8/21/17 Solar Eclipse Update

Hey Space Placers!

Check out the details from yesterday's conference on the upcoming 8/21/17 solar eclipse that will cross the entire U.S.

Sky Guy in VA

USA: Tune In To NASA TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE EVENT 1PM EDT 6/21/17

Hey Space Placers!

Tune in to LIVE NASA event on the Total Solar Eclipse of 8/21/17.

Follow live at 1 PM EDT here.

You can also send in your questions via Social Media by using the hashtag #eclipse2017.

I'll have a wrap up live on WTOP Radio at 3:15 pm today.

Sky Guy in VA

ESA GW Space Mission

Hey Space Placers!

The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that they will build a gravitational wave detection spacecraft.  2034 is the expected launch date - it is going to take awhile to build these 3 spacecraft.

Artist's Conception of Merging Black Holes
ESA

Such a mission would add a huge capability to humanity's ability to detect gravitational waves (GW). The 3 laser detectors would be MILLIONS of kilometers apart instead of just several as Earth based GW are.

With such a capability we might even be able to detect GWs from the Big Bang itself.

Sky Guy in VA

Sky Guy VIEWING ALERT! 6-20-17 Venus, Moon, Summer

Hey Space Placers!

Heads up and towards the East tomorrow morning as beautiful and bright Venus is joined by the Waning Crescent Moon before dawn. This will be worth getting up to see before dawn, around 4 a.m. local.

Moon & Venus 6-20-17
Created Using Sky Safari Pro 5
Greg Redfern

Tomorrow is also the Summer Solstice for parts of the U.S. with other time zones occurring on the 21st.

So enjoy the view and Summer!

Sky Guy in VA

Elon Musk's Plans For Colonizing Mars

Hey Space Placers!

Read a paper that details Elon Musk's plans for Mars - and beyond.

It is a fascinating read and a hopeful plan for how humans will extend the species beyond Earth.

Musk rightfully describes the reasons why and provides some excellent hows as to getting humans to other places in the solar system.

Only time (and money spent) will tell if Musk and/or government space agencies are successful.

Sky Guy in VA

Orbital ATK Successfully Tests Orion Abort Motor

Hey Space Placers!

Watch 400,000 pounds of thrust in .125 seconds!

Credit: Orbital ATK

Get details of the test here.

Sky Guy in VA

This Baby Is Gonna' Fly!

Hey Space Placers!

This pic shows a full up Orion Service Module that will fly into space beyond the Moon in the near future.

ESA

NASA is working towards the first Space Launch System (SLS) - Orion launch, Exploration Mission-1, sometime in 2020-2021.

Let's light that candle & GO!!!

Sky Guy in VA

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT 6/11/17 ROCKET LAUNCH EAST COAST

Hey Space Placers!

Read all about a rocket launch tonight that will be visible along the U.S. East Coast.

There are some other interesting stories as well that I think you will enjoy.

Sky Guy in VA

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT Moon & Saturn 6/9/17

Hey Space Placers!

Today the Full Strawberry Moon is the farthest away Full Moon for 2017. Think of it as being the opposite of a Super Moon. The Moon will be Full at 8:01 a.m. EDT for U.S. East Coast.

Tonight the Moon will still be very bright and hard to detect any real changes to the casual observer. 

The planet Saturn will be to the lower right of the Moon.

Enjoy. 

If I get any decent pics I will send them along.

Sky Guy in VA

Congrats to the 2017 Astro Class

Hey Space Placers!

NASA announced its 12 newest astronaut candidates - culled from 18,300 applications! There are 5 women and 7 men, several doctors, pilots, a former Navy SEAL, scientists in a variety of fields and even a submariner. I say with unabashed Navy pride that the Navy rules in sheer numbers.

Here is their selfie which I love as it really captures their energy and camaraderie:

NASA's 2017 astronaut candidates stop to take a group photo while getting fitted for flight suits at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

After receiving a record-breaking number of applications to join an exciting future of space exploration, NASA has selected its largest astronaut class since 2000. Rising to the top of more than 18,300 applicants, NASA chose these 12 women and men as the agency’s new astronaut candidates. Pictured are, front row, left to right, Zena Cardman, Jasmin Moghbeli, Robb Kulin, Jessica Watkins, Loral O'Hara; back row, left to right, Jonny Kim, Frank Rubio, Matthew Dominick, Warren Hoburg, Kayla Barron, Bob Hines, and Raja Chari.

Image Credit: NASA

The new Astronaut Candidates report to NASA in August to begin their training to become full fledged astronauts.

Get more information here on their bios. And see their video.

Sky Guy in VA 

A RARE Lunar Halo

Hey Space Placers!

Check out this pic of mine from 6/4/17 of a lunar halo which I thought looked unusual.

A Rare Lunar Halo On 6/4/17
Greg Redfern

A Rare Lunar Halo Close Up On 6/4/17
Greg Redfern

When I submitted my photo to the great folks at Earth & Sky, the editor Deborah Byrd, did some checking and found out some neat stuff. I had captured a rare lunar halo event. 

The funny part of this is that I had noticed a "regular" lunar halo earlier in the evening and took a pic with my iPhone and put it out on Twitter. But then I did my last look of the sky which I do every single night I noticed the unusual halo hanging low in the West. I went inside and got my camera and took a series of pics with different lenses. The rest is on the Internet ;-)

Moral of the story? always watch the sky and keep your camera handy!

Sky Guy in VA

Watch This Juno-Based Video in the Dark W/ Volume Up

Hey Space Placers!

Truth has caught up to science fiction when it comes to Jupiter thanks to NASA's Juno mission and the amazing video making work.

Here is the background on the video.

BTW, the music is from '2001: A Space Odyssey' when astronaut Dave Bowman prepares to explore the Monolith in Jupiter orbit. Amazing scene & music that I still vividly remember from 1968.



Jupiter: Juno Perijove 06 from Sean Doran on Vimeo.


Jupiter is visible in the South right at dusk. Check it out.

Sky Guy in VA

Immune System Studies on the ISS

Hey Space Placers!

I have always maintained that getting  to Mars is more of a biological problem that a technical problem. What I mean by that is that the health and functioning of astronauts on a long space voyage to say, Mars, is going to take a toll on the crew. Radiation exposure, eyeball changes, muscle and bone loss, and changes to the immune system are all hazards astronauts face.

The International Space Station (ISS) is the ONLY bio-laboratory where we can study these conditions and determine solutions.

Watch this video for more information and here is the story.



Sky Guy in VA

MUST SEE JWST VIDEO

Hey Space Placers!

You have to set aside 12 minutes and see this video that shows James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) from launch to L2. It is very, very good.



Sky Guy in VA

LRO Takes A Hit

Hey Space Placers!

Just the other day I told you about the lunar impact monitoring program.

NASA today told us about a 2014 hit of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) while in lunar orbit.

LRO has been in lunar orbit since July 2009 and has written the books on the Moon.

The first wild back-and-forth line records the moment on October 13, 2014 when the left Narrow Angle Camera's radiator was struck by a meteoroid.

Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

Quite the story, eh?  LRO can take a hit and keep on ticking.

Sky Guy in VA

The Latest on Juno at Jupiter

Hey Space Placers!

NASA held a teleconference today about the latest findings from Juno at Jupiter.

Jupiter From Juno
Image Courtesy of NASA/Bruce Lemons

Click on the listings to read all about it:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/junoteleconference - Be SURE to check out the INCREDIBLE pics

http://www.swri.org/press-release/swri-led-juno-mission-jupiter-delivers-first-science-results

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6856

New ESA Lunar Impact Project

Hey Space Placers!

My fave place in the Universe, the Moon, is getting a new project. The European Space Agency (ESA) has started a study to detect and measure the temperature of lunar impacts.  These impacts happen frequently and this study will help improve our knowledge of their frequency, size and resulting crater formation.

Date: 24 May 2017
Depicts: Lunar impact flash
Copyright: NELIOTA project

In 11 hours of observing time 4 impacts were recorded by the 1.2 meter (48 inches) telescope and its cameras. The large aperture of the telescope and the sensitivity of the cameras should allow for the gathering of a large amount of data

NASA also has an lunar impact monitoring program but uses 14-inch telescopes.

I would love to be able to see one of these impacts. Amateur astronomers are participating in the NASA project.

Sky Guy in VA

Update on Space Missions

Hey Space Placers!

Get the latest on space missions here.

Artist Concept of New Horizons at Pluto
NASA

Sky Guy in VA

Help Hunt For Exploding Stars

Hey Space Placers!

Join in the hunt for exploding stars - supernovae - by becoming part of a citizen science project.

This is just one of a number of astronomy citizen science projects that you can become part of at Zooinverse. The variety of projects includes hunting for 'Planet Nine', galaxies, exoplanets - a real 'Zoo" of space stuff ;-)

Whether you are an arm chair astronomer or an ardent telescope user, there is something for you to become part of.

Check it out and get involved.....the Universe awaits you.

Sky Guy in VA

Submarine Comms Affect Structure of Van Allen Radiation Belts

Hey Space Placers!

Interesting NASA video that shows how we are affecting the space around Earth.

Sky Guy in VA

NASA's Sounding Rockets

Hey Space Placers!

Learn all about NASA's little rocket workhorses - sounding rockets.


Sky Guy in VA

Motion of TWO Million In The Milky Way Galaxy Over FIVE Million Years

Hey Space Placers!

Enjoy this video from ESA that shows the motion of two MILLION stars in our Milky Way Galaxy.


Here is the background on how the video was made from the Gaia mission.

 Sky Guy in VA

I WISH This Was My Vacation Photo!

Hey Space Placers!

Look at THIS(!):

NASA HST Image of Galaxy Cluster Abel 370

This is a deep exposure taken by Hubble Space Telescope of Galaxy Cluster Abel 370. It shows MANY galaxies AND galaxies that are bent into arcs due to gravitational lensing.

WOW.

Tomorrow we will look at the Milky Way Galaxy 5 million years into the future.

Sky Guy in VA

A Good Primer On The Universe

Hey Space Placers!

Back in VA after a 12K mile land-sea jaunt......hopefully I will be more regular now in my postings ;-)

Milky Way at Sea
Greg Redfern

Here is a GOOD primer on the Universe as we know it from the good folks at Universe Today. Fraser Cain and his staff do an excellent job on covering the Universe et al.

There is a LOT we know and a LOT we don't know. BUT we are I think on the cusp of new discoveries about the Universe with new telescopes & their instruments and the Large Hadron Collider. It is an exciting time.

I hope you follow me on Twitter - @SkyGuyinVA - as I post pics and a lot of info there in real time...tough to do on a blog.

Tomorrow I will share pics from my trip.

Sky Guy BACK in VA

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT!!!!! Moon & Jupiter Close Tonight 5-7-17

Hey Space Placers!

Be sure to get outside and look at the Waxing Gibbous Moon and Jupiter as it gets dark. They will be very close to one another all night.

BTW the star below the celestial duo is Spica.

Enjoy this pic of a bison in Yellowstone National Park.

A Bison Less Than 4 Feet Away!
Greg Redfern

Sky Guy in Wyoming

Happy Astronomy Day World!

Hey Space Placers!

ALPHA, BETA CENTAURI (L)
COALSACK NEBULA (C)
SOUTHERN CROSS
ETA CARINAE( R)
SOUTHERN MILKY WAY
Taken underway on Nautica in the Coral Sea 2/17/16
Greg Redfern

Happy Astronomy Day World! This is the 44th celebration and I hope you make the most of it today and TONIGHT!

I will be doing a drive by of the  Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)  in Hanford, WA tomorrow when I get off the ship and I can hardly wait. I won't be able to tour the facility but WILL get to see it. I look forward to sharing with you.

Sky Guy in Vancouver, BC

Cassini Survives 1st Ever Dive Thru Saturn-Ring Gap

Hey Space Placers!

Read all about it.

Sky Guy

Earth Day 2017

Hey Space Placers!

Tomorrow is EARTH DAY.

I hope you will participate.

Sky Guy

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT!!!! Full Moon & Jupiter 4/10/17

Hey Space Placers!

Hello from Jamaica!

Tonight the Full Pink Moon will be accompanied by brilliant Jupiter so be sure to look. The Full Pink Moon is named for the pink moss and flowers that bloom in early spring.

Enjoy these pics from the Oosterdam:

Sky Guy at Sea

Event Horizon Telescope & Astronomy Month

Hey Space Placers!

from at sea aboard the ms Oosterdam in the Gulf of Mexico. 

A cosmic first got underway this week - humanity’s attempt to image a black hole using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)   http://eventhorizontelescope.org  . Using radio telescopes located around the globe to combine their separate signals into the equivalent of an Earth sized radio telescope antenna, the EHT will be making several observations.

Radio Telescopes like this one atop Mauna Kea, HI will be used worldwide
to obtain the 1st ever image of a black hole
Greg Redfern

EHT will try and image the supermassive black hole (SBH) located at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)       and the SBH located in nearby galaxy M87. EHT will also be observing several other galaxies.

SBHs are thought to be at the center of most galaxies. Sgr A* is over FOUR MILLION times as massive as our Sun and is 26,000 light years distant.  Due to intervening gas and dust we cannot see the center of our Milky Way Galaxy using optical telescopes but we can do so using radio telescopes.  EHT has been a decade long project that has now come to fruition with this history making observing run.

EHT will be collecting a huge amount of data during its 10 day observing run. The first several days have been going well and according to schedule. After the observing run is concluded EHT astronomers will then begin the arduous task of correlating and analyzing all of the data to try and achieve the first ever image of Sgr A*. It will take months of work before they know if they have been successful and publication of their results is expected in 2018. 

April is Global Astronomy Month (GAM)   http://www.gam-awb.org  , organized each April by Astronomers Without Borders (AWB)  (http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org) . It is the world’s largest annual global celebration of astronomy and brings new ideas and new opportunities. GAM 2017 is currently underway and is bringing enthusiasts together worldwide to celebrate Astronomers Without Borders’ motto “One People, One Sky”. You can find more information one events here  http://astronomerswithoutborders.org/global-astronomy-month-2017.html .

Be sure to look at bright Jupiter in the southeast at sunset as it will be in the sky for several months. Venus has moved to the morning sky and is visible before dawn. 

Sky Guy at Sea

Mighty Jupiter UPDATED & SKY GUY VIEWING ALERT 4/7/17 Jupiter

Hey SPACE PLACERS!

UPDATE:

Info on Jupiter opposition from NASA.



Check out the latest pic of Jupiter taken by Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

NASA

You can see Jupiter for yourself by looking in the SE right at sunset as tomorrow Jupiter will be directly opposite the Sun or what astronomers call opposition. Jupiter will remain bright in the sky all night.

If you have binoculars you can see the four main moons if you hold the binoculars steady enough. Bracing against a wall or car top helps. A telescope really brings forth the 'King of The Planets' in all his glory.

Enjoy.

NASA'S CASSINI MISSION PREPS FOR GRAND FINALE

Hey Space Placers!

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is making preparations for its finale at the planet Saturn. This mission has written the book on the Saturnian system. The spacecraft is running on fumes and starting April 26 will begin its final phase - a 'Grand Finale' - eventually plunging into Saturn.

The September 15, 2017 death plunge into the atmosphere of Saturn is being done to protect the surrounding moons of Saturn, especially Enceladus, from any possible contamination. Enceladus has a warm ocean under all of its ice and is one of the prized places in the solar system to look for life.

Cassini will provide us an amazing look at the rings and Saturn for as long as possible and then become part of the planet it has studied for over 13 years.

Enjoy this amazing video that highlights the Cassini mission....enjoy the stunning vistas of Saturn.

Sky Guy in VA

New Horizons Spacecraft Update

Hey Space Placers!

The New Horizons spacecraft will be at the halfway point to its next target, 2014 MU69 this Friday. The spacecraft is traveling at 32,000 miles per hour and is 3.5 BILLION miles from Earth. Controllers will place New Horizons into hibernation on April 7th after being awake and operational for the past 2 1/2 years. The spacecraft will remain in hibernation for 157 days and upon reawakening will start to prepare for the flyby of 2014 MU69 that will occur on 1/1/19.

A KBO among the Stars: In preparation for the New Horizons flyby of 2014 MU69 on Jan. 1, 2019, the spacecraft’s Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) took a series of 10-second exposures of the background star field near the location of its target Kuiper Belt object (KBO). This composite image is made from 45 of these 10-second exposures taken on Jan. 28, 2017. The yellow diamond marks the predicted location of MU69 on approach, but the KBO itself was too far from the spacecraft (544 million miles, or 877 million kilometers) even for LORRI’s telescopic “eye” to detect. New Horizons expects to start seeing MU69 with LORRI in September of 2018 – and the team will use these newly acquired images of the background field to help prepare for that search on approach.

Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

Sleep well New Horizons!

Sky Guy in VA

SpaceX Makes History

Hey Space Placers!

SpaceX made history on March 30, 2017 by using a previously flown and recovered orbital class rocket to launch another spacecraft into orbit. This is the first time this has been done and will help to further decrease the cost of rocket launches.

Watch the mission launch replay.

Sky Guy in VA

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT! Moon, Mercury, Mars 3/29-3/30

Hey Space Placers!

Check out the young waxing crescent Moon, Mercury and Mars in the night sky tonight and tomorrow night

Look West tonight about a half-hour after sunset and you will see the Moon just to the upper left of Mercury, which will be about a full fist-width above the horizon. You have to have a clear view of the horizon to get the best view. Mars is a bit farther up to the left.

On the 30th the Moon will be just to the upper left of Mars.

Be sure to look for Earthshine on the Moon which is the lunar surface illuminated by the reflection of sunlight off our planet's oceans and clouds....very beautiful.

Binoculars will help immensely in your viewing.

Enjoy!

Sky Guy in VA

August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse Guide UPDATED

Hey Space Placers!



You are probably aware that there is a total solar eclipse occurring across the continental US on August 21, 2017. Millions of people will be able to see either a total or partial solar eclipse from wherever they are.

With just under 5 months to go now is the time to get ready for this event. Here is a COMPLETE guide to the eclipse courtesy of Sky and Telescope of which I am a long time subscriber as well as author.

The most important thing about the event is that you have to SAFELY observe the Sun. Be sure to read the safety guidelines.

UPDATE
-------------------------------------------------------
This is part of S&T's Guide but I wanted to highlight it NASA has a Solar Eclipse Guide.

I will have more on this as we get closer to August.

Sky Guy in VA

Surviving Lunar Night

Hey Space Placers!

The Moon is going to be a place where humanity will build outposts to stay long term; it is only a question of when.

One of the biggest issues to a lunar outpost is how to keep people and facilities warm when there is no sunlight. The Moon has day and night but it is on an almost month long cycle as opposed to our 24 hour cycle.

Temps can drop drastically during the lunar night and will need a heat source to keep people alive in their facilities.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on this problem and is looking to using lunar soil as a solution. 

It will be interesting to see how this research pans out.

Sky Guy in VA

Maunakea Observatories Photo Essay

Hey Space Placers!

On a tour arranged by Holland America's Westerdam I was able to return to the summit of Maunakea, Hawaii earlier this month to see the numerous observatories located there. It has changed quite a bit since my last visit in 1992.

Yesterday's blog included a picture of the VLBA radio telescope that is part of the Event Horizon Telescope. SO I won't include it here today.

The biggest change being that the 10-meter Keck Observatory now has a twin Observatory, Keck II. These are currently the largest optical telescopes in the world, having surpassed the 5-meter Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory with the commencement of observations with Keck I in 1993.

Maunakea is a VERY special place because it has such clear and dry skies at almost 14,000 feet altitude. The telescopes there can observe above much of the Earth's atmosphere and enjoy excellent conditions. That is why there are so many telescopes there.

Collectively the Maunakea Observatories  are a very important asset in our study of the Universe. Here are some of the Observatories - refer to the link for more information about them.

Subaru Telescope

Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

University of Hawaii Telescope

Gemini Telescope (foreground) and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (Center)
&
Submillimeter Array w/ 8 Antennas (Right)

United Kingdom Infrared Telescope

I hope to get back there someday when I can enjoy a night time few of the Observatories and the night sky.....it's on my Bucket List.

Sky Guy in VA

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)

Hey Space Placers!

Here is an excellent article on the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). 

EHT is supposed to start observations next month if all goes well but as the article states, it will be months of data processing before we know if the attempt to image a black hole event horizon was successful.

On my recent voyage I was able to get a photograph of the Hawaii-based radio telescope that is part of the EHT network. It was so cool to see this clone of the Very Large Array (VLA) that was featured in the movie 'Contact' and is poised to make history with EHT.

I couldn't get my "touch history" selfie as I usually do so I had to improvise.

Tomorrow I will share my visit to Mauna Kea, HI.

Sky Guy in VA

Good Article On Asteroids

Hey Space Placers!

Happy last day/night of winter in the N. Hemisphere.

Here is a good article on asteroids for your perusal.

Sky Guy in VA

An AMAZING PIC

Hey Space Placers!

This is one of the most AMAZING pics I have ever seen:

NASA

It shows multiple images of a quasar 6 billion light years away that we can see due to the gravitational lensing of a foreground galaxy. A quasar is a galaxy that has an active supermassive black hole at its center. The black hole has infalling matter - planets, comets,  gas, etc - that heats up to millions of degrees as it gets consumed. It produces a great deal of light and energy that we can detect and study.

The gravitational lensing helps us to see this quasar and make measurements of the black hole.

See this video to help understand what you are seeing and read the article.

Really amazing - what a universe we live in.

Sky Guy in VA

A Nice Overview Video About NASA

Hey Space Placers!

Here is a nifty video that gives you an idea of what NASA does and where. Enjoy!

Sky Guy in VA

NASA Bill To POTUS Trump

Hey Space Placers!

Here is the Congressional NASA bill sent to POTUS Trump for signature.

It appears that NASA is still heading for Mars. But no Administrator for NASA named yet.

Looks like funding for 2017 will be $19.5 billion.

Sky Guy in VA

Europa Clipper

Hey Space Placers!

Read all about the new NASA mission to the under the surface ice ocean world Europa - Europa Clipper.

Sky Guy in VA

Huge Galaxy Cluster Forming

Hey Space Placers!

Galaxy Clusters are the largest structures in the Universe. Here is a great article about FOUR Galaxy Clusters observed in the process of merging into one!

Four Galaxy Clusters Labeled A-D In the Process of Merging
From Forbes' Article

Wow.

Sky Guy in VA

The WEIRDEST World of the Solar System

Hey Space Placers!

Check out Pan, an amazing moon of Saturn. To me it is the weirdest place (to date) in the solar system.

CREDIT: NASA/JPL Space Science Institute

Get more info on this UFO-looking world here.

Sky Guy in VA

A VERY Neat Meteor Shower Visualization

Hey Space Placers!

Check out this very cool meteor shower visualization tool.

You can select what meteor shower you want to see from a list of 45 and then view it from a variety of angles.

You also will read about how some of them are warped by Jupiter's gravity.

Really cool to watch.

Sky Guy in VA

Back From Sea

Hey Space Placers!

Glad to be back after a wonderful 18 day Hawaii cruise aboard Holland America's beautiful Westerdam. I will share with you my trip to Mauna Kea Observatories later but I want you to see this first.

I toured the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park  HVNP on 2/24/17 and it is currently active in its central crater. It was amazing to see venting come out of the crater AND TO SMELL IT.

Kilauea Crater HVNP
Greg Redfern

When I was up at Mauna Kea you can see the VOG - volcanic smog - in a layer that flows through the valley between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

VOG
Greg Redfern

The real treat was the next night transiting to our next port when we went directly south of HVNP. It looked like Hell on Earth as the Crater came alive in the dark.

Kilauea Crater At Night As Viewed At Sea
Greg Redfern

I made a video of the lava flow that descends from the crater to the sea and posted it on You Tube. The awesome power of seeing new land being created right before your very eyes in such explosive fashion was breathtaking.

Lava Flow From Kilauea Crater
Greg Redfern

Lava Enters The Sea at Kamokuna, HI
Greg Redfern

Lava Enters The Sea at Kamokuna, HI
Greg Redfern

I have seen the effects of lava on Earth and in the solar system but this was my 1st ever encounter with LIVE and active lava. It was simply amazing and humbling.

We humans think we are in control of all things - we are not. Earth is. Change the climate or the geology of our planet and you change humanity. We are seeing that in climate change right now and I have seen the affects in my world travels. I have personally witnessed the power of geology in the form of 8.1 and smaller earthquakes to include being in the San Fransisco event of October 1989.

And now, seeing the Dante's Inferno of destruction and creation at work at HVNP through the unrelenting power of lava, I am awed. Our planet and other bodies of the solar system have been built through mighty geologic forces including volcanoes and lava - the Moon, Venus, Mars, Io to name a few. We have even seen CRYOVOLCANOES - "lava" of frozen origin - at work in the outer solar system.

I hope this has given you a better perspective about the planet on which you live. The Earth doesn't need us, we need the Earth. Our planet has another couple billion years of evolution to undergo before the Sun destroys our planet by returning it into the dust from which it came 4.6 billion years ago.

Until then, lava will continue to create and destroy and amaze.

Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers!

Been busy in Hawaii!

Help astronomers find the hypothetical Planet Nine. Read the story and then visit the site to begin working!

Organics on CERES!

Hey Space Placers!

NASA announced that organic compounds have been discovered on Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt - a dwarf planet actually.

This is the first confirmed discovery of such in the main belt and it IS a big deal.

Sky Guy at Sea

Help Find Planet 9

Hey Space Placers!

From today's 'Daily Minor Planet:

NASA is inviting the public to help search for possible undiscovered worlds in the outer reaches of our solar system and in neighboring interstellar space. A new website, called Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, lets everyone participate in the search by viewing brief movies made from images captured by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission.  Read More

Sky Guy at Sea

Orion-SLS Update

Hey Space Placers!

At sea again on my way to Hawaii.

There has been some very interesting reporting coming out that says that NASA is considering making the first Orion-Space Launch System (SLS) mission, Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), a MANNED mission. The only other launch system in NASA’s history that had a crew onboard for the maiden flight was the Space Shuttle.

Orion-SLS has a crew abort system that can lift the Orion spacecraft with its crew to safety from the launch pad well into the ascent phase. The Space Shuttle had limited options for crew abort once the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) ignited and burned for two minutes. SLS will have two SRBs also.

There is also a move to name the EM-1 mission for the late Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan. A fitting tribute to the last human to walk on the Moon.

Sky Guy in the Pacific Headed to Hawaii

Jupiter Video

Hey Space Placers!

Check out the cool Jupiter video

Here is the background story on how this video was made.

Sky Guy in VA

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT!! Full Snow Moon Penumbral Eclipse Feb. 10-11

Hey Space Placers!

February’s Full Moon is called the Full Snow Moon as this is prime time for snow. The Full Snow Moon will look a little different this Friday as it will undergo a penumbral lunar eclipse.

There are three types of lunar eclipses - total, partial and penumbral  http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html   . All three occur when the Full Moon passes into the Earth’s shadow which is caused by light from the Sun. There are two components to our planet’s shadow  (and all shadows actually  http://van.physics.illinois.edu/QA/listing.php?id=2068 ) called the umbra and penumbra. The umbra is the central and darkest shadow zone which projects about a million miles into space while the penumbra is the outer and lighter shadow zone  https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/umbra-and-penumbra/#.WJyHLhg-KfQ .      

Penumbral lunar eclipses are the least dramatic of the three types as usually there is only a slight shading. But for this penumbral eclipse the Full Snow Moon is deep within the penumbral shadow and misses the umbra by only 100 miles  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/press-releases/friday-nights-deep-penumbral-lunar-eclipse/   . The result will be shading that will be visible on the Full Snow Moon similar to what you see in the picture I took of the penumbral phase of the October 8, 2014 total lunar eclipse.

The Full Snow Moon eclipse will look very similar to this picture taken of the eclipsed Moon on October 8, 2014.

Greg Redfern

To see the eclipse is easy if the sky is clear. Just go outside and face the east and find the Moon. Starting at 6:14 p.m. EST you should detect shading on the upper, or northern face of the Moon. By mid-eclipse at 7:44 p.m. EST the shading will be at its greatest and should be easily visible. The penumbral shadow will start to move off the Moon and the last vestiges of it should be seen around 9:14 p.m. EST.

The weather for Friday has clouds in the forecast but it is still worth checking to see if the Moon is visible. If clouds intervene you can watch the eclipse on the Internet  http://main.slooh.com/event/the-full-snow-moon-2/  .

You may have heard about the close approach of a comet this weekend. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková or  Comet 45P for short  http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/comet-45phonda-mrkos-pajdusakova-new-years-eve    will pass a mere 7.4 million miles from Earth on February 11 at about 3 a.m. EST.

Comet 45P the closest comet we have had in more than 30 years, the last being the glorious Comet Hyakutake  http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/hyakutake/ .  That was a COMET! I still remember being at Shenandoah National Park photographing it on the night of closest approach. With just your eyes you could see the long tail stretch across almost the whole sky - and it moved against the background stars as you watched! While watching that bright comet move silently and majestically across the sky it was easy to understand why our ancestors feared them.

Comet 45P is beyond naked eye visibility and even in binoculars or telescopes the brilliant full Snow Moon will make it hard to see. You can tune in to a live show on the Internet  http://main.slooh.com/event/cruise-the-galaxy-with-comet-45p/    after the Full Snow Moon eclipse.

By the way, you can see brilliant Venus in the southwest just after it gets dark with dim Mars just above it to the left. Jupiter makes its appearance in the southeast sky after 11 p.m. and Saturn rises in the hour before dawn in the southeast.

Sky Guy in VA

1st Ever White Dwarf Pulsar Discovered

Hey Space Placers!

The 1st EVER white dwarf pulsar has been discovered. This is a major discovery in our study of stars and fills a gap that has been awaiting such a discovery.

AR Scorpii
Credit: Mark Garlick, University of Warwick

Sky Guy in VA

POPE'S VIEW ON BIG BANG & EVOLUTION

Hey Space Placers!

A very welcome read from Pope Francis on his views about the Big Bang and Evolution. Many do not know that the Vatican has its own observatory and staff to do research on cosmology and astrophysics.

Sky Guy in VA

Amazing Exoplanet Video

Hey Space Placers!

I was AMAZED to see this video that shows FOUR exoplanets in orbit around their star.

Let me say that again. We can actually SEE four other worlds outside of our solar system in orbit around another star.....WOW.

With new telescopes and instruments becoming available we will be seeing more and more of other worlds for ourselves.....unreal.

Sky Guy in VA

For Saturn Lovers

Hey Space Placers!

Check out this article on Saturn's Rings....UNREAL detail.

Sky Guy in VA

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT: Moon, Venus, Mars 1/31/17

Hey Space Placers!

Check out the sky tonight after dusk, it is going to be something to see.

Credit: Sky & Telescope

Sky Guy in VA

Andromeda Galaxy & Large Magellanic Cloud

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My Two pics of galaxies that are part of our Local Group.

Enjoy.

Large Magellanic Cloud

Andromeda Galaxy

Sky Guy in VA

Remembering Our Heroes

Hey Space Placers!

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire. Please read my story about NASA's heroes.

Sky Guy in VA

Two News Articles on NASA Under A Trump Administration

Hey Space Placers!

I will not comment on these stories as I never want to make this blog political. I do feel however an obligation to keep you informed on events that affect NASA and the space exploration community.

For full disclosure I know both of the authors and correspond with them.

Article by Nancy Atkinson

Article by Joel Achenbach

Sky Guy in VA

UPDATED Sky Guy Viewing ALERT!! See all 5 Bright Planets

Hey Space Placers!

UPDATED: PICS FROM 1/25/17

27.2 OLD WANING CRESCENT MOON W/ EARTHSHINE

MERCURY, MOON, SATURN (UPPER)

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For the next few days you can see all 5 of the naked eye planets.

Venus and Mars are in the SW after sunset.

Jupiter rises around midnight in the E.

Saturn and Mercury will be in the SE before dawn.

The Moon will be keeping Saturn and Mercury company also in the next few days.

Credit Sky & Telescope

Here's to clear skies!

Sky Guy in VA