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Observable comet count is 1175
Current exoplanet count is 5787
Current longitude II of the GRS is 59°
Today Monitor
Mars: January 16, 2025
Jupiter: December 7, 2024
Saturn: September 8, 2024
Uranus: November 17, 2024
Neptune: September 31, 2024
Evening: January 10, 2025 at 47.2°E
Morning: June 1, 2025 at 45.9°W
Evening: December 4, 2023 at 21.3°E
Morning: January 12, 2024 at 23.5°W
Evening: March 24, 2024 at 18.7°E
Morning: May 9, 2024 at 26.4°W
Evening: July 22, 2024 at 26.9°E
Morning: September 5, 2024 at 18.1°W
Evening: November 16, 2024 at 22.5°E
Morning: December 25, 2024 at 22.0°W
Wednesday, September 18
Thursday, October 17
given for 00:00 UT
Date | Size | Age | Angle | Phase |
---|---|---|---|---|
09 Oct 2024 | 30.41' | 6.22 | -6.872° | |
10 Oct 2024 | 30.80' | 7.22 | -7.260° | |
11 Oct 2024 | 31.24' | 8.22 | -7.306° | |
12 Oct 2024 | 31.73' | 9.22 | -6.971° | |
21 Oct 2024 | 32.22' | 18.22 | 6.835° | |
22 Oct 2024 | 31.69' | 19.22 | 7.618° | |
23 Oct 2024 | 31.17' | 20.22 | 7.933° | |
24 Oct 2024 | 30.69' | 21.22 | 7.796° | |
25 Oct 2024 | 30.28' | 22.22 | 7.257° | |
08 Nov 2024 | 31.20' | 6.47 | -6.417° | |
19 Nov 2024 | 31.78' | 17.47 | 6.845° | |
20 Nov 2024 | 31.27' | 18.47 | 7.271° | |
21 Nov 2024 | 30.79' | 19.47 | 7.223° | |
22 Nov 2024 | 30.36' | 20.47 | 6.738° |
Date | Size | Age | Angle | Phase |
---|---|---|---|---|
09 Oct 2024 | 30.41' | 6.22 | 6.695° | |
10 Oct 2024 | 30.80' | 7.22 | 6.831° | |
11 Oct 2024 | 31.24' | 8.22 | 6.620° | |
21 Oct 2024 | 32.22' | 18.22 | -6.408° | |
22 Oct 2024 | 31.69' | 19.22 | -6.763° | |
23 Oct 2024 | 31.17' | 20.22 | -6.728° | |
05 Nov 2024 | 30.24' | 3.47 | 6.535° | |
06 Nov 2024 | 30.52' | 4.47 | 6.723° | |
07 Nov 2024 | 30.84' | 5.47 | 6.580° | |
18 Nov 2024 | 32.26' | 16.47 | -6.549° | |
19 Nov 2024 | 31.78' | 17.47 | -6.638° | |
03 Dec 2024 | 30.57' | 1.74 | 6.584° | |
04 Dec 2024 | 30.83' | 2.74 | 6.475° | |
16 Dec 2024 | 32.04' | 14.74 | -6.545° | |
30 Dec 2024 | 30.69' | 28.74 | 6.543° | |
31 Dec 2024 | 31.00' | 0.07 | 6.472° |
Source: NASA/GSFC
NASA's Hubble Sees Aftermath of Galaxy's Scrape with Milky Way
November 14, 2024
A whitish, whirlpool-like galaxy at middle of top edge, and a tadpole-shaped structure sweeps from left to right across lower half. A label pointing to outer, left of galaxy reads "Earth." Faint, purple haze labeled "Milky Way Halo" surrounds galaxy and stretches to graphic's edges. The tadpole-shaped object is the Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, with its own halo and streaming tail. Semi-circular, progressively darker layers of purple labeled "LMC Halo" surround the LMC, which appears roughly circular, with a central, light yellow bar. Cloud-like features sprinkled with white specks surround this bar. Trailing the LMC is a large, tail-like feature labeled "Stream." Three light blue lines point from the label "Earth" through the LMC's halo, and to three corresponding quasars, which are off screen. At the bottom, right corner is the label "Artist's Concept."
Source: stsci.edu/news
31 October 2024
Stare deeply at these galaxies. They appear as if blood is pumping through the top of a flesh-free face. The long, ghastly ‘stare’ of their searing eye-like cores shines out into the supreme cosmic darkness.
Source: esawebb.org
29 October 2024
In August 2022, to mark the launch of the Picture of the Month series, ESA/Webb published a stunning image of the Phantom Galaxy (also known as M74 and NGC 628). Now, this series is revisiting the target to feature new data on this iconic spiral galaxy. M74 resides around 32 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Pisces, and lies almost face-on to Earth. This, coupled with its well-defined spiral arms, makes it a favourite target for astronomers studying the origin and structure of galactic spirals. This image features data from two of Webb’s instruments: MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) and NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera). Observations in the infrared reveal the galaxy’s creeping tendrils of gas, dust and stars. In this image the dark red regions trace the filamentary warm dust permeating the galaxy. The red regions show the reprocessed light from complex molecules forming on dust grains, while orange and yellow …
Source: esawebb.org
The STS-129 crew members posed for a portrait following a joint news conference on Nov. 24, 2009, with the Expedition 21 crew members (out of frame) on the International Space Station. Pictured (clockwise) from bottom left are astronauts Charles O. Hobaugh, commander; Mike Foreman, Leland Melvin, Robert L. Satcher Jr. and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists; along with Barry E. Wilmore, pilot; and Nicole Stott, mission specialist.
Click to enlarge or show full screenWed, 20 Nov 2024 21:56 GMT
Source: www.nasa.gov
Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin
2024-10-07 solar system
Just for info, no danger posed. This year, NEO asteroid 2024 TR4, estimated 14 meters across flew past Earth on October 7 at 01:07 UTC at a distance of approximately 112,000 km at a speed of 15 km/sec. The distance equals to 0.3 lunar distances which is a very close encounter (the image shows asteroid Bennu). Link to source 🔗
Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
2024-10-05 Exoplanets
High proper motion, single star, Barnard's Star is only about 6 light-years away in Ophiuchus. Using ESO's VLT astronomers have detected a rocky planet orbiting at a distance 20 times closer than Mercury is to the sun resulting in a short 3.15 days orbit and a scorching 125°C surface temperature. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA/JPL
2024-03-15 solar system
According to NASA, on April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass less than 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) from Earth's surface, closer than the distance of geosynchronous satellites. Although previously dubbed the Doomsday Asteroid, about 340 meters wide Apophis does not pose any danger of impact during close approach in 2029 as it will be visible with the unaided eye. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA/LRO/LROC/ASU/Smithsonian Institution
2024-01-27 solar system
Moon is shrinking and torn by tidal forces from Earth. Evidence for seismic activity has been detected near candidate regions for the Artemis III mission scheduled for a crewed lunar landing. Such quakes can produce ground shaking strong enough for faults to slide or for piling up new thrust faults. The LROC image shows a cluster of lobate scarps (left pointing arrows) near the lunar south pole. A thrust fault scarp cut across an approximately 1-km diameter degraded crater (right pointing arrow). Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University
2024-01-27 solar system
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the JAXA SLIM lander on the Moon’s surface on Jan. 24, 2024. SLIM landed at -13.316° south latitude, +25.2510° east longitude, at an elevation of minus 912 meters. The image is 880 meters wide and lunar north is up. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI)
2024-01-26 Exoplanets
Discovered in 2017, the Superterran planet GJ 9827 d is located some 97 light-years away in Pisces and may have a water-rich atmosphere in spite of being hotter than Venus because it orbits extremely close to it host star alongside two further known inner planets. Astronomers will further investigate with the help of the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Link to source 🔗
Image credit: JAXA/タカラトミー/ソニーグループ(株)/ 同志社大学)
2024-01-25 solar system
JAXAs lunar lander SLIM has been photographed by its small rover, the Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2). The soft landing about 55 meters east of target point was completed at 1.4m/sec surpassing specifications. Though the solar panels were supposed to face upwards after landing, on the photo SLIM is shown with its main engine facing upwards, but JAXA hopes it will gather sunlight and restore power until local sunset on Feb 1st. Analysis so far has also revealed that one of the two main engines was lost due to some abnormality at an altitude of 50 meters just before landing. Both exploration rover robots are in good working condition. SLIM landed on the moon at 15:20 on January 19 UTC. Link to source 🔗
Backlog
No, we are not on Facebook but proudly on AstroBin with Mille Gracie to the author Salvatore Iovene:
If anybody is interested in the night life of bats, here is a funny 1-minute MP4 video (24MB).
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Constellation | Canes Venatici |
Distance | 604.59 parsec |
Magnitude | 12.86 vis. |
Mass | 1.21 xSun |
Radius | 1.32 xSun |
Temperature | 6100°K |
Known planet(s) | 1 |
November Orionids
13 Nov - 6 Dec, Peak: 11/28
Radiant: Star Chart, Rating: medium
Deneb el Okab (17 Zet Aql) in Aql [HIP 93747]
Distance: 83 light-years, Magnitude: 2.99
Deneb el Okab, Arabic for 'the tail of the falcon' is the primary of a system of three stars. It is 2.4x more massive, 2.3x larger and 40 times more luminous than the sun. The star is no older than 150 million years and is rotating at 317 km/s stretching its equatorial radius over 30.7% greater than its polar radius.
Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗Archid A (eta Cassiopeiae A ) in Cassiopeia
Distance: 19 light-years, Magnitude: 3.4
Eta Cassiopeiae (Archid or GJ 34) is a spectroscopic binary pair in a 480 years orbit (eccentricity 0.5) at a mean distance of 71 (36 to 106) AU. The primary is a sun-like star, 97% the mass and 1.04 times the solar radius with a low projected rotational velocity of 3.15 km/s. The companion, B, has 57% the mass of the sun and measures 0.66 solar radii.
Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗
M64 (Galaxy) in Coma Berenices
Magnitude: 9.3
Residing about 24 million light years away, M64 extends nearly 40,000 light-years across, spinning around at a speed of 300 km/s. Toward its core is a counter-rotating disc some 4,000 light-years wide causing starburst activity and a distinctive dark dust lane.
Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗Canes Venatici (northern), area rank: 38
Located south of the Big Dipper. Way back this constellation was a part of Ursa Major. In the 17th century, it was given independency as a new constellation by astronomer Johannes Hevelius. A large and a small galaxy, M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy), appear to be connected.
Star Chart45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova
Discovered on December 3, 1948, 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova is a short-period comet on an elliptical orbit with a period of 5.26 years. Its nucleus is estimated to be 0.5-1.6 kilometers in diameter. The comet made a close approach of only 0.06 AU (8,980,000 km) from the Earth on August 15, 2011.
Geographos (Asteroid)
Semi-major: 1.24553 AU, Size: 5.1 km
Discovered in 1951, and categorized as a Mars-crossing asteroid and a near-Earth object, 1620 Geographos is a 5.1 km wide body, composed of nickel-iron mixed with iron- and magnesium-silicates, and rotating within 5.2 hours.
Dione (moon of Saturn)
Nearly circular shaped Dione was discovered by astronomer Cassini back in 1682. It is more massive than all known moons smaller than itself combined, the third densest of Saturn's moons and largely composed of water ice. Its surface is cratered alongside ice cliffs and varied terrain.
HD 109271 b (in Virgo)
Mass: 0.054 xJup
SMA: 0.079 AU
Period: 7.8543 days
Distance: 55.8716 parsec
Category: Hot Neptunian
ESI: 0.170375