alactic Observer John J. McCarthy Observatory G Volume 11, No. 5 May 2018 As its fire burns and Cauldron Bubbles, Kilauea’s Secrets are revealed from space Probes the Depths Details on page 16 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 ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVENTS ......................... 12 MONS RÜMKER ............................................................. 4 COMMONLY USED TERMS ............................................... 15 JUPITER AT OPPOSITION ................................................... 5 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES ............................................ 15 INSIGHT ........................................................................ 5 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND IRIDIUM SATELLITES .... 16 BY JOVE, IT'S STORMY .................................................... 6 SOLAR ACTIVITY ........................................................... 16 NEW THEORY FOR MOON FORMATION .............................. 7 LAGRANGE POINTS ........................................................ 16 BREAKING UP IS NOT SO HARD TO DO .............................. 7 IMAGE CREDITS ............................................................ 16 PHILATELY ..................................................................... 8 FRONT PAGE GRAPHICS ................................................. 16 DUST IN THE WIND ......................................................... 8 CONTACT INFORMATION ................................................. 18 PSYCHE SESSION ............................................................. 9 SECOND SATURDAY STARS ............................................... 19 PUBLIC ASTRONOMY ...................................................... 10 APRIL GRAPHIC CALENDAR ............................................ 20 MAY SHOWERS ............................................................. 10 FORGOTTEN NAMES FOR AN ANCIENT WORLD ................... 11 MAY HISTORY ............................................................... 11 JOVIAN MOON TRANSITS ................................................ 12 RED SPOT TRANSITS ...................................................... 12 SUNRISE AND SUNSET ...................................................... 12 MAY NIGHTS .............................................................. 112 May Astronomy Calendar and Space Exploration Almanac InSight, Engineering Test Model Photo: Bill Cloutier "Out the Window on Your Left" T'S BEEN MORE than 45 years Isince we left the last footprint on the dusty lunar surface. Sadly, as a nation founded on exploration and the conquest of new frontiers, we appear to have lost our will to lead North - South profile of Mons Rümker Credit: LROC Quickmap Mons Rümker as a space-faring nation. But, what if the average citizen had the means to visit our only natural satellite; what would they see out the window of their spacecraft as they entered orbit around the Moon? This column may provide some thoughts to pon- der when planning your visit (if only in your imagination). With the intensity of the re- flected sunlight from a nearly full Moon, features on the western rim are often overlooked. However, this area of Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms") has an intrigu- ing and varied topography, with impact and volcanic features, including domes, lava channels and subsurface cavities, as well as the most prominent and brightest lunar swirl, Reiner Gamma. Located in the northwest region of Oceanus Procellarum, due west of Mairan Crater and north of the Aristarchus plateau and Marius Hills, is the volcanic feature, Mons Rümker. The elevated complex, rising 2,200 to 3,700 feet (700 to ing plain, is approximately 40 miles (65 km) in diameter and populated 1,100 meters) above the surround- by multiple domes and vents (approximately 30 separate and irregularly 4 • May 2018 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org shaped volcanic domes have been rise with the setting Sun and be vis- orbital resonance with the inner identified) and overlapping lava ible all night, appearing highest in three Galilean moons. flows. the south just after midnight. Jupi- Ganymede is Jupiter's largest The region has a very complex ter will remain in the evening sky moon, with a diameter greater than geology, with ancient mare basalts until November when it disappears the planet Mercury. Callisto has the as old as 3.47 billion years adja- into the evening twilight and passes oldest and most heavily cratered cent to much younger basalts, and behind the Sun. Superior conjunc- surface, while Io has one of the basalts with both high iron/tita- tion (when the Sun is directly be- youngest. Io is also the most vol- nium and low iron/titanium con- tween the Earth and Jupiter) occurs canically active world in the solar tent in as many as six distinctly dif- on November 26th. system. ferent geologic units. Spectral Jupiter can be found in the con- Three of the four Galilean analysis of the region indicates stellation Libra (located between moons (excluding Io) may have that the areas adjacent to Mons the bright stars Antares in the con- subsurface oceans. Europa will be Rümker could be as youthful as stellation Scorpius to the east and the target of several future mis- 1.33 billion years, significantly Spica in the constellation Virgo to sions, including ESA's Jupiter Icy younger than lunar samples re- the west). At magnitude -2.3, it will moons Explorer and NASA's turned by the six Apollo missions be one of the brightest, star-like Europa Clipper. which ranged 3 to 4 billion years objects in the night sky (except for Since Europa is embedded in in age. Venus). On May 9th, the gas giant Jupiter's magnetosphere, the Europa China's Lunar Exploration Pro- will be 409 million miles (658 mil- Clipper will spend a majority of its gram has identified Mons Rümker lion km or 4.40 AU) from Earth or time outside the high radiation re- as one of the candidate landing 37 light minutes. The planet's south gions, diving in for brief flybys of sites for its Chang'e-5 sample re- pole will be slightly tipped towards the icy moon. If the mission in- turn mission, currently scheduled Earth (3.3°). cludes a lander, the orbiter could for launch in 2019. The proposed Jupiter reaches Opposition ev- park the lander in a safe, low ra- lander would collect up to 2 kilo- ery 399 days (on average), about a diation orbit until a suitable land- grams of rock, which would then month later each successive year. ing area on Europa can be identi- be transferred to an orbiter by an It is one of the only planets that dis- fied or the lander could follow the ascent module before being re- plays surface (atmospheric) details orbiter in a separate launch. turned to Earth (reminiscent of the through a moderately sized tele- Apollo landing/ orbital rendez- scope. With its rapid rotation (ap- InSight vous sequence). proximately one complete revolu- NASA's Discovery Program tion every 10 hours), the planet's mission InSight (Interior Explora- Jupiter at Opposition cloud belts and storms provide the tion using Seismic Investigations, The Earth comes between the observer with a dynamic spectacle. Geodesy and Heat Transport) is Sun and Jupiter in its orbit on May Jupiter's four Galilean moons scheduled to launch on May 5th 9th (an arrangement known as (discovered by Galileo in 1610) from the Vandenberg Air Force "Opposition" with Jupiter opposite appear as stars along the planet's Base in California aboard a United the Sun in the sky, as viewed from equatorial plane. Their orbital mo- Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. It Earth). On that day, Jupiter will tion is discernable over the course will be the agency's first interplan- of a single night. The three inner etary mission launched from the moons, Io (1.77 day orbital period), west coast. InSight is currently Europa (3.55 day orbital period) scheduled to land on Mars' Elysium and Ganymede (7.2 day orbital pe- Planitia, a relatively smooth plain riod), are tidally locked with one in Mars' northern hemisphere, and hemisphere always facing Jupiter. named after a mythical paradise of In their synchronistic orbits, Io the afterlife, on November 26th. completes four orbits and Europa The InSight lander is built on a two orbits in the time Ganymede platform similar to that used for the completes one orbit. Furthest from successful Phoenix mission that Jupiter, Callisto, the fourth Galilean explored the planet's polar region, moon, is tidally locked but not in saving testing time and develop- http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org JJMO May 2018 • 5 ment cost. The lander is equipped with two science instruments,