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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.
Astronomy Calendars for 2013.
Obtain this great calendar from the Vatican Observatory Foundation!
And a one-off idea becomes an institution. By now, you’ve no doubt come to rely on us here at Astroguyz for our handy yearly review of Astronomy Calendars. As Black Friday descends across the face of the planet & dazed zombie-like shoppers are lumbering through the Malls looking for that perfect gift, you’ll know just what to buy for that astronomical someone. Fans of this space will remember our epic reviews of astronomy-themed calendars in 2012 & 2011…
No? Well, let us tell ya, astronomers love calendars. A good calendar will show you “what’s up” in the sky season-by-season as well as notable astronomical events and date relevant trivia. Said calendar would also be relevant for those families that may plan their lives around all that is astronomical.
Anyhow, our favorite picks for 2013 are;
The Official Calendar of the Vatican Observatory: Few folks know that the Vatican operates observatories worldwide, and fewer know that they produce a first rate calendar. The calendar is part of the membership package along with a minimum contribution of 25$ US, which goes to fund scientific research. What I really like about the Vatican Calendars is the use of photos of the night sky taken by amateur astronomers. The history of the VATT Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope is also outlined; thanks to the VATT, we know the characterization of trans-Neptunian objects, have detected trace amounts of ammonia on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, and studied dark matter candidates known as MACHOs & much, much more. Not bad!
NASA’s 2013 Calendar: Fans of this space will also know that the Kennedy Space Center on the Florida Space Coast is our Graceland to which we must always eventually return. This year’s 2013 calendar celebrates the end of an era as the space shuttles have retired to their respective museum locations nationwide and the U.S. space program gears up for the MPCV/Orion program and ventures beyond low-Earth orbit. What I like about the NASA calendar is how it is perhaps the only space calendar that commemorates key dates in space flight history, a must for any space enthusiast/aviation buff. The 2-page spread of Human Spaceflight Patches covering Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the shuttle program alone is worth the price of the calendar!
Deep Space Mysteries 2013: Published by Astronomy Magazine, this calendar is a must for the serious or even casual sky enthusiast. Wanna know when the next lunar/solar eclipse is, or the date of the next meteor shower? Deep Space Mysteries has ‘em all listed, in a keen no-frills format. As a matter of fact, I would say that’s our favorite selling point of the calendar is its use as a good quick reference. This would also make a fine companion with an online subscription to Astronomy Magazine… we love ours!
One more: Discover Magazine’s Wonders of Science 2013: You can never have too many shots of far-out wildlife or cutting edge particle accelerators on your wall, right? Wonders of Science would make an excellent addition to any science classroom, laboratory, or basement science blogging bat-cave. Included are factoids such as “20 Things You Didn’t Know About Time…” but ya gotta buy it to read it!
So hang one of these fine calendars on your office/ classroom/ observatory wall in this coming year; if nothing else, it will be reassurance that the world isn’t ending next month, but that 2013 will be another exciting year in astronomy!