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alactic Observer John J. McCarthy Observatory G Volume 11, No. 3 March 2018 A porpoise or a penguin Celestial Homeor aInvasion puppet on a string? — MoreFind on page out 17 on page 19 The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observer New Milford High School Editorial Committee 388 Danbury Road Managing Editor New Milford, CT 06776 Bill Cloutier Phone/Voice: (860) 210-4117 Production & Design Phone/Fax: (860) 354-1595 www.mccarthyobservatory.org Allan Ostergren Website Development JJMO Staff Marc Polansky Technical Support It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory Bob Lambert has established itself as a significant educational and recreational resource within the western Connecticut Dr. Parker Moreland community. Steve Barone Jim Johnstone Colin Campbell Carly KleinStern Dennis Cartolano Bob Lambert Route Mike Chiarella Roger Moore Jeff Chodak Parker Moreland, PhD Bill Cloutier Allan Ostergren Doug Delisle Marc Polansky Cecilia Detrich Joe Privitera Dirk Feather Monty Robson Randy Fender Don Ross Louise Gagnon Gene Schilling John Gebauer Katie Shusdock Elaine Green Paul Woodell Tina Hartzell Amy Ziffer In This Issue "OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT"............................... 4 COMMONLY USE TERMS ................................................. 16 SUNRISE ON ALBATEGNIUS ................................................ 4 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES ............................................ 16 FINISHING THE LESSON .................................................... 5 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND IRIDIUM SATELLITES .... 16 "NOT DEAD YET" ......................................................... 5 SOLAR ACTIVITY ........................................................... 16 POSTCARDS FROM THE MARS SCIENCE LAGRANGE POINTS ........................................................ 16 LABORATORY CURIOSITY .............................................. 7 IMAGE CREDITS ............................................................ 17 FALCON HEAVY TAKES FLIGHT (PHOTO) ............................ 7 FRONT PAGE GRAPHIC ................................................... 17 FALCON SIDE BOOSTER RETURN TO THE ROOST ................. 7 SECOND SATURDAY STARS ............................................... 18 ELECTRIC CARS IN SPACE ................................................ 7 FEBRUARY GRAPHIC CALENDAR ...................................... 19 YEAR IN SPACE PLUS 2 .................................................... 8 5,000 SOLS .................................................................... 9 A RUSSIAN SUNSET ......................................................... 9 TWIST OF FATE ............................................................. 10 MARCH HISTORY .......................................................... 11 MORE MARCH HISTORY ................................................ 11 ZODIACAL LIGHT ........................................................... 11 SUNRISE AND SUNSET ...................................................... 12 ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVENTS ......................... 12 In Pursuit of Starman On February 6th, the Falcon Heavy booster took flight from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on its maiden journey. Instead of a traditional and sacrificial payload for a test flight, Elon Musk donated his cherry red Tesla roadster, complete with a space- suited mannequin behind the wheel. Approximately six hours after launch, the second stage engine was reignited, propelling the payload out of Earth orbit and into a helio- centric orbit that will extend beyond the orbit of Mars. Since that time, astronomers around the world have been recording its trajectory, setting new records almost daily for the most distant image of the Tesla (which is still attached to the second stage). In the early hours of February 17th, a group of sleep- deprived observers from the McCarthy Observatory imaged the object from 3.2 mil- lion kilometers (2 million miles) as it raced through the constellation Hydra at 10,900 kph (7,000 mph). It was a new (but short-lived) distance record, but nonetheless a remarkable achievement for a 0.4 meter telescope located near sea level, observing an object at almost magnitude 20, low in the sky, with sky glow from the lights of near-by towns and occasional bands of pesky clouds (while under a winter weather warning). The team was able to image the target again on the morning of the 19th at a distance of almost 3.8 million kilometers (2.4 million miles) and fainter than 20 magnitude. [On a clear, dark night, stars as faint as 5th magnitude are visible to the human eye without aid. The Tesla on February 17th was more than 700,000 times dimmer.] Image by Marc Polansky (McCarthy Observatory) dated the drawings based upon an exaggerated crater Albategnius. "Out the Window events described by Galileo, the (In his analysis, Whitaker deter- on Your Left" location of the terminator, the Sun mined that the Moon would have T'S BEEN MORE than 45 and Moon’s position in the sky, and been below the horizon, as seen from years since we left the last local weather (whether the condi- Padua, Italy, on alternative dates in I footprint on the dusty lunar tions were suitable for viewing). early November and January when surface. Sadly, as a nation founded Whitaker provides compelling the terminator would have bisected on exploration and the conquest of evidence that Galileo started observ- Albategnius at sunrise.) new frontiers, we appear to have ing the Moon on November 30, Galileo would sketch a third quar- lost our will to lead as a space-far- 1609, producing a sketch of the four ter moon on December 18th, again ing nation. But, what if the aver- day old Moon. Three days later he highlighting Albategnius, but with age citizen had the means to visit recorded the features of the first quar- the sun setting. While Albategnius, our only natural satellite; what ter Moon, including the craters at 85 miles (136 km) in diameter, is would they see out the window of Aristoteles and Eudoxus just east of normally much less conspicuous their spacecraft as they entered or- the terminator in the far north, the than the large maria to the north, it bit around the Moon? This column shadow bisecting Mare Senenitatis, can cast an imposing presence at may provide some thoughts to pon- and the cratered highlights in the sunrise (or sunset), as seen in the der when planning your visit (if southern hemisphere, punctuated by photo below. only in your imagination). Sunrise on Albategnius Sketch of a seven day old Moon with what is believed to be the crater Albategnius on the terminator, south of the lunar equator On March 13, 1617, Galileo Galilei took receipt of his Sidereus Nuncius, or “Starry Messenger” from a printer in Venice, Italy. The 60-page treatise described his dis- coveries with the telescope, includ- ing the rugged surface of the Moon with prominences “loftier than those of the Earth,” the moons of Jupiter in orbit around the gas gi- ant, and the star-filled Milky Way. The pamphlet includes draw- ings of the Moon in four different phases. Late selenographer Ewan Whitaker (University of Arizona), 4 • March 2018 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org Another large crater in the south- lives of all seven crew members dents to pursue careers in these ern hemisphere is Hipparchus at 93 shortly after takeoff. fields, and provide an outlet to miles (150 km) in diameter. How- The two educator-astronauts learn and apply important life ever, the crater’s features are con- will recreate and film four of skills.”) siderably degraded, with its rim McAuliffe’s six planned lessons/ Barbara Morgan was McAuliffe’s damaged by ejecta from the impact demonstrations on microgravity, backup on the Challenger flight. that created the Imbrium basin to the effervescence and chromatography She went back to teaching after north, and may not have been as and Newton’s laws of physics. The the accident before being selected well-defined to Galileo through his lessons will be filmed and made as the first educator-astronaut in rudimentary telescope. available through the non-profit, January 1998. Morgan went on Challenger Centers (a global to fly on the space shuttle Finishing the Lesson network at more than 40 loca- Endeavour in 2007, as a member NASA designated the twelve tions, established to carry on of the crew on STS-118. NASA months extending from September McAuliffe’s vision and mission to began (for the second time) 2017 to 2018, the “Year of Educa- “Engage students and teachers in formal recruitment of educator tion on Station,” acknowledging dynamic, hands-on exploration mission specialists in 2003 (more and celebrating crew members and discovery opportunities that than 12,000 applications were with backgrounds in education on strengthen knowledge in science, received in 1984 in the original the International Space Station technology, engineering, and solicitation, from which McAuliffe (ISS or Station). mathematics (STEM), inspire stu- was ultimately selected). Educator-astronauts Joe Acaba, (arrived on the ISS in mid-Decem- ber 2017 and scheduled to return NASA's Year of Education on Station logo. Credit: NASA to Earth at the end of February Christa McAuliffe in pre-flight weightlessness training. Credit: NASA 2018), and Ricky Arnold (will join the ISS crew in March 2018) are planning to present the science les- “Not Dead Yet” sons originally prepared by Christa In the early morning hours of Later that day, while reviewing the McAuliffe for her flight in 1986 Saturday, January 20th, amateur as- previous night’s data,