The periodic comet (number 46P) Wirtanen is visiting us yet again. Does it about every 5 or 6 years depending on how close it gets to Jupiter. The actual nucleus is only about 3/4 of a mile in diameter, but the coma (its gas and dust envelope is currently 1.5 times the size of the Moon and it will probably get bigger still. It will be closest to Earth on this pass on 16 December at 11 million kilometers (a little more than 7 million miles. In the top 20 of close approaches since records were kept (ninth century AD). It might even make it to naked eye visibility even from Sun City. It will be visible to us Northeners beginning around 12 December and hanging in there until near the end of the month. First sighting should take place at about 5 AM on the 12th or 13th just South of the constellation Taurus.
To get more information visit Astronomy Picture of the Day www.APOD.com or www.SpaceWeather. com. It's a beautiful
shade of green. Lots of Pictuers.
There are at leasst three comets visibile from Earth right now but they all require binoculars or small telescopes. Information available at SpaceWeather.com.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Ref List for December Meeting
References for Skywatchers Presentation 2018-12-11
The Christmas Star, aka The Star of Bethlehem
“The Bible,” Various Authors, Translation King James version
Matthew, Luke, and Micah(Old Testament)
“Understanding the Universe, 2nd Edition,”
Course Guidebook by Professor Alex Filippenko, 2007
Internet Searches:
“Star of Bethlehem,” Wikipedia 2018-11-08
“When was Christmas First Celebrated,” Wikipedia 2018-11-26
“www.WhyChristmas.com,”
Fiction:
“The Star,” Arthur C. Clarke, 1954
The Christmas Star, aka The Star of Bethlehem
“The Bible,” Various Authors, Translation King James version
Matthew, Luke, and Micah(Old Testament)
“Understanding the Universe, 2nd Edition,”
Course Guidebook by Professor Alex Filippenko, 2007
Internet Searches:
“Star of Bethlehem,” Wikipedia 2018-11-08
“When was Christmas First Celebrated,” Wikipedia 2018-11-26
“www.WhyChristmas.com,”
Fiction:
“The Star,” Arthur C. Clarke, 1954
Friday, October 19, 2018
Orionid Meteor Shower 21 -22 October 2018
This just in: The Orionid Meteor Shower will peak the night of 21-22 October. This meteor shower originates from the debris left by Halley's Comet on its 75 year journey around the Sun. Its debris tail crosses Earth's orbit each year as Earth's motion along its orbit takes it through this debris trail. There is an excellent video depiction of the event on SpaceWeather.com (2018-10-19).
To observe the meteor shower go outside just before dawn on 22 October and look South high in the sky for Constellation Orion. The origination point (radiant) is Orion's right shoulder.
A little light history. Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was born in 1835 one of the years of Halley's Comet's passage through the inner solar system. He died in 1910 the year of the following passage of said comet through the inner solar system. Clemens is reported to have said that he came in with Halley's Comet and will probably go out with it. He was Right.
Enjoy the show.
To observe the meteor shower go outside just before dawn on 22 October and look South high in the sky for Constellation Orion. The origination point (radiant) is Orion's right shoulder.
A little light history. Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was born in 1835 one of the years of Halley's Comet's passage through the inner solar system. He died in 1910 the year of the following passage of said comet through the inner solar system. Clemens is reported to have said that he came in with Halley's Comet and will probably go out with it. He was Right.
Enjoy the show.
Ref List for November Meeting 20181113
Let's see if we can avoid hurricanes and horrible weather in November. The November meeting is all about possible, no probable, impacts from the sky and what we are doing about these rare but inevitable events that have happened many times in our past and continue to occur even today.
The meeting will be on 13 November 2018 in the Lakehouse Ballroom at 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM.
The reference list follows should you want to read up on the subject before the event.
References for Presentation "Impact from the Sky - A Status Report," 2018 Nov 13
* “The Impact Threat,” Sky &Telescope Magazine, pgs. 12-20, 2018 June
* “Asteroid Plundering,” Sky & Telescope Magazine, 21-28, 2018 June
* “Galileo’s Commandment an Anthology of Great Science Writing,” edited by Edmund Blair Bolles, 1997
** Tunguska, 30 June 1908. “…even the light of the Sun appear[ed] dark…” .” Galileo’s Commandment”, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Holbrook, AZ, 1912. “It’s raining rocks out here.” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Johnstown, CO, 6 July 1924. ”Mr. Clingenpeel, the undertaker, dug it up.” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Aba, Japan, 28 Apr 1927. “… she cried out. She had been struck on the head by a meteorite the size of a mung bean, …” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Sylacauga, AL, 30 Nov 1954. “… E. Hulitt Hodges… bruised her viciously on the hip. …” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Utah, 10 Aug 1972. “ … something came in from space … at Mach 20 ,,,” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** 16 – 22 July 1994. “ …fragments collided with Jupiter's southern hemisphere … at 134,000 mph.” Wikipedia
* Chelyabinsk, Russia 15 Feb 2013. About 1500 people were injured. Wikipedia
* List of Impact Craters on Earth, Wikipedia
* Project Icarus Report – MIT Spring 1967
* “The Comet from Another Star,” Sky &Telescope Magazine, pgs. 20-26, 2018 October
Fiction:
*"Lucifer's Hammer", by Jerry Pournelle and David Niven, 1977
*"Evolution" by Stephen Baxter, 2004
*"The Hammer of God" by Arthur Clarke, 1993
The meeting will be on 13 November 2018 in the Lakehouse Ballroom at 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM.
The reference list follows should you want to read up on the subject before the event.
References for Presentation "Impact from the Sky - A Status Report," 2018 Nov 13
* “The Impact Threat,” Sky &Telescope Magazine, pgs. 12-20, 2018 June
* “Asteroid Plundering,” Sky & Telescope Magazine, 21-28, 2018 June
* “Galileo’s Commandment an Anthology of Great Science Writing,” edited by Edmund Blair Bolles, 1997
** Tunguska, 30 June 1908. “…even the light of the Sun appear[ed] dark…” .” Galileo’s Commandment”, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Holbrook, AZ, 1912. “It’s raining rocks out here.” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Johnstown, CO, 6 July 1924. ”Mr. Clingenpeel, the undertaker, dug it up.” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Aba, Japan, 28 Apr 1927. “… she cried out. She had been struck on the head by a meteorite the size of a mung bean, …” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Sylacauga, AL, 30 Nov 1954. “… E. Hulitt Hodges… bruised her viciously on the hip. …” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Utah, 10 Aug 1972. “ … something came in from space … at Mach 20 ,,,” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** 16 – 22 July 1994. “ …fragments collided with Jupiter's southern hemisphere … at 134,000 mph.” Wikipedia
* Chelyabinsk, Russia 15 Feb 2013. About 1500 people were injured. Wikipedia
* List of Impact Craters on Earth, Wikipedia
* Project Icarus Report – MIT Spring 1967
* “The Comet from Another Star,” Sky &Telescope Magazine, pgs. 20-26, 2018 October
Fiction:
*"Lucifer's Hammer", by Jerry Pournelle and David Niven, 1977
*"Evolution" by Stephen Baxter, 2004
*"The Hammer of God" by Arthur Clarke, 1993
Why is the Sky Dark at Night (2) - Ref List
We got a little washed out by Hurricane Florence and had to move September's Meeting to October 9. Ah, well. The meeting was well attended with 45 folks showing up even though it was raining. So, here is the reference list should you decide you want to know more about why the sky is dark at night after the Earth has rotated the Sun to the other side of the planet.
References for Presentation 2018 Oct 09: Why is the Sky Dark at Night?
Edgar Allan Poe, “Eureka”, 1848
Edward R. Harrison, “Darkness at Night”, @1987
Edmund Blair Bolles, “Galileo’s Commandment”, @1997
Wikipedia, “Minute and Second of Arc”, 2018-07-03
Wikipedia, “Steradian”, 2018-03-03
Wikipedia, “Universe”, 2018-07-01
Wikipedia, “Angular Diameter”, 2018-06-30
Wikipedia, “Olbers’ Paradox”, 2018-05-20
Wikipedia, “Heinrich W. M. Olbers”, 2018-05-20
https://www.sciencealert.com/universe-expanding-hubble-constant-record-discrepancy-latest-estimate-cepheid-brightness, 2018-07-15
Enjoy.
References for Presentation 2018 Oct 09: Why is the Sky Dark at Night?
Edgar Allan Poe, “Eureka”, 1848
Edward R. Harrison, “Darkness at Night”, @1987
Edmund Blair Bolles, “Galileo’s Commandment”, @1997
Wikipedia, “Minute and Second of Arc”, 2018-07-03
Wikipedia, “Steradian”, 2018-03-03
Wikipedia, “Universe”, 2018-07-01
Wikipedia, “Angular Diameter”, 2018-06-30
Wikipedia, “Olbers’ Paradox”, 2018-05-20
Wikipedia, “Heinrich W. M. Olbers”, 2018-05-20
https://www.sciencealert.com/universe-expanding-hubble-constant-record-discrepancy-latest-estimate-cepheid-brightness, 2018-07-15
Enjoy.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Why it's dark at night!!
Ever wonder why the sky is dark at night. Never thought about it have you?
Think about it. If the universe were in fact infinite and not expanding, then the sky would be full of stars ALL THE TIME. There are other conditions of course. So this is a heads up for our September meeting. Do a little research. Recommended is NASA's short blurb about it and Edward Harrison's book: Darkness at Night (1987).
But let's not look at the dark side of things right now since there are things going on in our solar system that bear watching. Mars is the brightest planet in the sky right now. You can see it most of the night but it is especially bright in the morning hours around 4 to 5 AM. Mars is undergoing a planet wide dust storm. The storm has caused the shut down of the Opportunity Rover, from which it may not recover. These things can go on for months.
Even Jupiter is making a show of it.
Visit Heavens-above.com and SpaceWeather.com for a complete rundown
Enjoy.
Think about it. If the universe were in fact infinite and not expanding, then the sky would be full of stars ALL THE TIME. There are other conditions of course. So this is a heads up for our September meeting. Do a little research. Recommended is NASA's short blurb about it and Edward Harrison's book: Darkness at Night (1987).
But let's not look at the dark side of things right now since there are things going on in our solar system that bear watching. Mars is the brightest planet in the sky right now. You can see it most of the night but it is especially bright in the morning hours around 4 to 5 AM. Mars is undergoing a planet wide dust storm. The storm has caused the shut down of the Opportunity Rover, from which it may not recover. These things can go on for months.
Even Jupiter is making a show of it.
Visit Heavens-above.com and SpaceWeather.com for a complete rundown
Enjoy.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
References for April's Meeting (2018-04-10)
Science and Science Fiction
References - predictions of the future - movies and books, Apr 2018
MOVIES
Forbidden Planet - Alien
Evil in the form of planet girdling super machines (AIs)
2001: A Space Odyssey-They
were here before us and helped our predecessors become intelligent, 1968
Books and magazines
2001: A Space Odyssey by Clarke and Kubrick, 1968-They
were here before us and helped our predecessors become intelligent, 1968
Footfall by Larry
Niven and Jerry Pournelle, 1985 - They came from space and tried to take over
The
Berserker Series of short stories by Saberhagen, 1960s and 70s, Kill
all biological life
There Was a Knock On The Door, a short story by Frederick
Brown, 1949 - "The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a
knock on the door..."
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, 2005, The
advantage of having a green skin.
Astrobiology Strategy 2015, by NASA (Lindsey Hays,
JPL), 2016 (Final), What we’re looking for and how we plan to find it (them,
they, etc.)
Beyond the Blue Event
Horizon by Frederick Pohl, 1980, The Heechee left a space subway system, but they
were afraid of something so they ran and hid
Newsweek 03-09-2018, Intelligent Life; The
Alien Hunter’s Guide; To the Future
Scientific American, April
2018, Tiny Killers
Scientific American, March
2018, The Search for
Other Earths
Are We Alone, A Popular Science Special
Edition, 2017
The Planet Hunters, A Columbia Magazine
Special Edition, Winter 2017-18
Smithsonian, 2018
April
Astrobiology
Strategy 2015, NASA FINAL 2016-04-12
Articles (Not Sci-Fi)
Wikipedia Article
“Technological Singularity”
Wikipedia
Article “CHON”
Wikipedia
Article “Astrobiology”
Wikipedia
Article “Exobiology”
Extraterrestrial
Life, Wikipedia
Planetary
Atmospheres Exobiology Magazine, 2014
Websites (Not Sci-Fi)
Below is web images for Signs of Extraterrestrial
life:
http://www.searchforlife.net/exoplanet-missions/
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