If you were riding on Pioneer 10 – and looked back toward our sun this week – here’s what you’d see. This is the January 28, 2015 view. Where is Earth in this view? Too small to notice. Simulated view of Pioneer 10 view of sun via Pioneer 10 Real-Time Simulation
Artist’s conception of the Pioneer 10 spacecraft at Jupiter.
Artist’s depiction of Pioneer 10 in the outer solar system.
Tonight – January 29, 2015 – cast your mind outward in space toward the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, one of the most distant spacecraft from Earth at this time. Pioneer 10 was launched from Earth on March 3, 1972. It was the most distant human-made object from Earth until Voyager 1 overtook it – at 69 Earth-sun distance units, or astronomical units – in 1998. On January 29, 2015, both the moon and Pioneer 10 reside in the direction of the constellation Taurus the Bull. You can’t see it (and it can’t see Earth), but you can imagine it.
The January 29 moon will be a waxing gibbous moon, presently waxing (increasing) toward full phase. The moon will turn full on February 3, 2015. The moon’s brilliance will erase many stars from the sky tonight, but you still should be able to make out the Taurus’ stars Aldebaran and Elnath. The Pioneer spacecraft resides between these two stars on the sky’s dome.
Of course, when we say that the moon is near Pioneer 10 tonight, what we really mean to say is that the moon and Pioneer 10 are close together on the sky’s dome. In actuality, the moon and the Pioneer 10 spacecraft are nowhere close together in space. They’re simply located near each other along our line of sight.
The moon lies just over one light-second from Earth, while Pioneer 10 lodges way out in the far reaches of the solar system at over 15.5 light-hours away. At present, Pioneer 10 is traveling about one light-hour farther away from the sun every 3 years. That doesn’t sound like much, but remember that light travels at a speed of 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second.
Not too late. Order your 2015 EarthSky Lunar Calendar today!
Pioneer 10 passed closest to Jupiter in space on December 4, 1973. It passed the orbit of Pluto on June 13, 1983. This spacecraft is now nearing or at the outer boundary of our solar system. In the not-too-distant future, Pioneer 10 will enter the realm of interstellar space. We won’t know when that will happen, however, because this spacecraft no longer sends data back to Earth.
Although the moon will leave the constellation Taurus in a few days, you can continue to envision Pioneer 10 – with the mind’s eye – in between Taurus’ two brightest stars, Aldebaran and Elnath … for some time to come.
Bottom line: Use the moon on January 29, 2015 to imagine the whereabouts of the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, now leaving our solar system. As seen on Earth’s sky dome, Pioneer 10 is in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull.
Taurus? Here’s your constellation
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1yBMxMl
If you were riding on Pioneer 10 – and looked back toward our sun this week – here’s what you’d see. This is the January 28, 2015 view. Where is Earth in this view? Too small to notice. Simulated view of Pioneer 10 view of sun via Pioneer 10 Real-Time Simulation
Artist’s conception of the Pioneer 10 spacecraft at Jupiter.
Artist’s depiction of Pioneer 10 in the outer solar system.
Tonight – January 29, 2015 – cast your mind outward in space toward the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, one of the most distant spacecraft from Earth at this time. Pioneer 10 was launched from Earth on March 3, 1972. It was the most distant human-made object from Earth until Voyager 1 overtook it – at 69 Earth-sun distance units, or astronomical units – in 1998. On January 29, 2015, both the moon and Pioneer 10 reside in the direction of the constellation Taurus the Bull. You can’t see it (and it can’t see Earth), but you can imagine it.
The January 29 moon will be a waxing gibbous moon, presently waxing (increasing) toward full phase. The moon will turn full on February 3, 2015. The moon’s brilliance will erase many stars from the sky tonight, but you still should be able to make out the Taurus’ stars Aldebaran and Elnath. The Pioneer spacecraft resides between these two stars on the sky’s dome.
Of course, when we say that the moon is near Pioneer 10 tonight, what we really mean to say is that the moon and Pioneer 10 are close together on the sky’s dome. In actuality, the moon and the Pioneer 10 spacecraft are nowhere close together in space. They’re simply located near each other along our line of sight.
The moon lies just over one light-second from Earth, while Pioneer 10 lodges way out in the far reaches of the solar system at over 15.5 light-hours away. At present, Pioneer 10 is traveling about one light-hour farther away from the sun every 3 years. That doesn’t sound like much, but remember that light travels at a speed of 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second.
Not too late. Order your 2015 EarthSky Lunar Calendar today!
Pioneer 10 passed closest to Jupiter in space on December 4, 1973. It passed the orbit of Pluto on June 13, 1983. This spacecraft is now nearing or at the outer boundary of our solar system. In the not-too-distant future, Pioneer 10 will enter the realm of interstellar space. We won’t know when that will happen, however, because this spacecraft no longer sends data back to Earth.
Although the moon will leave the constellation Taurus in a few days, you can continue to envision Pioneer 10 – with the mind’s eye – in between Taurus’ two brightest stars, Aldebaran and Elnath … for some time to come.
Bottom line: Use the moon on January 29, 2015 to imagine the whereabouts of the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, now leaving our solar system. As seen on Earth’s sky dome, Pioneer 10 is in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull.
Taurus? Here’s your constellation
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1yBMxMl
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