Komeet Lovejoy op 1 Januarie 2012

Foto: Hannes Pieterse (Klik om foto te vegroot)

 Uiteindelik kon ek ook vir komeet Lovejoy sien. Die wolke het Nuwejaarsnag in die niet verdwyn en so in die deinserigheid oor die see by  Reebok het ek so 03:00 na die wasigheid begin soek. Eers niks, maar toe het ek die stert se kante as `n skerp lyn met 'n verkyker (12 X 50) gesien. Dof maar daar. Die ligbesoedeling is nogal `n probleem - Die son wat amper opkom en die ligte van Mosselbaai.  By `n lekker donker plek sal mens die komeet dalk met die blote oog kan waarneem. Nie hier oor die see nie.

Selfs op die foto is die komeet baie dof. Kyk mooi. Dit kern is net buite Ara en dan loop dit reg deur Triangulum Australe.(Op die nuwe verwerkte foto is die komeet baie dudieliker)

Oor 'n paar dae gaan die komeet reeds vroegaand sigbaar wees. Dit moet baie donker wees.

Fotoinligting: Canon 30D op driepoot gemonteer; fokale lengte: 17mm x1.6; 3 minute beligting; f6.3; ISO 800; Foto baie effens met Lightroom verwerk. Finale verwerking met Neil Carboni se Astronomy Tools in Photoshop.

Groete
Hannes Pieterse

(Comet Lovejoy)

Kepler 22b - the 'new Earth' - could have oceans and continents, scientists claim

Kepler 22b, the planet which scientists say hold the best hope yet for future human habitation, could have continents, oceans and creatures already living on its surface, they believe. 

 The new planet was discovered by Nasa’s Kepler space telescope two years ago but new research has identified it as the most similar to our own yet discovered.

Kepler 22b is about twice the size of Earth and has temperatures which average around 72 degrees (22 Celsius).

It also contains the right atmosphere to potentially support life. However, there is a downside: it is 600 light years from Earth.

Kepler 22b is the first so-called "super-Earth" known to lie within the "habitable" zone of a star similar to our Sun.

Dubbed the "Goldilocks Zone", this is the band where temperatures are just right to allow the existence of surface liquid water throughout its orbit. 

• Read more

No Hope for the Russian Space Probe

The European Space Agency has given up on efforts to revive Fobos-Grunt, the Russian space probe that was slated to visit the Martian moon Phobos, but got stuck in Earth’s orbit shortly after launch.

The unmanned probe was launched on Nov. 9 with a mission to take soil samples from the Martian moon and fly them to Earth. All efforts from the ESA to send the probe commands that could send it to the next stage of its mission have been unsuccessful, however, and now the ESA has announced it will not be making further attempts to contact the probe. 

“In consultation and agreement with Phobos-Grunt mission managers, ESA engineers will end tracking support. Efforts to send commands to and receive data from the Russian Mars mission via ESA ground stations have not succeeded; no response has been seen from the satellite. ESA teams remain available to assist the Phobos-Grunt mission if indicated by any change in the situation,” said ESA in an official statement.

This likely won’t be the last we hear of the 13.2-ton spacecraft, as scientists expect it to fall back to Earth sometime in January. Most of its weight consists of highly toxic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide fuel, which, according to NASA veteran James Oberg, makes the probe the “most toxic falling satellite ever.”

If the fuel has frozen in space, some of it could survive the fall to Earth, but if it’s liquid, it will probably burn away – along with the rest of the probe – when re-entering the atmosphere, experts say. 

Source: Mashable Tech

Astronomy Magazine - Top 10 space stories in 2011

1.  The last flight of the space shuttle

2.  These standard candles aren't so standard - Some cepheid variables in dispute.

3.  Most eart-like planet found... yes, no, yes?

4.  Scientists watch as a black hole eats a star.

5.  Water may still flow on Mars.

6.  A Better understanding of the complexities of our star.

7.  An asteroid sharing Earth's orbit.

8.  The Milky Way blows bubbles - Gamma ray bubbles perpendicular to Milky Ways disk discovered.

9.  New type of stellar explosion - Supernova 2005ap in Coma Berenices.

10. Mercury reveals itself. Spacecraft Messenger imaged the surface after a journey of 7 years.

• Read these stories in the January edition.

Curiosity on it's way to Mars

The Atlas 5 rocket launches the Mars Science Laboratory from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 at 10:02 a.m. EST, sending Earth's Curiosity to explore the red planet! 

Curiosity on its way to Mars - Assortment of videos to watch 

ArtSpoken & Reviews

 Moira de Swardt: The stars in South Africa's night sky ...

One of my favourite little books for sky happenings this past year was the Sky Guide 2011. I went on trips to countryside where light pollution is less of a problem than in the big city and it was actually used. I looked forward to receiving the 2012 edition with some eager anticipation.

Inflation has seen a small rise in price from R85 to R95, but at under R100, this is still a very reasonably priced pocket guide to the Southern African night sky.

As in previous editions the monthly sky diary is supplemented by information phrased simply enough for non-scientific types like me to follow, and they include information on the sun, moon, planets, asteroids, comets, meteors, stars, deep sky, basic observing skills, seasonal start charts and a history of astronomy in Southern Africa. The information is largely different to that of the information contained in the 2011 book.

 More....

ASSA Johannesburg se teleskoopmakers op die kassie

• Ook op YouTube

`n Groot lekkerte in jou posbus!

Daar is darem nie iets so lekker as om jou posbus oop te maak en `n gunsteling tydskrif in sy plastieksakkie daar te sien lê nie.  Dis nou die Sky & Telescope doer ver uit Amerika.

In die jongste uitgawe word  SkySafari3 - (for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) bespreek. Dit is `n "warm" planetariumprogram wat ope-aande baie gaan vergemaklik. Soms reën die vrae op jou en daardie stukkie inligting wat op die punt van jou tong is, wil net nie kom nie.

• Loer gerus op hulle webblad http://www.southernstars.com/ . 

Ek het die sagteware op `n iPad2 in aksie gesien en dit kook! 
- Satelliete beweeg in werklike tyd verby.
- En jy kan dit aan `n groot verskeidenheid Go-To teleskope koppel (met eksra koppelvlak).
- Klik op `n voorwerp en jy het al daardie inligting wat mense vir jou vra. So jy hoef nie meer in boeke in die donker rond te grawe nie.
- Ja dit het `n rooi nagverstelling en geen ligte skyn in jou oë nie.
- Ook `n nuttige lys van voorwerpe wat die aand sigbaar is.
- Posisie van Jupiter se mane vertoon soos dit op daardie oomblik is.
- En nog baie meer. Lees op die webblad oor die sagteware.

Die databasis vir die Plus weergawe gaan jou vir jare besig hou. Die Pro-weergawe is regtig vir die hardebaard-sterrekundiges.

As jy bevoorreg is om een van Steve Jobs se i-speelgoed te hê, kan jy gerus die sagteware oorweeg.  Die Plus weergawe kos maar $15 by iTunes.

• Daar is glo `n Android-weergawe op pad.

Groot klip sommer baie naby verby.

Vroeër die week het 2005 YU55 so bietjie meer as 325 000 km van die aarde af verby beweeg. Dit is effens nader as die maan se afstand.

• Meer inligting: Asteroid Flyby: How Students Helped World See Giant Space Rock 2005 YU55 

• "On November 10, 2011 there were 1256 potentially hazardous asteroids."  (http://spaceweather.com/)  Onder aan die blad.
  
• Asteroid 2005 YU55 to Pass Earth; Closer Than Moon
  
• Asteroid 2005 YU55 facts & figures

Sonvlekke vir Afrika!

Hou bietjie die sonvlekke dop.  As jy Donderdagaand Sterre en Planete geluister het sou jy die waarskuwing vir die volgende paar dae gehoor het:  GPS, Internetverbindings en selfone gaan in die hek duik en dit as gevolg van al die sonaktiwiteite.

• Loer hoe lyk dit op die son by http://spaceweather.com/.  Wanneer laas was daar so baie aktiwiteit.  Klik op die klein sonnetjie links op die spyskaart.
  
  Onthou dit is gevaarlik om sonder die regte toerusting na die son te kyk. Jy het spesiale filters nodig. Moenie deur `n verkyker of teleskoop direk na die son kyk nie. Jy sal jou sig verloor!