What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! Enjoy this video about the latest on Pluto and New Horizons . Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! NASA announced today that the launch window for James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has moved from October 2018 to Spring 2019. JWST AT NASA GODDARD Greg Redfern From the press release: “The change in launch timing is not indicative of hardware or technical performance concerns,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in Washington. “Rather, the integration of the various spacecraft elements is taking longer than expected.” The telescope is finishing up cryotesting in Houston and was not harmed by Hurricane Harvey. It will be shipped soon to Redondo Beach, CA for the integration to the spacecraft. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! As predicted, a record number of Americans viewed the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. Very cool......... A look back......... Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I'm sorry I have been somewhat sporadic in getting my blog out but I have been dealing with a family medical issue that is requiring my full attention and efforts and will for the next 4 months. I'll do my best to publish daily...... Here is a great summary of what NASA plans to do in manned spaceflight efforts in the years to come. I look forward to seeing these plans come to fruition and I hope to see the 1st launch of SLS. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! See the video and read about  how Earth's gravity acts as a slingshot for a spacecraft headed to an asteroid. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Watch the video and read the story to learn about a very critical number in our understanding of the Universe - Hubble's Constant. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! No matter where you are in the Northern Hemisphere this weekend has some GREAT skywatching in the hours before dawn in the East. The waning crescent Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars and bright Regulus will all be visible against the backdrop of the wonderful winter constellations. CREDIT: WWW.SKY & TELESCOPE.COM CREDIT:  WWW.SKY & TELESCOPE.COM Get full details here .   I'M HOPING FOR CLEAR SKIES AND SOME PICS!!!! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Today around the world much of the astronomical community is profoundly moved by the impending death of the Cassini spacecraft   https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/cassini-spacecraft-makes-its-final-approach-to-saturn . Twitter abounds in Tweets about the intrepid explorer that has been in space almost 20 years and in orbit around Saturn and its moons for 13 years. I am quite sure there are a few wet eyes behind those Tweets for what NASA is calling the Grand Finale   https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/grand-finale/overview/ . In this computer generated visual Saturn looms ever larger to the Cassini spacecraft as it begins its final plunge into Saturn. CREDIT: NASA At approximately 7:55 a.m. EDT, September 15, 2017, NASA expects to lose contact with Cassini as the spacecraft hits the upper atmosphere of the ringed planet at a blistering 70,000 miles per hour  https://youtu.be/AbOf91x2_fs . An explorer to the very end, Cassini will be live ...

Hey Space Placers! Watch this video - it is one of the BEST NASA has produced. I watched it a dozen times - awe inspiring. I will have more on Cassini's fiery end next week. SKY GUY IN VA

Hey Space Placers! UPDATE: NASA WEBPAGE  ON SOLAR FLARES 3 Atlantic hurricanes, an 8.2 earthquake and an X9 solar flare that leads to G4 (severe) geomagnetic storms. Watch this video to see raw power, especially the second one. Humanity exists on this planet ONLY because the weather and geology allow it. Change either of them and you change humanity. Right now we are witnessing the awesome power of Mother Nature in weather, geology and space weather. It is something to behold and comprehend. Check NOAA SWPC   for more details and updates. Could be Aurora tonight. Sky Guy in VA humbled by Mother Nature's display of  space/terrestrial weather and geology

Hey Space Placers! With solar flares, hurricanes and general political  dysfunction dominating the world, the Universe goes on. Such it is with the New Horizons mission which just filed its flight plan for the 1/1/18 flyby of 2014 MU69.  Artist's concept of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flying by a possible binary 2014 MU69 on Jan. 1, 2019. Early observations of MU69 hint at the Kuiper Belt object being either a binary orbiting pair or a contact (stuck together) pair of nearly like-sized bodies with diameters near 20 and 18 kilometers (12 and 11 miles). Credits: Carlos Hernandez This will be an amazing feat in the history of the solar system exploration as it will be the farthest encounter with a solar system object to date. Sky Guy in VA PS - If you are the path of Irma, be prepared....that includes you SC, NC, AND VA>

Hey Space Placers! Earth is due to get a solar storm that will likely produce Aurora for the upper latitudes. Check here for details   and here for NOAA  Space Weather. SKY GUY IN VA

Hey Space Placers! Read my blog from yesterday about Florence for background and then check out the results of the flyby that revealed the true size of this big boy asteroid - 2.8 miles - and its TWO moons! GIF of Radar Images of Florence & TWO Moons NASA JPL Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! A BIG asteroid, 3122 Florence passed by today at 8:06 a.m. EDT JUST 18 times the distance to the Moon - THAT is a close shave in terms of distance - a little over 4 million miles. From EarthSky: Radar images of asteroid 3122 Florence, obtained from August 29, 2017 via Goldstone Radar in California. Higher resolution radar images expected in the next few days, as the space rock will also be studied from Arecibo Observatory. Image via NASA/JPL. Florence will be visible tonight in backyard telescopes and maybe even binoculars if you know where to look. From EarthSky: During late August and early September, the near-Earth asteroid 3122 Florence passes Earth as close as 4.4 million miles from Earth. It will be bright enough to spot in modest backyard telescopes, and possibly binoculars. Note that the labeled dates on this chart mark the asteroid’s location at 11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time;  translate to your time zone . Diagram via  SkyandTelescope.co...