Weekend Fireballs

A very interesting read...

Space Weather News for Feb. 16, 2009
http://spaceweather.com/

WEEKEND FIREBALLS: A daylight fireball over Texas on Sunday, Feb. 15th, triggered widespread reports that debris from a recent satellite collision was falling to Earth. Those reports were premature. Researchers have studied video of the event and concluded that the object was more likely a natural meteoroid about one meter wide traveling more than 20 km/s--much faster than orbital debris. Meteoroids hit Earth every day, and the Texas fireball was apparently one of them.

There's more: On Friday, Feb. 13th, people in central Kentucky heard loud booms, felt their houses shake, and saw a fireball streaking through the sky. This occurred scant hours after another fireball at least 10 times brighter than a full Moon lit up the sky over Italy. Although it is tempting to attribute these events to debris from the Feb. 10th collision of the Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 satellites, the Kentucky and Italy fireballs also seem to be meteoroids, not man made objects. Italian scientists are studying the ground track of their fireball, which was recorded by multiple cameras, and they will soon begin to hunt for meteorites.

Videos, eye-witness reports and more information about these events may be found at http://spaceweather.com/.

Alert: Satellites Collide in Space

Space Weather News for Feb. 12, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

COLLIDING SATELLITES: Experts are calling it an "unprecedented event."
Two large satellites have collided in Earth orbit. Kosmos 2251 crashed
into Iridium 33 on Tuesday, Feb. 10th, approximately 800 km over
northern Siberia; both were destroyed. The resulting clouds of debris
contain more than 500 fragments, significantly increasing the orbital
debris population at altitudes where the collision occurred. The Air
Force Space Surveillance Radar is monitoring the clouds as they pass
over the radar facility in Texas. We, in turn, are monitoring signals
from the radar and you may be able to hear debris "pings" by tuning in
to our live audio feed. This is a story that will unfold in the days
ahead as researchers study the evolution of the debris clouds and
piece together the details of the collision. Stay tuned to
http://spaceweather.com for full coverage.

NEWSFLASH:

NEWSFLASH

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 @ 2119 GMT
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TWO SATELLITES COLLIDE IN ORBIT
-------------------------------
In an unprecedented space collision, a commercial Iridium communications
satellite and a presumably defunct Russian Cosmos satellite ran into each
other Tuesday above northern Siberia, creating a cloud of wreckage,
officials said today.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/11iridium/

Two Russian satellites launched together / Fireworks from a flaring star

     NEWSALERT: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 @ 1441 GMT
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+++
ON SALE NOW - STS-119 the next shuttle mission patch
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com
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TWO RUSSIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES SHARE RIDE TO SPACE
---------------------------------------------------------
A Proton rocket blasted off from a snow-covered launch pad early Wednesday
and successfully put a pair of Russian civil communications satellites
22,300 miles above Earth.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/11express/


SWIFT, FERMI PROBE FIREWORKS FROM FLARING GAMMA-RAY STAR
--------------------------------------------------------
Astronomers using NASA's Swift satellite and Fermi Gamma-ray Space
Telescope are seeing frequent blasts from a stellar remnant 30,000
light-years away. The high-energy fireworks arise from a rare type of
neutron star known as a soft-gamma-ray repeater. Such objects
unpredictably send out a series of X-ray and gamma-ray flares.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/10gammarays/


THREE EUROPEAN SPACE MISSIONS EXTENDED
--------------------------------------
The European Space Agency's Science Programme Committee has extended the
operations of the Mars Express orbiter, Venus Express orbiter and Earth
magnetosphere mission called Cluster.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/10esaextensions/

Resupply ship launches toward rendezvous with station

     NEWSALERT: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 @ 0909 GMT
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ON SALE NOW - The next shuttle mission embroidered patch
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com
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RESUPPLY SHIP SET FOR FRIDAY RENDEZVOUS WITH STATION
----------------------------------------------------
A three-day orbital chase by a robotic cargo freighter to catch the
international space station began high above Earth early this morning with
the successful launch of the Russian-made resupply ship.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/10progress/


NASA AWARDS NUSTAR LAUNCH TO ORBITAL SCIENCES
---------------------------------------------
NASA has selected Orbital Sciences to launch the Nuclear Spectroscopic
Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, high energy X-ray telescope. The spacecraft
will fly in 2011 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from the Pacific Ocean's
Kwajalein Atoll.


 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/09nustar/


MAJOR TEST OF SECOND AEHF SATELLITE UNDERWAY
--------------------------------------------
Lockheed Martin announced Monday that the second Advanced Extremely High
Frequency military communications satellite is now undergoing thermal
vacuum testing at the company's Sunnyvale, Calif. facilities.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/09aehf2/


JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE'S SPINE NOW BEING BUILT
--------------------------------------------------
Scientists and engineers who have been working on the James Webb Space
Telescope mission for years are getting very excited, because some of the
actual pieces that will fly aboard the Webb telescope are now being built.
One of the pieces, called the Backplane, is like a "spine" to the
telescope.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/09jwst/


GEOLOGIC FEATURES IN MARTIAN CRATERS SHAPED BY WATER
----------------------------------------------------
Scientists at the Tucson-based Planetary Science Institute have found
further evidence for the large role that water has likely played in
shaping the Martian landscape.

 http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/08marscraters/

Dusky Lunar Eclipse

Space Weather News for Feb. 8, 2009
http://spaceweather.com/

DUSKY LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Monday, Feb. 9th, the full Moon will pass through the outskirts of Earth's shadow, producing a penumbral lunar eclipse. The event will be visible to the naked eye as a dusky shading of the northern half of the Moon. Maximum eclipse occurs between the hours of 1400 and 1520 UT (6:00 am - 7:20 am PST). The timing favors observers in east Asia, Australia, Hawaii and western parts of North America. Visit http://spaceweather.com/ for a visibility map, animations, and more information.

COMET LULIN UPDATE: The plasma tail of Comet Lulin, torn off by a solar wind gust on Feb. 4th, has already grown back. Also, observers in dark-sky locations report that the comet is now visible to the naked eye as a pale "fuzzy patch" in the constellation Libra before dawn. The comet is brightening as it approaches Earth for a 38-million-mile close encounter on Feb. 24th. See the latest images in the Comet Lulin Photo Gallery: http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_lulin_page7.htm

Some more Pictures and finder charts of Comet Lulin...

Upcoming Occultations

Forthcoming occultations by the Moon

Limiting Magnitude +6.0

January - March 2009

Details of occultations of fainter stars for your location are available from the director on request. You can either send an e-mail or use the regular post. If you choose the latter means of communication then an SAE is required please.

Date

Z.C. No.

STAR NAME

Mag

Ph

Data for Greenwich Time UT Alt Az PA

Data for Edinburgh Time UT Alt Az PA

NOTES

OCCULTATION OF PLEIADES

7 Jan

zc 537

ELECTRA (17 Tauri)

3.7

DD

16h 20m

35°

94°

88°

16h 25m

33°

96°

78°

Waxing Gibbous

7 Jan

zc 536

CELAENO (16 Tauri)

5.4

DD

16h 25m

36°

95°

52°

16h 34m

35°

97°

40°

Waxing Gibbous

7 Jan

zc 541

MAIA (20 Tauri)

3.9

DD

16h 51m

40°

100°

52°

17h 00m

38°

103°

40°

Waxing Gibbous

7 Jan

zc 539

TAYGETA (19 Tauri)

4.3

DD

16h 52m

40°

100°

15°

No Occ'n

Waxing Gibbous

7 Jan

zc 552

ALCYONE ( Eta Tauri)

2.8

GD

17h 53m

48°

118°

162°

17h 38m

43°

112°

124°

Waxing Gibbous

7 Jan

zc 552

ALCYONE ( Eta Tauri)

RB

Graze

18h 18m

48°

123°

202°

Waxing Gibbous

9 Jan

zc 900

139 Tauri

4.8

DD

16h 22m

17°

70°

126°

16h 26m

18°

69°

114°

Waxing Gibbous

10 Jan

zc 1092

48 Geminorum

5.8

DD

19h 02m

30°

88°

58°

19h 16m

30°

90°

35°

Day before FULL

12 Jan

zc 1375

Pi Cancri

5.4

RD

19h 38m

11°

79°

341°

19h 27m

8°

76°

19°

Day after FULL

14 Jan

zc 1611

65 Leonis

5.6

RD

22h 36m

12°

102°

351°

No Occ'n

Waning Gibbous

OCCULTATION OF PLEIADES

4 Feb

zc 537

ELECTRA (17 Tauri)

3.7

DD

02h 18m

6°

302°

101°

02h 12m

11°

298°

96°

Waxing Gibbous

4 Feb

zc 536

CELAENO (16 Tauri

5.4

DD

02h 18m

6°

302°

62°

02h 15m

10°

299°

57°

Waxing Gibbous

4 Feb

zc 541

MAIA (20 Tauri)

3.9

DD

02h 44m

3°

307°

48°

02h 42m

7°

304°

42°

Waxing Gibbous

6 Feb

zc 900

139 Tauri

4.8

DD

04h 07m

10°

300°

100°

04h 02m

14°

296°

98°

Waxing Gibbous

6 Feb

zc 1030

MEBSUTA (Epsilon Geminorum)

3.1

DD

19h 29m

54°

125°

118°

19h 27m

50°

125°

102°

Waxing Gibbous

7 Feb

zc 1070

Omega Geminorum

5.2

DD

03h 53m

19°

286°

72°

03h 47m

22°

280°

69°

Waxing Gibbous

13 Feb

zc 1800

21 Virginis

5.5

RD

05h 20m

22°

218°

353°

05h 11m

20°

211°

354°

Waning Gibbous

17 Feb

zc 2276

4 Scorpii

5.6

RD

05h 31m

12°

172°

262°

05h 28m

7°

16°

263°

Day after LAST QTR.

17 Feb

zc 2287

Pi Scorpii

2.9

DB

06h 35m

12°

186°

34°

06h 32m

8°

182°

30°

Day after LAST QTR.

17 Feb

zc 2287

Pi Scorpii

2.9

RD

07h 07m

11°

193°

349°

06h 59m

8°

188°

354°

Day after LAST QTR.

3 Mar

zc 647

Chi Tauri

5.4

DD

22h 54m

26°

279°

71°

22h 48m

29°

273°

63°

Day before FIRST QTR.

10 Mar

zc 1611

65 Leonis

5.6

DD

18h 51m

11°

100°

73°

19h 06m

10°

102°

45°

Day before FULL

10 Mar

zc 1611

65 Leonis

5.6

RD

19h 33m

17°

109°

345°

19h 22m

12°

105°

12°

Day before FULL

13 Mar

zc 1852

370B Virginis

6

RD

00h 37m

26°

165°

323°

00h 32m

21°

161°

327°

Waning Gibbous

*** Click on the star name to show a graphic for the occultation event ***

NOTES ABOUT THE TABLES KEY: Mag Visual Magnitude. ZC Zodiacal Catalogue number, originally much favoured by lunar occultation observers. Ph (R)appearance, (D)isappearance or (G)raze at (D)ark or (B)right limb of the Moon. Alt. Altitude. The angular height of the Moon above the horizon at the time of the occultation. Az. The angular position along the horizon measured from true north in a clockwise direction (through E. S. W back to N.) PA Position Angle, of the event, measured in an anti-clockwise direction from the direction of the Celestial North Pole.

OCCULTATION NOTES January to March 2009

January 07 OCCULTATION OF THE PLEIADES.
The waxing gibbous moon and the Pleiades come together early this evening for the first occultation of stars belonging to this glorious Open Cluster of bright stars in 2009. The event gives a good opportunity for astrophotographers to do some imaging, and excellent opportunities for SPA members to try timing the brighter events. There is also an interesting graze involving the m(v) 4.3 star Taygeta. The graze line stretches across mainland Britain from Egremont in Cumbria, via Carlisle to the North Sea coast at Bamburgh. Taygeta is occulted for observers south of this line. Brightest star in the group Alcyone m(v) 2.8 undergoes a grazing occultation too. The graze line for this starts near Bournemouth and heads towards the north east, passing through Southampton, west London, Epping, and reaching the North Sea coast just north of Dunwich. Alcyone is occulted for observers to the north of this line.

January 14 GRAZING OCCULTATION OF 65 LEONIS.
The graze line passes almost exactly west to east across the country with observers to the south of the line witnessing a complete occultation of the m(v) 5.6 star. The graze line clips the most northerly point of Ireland and touches the Scottish coastline at Girvan, to the south of Ayr. After crossing part of southern Scotland it leaves the country at Lynemouth in Northumberland. Just to the north of Newcastle.

February 04 OCCULTATION OF THE PLEIADES.
This morning, you have another chance to image the spectacular juxtaposition of the lovely bright components of M45, lying near to the gibbous waxing moon, low in the west-north-western sky.

If you require specific data for your locality, or details of occultations involving fainter stars, please get in touch with the Director of the Occultation Section giving your geographical location. Graphical representations of each occultation will be available at the Occultation Section's web-site before the event is due to take place. This is the UK's definitive site for lunar and asteroidal occultations.

Maintained by Jon Harper. Last modified 16th December 2009.

Occultation of the Pleiades 4 Febuary.....

Reply about the Occultation from the S.P.A Occultation section...

You are a braver man than me Colin!

Thanks so much for your excellent observational timings. Good luck with Lulin---I haven't seen it yet!

Ah---- the secret of observation on a cold and frosty morning is  pot noodles --- Ill tell the rest of the Section! Hahahahah!

With very best wishes,
Jon


1217 days until the next occasion when Venus tries to occult the Sun (June 6th 2012)!
The event will be visible for 40 minutes after sunrise from Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

UK Asteroidal Occultations - Definitive Site: http://asteroccuk.x10hosting.com/asterocc.htm
UK Lunar Occultations of Bright Stars: http://asteroccuk.x10hosting.com/lunarocc.htm

Occultation of the Pleiades 4 Febuary.....

Freezing cold morning-temperature down as far as minus 1.4 degrees Centigrade according to my digital remote outside thermo transmitter-a white frost on the garden grass, cars and shed rooftops glistening, looked from 01.00 Hours U.T onwards until the Occultation around 02.18 Hours (Greenwich) U.T-the Moon with its Terminator going right through the Crater Copernicus and casting shadows into it disappeared behind some building chimney pots so I had to go outside to do the observations although it did not feel too cold to me as I was well wrapped up in good thermal clothes etc-the results were these...

 

Electra (17 Tauri) DD 02.15.40 Hours U.T

Celano (16 Tauri) DD 02.16.10 Hours U.T

Maia (20 Tauri) DD 02.43.10 Hours U.T

 

Times are +/- 1 to 2 seconds out-but not much due to human reaction.

 

Casio Wave Ceptor wrist watch set by radio signal 20 minutes before the occultation-so should be very accurate timings.

 

One steaming hot pot noodle-afterwards.

 

After that I had a look around in the South Eastern Sky for Comet Lulin-now close to Alpha in Libra (Zubenelgenubi) and will follow the Ecliptic plane into the Spring Skies through Virgo and Leo, still have not picked this one out yet with Binoculars as the morning skies are a little misty and very cold in the East but it should become more prominent during 20th of the Month onwards-hopefully...

Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse

Space Weather News for Jan. 23, 2007
http://spaceweather.com/

SOLAR ECLIPSE: On Monday, Jan. 26th, the Moon will pass in front of the sun producing an annular "ring of fire" eclipse. This is not a total eclipse; the Moon will cover only 93% of the sun's surface. Nevertheless, the Moon's dead-center transit across the solar disk will produce a sight of rare beauty for observers along the "path of annularity." Best views are to be had from islands in Indonesia where the ring of fire will appear to sink into the ocean at sunset. Meanwhile, in Australia, southeast Asia, southern parts of India and South Africa, observers will experience an off-center partial eclipse. Crescent-shaped sunbeams will dapple the ground while high overhead the Moon takes a curved bite out of the sun.

Please visit http://spaceweather.com/ for eclipse maps, timetables and photos.

BLUE-SKY FIREBALL: Last week a meteoroid of unknown size hit Earth's atmosphere over Denmark and exploded with a flash so bright it turned the nighttime sky daytime blue. A video of the remarkable fireball and eye-witness reports may be found at Spaceweather's fireball sighting page: http://spaceweather.com/glossary/fireballreports_17jan09.htm