This week is World Space Week! Held annually every October 4-10th, 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 TrembleyThe waxing gibbous Moon is in the southwestern sky at midnight on Oct. 8th.
The waxing gibbous Moon in the southwestern sky at midnight, Oct. 8, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob TrembleyAt midnight on Oct. 11th, 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 TrembleyThe full Moon appears in the southeastern sky at midnight, Oct. 14th.
The full Moon in the southeastern sky at midnight, Oct. 14, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob TrembleyMars 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. 13th – look for the “Great Square.”
Constellation Pegasus in the eastern sky after sunset on Oct. 13, 2019. Credit: Stellarium / Bob TrembleyThe 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 TrembleyThe 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 14th, rising at sunset, high in the sky around midnight, and visible all night.
After October 14th, 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-CaltechYou 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.
Sun News
Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT)
|
Miss Distance
|
Velocity (km/s)
|
Diameter (m)
|
| 2019 TU |
2019-Oct-08
|
4.4 LD
|
9.8
|
22
|
| 2019 TW1 |
2019-Oct-08
|
1.5 LD
|
11.7
|
10
|
| 2019 RK |
2019-Oct-08
|
16.7 LD
|
3
|
30
|
| 2019 TC1 |
2019-Oct-08
|
3.5 LD
|
13.1
|
12
|
| 2019 SB6 |
2019-Oct-08
|
7.8 LD
|
7.8
|
16
|
| 2019 TM |
2019-Oct-08
|
9.4 LD
|
12.9
|
38
|
| 2019 TS |
2019-Oct-08
|
8.4 LD
|
7.8
|
29
|
| 2019 TV1 |
2019-Oct-09
|
17.1 LD
|
9
|
23
|
| 2019 TZ |
2019-Oct-09
|
8.1 LD
|
11.6
|
18
|
| 2019 SL7 |
2019-Oct-09
|
1.4 LD
|
17.1
|
22
|
| 2019 SX5 |
2019-Oct-10
|
17.7 LD
|
21.8
|
83
|
| 2019 TN1 |
2019-Oct-12
|
12.9 LD
|
8.6
|
15
|
| 2019 SK8 |
2019-Oct-12
|
10.5 LD
|
8.4
|
21
|
| 2019 SV9 |
2019-Oct-12
|
8.6 LD
|
13.5
|
30
|
| 2019 SE2 |
2019-Oct-12
|
19.2 LD
|
10.2
|
55
|
| 2019 TH2 |
2019-Oct-13
|
9.3 LD
|
7.8
|
19
|
| 2019 TT1 |
2019-Oct-13
|
2.9 LD
|
13.3
|
23
|
| 2019 SR8 |
2019-Oct-16
|
13.5 LD
|
9.8
|
26
|
| 2019 TE2 |
2019-Oct-18
|
8.3 LD
|
10.1
|
27
|
| 2019 TA1 |
2019-Oct-18
|
15.5 LD
|
6.4
|
22
|
| 2019 SJ8 |
2019-Oct-19
|
11.6 LD
|
7.4
|
47
|
| 2019 TQ2 |
2019-Oct-25
|
12.8 LD
|
12.4
|
35
|
| 162082 |
2019-Oct-25
|
16.2 LD
|
11.2
|
589
|
| 2017 TG5 |
2019-Oct-25
|
14.4 LD
|
11.9
|
34
|
| 2019 TR2 |
2019-Oct-29
|
19.4 LD
|
13.9
|
73
|
| 2015 JD1 |
2019-Nov-03
|
12.9 LD
|
11.9
|
269
|
| 2010 JG |
2019-Nov-12
|
19.6 LD
|
14.9
|
235
|
| 481394 |
2019-Nov-21
|
11.3 LD
|
7.9
|
372
|
| 2008 EA9 |
2019-Nov-23
|
10.5 LD
|
2.2
|
10
|
| 2017 AP4 |
2019-Dec-03
|
8.5 LD
|
7.5
|
15
|
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
Potentially hazardous asteroids: 2018 (last updated Oct. 1, 2019)
Minor Planets discovered: 828,746 (+5945)
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.comFireball News
https://twitter.com/UKMeteorNetwork/status/1180757335406456832
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.[/
