Astronomical database with 3D simulations, visualizations, computations, review, articles, and more.

Planet Oppositions

Mars: January 16, 2025
Jupiter: December 7, 2024
Saturn: September 8, 2024
Uranus: November 17, 2024
Neptune: September 31, 2024

 

Greatest Elongation of Venus

Evening: January 10, 2025 at 47.2°E
Morning: June 1, 2025 at 45.9°W

 

Greatest Elongation of Mercury

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

Comets to look out for:

• 62P/Tsuchinshan
• 144P/Kushida
• C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS)
• 12P/Pons-Brooks
• C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

Super Moons (full) 2024

Wednesday, September 18
Thursday, October 17

 

given for 00:00 UT

In Longitude (negative is western)

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°

 

In Latitude (negative is southern)

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

Close NEO Approach

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 🔗

 

Planet around Barnard's Star

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 🔗

 

Asteroid Apophis

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 🔗

 

Moonquakes near Lunar South Pole

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 🔗

 

SLIM Imaged by LROC

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 🔗

 

Hubble finds Water in an Exoplanet's Atmosphere

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 🔗

 

First Light from SLIM

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 🔗

 

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Constellation	Ophiuchus
Distance	1.83 parsec
Magnitude	9.54 vis.
Spectral type	M3.5-4 V
Mass	0.16 xSun
Radius	0.18 xSun
Temperature	3195°K
Known planet(s)	1

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