Tuesday, January 31, 2017
See Venus, Mars and Moon Crescent Form Cosmic Triangle Tonight [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]
Venus, Mars and the crescent moon will form a brilliant triangle in the southwestern night sky on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
To compensate for its unfriendly chill, the coming night offers the unusual beauty of two twilight spectacles: Skywatchers are right in the midst of a nearly two-week-long duet of Venus and Mars at dusk, with these two planets forming a trio with the crescent moon on Tuesday evening (Jan. 31).
Venus, of course, reigns supreme in the evening. Shining high in the southwest at dusk, this planet sets almost 4 hours after sundown. Mars, meanwhile, appears nearby but is dimmer, shining as a 1st-magnitude object on the brightness scale used by astronomers. On New Year’s Day, the reddish planet was 12 degrees to the east (upper left) of Venus. But over the course of this month, the two worlds slowly approached each other as they progressed eastward against the dim stars of Aquarius and Pisces.
Since both planets are now traveling at about the same speed across the sky — Venus by 1-degree per day, Mars by 0.75 degrees — they keep pace with each other, remaining within 5.5 degrees of each other from Jan. 24 through Feb. 7. (As a reminder, your closed fist held out at arm’s length covers 10 degrees of the night sky.) Each evening, Mars appears to faithfully follow Venus, appearing to that planet’s upper left as the two descend the sky. [The Planets in 2017: Best Night Sky Events to See]
And on Tuesday evening, a third celestial object — a waxing crescent moon — joins the Venus-Mars pairing. The three form an eye-catching isosceles triangle in the west-southwest in twilight. The Mars-Venus and moon-Venus legs measure 5.5-degrees in length, while the Mars-moon side of the triangle (the base) is 3.1-degrees in length.
The trio will set beyond the western horizon, soon after 9 p.m. your local time. Venus will disappear first, at around 9:05 p.m., followed by the moon at 9:18 p.m. and finally Mars at 9:26 p.m. The triangle, of course, is an illusion of perspective as seen from an Earthly vantage point. The 17-percent illuminated crescent moon lies just 234,000 miles (376,800 kilometers) away from Earth, compared to 50 million miles (81 million km) for Venus and 172 million miles (277 million km) for Mars.
Venus and Mars present some interesting contrasts. Their colors are sparkling white and ochre-orange, respectively. Increasing in brilliance, Venus (magnitude -4.7) outshines Mars (magnitude +1.1) by more than 200 times. The Red Planet, meanwhile has been dimming. Telescopically, Mars’ waxing gibbous disk measures a paltry 5 arc seconds across. You would need a 14-inch (36 centimeters) telescope, magnifying at 360-power to get a clear image of Mars that had the same angular size as the moon seen with your unaided eye.
Venus, on the other hand, has expanded to 31 arc seconds in diameter, more than six times larger than Mars, and now appears as a wide crescent in small telescopes.
It’s always best to observe Venus in daylight or shortly after sunset to avoid this planet’s overpowering glare against a darkened sky. Indeed, Tuesday presents a good chance to find Venus in daylight. Once you locate the moon about halfway up in the south-southwest, late afternoon sky, you’ll find Venus situated to the moon’s upper right.
If you have binoculars, train them on the moon and you’ll easily spot the brilliant “speck” of Venus shining through the blue of the daytime sky.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers’ Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for Fios1 News in Rye Brook, N.Y.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
http://www.space.com/35511-venus-moon-mars-triangle-january-31-night-sky.html See Venus, Mars and Moon Crescent Form Cosmic Triangle Tonight
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]See Venus, Mars and Moon Crescent Form Cosmic Triangle Tonight‘Star Trek Beyond’ Beams Up to the International Space Station [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]
Talk about “Beam me up!” The latest entry in the “Star Trek” science fiction franchise — “Star Trek Beyond” — has been “beamed up” to the International Space Station for real-life space explorers to enjoy as they live and work in the final frontier.
Representives with Paramount announced on Oct. 4 that “Star Trek Beyond” was sent to the space station crew. The timing coincided with World Space Week and the 59th anniversary of the first orbital launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957.
“The International Space Station serves as the world’s leading laboratory for conducting cutting-edge microgravity research, and is the primary platform for technology development and testing in space to enable human and robotic exploration of destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, including asteroids and Mars,” Paramount representatives wrote in a statement. “A living embodiment of ‘Star Trek’ creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision, the multinational inhabitants of the ISS will now have the opportunity to enjoy the very latest ‘Star Trek’ adventure as they continue to boldly go where no one has gone before.” [What Makes a ‘Star Trek’ Fan? (Slideshow)]
“Star Trek Beyond” hit theaters in July, just a few months ahead of the “Star Trek” franchise’s 50th anniversary on Sept. 8. That milestone, which celebrated the anniversary of the original “Star Trek” TV series’ debut was felt even all the way in space, with NASA launching an entire website to mark the occasion.
Paramount representatives said “Star Trek” has been “widely credited for inspiring a number of technologies we enjoy today and for depicting a future in which international — and interspecies — coperation advances human knowledge beyond the bounds of Earth.”
For example, NASA’s first space shuttle prototype was named the Enterprise after a successful campaign by dedicated Trek fans. And several astronauts (such as Michael Fincke and Terry Virts) have even made cameos in “Star Trek” episodes.
“Star Trek Beyond’s” space station trek comes as the film is available as a Digital HD download. The movie will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 1.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
http://www.space.com/34346-star-trek-beyond-beams-up-to-space-station.html 'Star Trek Beyond' Beams Up to the International Space Station
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]‘Star Trek Beyond’ Beams Up to the International Space StationSolar Electric Propulsion Upgrades Wanted For Deep Space Missions, More | Video [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]
Recommended videos for you
-
Solar Electric Propulsion Upgrades Wanted For…
-
‘Spaceman’ Mike Massimino Explains His ‘Unlik…
-
Massive Gas Cloud Will Collide With Milky Way…
-
Hurricane Matthew – NASA Satellite Reveals La…
-
Hurricane Matthew Seen From Space On Approach…
-
Blue Origin’s Amazing In-Flight Escape Test i…
-
‘The Space Between Us’ – First Human Born on…
-
Fast Descent! ExoMars’ Module Will Land In Un…
-
Blue Origin Crew Capsule Escape Test Goes Fla…
-
Messier 78 Nebula – Visible vs. Infrared View…
-
Powerful Hurricane Matthew Seen From Space |…
-
Musicians Javier Colon, Matt Cusson and NASA…
-
NASA’s ‘Centennial Challenges’ Engages Public…
-
Rosetta’s Final Snapshots of Comet 67P Assemb…
-
Planets, Constellations and Orionid Meteors I…
-
Moon Phases and 3 Meteor Showers In Oct. 2016…
-
Rosetta Mission End Confirmed With Loss Of Si…
-
Gamma-Ray Binary Star System Found In Another…
-
Rosetta Probe Inspired Sci-Fi Short Returns W…
-
Thank You Rosetta! Probe Set To Execute Colli…
Shows
-
Skylon SABRE – A True Space Plane | Video Sh…
-
CosMix: The Universe Is Alive With Music
-
Goddard Space Flight Center’s Best Videos
-
NASA Edge
-
NEOs: Near Earth Objects – The Video Show
-
Inside Space Station – The Video Show
-
Exploring the Southern Sky – ESO at 50 | Vide…
-
Last Venus Transit In Your Lifetime | Video S…
-
Curiosity – The SUV of Mars Rovers
-
OVER EARTH – Majestic Views from Orbit
-
Aquarius – Salt Sniffer for the Seven Seas
-
Gravity: Space-Time Warp
-
This Week In Space with Miles O’Brien
-
How Long is Time?
-
The Black Hole That Made You Possible
-
Truth of the Moon – The Brave Voyage of Apoll…
-
Attack of the Sun | Video Show
-
Riding the Space Shuttle: How Astronauts Fly…
-
Kingdoms of the Giants: Realms of Jupiter & S…
-
Ares – The Launcher That Might Have Been
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
http://www.space.com/34349-solar-electric-propulsion-upgrades-wanted-for-deep-space-missions-more-video.html Solar Electric Propulsion Upgrades Wanted For Deep Space Missions, More | Video
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Solar Electric Propulsion Upgrades Wanted For Deep Space Missions, More | VideoSpotting Tiangong-2: How to See China’s New Space Lab Overhead [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]
China’s Tiangong-2 space laboratory launches atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sept. 15, 2016.
Now is a good time to view China’s newly launched space lab.
Tiangong-2 launched Sept. 15 from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center aboard a Long March 2F rocket. The orbiting laboratory, which is expected to be occupied by two astronauts later this month, should be readily visible to early risers over the next couple of weeks.
It will be available again in the first half of November, but during more convenient evening hours. [China’s Tiangong-2 Space Lab Mission in Pictures]
Regions of visibility
The International Space Station orbits Earth in a 51.6-degree inclined orbit that ranges from 233 miles to 248 miles (376 to 399 kilometers) high and is visible from 95 percent of the inhabited land on Earth.
But Tiangong-2 (whose name means “Heavenly Palace” in Mandarin) orbits Earth at a somewhat lower inclination of 42.8 degrees and at a lower altitude of 122 to 214 miles (197 to 345 km). As such, it is visible from about 80 percent of inhabited land areas.
For places north of about latitude 60 degrees north, Tiangong-2 will never rise above the horizon to be visible. This includes much of Alaska, the northern half of Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. And for places just a short distance farther to the south, Tiangong-2 will never get very high above the southern horizon, an altitude of less than 10 degrees (the apparent width of your clenched fist held at arm’s length). This includes the cities of Juneau, Alaska; Edmonton, Canada; Dublin, Ireland; and Copenhagen, Denmark.
But for those regions of the globe from 42.8 degrees south (near Christchurch, New Zealand) to 42.8 degrees north (near Boston), Tiangong-2 can occasionally appear to arc high across the sky, even passing directly overhead at times. [Planets, Constellations and Meteors: Oct. 2016 Skywatching Video]
What to look for
The appearance of this newly launched Chinese spacecraft moving across the sky is not in itself unusual.
Truth be told, on any clear evening within a couple hours of local sunset and with no optical aid, you can usually spot a number of artificial satellites creeping across the sky like moving stars. Satellites become visible only when they are in sunlight and the observer is in deep twilight or darkness. This usually means shortly after dusk or before dawn.
What makes these upcoming passes so interesting is that you’ll be able to see China’s newest space laboratory module, which is expected to set the stage for the future of that country’s ambitious space program — an important part of China’s stepping-stone strategy to human spaceflight.
Between Oct. 9 and Oct. 24, Tiangong-2 will be visible across the United States, southern Canada and much of Europe as a morning object, sailing across the sky before sunrise. And from about Oct. 31 through Nov. 16, Tiangong-2 will be visible after sunset in the evening sky.
And this is a sight that should be easily visible to anyone, even those located in brightly lit cities. More often than not, Tiangong-2 should shine with a brightness of about magnitude +2, making it easily visible with the naked eye.
Magnitude 2 is as bright as Polaris, the North Star, on astronomers’ brightness rating scale. The brightest stars are of magnitude 0 and +1; the faintest stars are in the range of magnitude +5 or +6 (the lower the number, the brighter the object). On its most favorable/highest passes, Tiangong-2 could shine as brightly as magnitude +1. For passes where it appears very low above the horizon, the Chinese space laboratory will appear dimmer, perhaps with a magnitude of only +3 or +4.
When and where to look
To find out the best time to view Tiangong-2 from your hometown, visit one of these two websites:
http://spaceweather.com/flybys/
http://www.heavens-above.com/
Each will ask either for your ZIP code or city, and respond with a list of suggested spotting times. Predictions computed a few days ahead of time are usually accurate to within a few minutes. However, these forecasts can change due to the slow decay of the object’s orbit, so check frequently for updates.
Another great site is http://www.n2yo.com/?s=25544, which provides real-time satellite tracking. It shows you the locations over the Earth where any of a number of satellites may be, at any given moment during the day or night. For Tiangong-2, go to the Recently Launched drop-down menu.
Busy times ahead
Tiangong-2 is the second operational component of China’s Tiangong program, which aims to place a larger, modular station into orbit by the year 2023.
Later this month, Tiangong-2 is expected to have company. Shenzhou-11, a planned crewed mission of China’s Shenzhou program, is scheduled to launch on Oct. 17. Shenzhou-11 will dock with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory; its crew of two will then stay aboard the lab for 30 days. A Tianzhou-1 cargo vehicle is also expected to dock with the new space lab to deliver supplies.
Tiangong-2 replaces the prototype module Tiangong-1, which launched in September 2011 and lost contact with ground stations last March. In September, after conceding they had lost control over the station, officials announced that Tiangong-1 would probably burn up in Earth’s atmosphere late in 2017.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmer’s Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
http://www.space.com/34353-how-to-see-china-space-lab.html Spotting Tiangong-2: How to See China's New Space Lab Overhead
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Spotting Tiangong-2: How to See China’s New Space Lab OverheadMonday, January 30, 2017
A Photo Tour of the Palomar Observatory (Gallery) [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]
Protection
Hard hats near the door make the observatory’s basement feel a little like a construction site.
Dim hallways
The dimly lit hallways carry an orange tint used in many observatories at night.
Back to the beginning
Sketches of the Hale telescope and other telescopes decorate one of the observatory’s hallways.
Support
Massive beams support the 530-ton Hale telescope.
Separate supports
Stretching across the ceiling, the beams keep the telescope separate from the building support, to reduce unwanted movement of the instrument.
Cleanliness
The vacuum chamber on the lower level is used to clean smaller mirrors.
Hardware
Clamps and bolts of varying sizes.
Stairway to…
A metal stairway ascends to the second floor, where the Hale telescope awaits.
Hale telescope
The bottom half of the Hale telescope. The original eyepiece was replaced by electronics.
Out and beyond
Peering up through the telescope to the dome beyond.
Interesting shapes
The telescope as seen from the mezzanine level, where the horseshoe-shaped guider is more obvious.
Bienniel cleaning
An enormous vacuum chamber sits on the main floor to clean the 200-inch (5.08 meters) mirror every two years.
Alignment ensured
The steel Hartmann screen helped ensure that the final version of the mirror was perfectly aligned.
How it works
A scale model of the mirror: The triangular gaps allowed airflow, while the round holes hosted actuators to move the mirror.
A peak into history
A movable model of the telescope sits in front of the visitors gallery.
Controls
The control panel for the historic Hale telescope.
More controls
The control panel for the Hale telescope from another angle.
Prepping
The concrete disk that helped engineers prepare the telescope for the arrival of the glass mirror sits outside near the parking lot.
Signage
This way to the visitors gallery!
Welcome to eh observatory
The visitors center allows a peek inside the observatory, also sharing videos of the mirror cleaning and the original 18-inch (46 centimeters) telescope that was hosted at Palomar.
The original
Palomar’s original 18-inch telescope.
Traveling across the country
The glass mirror traveled across the country to arrive at Palomar observatory.
Great views
A glimpse of the dome from the visitors center.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
http://www.space.com/34288-palomar-observatory-photo-tour-gallery.html A Photo Tour of the Palomar Observatory (Gallery)
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]A Photo Tour of the Palomar Observatory (Gallery)