Space talk

[Lemon Cheesecake]

An unusual set of circumstances will combine in the early hours of Monday morning in the skies above the northern hemisphere, resulting in a phenomenon called a super blood wolf moon.

"A total lunar eclipse will give an apparent reddish colour to the lunar surface – known as a blood moon. At the same time, the moon will be slighty closer to Earth than normal and appear slightly bigger and brighter than usual – a phenomenon called a supermoon.

In January, the full moon is also sometimes known as the wolf moon or great spirit moon – hence the super blood wolf moon."
https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... here-skies

Find visibility maps at:
https://www.space.com/43070-super-blood ... hotos.html

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Totally amazing answer to prayer! We had clouds ALL day and sprinkles and then when I went out to look at the lunar eclipse during the time it was supposed to be total coverage, the moon managed to break through the clouds for me to watch. I'm not sure if my photo's are any better then the last lunar eclipse we had though.

BUT I GOT TO SEE IT!! I'm so happy!! I shared the moment with friends and family far away and with millions....billions of people around the world!

<then when I ran in to get my tripod and set it up and get back out it was raining!.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

"The sky-gazing spectacle — the biggest event since last month’s “super blood wolf moon eclipse” — will feature a supermoon, meaning the moon is both full and at its perigee, the point in its orbit where it’s closest to the Earth, Space.com reported. The event will officially occur in the morning, but when the moon crosses the night sky, it will be brighter than at any point of the year, or even until 2026...The term “snow moon” has historically been given to the second full moon of the winter, when more snowfall is recorded, by some Native American tribes, according to NASA."

https://nypost.com/2019/02/18/why-tonig ... this-year/

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Check out Jupiter's position by the moon this week!

[galled]

I wondered what that was a couple of nights ago. Really bright!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I tried to take a picture but my hand is too shaky...need to get the tripod out I guess.

[Gingerale]

Autumn/Fall equinox coming up this week - September 23rd:
"On the equinoxes in March and September, day and night are of equal length and the sun rises due east and sets due west."

[Lemon Cheesecake]

People have been celebrating the equinox for thousands of years....in fact most of the stars we see are the same ones people have been looking up at for tens of thousands of years...pretty cool huh?

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I couldn't see the space station when it passed over head...anyone else keep an eye open for it?

[galled]

The ISS is in LEO (Low Earth Orbit), so it's only visible to a "footprint" range of about 500 miles more or less. So it's only visible to folks under it's path in that orbit. That said, it's really difficult (almost impossible) to see anytime the sun is up. It flew over here just after sunset a couple days ago, but it we had an overcast.

[MissAutumn]

I've only managed to see the ISS once - this was at night. My friends didn't believe me that it was the ISS flying over until I showed them my Heavens Above app haha.

[galled]

I've only seen it once too, but its speed was very impressive!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I like to look at the star app and see which stars are out....especially if there is a particularly bright one out and I want to know which planet it is.

I like to look at space.com or earthsky.org

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Vivianne mentioned Mercury crosses the sun on Monday 11/11.

https://earthsky.org/tonight/transit-of ... er-11-2019

Mercury will pass directly in front of the sun and be visible through telescopes with solar filters as a small black dot crossing the sun's face.

Unless you are well-versed with the telescope and how to properly use solar filters, we advise you to seek out a public program via a nearby observatory or astronomy club. Never look at the sun through a telescope.


https://www.space.com/mercury-transit-2019-science.html

Only when Mercury's orbit crosses the plane of the Earth as it appears in line with the sun is a transit visible. Such transits are rare; this will be the fourth of 14 to happen this century.

Next one visible to us is not until 2032!

[MissAutumn]

There will be a live stream of it from Greenwich Royal Observatory.

Live Stream