Before dawn around now – early October, 2017 – use the dazzling planet Venus to find the rather faint red planet Mars in the sunrise direction. You might need binoculars to see Mars in the same binocular field of view with Venus. Fortunately, Venus and Mars will remain within a single binocular field for about a week – this first week of October. These two worlds will come closest together on the sky’s dome on or near October 5. At that juncture, the two planets will only be 0.2o (2/5ths of a moon-width) apart.
The rising time of Venus and Mars into the morning sky varies a bit worldwide. Just know that they rise before sunup, in the sunrise direction. If you want an exact time, you might click here for a recommended almanac. Given an unobstructed eastern horizon at mid-northern latitudes, the planetary twosome rises about 2 hours before sunrise. At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, Venus and Mars come up in the east about one hour before the sun.
Venus, the third-brightest heavenly body after the sun and moon, outshines Mars by some 200 times right now.
In fact, at present, Mars appears about as dim as it ever gets in our sky. That’s because the red planet is now moving on the far side of the sun as seen from Earth; and moreover, Mars is only a few days shy of aphelion – its farthest point from the sun. Greatest distance from the sun – and Mars on the far side of the sun from us – means Mars is about as far away from Earth now as it can be.
Image via Solar System Live. Bird’s-eye view of the north side of the inner solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – on October 5, 2017. As seen from Earth, Venus and Mars are in conjunction. The planets revolve around the sun in a counter-clockwise direction.
Mars is faint now, but watch! In the coming months, Earth will be coming up fast on Mars in our smaller orbit, causing Mars to reach opposition on July 27, 2018. Then this world will be approximately 6.5 times closer to Earth, and some 70 times brighter in our sky, than it is now.
2018 will be a wonderful time to see Mars. At the July 2018 opposition, Mars will become the fourth-brightest celestial body to light up our sky, after the sun, moon and Venus. It’ll be brighter than the king planet Jupiter! That’s because, in 2018, Mars and Earth will be closer than they’ve been since 2003.
Looking ahead to the extra-close opposition of Mars on July 27, 2018. It’ll be Mars’ closest approach to Earth since the opposition of August 28, 2003. When contrasting with the previous view of the inner solar system on October 5, 2017, keep in mind that the planets revolve counterclockwise around the sun.
As 2017 comes to a close, look for Mars to climb upward each day in the eastern sky, away from the glare of sunrise. Meanwhile, watch for Venus to fall closer to the rising sun day by day.
This means that – in the coming few days – you can watch for Mars to climb higher in the east than Venus.
This great conjunction of Venus and Mars in the eastern morning sky favors the Northern Hemisphere, although it can seen from the Southern Hemisphere as well. At mid-northern latitudes, get up at least 90 minutes before the sun to view Venus and Mars with either the unaided eye or an optical aid.
Wishing you clear skies for the upcoming morning spectacle!
Bottom line: The close conjunction of Mars and Venus – when they have the same right ascension (equivalent to earthly longitude) comes on October 5, 2017. Then the two worlds are 0.2 degrees – or 2/5ths of a moon-width – apart.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2wu7cZw
Before dawn around now – early October, 2017 – use the dazzling planet Venus to find the rather faint red planet Mars in the sunrise direction. You might need binoculars to see Mars in the same binocular field of view with Venus. Fortunately, Venus and Mars will remain within a single binocular field for about a week – this first week of October. These two worlds will come closest together on the sky’s dome on or near October 5. At that juncture, the two planets will only be 0.2o (2/5ths of a moon-width) apart.
The rising time of Venus and Mars into the morning sky varies a bit worldwide. Just know that they rise before sunup, in the sunrise direction. If you want an exact time, you might click here for a recommended almanac. Given an unobstructed eastern horizon at mid-northern latitudes, the planetary twosome rises about 2 hours before sunrise. At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, Venus and Mars come up in the east about one hour before the sun.
Venus, the third-brightest heavenly body after the sun and moon, outshines Mars by some 200 times right now.
In fact, at present, Mars appears about as dim as it ever gets in our sky. That’s because the red planet is now moving on the far side of the sun as seen from Earth; and moreover, Mars is only a few days shy of aphelion – its farthest point from the sun. Greatest distance from the sun – and Mars on the far side of the sun from us – means Mars is about as far away from Earth now as it can be.
Image via Solar System Live. Bird’s-eye view of the north side of the inner solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – on October 5, 2017. As seen from Earth, Venus and Mars are in conjunction. The planets revolve around the sun in a counter-clockwise direction.
Mars is faint now, but watch! In the coming months, Earth will be coming up fast on Mars in our smaller orbit, causing Mars to reach opposition on July 27, 2018. Then this world will be approximately 6.5 times closer to Earth, and some 70 times brighter in our sky, than it is now.
2018 will be a wonderful time to see Mars. At the July 2018 opposition, Mars will become the fourth-brightest celestial body to light up our sky, after the sun, moon and Venus. It’ll be brighter than the king planet Jupiter! That’s because, in 2018, Mars and Earth will be closer than they’ve been since 2003.
Looking ahead to the extra-close opposition of Mars on July 27, 2018. It’ll be Mars’ closest approach to Earth since the opposition of August 28, 2003. When contrasting with the previous view of the inner solar system on October 5, 2017, keep in mind that the planets revolve counterclockwise around the sun.
As 2017 comes to a close, look for Mars to climb upward each day in the eastern sky, away from the glare of sunrise. Meanwhile, watch for Venus to fall closer to the rising sun day by day.
This means that – in the coming few days – you can watch for Mars to climb higher in the east than Venus.
This great conjunction of Venus and Mars in the eastern morning sky favors the Northern Hemisphere, although it can seen from the Southern Hemisphere as well. At mid-northern latitudes, get up at least 90 minutes before the sun to view Venus and Mars with either the unaided eye or an optical aid.
Wishing you clear skies for the upcoming morning spectacle!
Bottom line: The close conjunction of Mars and Venus – when they have the same right ascension (equivalent to earthly longitude) comes on October 5, 2017. Then the two worlds are 0.2 degrees – or 2/5ths of a moon-width – apart.
"We’ve developed advanced catalysts that allow us to control which carbon-hydrogen bond within a molecule will react and when," says Huw Davies, director of the Center for Selective C-H Functionalization. (Graphic/photo by Stephen Nowland and Dan Morton)
By Carol Clark
The National Science Foundation has awarded another $20 million to Emory University’s Center for Selective C-H Functionalization, to fund the next phase of a global effort to revolutionize the field of organic synthesis.
“Our center is at the forefront of a major shift in the way that we do chemistry,” says Huw Davies, professor of chemistry at Emory and the director of the Center for Selective C-H Functionalization (CCHF). “This shift holds great promise for creating new pathways for drug discovery and the production of new materials to benefit everything from agriculture to electronics.”
The CCHF began as an NSF Center for Chemical Innovation in 2009, with a seed grant of $1.5 million and four collaborating universities. In 2012, the NSF awarded the CCHF its first $20 million, enabling it to grow to encompass 16 U.S. institutions and seven industrial affiliates, including six major pharmaceutical companies and one of the largest U.S. chemical suppliers. The center also built global connections with major players in C-H functionalization in Japan, South Korea and the U.K.
The CCHF has led the way for explosive growth in the field of C-H functionalization, publishing more than 200 papers on the topic through its collaborators. It has developed dozens of new catalysts for C-H functionalization, including four major classes from the Huw Davies group.
“The past five years we’ve developed the fundamentals for C-H functionalization and documented that the concept is viable,” Davies says. “Now we’re ideally positioned to maximize the further development of this chemistry and move forward to apply it.”
Huw Davies, right, in his lab with Emory post-doctoral fellow Sidney Wilkerson-Hill, left, and Emory junior Patricia Chi Lin. The CCHF has developed dozens of new catalysts for C-H functionalization, including four major classes from the Davies group. (Photo by Stephen Nowland, Emory Photo Video)
Traditionally, organic chemistry has focused on the division between reactive, or functional, molecular bonds and the inert, or non-functional bonds carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon-hydrogen (C-H). The inert bonds provide a strong, stable scaffold for performing chemical synthesis with the reactive groups. C-H functionalization flips this model on its head.
“We’ve devised ways to make C-H bonds react so that they become functional,” Davies says. “And we’ve reached the stage where it is no longer the molecule itself that determines the process of the reaction — we’ve developed advanced catalysts that allow us to control which carbon-hydrogen bond within a molecule will react and when.”
C-H functionalization opens unexplored chemical space by taking petroleum byproducts, which have a lot of carbon-hydrogen bonds, and transforming them from waste into useful materials. It also strips out steps from the linear process of traditional organic synthesis, making it faster and more efficient.
The CCHF is not only transforming organic synthesis — it’s also creating new models for the way that organic chemistry is taught and that labs conduct research. Where previously individual labs tended to work in isolation to tackle problems, the CCHF has broken down walls across specialties, institutions and even countries to collectively take on the remaining challenges of selective C-H functionalization.
“We’ve got this incredible collaborative environment where organic chemists aren’t just sharing results — they’re sharing ideas,” Davies says. “That’s rare. And we’ve expanded that environment beyond our network of universities to also engage the pharmaceutical industry.”
In 2015, the CCHF launched an online symposia on recent advances in C-H functionalization. More than 1,000 graduate students and chemistry faculty from up to 45 countries join the symposia, held about four times a year, via the Internet.
“We have leading voices in the field give these free talks that are easy to join live and participate in,” Davies says. “The aim is to further expand the field of C-H functionalization by introducing it to graduate students and other chemists around the world.”
"We’ve developed advanced catalysts that allow us to control which carbon-hydrogen bond within a molecule will react and when," says Huw Davies, director of the Center for Selective C-H Functionalization. (Graphic/photo by Stephen Nowland and Dan Morton)
By Carol Clark
The National Science Foundation has awarded another $20 million to Emory University’s Center for Selective C-H Functionalization, to fund the next phase of a global effort to revolutionize the field of organic synthesis.
“Our center is at the forefront of a major shift in the way that we do chemistry,” says Huw Davies, professor of chemistry at Emory and the director of the Center for Selective C-H Functionalization (CCHF). “This shift holds great promise for creating new pathways for drug discovery and the production of new materials to benefit everything from agriculture to electronics.”
The CCHF began as an NSF Center for Chemical Innovation in 2009, with a seed grant of $1.5 million and four collaborating universities. In 2012, the NSF awarded the CCHF its first $20 million, enabling it to grow to encompass 16 U.S. institutions and seven industrial affiliates, including six major pharmaceutical companies and one of the largest U.S. chemical suppliers. The center also built global connections with major players in C-H functionalization in Japan, South Korea and the U.K.
The CCHF has led the way for explosive growth in the field of C-H functionalization, publishing more than 200 papers on the topic through its collaborators. It has developed dozens of new catalysts for C-H functionalization, including four major classes from the Huw Davies group.
“The past five years we’ve developed the fundamentals for C-H functionalization and documented that the concept is viable,” Davies says. “Now we’re ideally positioned to maximize the further development of this chemistry and move forward to apply it.”
Huw Davies, right, in his lab with Emory post-doctoral fellow Sidney Wilkerson-Hill, left, and Emory junior Patricia Chi Lin. The CCHF has developed dozens of new catalysts for C-H functionalization, including four major classes from the Davies group. (Photo by Stephen Nowland, Emory Photo Video)
Traditionally, organic chemistry has focused on the division between reactive, or functional, molecular bonds and the inert, or non-functional bonds carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon-hydrogen (C-H). The inert bonds provide a strong, stable scaffold for performing chemical synthesis with the reactive groups. C-H functionalization flips this model on its head.
“We’ve devised ways to make C-H bonds react so that they become functional,” Davies says. “And we’ve reached the stage where it is no longer the molecule itself that determines the process of the reaction — we’ve developed advanced catalysts that allow us to control which carbon-hydrogen bond within a molecule will react and when.”
C-H functionalization opens unexplored chemical space by taking petroleum byproducts, which have a lot of carbon-hydrogen bonds, and transforming them from waste into useful materials. It also strips out steps from the linear process of traditional organic synthesis, making it faster and more efficient.
The CCHF is not only transforming organic synthesis — it’s also creating new models for the way that organic chemistry is taught and that labs conduct research. Where previously individual labs tended to work in isolation to tackle problems, the CCHF has broken down walls across specialties, institutions and even countries to collectively take on the remaining challenges of selective C-H functionalization.
“We’ve got this incredible collaborative environment where organic chemists aren’t just sharing results — they’re sharing ideas,” Davies says. “That’s rare. And we’ve expanded that environment beyond our network of universities to also engage the pharmaceutical industry.”
In 2015, the CCHF launched an online symposia on recent advances in C-H functionalization. More than 1,000 graduate students and chemistry faculty from up to 45 countries join the symposia, held about four times a year, via the Internet.
“We have leading voices in the field give these free talks that are easy to join live and participate in,” Davies says. “The aim is to further expand the field of C-H functionalization by introducing it to graduate students and other chemists around the world.”
A fleet of (small) ESA rockets brought smoke, fire and excitement to Darmstadt, helping celebrate ESOC’s Long Night of the Stars
Editor’s note: This post was contributed by Holger Voss, an astrophysicist based in Spain who has worked on data delivered by ESA’s Gaia observatory. He’s also an enthusiastic space & STEM educator and scale-model rocketeer, and he was at the ESOC mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, on 8 September 2017, to celebrate the centre’s Long Night of the Stars and help 5000 visitors experience the excitement of launching rockets.
The current fleet of ESA launchers displayed as models during the ILA airshow in Berlin in 2016 (left), together with graphics of both Ariane 6 variants (right). Credit: ESA/Arianespace/H. Voss
It was a great honour to be invited by ESA to showcase my miniature models of ESA launchers during the event celebrating 50 astonishing years of ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre, in Darmstadt, Germany.
At ESOC, the work to control a satellite normally starts at the moment when the satellite separates from its launcher. But without a rocket to boost the satellite into orbit, there is no satellite mission. Launches are still the most critical phase of any mission: fire, smoke and noise all contribute to the special fascination for people of all ages that is generated by a space launch.
Launches of ESA missions, do not take place in Europe for several reasons including geography; they occur instead at Europe’s Spaceport at Kourou, in South America; from Baikonur, in Kazakhstan; from Plesetsk, in Russia; or from other locations, including the USA and India.
In my professional career, I have been lucky enough to witness launches from the Space Coast in Florida. Based on the spectacular, life-changing experience of witnessing a launch, I have started to develop a strategy to bring launches a bit closer to Europe, at least for children, youth and those young at heart. My plan to achieve this goal? Construct realistic-looking miniature models of ESA launchers that can actually be launched at public events, supported and publicised through sharing videos and pictures via social and other media so as to reach as wide a public audience as possible. My ultimate goal would be to establish a mini Kourou spaceport!
Holger Voss’ collection of scaled ESA launcher models. Five models were selected for the exhibition at ESOC. Credit: H. Voss
Background on the Big Launchers
ESA has developed jointly with European industry and agencies very reliable space launchers such as Ariane 5 and Vega. The Russian Soyuz 2 launcher is a great addition to the Arianespace launcher family filling, the gap for medium-size payloads. With Vega-C and Ariane 6, both now under development, new launchers will be able to continue the success in launching commercial and institutional payloads in the future as a new era of spaceflight is about to begin.
In particular, the Ariane 6 launcher in its medium-size variant – with two Solid Rocket Motors (SRM) – and the heavy variant – with four SRMs – is critical for assured reliable access to space for ESA, the EU and other European organisations, at dramatically lower costs compared to using the current launcher fleet.
For the Long Night of the Stars at ESOC on 8 September, the Ariane 6 launcher was chosen to be the main star of our small exhibition.
Rockets at ESOC
In total, our small team showcased two Ariane 6 models, one Ariane 5 model, one Vega model and one Soyuz 2 model.
Scaled ESA launcher models (L to R): Ariane 64 (1:144), Ariane 62 (1:72) with on-board camera system, Soyuz 2 (1:72), Ariane 5 ECA (1:100) and Vega (1:50) with flame trench and service tower. Image credit: Alessandro Ercolani
We also demonstrated some static firing tests of an Ariane 6 SRM model and explained basic rocket science to the audience using water rocket launches. Unfortunately, high winds did not permit launching some of the smaller ESA rocket models that we had prepared for launch.
By the way, at this point it might be appropriate to introduce you to the team that was representing the small model rockets exhibition at ESOC.
The model rocketry team from left to right: Alessandro Ercolani, Shari Van Treeck, Constanze Kramer and Holger Voss – with his tiny companion and space mascot Mausonaut.
I was joined by Alessandro Ercolani, ESA’s Manager of Science Mission Data Systems, a model rocketeer and one of the organizers of ESA’s annual Space Camp; Shari van Treeck, a PhD student from the University of Bonn and former candidate to become the first female German astronaut, and Constanze Kramer, a local space tweep and good friend.
As the open-doors event at ESOC got underway on 8 September, Alessandro started off with building some simple model rockets with several kids, who are now proud owners of their first rocket. Shari and Constanze volunteered to support us to in communicating with the hundreds (and hundreds!) of interested visitors to our stand.
ESA’s Alessandro Ercolani helping kids construct their first rocket.
We were joined by a famous European space mascot, Mausonaut, a special friend of mine and a great fan of the Ariane 6 launcher.
Mausonaut had a lot of fun connecting with all the young people visiting our stand, and he also gave out plenty of Mausonaut stickers! Mausonaut loves the kids, and the kids love Mauso for sure.
Space mascot @Mausonaut – a brave explorer of cislunar space and a big fan of the Ariane 6 launcher. Image credit: Alessandro Ercolani
Back to the Long Night of the Stars at ESOC: With help of the launcher models and some videos, we were soon showing the audience how rockets generally work, how our models work and what are the main differences between model rockets and the ESA launchers.
How does a rocket work?
We spent some time that evening explaining this to the curious audience with help of launcher models and some videos showing launches of ESA launchers and corresponding model launches.
One of the videos shown during the Long Night of the Stars event was a special one: We premiered a video showing the first flight of the 1:72 scale model Ariane 62 with a camera on board – recorded during a launch just a few days before the event.
Here is the video showing some astonishing footage of the launch and the launch site near Barcelona:
Despite, sadly, not being able to launch any of the ESA launcher models at ESOC due to unsuitable weather conditions, we were able to show some rocketry action with launches of water rockets and a more uncommon test firing of a 1:50 scale Ariane 6 booster model.
These tests became increasingly impressive with the growing darkness, bringing smoke, fire and some decent noise to the great ESOC celebration.
Firing an Ariane 6 booster model in daylight (top, image by Shari van Treeck) and in the dark (bottom)
Our entire team was delighted to be able to bring information about model rocketry in combination with information about ESA’s fantastic launchers to an interested audience.
It is clear that generating enthusiasm for launchers in the public, and especially for young people and future engineers and scientists, is an important element of space outreach and education.
Many thanks to, first, the team of dedicated friends and colleagues who joined me on site at ESOC during the Long Night of the Stars, and, second, to ESA for giving us this great opportunity to showcase our #MiniESALaunchers.
About the author: Dr Holger Voss is a European astrophysicist from Germany. He has worked for the ESA Gaia mission and for DLR-German Aerospace Center in support of the CNES-led CoRoT mission. Currently, he is working as a STE(A)M educator, as he believes that it is very important to prepare the next generation for the beginning of the new space age.
P.S.: The launches that were intended for the ESOC event happened, under much improved weather conditions, a few days later at an historic airfield near Darmstadt called “Lichtwiese,” now part of the Technical University. Please enjoy this video which includes some highlights of the day and some ESA friends and staff with families:
from Rocket Science http://ift.tt/2wt8zII
v
A fleet of (small) ESA rockets brought smoke, fire and excitement to Darmstadt, helping celebrate ESOC’s Long Night of the Stars
Editor’s note: This post was contributed by Holger Voss, an astrophysicist based in Spain who has worked on data delivered by ESA’s Gaia observatory. He’s also an enthusiastic space & STEM educator and scale-model rocketeer, and he was at the ESOC mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, on 8 September 2017, to celebrate the centre’s Long Night of the Stars and help 5000 visitors experience the excitement of launching rockets.
The current fleet of ESA launchers displayed as models during the ILA airshow in Berlin in 2016 (left), together with graphics of both Ariane 6 variants (right). Credit: ESA/Arianespace/H. Voss
It was a great honour to be invited by ESA to showcase my miniature models of ESA launchers during the event celebrating 50 astonishing years of ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre, in Darmstadt, Germany.
At ESOC, the work to control a satellite normally starts at the moment when the satellite separates from its launcher. But without a rocket to boost the satellite into orbit, there is no satellite mission. Launches are still the most critical phase of any mission: fire, smoke and noise all contribute to the special fascination for people of all ages that is generated by a space launch.
Launches of ESA missions, do not take place in Europe for several reasons including geography; they occur instead at Europe’s Spaceport at Kourou, in South America; from Baikonur, in Kazakhstan; from Plesetsk, in Russia; or from other locations, including the USA and India.
In my professional career, I have been lucky enough to witness launches from the Space Coast in Florida. Based on the spectacular, life-changing experience of witnessing a launch, I have started to develop a strategy to bring launches a bit closer to Europe, at least for children, youth and those young at heart. My plan to achieve this goal? Construct realistic-looking miniature models of ESA launchers that can actually be launched at public events, supported and publicised through sharing videos and pictures via social and other media so as to reach as wide a public audience as possible. My ultimate goal would be to establish a mini Kourou spaceport!
Holger Voss’ collection of scaled ESA launcher models. Five models were selected for the exhibition at ESOC. Credit: H. Voss
Background on the Big Launchers
ESA has developed jointly with European industry and agencies very reliable space launchers such as Ariane 5 and Vega. The Russian Soyuz 2 launcher is a great addition to the Arianespace launcher family filling, the gap for medium-size payloads. With Vega-C and Ariane 6, both now under development, new launchers will be able to continue the success in launching commercial and institutional payloads in the future as a new era of spaceflight is about to begin.
In particular, the Ariane 6 launcher in its medium-size variant – with two Solid Rocket Motors (SRM) – and the heavy variant – with four SRMs – is critical for assured reliable access to space for ESA, the EU and other European organisations, at dramatically lower costs compared to using the current launcher fleet.
For the Long Night of the Stars at ESOC on 8 September, the Ariane 6 launcher was chosen to be the main star of our small exhibition.
Rockets at ESOC
In total, our small team showcased two Ariane 6 models, one Ariane 5 model, one Vega model and one Soyuz 2 model.
Scaled ESA launcher models (L to R): Ariane 64 (1:144), Ariane 62 (1:72) with on-board camera system, Soyuz 2 (1:72), Ariane 5 ECA (1:100) and Vega (1:50) with flame trench and service tower. Image credit: Alessandro Ercolani
We also demonstrated some static firing tests of an Ariane 6 SRM model and explained basic rocket science to the audience using water rocket launches. Unfortunately, high winds did not permit launching some of the smaller ESA rocket models that we had prepared for launch.
By the way, at this point it might be appropriate to introduce you to the team that was representing the small model rockets exhibition at ESOC.
The model rocketry team from left to right: Alessandro Ercolani, Shari Van Treeck, Constanze Kramer and Holger Voss – with his tiny companion and space mascot Mausonaut.
I was joined by Alessandro Ercolani, ESA’s Manager of Science Mission Data Systems, a model rocketeer and one of the organizers of ESA’s annual Space Camp; Shari van Treeck, a PhD student from the University of Bonn and former candidate to become the first female German astronaut, and Constanze Kramer, a local space tweep and good friend.
As the open-doors event at ESOC got underway on 8 September, Alessandro started off with building some simple model rockets with several kids, who are now proud owners of their first rocket. Shari and Constanze volunteered to support us to in communicating with the hundreds (and hundreds!) of interested visitors to our stand.
ESA’s Alessandro Ercolani helping kids construct their first rocket.
We were joined by a famous European space mascot, Mausonaut, a special friend of mine and a great fan of the Ariane 6 launcher.
Mausonaut had a lot of fun connecting with all the young people visiting our stand, and he also gave out plenty of Mausonaut stickers! Mausonaut loves the kids, and the kids love Mauso for sure.
Space mascot @Mausonaut – a brave explorer of cislunar space and a big fan of the Ariane 6 launcher. Image credit: Alessandro Ercolani
Back to the Long Night of the Stars at ESOC: With help of the launcher models and some videos, we were soon showing the audience how rockets generally work, how our models work and what are the main differences between model rockets and the ESA launchers.
How does a rocket work?
We spent some time that evening explaining this to the curious audience with help of launcher models and some videos showing launches of ESA launchers and corresponding model launches.
One of the videos shown during the Long Night of the Stars event was a special one: We premiered a video showing the first flight of the 1:72 scale model Ariane 62 with a camera on board – recorded during a launch just a few days before the event.
Here is the video showing some astonishing footage of the launch and the launch site near Barcelona:
Despite, sadly, not being able to launch any of the ESA launcher models at ESOC due to unsuitable weather conditions, we were able to show some rocketry action with launches of water rockets and a more uncommon test firing of a 1:50 scale Ariane 6 booster model.
These tests became increasingly impressive with the growing darkness, bringing smoke, fire and some decent noise to the great ESOC celebration.
Firing an Ariane 6 booster model in daylight (top, image by Shari van Treeck) and in the dark (bottom)
Our entire team was delighted to be able to bring information about model rocketry in combination with information about ESA’s fantastic launchers to an interested audience.
It is clear that generating enthusiasm for launchers in the public, and especially for young people and future engineers and scientists, is an important element of space outreach and education.
Many thanks to, first, the team of dedicated friends and colleagues who joined me on site at ESOC during the Long Night of the Stars, and, second, to ESA for giving us this great opportunity to showcase our #MiniESALaunchers.
About the author: Dr Holger Voss is a European astrophysicist from Germany. He has worked for the ESA Gaia mission and for DLR-German Aerospace Center in support of the CNES-led CoRoT mission. Currently, he is working as a STE(A)M educator, as he believes that it is very important to prepare the next generation for the beginning of the new space age.
P.S.: The launches that were intended for the ESOC event happened, under much improved weather conditions, a few days later at an historic airfield near Darmstadt called “Lichtwiese,” now part of the Technical University. Please enjoy this video which includes some highlights of the day and some ESA friends and staff with families:
June 26, 2017 image of Comet C/2017 K2, via the Hubble Space Telescope and HubbleSite
Astronomers released these images on September 28, 2017 of comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS, a solitary frozen traveler that’s been journeying for millions of years toward the the inner solar system. HubbleSite said:
The wayward vagabond, a city-sized snowball of ice and dust called a comet, was gravitationally kicked out of the Oort Cloud, its frigid home at the outskirts of the solar system. This region is a vast comet storehouse, composed of icy leftover building blocks from the construction of the planets 4.6 billion years ago.
The comet is so small, faint, and far away that it eluded detection. Finally, in May 2017, astronomers using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii spotted the solitary intruder at a whopping 1.5 billion miles away – between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus. The Hubble Space Telescope was enlisted to take close-up views of the comet …
The comet is record-breaking because it is already becoming active under the feeble glow of the distant sun. Astronomers have never seen an active inbound comet this far out, where sunlight is merely 1/225th its brightness as seen from Earth. Temperatures, correspondingly, are at a minus 440 degrees Fahrenheit. Even at such bone-chilling temperatures, a mix of ancient ices on the surface – oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide – is beginning to sublimate and shed as dust. This material balloons into a vast 80,000-mile-wide (130,000-km-wide) halo of dust, called a coma, enveloping the solid nucleus.
Astronomers will continue to study K2 as it travels into the inner solar system. It’ll make its closest approach to our sun in 2022.
View larger. | View larger. | Schematic of Comet C/2017 K2’s approach to the inner solar system. K2 has been traveling toward the sun for millions of years from its home in the Oort Cloud at the edge of our solar system. The graphic shows the comet in its inbound journey, high above the plane of the major planets’ orbits. Image via HubbleSite.
Bottom line: Image and schematic of Comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS, farthest active inbound comet yet seen.
June 26, 2017 image of Comet C/2017 K2, via the Hubble Space Telescope and HubbleSite
Astronomers released these images on September 28, 2017 of comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS, a solitary frozen traveler that’s been journeying for millions of years toward the the inner solar system. HubbleSite said:
The wayward vagabond, a city-sized snowball of ice and dust called a comet, was gravitationally kicked out of the Oort Cloud, its frigid home at the outskirts of the solar system. This region is a vast comet storehouse, composed of icy leftover building blocks from the construction of the planets 4.6 billion years ago.
The comet is so small, faint, and far away that it eluded detection. Finally, in May 2017, astronomers using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii spotted the solitary intruder at a whopping 1.5 billion miles away – between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus. The Hubble Space Telescope was enlisted to take close-up views of the comet …
The comet is record-breaking because it is already becoming active under the feeble glow of the distant sun. Astronomers have never seen an active inbound comet this far out, where sunlight is merely 1/225th its brightness as seen from Earth. Temperatures, correspondingly, are at a minus 440 degrees Fahrenheit. Even at such bone-chilling temperatures, a mix of ancient ices on the surface – oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide – is beginning to sublimate and shed as dust. This material balloons into a vast 80,000-mile-wide (130,000-km-wide) halo of dust, called a coma, enveloping the solid nucleus.
Astronomers will continue to study K2 as it travels into the inner solar system. It’ll make its closest approach to our sun in 2022.
View larger. | View larger. | Schematic of Comet C/2017 K2’s approach to the inner solar system. K2 has been traveling toward the sun for millions of years from its home in the Oort Cloud at the edge of our solar system. The graphic shows the comet in its inbound journey, high above the plane of the major planets’ orbits. Image via HubbleSite.
Bottom line: Image and schematic of Comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS, farthest active inbound comet yet seen.
View larger. | Image taken on the Utah-Arizona border – September 23, 2017 – by Marc Toso of AncientSkys.com
Marc Toso submitted this photo to EarthSky late last week and wrote:
This is an ancient petroglyph known as a waterglyph. It is estimated to be between 2,000 and 1,000 years old. Waterglyphs like this one are believed to be possible sacred sites, sacrificial altars or navigation maps to locate water.
This was my third attempt at this photo. I first had the idea about a year-and-a-half ago when I was shown a picture of this glyph. So, in August a year ago, I loaded up my van and headed down the long and bumpy road up the desert mesa, only to turn around due to the roughness of the road. My 30-year-old vehicle was reminding me of its age and the remoteness of the location …
A year later, in July, I returned with only to have the forecast change to torrential downpour!Not good for night photography and especially terrible when solo in the desert miles from a paved road without phone service. So I spent the night in the rain, then drove home.
A few days ago, I returned with my mountain bike. I discovered a shorter route up a much rougher road. Loaded down with camera and camping gear, I biked the seven miles to the cliff’s edge.
After sunset, the winds picked up, the clouds rolled in, and the rain fell. I cowered in my bivy sac and sleeping bag for about 45 minutes as the rain pelted and the wind ripped branches from the surrounding pinyon.
When the wind stopped, I crawled out. The sky cleared, allowing me about an hour to shoot with the light from the crescent moon (15%).
I took 10 consecutive images and later processed them in Starry Landscape Stacker for noise reduction. This produced a single noise reduced TIFF file.
I then processed the tiff in Photoshop using the curves adjustment tool. The land and sky were both processed separately via Curve Masks.
Bottom line: An ancient petroglyph known as a waterglyph – on the Utah-Arizona border – estimated to be between 2,000 and 1,000 years old.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2g3SEdA
View larger. | Image taken on the Utah-Arizona border – September 23, 2017 – by Marc Toso of AncientSkys.com
Marc Toso submitted this photo to EarthSky late last week and wrote:
This is an ancient petroglyph known as a waterglyph. It is estimated to be between 2,000 and 1,000 years old. Waterglyphs like this one are believed to be possible sacred sites, sacrificial altars or navigation maps to locate water.
This was my third attempt at this photo. I first had the idea about a year-and-a-half ago when I was shown a picture of this glyph. So, in August a year ago, I loaded up my van and headed down the long and bumpy road up the desert mesa, only to turn around due to the roughness of the road. My 30-year-old vehicle was reminding me of its age and the remoteness of the location …
A year later, in July, I returned with only to have the forecast change to torrential downpour!Not good for night photography and especially terrible when solo in the desert miles from a paved road without phone service. So I spent the night in the rain, then drove home.
A few days ago, I returned with my mountain bike. I discovered a shorter route up a much rougher road. Loaded down with camera and camping gear, I biked the seven miles to the cliff’s edge.
After sunset, the winds picked up, the clouds rolled in, and the rain fell. I cowered in my bivy sac and sleeping bag for about 45 minutes as the rain pelted and the wind ripped branches from the surrounding pinyon.
When the wind stopped, I crawled out. The sky cleared, allowing me about an hour to shoot with the light from the crescent moon (15%).
I took 10 consecutive images and later processed them in Starry Landscape Stacker for noise reduction. This produced a single noise reduced TIFF file.
I then processed the tiff in Photoshop using the curves adjustment tool. The land and sky were both processed separately via Curve Masks.
Tonight, look for Arcturus, one of three stars noticeable for flashing in colors at this time of year. You should be able to see it in the west at dusk or nightfall. Once it gets good and dark, and you live at mid-to-far latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, you can verify that this star is Arcturus by using the Big Dipper asterism.
The arc of the Big Dipper handle extended outward always points to Arcturus.
Notice that Arcturus is an orange-colored star.
Every year at this time, we get questions about three different stars that are flashing different colors. One is Arcturus in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman, shining in the west to northwest after sunset. Another is Capella in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer, which is now in the northeast in mid-evening. And the third is Sirius in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog, which is now in the south before dawn.
All three appear to be flashing colors for the same reason … all three of these stars are bright and, at this time of year, noticeably low in the sky. When you see an object low in the sky, you’re seeing it through a greater thickness of atmosphere than when it’s overhead. The atmosphere refracts or splits the stars’ light to cause these stars to flash in the colors of the rainbow.
At mid-northern latitudes, scintillating Arcturus adorns the western evening sky all through October.
If they were located at the same distance from us, you’d see that Arcturus is a much, much larger star than our sun. Image via Windows to the Universe
Bottom line: On October evenings, look for the brilliant star Arcturus in the western sky, flashing in colors. You can be sure you’ve identified this yellow-orange star if the handle of the Big Dipper points to it.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1LNai1g
Tonight, look for Arcturus, one of three stars noticeable for flashing in colors at this time of year. You should be able to see it in the west at dusk or nightfall. Once it gets good and dark, and you live at mid-to-far latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, you can verify that this star is Arcturus by using the Big Dipper asterism.
The arc of the Big Dipper handle extended outward always points to Arcturus.
Notice that Arcturus is an orange-colored star.
Every year at this time, we get questions about three different stars that are flashing different colors. One is Arcturus in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman, shining in the west to northwest after sunset. Another is Capella in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer, which is now in the northeast in mid-evening. And the third is Sirius in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog, which is now in the south before dawn.
All three appear to be flashing colors for the same reason … all three of these stars are bright and, at this time of year, noticeably low in the sky. When you see an object low in the sky, you’re seeing it through a greater thickness of atmosphere than when it’s overhead. The atmosphere refracts or splits the stars’ light to cause these stars to flash in the colors of the rainbow.
At mid-northern latitudes, scintillating Arcturus adorns the western evening sky all through October.
If they were located at the same distance from us, you’d see that Arcturus is a much, much larger star than our sun. Image via Windows to the Universe
Bottom line: On October evenings, look for the brilliant star Arcturus in the western sky, flashing in colors. You can be sure you’ve identified this yellow-orange star if the handle of the Big Dipper points to it.
