to find Ison's remnants has turned up nothing: http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv...pload_id=91066

Quote:
“In mid-December, Hubble will be pointed in the direction of where ISON should be and they'll try and image something. If no fragments are surviving, or they are tiny, then Hubble will not be able to find anything, but that negative detection will tell us something: namely that ISON is indeed gone for good.”

Pasted from: http://www.isoncampaign.org/karl/what-next
TelevisionUser
10-12-2013
Originally Posted by cmq2:
“A Pre-Hubble attempt to find Ison's remnants has turned up nothing: http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv...pload_id=91066

Pasted from: http://www.isoncampaign.org/karl/what-next”

That Canadian observatory in Quebec has a 16 inch/40 cm reflecting telescope which is capable of seeing dim and distant Pluto so if even they can't find anything then there's really no point in anyone else trying to find any Ison remnants.

Nearer to home, let's see what's happening on the Red Planet:

Ancient Martian Lake Had Conditions for Life, NASA Finds
A 3.5 billion-year-old freshwater lake on Mars, now dry, may have been an ecosystem where life could thrive, according to an analysis of data collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover...The lake that may have fostered microbial life is now the crater where the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Curiosity landed in 2012, according to six papers presented at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco and published online in the journal Science.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-1...asa-finds.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/site/extra/curiosity/

Mars rover goes after carbon clues
The team operating Nasa's Curiosity rover is implementing a new exploration strategy on the Red Planet. Having established that the ancient environment at the robot's landing site was once habitable for certain types of microbe, the scientists now want to focus on specific questions relating to life.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25312143

Mars One invites school pupils to design first mission
The first private spacecraft to land on the Red Planet will carry experiments designed by students and school pupils. Mars One will send a robot lander similar to Nasa's Phoenix to test water purification and solar power modules for future colonists. The firm plans to establish a human settlement on Martian soil in 2025, by offering passengers a one-way ticket.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25317861
(I very much doubt that this mission will actually get off the ground let alone succeed. Indeed, I would expect a fatal outcome from the way that they're going about things ).
cmq2
21-12-2013
Hubble cannot find anything of size left of Ison (on its most likely path): http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discove...-is-still-dead
balthasar
21-12-2013
Originally Posted by cmq2:
“Hubble cannot find anything of size left of Ison (on its most likely path): http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discove...-is-still-dead”

Seems whatever is left is spread out, I did not know they could use Hubble to look for something relatively close as the comet fragments.
TelevisionUser
04-01-2014
Quadrantids begin the 2014 meteor shower calendar
The Quadrantids is the first meteor shower of the year and kicks things off in fine fashion on the night of January 3/4, although inclement weather can often disappoint keen observers wrapped up warm in the long January night.
http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n14.../#.UshCXvurQtA

Asteroid hunter returns first images since reactivation
NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), a spacecraft that made the most comprehensive survey to date of asteroids and comets, has returned its first set of test images in preparation for a renewed mission.
http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n13.../#.UshCjfurQtA

Jupiter Shines All Night Long Sunday: How to See It
Jupiter will reign as king of the night sky on Sunday (Jan. 5), visible all night long as it reaches opposition. This means that, in Earth's sky, Jupiter will stand exactly opposite the sun. As the sun sets in the west, Jupiter will rise in the east. Jupiter sets in the west just as the sun is rising in the east.
http://www.space.com/24158-jupiter-o...night-sky.html

Small Asteroid 2014 AA Hits Earth
Discovered on New Year's Eve by a telescope in Arizona, a small asteroid struck Earth somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean — apparently unnoticed — about 25 hours later. A sequence of four images, taken roughly 11 minutes apart, reveals the movement of asteroid 2014 AA when it was discovered in northern Orion early on January 1st (Universal Time). The 19th-magnitude object struck Earth 25 hours later. It was New Year's Eve, but that didn't stop observer Richard Kowalski from scanning the sky for near-Earth objects (NEOs).
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/...238481431.html
FANNY_ANNE
04-01-2014
I saw a shooting star last night. It was around 10ish last night.
cmq2
05-01-2014
Giant sunspot AR-1944 is visible on sunrise photographs: http://spaceweathergallery.com/full_...1388804940.jpg

From: http://spaceweather.com/
Gneiss
05-01-2014
Originally Posted by cmq2:
“Giant sunspot AR-1944 is visible on sunrise photographs: http://spaceweathergallery.com/full_...1388804940.jpg

From: http://spaceweather.com/”

That's a pretty impressive sunspot... I tried seeing it with just a pair of eclipse glasses but unfortunately it's just been too cloudy.
TelevisionUser
05-01-2014
Originally Posted by FANNY_ANNE:
“I saw a shooting star last night. It was around 10ish last night.”

That was quite possibly one of the Quadrantid meteors which were named after the now defunct and removed Quadrans Muralis - mural quadrant constellation.
FANNY_ANNE
10-01-2014
Originally Posted by TelevisionUser:
“That was quite possibly one of the Quadrantid meteors which were named after the now defunct and removed Quadrans Muralis - mural quadrant constellation.”

Yes, I saw that on the sky at night website. I also saw one the day after. Great start for the new year.
Carlos_dfc
16-01-2014
Sad news - John Dobson, the 'sidewalk astronomer' - The man who popularised (and gave name to) the 'Dobsonian' telescope mount - has died, aged 98.
A great speaker, enthusiast, and eccentric - Gave talks and actively promoted astronomy to the public, well into his 90s
A damn good 'innings', but still a very sad loss.

John Dobson - R.I.P.
deans6571
16-01-2014
Can anyone recommend a good iPad app whereby I can use the camera to look up at the sky and the screen will show the names of the constellations of the stars which I am looking at...?

When the sky is clear, I can see quite a number of different constellations but obviously don't know the name of them, Pretty sure that 'Orions Belt' is one of the ones directly above my back garden...!!!
SaddlerSteve
16-01-2014
Originally Posted by deans6571:
“Can anyone recommend a good iPad app whereby I can use the camera to look up at the sky and the screen will show the names of the constellations of the stars which I am looking at...?

When the sky is clear, I can see quite a number of different constellations but obviously don't know the name of them, Pretty sure that 'Orions Belt' is one of the ones directly above my back garden...!!!”

I use SkyView on my iPhone.
deans6571
16-01-2014
Originally Posted by SaddlerSteve:
“I use SkyView on my iPhone.”

...does that allow you to see the stars through the camera as well though?

Some apps just overlay the constellations on the screen so you can't actually see the stars through the camera.
SaddlerSteve
16-01-2014
Originally Posted by deans6571:
“...does that allow you to see the stars through the camera as well though?

Some apps just overlay the constellations on the screen so you can't actually see the stars through the camera.”

One of the option is to switch the camera shutter on and off so you can see through the camera with the stars overlaid.
You can also switch to night vision which turns everything on screen red enabling you to see but not spoiling your night vision with bright light.
You can press on individual stars to find out their names but also if you just scan the sky and drift over constellations they highlight on screen.

Well worth the £1.49.
There are a few in app purchases available for things like satellite locations.
TelevisionUser
16-01-2014
Originally Posted by Carlos_dfc:
“Sad news - John Dobson, the 'sidewalk astronomer' - The man who popularised (and gave name to) the 'Dobsonian' telescope mount - has died, aged 98.
A great speaker, enthusiast, and eccentric - Gave talks and actively promoted astronomy to the public, well into his 90s
A damn good 'innings', but still a very sad loss.

John Dobson - R.I.P.”

I am sorry to hear that news because not only did he popularise astronomy through the events he organised but he developed the really easy to use Dobsonian telescope mounting. I wish I had the time and resources to do more of what he did.

There's an appreciation here:

It’s a sad moment for amateur astronomy. The San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers (SFSA) reported yesterday the passing of John Dobson. He died peacefully Wednesday morning, January 15, in Burbank, California. He was 98. He leaves behind a son, numerous close friends, and fans and admirers worldwide. Dobson is best known for inventing a revolutionary mount for reflecting telescopes. Now known as the Dobsonian mount, it is an altitude-azimuth assembly that is both simple and inexpensive to build. And although he also taught telescope making — including how to grind and polish mirrors — the benchmark moment came when he devised the mount.
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2014/0...hn-dobson-dies
tiger2000
18-01-2014
From BBC Science

Quote:
“I've been a solar physicist for 30 years, and I've never seen anything quite like this," says Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

He shows me recent footage captured by spacecraft that have their sights trained on our star. The Sun is revealed in exquisite detail, but its face is strangely featureless.

"If you want to go back to see when the Sun was this inactive... you've got to go back about 100 years," he says.

This solar lull is baffling scientists, because right now the Sun should be awash with activity.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25743806
spiney2
18-01-2014
so on monday the rosetta spacecraft should hopefully "wake up", then be instructed by nasa to chase a passing comet, and if all goes well will land on it sometime this november in a historic first .......
cmq2
20-01-2014
Wake up signal acknowledged by Rosetta: https://twitter.com/esa
BeethovensPiano
21-01-2014
Originally Posted by cmq2:
“Wake up signal acknowledged by Rosetta: https://twitter.com/esa”

Telemetry from the main probe and lander now... good so far.
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