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    • By NASA
      5 min read
      February’s Night Sky Notes: How Can You Help Curb Light Pollution?
      Light pollution has long troubled astronomers, who generally shy away from deep sky observing under full Moon skies. The natural light from a bright Moon floods the sky and hides views of the Milky Way, dim galaxies and nebula, and shooting stars. In recent years, human-made light pollution has dramatically surpassed the interference of even a bright full Moon, and its effects are now noticeable to a great many people outside of the astronomical community. Harsh, bright white LED streetlights, while often more efficient and long-lasting, often create unexpected problems for communities replacing their old street lamps. Some notable concerns are increased glare and light trespass, less restful sleep, and disturbed nocturnal wildlife patterns. There is increasing awareness of just how much light is too much light at night. You don’t need to give in to despair over encroaching light pollution; you can join efforts to measure it, educate others, and even help stop or reduce the effects of light pollution in your community. 
      Before and after pictures of replacement lighting at the 6th Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River. The second picture shows improvements in some aspects of light pollution, as light is not directed to the sides and upwards from the upgraded fixtures, reducing skyglow. However, it also shows the use of brighter, whiter LEDs, which is not generally ideal, along with increased light bounce back from the road.  City of Los Angeles Amateur astronomers and potential citizen scientists around the globe are invited to participate in the Globe at Night (GaN) program to measure light pollution. Measurements are taken by volunteers on a few scheduled days every month and submitted to their database to help create a comprehensive map of light pollution and its change over time. GaN volunteers can take and submit measurements using multiple methods ranging from low-tech naked-eye observations to high-tech sensors and smartphone apps.
      Globe at Night citizen scientists can use the following methods to measure light pollution and submit their results:
      Their own smartphone camera and dedicated app Manually measure light pollution using their own eyes and detailed charts of the constellations A dedicated light pollution measurement device called a Sky Quality Meter (SQM). The free GaN web app from any internet-connected device (which can also be used to submit their measurements from an SQM or printed-out star charts) Night Sky Network members joined a telecon with Connie Walker of Globe at Night in 2014 and had a lively discussion about the program’s history and how they can participate. The audio of the telecon, transcript, and links to additional resources can be found on their dedicated resource page.
      Light pollution has been visible from space for a long time, but new LED lights are bright enough that they stand out from older street lights, even from orbit. The above photo was taken by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from the ISS cupola in 2015. The newly installed white LED lights in the center of the city of Milan are noticeably brighter than the lights in the surrounding neighborhoods. NASA/ESA DarkSky International has long been a champion in the fight against light pollution and a proponent of smart lighting design and policy. Their website (at darksky.org)  provides many resources for amateur astronomers and other like-minded people to help communities understand the negative impacts of light pollution and how smart lighting policies can not only help bring the stars back to their night skies but make their streets safer by using smarter lighting with less glare. Communities and individuals find that their nighttime lighting choices can help save considerable sums of money when they decide to light their streets and homes “smarter, not brighter” with shielded, directional lighting, motion detectors, timers, and even choosing the proper “temperature” of new LED light replacements to avoid the harsh “pure white” glare that many new streetlamps possess. Their pages on community advocacy and on how to choose dark-sky-friendly lighting are extremely helpful and full of great information. There are even local chapters of the IDA in many communities made up of passionate advocates of dark skies.
      DarkSky International has notably helped usher in “Dark Sky Places“, areas around the world that are protected from light pollution. “Dark Sky Parks“, in particular, provide visitors with incredible views of the Milky Way and are perfect places to spot the wonders of a meteor shower. These parks also perform a very important function, showing the public the wonders of a truly dark sky to many people who may have never before even seen a handful of stars in the sky, let alone the full, glorious spread of the Milky Way. 
      More research into the negative effects of light pollution on the health of humans and the environment is being conducted than ever before. Watching the nighttime light slowly increase in your neighborhood, combined with reading so much bad news, can indeed be disheartening! However, as awareness of light pollution and its negative effects increases, more people are becoming aware of the problem and want to be part of the solution. There is even an episode of PBS Kid’s SciGirls where the main characters help mitigate light pollution in their neighborhood!
      Astronomy clubs are uniquely situated to help spread awareness of good lighting practices in their local communities in order to help mitigate light pollution. Take inspiration from Tucson, Arizona, and other dark sky-friendly communities that have adopted good lighting practices. Tucson even reduced its skyglow by 7% after its own citywide lighting conversion, proof that communities can bring the stars back with smart lighting choices.
      Originally posted by Dave Prosper: November 2018
      Last Updated by Kat Troche: January 2025
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      4 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      This version of a mosaic captured by the star tracker cameras aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper on Dec. 4, 2024, features the names of stars within view of the cameras. NASA/JPL-Caltech This mosaic of a star field was made from three images captured Dec. 4, 2024, by star tracker cameras aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. Showing part of the constel-lation Corvus, it’s the first imagery of space the orbiter has captured since its launch on Oct. 14, 2024.NASA/JPL-Caltech The spacecraft’s star trackers help engineers orient the orbiter throughout its long journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
      Three months after its launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency’s Europa Clipper has another 1.6 billion miles (2.6 billion kilometers) to go before it reaches Jupiter’s orbit in 2030 to take close-up images of the icy moon Europa with science cameras.
      Meanwhile, a set of cameras serving a different purpose is snapping photos in the space between Earth and Jupiter. Called star trackers, the two imagers look for stars and use them like a compass to help mission controllers know the exact orientation of the spacecraft — information critical for pointing telecommunications antennas toward Earth and sending data back and forth smoothly.
      In early December, the pair of star trackers (formally known as the stellar reference units) captured and transmitted Europa Clipper’s first imagery of space. The picture, composed of three shots, shows tiny pinpricks of light from stars 150 to 300 light-years away. The starfield represents only about 0.1% of the full sky around the spacecraft, but by mapping the stars in just that small slice of sky, the orbiter is able to determine where it is pointed and orient itself correctly.
      The starfield includes the four brightest stars — Gienah, Algorab, Kraz, and Alchiba — of the constellation Corvus, which is Latin for “crow,” a bird in Greek mythology that was associated with Apollo.
      Engineers on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission work with the spacecraft’s star trackers in a clean room at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2022. Used for orienting the spacecraft, the star trackers are seen here with red covers to protect their lenses.NASA/JPL-Caltech Hardware Checkout
      Besides being interesting to stargazers, the photos signal the successful checkout of the star trackers. The spacecraft checkout phase has been going on since Europa Clipper launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Oct. 14, 2024.
      “The star trackers are engineering hardware and are always taking images, which are processed on board,” said Joanie Noonan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who leads the mission’s guidance, navigation and control operations. “We usually don’t downlink photos from the trackers, but we did in this case because it’s a really good way to make sure the hardware — including the cameras and their lenses — made it safely through launch.”
      Pointing the spacecraft correctly is not about navigation, which is a separate operation. But orientation using the star trackers is critical for telecommunications as well as for the science operations of the mission. Engineers need to know where the science instruments are pointed. That includes the sophisticated Europa Imaging System (EIS), which will collect images that will help scientists map and examine the moon’s mysterious fractures, ridges, and valleys. For at least the next three years, EIS has its protective covers closed.
      Europa Clipper carries nine science instruments, plus the telecommunications equipment that will be used for a gravity science investigation. During the mission’s 49 flybys of Europa, the suite will gather data that will tell scientists if the icy moon and its internal ocean have the conditions to harbor life.
      The spacecraft already is 53 million miles (85 million kilometers) from Earth, zipping along at 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun, and soon will fly by Mars. On March 1, engineers will steer the craft in a loop around the Red Planet, using its gravity to gain speed.
      More About Europa Clipper
      Europa Clipper’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
      Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
      Find more information about Europa Clipper here:
      https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/
      View an interactive 3D model of NASA’s Europa Clipper News Media Contacts
      Gretchen McCartney
      Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
      818-287-4115
      gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov 
      Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
      NASA Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov  
      2025-014
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      Last Updated Feb 04, 2025 Related Terms
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    • By NASA
      Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions 3 min read
      Sols 4441-4442: Winter is Coming
      NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of its workspace, which includes some polygonal fracture features just to the left of the top center of the image, using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4439, or Martian day 4,439 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, on Jan. 31, 2025, at 05:43:05 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
      Here in Earth’s northern hemisphere, the days are slowly getting longer, bringing with them the promise of an end to winter. While we are anticipating the return of warmer temperatures, just over 100 million kilometers (more than 62 million miles) away, Curiosity is starting to feel the bite of the colder season.
      One of the quirks of Mars’ orbital configuration is that aphelion (when Mars is farthest from the Sun) occurs about a month and a half before the southern winter solstice. This means that winters in the southern hemisphere (where Curiosity is located) are both longer and colder than those in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, we need to spend more of our power on keeping the rover warm, limiting the time that can be spent doing science. 
      Today’s plan was fairly constrained by the available power, so our various instrument and science teams had to carefully coordinate their requests to ensure that we stay within the power limits that have been budgeted out over the next several plans. Our team is never one to back down from a challenge, so this plan squeezes as much science as possible out of every watt-hour of power we were given.
      Our drive from Wednesday’s plan completed successfully (quite an accomplishment in the current terrain!). One of our wheels ended up perched a few centimetres up on a rock, so we aren’t able to use APXS or DRT today, but we were still able to unstow the arm to take some MAHLI images. 
      This plan kicks off with a pair of ChemCam and Mastcam coordinated activities. The first of these two focuses on some interesting polygonal fractures that we ended up parked in front of (see the image above). ChemCam will use its LIBS laser on these fractures before they are imaged by Mastcam. ChemCam will then use its RMI camera to take a mosaic of some features on the crater floor way off in the distance, which Mastcam will also image. Mastcam then goes it alone, with images of “Vivian Creek” (some sedimentary layers in today’s contact science target), “Dawn Mine” (a potential meteorite), and a trough off of the rover’s right side. The Environmental Science (ENV) team will continue their monitoring of the environment with a Mastcam tau to measure dust in the atmosphere as well as Navcam cloud and dust devil movies. After a short nap, the arm is unstopped to take a number of MAHLI images of “Coldwater Canyon,” over a range of distances between 5 and 25 centimeters away (about 2-10 inches).
      The second sol of this plan is largely consumed by ENV activities, including another tau and a Navcam line-of-sight observation to monitor dust. A big chunk of this sol’s plan is taken up by ChemCam passive observations (not using the LIBS laser) of the atmosphere. This “passive sky” observation allows us to measure atmospheric aerosol properties and the amount of oxygen and water in the air. Of course, ENV couldn’t have all the fun, so this sol also contains a typical ChemCam LIBS observation of “Big Dalton” with a Mastcam image afterward. After stowing the arm, we will drive off from our current location.
      Right before handing off to Monday’s plan, we wrap up with our typical early-morning ENV weekend science time, which includes more tau and line-of-sight dust observations and several Navcam cloud movies. RAD, REMS, and DAN also continue their monitoring of the environment throughout this plan.
      Written by Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University
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      Last Updated Feb 04, 2025 Related Terms
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    • By NASA
      During the Artemis II mission to the Moon, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover will take control and manually fly Orion for the first time, evaluating the handling qualities of the spacecraft during a key test called the proximity operations demonstration. This is how to fly Orion.
      On NASA’s Artemis II test flight, the first crewed mission under the agency’s Artemis campaign, astronauts will take the controls of the Orion spacecraft and periodically fly it manually during the flight around the Moon and back. The mission provides the first opportunity to ensure the spacecraft operates as designed with humans aboard, ahead of future Artemis missions to the Moon’s surface.

      The first key piloting test, called the proximity operations demonstration, will take place after the four crew members — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are safely in space, about three hours into the mission. To evaluate the spacecraft’s manual handling qualities, the crew will pilot Orion to approach and back away from the detached upper stage of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

      Crew members participating in the demonstration will use two different controllers, called rotational and translational hand controllers, to steer the spacecraft. Three display screens provide the astronauts with data, and another device, called the cursor control device, allows the crew to interact with the displays.

      Astronauts will use the rotational hand controller (RHC), gripped in the right hand, to rotate the spacecraft. It controls Orion’s attitude, or the direction the spacecraft is pointing. If the crew wants to point Orion’s nose left, the RHC is twisted left – for nose right, they will twist the RHC right. Similarly, the RHC can control the nose to pitch up or down or roll right or left. “On Artemis II, most of the time the spacecraft will fly autonomously, but having humans aboard is a chance to help with future mission success,” said Reid Wiseman. “If something goes wrong, a crewmember can jump on the controls and help fix the problem. One of our big goals is to check out this spacecraft and have it completely ready for our friends on Artemis III.”

      The commander and pilot seats are each equipped with a rotational hand controller (RHC), gripped in the right hand, to rotate the spacecraft. It controls Orion’s attitude, or the direction the spacecraft is pointing. If the crew wants to point Orion’s nose left, the RHC is twisted left — for nose right, they will twist the RHC right. Similarly, the RHC can control the nose to pitch up or down or roll right or left.

      The translational hand controller (THC), located to the right or left of the display screens, will move Orion from one point to another. To move the spacecraft forward, the crew pushes the controller straight in — to back up, they will pull the controller out. And similarly, the controller can be pushed up or down and left or right to move in those directions.

      When the crew uses one of the controllers, their command is detected by Orion’s flight software, run by the spacecraft’s guidance, navigation, and control system. The flight software was designed, developed, and tested by Orion’s main contractor, Lockheed Martin.
      The crew will use translational hand controller (THC), located to the right or left of the display screens, will move Orion from one point to another. To move the spacecraft forward, the crew pushes the controller straight in – to back up, they will pull the controller out. And similarly, the controller can be pushed up or down and left or right to move in those directions. “We’re going to perform flight test objectives on Artemis II to get data on the handling qualities of the spacecraft and how well it maneuvers,” said Jeffrey Semrau, Lockheed Martin’s manual controls flight software lead for Artemis missions. “We’ll use that information to upgrade and improve our control systems and facilitate success for future missions.”

      Depending on what maneuver the pilot has commanded, Orion’s software determines which of its 24 reaction control system thrusters to fire, and when. These thrusters are located on Orion’s European-built service module. They provide small amounts of thrust in any direction to steer the spacecraft and can provide torque to allow rotation control.

      The cursor control device allows the crew to interact with the three display screens that show spacecraft data and information. This device allows the crew to interact with Orion even under the stresses of launch or entry when gravitational forces can prevent them from physically reaching the screens.
      The cursor control device allows the crew to interact with the three display screens that show spacecraft data and information. This device allows the crew to interact with Orion even under the stresses of launch or entry when gravitational forces can prevent them from physically reaching the screens. Next to Orion’s displays, the spacecraft also has a series of switches, toggles, and dials on the switch interface panel. Along with switches the crew will use during normal mission operations, there is also a backup set of switches they can use to fly Orion if a display or hand controller fails.

      “This flight test will simulate the flying that we would do if we were docking to another spacecraft like our lander or to Gateway, our lunar space station,” said Victor Glover. “We’re going to make sure that the vehicle flies the way that our simulators approximate. And we’re going to make sure that it’s ready for the more complicated missions ahead.”

      The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions.
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory was photographed at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in November 2024 after completing environmental testing. The spacecraft’s three concentric cones help direct heat and light away from the telescope and other components, keeping them cool. Credit: BAE Systems NASA will host a news conference at 12 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 31, to discuss a new telescope that will improve our understanding of how the universe evolved and search for key ingredients for life in our galaxy.
      Agency experts will preview NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) mission, which will help scientists better understand the structure of the universe, how galaxies form and evolve, and the origins and abundance of water. Launch is targeted for no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 27.
      The news conference will be hosted at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Watch live on NASA+, as well as JPL’s X and YouTube channels. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
      Laurie Leshin, director, NASA JPL, will provide opening remarks. Additional briefing participants include:
      Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters James Fanson, project manager, SPHEREx, NASA JPL Beth Fabinsky, deputy project manager, SPHEREx, NASA JPL   Jamie Bock, principal investigator, SPHEREx, Caltech Cesar Marin, SPHEREx integration engineer, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida To ask questions by phone, members of the media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of the event to: rexana.v.vizza@jpl.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Questions also can be asked on social media during the briefing using #AskNASA.
      The SPHEREx observatory will survey the entire celestial sky in near-infrared light to help answer cosmic questions involving the birth of the universe, and the subsequent development of galaxies. It also will search for ices of water and organic molecules — essentials for life as we know it — in regions where stars are born from gas and dust, as well as disks around stars where new planets could be forming. Astronomers will use the mission to gather data on more than 450 million galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.
      The space observatory will share its ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, which will lift off from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Central California. 
      The SPHEREx mission is managed by NASA JPL for the agency’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The principal investigator is based at Caltech in Pasadena, California, which manages NASA JPL for the agency. 
      The spacecraft is supplied by BAE Systems. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute contributed the non-flight cryogenic test chamber. Mission data will be publicly available through IPAC at Caltech.
      For more information about the mission, visit:
      https://nasa.gov/spherex
      -end-
      Alise Fisher
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-2546
      alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
      Val Gratias / Calla Cofield
      Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
      818-393-6215 / 626-808-2469
      valerie.m.gratias@jpl.nasa.gov / calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
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      Last Updated Jan 27, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe and Ices Explorer) Astrophysics Division Jet Propulsion Laboratory Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) Science Mission Directorate View the full article
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