What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! Been sick - first illness of the whole year and it made up for lost time. Courtesy Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute Read all about my top space story for 2018 . May the New Year bring peace and sanity to humanity. Sky Guy Greg

Hey Space Placers! I hope this holiday season finds you in good spirits and health. Here is my commentary on Apollo 8, fifty years later. https://wtop.com/the-space-place/2018/12/dear-apollo-8-save-the-year-again/ We can be BETTER than what we are right now...... We HAVE to be if we want to survive and thrive as a species.... Apollo 8 shows that we can do daring things....... Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! As you get that lat minute shopping done make sure you take some time out tonight to watch the ALMOST Full Moon rise. Full Cold Moon - Last Full Moon of 2018 Greg Redfern 12/22/18 If you have snow on the ground the Moon will REALLY light up your surroundings. Moon rise will be a little over an hour after sunset. ENJOY!!! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! A close pass today : Be sure to enjoy the Full Cold Moon tonight! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Winter Solstice 2018 occurs 12/21/18 at 5:23 p.m. EST. Lots more is happening in the sky so check it out. Sky Guy in More Rain VA

Hey Space Placers! For the next few mornings at least 30 minutes before sunrise check out the SE. You will see the BRILLIANT "Morning Star" Venus. You can't miss it. Look to the lower left and you will see two "stars" that are the planets Mercury and Jupiter. They will be edging closer together and be closest 12/21 and 12/22. Here are my pics from this morning. Mercury is really easy to see right now which isn't usually the case. I know it is cold out for most of us but hey, I took these in 23 degree F temps ;-) Get out and enjoy the view.

Hey Space Placers! WOW, oh, WOW! We have learned so much about the Cosmos around us it is sometimes easy to forget how little we know about our own backyard - the solar system. There are two big events that are going to add significantly to our knowledge of the family of the Sun. First, two weeks from today the New Horizons spacecraft of Pluto flyby fame in July 2015 will be performing another solar system first - a flyby of Ultima Thule, a Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) . This will be the farthest flyby ever accomplished of a planetary body in the solar system, a full billion miles farther than Pluto! New Horizons will also pass closer to Ultima Thule than it did at Pluto and we should really see this world up close and personal. I'll be blogging on this as we get closer and after the flyby. Artist's concept of Ultima Thule © 2018  The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory The second big event is "Farout"  - the newly discovered 500km wide ob...

Hey Space Placers! UPDATED: Here is my pic of Comet Wirtanen from last night.  This is an 8-second exposure with a 50mm lens and Digital SLR. The comet WAS NOT visible to the unaided eye and was somewhat dim even in 7x50 binoculars. The ever increasing moonlight along with the comet now receding from the Sun and Earth will make the comet harder to see. If there is an outburst to make Comet Wirtanen brighter I will let you know. Sky Guy in VA For my world-wide readers be sure to check out the "Christmas Comet" this weekend that will pass only 7 million miles from Earth. If the skies ever clear again I'll try to get some more pics. Sky Guy in Rain Soaked VA

Hey Space Placers! Solar Masses of Confirmed Black Hole Mergers LIGO-Virgo/Frank Elavsky/Northwestern Here is the news release on four new gravitational wave discoveries. Pretty amazing. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! It's not too late to get something for that fave stargazer of yours: https://wtop.com/the-space-place/2018/12/science-gifts-for-the-stargazers-in-your-life/slide/1/ Good luck and Happy Holiday shopping! Sky Guy Greg

Hey Space Placers! We've got the Geminid Meteor Shower and Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the sky right now . The Geminids should provide a really good sky show and the comet is visible in dark skies. Here are my pics of the comet from a suburban location in Central Virginia taken last night. The green color and the movement of the comet against the background stars can be easily seen. I hope your skies are clear to see these two celestial spectacles..... Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Voyager 2 is beyond the realm of the Sun . Voyager 2 joins its sister ship, Voyager 1, beyond the Sun. Artist's concept of Voyager 2 with 9 facts listed around it. Image Credit: NASA  Both spacecraft, even though they are traveling through interstellar space, HAVE NOT left the solar system. Our solar system extends at least 1 light year, 6 trillion miles, out into the Milky Way Galaxy.   To travel to the realm beyond the solar system is at least 30,000 years in the future!  Space is a VERY BIG PLACE - even our solar system. The Voyagers should be able to continue sending back data for years to come. Well done, Voyagers.......well done. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Turn up the volume and put on headphones...... Listen to the wind on MARS! Get the full story on this amazing accomplishment. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! China has successfully launched their Chang'e 4 mission to the far side of the Moon. The Chang'e-4 rover will explore a huge impact basin on the far side Credit: CNSA Hopefully China will keep us apprised on the mission's progress AND share data with the world. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! BENNU GIF NASA WOW! I just can't help but look at all of the different types of rocks that are on this asteroid - it's like looking at a meteorite collection on display! The lack of impact craters and the appearance of BENNU reminds me of a rubble/sand pile - it just absorbs everything that it encounters. NASA's OSIRIS-Rex arrived at the space rock on 12/3/18   and will settle into orbit to start its mission of discovery - can hardly wait. NASA JPL had another success with the InSight landing   11/26/18. We'll learn much about the interior of Mars - and the other rocky planets of our solar system - through this mission. Russia launched a new crew to ISS which reported aboard 12/3/18 .   This was a major accomplishment following the Soyuz mishap that destroyed the launch vehicle just a few months ago. SpaceX also had a launch of a resupply mission to ISS on 12/5/18...... Busy times at ISS and space in general. Tomorrow (US time) the C...

Hey Space Placers! There is a comet that may be visible to the unaided eye from dark sky sites in the South after dark. It covers an area of the sky as large as the Full Moon but is dim. This comet does not have a huge tail or  is as conspicuous as Hale-Bopp in 1997. It is still worth looking for in the next few days before the Moon returns to the evening sky and makes the sky bright thereby negating being able to probably see it. I have had cloudy weather for the past 2 weeks so I am hoping for a chance to see & photograph it. Here are two links for you to read about 46P and both have finder charts to help you zero in on this green visitor. http://spaceweather.com https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/comet-46p-wirtanen-approaches-earth/?k=X2eLNeXTAu0pdXJ%2B6SJFkgjffbPJdBb2myBdgtfo4Cg%3D&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=sky-jma-nl-181130%0D&cid=DM88427&bid=879599199 Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! As stated by the NASA Press Release , " NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with its targeted asteroid, Bennu, on Monday, Dec. 3 at approximately noon EST ." Tomorrow, 12/3/18,  NASA will air a live event from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST   on NASA Television,  Facebook Live ,  Ustream ,  YouTube  and the agency's  website . NASA TV also will air an arrival preview program starting at 11:15 a.m. EST. This is an EXCITING mission to the asteroid belt that will give us an up close and personal view of this space rock we call Bennu. We will also be looking forward to the return sample scheduled to arrive in September 2023. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Back from being at sea. Internet reception wasn't very good so I could not publish my blog - sorry about that but it does happen underway. Read this story  about NASA's new private partners in lunar exploration. NASA held a news conference this past week to announce the partners and plan as to how we will get back to the Moon in very short order. This is a very good thing especially with the Chinese missions that are due to launch in 2018 and 2019. The best part of the story is that we will go to the Moon next year, probably with our Israeli partner, SPACEIL. Israeli Lunar Lander CREDIT: SPACEIL I can hardly wait...... Sky Guy back in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is my Full Thanksgiving Moon pic from Eurodam off of Maui, HI. Full Thanksgiving Moon Maui, HI Greg Redfern Read this GREAT article about the expanding Universe. Sky Guy Greg

Hey Space Placers! For my U.S. readers, have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Be sure to enjoy a rare Full Moon as well. I will be at sea and hoping to take some pics of it rising and gracing the Pacific Ocean with its glorious light. Sky Guy in HI

Hey Space Placers! Read all about where NASA's Mars 2020 Rover will conduct its search for evidence of past life on Mars. Also, be sure to follow the 11/26/18 landing of InSight on Mars . Sky Guy in Honolulu

Hey Space Placers! Check out this new video that shows what our Galaxy's 4 million mass black hole might look like. Pretty amazing...... Aloha from Honolulu, Sky Guy Greg

Hey Space Placers! The Leonid Meteor Shower peaks this weekend . Here's to clear skies!!! SKY GUY IN HAWAII

Hey Space Placers! Internet issues on this voyage.......sorry. Here is the planet's new impact crater found under the ice of Greenland. WOW. Sky Guy In Hawaii

Hey Space Placers! Here is the story about one of the oldest stars known . It is also the current record holder for the star with the fewest heavy elements which means it is OLD - perhaps forming with the first generation of stars after the Big Bang. As a red dwarf star it will live for TRILLIONS of years. Sky Guy in the Pacific

Hey Space Placers! Still with me? I really am sorry to have gone silent the past week or so but I was under deadline to do the final proofs for my book which I just sent off last night - YAY!!!!! The book is supposed to be out Nov. 27, 2018. If you like the sea and sky this book is for you. Tonight the waxing crescent Moon and Saturn will be close to one another in the SW after sunset and will be the first pic I post on my 18 day cruise on Holland America's Eurodam from San Diego to Hawaii and back. Also be on the lookout for Taurid Meteors . Sky Guy Soon To Be Underway

Hey Space Placers! I've been off planet reviewing the final proofs of my book the past week and have 1 week more to go. Here is an article that discusses space weather   and a new ESA mission to provide alerts . Space weather affects our daily lives in a variety of ways. Adding a new mission to monitor the Sun and the space weather it generates will go a long way in helping to protect our technologies and ourselves. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is the incredible video showing the October 11, 2018 accident of the Soyuz MS-10 launch that I blogged about previously. More details on the accident are here . The article also states that the next crew launch to the International Space Station will take place on December 3rd. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Happy Halloween - the half way point from fall to winter. Check out what happens when JPL has a pumpkin carving contest! HST is operating again after 3 weeks down time due to a faulty gyro and a troublesome back up gyro. Good news indeed! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Check out pulling the ripcord on Mars-bound parachutes. Testing was done in Virginia at NASA's Wallops Flight Test Facility. Pretty cool...... On to Mars with the 2020 Rover . Sky Guy in VA

Her 2+ey Space Placers! Have you ever wondered about how galaxies form and evolve? We live in the Milky Way Galaxy, one of 2+ TRILLION known galaxies in the observable Universe. Galaxies form and evolve over billions of years. This is a LONG but easy to understand and insightful article  written by an astrophysicist about his research into how galaxies form and evolve under the influence of dark matter. His ongoing research shows that galaxies seem to start out as "cosmic pickles" and evolve. This computer simulation shows the evolution of particles representing stars. Note that after a number of stars have formed, the galaxy is “pickle” shaped—long, thin, and not rotating. A few satellite galaxies enter the visualization volume and merge with the central galaxy, but they do so along the main axis of the galaxy, so it continues to be long and thin. These images are all in the first (pre-"blue-nugget") stage of the evolution of this galaxy. Then the cente...

Hey Space Placers! We are still learning about our own backyard. Astronomers have confirmed a 1961 observation of two dust clouds that are essentially "satellites" orbiting the Sun with the Earth at a distance similar to that of our Moon. These dust clouds have formed at two locations that are fairly stable gravitationally. Artist’s impression of the Kordylewski cloud in the night sky (with its brightness greatly enhanced) at the time of the observations. Credit: G. Horváth They are exceptionally faint which is why it took so long to confirm their presence. They consist of dust grains which could come from comets, asteroids and planetary impacts. Dust is very common and present everywhere in our solar system. Our Moon has a permanent lopsided dust cloud, the Zodiacal Light is composed of dust grains and Earth is bombarded daily by dust. Mosaic pattern of the angle of polarization around the L5 point (white dot) of the Earth-Moon system. The five rectangular wi...

Hey Space Placers! Tonight is the Full Hunter's Moon .  Take advantage of these beautiful fall evenings to see it rise at sunset in the East. You will probably see it rising in the Earth's Shadow , another beautiful sight to see. Full Moon Rising Out Of The Earth's Shadow Shenandoah National Park Greg Redfern Enjoy the view and beauty of moonlight tonight. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! NASA released an update on the repair to HST which has been in SAFE mode since a gyro failed . Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Every clear night in the East at sunset and every clear dawn in the West at sunrise you can see our  planet's shadow . It is accompanied by a pink band called the "Belt of Venus" and both are quite easy to see if you have a clear view of the horizon. Be sure to look on October 24th when the Full Hunter's Moon is rising in the East. Full Snow Moon Rising out of Earth's Shadow & Belt of Venus Taken at sea aboard Azamara Quest Tasman Strait off the Coast of N. Australia Greg Redfern It is a daily reminder that you live on a planet that is in perpetual sunlight and as a result casts its shadow out into space. This is the "magic hour" of sunrise and sunset. Take a look for yourself and contemplate the end and/or beginning of the day.

Hey Space Placers! The predicted Orionid Meteor Shower peak takes place tonight into tomorrow morning. Viewing Chart for Orionids Credit: www.skyandtelescope.com Details for viewing are here. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Sorry for the lapse bu the Internet was not working too well as we crossed the Pacific. Tonight is the Moon's Night -  International Observe the Moon Night . Credit: NASA Check to see if there is an event near you. If not there is a Live Stream event starting at 12 pm EDT today, October 20 The Full Hunter's Moon is October 24th so be sure to watch it rise and light up the night. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! UPDATE: INVESTIGATIONS BEGIN   INTO MISHAP The CREW IS SAFE! Second stage shutdown results in crew abort. Get the latest on today's launch abort in Russia : https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/ https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/soyuz-ms-10-launch-goes-awry-crew-ok/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Spacepolicyonline+%28SpacePolicyOnline+News%29 Sky Guy in the Pacific

Hey Space Placers! Hubble Space Telescope is in "Safe Mode" due to a gyro issue . The telescope is fine but ground controllers are assessing the situation. The gyro involved is probably "dead" but HST can continue doing science when it goes back on line as it still has 3 other gyros and can operate one one. Here's to more years with HST! Sky Guy in HI

Hey Space Placers! The next three nights should be good ones for the Draconid Meteor Shower . Read the article and find yourself a good viewing location. Here's to clear skies and "dragon shooting stars". Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! To honor the upcoming 50th anniversary of the iconic Apollo 8 mission to the Moon , the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named two craters on the far side of the moon "8 Homeward" and "Anders' Earthrise". CAPTION The  Earthrise  colour photograph taken by astronaut  William Anders . It depicts the moment that our shiny blue Earth came back into view as the spacecraft emerged out of the dark from behind the grey and barren Moon. This is arguably the most famous picture taken by Apollo 8. It became iconic and has been credited with starting the environmental movement. Two of the crates seen in this photo have just been named by the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) of the International Astronomical Union. Credit: NASA/IAU I will be doing a special write up for Apollo 8's 50th, but suffice it to say this image is in all probability the most famous of all from Apoll...

Hey Space Placers! Imaging using the the MUSE spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope reveals a universe full of gently glowing hydrogen clouds.  ESA/HUBBLE & NASA, ESO/ LUTZ WISOTZKI ET AL This calming picture shows myriad galaxies amidst  the soft glow of hydrogen gas caused by a well known process called Lyman Alpha emission (light). Essentially the hydrogen left over from the Big Bang fills the observable Universe and is constantly being energized from a lower to higher energy state causing the glow. The hydrogen "cocoons" surround ancient galaxies in the early and distant Universe. This discovery will allow new observations of these clouds and their galaxies. So the next time you look up at a dark, moonless sky, imagine the soft glow of hydrogen that fills our Universe. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Wanna' take a ride on the wild side - of supermassive black holes that is. These beasts are thought to reside at the center of most, if not all, galaxies. Our own Milky Way Galaxy has a 4.4 MILLION solar mass supermassive black hole at its center called Sagittarius A Star or Sgr A* for short. Check out this video simulation to learn more about these beasts of the galactic deep . Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! NASA is 60 years old today. Here's to many, many more NASA! Sky Guy on VA

Hey Space Placers! Check out these pictures from the  Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft exploring the asteroid known as  Ryugu . Pretty Amazing. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Back in the USA and getting over jet lag. Read the latest on planet Mercury . Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Happy Fall. Here is a good article from Politico regarding NASA's Planetary Defense Office . Remember, the dinosaurs are dead because they didn't have telescopes or a space program. Sky Guy in Japan

Hey Space Placers! Read all about it here ! Sky Guy Greg

Hey Space Placers! Read the latest on our cannibal galaxy. Sky Guy at Sea

Hey Space Placers! Look at the first image taken by NASA's new exoplanet hunter - TESS. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) took this snapshot of the Large Magellanic Cloud (right) and the bright star R Doradus (left) with just a single detector of one of its cameras on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The frame is part of a swath of the southern sky TESS captured in its “first light” science image as part of its initial round of data collection. Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS I LOVE the first light image that shows the Large Magellanic Cloud! One of my fave places in the sky and Universe........ Learn more about TESS ...... I look forward to the worlds that TESS will discover...... Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is the official statement from  A ssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA,  http://www.aura-astronomy.org ) regarding the "X-File" - my term not theirs - regarding the solar observatory closure that I blogged on recently . The matter appears to be a law enforcement related matter..... Sorry, no aliens or Roswell unfortunately. Crime even strikes the science of astronomy.... Sky Guy in the Aleutians

Hey Space Placers! Well, now we have a "who did it" aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Someone, somewhere, drilled a HOLE in a Russian spacecraft . Some Russians are blaming the onboard American astronauts - wow. Who knows if this will ever be solved. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Is it an X-File out in New Mexico at a solar observatory ? This is VERY strange....... Sky Guy Greg at Sea

Hey Space Placers! Current ethics rules prohibit this . I hope it stays that way. Sky Guy At Sea

Hey Space Placers! Please click on this link to see more of this morning's (9/11/18) pics of Aurora off the coast of Seward, AK underway on Windstar Cruises' Star Legend. Aurora & STEVE this am aboard Star Legend. The purple ribbon is not an Aurora but a STEVE ( Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) event. Hoping for more tonight....... Sky Guy at Sea in AK

Hey Space Placers! Listen to and learn about the Sun ! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here's an INCREDIBLE 360 video (make sure you scroll around the video to see everything) that shows Curiosity and Mars. Pretty amazing....... Still no word from Opportunity. NASA is still listening for a signal and continues to send a signal.  Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here are two updates from very in the know people about NASA's Orion Crewed spacecraft and the lunar Gateway. Read them to get a very comprehensive understanding of these integrated NASA programs. ORION UPDATE by former astronaut and friend Tom Jones NASA EM-1 Spacecraft Credit: Aerospace America GATEWAY UPDATE by Jason Davis THE GATEWAY (UPDATED SEPT. 2018) At the completion of Orion’s first visit in 2024, the Gateway will consist of the three right-most modules in this artist’s concept: the power and propulsion module (far right, with solar arrays), ESPRIT (covered in gold insulation), and the U.S. utilization module (with robotic arm). CREDIT: NASA IMAGE; Planetary Society caption The long pole in the tent for all of this is the successful launch and flight in 2020 of the uncrewed EM-1. If that doesn't happen on schedule and successfully all of the foregoing will be affected. It's time to go SOMEWHERE OUT THERE........ Sky ...

Hey Space Placers! NASA's 60th anniversary is fast approaching. See this great video about Aeronautics and NASA . Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Hope everyone in the U.S. had a GREAT & SAFE Labor Day. I was off the grid for a few days but we are spooling back up today. NASA's InSight Mars lander will carry a unique instrument capable of measuring heat flowing out of the planet. That could shed light on how Mars' massive mountains -- which eclipse Mt. Everest here on Earth -- first formed.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech  Get more "InSight" here . Sky Guy in VA ;jbkjvj;kjb;jb

Hey Space Placers! Here is a nifty video from NASA that discusses efforts to learn about Mother Earth's increasing  atmospheric carbon dioxide levels using data from  NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) .  Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Hulu looks like they have a good one coming up titled "The First" .  NASA's Orion and SLS are featured as is ISS. It is about the first humans going to Mars and it has a great cast and is done by none other that Beau "House of Cards" Willimon! Coming Sept 14......... I can hardly wait! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Got 5 minutes? If so, take your computer into a dark room or view at night this gorgeous video from NASA Goddard  Scientific Visualization Studio   made with views my beloved Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). You won't be disappointed. This is what the Moon looks like through a good telescope with no atmosphere to blur the view. So beautiful..... Sky Guy Back in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here's a thought to contemplate: Past Life on the Moon? Two researchers think it is possible . Sky Guy in Ireland

Hey Space Placers!! Here's a selfie lovers dream......off planet virtual selfies for your smartphone! Get all the details here and selfie away ! Sky Guy headed to Scotland.....

Hey Space Placers! Water ice confirmed on the Moon.   This precious resource needs to be mapped in detail so we know where to go for mining it for water, oxygen and rocket fuel. If present in a great amount it will form the basis for a long lasting and thriving human presence on the Moon. The image shows the distribution of surface ice at the Moon’s south pole (left) and north pole (right), detected by NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument. Blue represents the ice locations, plotted over an image of the lunar surface, where the gray scale corresponds to surface temperature (darker representing colder areas and lighter shades indicating warmer zones). The ice is concentrated at the darkest and coldest locations, in the shadows of craters. This is the first time scientists have directly observed definitive evidence of water ice on the Moon’s surface. Credits: NASA Sky Guy in Iceland

Hey Space Placers! Out in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of N. Iceland. Pretty nifty video about sizes in astronomy. Sky Guy at Sea

Hey Space Placers! At sea headed to Iceland and hopefully Aurora and Noctilucent Clouds. Really want to get pictures of them to add to my book which is at the publisher. Side-by-side movies shows how dust has enveloped the Red Planet, courtesy of the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) wide-angle camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Latest on Opportunity . Sky Guy at Sea

Hey Space Placers! Tune in to the center of our Milky Way Galaxy Quite the video from ESO ! Sky Guy at Sea