Skip to content
Vatican Observatory
  • About
    • Overview
    • Team
    • FAQ
  • Telescopes
    • Overview
    • Telescope Images
  • Latest
    • Overview
    • Resources
    • Press
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Research
    • Authors
      • FAQs
    • Newsletter
    • Tucson Meteor Cameras
  • Podcast
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Resource Center
    • Image Gallery
    • Summer School
    • Books
    • Software
    • Additional Resources
    • ACME
    • Ambassadors
  • Shop
  • Calendar
  • Support
    • Overview
    • Donate Now
    • Smart Ways to Give
    • Sacred Space Astronomy
      • View Content
    • Fr. Coyne Fundraiser
    • Bequests / Trusts
    • The Foundation
      • Newsletters
      • Annual Reports
  • Press
  • Specola Vaticana
  • Contact
    • Contact
  • About
    • Overview
    • Team
    • FAQ
  • Telescopes
    • Overview
    • Telescope Images
  • Latest
    • Overview
    • Resources
    • Press
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Research
    • Authors
      • FAQs
    • Newsletter
    • Tucson Meteor Cameras
  • Podcast
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Resource Center
    • Image Gallery
    • Summer School
    • Books
    • Software
    • Additional Resources
    • ACME
    • Ambassadors
  • Shop
  • Calendar
  • Support
    • Overview
    • Donate Now
    • Smart Ways to Give
    • Sacred Space Astronomy
      • View Content
    • Fr. Coyne Fundraiser
    • Bequests / Trusts
    • The Foundation
      • Newsletters
      • Annual Reports
  • Press
  • Specola Vaticana
  • Contact
    • Contact

In the Sky This Week – December 31, 2019

By Robert Trembley  |  31 Dec 2019

Share:
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share via Email

This entry is part 49 of 244 in the series In the Sky This Week

Capella

By mid-February 2020, I will be a grandparent! Thoughts of what the world might be like when my granddaughter is an adult naturally come to mind. What new things will astronomers have discovered in the cosmos? What new inventions will change society forever, again? I also have to give a thought to my granddaughter’s quality of life, and in this I have to admit to no small amount of trepidation…

Before I started writing this post, I was collecting notes about what I wanted to discuss – the list of topics grew WAY past my expectations, and needs to be an article all by itself. Many, but not all of the topics relate to pollution in its various forms: microplastics, air pollution, light/electromagnetic pollution, compromised city water systems, PFAS, space junk – the list goes on and on… Let me condense all those notes into one single question:

Do you believe humanity is acting as adequate stewards of this Earth, and has the best interests of all its various lifeforms in mind?

I know how I’d answer that question, and my family members are taking steps to reduce their carbon output, plastic use, and we have been encouraging others to do the same for years now. I want to see a shift in mindset where billionaires and multi-national organizations all compete for a prestigious annual award recognizing those who helped to restore/repair Earth’s environment!

Earth On Sept. 4, 2019, a loose chain of tropical cyclones lined up across the Western Hemisphere. At the time of this image (1:10 p.m. EDT) Hurricane Juliette in the East Pacific and Hurricane Dorian in the Atlantic were both category 2 storms. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fernand packed sustained winds of 45 mph and had just recently made landfall over northeastern Mexico. Gabrielle strengthened into a tropical storm on September 4 over the eastern Atlantic, and had sustained winds of 50 mph around the time of this image. Data for the simulated natural-color image were acquired with the Advanced Baseline Imager on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 16. GOES-16 is operated by NOAA; NASA helps develop and launch the GOES series of satellites. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens; NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Caption: Kathryn Hansen.

The star Capella is nearly overhead shortly after 11:00 PM this week.

Capella Capella – nearly overhead shortly after 11:00 PM on 2019-12-30. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

From Antananarivo, Madagascar, the star Rigel is nearly overhead shortly after 10:30 PM this week.

Rigel The star Rigel is nearly overhead shortly after 10:30 PM this week seen from Antananarivo, Madagascar. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Mars continues to appear above the southeastern horizon before dawn this week.

Mars Mars above the southeastern horizon around 6:30 AM this week. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

On New Year’s Eve, the waxing crescent Moon joins Venus and the star Fomalhaut in the southwestern sky at dusk.

Moon and Venus A waxing crescent Moon joins Venus and the star Fomalhaut in the southwestern sky at dusk on New Year’s Eve. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The waxing gibbous Moon appears near the star Aldebaran high in the southeastern sky at 8:00 PM on Jan. 6th.

Moon and Aldebaran A waxing gibbous Moon appears near the star Aldebaran high in the southeastern sky at 8:00 PM on 2020-01-06. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

 

The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening.

The first-quarter Moon occurs on Jan. 3rd,  it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.

After Jan. 3rd, the Moon will be a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.

Moon The Moon from 2019-12-31 – 2020-01-09. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News

This tweet was pretty cool! It’s a video showing a researcher very happily unpackaging and running experiments on lunar soil samples!

Don’t you love the look on someone’s face when they open the perfect gift? Scientist Jamie Elsila just got a present that’s out of this world. https://t.co/NodXSwbT5t ?

? Happy Holidays! pic.twitter.com/8sR3EHmEKW

— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) December 23, 2019

The Sun has been spotless for 4 days – apparently we had a spot in middle of last week. The coronal hole at the Sun’s north pole has shrunk, while the southern hole has grown and is now enormous; a couple small coronal holes appear in the southern hemisphere.

The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Dec. 30, 2019:

https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/dailymov/2019/12/30/20191230_1024_0193.mp4

LOTS of prominence activity over the last couple days!

The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Dec. 30, 2019:

https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/dailymov/2019/12/30/20191230_1024_0304.mp4
Videos courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
You can view the Sun in near real-time, in multiple frequencies here: SDO-The Sun Now.
You can create your own time-lapse movies of the Sun here: AIA/HMI Browse Data.
You can browse all the SDO images of the Sun from 2010 to the present here: Browse SDO archive.

 

Facebook: SolarActivity

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10220786708678454&set=gm.2886259081385417&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Solar Corona

Solar wind speed is 303.2 km/sec (↓), with a density of 3.0 protons/cm3 (↓) at 0810 UT.

Near real-time animation of the corona and solar wind from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):

SOHO LASCO C2 Latest Image Animated LASCO C2 Coronograph showing the solar corona above the Sun’s limb (the white circle). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech-SOHO

Sun News

Diving toward the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe caught a glimpse of a debris trail left by an asteroid boiling away from the heat… and the source of one of the year’s best meteor showers.https://t.co/lgWiPTyYKu

— Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) December 30, 2019

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 160  (+29), this year: 2400  (+31), all time: 21,791 (+31)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2018  (last updated  Oct. 1, 2019)
Total Minor Planets discovered: 901,889 (+12,979!)

 

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2019 WR4
2019-Dec-31
11.7 LD
4.2
21
2019 YK
2020-Jan-01
14.1 LD
7.3
47
2019 YH2
2020-Jan-02
7.4 LD
14.3
86
2019 AE3
2020-Jan-02
4.9 LD
8.2
13
2019 YT3
2020-Jan-07
13.2 LD
7.4
27
2019 YV
2020-Jan-10
17.3 LD
4.5
64
2019 UO
2020-Jan-10
11.8 LD
9.4
331
2019 WC5
2020-Jan-11
6.4 LD
13
108
2011 EP51
2020-Jan-15
19.6 LD
7.1
32
2017 RZ15
2020-Jan-15
12.1 LD
7.4
14
2019 YD3
2020-Jan-16
6.9 LD
4.8
23
2019 YG1
2020-Jan-17
17.5 LD
4.5
31
2019 YQ3
2020-Jan-17
18.4 LD
3.1
19
2009 BH2
2020-Jan-18
14.6 LD
17.9
118
2013 DU
2020-Jan-20
14.9 LD
6.4
59
2019 TF2
2020-Jan-23
16.2 LD
1.6
18
2018 BM5
2020-Jan-23
13.1 LD
8.6
12
2018 AL12
2020-Jan-30
18.2 LD
17.7
39
2018 BU1
2020-Feb-02
19.4 LD
10
41
163373
2020-Feb-15
15.1 LD
15.2
589
2018 CW2
2020-Feb-17
6 LD
10.2
28
2019 BE5
2020-Feb-20
13.9 LD
14.8
34
2011 DR
2020-Feb-23
14.7 LD
5.8
25
2016 CO246
2020-Feb-23
18.4 LD
5.9
23
2012 DS30
2020-Feb-26
12.3 LD
5.4
22

Notes: LD means “Lunar Distance.” 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. Red highlighted entries are asteroids that either pass very close, or very large with high relative velocities to the Earth. Table from SpaceWeather.com

Asteroid News

I report the current #asteroid count each week in my "In the Sky" post for the @VaticanObsFound; I've noticed a LARGE weekly increase in those numbers since about mid-summer. What's the reason?@MinorPlanetCtr @specolations @AsteroidDay @NEOShieldTeam @IAU_org @AsteroidWatch pic.twitter.com/N0F6lcb0ru

— AstroBalrog (@AstroBalrog) December 31, 2019

The University of Arizona is working to begin efforts to construct a space-based infrared telescope that could provide the capabilities @NASA needs to search for asteroids and comets that pose impact hazards to Earth. More at https://t.co/P85aiy7UDP.

— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) December 16, 2019

Thanks for your support, Senator! Looking forward to developing the Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope so we can get a very good look at Earth’s nearest neighbors. https://t.co/wp4FoaELW3

— Amy Mainzer (@AmyMainzer) December 31, 2019


On Dec. 30, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 16 fireballs.
(15 sporadics, 1 Quadrantid)

Fireball Orbits In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point–Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). From: Spaceweather.com

Fireball News

A Christmas present from space – at 3:11:23 UTC a bright meteor was seen from FRIPON's Canterbury, Wimereux and Ludiver cameras – initial mass calculated by FRIPON was 1.25 kg (like a small chicken), final mass of 10 g (like a pigeon egg) so no hunting for this Christmas turkey! pic.twitter.com/hbhh76khi3

— UK Meteor Network (@UKMeteorNetwork) December 25, 2019

Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system – the Parker Solar Probe has flown-by Venus, and is on the way to perihelion on January 29, 2020:

Inner Solar System Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2019-12-31. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a couple bodies in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2019-12-31. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, the orbit of Pluto is highlighted:

Outer Solar System Position of the planets in the outer solar system, 2019-12-31. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

I highlighted Pluto in the image above, but I wanted to talk about one of Pluto’s several small moons, in this case: Nix.

Nix

Processed image of Nix. Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI/Roman Tkachenko – Roman Tkachenko

Nix is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of 49.8 km (30.9 mi) across its longest dimension. It was discovered along with Pluto’s outermost moon Hydra in June 2005 by the Pluto Companion Search Team. It was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. Nix is the third moon of Pluto by distance, orbiting between the moons Styx and Kerberos.

Nix was imaged along with Pluto and its other moons by the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew by the Pluto system in July 2015. Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal a large reddish area on Nix that is likely an impact crater. – Wikipedia

I was playing around in the Pluto system in SpaceEngine; The surface detail of Pluto and Charon are taken from actual photos and look fantastic! The minor moons, not so much… yet; you can see in the image below that the model for Nix does not match the photo – however the view of Pluto and Charon from Nix would be like the image below:

Nix, Pluto and Charon Artist’s conception of Pluto and Charon seen from Nix. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley

NASA’s Interactive Real-Time Web-based Orrery:

[iframe src=’https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/orrery/’ height=600 percent=100 style=””]

International Space Station

Dozens of experiments are going on at any given time aboard the @Space_Station. We're advancing our understanding of everything from robotics to combustion. ??
Here is some of what we learned this year from ground-breaking space station science: https://t.co/5Bm996kFYv pic.twitter.com/pQ0MkxK5pn

— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) December 28, 2019

Students and professors from @NCSSM and @NCState, @Astro_Christina’s alma mater, are saying #CongratsChristina today as she sets a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. pic.twitter.com/cmUtq0xhw3

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) December 28, 2019

Mars InSight – Drill has dug a bit deeper

NASA’s InSight Mars lander acquired this image on December 30, 2019 (Sol 388), using its robotic arm-mounted, Instrument Deployment

Share:
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share via Email

Sacred Space Astronomy

The Vatican Observatory’s official digital community and online magazine.

Become a Member

Recent Posts

Br. Guy Consolmagno to be Awarded Honorary Degree from SUNY Geneseo

By Robert Trembley  |  21 Mar 2023  |  Sacred Space Astronomy

Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter – March 22

By Robert Trembley  |  20 Mar 2023  |  Sacred Space Astronomy

Bubbles on the Moon

19 Mar 2023  |  Sacred Space Astronomy

Active Volcanism on Venus

By Robert Trembley  |  19 Mar 2023  |  Sacred Space Astronomy

Archives

      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
      • December
      • November
      • August
      • June
      • March
      • January
      • November
      • October
      • December
      • November
      • April
      • May
      • January
      • December
      • September
      • May
      • March
      • December
      • November
      • February

More Posts in this Series:
"In the Sky This Week"

78  |  What Do We Lose When We Sacrifice Science?

By Br. Guy Consolmagno  |  27 May 2021  |  Sacred Space Astronomy

69  |  To err is human… to admit it, is science

By Br. Guy Consolmagno  |  25 Mar 2021  |  Sacred Space Astronomy

48  |  In the Sky This Week – July 23, 2019

By Robert Trembley  |  23 Jul 2019

50  |  In the Sky This Week – October 22, 2019

By Robert Trembley  |  22 Oct 2019

51  |  In the Sky This Week – August 20, 2019

By Robert Trembley  |  20 Aug 2019

Newsletter

Upcoming astronomical events, scientific breakthroughs, philosophical reflections… just a few reasons to subscribe to our newsletter!

Vatican Observatory
  • About
  • Telescopes
  • Latest
  • Podcast
  • Education
  • Shop
  • Calendar
  • Support
  • Press
  • Specola Vaticana
  • Contact
Privacy Policy  |   Cookie Policy  |   Disclosure Statement

Podcast:

  • Apple Podcasts Listen onApple Podcasts
  • Spotify Listen onSpotify
  • Google Podcasts Listen onGoogle Podcasts
  • Stitcher Listen onStitcher
  • Amazon Alexa Listen onAmazon Alexa
  • TuneIn Listen onTuneIn
Made by Longbeard