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Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.
Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New. A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.
The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.
Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.
Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.
Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.
A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth’s shadow is apparent in the image.
The Algonquin Indians had names for each of the seasonal Full Moons, many of which survive today. The Full Snow Moon pictured occurs in the month of December, when the first large winter storms coat the ground with snow. This Full Moon also tends to fall near the Winter Solstice, and thus rides high in the nightly sky opposite to the Sun on long winter nights.
Every rocket launch is unique, but twilight shuttle launches where by far the most impressive. The image pictured was of the April 5th, 2010 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center at dawn. The exhaust plume caught the rising Sun overhead just right, and numerous noctilucent clouds persisted right up until sunrise. Unfortunately, space shuttle launches are now relegated to the pages of history.
AstroEvent: Scouting out a Dusk Comet.
Discovery image of 2012 F1 (LINEAR)
(Credit: the Remanzacco Observatory).
2012 S1 (ISON)… 2011 L4 PanSTARRS… 2013 is already ramping up to be a great year for astronomy, with the promise of no less than two bright comets. This year came in with the surprise survival of Comet C/2011 W3 Lovejoy past the Sun and saw two decent binocular comets in Garradd C/2009 P1 and a surprise outburst recently of Comet 168P/Hergenrother last month. These icy visitors are fickle beasts, and any comet that rises above +10 magnitude officially piques our interest.
Such might be the case with Comet C/2011 F1 LINEAR this month. Starting November in Ophiuchus (the infamous 13th zodiac sign of non-news fame), C/2011 F1 will cross the border into Scorpius on November and pass just 3’ arc minutes past the +5.4 magnitude star 16 Scorpii on November 4th. This will make a fine guidepost for the comet before it begins to plunge into the dusk. Look low to the west, about 15 degrees above the horizon 30 minutes after sunset. The farther south in latitude you are, the better chances you’ll have of recovering comet C/2011 F1 LINEAR. The +3 magnitude star Zeta Ophiuchi (Han) will make the best overall guide to find the field and getting oriented to it at dusk.
The path of Comet C/2011 F1 LINEAR for the first half of November. (Created by the Author in Starry Night).
From there, Comet C/2011 F1 LINEAR will continue moving about half an angular degree of arc per day across Scorpius & back into Ophiuchus. Another interesting pass will be near the +8.9 magnitude star cluster M107 on November 15th. This conjunction will be within 30’ arc minutes, after which the comet is lost in the solar glare as it passes to the opposite side of the Sun. The Comet will reach solar conjunction on December 16th, & Southern hemisphere observers may just be able to recover Comet C/2011 F1 LINEAR early in 2013.
Binoculars are your friend in attempting to recover this 9-11 magnitude comet. Start by sweeping and familiarizing yourself with the field; if you can spy M107 at magnitude +8.9, there’s a good chance that you can recover the comet. If you can aim and center 16 Scorpii with a telescope, use the lowest power available for a wide field of view. A clear horizon with minimal turbulence and light pollution also goes a long way in this comet-hunting endeavor.
Discovered on March 21st, 2011 as part of the ongoing Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research project, (LINEAR) automated survey based near Socorro, New Mexico, Comet C/2011 (LINEAR) is expected to reach perihelion on January 28th 2013. At +18.3 magnitude at the time of discovery in the constellation Ursa Major, the comet has an orbital inclination of 56.6 degrees. The “C” in the designation indicates that Comet C/2011 is a non-periodic comet and the “F1” denotes the discovery month; “F” being the last half of the month of March. (Hey, we just learned that one, too!)
Do attempt to track down this binocular comet as the Moon is waning and out of the dusk sky for the first week of November. And speaking of which, next week is the beginning of the 2nd eclipse season of the year, and we’ll have all of juicy bits of how to observe the Total Solar Eclipse of November 13-14th from Down Under!