This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 2 – 10 - Sky

Lots of cool observations to make this week. Now if the sky will just clear...



This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 2 – 10 - Sky

Christmas Sunset

Sometimes the naked eye astronomy experiences are easily as spectacular as catching a Messier object or finding that elusive comet. Last evening was one of those special times. Late in the afternoon, we were driving south on I95 headed to family Christmas celebration in Washington, D.C. The sky was already dramatic with crazy wind blown clouds and an intense sun set against an intensely blue sky. A perfect winter afternoon. As Lauren commented, "our nearest star is really intense," she donned her sunglasses and asked me to take a few photos while she drove.

I began to pay close attention to the sky as the sun slowly started to set. The sun seemed unusually large and a deep yellow-orange like glowing hot iron. The clouded were back lit and the sky began to transition from blue to yellows and oranges. Then the show really began once the sun slipped below the horizon. As Lauren said, "Our nearest star is really showing off tonight!" The clouds first took on a salmon pink hue. Then magenta, and then a spectacular mix of true violet and magenta, unlike anything I remember seeing before. After nearly an hour of slowly transitioning colors, the sky was a dark orange and the clouds a steely blue.

Then, high to the southwest, we spotted the setting crescent moon. A bright white sliver where the sky transitioned from orange, to yellow, to blue. Looking through the rear view mirror, Lauren noticed the terminator beginning to rise, raising the veil of night from east to west, subtly, ever so slowly. Quite beautiful, with its own colors and often missed by sunset observers.

As if this weren't enough already, Venus appeared as a bright beacon in the field of orange sky, so bright I had to observe closely to be sure it wasn't the lights from an airplane flying directly toward us. No, steady position and intensely bright, it's Venus. The terminator slowly crept over us, defining an arc of light below the growing dark of night.

More than an hour had passed and now the sky was finally dark. Other stars were becoming visible, even with the bright headlights of oncoming traffic and street lights to the sides. Our final treat was a flyover of the International Space Station. Anticipating the flyover, my son and I started scanning the sky to the northwest for the rising spot of light. As usual, he was the first to catch sight of it, exclaiming, "there it is!" As the station rose high over our right shoulders, I quietly wished the crew of 6 a Merry Christmas, Buon Natale, and с рождеством.

 

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Orion EFT1 T-6 Days

In six days, NASA will launch the a test flight of the next manned space vehicle from Kennedy Space Center. Orion will make two orbits, reaching speeds of over 20,000 mph and test all the systems of launch and reentry. The test flight will be carried live on NASATV starting at 4:30 a.m. EST.

 

 

Don't miss history in the making!

#ImOnBoard

 

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Make Way for the Wintermaker - Sky & Telescope

Make Way for the Wintermaker - Sky & Telescope

AR2192

With a diameter of about 80,000 miles, nearly the size of Jupiter, sunspot AR2192 is the largest observed in this current 11 year solar cycle. Another way to think about it, it's about 14 times the Earth's diameter.

After a week of clouds and rain, I finally got a chance to observe AR2192 with my own eyes this morning. It is the most complex and largest sunspot I've ever seen. I will be observing throughout the day as my angle between the trees and passing clouds allows.

AR2192 has thrown several X-class flares, the latest this morning that likely caused interruption of radio signals in Africa.

For more on AR2192:

Jupiter Sized Sunspot (Sky & Telescope)
Freakish Sunspot Wows Astronomers (NPR)
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Largest Sunspot in 20 Years (Washington Post)

PLEASE OBSERVE THE SUN SAFELY - only look at the sun using a proper solar filter, looking directly at the sun without a proper filter will result in permanent damage to your eyes and your equipment. I use an AstroZapp Baader Film filter on my telescopes. The small investment allows me to make use of the telescopes during the day as well as at night. Targeting the sun takes practice as you will have to do it indirectly. Cap or remove your spotting scopes and use the shadow of the telescope to aim by minimizing the shadow. I've also made a sun spotter for the C8 from a couple of cardboard disks and a short length of wood. This attaches to the main tube of the scope with Velcro. The disks are several cm in diameter with a hole punched top center. The rear disk has paper glued over the hole. By aligning the spot of light on the back hole, I am able to get the telescope aimed at the sun quite easily. There are also commercial products like this.

Go out and (safely) observe our nearest star!

Around the World in 92 Minutes

Last night, I had the great pleasure of meeting Astronaut Chris Hadfield at the American Museum of Natural History. Hadfield gave a book talk on his latest work, "You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes." Hadfield is an expert communicator and gave us all a personal and emotional account of his life on orbit.

He began saying, "I want to show you some pictures from this trip I took last year." In his understated way, like we were about to look at some photos from his Ontario cabin. A three time veteran, with 2 shuttle missions and a six month post and command on the International Space Station, he has a great orbital perspective.

He shared the story of his first mission aboard Atlantis. Showing a launch video, I was immediately reminded of how much I miss the ripping a hole in the sky crackle of the ATK Solid Rocket Boosters. Nothing I've ever heard sounds quite like them. Hadfield commented, "When those big white rockets light you're going somewhere." He gave everyone a few words of advice for our own first launches, "You know, if you ever get the chance, you really should do it." The prelaunch meal - "The chefs will prepare anything you want. I recommend you eat something creamy and colorful. Use ketchup. You're going to see it again. Go for technicolor!" When asked of the mothballing of the shuttle fleet, he responded, "They're very primitive...128k of processing power... 30 years old... Do you drive a 30 year old car?" He added, "We shouldn't have such a gap in vehicles, but that's what we do."

The Orbital Perspective, as Ron Garan dubed it, comes through with every astronaut I've met. Hadfield spoke of the diversity and beauty of the Earth. Taking tens of thousands of photos on his ISS mission, he tweeted an image daily. He said he scanned through those he took that day, looking for one that caught his eye. "What was it emotionally that drew me to that photo?" "STEM pays the bills. When we really want to communicate, we use art." Through his new book he definitely uses the art of that "Shining Ball of Blue, home to everyone that anybody ever knew." to speak volumes.

Hadfield is a great advocate for exploration. He described it as a basic human trait. "We've been sending probes out there for thousands of years." From the early humans taking the first steps out of the Rift Valley to other planets and beyond our Solar System. [Space Exploration] is just the next step. It's an extension of what we do as humans." Where should we be going? Hadfield got a great response from the audience when he said, "The obvious next step is to go back to the moon. Live there for a few generations, learn as much as we can.?"

Hadfield also spoke of changes he's observed on the planet, like the loss of the Aral Sea, drained for cotton production. "I'm not a rabid environmentalist, I've just been around the world...about twenty-six hundred times." when asked about climate change.

 

Hadfield concluded the evening with a medley of ISS and Space Oddity and a book signing, graciously greeting and signing for more than an hour after his presentation. Of the book, Hadfield said the photos belong to you. The profits of book sales go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. The audience responded with an appreciative round of applause. Hadfield remarked, "I didn't expect applause for that, it's just the right thing to do."

If you don't know Hadfield, look for his collection of YouTube videos, get his books, follow him on social media. He brings a distinctly human perspective to living and working in space. You will instantly understand why he is so popular and you too will be a fan of the mustachioed man from Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Our Nearest Star 100514

It's a bright sunny autumn day. A perfect day to turn the telescope (with proper filter) sunward to see what the sunspot activity is. Sunspot 2178 (left) and 2181 (right) were particularly interesting today. 2181 could produce an M-class flare. From SpaceWeather.com, "Sunspot AR2181 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class flares." Here is a close up of that area. Photos were taken with Canon 60D mounted to a Celestron C8 with 2x Barlow.