Hey Space Placers!
Here is the latest from NASA on getting Discovery launched to the International Space Station (ISS).
Discovery is targeted to launch at 4:50 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 24, for its mission to the International Space Station.
As stated by NASA, "In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians will continue installing additional support structures, called radius blocks, to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank's support beams known as "stringers" through the weekend. The radius blocks are being added to 94 stringers, meaning the entire circumference of the external tank will be strengthened by the time all the repairs and modifications are finished. Teams will be off Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. At NASA's Johnson Space Center, STS-133 crew will conduct an integrated simulation of the mission's first spacewalk in the fixed based simulator today.
For more information see:
Sky Guy in VA


Date : 27/04/2020
School name : International School of Nanshan ShenZhen
City : Shenzhen
Country : China
Student's age : 11 to 12 years old
Number of team members : 2
The reason we built this camp is so that astronauts can live on the moon for one year without problems. Our moon camp is created for four people to stay. The things the astronauts will do on the moon is study and research about the moon, astrology, and other things. Lots of tools in the labs will help the astronauts research. The camp will be built in a lava tube at the poles. This is because at the poles, the temperatures are moderate and warm, and there is always sun. The functional buildings in our camp would be the bathroom, the lab, the bedroom, and the kitchen and dining room. Other functional rooms would be the greenhouse, the gym, the computer room (to store information and communicate with earth), a swimming pool (for radiation safety), and an office/workspace. We will bring a 3D printer machine.


This is to inform you that the evening session of astronomy club for classes III to V will be held on 24th Feb 2015 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm in the school premises.
Reporting Time : 5:00 pm
It is not compulsory for the students to attend the regular school on that day.
Itinerary of the day:
Timings 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm (only for students)
- Moon facts
- Planet Observation through telescope
- Fun astronomy games and quiz
- Moon observation through telescope
Timings 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (only for parents)
Telescope Moon watch


Atlas of Light
Atlas of Light
Imagine that our Earth occupies the center of the Universe,
that every celestial body moves around it:
the Sun, the Moon, the planets, the stars, the galaxies.
Let's now observe the variations of luminosity on its surface...
The Earth's surface is bathed in two types of light: :
- natural lights from celestial objects located relatively close to the Earth: the Sun, the Moon, the polar auroras resulting from the multiple interactions of the solar wind with particles in the upper atmosphere. The Earth's rotation around its axis results in the alternating of day and night, whose respective durations vary according to the seasons of the year, as a direct consequence of the Earth's revolution around the Sun.
- artificial lights generated by human activities. Added together, they amount to a form of pollution: light pollution, which masks faint celestial objects such as the Milky Way, as well as many stars, and damages the healthy functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.
The succession of day and night on Earth
In order to get the most global view possible, let's place ourselves in a geostationary orbit some 30 kilometers above the equator.
From this angle, our planet looks like a perfect sphere, richly colored, surrounded by a thin layer of atmosphere. It seems to float in space, in the middle of more or less brilliant stars. Among these is the Sun, the closest star, whose apparent rotation is evidenced by the progressive illumination of the Earth's surface, as the hours of the day and the seasons of the year pass.
At intermediate latitudes (between -60° and +60°), day regularly follows night, which our artificial lighting now illuminates, as shown by this satellite imagery (Black Marble / Earth at Night) recently published by NASA. Consequently, from the Earth's surface, the starry sky now appears to be populated no more by a myriad of luminous points, but by a few of the brightest celestial bodies such as the Moon, the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and stars such as Sirius, Betelgeuse and Antares.
The succession of days and nights on Earth at intermediate latitudes (between -60° and +60°)
The artificial lighting offers a night vision of the Earth's surface - a shot called Black Marble / Earth at Night (*).
At polar latitudes however (above +60° and below -60°), there is no trace of man-made light pollution. Only a few (northern or southern) auroras are visible in the perfectly dark night sky, filled with thousands of luminous points whose apparent movements are parallel to the horizon circle. At these latitudes, there is no appearance or disappearance of stars in the night sky. Simple rotations, eternal rotations, at variable heights above the circle of the horizon according to the seasons.
Thus, the winter Sun makes its apparent rotation below the circle of the northern horizon. Its height below the horizon is minimal on the winter solstice. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, on the other hand, its apparent path is parallel to the horizon circle. On the summer solstice, it is several tens of degrees above the horizon. Naturally, the situation is reversed at southern latitudes. For this reason, the duration of the polar day ranges from 0h - during the northern or southern winter - to 24h - during the northern or southern summer. Observe the variations of the Earth's insolation throughout the seasons with the help of the animation at your disposition.
The movement of the stars above the Arctic Circle is parallel to the horizon. Because, during the boreal winter, the Sun remains constantly below the horizon, the night lasts 24 hours (*).
The movement of the stars above the Antarctic Circle is parallel to the horizon. Because, during the austral summer, the Sun remains constantly above the horizon, the day lasts 24 hours (*).
The succession of seasons on Earth
The interactive map below shows the terrestrial zones illuminated by the Sun at the current time (date of the day and Greenwich Mean Time). Change the hour of the day, the day and the month of the current year and observe the effects of these variations on the insolation of the different terrestrial zones: continents, oceans, equator, polar latitudes, etc. The transition from one season to the next will become evident.
Simulation of the variations of insolation of the various terrestrial zones throughout the hours of the day and the seasons of the year (**).
By default, the display is for the present time. Modify the date and GMT time by positioning your cursors on the areas of the following form:
On spring and autumn equinoxes, the lengths of day and night equal 12h anywhere on Earth. At the summer solstice, daylight hours are at their longest - between 12h and 24h, depending on the latitude. At the winter solstice, on the other hand, daylight hours are at their shortest - between 0h and 12h, depending on the latitude. Easily determine the dates on which these celestial events occur using the Culture Diff' software designed for this purpose.
Variation of sunshine on the Earth's surface over the year (at 13:00 GMT),
from the winter solstice (left) to the summer solstice (right) through the spring equinox (center) (**).
Anthropogenic light pollution is changing our planet. At an altitude of 50,000 km, artificial lighting is shaping the contours of the Earth's continents, even though they are plunged into darkness.
This 3D view of the Earth illuminated by the Sun, surrounded by the constellation of Orion and the star Sirius, is the result of numerical simulations combining satellite images of the Earth and algorithms of positioning of the objects (Earth, Sun, stars) on the celestial vault. It simulates a view acquired on March 21, 2022 at a distance of 50 000 km (*). Although plunged into darkness, the artificial lighting draws the contours of the American continent.
Anthropogenic light pollution is changing our skies. From the Earth's surface, only the brightest celestial objects are now visible to the naked eye. Because artificial light fills the sky, creating an opaque veil.
Simulation of the heliacal rising of the star Sirius in the sky of the Occitanie region, southern France:
shortly after appearing in the southeastern corner of the sky it will disappear, fading into the glow of the rising Sun.
Move the cursor laterally to materialize the effects of light pollution on the landscape contours (*).
Below, a photograph of the Pic de Bugarach in the Upper Valley of the Aude, Occitanie region, France, illuminated only by the headlights of a car.
(*) This simulation was performed using the WebWorldWind interface developed by the NASA/ESA consortium and distributed under the Apache 2.0 license.
(**) This simulation was performed using the OpenLayers geographic mapping tool. The script to determine the day and night zones was borrowed from Jean-Marc Viglino. It is protected by the CeCILL-B compatible BSD OpenSource license.


We all know that our planet, Earth aka Terran has only one moon. Many theories have been made to explain it's origins, but no one will ever get it right. Some say it's a meteor or asteroid that entered Earth's orbit. Some believe a piece of our planet broke off while it was being formed and began to orbit the Earth. Some will say it is a fabricated structure built around a dwarf star or even a space station full of aliens who study our planet as it travels through time after the aliens sowed the seeds of life in our ocean. Well, I am here to tell you these are wrong in every way. You must ready yourself, because it's time to choose the red or blue pill. Do you now want to know? The secret is that only the moon itself can know. Even if it could tell you, all you heard would, by it's own nature,l not exist in the mind. In other words, once anyone did know, they would never have known. There is a reason for this, but only the moon will ever know. How can I be so sure? Why, I am the man in the moon of course!


posted by Sara .
I just want to make sure if I'm correct; does this look correct to you?
When all of the hydrogen of the Sun is used up, it will turn into a red giant.
Is red giant correct?
Sort of... it will never use up all the hydrogen, but if the core stops fusing for lack of fuel, it becomes a red giant for awhile.


PARIS (March 21, 2013)—New findings from a look into the split second after the Big Bang indicate the universe is a bit older than previously thought, but the core concepts of the cosmos including how it began, what it's made of and where it's going seem to be on the right track.
The findings bolster a key theory called inflation, which says the universe burst from subatomic size to its now-observable expanse in a fraction of a second.
George Esfthathiou, an astrophysicist who announced the Planck satellite mapping Thursday, says the findings also offer new specificity of the universe's composition.
He said it is made up of slightly more ordinary matter and less of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy.
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.org.


In the same vein as its award-winning Perpetual Calendar, H. Moser & Cie. unites the sun and moon in the Endeavour Chinese Calendar by combining elements of Chinese lunisolar and the Gregorian solar calendars, calculated separately, and synchronising them in a watch that requires no corrections for 12 years. A true technical and creative achievement.
5N red gold
Movement and Functions
Automatic Manufacture Movement
The HMC 210 is an automatic manufacture movement is a true technical feat with a one-of-a-kind calendar mechanism that ingeniously combines the Chinese lunisolar calendar with the solar-only Gregorian calendar, all without requiring any corrections for 12 years.
The Endeavour Chinese displays the months and days of the Chinese calendar, the days of the Gregorian calendar, the moon phases, and the signs of the zodiac that are associated with each Chinese year. It also calculates the 13th "embolismic" months added every 2 or 3 years to keep the lunar years aligned with the four seasons.


42nd Year Anniversary Of First Man on the Moon
It's hard to believe but today is the 42nd Year Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. Here is a play by play of the way the mission all happened from the take off to landing on the Moon to coming back to Earth. Check it out.
Historical Importance of the First Man on the Moon: For thousands of years, man had looked to the heavens and dreamed of walking on the moon. In 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong became the very first to accomplish that dream, followed only minutes later by Buzz Aldrin. Their accomplishment placed the United States ahead of the Soviets in the Space Race and gave people around the world the hope of future space exploration.
Dates: July 20, 1969
Also Known As: First Moon Landing, First Man to Walk on the Moon
Crew Aboard Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Michael Collins
Overview of the First Man on the Moon:
When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the United States was surprised to find themselves behind in the race to space. Still behind the Soviets in the Space Race four years later, President John F. Kennedy gave inspiration and hope to the American people in his speech to Congress on May 25, 1961 in which he stated, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."
Just eight years later, the United States accomplished this goal by placing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, the Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11 into the sky from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On the ground there were over 3,000 journalists, 7,000 dignitaries, and approximately a half million tourists watching this momentous occasion. The event went smoothly and as scheduled.
After one-and-a-half orbits around earth, the Saturn V thrusters flared once again and the crew had to manage the delicate process of attaching the lunar module (nicknamed Eagle) onto the nose of the joined command and service module (nicknamed Columbia). Once attached, Apollo 11 left the Saturn V rockets behind as they began their three-day journey to the moon, called the translunar coast.
A Difficult Landing
On July 19, at 1:28 p.m. EDT, Apollo 11 entered the moon's orbit. After spending a full day in lunar orbit, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin boarded the lunar module and detached it from the command module for their descent to the moon's surface. As the Eagle departed, Michael Collins, who remained in the Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin were on the moon, checked for any visual problems with the lunar module. He saw none and told the Eagle crew, "You cats take it easy on the lunar surface."
As the Eagle headed toward the moon's surface, several different warning alarms were activated. Armstrong and Aldrin realized that the computer system was guiding them to a landing area that was strewn with boulders the size of small cars. With some last minute maneuvers, Armstrong guided the lunar module to a safe landing area. At 4:18 p.m. EDT on July 20, 1969, the landing module landed on the moon's surface in the Sea of Tranquility with only seconds of fuel left.
Armstrong reported to the command center in Houston, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Houston responded, "Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again."
Walking on the Moon
After the excitement, exertion, and drama of the lunar landing, Armstrong and Aldrin spent the next six-and-a-half hours resting and then preparing themselves for their moon walk.
At 10:28 p.m. EDT, Armstrong turned on the video cameras. These cameras transmitted images from the moon to over half a billion people on earth who sat watching their televisions. It was phenomenal that these people were able to witness the amazing events that were unfolding hundreds of thousands of miles above them.
Neil Armstrong was the first person out of the lunar module. He climbed down a ladder and then became the first person to set foot on the moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT. Armstrong then stated, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
A few minutes later, Aldrin exited the lunar module and stepped foot on the moon's surface.
Leaving the Surface
Although Armstrong and Aldrin got a chance to admire the tranquil, desolate beauty of the moon's surface, they also had a lot of work to do. NASA had sent the astronauts with a number of scientific experiments to set up and the men were to collect samples from the area around their landing site. They returned with 46 pounds of moon rocks. Armstrong and Aldrin also set up a flag of the United States.
While on the moon, the astronauts received a call from President Richard Nixon. Nixon began by saying, "Hello, Neil and Buzz. I am talking to you by telephone from the Oval Office of the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone calls ever made. I just can't tell you how proud we are of what you have done."
After spending 21 hours and 36 minutes upon the moon (including 2 hours and 31 minutes of outside exploration), it was time for Armstrong and Aldrin to leave. To lighten their load, the two men threw out some excess materials like backpacks, moon boots, urine bags, and a camera. These fell to the moon's surface and were to remain there. Also left behind was a plaque which read, "Here men from the planet earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."
The lunar module blasted off from the moon's surface at 1:54 p.m. EDT on July 21, 1969. Everything went well and the Eagle re-docked with the Columbia. After transferring all of their samples onto the Columbia, the Eagle was set adrift in the moon's orbit. The Columbia, with all three astronauts back on board, then began their three day journey back to earth.
Before the Columbia command module entered the earth's atmosphere, it separated itself from the service module. When the capsule reached 24,000 feet, three parachutes deployed to slow down the Columbia's descent. At 12:51 p.m. EDT on July 24, the Columbia safely landed in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Hawaii. They landed just 13 nautical miles from the U.S.S. Hornet that was scheduled to pick them up.
Once picked up, the three astronauts were immediately placed into quarantine for fears of possible moon germs. Three days after being retrieved, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were transferred to a quarantine facility in Houston for further observation. On August 10, 1969, 17 days after splash down, the three astronauts were released from quarantine and able to return to their families.
The astronauts were treated like heroes on their return. They were met by President Nixon and given ticker-tape parades. These men had accomplished what men had only dared to dream for thousands of years - to walk on the moon.


After graduating from a forestry school as a technical forester, Nikolayev then joined the Soviet Air Force in 1950. He was
selected to join the cosmonaut team in 1960.
Nikolayev's first space flight was on Vostok 3, launched 11 August 1962.
This was a joint flight with Vostok 4. He set a new space endurance record of 3 days 22 hours and 22 minutes. Colour motion
pictures of Earth and the cabin interior were another highlight of his flight.
Nikolayev's second flight was in Soyuz
9 on 1 June 1970. This flight was a long duration flight to test the effects of prolonged weightlessness on man. Due to the
cramped conditions onboard, he had to be carried from the capsule. The flight lasted 17 days 16 hours and 59 minutes.
1963, Nikolayev married the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, but later divorced after having one daughter. He was
the First Deputy Head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.


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English: This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Rosette nebula, a pretty star-forming region more than 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. In optical light, the nebula looks like a rosebud, or the "rosette" adornments that date back to antiquity.
But lurking inside this delicate cosmic rosebud are so-called planetary "danger zones" (see five spheres). These zones surround super hot stars, called O-stars (blue stars inside spheres), which give off intense winds and radiation. Young, cooler stars that just happen to reside within one of these zones are in danger of having their dusty planet-forming materials stripped away.
Radiation and winds from the super hot stars have collectively blown layers of dust (green) and gas away, revealing the cavity of cooler dust (red). The largest two blue stars in this picture are in the foreground, and not in the nebula itself.
While O-star danger zones were known about before, their parameters were not. Astronomers used Spitzer's infrared vision to survey the extent of the five danger zones shown here. The results showed that young stars lying beyond 1.6 light-years, or 10 trillion miles, of any O-stars are safe, while young stars within this zone are likely to have their potential planets blasted into space.This image shows infrared light captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with wavelengths of 24 microns is red; light of 8 microns is green; and light of 4.5 microns is blue.
|Author||NASA/JPL-Caltech/Z. Balog (Univ. of Arizona/Univ. of Szeged)|
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Wednesday, December 25, 2013
A crystal pyramid, faceted creation
Of pressure, heat and imagination,
Frozen purity, a trap for light with five sides,
Where reflection upon infinity resides.
In total darkness it sleeps in oblivion,
But a single candle ignites a refraction,
Carving light into color in serrated planes,
Only as rigid as the stillness of the flame.
But a camera flash, like a blast of insight,
Will bury color at its heart and leave a blight
Of vacant lines as each facet locks to the next,
Like pages in a closed book obliterate text.
Let the sun burst it red, orange, yellow and blue,
Then open your eyes, take your time, and think things through.
Two Men Contemplating the Moon (Caspar David Friedrich)
We can see the moon, but not its eclipse.
We drink the coldest stars with little sips;
Venus, a tear on the horizon's cheek;
Mars bleeds; the Dipper, wan and weak,
Contains an empty trapezoid.
The Milky Way flows nowhere from the void.
This night, we want nothing to learn.
Our regrets leak from a cracked urn
Of lust and yearning we fling at the stars.
Shattered, it forms constellations of scars.
The lunar eclipse, the earth's one moment
Of triumph over the universe's intent --
We grow no brighter by dimming the sun.
We leave chastened. There's so much to be done.


Celestial jewellery, romantic winter escapes, and a $3,000 giveaway - all in this week's Bridal Buzz!
From guiding our boats across oceans to foreign shores, to helping us envision our destiny, there has always been a close and magical relationship between humanity and the stars. In light of the impending Māori New Year, we were inspired by the team at Zoe and Morgan to look to the skies to spot Matariki, the Māori name for a small cluster of stars visible from New Zealand in the last days of May or early in June. Also known as the Seven Sisters, this special constellation heralds great significance to the Zoe and Morgan team and is the design influence behind their Map of an Invisible World collection, available now. Model wears Seven Sisters Earrings, $184; Milky Way of Diamonds Ring, $3675; Milky Way Ring, $131; and Shooting Star Ring, $273.


Wednesday, October 14, 2009
NASA and Russian Space Agency Administrators Meet http://bit.ly/5czIs http://bit.ly/sivZ8," is from waybis (10/5/09)."Strapped NASA might need global space partners http://j.mp/50TYe http://bit.ly/1465qC via," is from waybis (10/3/09)."Panel’s report threatens NASA’s mission: A report suggesting NASA’s space travel goals are too ambitious is jeop.. http://bit.ly/325hF3," is from The Hill (9/10/09)."The full Final Report is still being prepared and will be released when complete," is from the NASA HSF [Augustine] Committee (9/9/09)."See the NEW Hubble images online now: www.nasa.gov/hubble," is from NASA (9/9/09).


How the Moon Disappeared
It was lost, with no trail to follow back home. It began to worry that the predator stalking it would make a meal out of its fur and flesh.
Yet, when it looked up at the skies, it was fascinated by the light showering from everywhere.
It was the moon, the round, rocky thing hanging like a puppet held by an invisible string.
Tonight, it appeared with sharpen edges. A crescent moon! Who wouldn’t be captivated by this magnificent thing? Beheld by its enormous shape, the rabbit leapt to the sky and take hold of the moon as if it was its own.
It dragged the moon by its tip, and pranced to nowhere. It was thievery!
The village of Bellevedere was put into chaos since then. Witches began to doubt if they could still practice the congregation, a summoning of their powers.
Danger then stalked around Mudwick, only because of a silly, little rabbit who found the moon so beautiful it couldn’t help but took it from the sky.


Investigation of the Radiation Environment in Deep Space and Its Effect on Spacecraft Materials Properties
In the deep space exploration activities, the spacecraft would travel through the interplanetary space and arrive at other planets. The vehicles would be exposed to the harmful space environments during traveling or while orbiting the planet. The radiation environment is one of the most important environmental factors that would affect the spacecraft performance. The radiation environment in the interplanetary space, as well as on Jupiter, Saturn and Mars is described in this paper. Radiation in the interplanetary space consists of galactic cosmic rays and solar protons. Because Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field in the Solar system, the particle energy in its radiation belt is ten times that of the Earth’s radiation belt and its flux is a few orders of magnitude larger than at the Earth. In this harmful radiation environment, many of the materials used in the vehicle design would suffer significant properties degradation or failure. Also the effects of these severe radiation environments on vehicle materials are analyzed in this paper.
KeywordsDeep space Radiation environment Spacecraft material Effect Mars Jupiter Saturn
- 1.Atwell W (2007) Radiation environments for deep-space missions and exposure estimates. In: AIAA SPACE 2007 conference & exposition, 18–20 Sept, Long Beach, CAGoogle Scholar
- 2.Tripathi RK, Nealy JE (2007) Mars radiation risk assessment and shielding design for long-term exposure to ionizing space radiation. Nov 23Google Scholar
- 3.Atwell W (2003) Solar Proton event observations at Mars with MARIE: an update. Space. 23–25 Sept, Long Beach, CAGoogle Scholar
- 4.Garrett HB, Levin SM and Bolton SJ (2005) A revised model of Jupiter’s inner electron belts: updating the divine radiation model. Geophys Res lett 32: L04104. doi: 10.1029/2004, GL021986Google Scholar


Pluto and the Dwarf Planets
Since its discovery in 1906, Pluto held the title of the 9th planet from the Sun. In 2006, Pluto was demoted after the discovery of 2 large planetoids orbiting nearby. The decision came down to adding 2 new planets or removing Pluto. In the end, it was decided that Pluto and the new planetoids should form a new group called the dwarf planets.
Planet vs. Dwarf Planet
WHAT IS A DWARF PLANET ANYWAYS?
|Orbits the Sun and isn’t a moon||✓||✓|
|Enough mass to hold a spherical shape||✓||✓|
|Orbital path is cleared of other objects||✓||✗|
IN OTHER WORDS…
The main difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is that dwarf planets orbit within debris fields. Pluto lies within the Kuiper belt, similar to the asteroid belt in that there are a large number of objects orbiting within the same space.
The Dwarf Planets
DON’T THINK OF IT AS LOSING A PLANET, BUT AS GAINING A DWARF PLANET (OR FIVE)
Ceres – 963 km across
The largest asteroid and smallest known dwarf planet
Pluto – 2,370 km across
The largest dwarf planet, has 5 moons
Makemake – 1,434 km across
Appears to be red in color
Eris – 2,326 km across
Almost as large as Pluto, has one known moon
Haumea – 1,920 km x 990 km across
Rotates once every 4 hours, so fast its shape is stretched into an oblong sphere. Two known moons.
Asteroid & Kuiper Belts
HOME OF THE DWARF PLANETS
Home to the dwarf planet Ceres which contains about a quarter of the entire mass of the asteroid belt. The asteroids are thought to be leftover material from a planet that failed to form due to gravitational disturbances from Jupiter.
The Kuiper belt lies beyond Neptune and appears to be doughnut-shaped. The rest of the dwarf planets reside here.


For those who have not already seen it, the next two weeks present an opportunity to witness a unique event – a very close conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn.
“Conjunction” is the term astronomers used to describe two astronomical objects or spacecraft having either the same right ascension or the same ecliptic longitude, and thus when seen from Earth, appear to be close together.
With the planets, such events are not especially rare – in fact as they and the Earth circle the Sun, conjunctions between Jupiter and Saturn tend to occur once every 20 years. However, most of these only see Jupiter and Saturn close to around one degree of one another, or about one-fifth the diameter of the Moon as seen from Earth. But sometimes they appear to get much closer, creating what is referred to as a “great conjunction”. This year, the two planets will appear to be just 6 arc minutes apart as seen from Earth on December 21st, 2020; so “close” (remembering that their respective orbits around the Sun will still be separated by 883 million km), they will almost, but not quite, appear as a single point of light when seen with the naked eye.
These “great conjunctions” occur, on average, once every 300-400 years, although such is the nature of orbital mechanics, they can actually occasionally occur more frequently, or have longer time gaps between them. As it is, the last time Jupiter and Saturn appeared as close as the will be between December 20th and 22nd was in 1623, not long after Galileo had observed both planets – although he was unable to witness the event, as the rising Sun would have rendered them invisible in its glare.
What is most rare is a close conjunction that occurs in our night time sky. I think it’s fair to say that such an event typically may occur just once in any one person’s lifetime, and I think ‘once in my lifetime’ is a pretty good test of whether something merits being labelled as rare or special.
Astronomer David Weintraub
However, the two planets can appear to be much closer. In 1226, and in the skies over the Mongol Empire, when the planets appear to be just 2 arc minutes apart.
Tracing these great conjunctions back in time reveals that Jupiter and Saturn may well have played a role in the legend of the Star of Bethlehem. In 7 B.C. not one, but three great conjunctions occurred, with the two planets again being within 2 arc minutes of one another as seen from Earth.
The first occurred in May of that year, when Jupiter and Saturn appeared as a morning star over the middle east. As the Magi were practitioners of (among other things) astronomy and astrology – both at that time pretty much joined at the hip – such an event may well have caused them to start out on their long journey towards Judea, the second conjunction, in September of the year, encouraging them to continue. The third conjunction occurred in December, 7 B.C., the time at which they were said to have met with Herod the Great.
This year’s conjunction will be not long after sunset, with the two planets located low over the south-west horizon. With a reasonable telescope or good pair of binoculars, you’ll have an ideal opportunity to see both planets and their major moons in the same field of view. Should you do so, you’ll be looking at over 90% of the planetary mass of the entire solar system.
Beyond the 21st, the two planets will gradually move “apart” as noted, until by the 25th December, they’ll be separated in the night sky by roughly the diameter of a full Moon, and will continue to draw apart relative to Earth as they pass below the horizon.
And if you miss this close conjunction between the two, the next will be along in a relatively (and unusually) short period, occurring on March 15th 2080. The next time they’ll be as apparently close as they were in 7 B.C. will be on Christmas Day, 2874.
Chang’e 5 Returns Samples
China’s Chang’e 5 lunar sample return mission has successfully delivered its cargo of lunar samples to Earth, where they have been recovered and transported for analysis.
As I’ve previously reported, Chang’e 5 was launched on November 23rd on what was to be a mission of up to 23 days in length, in which it would send two vehicles – a lander and an ascender – to the surface of the lunar nearside at Mons Rümker in Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms), a relatively “young” part of the Moon in an a to collect samples of lunar material from up to 2 metres below the surface for return to Earth and analysis.
Following a safe landing on Monday, November 30th, the lander / ascender successfully gathered the desired samples, and after the lander has completed a number of other tasks, the ascender used it as a launch platform to return to orbit and a rendezvous with the orbiter / sample return capsule combination. Docking with the latter, the ascender transferred the container with its precious cargo to the capsule, and was then jettisoned, later crashing back into the Moon.
Then on Saturday December 12th, and after waiting for the optimal return window to open, the two remaining elements of Chang’e 5 started back to Earth, a low-speed journey that took the vehicles 4 days to complete. On approaching Earth on December 16th, the return capsule detached from the orbiter and performed an initial “skip” into the upper atmosphere before bouncing back out into space very briefly, like a stone skipping the water of a pond. This manoeuvre allowed the capsule to slow itself in an aerobraking manoeuvre before it re-entered the atmosphere once more, this time passing through re-entry before deploying its parachutes to land in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region.
Following recovery, the capsule and cargo were whisked to Beijing to begin the process of disassembly and analysis.
As our nation’s mostly complex and technically ground-breaking space mission, Chang’e 5 has achieved multiple technical breakthroughs … and represents a landmark achievement.
– China National Space Administration
The spacecraft’s return marked the first time scientists have obtained fresh samples of lunar rocks since the former Soviet Union’s Luna 24 robot probe in 1976. As with the 382 kg of lunar samples brought back by U.S. astronauts from 1969 to 1972, Chang’e 5’s payload will be analysed for age and composition and is expected to be shared with other countries. Given the samples are much “younger” than the samples returned by Apollo by around 3 billion years, it is hoped the Chang’e 5 samples will help scientists better understand the history of the Moon.
A FAST Response to the Loss of Arecibo
Following the catastrophic loss of the Arecibo radio observatory (see Space Sunday: returns and a collapse), China is to open its own radio telescope array to international use.
FAST, the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, took the crown of the world’s largest radio telescope from the 305-metre Arecibo in 2016, when its five-year construction officially came to a close, and the array commenced a 3-year testing an commissioning programme that was completed at the start of 2020.
Not only is FAST bigger than Arecibo, as I reported at the time of its completion, it is far more sensitive in certain areas, and more capable in terms of its pointing capability. In fact, it is so sensitive, despite being located in a remote area of Guizhou Province in south-west China, it required the paid relocation of over 9,000 local villagers and the introduction of a 5-km wide exclusion zone around it to prevent even the output of modest microwave ovens from upsetting its instruments.
China will start accepting proposals for using the telescope from scientist and astronomers around the world starting in early 2021, with this first invitations to attend the facility being awarded later in the year.
Long March 8 Set to Fly
As I’m writing this piece, China is making final preparations to conduct a test launch of their latest launch vehicle: the Long March 8.
Developed from the Long March 7, the new vehicle is designed to lift a maximum of 5 tonnes to geosynchronous transfer orbits (GTO) or 2.8 tonnes to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). Like all of China’s new Long March launch systems, it is designed to be “environment friendly”, burning a much cleaner mix of fuels – kerosene and liquid oxygen in all of its motors.
However, the most interesting aspect of the launcher is that the core stage is intended to be reusable. While this won’t be the case for the first flight, future launches will see the core stage of the rocket making a return to Earth and a landing on a floating platform a-la the SpaceX Falcon 9. However, the Long March 8 core will return with its strap-on boosters still attached, allowing them to also be reused.
For the test flight, the core stage will not be recovered, however, it will carry a classified Chinese government payload, alongside commercial satellites – Long March 8 is also designed to compete in the growing commercial launch services market.
How to See an Exoplanet
In the last several decades, we have discovered thousand exoplanets orbiting other stars, and through various means, we’ve been able to assess many of them in terms of their size, mass, potential composition (gas giant, solid rocky world), the potential for them to have an atmosphere and its possible composition, and so on.
The one thing that remains difficult is directly imaging them, particularly the more Earth-like, solid worlds, simply because they are too small to be adequately imaged in the detail we would like. In fact, to directly image any Earth-sized exoplanet up to 100 light years away at just one or two pixels resolution, we would need a telescope with a primary mirror approximately 90 km in diameter. And even then, in order to obtain a good signal-to-noise ratio and actually resolve any real surface details, it would need several thousand years of careful image processing.
However, physicists lead by Slava G. Turyshev at the Jet Proplusion laboratory, have postulated a novel approach that could potentially reveal the surfaces of exoplanets relatively close to us at resolutions where surface details could be seen – by using the Sun in what is called Solar Gravitational Lensing (SGL).
As Einstein predicted, gravity is all-pervasive, affecting everything it encounters – including light, which it can bend and focus. Astronomers have used the effect in what is called gravitational lensing to reveal information about very distant objects – such as galaxies – by focusing and amplifying them using the gravity of a closer, massive object (such as another galaxy).
Up until now, gravitational lensing hasn’t required precise focusing; rather, by “bending” the light of those distant objects using the gravitational well of a closer object, astronomers have created “Einstein rings”, circles, arcs and crosses of light that appear around the “lensing object”, which can then be analysed across the full light spectrum to reveal information about the originating object.
In their paper, Turyshev and his colleagues propose taking the idea a stage further – using the Sun’s massive, and local gravity well as the primary “mirror” in a giant “telescope”, allowing it to focus the light reflected by exoplanets on a point in deep space, where it could be received by a robotic imaging system..
Doing so would allow astronomers to view a planet like Proxima b, 4.2 light years away, at a equivalent resolution 0f 1024×1024 pixels. While this may not sound particularly high, with proper post-processing, it could reveal a lot about the terrain and conditions on that world – and even, by revealing any lights on the part of the planet in shadow,tell us if some kind of civilisation lives there.
However, there is are several catches to this idea. The first is that such is the size of the Sun, the use of SGL means that the receiving imaging system would need to be an average of 550 AU (astronomical units – the average distance between the Earth and the Sun) away from the Sun. That’s about four times the distance from Earth to Voyager 1, the most distant man-made object from this planet.
The second is that at this distance, the imaging receiver would be well beyond our ability to maintain it, should it encounter operational issues. Plus, it would be facing towards the Sun, and so the light from any exoplanet would be obliterated by sunlight, and any data on a distant planet subject to possible spherical aberrations. None of these problems are insurmountable – a suitable ion drive system could help the receiver reach the desired distance from the Sun, while the sunlight issue could be resolved by using a coronagraph, and any aberrations in the image could be carefully processed out – although Turyshev’s team note that any image post-processing is liable to be on the order of a year or more to complete.
Even so, such a capability would be an invaluable tool for astronomy and astrobiology, and the study suggests that, with suitable funding over the next couple of decades, together with the time needed to get the receiver out into interstellar space, an SGL “telescope” could be operational before the end of this century.
In the next 10-15 years we will discover thousands of new exoplanets by using indirect methods (transit spectroscopy, radial velocity, astrometry, microlensing, etc.). Once we have a set of exciting targets, SGL will help us to study them. We could launch a mission towards the focal region of the SGL for a particular target and study this pre-selected target or target system.
– Slava G. Turyshev


As the instruments we send into space get increasingly complex and are able to collect larger amounts of data, we need a more efficient way to send that data back to Earth. The current space communication system uses radio-based communications, with agencies like NASA gradually moving to higher and higher frequencies to squeeze more data into a transmission. But for the next generation of space instrument, we’ll need a communication system that can handle even more data, and that’s where lasers come in.
Laser communications, also known as optical communications, allows instruments to send larger amounts of data like 4K videos or months of scientific analysis back to Earth. It could increase the amount of data that can be be sent by between 10 and 100 times compared to current systems. To illustrate what that means, NASA explains: “It would take roughly nine weeks to transmit a complete map of Mars back to Earth with current radio frequency systems. With lasers, it would take about nine days.”
NASA recently announced it will be launching a demonstration of this laser communications technology later this summer, in a mission called the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD).
“LCRD will demonstrate all of the advantages of using laser systems and allow us to learn how to use them best operationally,” said Principal Investigator David Israel at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in a statement “With this capability further proven, we can start to implement laser communications on more missions, making it a standardized way to send and receive data.”
To test out laser communications, LCRD will be launched into geosynchronous orbit around 22,000 miles above the planet in June. For the first two years of its mission, it will test out communications with various experiments involving sending data back and forth between the ground station in California and Hawaii. As laser communications can be blocked by clouds, NASA needs to figure out what the effects of various kinds of atmospheric disturbance will be on the communications system. After these two years are up, LCRD will start sending and receiving information to and from current space missions.
- Watch NASA’s capsule with asteroid samples hurtling to Earth
- NASA’s Artemis moon astronauts suit up for mission practice run
- NASA astronaut describes record-breaking space stay as an ‘incredible challenge’
- Pollution-tracking NASA satellite shares its first images of air quality
- NASA eyes weather for Friday’s Crew-7 launch. Here’s how it’s looking


Northrop Grumman has been advancing propulsion technology since 1958. Our earliest work involved cold gas, heated gas, and liquid bipropellant and monopropellant rockets and boosters; we continue to further these technologies today. For example, Northrop Grumman was selected in May 2001 by NASA to be one of the developers of new propulsion technology for potential use on next-generation launch and space transportation vehicles.
We have been developing electric propulsion since the 1970s and have made recent world-class advances in gel propellant propulsion.
Our fundamental research and development has been applied to a range of flight hardware for a wide range of space missions. Recent flight successes of propulsion systems have included NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Army's gel-powered FMTI missile, and a SCAT-powered spacecraft.
Booster Vehicle Engines
Northrop Grumman is developing booster vehicle engines that will provide low-cost access to space.
Based on Northrop Grumman's pintle engine technology, Northrop Grumman's 650,000-pound thrust TR-106 engine is one of the largest liquid rockets ever built. It has been successfully test fired at 100 percent of its rated thrust as well as at 65 percent throttle condition in tests at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center.
Designed as a simple, easy-to-manufacture, low cost engine, the TR-106 has parts made from common steel alloys using standard industrial fabrication techniques, uses ablative cooling techniques in place of more expensive regenerative cooling, and features the least complex type of rocket propellant injector a single element coaxial pintle injector. The pintle injector contains only five parts (excluding seals, attachment nuts, bolts and washers).
Northrop Grumman has been developing selected electric propulsion technologies and systems since the 1970s. A Northrop Grumman-developed arcjet system, launched in 1999, is the highest power (30kW) electric propulsion system flown to date. The company is now developing a 200 W Hall propulsion system to support a demonstration of formation-flying three satellites.
Electric propulsion can be used for multiple types of in-space missions, from inserting spacecraft into specific orbits to repositioning spacecraft, stationkeeping, and constellation management. Electric thrusters have much higher specific impulse than chemical thrusters, and provide two to three times more fuel efficiency. Higher fuel efficiency means less propellant is needed on-board, allowing spacecraft designers to reduce overall spacecraft weight and launch costs or to add more weight and capability to the payload.


Despite facing heartbreaking setbacks from the last-minute failure in soft-landing (far side of lunar surface) of the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to perform India’s first-ever space docking experiment (SPADEX) next year, as reported by Hindu Businessline.
The complex experiment would involve two separate satellites linking with each other in the space physically. The two satellites will be launched to space on board an indigenously made PSLV rocket.
The successful execution of the SPADEX will make way for India’s successful plans to have its own space station similar to the International Space Station (ISS) revolving the planet Earth. After that, the space station would then serve as a laboratory in the space.
ISRO chief Dr K Sivan added that India’s premier space research body is working hard to take up the space station project after the completion of the prestigious Gaganyaan project, under which 3 Indian astronauts will be sent to space, for which the work has already started.
The project is to be carried out before 2022-23 end when would be celebrating its 75th year of independence. According to Dr Sivan, the Gaganyaan project is expected to happen in December 2021.
(With inputs from Swarajyamag)


The origin of how the Universe created its voids and filaments can now be studied inside seconds after researchers developed a man-made intelligence instrument known as Darkish Emulator.
Developments in telescopes have enabled researchers to check the Universe with larger element, and to ascertain a typical cosmological mannequin that explains numerous observational information concurrently. However there are lots of issues researchers nonetheless don’t perceive. Remarkably, the vast majority of the Universe is made up of darkish matter and darkish vitality, of which nobody has been capable of establish their nature. A promising avenue to unravel these mysteries is the construction of the Universe. At present’s Universe is made up of filaments the place galaxies cluster collectively and appear to be threads from far-off, and voids the place there seems to be nothing (picture 1). The invention of the cosmic microwave background has given researchers a snapshot of what the Universe seemed like near its starting, and understanding how its construction developed to what it’s at this time would reveal precious traits about what darkish matter and darkish vitality is.
A group of researchers, together with Kyoto College Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics Venture Affiliate Professor Takahiro Nishimichi, and Kavli Institute for the Physics and Arithmetic of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) Principal Investigator Masahiro Takada, used the world’s quickest astrophysical simulation supercomputers ATERUI and ATERUI II to develop the Darkish Emulator. Utilizing the emulator on information recorded by a number of of the world’s largest observational surveys permits researchers to check potentialities regarding the origin of cosmic constructions, and the way darkish matter distribution might have modified over time.
“We constructed a very giant database utilizing a supercomputer, which took us three years to complete, however now we will recreate it on a laptop computer in a matter of seconds. I really feel like there may be nice potential in information science. Utilizing this consequence, I hope we will work our means in direction of uncovering the best thriller of contemporary physics, which is to uncover what darkish vitality is. I additionally assume this methodology we’ve developed might be helpful in different fields corresponding to pure sciences or social sciences,” says lead creator Nishimichi.
This instrument makes use of a side of synthetic intelligence known as machine studying. By altering a number of vital traits of the Universe, corresponding to these of darkish matter and darkish vitality, ATERUI and ATERUI II have created a whole bunch of digital Universes. Darkish Emulator learns from the information, and guesses outcomes for brand new units of traits with out having to create completely new simulations each time. When testing the ensuing instrument with real-life surveys, it was capable of efficiently predict weak gravitational lensing results within the Hyper Suprime-Cam survey, together with the three-dimensional galaxy distribution patterns recorded within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to inside 2 to three % accuracy, in a matter of seconds. In comparison, running simulations individually through a supercomputer without the AI, would take several days.
The researchers hope to apply their tool using data from upcoming surveys in the 2020s, enabling deeper studies of the origin of the Universe.
Details of their study were published in the Astrophysical Journal on October 8, 2019.
Reference: “Dark Quest. I. Fast and Accurate Emulation of Halo Clustering Statistics and Its Application to Galaxy Clustering” by Takahiro Nishimichi, Masahiro Takada, Ryuichi Takahashi, Ken Osato, Masato Shirasaki, Taira Oogi, Hironao Miyatake, Masamune Oguri, Ryoma Murata, Yosuke Kobayashi and Naoki Yoshida, 8 October 2019, The Astrophysical Journal.
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Unearth the mysteries of space with this specially curated Space activity pack. Dive into exploration as you discover the fascinating world of astronomers, astronauts, planets and the technological marvels of the Space Race. This activity pack offers engaging activities, fun puzzles and a time-travelling story that will transport you beyond the Earth's atmosphere and into the cosmic realm. Crafted with imagination and accuracy, this pack will ignite your love for discovery and bring the captivating wonders of space right to your fingertips. Order now and become the astronaut of your very own cosmic adventure!
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I was a poor PhD student at Cambridge when one day I came upon Stephen Hawking’s inaugural lecture Is the end in sight for theoretical physics?
in a second-hand bookshop.
Being a life-long bibliophile, I immediately recognized how rare this book was. It was the lecture that Stephen Hawking gave when he was inducted into the prestigious Lucasian Professorship (a chair which had been once held by Sir Isaac Newton and Paul Dirac, the eminent quantum physicist).
It was the first edition, and until then it has never been reprinted. It is an old Cambridge tradition to “inaugurate” a professorship with a special lecture.
Hawking’s lecture, which was delivered in 1980, was especially provocative because he was predicting that an eleven-dimensional theory known as supergravity was going to solve the fundamental problems of theoretical physics.
It turned out that his optimism was premature, and years later when I was a student at Cambridge he gave part two of his famous lecture.
My string theory lecturer, Malcolm Perry, who was one of Hawking’s first PhD students (and who would become my PhD supervisor) had to reschedule his class so he could attend the lecture, complaining loudly that he wished Stephen had gotten it right the first time around!
Anyway, back to my story. The book was about 10 pounds or so, and way too expensive for my poor wallet. Yet I bought it and kept it carefully packed away with my stuff.
Stephen Hawking was the head of my research group at Cambridge, and academically my grandfather (his PhD student was my supervisor), and we got used to seeing him every day
Stephen Hawking was the head of my research group at Cambridge, and academically my grandfather (his PhD student was my supervisor), and we got used to seeing him every day. He would pay for the lunch for the gravitational physics group lunch seminars on Friday. Many of the students in the department attended because of the free pizzas and chicken wings, and he took us out to his favourite Thai restaurant once a year.
Often at department parties, he would get bored of talking to the bigwigs and just come and hang out with the students.
In 2002, right before I graduated and left Cambridge, I finally got up the courage to go and thank him during a party. He smiled and his then-wife and I made small talk. Eventually, I asked if he would autograph his Inaugural Lecture
He agreed, and in a day or two, I had his autograph on what would become my most prized and valuable possession. But his secretary had also inserted a smiling photo of him printed on copyright paper.
I love that photo with his impish smile and a copy of Marilyn Monroe’s biography. Stephen really loved Marilyn Monroe.
Perhaps Stephen’s greatest contribution to physics was his groundbreaking work on black holes. His early work on black holes established that black holes, like other large physical systems in the universe, satisfy the laws of thermodynamics.
The traditional understanding of black holes was that they would, due to their enormous gravity, suck up everything but would not emit anything. A black hole is surrounded by an event horizon, which is an imaginary surface beyond which nothing could return.
Eventually by using quantum theory on the vicinity of black holes, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes will emit radiation and that eventually because of this radiation, the black hole will evaporate and vanish.
However, for realistic black holes in our universe, the time that it would take for a black hole to evaporate completely would be longer than the life-time of our universe.
Even though it is unlikely that we would see a black hole evaporate any time soon, Hawking’s result caused an uproar in the physics world.
Tibra Ali works on string theory and cosmology.


Is there life in the universe? And if there is life, is there intelligent life in the universe? A cursory search of planet Earth may lead you to conclude that there is life; but whether it is truly intelligent or not is yet to be determined.
I mean, really, look at the evidence: pollution, crime, violence, war, nuclear weapons, biological warfare, chemical weapons, insatiable greed, overpopulation, species elimination, self indulgence, celebrities, MP3 players vomiting rap music, and gigantic speakers in cars blasting heavy bass with filthy lyrics.
I could stop there and think I will as I believe that I have made my point; and instead, turn my attention to the larger universe in hope of finding sanity in the seeming chaos of Creation.
The question, “Are we alone in the universe?” has probably haunted humans since they first looked up into a black night sky with innumerable sparkling lights in awesome wonder. So it has been until recent decades when man has begun to apply his intelligence and imagination in new ways to the accumulated knowledge and observation of centuries.
Frank Drake, an astronomer at Cornell University was such a man, and devised a mathematical model for estimating the statistical probability of intelligent life evolving upon other planets and the possibility of communicating with it. His formula, appropriately named after him, states that:
N = the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible;
R* = the average rate of star formation per year in our galaxy
fp = the fraction of those stars that have planets
ne = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets
fℓ = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point
fi = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life
fc = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L = the length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space
The great thing about this formula is that you can provide your own numbers. Scientists estimate approximately 200 billion stars exist in the Milky Way Galaxy, and that was before recent speculation that brown dwarf stars may be much more prolific than previously thought; increasing the number of stars, and therefore, the number of possible planets where intelligent life might arise.
Once you have estimated the number of possible planets in the Milky Way Galaxy that could conceivably host intelligent life and create a civilization that is both detectable and is technologically advanced enough to communicate across the vast distances of space; then you can multiply that result by the estimated 100 billion galaxies in the Universe to determine whether intelligent life exists somewhere else.
Fortunately, and statistically, it must: a triumph of consciousness if it does.


With 1 down, 1 flying, and several more coming, the Chang'e program is starting off with strong successes. The Chang'E-1 mission mapped the entire moon in microwaves, with data presented at the European Planetary Sciences Congress conference last month (September 2010).
Radar observations of the Moon are unable to provide thermal information, and microwave observations taken from Earth cannot reach the far side of the moon. So Chang'E-1's (CE-1) orbit was conducted at an altitude of 200km (124 miles) and allowed it to observe every location of the moon with a nadir view and at high spatial resolution.
|ChangE'1 microwave (temperature) map of the entire Moon |
And what's their ultimate goal? Awesomeness, with extra awesome sauce: to land a person on the moon.
"The most fundamental task for human beings' space exploration is to research on human origins and find a way for mankind to live and develop sustainably," said Qian Weiping, chief designer of the Chang'e-2 mission's tracking and control system.It seems there are 4 Chang'e missions in the works. I would say their main competition is the Lunar X-Prize: $30 million to the first private company to land a robot on the moon.
We live in an age where multiple nations are fighting to conquer space, in peaceful competition, while a nascent commercial space flight industry tests whether to throw its hand into the game as well. We already have all the knowledge from the 70s explorations and onward. This new space race is no longer a question of technology, but of will power. Space will belong to those who realize its worth.
Launching Project Calliope, sponsored by Science 2.0, in 2011
News every Tuesday at The Satellite Diaries, every Friday at the Daytime Astronomer


Blazing a trail of primordial dust
|(l-r) Professsor McDonnell and Professor Taylor outside Halley's former house in Oxford|
|Comets played a role
in the origins of life on Earth and might equally bring about its
end. This view of these spectacular heavenly visitors was expressed
by Professor Tony McDonnell of the University of Kent, giving the
eighty-eighth Halley Lecture in the
In contrast to the ancient belief that comets were harbingers of fate or the souls of the great departed, the prevalent view today is that comets are made up of debris from the primordial cloud from which the main bodies of the solar system, the sun, and the planets formed. As pristine examples of the primordial material from which the Earth was made, and some if not all of our atmosphere derived, comets are the focus of much research, including unmanned space missions such as Giotto, Stardust, and Rosetta.
The Halley Lecture was instituted at Oxfordalma mater and home to the eponymous seventeenth-century meteorologist, oceanographer, and planetary astronomerin 1910, one of the years in which the comet, whose return he famously predicted in 1705, travelled close to the earth.
Professor McDonnell was one of the leading academics involved in planning and monitoring the 1986 Giotto mission to Halley's comet. During the lecture, he showed a remarkable film of the nucleus of the comet, as seen from the spacecraft. Made of a material resembling frozen soil, the nucleus is a potato-shaped object about fifteen miles long. Jets of gas and dust streaming from it give rise to the spectacular tail, millions of miles long, which we see from Earth. Comet Hale-Bopp provided a similar spectacle earlier this year.
The lecture, organised by Professor Fred Taylor, Head of the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Planetary Physics Department, was preceded this year by a meeting of fifty top UK planetary scientists. Under discussion was the new Rosetta mission to comet Wirtanena recent research focus for the Oxford department.
Following the lecture, Oxford's planetary physicists and their guests visited Halley's house in Queen's Lane and the Turf Tavern, assumed to be a hostelry frequented by the great astronomer.
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A large microwave Type Ⅳ radio burst associated with CMEwas observed withPhoenix I Corona Radio Spectrometer of Yunnan Observatory on December 16,1988 as an accompanying event. atom 0826 to 0941 UT, a long period oscillation of 12.1 minutes occurred among five main peaks on three wave bands. Ashort periodoscillation of 1.2 minutes appeared among six subpeaks on first main peak. Onthe basis of Beijing Huairou magnetogram, the concerned physical parameters ofburst source region are calculated, e.g. brightness temperature, electron power-lawdistribution, etc. The short period oscillation calculated with the slow wave modelconforms to the observational period. This large Type IVμ
burst, CME and otheraccompanying phenomena are all interpreted preliminarily.


A lawsuit over defective solar eclipse glasses could cast a shadow over online retailer giant Amazon
A South Carolina couple, Thomas Corey Payne and Kayla Harris, filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Amazon in federal court on Tuesday saying they experienced headaches and eye watering after using glasses they bought on Amazon to view the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, Reuters reported. Days after using the glasses, they also experienced blurry and distorted vision, the lawsuit claimed. They are filing on behalf of others who are in similar situations, the lawsuit said.
Amazon declined to comment. The South Carolina couple’s lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
The safety of solar eclipse glasses was a major concern of astronomy experts in the weeks leading up to the much-watched event. Third-party online vendors, such as Amazon and eBay,
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as the American Astronomical Society, advised consumers to test their glasses at home before using them to view the solar eclipse (people with safe glasses should not have been able to see regular light fixtures and lamps) and to check for an ISO number that indicated international safety standards. Some schools across the country and in the path of totality, where the sun completely disappeared for a few minutes, were closed, in an effort not to be liable for any children looking at the sun in an unsafe manner.
Looking up while the sun is completely blocked by the moon is not dangerous, experts said, but staring even at a partially visible sun during an eclipse is. Retinal damage can occur from infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation and excessive blue light, according to a report from the Schepens Eye Research Institute at Harvard University. UV radiation can cause pain and vision loss, and risk is greatest for young eyes. Pain and the effects of vision impairment usually do not occur for at least several hours after the damage has already been done, according to NASA.


Star Zone is an amazing arcade space shooter where you must defend your damaged spaceship from waves of asteroids and escape the galaxy. In order to escape you will need to repair your spaceship. One asteroid impact and you are dead.
Real time shooter. Decide in very short time which asteroid to destroy.
Set your strategy. When to repair the spaceship, upgrade the turret or use the energy shield.
Set your tactics. Energy pots, is it better to process them or blast them as a bombs?
The game has an end, escape the galaxy. Can you complete it?
Scary space atmosphere. You will feel lonely out there.


Note: Please continue to observe this target until further notice. - Elizabeth O. Waagen, April 3, 2023
December 13, 2022
AAVSO Forum threads (scroll to the bottom of a thread for latest posts):
- Campaigns and Observation Reports: https://www.aavso.org/asassn-v-j02200717-6107055-campaign
Please subscribe to this thread if you are participating in the campaign so you can be updated by the astronomers and by HQ. Join in the discussion or ask questions there!
Further to AAVSO Alert Notice 794, Dr. Brandon Marshall (University of Nebraska - Kearney) informs us that the campaign by him and Dr. Charles Kerton (Iowa State University) has been extended through March 2023. The target, for which photometric monitoring has been requested, is the unique variable ASASSN-V J022007.17+610705.5 (Cas) = VES 735. Spectroscopy planned at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory for October-December 2022 was not as successful as needed because of weather, and has been rescheduled for January-March 2023.
Dr. Marshall writes: "VES 735 is the exciting star of the compact Galactic HII region KR 140. Hα spectra of the star show double-peaked emission indicative of material in a circumstellar disk. The Hα emission was fairly consistent in observations from DDO and DAO in 1996 and 1997 as well as in spectra taken from WIRO in 2013 and 2014; the variability was minimal over timescales ranging from hours to years. This long-lived emission contrasts with well-studied emission from the Oe star ζ Oph where emission is more episodic. The most recent observations for VES 735 came in 2021 and 2022 from the DAO and Apache Point Observatory which showed the intensity of the Hα emission between 2 - 4 times the level of the stellar continuum. This is in strong contrast to the 1.1 - 1.5 times the continuum level that had been seen in the observations between 1996 and 2014.
"Our goal is to arrange photometric observations to complement a new spectroscopic campaign at DAO... The goal of the DAO campaign is to determine if the emission has returned to its pre-outburst state or if the strong emission is still ongoing. The AAVSO observing campaign observations will allow us to see if there is a relationship between the star’s Hα brightness and the star’s V-band magnitude."
V photometry is requested. The cadence requested per observer is a nightly snapshot (S/N > 20 (minimum S/N = 5)) from now through 2023 March 31. When the spectroscopy observations have been scheduled, they will be announced in the forum thread above. For those nights, hourly snapshots are requested. ASASSN-V J022007.17+610705.5 has a V range of 12.37 - 12.96 V and is spectral type O9.5V(e).
Coordinates (J2000): R.A. 02 20 07.17 Dec. +61 07 05.5 (from VSX page for the target)
Charts with comparison stars for ASASSN-V J022007.17+610705.5 may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (VSP).
Please report observations to the AAVSO International Database using the name ASASSN-V J022007.17+610705.5.
This Alert Notice was compiled by Elizabeth O. Waagen using material supplied by Dr. Marshall.
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A new EA system in Gemini has been discovered from the telescope of Astronomical observatory of University of Siena. This is UniSi_V106, an EA system observed for the very first time in december 2016 and approved only today after a lot of work.
The discovery has been possible with the effort of my brothers in stars Alessandro Marchini and Riccardo Papini.
ASAS-SN survey was used to fix the period.
The magnitues goes from 15.58 to 16.16 V. The secondary minima is placed at 15.8 (V).
Epoch: 2457751.4112 HJD
Period: 0.499520 d
The link to VSX record: https://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=624652


Are we along in the universe or are there others out there? Curbside believes there we are not alone and celebrates it with their UFO Tank.
• Fits true to size
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• Model wearing a medium


The anticipation surrounding the upcoming launch of the European Space Agency‘s Euclid spacecraft is palpable throughout Europe. This groundbreaking mission aims to unravel the mysteries of dark matter, a perplexing enigma that shrouds our understanding of the universe. Scientists are eager for Euclid to shed light on this cosmic puzzle, illuminating the hidden corners of our celestial realm.
Dark energy and dark matter play pivotal roles in shaping the cosmos. Dark energy propels the universe’s relentless expansion, while dark matter, constituting a staggering 80 percent of the universe’s mass, acts as a gravitational force that maintains cosmic order and harmony.
Elusive and enigmatic, dark matter evades conventional detection methods, emitting no discernible light or energy. This poses a daunting challenge for scientists. Enter Euclid, a specially designed telescope poised to chart an intricate map of the universe, enabling researchers to indirectly infer the properties of dark matter.
“The mysteries of these dark components must be unraveled for a comprehensive understanding of the universe,” asserts Professor Andy Taylor of Edinburgh University. Euclid’s significance cannot be overstated.
Beyond the mission’s scientific importance, the mere fact that Euclid is finally ready for launch adds to its excitement. Originally intended for liftoff in the previous year aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket, geopolitical tensions disrupted the cooperative efforts between Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, and the ESA. This unforeseen setback forced a prolonged delay. However, perseverance prevails, and Euclid is now set to embark on its journey aboard one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets on July 1.
Once deployed in the vast expanse of the cosmos, Euclid’s ability to trace the bending of light caused by galaxy clusters and celestial objects promises a unique glimpse into the enigmatic nature of dark matter. By surveying a third of the night sky simultaneously, Euclid, equipped with the resolving power of the Hubble Space Telescope, will provide astronomers with an exquisitely detailed map of the heavens.
Stephen Wilkins, an astronomer from Sussex University, emphasizes the significance of Euclid’s mission: “The point of Euclid is really to get the data that will allow us to start discriminating between which of the different ideas we have about the dark universe.” With this unprecedented wealth of information, scientists hope to gain profound insights into the fundamental workings of the cosmos that surrounds us.
As Euclid prepares to embark on its transformative odyssey, the collective aspirations of scientists soar alongside it. The stage is set for Euclid to push the boundaries of human knowledge and catalyze a new era of understanding, unravelling the secrets of the universe’s dark tapestry that has captivated our imaginations for centuries.


- Visual display of the current moon phase
- Dates of the next syzygies (new moon and full moon)
- Select date in the past or future
- Traditional names for each full moon of the year in full moon calendar
- Choose Northern or Southern Hemisphere
- Exploration mode: you can rotate and zoom spherical model of the moon
- Can be installed onto SD card
Feedback is welcome!
It doesn't require an internet connection anymore because the calendar data is calculated internally.
- add moon phases to calendar
- share moon phase dates
- blue moon and black moon detection
- shows current moon cover
- no internet connection required
countdown, count, moon, full, new, first, last, quarter, phase, calendar, luna, celestial, astronomy, tide, sun,waning,waxing
DON'T INSTALL DELUXE MOON TO SD CARD IF YOU USE WIDGETS
Deluxe Moon is a beautifully crafted application with innovative moon design. The application combines traditional lunar themes with modern technology to bring you the best: style, convenience of the moon in a pocket and a feature rich interface.
Comprehensive moon information includes information about the Moon at your location, such as precise times of the moon phases, brightness, altitude, moon phase calendar, sunset and sunrise time table, specific gardening advice based on the current moon phase,animated Zodiac circles, void-of-course precise times, moon horoscope, moon day descriptions and much more!
Are there connections between the moon and plants, human emotions, blood pressure, health or finance? Discover new amazing relationships with Deluxe Moon application!
- Moon phase widgets: five different types and sizes.
- Touch-n-turn: swipe the moon vertically to change the date by a month, or horizontally to change it by a day.
- Phase scan tells you exactly when the next moon phase is.
- Moon calendar with moon phases and zodiac signs.
- Large compass. To switch to it tap on a small moon compass.
- Sunrise, sunset and zenith: tap on either of moon timers to see it.
- Automatic positioning by GPS or cellular network.
- Network independence: the app works anywhere without Internet or cellular connections.
- Flexibility: you can manually set any location, time, date and UTC offset.
- Widgets are always enabled instead of SD card support.
- Scrollable moon brightness diagram.
- Sun and Moon rise and set time table.
- Monthly Moon phase table.
- Apogee/Perigee table.
- Equinox/Solstice table.
- Diagram menu: tap on the Moon image to activate.
- Precise moon phases times.
- Current moon’s age: how far along the moon is in its full cycle.
- Percent of the illuminated moon area.
- Zodiac sign the Moon is in.
- Moonrise and moonset times for your location.
- Moon timers: amount of time since moonrise and until moonset.
- Moonrise and moonset azimuths.
- Moon elevation.
- Moon distance to the Earth.
- Ecliptic longitude and latitude.
- Sunrise, sunset and zenith times.
Gardening and Astrology
- Specific gardening advice based on the current moon phase.
- Animated Zodiac circles: sidereal and tropical along with astronomical constellations
- Zodiac circles with the Moon and the Sun.
- Precise Void-Of-Course times.
- Detailed Moon astrology: Moon day description with aspects for business, personal life and health.
- Lunar horoscope
- English, German, Spanish, Russian.
- HVGA (320x480)
- WVGA (480x800)
- FWVGA (480x854)
- WXGA (800x1280) Android 3.0+
- WXGA (720x1280) Android 3.0+
- FULL HD (1080x1920) Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC ONE, Sony Xperia Z
"Your location" Is required for rize/set calculation.
"Take pictures and videos" Is required by flashlight.
2 permissions are used:
We appreciate your input. Please help us make this application better – visit our website to see more screenshots and videos and let us know what new features you would like to see.
If you like Deluxe Moon, please write us a review on Android Market. Your support would greatly help!
See today’s moon phase and rise and set times right on your home screen. Three sizes of widgets to choose from 1x1, 2x2, and 4x1. Uses the style of moon you pick as well.
---Large Beautiful Images---
Images of the moon phases large enough for a tablet but scale down for smaller devices as well.
---Barely Uses the GPS---
When the GPS is used, it is turned off right after a location is found. Then it continues to use this "last known location" unless you request an updated one. This saves your battery and puts the control of the GPS in your hands.
---Three Styles to Choose From---
Pick the style of moon phase you like the best. There is a realistic view, a moon with a sharp transition, and a simple black and white style.
---List of Cities---
No need to share your location, pick a city from the list to see the results for that area.
---Works Without An Internet Connection---
No internet connection is needed for the app to work. The data is calculated locally to give you an accurate moon phase, moonrise and moonset time.
---Customize The Display---
Choose to see more or less details. Turn on or off the illuminated fraction and days until the next full moon. Pick your daylight savings time settings, either US, EU, off, or always on.
---Why This App?---
Knowing the phase of the moon and when it will rise and set in your area can be useful for many reasons, such as:
- Avoiding werewolves
- Or for anyone who has an interest in how the moon will look
It's easy to find "next" full Moon dates/times to help plan events, fishing and hunting trips, and more.
This easy-to-use app also includes the Moon's age and percentage of illumination as well as a monthly calendar and the ability to swipe left to right to navigate day-by-day.
Have you seen the headlines? Do you know that 2014 and 2015 we will have Tetrad Red Blood Blood Eclipses?
Read the Bible...search for red moon, rapture and second coming.
Luke 21: 25-28 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
Download this app right now and keep informed on a daily basis of the signs that are occuring.
Also look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaOMatlVP6Q


1 Astro 21 first lecture The H-R H R Diagram helps us study how stars are born but also helps us study how they die. Stars spend most of their lives as main sequence stars. The core does change from hydrogen to filling up with Helium. Density increases in the center of the star.
2 The core heats up and fusion The core heats up and fusion increases. Bigger stars live shorter lives, smaller stars fuse at slow rates and live longer.
3 Life does not get a chance to form Life does not get a chance to form on planets of O and B stars. Here is the next stage of life for a star. Core fills up with He. Core shrinks and begins to heat up. Outside the core there is still Hydrogen. With this new heat outside the core the outer layers expand. With this new energy the star expands getting enormous.
4 As it expands the outer layers of As it expands the outer layers of the star gets cooler and redder. The star leaves mainsequence and moves to the upper right on the H-R H R diagram as a Red giant. These super giants are much brighter than the sun and lower density, cooler surface and hotter core. They get so big they take up the orbits of the earth and mars.
5 To observe stars we look in a star To observe stars we look in a star forest called star cluster. These stars are grouped together closely so they formed at nearly the same time. The only difference in them is there mass. There are three main types of clusters: Globular, Open and stellar associations. Globular clusters are old stars the others are young.
6 One example is Omega centauri with roughly a million stars in it.
7 The brightest in Omega have The brightest in Omega have finished there main sequence stage and are pale yellow.
8 Astro 21 2 nd lecture We would not be able to see the Milky way thru the glow of all the stars near us. 150 globular clusters Most are in the galactic halo. Open clusters are in the disk of our galaxy. Having several dozen to several hundred stars.
9 We only see a few of them thru the We only see a few of them thru the dust of interstellar matter in the disk of our galaxy.
10 The Pleiades is the most famous The Pleiades is the most famous being visible to the naked eye. In association is a group of very young stars 5 to 50 very hot bright O and B stars. There is also hundreds of thousands of low mass dim stars. The H-R H R diagram predicts after a few million years massive stars have contracted to make main sequence while smaller ones are still forming.
11 Orion Nebulae is young and a good Orion Nebulae is young and a good example.
12 As clusters age the larger stars As clusters age the larger stars move off the main sequence becoming red giants. The older the cluster the less massive stars are left on the main sequence.
13 Just compare the luminosities of Just compare the luminosities of the brightest stars still on the main sequence. Globular clusters are the oldest objects in the our galaxy, some being 13 billion years old. Stars spend most lives as main sequence. Range of life depends on its mass.
14 Stars with masses of 3 solar Stars with masses of 3 solar masses or less. Red giant starts with a Helium core. Core shrinks and grows hotter. At 100 million degrees three He can fuse to make a carbon nucleus. This is the Triple alpha process. In low mass stars this starts as a quick burst of fusion called He flash.
15 Quick heating goes thru the entire Quick heating goes thru the entire core. This rapidly heats up all the He in it. After He flash the Red Giant finds balance. Surface temperature increases while luminosity decreases. In the core it will sometimes add another He to the carbon to make an Oxygen nucleus.
16 Astro 21 3 rd lecture Stable stage of making O and C does not last long. Gravity wins again. The core of O and C heats up. The core continues to heat up but lower mass stars do not get hot enough to fuse anything else.
17 Giant stars lose mass into space. Giant stars lose mass into space. Our sun will lose 25% of its mass when it is a giant. These older stars can be surrounded by shells of gas having as much as 10 to 20% of its stars mass. Fusion is now over the star collapses its surface temp goes up to 100,000K. This high temp puts out UV rays.
18 These rays sweep the gas of mass These rays sweep the gas of mass the star ejected and lights it up. This is a Planetary Nebulae
19 The current theory is that planetary The current theory is that planetary nebulae have the same shape but look differently from different angles.
20 Most nebulae are about 50,000 Most nebulae are about 50,000 years old.
21 This is the last gasp for the star. This is the last gasp for the star.
22 Each new star made from recycled Each new star made from recycled material from dying stars will have new elements in them. Bigger stars can make even bigger elements due to star cores getting hotter.
23 They can expand out to a diameter They can expand out to a diameter equal to the orbit of Jupiter.
24 If a star weighs more than 8 solar If a star weighs more than 8 solar masses its core can fuse Carbon into bigger elements O,Ne,, Na, Mg, and Si can be formed then the core collapses. This is Nucleosynthesis and will continue making bigger elements until Fe is formed. Elements bigger than Fe comes from stars dying from a supernova explosion.
25 Globular clusters have 1/10 to Globular clusters have 1/10 to 1/100 percent heavier elements. Open clusters have 1-4% 1 heavier elements. So globular clusters are older from the past when first elements were only H and He. In the end stars luminosity increases and nuclear fuel is used up fast.
26 After H runs out it fuses He and After H runs out it fuses He and other elements but the energy yield is less. The higher temp required to make bigger elements consumes it s s fuel much faster for less energy. Death is here for the star but that can happen many different ways.