Sunday 12 October 2014

After the Blood Moon comes the Pumpkin Sun

Click to enlarge!
On October 7, 2014 [Manila time], active regions on the sun gave it the appearance of a jack-o'-lantern. This image is a blend of 171 and 193 angstrom light as captured by the NASA-Solar Dynamics Observatory. NASA/GSFC/SDO

 Source: GMANews

It looks like the Moon isn't the only heavenly body giving the skies a creepy feel this month.

After last Wednesday's "Blood Moon" comes the "Pumpkin Sun" as captured by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration last Wednesday, October 8.

Last Wednesday, the moon took on a blood-colored appearance during a total lunar eclipse.

"Active regions on the sun combined to look something like a jack-o-lantern’s face on Oct. 8, 2014. The active regions appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy – markers of an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona," NASA's Goodard Space Flight Center said.

The Bermuda Triangle of Space: The High-Energy South Atlantic Anomaly Threatens Satellites

Click to enlarge!
Source: DefenceNews

Much fanfare accompanied the Sept. 25, 2010, launch of the Air Force’s Space Based Space Surveillance satellite. The $833 million craft was finally going up to do its job: monitor orbiting items from space itself, free of the time constraints and atmospheric interference that hamper its earthbound counterpart, the Space Fence. Its 30-centimeter telescope, mounted on a two-axis gimbal, would help keep tabs on satellites as far away as geosynchronous orbit as well as thousands of bits of space junk closer in. The builders said SBSS would be on the job within 60 days, and forecast a working life of at least 5½ years.

Shortly after launch, the satellite passed over the South Atlantic, and things went awry. The satellite was hit by radiation that sent the sensors reeling and knocked out an electronics board payload. Suddenly, the expensive, specially-designed satellite could no longer do what it was built for.

Read more...

Saturday 27 September 2014

Rosetta: Date fixed for historic comet landing attempt

Philae is about the size of a washing machine.
It will use harpoons and screws to try to hold itself down

The date has been fixed for Europe's daring attempt to land on a comet: Wednesday 12 November.
It will see the Rosetta satellite, which is currently orbiting the huge "ice mountain" known as 67P, drop a small robot from a height of 20km.

If all goes well, the lander will free-fall towards the comet, making contact with the surface somewhere in a 1km-wide zone at roughly 15:35 GMT.

The European Space Agency (Esa) says the challenges ahead are immense.

Imagine pushing a washing machine out the back of an airliner at twice cruising altitude and expecting it to hit Regent's Park in London - all while the ground is moving underneath.

Although not really analogous for many reasons, this scenario does give a sense of the difficulties involved.

The chances of failure are high.

Friday 19 September 2014

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 - in pictures

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The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the winners of this year’s international astronomy photography competition. The observatory’s annual free exhibition, which opened on Thursday, showcases these dazzling images of the sky, ranging from within our solar system to far into deep space. British photographer James Woodend beat over a thousand amateur and professional photographers to win the top prize.

Inkspot - The only Dark Nebula with it's own wine?


Is it Barnard 86 with it's own wine label or Inkspot 2010 Vin Noir with it's own dark nebula?

- Give that man an Inkspot! From Herschel with love!

Monday 15 September 2014

Space in Images - 2014 - 09 - Philae’s primary landing site





Philae’s primary landing site will target Site J, the centre of which
is indicated by the cross in this OSIRIS narrow-angle image.

Site
J is located on the head of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and is
close to the candidate site B, the large depression to the right of the
image.

Site J offers the minimum risk to the lander in comparison
to the other candidate sites, and is also scientifically interesting,
with signs of activity nearby. At Site J, the majority of slopes are
less than 30ยบ relative to the local vertical, reducing the chances of
Philae toppling over during touchdown. Site J also appears to have
relatively few boulders and receives sufficient daily illumination to
recharge Philae and continue science operations on the surface beyond
the initial battery-powered phase.



Full story: 'J' marks the spot for Rosetta's lander


Wednesday 10 September 2014

Rosetta spacecraft selfie with comet





Here is a Rosetta ‘selfie’ with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in
background. It was taken by the CIVA camera – short for Comet Infrared
and Visible Analyser – onboard the Philae Lander. This is the same
camera that will be acquiring images from the surface of the comet
itself, when the Philae lander sets down on the comet in November.


Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko was 50 kilometers / 31 miles away at the time of this image.


Two frames were taken and merged due to the high contrast.




Rosetta isn’t the first otherworldly object to get in on the earthly trend of selfies. NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover caught one, too, earlier this year.



Rosetta spacecraft selfie with comet | Science Wire | EarthSky

Friday 29 August 2014

Naval Hill Planetarium


The first digital planetarium in sub-Saharan Africa – situated on Naval Hill, right here in Bloemfontein – opened on 1 November 2013! The University of the Free State (UFS) is managing this facility.

Tariffs:
Adults: R50
Learners: R30
Students (with valid student card): R30
Pensioners: R30
Tariffs and dates for group reservations are available on request.

Buy tickets at:
  • The Planetarium before shows (but keep in mind that the Planetarium is regularly full);
  • Computicket at all Checkers, Shoprite, House and Home and Checkers Hyper shops;
  • Computicket’s enquiry centre (08619158000); or
  • Online at www.online.computicket.com (look for ‘planetarium’); 
  • Online mobi  www.computicket.mobi with mobile devices (look for ‘planetarium’).
Enquiries:
Please direct enquiries via email to Yolandie Loots at FickY@ufs.ac.za  or contact her on 051 401 9751.

Monday 18 August 2014

C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) visible in South Africa

 Click to enlarge

 Skytools 3 information (18 August 2014)


Telescope: SkyQuest XT10 Dob. It is magnitude 9 with a diameter of 2.7'.

In the following 30 days this object is obvious visually from August 20 on, with the best view coming on September 15. During this period it will brighten rapidly and will reach peak altitude of 34° on September 2.

C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) will reach perihelion in late September. Also in late September this comet will pass within 0.6 AU of the earth. It is predicted to reach maximum brightness of magnitude 5 in mid September. The best visibility from Bloemfontein, Boyden, ZA near maximum brightness is predicted to be in mid September when it will be approximately magnitude 5. On September 16 this comet will be moving quickly across the sky at a peak rate of 13.8 "/min. Note that the magnitude and visibility of a comet can be very unpredictable.

Current Status

Earth Distance: 1.3 AU
Sun Distance: 1.0 AU
Elongation:  51°
Tail Position Angle: 259°
Tail Forshortening: 24%
Actual Coma Diameter: 160000 km
DC:  5
Total motion: 1.68 "/min
   RA:  1.30 "/min
   Dec: -1.09 "/min