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In the Sky This Week – November 10, 2020

By Robert Trembley  |  10 Nov 2020

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This entry is part 173 of 245 in the series In the Sky This Week

Mars in the eastern sky

Mars appears high in the eastern sky after sunset, and it appears high in the southern sky at midnight.

Mars in the eastern sky Mars appears high in the eastern sky after sunset. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Mercury appears with Venus in the eastern predawn sky all week – the planets are joined by the waning crescent Moon on the mornings of Nov. 12th and 13th.

Conjunction Mercury and Venus appear in the eastern predawn sky all week – they are joined by the waning crescent Moon on Nov. 12th and 13th. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.

The conjunction of the two planets, the Moon and the star Spica on the morning of Nov. 13th is likely to be distracting to drivers travelling eastward – drive safe!

Conjunction Conjunction of Mercury, Venus, the Moon and the star Spica in the eastern predawn on Nov. 13th. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.

Jupiter and Saturn appear in the south-southwestern sky at dusk – still great observing targets, but look quick – you only have a couple hours before they set in the southwest.

Southwestern sky at dusk Saturn and Jupiter appear in the southwestern sky at dusk. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.

I was wondering what those 2 stars were I was seeing through the skylight as I was making my coffee at 3:00 AM… “I’ll bet they are Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini.” Called it! 🙂

Castor and Pollux Overhead Castor and Pollux appear nearly overhead at 3:00 AM. Credit: Bob Trembley / Stellarium.

I really miss having people look through my telescope and say “Oh WOW!” or use my virtual reality headset to fly over the rings of Saturn and have their minds completely blown away…

The Moon is a waning crescent – visible low to the east before sunrise.

The new Moon occurs on Nov. 15th.

After Nov. 15th, the Moon will be a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening.

Moon The Moon from 2020-11-10 – 2020-11-16. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.

If you click on the Moon image above, or click this link, you will go to NASA’s Moon Phase and Libration, 2020 page – it will show you what the Moon looks like right now. If you click the image on that page, you will download a high-rez TIF image annotated with the names of prominent features – helpful for logging your observations!

Moon Annotated close-up of a section of the Moon on Nov. 11th. – showing the play of shadows along the terminator. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News

The technologies we're developing for #Artemis – to help our astronauts explore more of the lunar surface than ever before – won't fit in one picture. Check out our #NASAMoonKit, showing some of the new innovations we're building and testing for the Moon: https://t.co/nPhhQoFAoZ pic.twitter.com/szW4FXkyWp

— NASA Technology (@NASA_Technology) November 6, 2020

Sunspot AR2781 is large and poses a slight threat for M-class solar flares.

AR2781 taken by Alan Friedman on November 8, 2020 @ Buffalo, NY

Sunspot AR2781 has a lot of coronal activity associated with it – you can see it in the Sun’s southern hemisphere in the video below. Both the northern and southern coronal holes have reduced in size from last week.

The Sun seen in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) November 9, 2020:

https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/dailymov/2020/11/09/20201109_1024_0193.mp4

 

Moderate prominence activity over the last couple days; the region of AR2781 looks like a huge orange wound on the Sun’s face.

The Sun seen in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) November 9, 2020:

https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/dailymov/2020/11/09/20201109_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.

Solar Activity on Facebook – Run by Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Pamela Shivak

Sun The SOLARACTIVITY PICTURE OF THE DAY for November 9th, 2020 is this awesome image of AR2781 by Stefano Filzoli. Details: November 07, 2020 – h. 12:35 UT Refractor D.150 f/32 + Combo Quark + Asi174M. https://www.astrodelciel.it/

Solar Corona

Solar wind speed is 322.4 km/sec (↓), with a density of 3.7 protons/cm3 (↑) at 1229 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

Did you know that the solar cycle has been regularly recorded by hand since 1755? In fact, some sunspot measurements date as far back as 3,000 years ago!

? Check out @NASA's Curious Universe podcast to learn more about solar cycle history: https://t.co/fBUG43qE7p pic.twitter.com/FBTgJjCo7L

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) November 9, 2020

 

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) discovered this month: 32, this year: 2448, all time: 24,304  (+50)
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2037  (last updated  June 2, 2020)
Total Minor Planets
discovered (NASA): 1,027,560  (+2,399)
Total Minor Planets discovered (MPC): 993,960

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2020 UN3
2020-Nov-10
11.6 LD
7.6
48
2020 UL3
2020-Nov-10
15.4 LD
11.2
76
2020 VC1
2020-Nov-12
4.3 LD
6.1
28
2020 VC
2020-Nov-12
13.8 LD
11.2
34
2020 TB9
2020-Nov-14
13.1 LD
6
24
2020 ST1
2020-Nov-14
19.1 LD
8.1
146
2019 VL5
2020-Nov-15
8.5 LD
8.2
23
2020 UB5
2020-Nov-16
20 LD
4.4
34
2020 VY
2020-Nov-17
16.2 LD
11.6
38
2020 VA1
2020-Nov-20
11.7 LD
8.8
38
2017 WJ16
2020-Nov-23
5 LD
4.8
49
2020 TJ8
2020-Nov-24
16.8 LD
4.6
33
2018 RQ4
2020-Nov-26
8.1 LD
7.4
15
2020 KZ2
2020-Nov-28
5.7 LD
3.9
10
153201
2020-Nov-29
11.2 LD
25.1
490
2020 SO
2020-Dec-01
0.1 LD
3.9
6
2019 XH2
2020-Dec-02
16.1 LD
6.4
6
2018 PK21
2020-Dec-08
12.2 LD
3.1
23
2019 XQ1
2020-Dec-13
18.4 LD
8.6
30
2017 XQ60
2020-Dec-21
10.8 LD
15.6
47
2011 CL50
2020-Dec-24
3.1 LD
3.4
11
501647
2020-Dec-25
7.9 LD
10
123
2012 XE133
2020-Dec-27
11.7 LD
9.2
74
2016 AF2
2020-Dec-27
7.3 LD
5.3
9
2012 UK171
2020-Dec-30
15.5 LD
4.7
47
2019 YB4
2021-Jan-02
16.8 LD
7.2
16
2003 AF23
2021-Jan-03
18.3 LD
15.8
235
2019 QW2
2021-Jan-03
8.8 LD
4.9
39
2012 BT1
2021-Jan-04
13.6 LD
7.7
12
2016 CO247
2021-Jan-06
19.3 LD
16.7
282
2018 KP1
2021-Jan-06
8.2 LD
4.4
34
332446
2021-Jan-06
9.6 LD
11
408

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

On November 9, 2020, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 11 fireballs. 
(14 sporadics, 2 Northern Taurids)

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). Credit: SpaceWeather.com

Fireball News

Nice fireball caught over Québec yesterday.

Event page: https://t.co/bWB32clJxa pic.twitter.com/a5DRKfZvJv

— AMSMETEORS (@amsmeteors) November 10, 2020

Fireball caught over the #NewYork & #Connecticut on Nov 8 – 215+ reports so far.

Maps, traj & video:https://t.co/Vh3bWJX0Ge pic.twitter.com/qK2JEoHCDK

— AMSMETEORS (@amsmeteors) November 9, 2020

November issue of eMeteorNews online – https://t.co/l8W9oToaPJ Download eMeteorNews

The online content of September – October 2020 has been edited and archived in eMeteorNews (eMN_2020_6, November issue). MeteorNews is available without membership requirements. If you… pic.twitter.com/obZBbAxIkG

— MeteorNews (@eMeteorNews) October 31, 2020

If you see a bright meteor or a fireball, please REPORT IT to the American Meteor Society!

Position of the planets in the inner solar system:

Inner Solar System Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system, 2020-11-10. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

I created this image and used it in a comment to a post an astronomer buddy made on Facebook.

Artist's concept of Mars Artist’s concept of Mars seen from the surface of Phobos. Credit: Bob Trembley / SpaceEngine

Position of the planets in the middle solar system:

Middle Solar System Position of the planets in the middle solar system, 2020-11-10. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets, some dwarf planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system.

Outer Solar System Position of the planets and some transneptunian objects in the outer solar system, 2020-11-10. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Solar System News

In other news…

The solar system is a LOT more fragile than I would've thought.

Comets? They're essentially made of frozen cappuccino froth.https://t.co/behvIdf8lo

— Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) November 4, 2020

Voyager 2 Contacted Using Upgraded Radio Antenna

Since March, @NASAVoyager 2 has been flying solo because of repairs and upgrades to the antenna we use to talk to the spacecraft. On Oct. 29, we sent commands to Voyager 2 for the first time in months — and the spacecraft responded to the call. ?〰️? https://t.co/TdFCAEQ4QO pic.twitter.com/6d3Drg6HgU

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) November 3, 2020

International Space Station: #SpaceStation20th

The Exp 64 crew worked physics, biology and spacewalk preps today as four @Commercial_Crew astronauts count down to a Nov. 14 launch to the station. More… https://t.co/Yir7AEH1nF pic.twitter.com/ORLxEFSvza

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) November 9, 2020

HiRISE – on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:

HiPOD 10 Nov 20: Erosion of a Crater Rim near Maadim Vallis

There is possible hydro-erosion and riverbed-like deposits in this image, and it will be interesting to learn if the crater might have pushed up some layered sediments from the canyon floor. https://t.co/gS385yNjiS pic.twitter.com/vLAK5VzHoW

— HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) November 10, 2020

Hubble Space Telescope: ULLYSES program

Stars are the building blocks of the cosmos! ✨ To better understand them, Hubble has embarked on its largest observing project yet.

The ULLYSES program uses Hubble’s ultraviolet sensitivity to learn more about the birth and evolution of stars: https://t.co/7xho1emixr pic.twitter.com/p0XefkZ7yk

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) November 5, 2020

Climate:

The result? Coastal communities around the planet are experiencing flooding during high tides as well as increased storm surges — the intense waves that accompany hurricanes and tropical cyclones. pic.twitter.com/LGWqMYQjML

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) November 5, 2020

See a list of current NASA missions here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=current

Exoplanet
ex·o·plan·et /ˈeksōˌplanət/, noun: a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun.

All Exoplanets 4301  (+5)
Confirmed Planets with Kepler Light Curves for Stellar Host 2413  (+1)
Confirmed Planets Discovered by Kepler 2393  (+1)
Kepler Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 2367  (-1)
Confirmed Planets with K2 Light Curves for Stellar Host 443
Confirmed Planets Discovered by K2 422
K2 Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 889
Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS 81
TESS Project Candidates Integrated into Archive (2020-10-29 13:00:02) 2390  (+13)
Current date TESS Project Candidates at ExoFOP 2394  (+17)
TESS Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed 1454  (+10)

Data from the NASA Exoplanet Archive
* Confirmed Planets Discovered by TESS refers to the number planets that have been published in the refereed astronomical literature.
* TESS Project Candidates refers to the total number of transit-like events that appear to be astrophysical in origin, including false positives as identified by the TESS Project.
* TESS Project Candidates Yet To Be Confirmed refers to the number of TESS Project Candidates that have not yet been dispositioned as a Confirmed Planet or False Positive.

Exoplanet News

The exoplanet Kepler-70b has an average temperature hotter than the Sun’s surface. It used to be Jupiter-sized until it spent some time inside its now-dead star, a trip that destroys most planets – but not this one.#MondayMotivation: This day is yours.https://t.co/hMOHOpUfCt pic.twitter.com/cATP5KLDDN

— NASA Exoplanets (@NASAExoplanets) November 9, 2020

Here's exciting new research from a team of scientists out of Germany, the USA, & Ireland. Results show that if street light modernization projects are done according to IDA’s lighting principles they reduce #lightpollution in meaningful & measurable ways!https://t.co/MyGKlIxBMx

— IDA Dark-Sky (@IDADarkSky) October 29, 2020

Hubble: Beautiful Universe

This galaxy is "hot." ? To be precise, some of the stars pictured in this Hubble image are over six times hotter than our Sun! The blue color of this galaxy, UGCA 193, shows that many of its stars “burn” at very high temperatures: https://t.co/kUzko3vSkX#HubbleFriday pic.twitter.com/C7FZ9y4ChP

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) November 6, 2020

Tour of the Local Stellar Neighborhood

Continuing with my visual tour of nearby stars and their systems, we travel to Gliese 3622 (LHS 292), about 14.9 light years distant.

Gliese 3622 Gliese 3622 is about 14.9 light years from Sol; the plane (green) is aligned with the orientation of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: SpaceEngine / Bob Trembley.

 

Gliese 3622 (LHS 292)

LHS 292 is a red dwarf in the constellation Sextans. It is far too faint to be seen with the unaided eye and requires a large amateur telescope to be seen visually. It lies relatively close to our star system at a distance of about 14.9 light years. It is a flare star, which means it can suddenly increase in brightness for short periods of time.. – Wikipedia

Artist Rendering of Hypothetical Exoplanet Orbiting Gliese 3622

Artistic rendering of an exoplanet orbiting Gliese 3622 Artistic rendering of an exoplanet and asteroid moon orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 3622. Credit: Bob Trembley / SpaceEngine.


What I was listening to when I was editing this:

Stay safe, be well, and look up!


Apps used for this post:

NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission simulator – free for the PC /MAC. I maintain the unofficial NASA Eyes Facebook page.
Universe Sandbox: a space simulator that merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Includes VR support.
SpaceEngine: a free 3D Universe Simulator for Windows. Steam version with VR support available.
Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux. It’s a great tool for planning observing sessions. A web-based version of Stellarium is also available.


Section header image credits:
The Sky – Stellarium / Bob Trembley
Observing Target – Turn Left at Orion / M. Skirvin
The Moon – NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sun – NASA/JPL-Caltech
Asteroids – NASA/JPL-Caltech
Fireballs – Credited to YouTube
Comets – Comet P/Halley, March 8, 1986, W. Liller
The Solar System – NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Spacecraft News – NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley
Exoplanets – Space Engine / Bob Trembley
Light Pollution – NASA’s Black Marble
The Universe – Universe Today

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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

172  |  In the Sky This Week – November 3, 2020

By Robert Trembley  |  3 Nov 2020

174  |  In the Sky This Week – November 17, 2020

By Robert Trembley  |  17 Nov 2020

175  |  In the Sky This Week – November 24 2020

By Robert Trembley  |  24 Nov 2020

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