In the Sky This Week – October 8, 2019

This week is World Space Week! Held annually every October 4-10^th, it is the largest space event on Earth, with more than 5,000 events in over 80 countries. The theme for 2019 is: “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars.”

“The General Assembly declares 4 to 10 October World Space Week to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition” – UN General Assembly resolution, 6 December 1999

Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon continue to be excellent observing targets all week after sunset.

The waxing gibbous Moon with Saturn and Jupiter in the southern sky after sunset, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The waxing gibbous Moon is in the southwestern sky at midnight on Oct. 8^th.

The waxing gibbous Moon in the southwestern sky at midnight, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

At midnight on Oct. 11^th, the waxing gibbous Moon is high in the southern sky.

The waxing gibbous Moon high in the southern sky at midnight, Oct. 11, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The full Moon appears in the southeastern sky at midnight, Oct. 14^th.

The full Moon in the southeastern sky at midnight, Oct. 14, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Mars appears a bit higher each morning in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Mars very low in the eastern predawn sky, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

Constellation Pegasus

Pegasus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the 88 constellations recognised today.

With an apparent magnitude varying between 2.37 and 2.45, the brightest star in Pegasus is the orange supergiant Epsilon Pegasi, also known as Enif, which marks the horse’s muzzle. Alpha (Markab), Beta (Scheat), and Gamma (Algenib), together with Alpha Andromedae (Alpheratz, once also designated Delta Pegasi) form the large asterism known as the Square of Pegasus. Twelve star systems have been found to have exoplanets. 51 Pegasi was the first Sun-like star discovered to have an exoplanet companion. – Wikipedia

Continuing with my plan to get students in my after-school club to recognize constellations in the nighttime sky just after sunset, I’ve moved to the eastern sky where Pegasus should be easy to spot above the Moon on Oct. 13^th – look for the “Great Square.”

Constellation Pegasus in the eastern sky after sunset on Oct. 13, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The Western artwork for the constellation Pegasus is that of a winged horse.

Constellation Pegasus with (with Western artwork shown) in the eastern sky after sunset on Oct. 13, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley

The globular cluster M15 is in Pegasus, just above the horse’s snout.

Globular Cluster M15. Credits: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

The Moon is a waxing gibbous, visible to the southeast in early evening, and up for most of the night.

The full  Moon occurs on October 14^th, rising at sunset, high in the sky around midnight, and visible all night.

After October 14^th, the Moon will be a waning gibbous, rising after sunset, visible high in the sky after midnight, and visible to the southwest after sunrise.

The Moon from Oct. 8-14, 2019. Visualizations by Ernie Wright / NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.

Moon News

That emerging spot from last week got a designation: AR2749, but is near impossible to see in visible light. The active region is moving across the face of the Sun, and is visible in ultraviolet light just below the equator offset from the center of the Sun’s face in both images below. The northern coronal hole has remained open and huge for weeks – the southern hole is much less pronounced.

Sun in 193 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 1, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 193 angstroms]

Prominences, prominences everywhere!

Sun in 304 angstroms (extreme ultraviolet) Oct. 1, 2019. Image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

[Link to 48-hour video of the Sun in 304 angstroms]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219968098973723&set=gm.2698899073454753&type=3&theater&ifg=1

The solar wind speed is 385.3 km/sec (↓), with a density of 1.4 protons/cm³ (↑) at 1127 UT.

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

Sun News

Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

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 Oct. 7, 2019, the NASA All Sky Fireball Network reported 12 fireballs.
(12 sporadics)

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

Comet C/2019 Q4

Position of the planets and a couple spacecraft in the inner solar system:

Position of the planets and some spacecraft in the inner solar system, Oct. 8 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

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

Position of the planets in the middle solar system, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Position of the planets and a several bodies in the outer solar system:

Position of the planets in the outer solar system, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.[/