the May JJMO Newsletter!

18 Pages·2017·1.56 MB·English

G
alactic Observer
John J. McCarthy Observatory
Volume 10, No. 5 May 2017
A giant centipede
swallowing the Earth?
Find out more on page 16.
The John J. McCarthy Observatory GGGGGaaaaalllllaaaaaccccctttttiiiiiccccc OOOOObbbbbssssseeeeerrrrrvvvvveeeeerrrrr
New Milford High School EEEEEdddddiiiiitttttooooorrrrriiiiiaaaaalllll CCCCCooooommmmmmmmmmiiiiitttttttttteeeeeeeeee
388 Danbury Road
Managing Editor
New Milford, CT 06776
Bill Cloutier
Phone/Voice: [phone]
Production & Design
Phone/Fax: [phone]
Allan Ostergren
www.mccarthyobservatory.org
Website Development
JJMO Staff Marc Polansky
Technical Support
It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory
Bob Lambert
has established itself as a significant educational and
Dr. Parker Moreland
recreational resource within the western Connecticut
community.
Steve Barone Jim Johnstone
Colin Campbell Carly KleinStern
Dennis Cartolano Bob Lambert Route
Mike Chiarella Roger Moore
Jeff Chodak Parker Moreland, PhD
Bill Cloutier Allan Ostergren
Doug Delisle Marc Polansky
Cecilia Detrich Joe Privitera
Dirk Feather Monty Robson
Randy Fender Don Ross
Louise Gagnon Gene Schilling
John Gebauer Katie Shusdock
Elaine Green Paul Woodell
Tina Hartzell Amy Ziffer
In This Issue
"OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT"...............................4 ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVENTS.........................13
REINER GAMMA.............................................................4 COMMONLY USED TERMS...............................................13
OCEAN WORLDS ............................................................5 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES............................................13
GRAND FINALE ..............................................................6 LAGRANGE POINTS........................................................16
BETTING ON THE FUTURE.................................................6 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/IRIDIUM SATELLITES..........16
STORMY WEATHER.........................................................7 SOLAR ACTIVITY ...........................................................16
ATLAS ..........................................................................8 ON THE COVER.............................................................16
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE UPDATE..................................9 SECOND SATURDAY STARS POSTER ...................................17
PUBLIC ASTRONOMY.......................................................9 MAY GRAPHIC CALENDAR..............................................18
SPACE SHUTTLE HISTORY................................................9
MAY SHOWERS .............................................................10
FORGOTTEN NAMES FOR AN ANCIENT WORLD...................10
MAY HISTORY...............................................................11
JUPITER AND ITS MOONS.................................................12
JOVIAN MOON TRANSITS................................................12
RED SPOT TRANSITS......................................................12
MAY NIGHTS................................................................12
SUNRISE AND SUNSET......................................................13
2 May 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org
May Astronomy Calendar and
Space Exploration Almanac
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captures the planet Earth (and Moon) from a distance of 870 million
miles (1.4 billion km) in an image taken on April 12, 2017. Saturn’s A Ring is at the top of this
cropped image with the Keeler gap visible near the outer edge. In the original image, the F ring was
also visible at the bottom of the image.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
JJMO
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“Out the Window on tional Astronomical Union lists the that the exposure to the solar wind
Your Left” diameter of Reiner Gamma at 45.6 (which darkens the regolith) is less
I miles (73.44 km), although from in area within the swirls than their
t’s been almost 45 years since
orbit filaments can be seen that ex- surroundings and modeling has
we left the last footprint on the
dusty lunar surface. Sadly, as tend for hundreds oMfa mre iSleerse naictarotisss shown that a strong electric field
the surface. Swirls have some com- can be generated when the solar
a nation founded on exploration
mon characteristics, for example, wind’s charged particles attempt to
and the conquest of new frontiers,
they appear to be associated with flow through the magnetic field.
we appear to have lost our will to
Taurus Littrow
remnants of an ancient magnetic Rock samples returned by the
lead as a space-faring nation. But,
field and the area within the swirl Apollo astronauts revealed that the
what if the average citizen had the
appears to be less weathered by the Moon was still generating a mag-
means to visit our only natural sat-
solar wind than surrounding areas. netic field (from a rotating outer
ellite; what would they see out the
The swirls are thought to have liquid core) as recently as 3 billion
window of their spacecraft as they
been formed by the deflection of years ago. However, the original
the solar wind by a localized mag- magnetic field would have weak-
netic field, but how the field ened as the core cooled, so that
formed is not fully understood. these localized magnetic fields are
Data collected by the Lunar Recon- unlikely to be remnants of the
naissance Orbiter has confirmed original, global field.
Reiner Gamma
Lunar "oceans" are expansive, low-lying
plains formed by ancient lava flows
entered orbit around the Moon?
This column may provide some
thoughts to ponder when plan-
ning your visit (if only in your
imagination).
Among the many mysteries of
our Moon is the origin of the rela-
tively bright patterns on its surface,
called “lunar swirls.” The most
prominent and easily observed
swirl is Reiner Gamma. When the
Moon is nearly full, the swirl can
be found near the western limb,
west of the craters Copernicus
and Kepler. The bright tadpole-
shaped swirl stands out against the
dark lunar mare of Oceanus
Procellarum (Ocean of Storms).
Swirls appear unique to the
Moon and can appear in groups or
as a solitary feature. The Interna-
4 May 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org
Several theories have been of-
Polar geyser from fractures in the Enceladus ice
fered on the origin, including one that
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
attempted to correlate the swirls with
basin impacts on the opposite side
of the Moon. While there is some
correlation, there doesn’t appear to
be an impact basin associated with
Reiner Gamma. Researchers are also
exploring field production by a
cometary impact or through an in-
teraction with a passing comet. It
may be that we will have to return to
the Moon for a more definitive an-
swer to this mystery.
Ocean Worlds
of other molecules). Researchers be- campaigns, the plumes were seen on
Recently published research
lieve that the source of the hydrogen only three occasions). They do
papers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus
is hydrothermal activity on the appear to erupt from an unusually
and Jupiter’s moon Europa are
moon’s seafloor (produced from the warm area of the moon’s icy surface
strengthening the case that, be-
interaction of water heated by the tid- that had been identified by NASA’s
neath their icy shells, the two ocean
ally squeezed mantle with the rock Galileo spacecraft during its eleven
worlds may have the right ingredi-
at the bottom of a global ocean). Mi- flybys of the moon in the 1990s.
ents to support life.
crobes, on Earth, obtain energy us- The Europa plume(s) have been
Enceladus is a small moon, only
ing the hydrogen and the carbon di- measured to rise as high as 100
314 miles (504 km) in diameter
oxide dissolved in water from a miles (160 km) above the moon’s
(Saturn’s largest moon Titan is al-
chemical reaction known as icy surface. As with Enceladus, the
most 10 times larger). Bright (reflect-
methanogenesis. plume(s) are believed to be water
ing almost all sunlight) and feature-
Closer to the Sun, researchers erupting from a subsurface ocean.
less, the moon garnered little atten-
have been using the Hubble Space With the Europa Clipper spacecraft
tion until icy plumes were discov-
Telescope to image Europa as the still in the early design stage, the
ered in a backlit image captured by
moon passes in front of Jupiter after opportunity to directly sample
Cassini’s camera as the spacecraft
a possible plume was spotted erupt- Europa’s plume(s) will allow mis-
flew by in 2005. The plumes, erupt-
ing from the moon in a 2014 image. sion managers to optimize the
ing from fissures near the moon’s
Unlike the plumes of Enceladus, the spacecraft’s instruments to detect
south pole, are primarily water ice/
plumes on Europa, if real, are inter- the ingredients for a life-sustain-
vapor. Escaping the fissures (over
mittent (in ten separate observing ing environment.
100 individual fissures have been
catalogued) at approximately 800
Credit: NASA/ESA/W. Sparks (STScI)/
miles per hour (1,287 km/hr), the icy
USGS Astrogeology Science Center
particles continually renew the
moon’s surface and feed Saturn’s
gossamer E-ring.
On October 28, 2015, the Cassini
spacecraft passed through the
plumes, coming within 30 miles (48
km) of the icy surface. It was during
this closest pass that, using an instru-
ment designed to analyze Titan’s at-
mosphere, hydrogen was detected
within the plumes (98% of the va-
por in the plumes is water with 1% Composite image of Europa and the plumes in ultraviolet
hydrogen gas and the rest a mixture light during two Jovian transits
JJMO
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Saturn’s Rings
Credit: NASA/JPL/Space
Grand Finale
On April 22nd (EDT), the Cassini and its rings. The gap transits will launch pad at the Kennedy Space
spacecraft flew by Saturn’s largest be repeated weekly for a total of Center.
moon Titan. The encounter was 22 orbits. The final orbit will take The final 22 orbits will take the
used to reconfigure the spacecraft’s place on September 15th, when the spacecraft from the very inner edge
trajectory for the final phase of its spacecraft will enter the planet’s of the rings to the outer reaches
mission. Five days later, early in atmosphere, concluding a mis- of Saturn’s atmosphere, exploring
the morning on April 26th, Cassini sion that began almost 20 years a region deemed too risky to
threaded the gap between Saturn ago on October 15, 1997 from a visit earlier in the mission. The
spacecraft’s instruments will map
the planet’s magnetic field, sample
icy ring particles and acquire de-
tailed images of the both the rings
and the gas giant’s cloud tops.
The end of the mission comes
as the spacecraft is running out of
the fuel used for adjusting its
course. Over the last 13 years in
orbit around Saturn, Cassini has
provided intriguing evidence of po-
tentially habitable environments on
at least two of Saturn moons (Ti-
tan and Enceladus). So as not to
Image: NASA / Jet Propulsion
contaminate these worlds with a
Laboratory-Caltech / Erick Sturm
defunct spacecraft, mission man-
agers elected to destroy the space-
The Cassini spacecraft's 22 Grand Finale orbits with the final orbit
on September 15th in orange craft while still maneuverable.
Betting on the Future
NASA’s Innovative Advanced California, Berkeley. He proposes to to detoxify the perchlorate and en-
Concepts (NIAC) program fosters evaluate the effectiveness of certain rich the Martian soil with ammonia
creative ideas on future space explo- strains of organisms (extremophiles) for future agriculture.
ration. The agency recently an-
nounced its 2017 Phase I and Phase
II selections. (Phase I awards provide
nine months of funding for concept
maturation. Phase II awards provide
participants an additional two years
of funding to further develop con-
cept viability and to demonstrate its
benefits).
The 2017 NIAC proposals se-
lected for Phase I or Phase II fund-
ing are identified in a news release
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/
nasa-invests-in-22-visionary-explo-
ration-concepts. Phase I proposals
include the study of “A Synthetic
Biology Architecture to Detoxify and
Enrich Mars Soil for Agriculture” by
A Mechanical Beach Animal on Scheveningen beach, The Nether-
Adam Arkin at the University of
lands (2009). Courtesy of Theo Jansen. Photo by Loek van der Klis
6 May 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org
Science Institute
Another proposal, “Evacuated Stormy Weather
Airship for Mars Missions,” by
With Martian summer comes the day). MARCI images are used to
John-Paul Clarke at the Georgia In-
threat of global dust storms. As the construct weather maps and to pro-
stitute of Technology revisits an idea
Sun heats the ground, the warmed duce animated sequences that are
first proposed by an Italian Jesuit
air rises, carrying with it the fine available at http://www.msss.com/
Francesco Lana Terzi in
dust that coats the surface. Mixing msss_images/latest_weather.htmL.
his treatise “Prodromo dell’Arte
with the upper and much colder While the storms have abated,
Maestra” (1670). In it, Terzi’s
atmosphere produces the instability dust remains in the atmosphere.
described the design of a lighter-
needed to generate a small dust devil Elevated levels have affected
than-air ship. He proposed creating
or larger storm. Regional events Opportunity’s operations, requiring
a vacuum within large copper
can sometimes combine into planet- more down time for recharging the
spheres incorporated into the design
covering storms (on average such a rover’s batteries (and less time for
of his sailing vessel to displace the
global storm occurs once every three exploration). The Mars Science
air and provide lift, allowing his ship
Martian or five and one-half Earth Laboratory Curiosity rover is
to float through the atmosphere.
years). unaffected, since the rover is
Clarke proposes to overcome certain
During late February and into powered by a radioisotope thermo-
design challenges, such as vacuum-
early March, two continent- electric generator, and not by solar
induced buckling, by using a multi-
size dust storms developed within panels.
layer lattice for the airship’s struc-
two weeks of one another. One of In 2001, NASA’s Mars Global
tural strength and vacuum contain-
the storms remained relatively Surveyor orbiter recorded the
ment. Clarke envisions that such a
stationary just to the west of dramatic changes in the Martian
vehicle could be used for aerial sur-
Meridiani Planum where the Mars atmosphere over a one month
veys, supply transport, communica-
Exploration Rover Opportunity is period as a regional dust storm over
tion relay, and redeployment of
working at Endeavour crater. Since Hellas basin (bright oval near the
ground-based assets such as rovers.
Opportunity relies upon energy south polar cap in the left image)
A Phase II proposal “Automaton
from its solar panels to power its blossomed into a global storm. The
Rover for Extreme Environments,”
systems, any loss in the opacity dust in a global storm can be
by Jonathan Sauder at NASA’s Jet
(clarity) of the atmosphere is a con- carried to altitudes of 37 miles
Propulsion Laboratory, continues the
cern to project managers. (60 km). A July 2007 month-long
investigation into mechanical robots
Martian weather is monitored dust storm halted all surface opera-
(with limited high-temperature elec-
daily by NASA’s Mars Reconnais- tions by the rovers Spirit and
tronics) for applications in extreme
sance Orbiter. The spacecraft’s Opportunity. Ninety-nine percent
environments such as
Mars Color Imager (MARCI) cam- of the direct sunlight was blocked
exploring the surfaces of Mercury or
era can image the entire planet over by the dust at the Opportunity site
Venus (the longest operating lander
12 orbits (approximately every as the rover’s batteries drained.
on Venus succumbed to the 860° F
temperature and crushing atmo-
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
sphere pressure after only two
hours). The “automaton” would be
a robust mechanical device capable
of operating for long durations and
performing complex actions.
For information on self-
propelling, mechanical machines
visit the creations (strandbeests or
beach animals) of Dutch artist Theo
Jansen at https://www.exploratorium.
edu/strandbeest. The artist recently
visited NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labo-
ratory where he presented his
thoughts on “Creating New Forms Mars on June 2001 (left) and July 2001 (right) as seen from the Mars
of Mechanical Life…” Global Surveyor
JJMO
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Atlas
The Cassini project is heading
for a September 15th conclusion Saturn's moon Atlas
and grand finale encounter with
Saturn’s atmosphere. The space-
craft, which arrived at Saturn in
2004, had been traveling in a
polar, outer ring-grazing orbit. On
April 22nd (EDT), the spacecraft
used a flyby of Saturn’s largest
moon Titan to modify its orbit to
one that dives between the planet and
the rings. The first pass through this
gap was executed on April 26th (at 5 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-
am EDT). Twenty-two orbits later, Caltech/Space Science Institute
if the spacecraft survives multiple
transits of the gap (using its high gain ing saucer shaped moon is about This raw, unprocessed image of
antenna as a dust and particulate 25 by 15 miles (40 by 20 km) in Atlas was taken on April
shield), Cassini will plunge into size and orbits Saturn at a distance 12, 2017. The Cassini spacecraft
Saturn’s atmosphere. of 85,544 miles (137,670 km) at passed within 7,000 miles (11,000
Cassini’s camera recently the outer edge of the A Ring. The kilometers) of the moon. The
captured a close-up view of the moon completes an orbit around image is the closest ever taken of
ring-hugging moon Atlas. The fly- Saturn once every 14.4 hours. the moon.
Portraits of Jove
The Juno spacecraft com- taken. The camera, which can targeting by the camera on each
pleted its fifth close encounter capture full color views of the pass) and images from the camera
with the planet Jupiter (Perijove planet’s atmosphere during close are available to the public
5), on March 27th. The image approaches, was designed for for review and processing at
(below) of a stormy boundary in public outreach (the public can www.missionjuno.swri.edu/
the south temperate belt on suggest points of interest for junocam.
Jupiter was captured by the
spacecraft’s JunoCam instrument
and processed (color enhanced)
Artist's concept of the Juno
spacecraft orbiting Jupiter.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
by a citizen scientist (Roman
Tkachenko). The spacecraft
was approximately 7,900 miles Enhanced color image of Jupiter's stormy atmosphere
(12,700 kilometers) above the Credit: NASA/ SwRI / MSSS / Roman Tkachenko
cloud tops when the image was
8 May 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org
Hubble Space Telescope Update
The space telescope was last
serviced in May of 2009. During
that final on-orbit servicing
mission, conducted over five
spacewalks at 340 miles above
the Earth’s surface, the space
shuttle Atlantis astronauts installed
two new instruments, repaired two
others to restore operation, and
replaced the telescope’s batteries,
gyroscopes and other critical
instrumentation.Eight years later,
the telescope continues to perform
well with only minor anomalies
with the gyroscopes. Certain
instruments such as the Cosmic
Origins Spectrograph’s Far
Ultraviolet etector do have a finite
life (its photocathode is depleted
during normal use), however
nominal operations are expected
until the early 2020s. The latest
Space Telescope Users’ Committee
Report identifies the fine guidance
sensors as the likely limiting
factor for continued telescope
operations. With the James Webb Photo: Bill Cloutier,
Space Telescope scheduled to May 10, 2009
launch in 2018, astronomers are
hoping for several years of joint Space Shuttle Atlantis on Pad 39A awaiting the launch of the
operation with the two telescopes. final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.
acres to the city for a public park day, including astronomer George
Public Astronomy
after visiting grand open spaces in Ellery Hale, physicists Edward
Eighty-two years ago, on May Europe. In 1912, after a visit to Kurth and Rudolph Langer, Adler
14, 1935, the Griffith Observatory the Mount Wilson observatory, Planetarium Director Philip Fox
opened to the public and its Griffith offered the city $100,000 and Russell Porter, leader of the
ownership transferred to the City for a public observatory to be amateur telescope making move-
of Los Angeles. Located on the built on Mount Hollywood in ment, the observatory was con-
southern slope of Mount Holly- Griffith Park. Griffith was quoted structed and dedicated two years
wood in Griffith Park, the public as saying “Man’s sense of values later. The planetarium was only the
facility is operated by the city’s ought to be revised. If all third of its kind in the United
Department of Recreation and mankind could look through that States; the technology was not even
Parks, and has welcomed over 76 telescope, it would change the invented until four years after
million visitors since opening. world!” Griffith’s death.
A public observatory was the Unfortunately, Griffith would The Griffith Observatory is vis-
brainchild of Griffith J. Griffith, a not live to see his vision realized. ible from many parts of Los Ange-
Welsh immigrant who made his Mired in political debate, work on les, being located at an elevation
fortune in Mexican silver mines the observatory didn’t begin until of 1,134 feet above sea level. It is
and California real estate. In 1896, 1933. However, guided by leading one of the most popular attractions
he purchased and donated 3,015 astronomers and scientists of the in Southern California.
JJMO
http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org May 2017 • 9
Space Shuttle History once construction of a new exhi- 20 meteors per hour. A waxing gib-
The space shuttle Endeavour bition center is complete. bous Moon may interfere with
first arrived at the Kennedy Space In May 2015, the Science Cen- viewing the shower this year.
Center on May 7, 1991 as a re- ter announced that they had ac-
placement for the lost Challenger. quired the only flight-qualified Forgotten Names for
It was built out of spare parts from external tank in existence. The tank an Ancient World
the construction of the Atlantis or- had been built in 2000 for the Lunar maps include the names
biter. Endeavour was first launched Columbia shuttle but never flew (it of the prominent features: craters,
(STS-49) a year later on May 7, was replaced by a lighter version mountain ranges and the large,
1992. The orbiter’s name was se- before it was assigned to a flight). expansive lunar seas. Few, if any,
lected through a national competi- The External Tank (ET-94) is 28 include the names of the brighter
tion among students and was feet in diameter, 154 feet long and lunar highlands: the original crust
named after the ship commanded weighs approximately 65,000 before it was transformed by a
by British explorer James Cook in pounds. cosmic bombardment lasting
his exploration of the South Pacific The external tank left NASA’s several hundred million years.
in 1768-71. Cook, among other Michoud Assembly Facility in Lunar cartography or mapping
accomplishments, observed the Louisiana for California on April was both limited and crude until
transit of the Sun by Venus from 12, 2016. Traveling by barge, the Galileo first trained his telescope
Tahiti in June 1769. tank passed through the Panama upon the Moon. With the ability
Canal and arrived in Marina del provided by the telescope to re-
Rey in late May. The tank was solve individual features came the
moved through the streets of Los need for a uniform or standard
Angeles to the Science Center fol- naming convention. The first such
lowing the route previously taken detailed map was created by Dutch
by Endeavour. astronomer Michael van Langren
The Science Center has also
acquired a pair of flight-worthy
solid rocket boosters for the dis-
play. The 149-foot-tall (45 meter)
solid rocket boosters were donated
by Orbital ATK and NASA. Some-
time in 2018, the refurbished tank
will be lifted into a vertical con-
figuration to form the structural
NASA Michoud
support for the Endeavour orbiter
The California Science Center's ET- and the twin solid rockets for
94 at NASA Michoud Assembly display in Samuel Oschin Air and
Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana. Space Center, a 200,000 square
Endeavour flew its 25th and fi- foot exhibition center being added in 1645. Features on Langren’s
nal mission (STS-134) in May to the Science Center’s main build- map were named for prominent
2011 (the next to last shuttle flight). ing. leaders of the Catholic Church,
Commander Mark Kelly was the scholars, philosophers and saints.
last astronaut to disembark from May Showers Two years later, Johannes
the shuttle at the conclusion of the The Eta Aquarids meteor shower Hevelius, a wealthy Polish brewer,
mission. In September 2012, the peaks in the early mornings of the published the first treatise devoted
shuttle was flown to Los Angeles 5th and 6th. The dust producing the to the Moon. His publication
on top of a Boeing 747 for perma- shooting stars is from Comet “Selenographia” included maps of
nent display at the California Sci- Halley. As with all meteor show- every lunar phase developed over
ence Center. Endeavour is cur- ers, the Aquarids are named for the several years of observing. Unlike
rently in temporary storage at the constellation (Aquarius) from Langren, Hevelius used the names
museum and will be displayed in a which they appear to radiate. Typi- of terrestrial features for his lunar
launch configuration (vertical) cally, you can expect to see up to maps, specifically from ancient
10 May 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org