Any Astronomy Buffs Here?

I'm sure many of you have at some point noticed the figure 8 on a globe. This is known as an Analemma. It shows the position of the sun at the same time of day. Ho Hum..

But I just saw this video that drives the point home:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1832323979639505211

"We now return control of your television set to you, until next week at this same time, when the Control Voice will take you to... The Outer Limits." - disembodied voice from a great TV show.

Larry
DevilHorse
 
DevilHorse said:
I'm sure many of you have at some point noticed the figure 8 on a globe. This is known as an Analemma. It shows the position of the sun at the same time of day. Ho Hum..

But I just saw this video that drives the point home:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1832323979639505211

"We now return control of your television set to you, until next week at this same time, when the Control Voice will take you to... The Outer Limits." - disembodied voice from a great TV show.

Larry
DevilHorse
Click to expand...
That is very cool.
 
"All These Worlds Are Yours - Except Europa" - 2010 - sequel to 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Well, the NASA scientists apparently missed the movie because next month (October 2024) the Europa Odyssey spacecraft will launch on a 5.5 year journey to Jupiter with the intent of taking a close look at Europa.

www.nasa.gov

8 Things to Know About NASA’s Mission to an Ocean Moon of Jupiter - NASA

The first NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying an ocean world beyond Earth, Europa Clipper aims to find out if the ice-encased moon Europa could be habitable.
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov

Europa is one of the 4 Galilean moons; anyone who looked through a telescope at Jupiter probably saw Europa too.

Europa was first visited with Pioneer 10 in the early '70s, and there were 5 more visits by NASA spacecraft, but this will by far be the most sophisticated.

Sounds great, but apparently no rovers :cry:

Larry
DevilHorse
 
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Looks like the earth is about to get a spare moon for a couple of months.
A Near Earth Asteroid is going to be caught in earth orbit for 2 months and will then drift away:
www.cincinnati.com

We will call it mini-moon. All about Earth temporary second moon, asteroid 2024 PT5

There's a new moon on the horizon. The Earth will gain a second, mini-moon on Sept. 29, but it won't stick around too long. Here's what to know.
www.cincinnati.com
www.forbes.com

Temporary ‘Mini-Moon’ Will Begin To Orbit Earth Next Week: What To Know

The mini-moon is a tiny asteroid that was discovered in August by a team of NASA-funded scientists.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com

It looks like it will do about a 1 1/2 times around the earth before it whips off to its own 93 million mile orbit.

Larry
DevilHorse
 
Last month a paper was published that suggests that one of the moons of Uranus (Ariel) has an liquid ocean underneath the surface:
www.forbes.com

NASA’s Webb Telescope Finds Evidence For An Ocean World Around Uranus

NASA's Webb Telescope finds evidence for an underground ocean on Uranus moon Ariel, raising interest in future missions to explore the seventh planet and its moons.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com

Mostly carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, but liquid nonetheless. This suggests that the temperature of this liquid is at least -70 deg F (the triple point of carbon dioxide). I'm thinking that's pretty warm for that part of the solar system. Amazing.

Larry
DevilHorse
 
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Subject: Zebra and ISS

The Perseverance Rover (Percy to those of us who are close to it) has apparentley found a strange rock on Mars they are calling the Zebra rock:
www.usatoday.com

NASA's Perseverance rover found an unusual stone on Mars: Check out the 'zebra rock'

The Perseverance rover came across an odd stone on Mars, the likes of which NASA said has never been seen, that people are calling the 'zebra rock.'
www.usatoday.com

I found a website that tells you when the International Space Station is viewable in your area (and where it can be seen):

International Space Station

See the International Space Station! As the third brightest object in the sky the space station is easy to see if you know when to look up.
spotthestation.nasa.gov spotthestation.nasa.gov

Happy Astrohunting.

Larry
DevilHorse
 
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Subject: Comet A3

Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) survived its close encounter with the sun (there were concerns that it would break up, but that didn't happen):
www.forbes.com

Comet A3 Tracker For The Week Ahead — Where And When To See It

How, when, and where to look to see Comet A3, also known as C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), this week, with sky charts.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
The comet will come as close as 36 million miles; that's closer than Venus (at its' closest). The comet core is about a mile wide, but is expected to have a visible tail just under 10 degrees in length.

The comet will be viewable in the evening with the naked eye; peak viewing will be October 9-12.

Hopefully there will be some non-cloud viewing in a week.

Comet brightness is very had to predict; hopefully this is better than expected.

Larry
DevilHorse
 
Subject: Nearby Planet(s)

The nearest free traveling (no associate stars) star to our solar system is Barnard's Star (at a distance of 6 Light Years). Apparently Barnard's Star is dragging one or more planets with it during its' trek around the galaxy:
www.newscientist.com

Planet spotted orbiting Barnard's star just 6 light years away

Astronomers have detected an exoplanet around Barnard’s star, one of the sun’s closest neighbours, but it is too hot for liquid water or life
www.newscientist.com www.newscientist.com

Alpha Centauri (a group of 4 stars) is the nearest star system to us (4.3 Light Years), but apparently there are no (confirmed) planets orbiting either of those stars.

I won't suggest you pack your bags, but perhaps shop for some luggage.

Larry
DevilHorse
 
DevilHorse said:
Subject: Nearby Planet(s)

The nearest free traveling (no associate stars) star to our solar system is Barnard's Star (at a distance of 6 Light Years). Apparently Barnard's Star is dragging one or more planets with it during its' trek around the galaxy:
www.newscientist.com

Planet spotted orbiting Barnard's star just 6 light years away

Astronomers have detected an exoplanet around Barnard’s star, one of the sun’s closest neighbours, but it is too hot for liquid water or life
www.newscientist.com www.newscientist.com

Alpha Centauri (a group of 4 stars) is the nearest star system to us (4.3 Light Years), but apparently there are no (confirmed) planets orbiting either of those stars.

I won't suggest you pack your bags, but perhaps shop for some luggage.

Larry
DevilHorse
Click to expand...
Planets around Barnard's Star? I read a book about it in 1980.

Linky to Barnard's Planet

Interestingly, while searching I found several other books about Barnard's star and it's planets. There seems to be some disagreement about arrangement, habitability and flora/fauna there.
 
camion said:
Planets around Barnard's Star? I read a book about it in 1980.

Linky to Barnard's Planet

Interestingly, while searching I found several other books about Barnard's star and it's planets. There seems to be some disagreement about arrangement, habitability and flora/fauna there.
Click to expand...
Obviously the Speed of Books is faster than the Speed of Light (Special Relativity); 44 years fits the theory. 😵‍💫

Larry
DevilHorse
 
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