Comet Holmes

Picture Taken from Sky and Telescope

I knew nothing of Comet Holmes until I read my Astronomy Magazine Newsletter this week.  The comet is evidently very visible to the naked eye even against a bright moon.  According to Astronomy Magazine and other sources, the comet jumped in brightness by a million times in two days.  It is something that astronomers cannot quite explain yet.  I am definitely going to be trying to see it before it fades.

Related Links for Comet Holmes

• Comet Holmes Beckons Skygazers Worldwide
• Enjoy Comet Holmes at its best
• 17P/Holmes
• Obscure Comet Brightens Suddenly

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Happy Observing…

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2007 Leonid Meteor Shower

Picture Taken from EarthSky

This is the time of year for the Leonid meteor shower.  It is predicted to peak on Sunday, November 18th, so the best time for viewing will be the early morning hours (2am-4am).

The moon will be in it’s first quarter phase.  As with the Orionid meteor shower last month, the moon will have set by 2am, which should make for good observing.  The frequency is expected to be about 10-15 meteors per hour.  On a clear dark night it should be a great site.

From the Astronomy Magazine Newsletter

 

The Moon’s absence makes this a good year for Leonid meteors. The shower peaks the morning of November 18, and the First Quarter Moon sets when the radiant rises, around midnight local time. Under a dark sky, meteor rates should range from 20 to 40 per hour once Leo climbs reasonably high after 3 A.M.

Although astronomers don’t expect a major outburst, East Coast observers may see heightened activity before midnight November 17, when Earth crosses the orbital node of the Leonids’ parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

In the hour or two before dawn, Leonids strike Earth’s atmosphere head on. This results in many bright events and some fireballs (meteors brighter than magnitude -4). Fireballs easily pierce twilight, so keep watch as the stars fade with dawn’s approach.

Related Links for the Leonids

• 2007 Leonid meteor peak Saturday, November 17
• Leonids 2007: prediction of activity

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Happy Observing…

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2007 Orionid Meteor Shower

It’s the time of year for the Orionid meteor shower. The best viewing time is the morning of October 21st and the rate should be about 10-15 per hour. Not as impressive as the Perseid Meteor shower earlier this year, but it will still be cool to see.

The moon will be in a gibbous phase which is more than half, but less than full; however, it does set around 1AM, so that should provide about four hours of good observing time (also dependant on cloud cover).

The radiant point or origin of the meteors will be located in the eastern sky between Betelgeuse and Mars. See illustration below.

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From the Astronomy Magazine Newsletter

This year’s annual Orionid Meteor shower occurs 5 days before Full Moon. But the bright Moon sets by 2 A.M., so early-morning observers should be sure to catch the shower this month.

The Orionids appear to radiate from a spot in northeastern Orion near its border with Gemini. The radiant rises before midnight and stands high in the south by 4 A.M., a full 2 hours before dawn. The shower began October 2 and ends November 7.

Meteor rates start and end with a trickle, but they achieve a substantial peak October 21. In 1993 and 1998, the Orionids displayed enhanced rates 3 to 4 days before the usual peak, so it’s worth watching the shower over a week’s time centered on the date of maximum. Rates can reach 20 meteors per hour, and occasionally more.

The predawn hours offer the best viewing. These meteors are among the fastest of all shower meteors, striking Earth’s upper atmosphere at 41 miles per second. Many leave persistent trains - glowing tubes of ionized gas created as the incoming dust particles burn up.

Orionid meteors derive from debris left behind by Comet 1P/Halley during its many passages through the inner solar system. Earth’s orbit intersects this debris trail in two places. One spot gives rise to this fine autumn shower. The other location is the source of May’s Eta Aquarid shower.

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Related Links
The Orionid Meteor Shower
2007 Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips
Remains of Halley’s Comet to Rain Down Sunday Morning

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2007 Perseid Meteor Shower

The 2007 Perseid Meteor Shower promises to be a great light show with no moon to interfere. The shower peaks on Sunday, August 12th. Which means the best time for viewing will be early Sunday morning, Sunday night and early Monday morning.

The Perseid Meteor Shower averages about fifty or more meteors per hour. With no moon, I am thinking that number will go up.

I can only pray that it is not cloudy and rainy here in Houston as it has been for the past month. We have had about three dry days out of twenty.

Have fun and look to the skies.

Update - After the Shower (08/13/07)

It mainly depends on where you were as to whether the ‘07 Perseid Meteor Shower was as spectacular as expected. I had overcast skies and too many city lights in Houston, TX. In Maryland, they had overcast skies as well, but in Yateley, Hampshire, England it was a different story.

I spoke to a co-worker who said the viewing conditions were perfect at his family ranch in Central Texas.  It is said, some of the darkest skies in the lower 48 is in Central and West Texas.

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Related Links

The 2007 peak of the Perseid meteor shower
Great Perseids
Spectacular Meteor Shower Possible for 2007
Dark sky to better view of Aug. meteor shower

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New Horizons Update

New Horizons is a space probe that is headed for Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. It was launched on January 19th 2006 and after a little over 1 year, it is at Jupiter’s doorstep. Before New Horizons continues on it’s path, the spacecraft needs Jupiter to give it a push to make it the rest of the way in the predicted time line.

There are quite a few articles and blog entries that focus on New Horizon’s Jupiter approach, so instead of repeating what they say, I have provided a list of links below.

New Horizons Official Site
New Horizons update 3 - Astronomy Magazine
Six Views of Jupiter - Planetary Society
Pluto’s Wink - Quest Science Blog
New Horizons spacecraft to fly past Jupiter

Twelve Planets Instead of Nine - Update

UPDATE –

BREAKING NEWS 8/24/2006: Pluto Demoted, No Longer a Planet

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I have been reading some articles over the past couple of days referring to the possibility of three new objects being recognized as planets in our Solar System. I have also read there is a chance that the Planet Pluto could be demoted and no longer considered a planet. Wow…this will be something to get used to — as long as I can remember there have been 9 planets.

The possible new planets are as follows:

• Ceres (astroid between Mars and Jupiter)
• Charon (Pluto’s largest moon)
• 2003 UB 313 (discovered past Pluto)

[-- Related Links --]
Pluto is a planet, but one of 12?
Details Emerge on Plan to Demote Pluto
IAU Redefines Planet Planetary News | The Planetary Society
Debate Revolves Around Pluto’s Status as Planet

Perseid Meteor Shower

Each year around August 12th, the Perseid Meteor Shower peaks. This year (2006) it peaks on August 11. Usually, the meteors are somewhat visible even from the lights of the big city; however, this year a nearly full moon in conjunction with lights will hinder viewing for everyone. I doubt they will be visible anywhere with any kind of city lighting. West Texas is the best place to be for just about any kind of viewing.

Related Links
2007 Perseid Meteor Shower
About Perseid Meteor Shower
Univ of Washington Astronomy Dept - Perseid Meteor Shower Information

Look to the stars.

Shuttle Mission: Discovery STS-121

I am excited about the upcoming Space Shuttle launch on Saturday, July 1st. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. See link below for details.

STS-121 Mission WebSite

Convergence of Saturn and Mars

There is a pretty cool event occurring in the night sky this month. Saturn and Mars will be passing very close to each other with the closest approach happening on the night of June 17th. This event looks to occur every two years.

Weather permitting, I will definately have my telescope out that night.

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[-- Related Links --]
Article on Space.Com
Article in The Washington Post

Planetary Missions

In addition to the rover activity (Spirit and Opportunity) on the surface of Mars, there are two major probes in route to opposite ends of the Solar System.

MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging. It is a spacecraft designed to study the characteristics of the planet Mercury. The spacecraft will do flybys of Earth and Venus and use their gravity to help make it’s way to Mercury. MESSENGER launched from Cape Canaveral, FL., on August 3, 2004. It returned to Earth for a gravity boost on August 2, 2005, then it will fly past Venus twice, in October 2006 and June 2007.

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While MESSENGER is heading toward the first planet in our Solar System, New Horizons is making it’s way to the last planet in our Solar System.

New Horizons is a spacecraft designed to study the characteristics of the planet Pluto, the least known planet in the Solar System. It will take approximately nine years to arrive at it’s destination. New Horizons launched from Cape Canaveral, FL., on January 19, 2006 and should reach Jupiter in 2007. A close approach to Pluto should happen around July 14, 2015.

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More exciting information about the above missions can be found at the following locations:

Spirit and Opportunity - Mars
MESSENGER – Mercury
New Horizons – Pluto