TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
January 1, 2025
Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System
The closest star system to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri system. Of the three stars in the system, the dimmest called Proxima Centauri is actually the nearest star. The bright stars Alpha Centauri A and B form a close binary as they are separated by only 23 times the Earth- Sun distance - slightly greater than the distance between Uranus and the Sun. The Alphasystem is not visible in much of the northern hemisphere. Alpha Centauri A, also known as Rigil Kentaurus, is the brightest star in the constellation of Centaurus and is the fourth brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is the brightest even though it is more than twice as far away. By an exciting coincidence, Alpha Centauri A is the same type of star as our Sun, and Proxima Centauri is now known to have a potentially habitable exoplanet.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
2025, The Year of the Patriot.
January’s Night Sky Notes: The Red Planet
Jan 01, 2025
Have you looked up at the night sky this season and noticed a bright object sporting a reddish hue to the left of Orion?
This is none other than the planet Mars! January will be an excellent opportunity to spot this planet and some of its details with a medium-sized telescope.
Be sure to catch these three events this month.
Martian Retrograde
Mars entered retrograde (or backward movement relative to its usual direction) on December 7, 2024, and will continue throughout January into February 23, 2025.
You can track the planet’s progress by sketching or photographing Mars’ position relative to nearby stars. Be consistent with your observations, taking them every few nights or so as the weather permits.
You can use free software like Stellarium or Stellarium Web (the browser version) to help you navigate the night as Mars treks around the sky.
You can find Mars above the eastern horizon after 8:00 PM local time.
Hide and Seek
On the night of January 13th, you can watch Mars ‘disappear’ behind the Moon during an occultation.
An occultation is when one celestial object passes directly in front of another, hiding the background object from view.
This can happen with planets and stars in our night sky, depending on the orbit of an object and where you are on Earth, similar to eclipses.
Depending on where you are within the contiguous United States, you can watch this event with the naked eye, binoculars, or a small telescope.
The occultation will happen for over an hour in some parts of the US.
You can use websites like Stellarium Web or the Astronomical League’s ‘Moon Occults Mars’ chart to calculate the best time to see this event.
Closer and Closer
As you observe Mars this month to track its retrograde movement, you will notice that it will increase in brightness.
This is because Mars will reach opposition by the evening of January 16th. Opposition happens when a planet is directly opposite the Sun, as seen from Earth.
You don’t need to be in any specific city to observe this event; you only need clear skies to observe that it gets brighter.
It’s also when Mars is closest to Earth, so you’ll see more details in a telescope.
Want a quick and easy way to illustrate what opposition is for Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, or other outer worlds?
Follow the instructions on our Toolkit Hack: Illustrating Opposition with Exploring the Solar System page using our Exploring Our Solar System activity!
Mars has fascinated humanity for centuries, with its earliest recorded observations dating back to the Bronze Age.
By the 17th century, astronomers were able to identify features of the Martian surface, such as its ice caps and darker regions.
Since the 1960s, exploration of the Red Planet has intensified with robotic missions from various space organizations.
Currently, NASA has five active missions, including rovers and orbiters, with the future focused on human exploration and habitation.
Mars will always fill us with a sense of wonder and adventure as we reach for its soil through initiatives such as the Moon to Mars Architecture and the Mars Sample Return campaign.
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/night-sky-network/jan2025-night-sky-notes/
Astronomy Activation Ambassadors: A New Era
Dec 31, 2024
The NASA Science Activation Program's Astronomy Activation Ambassadors (AAA) project aims to measurably enhance student Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) engagement via middle school, high school, and community college science teacher professional development.
In 2024, AAA transitioned its focus to the development of an Astronomy Academy with varying levels of extent and intensity available to more than 300 teachers per year.
Participants draw on NASA resources and Subject Matter Experts (SME) to enhance their teaching and help share their excitement about astronomy with their students.
The three strands that comprise the Astronomy Academy are:
webinars regarding NASA astrophysics and planetary science content and facilities,
curriculum workshops enabling classroom use of an electromagnetic spectrum and multi-wavelength astronomy (EMS/MWA) curriculum, and
STEM immersion experiences including guided visits to working observatories.
The first two of the AAA program’s new type of STEM immersion experiences took place in June and September, 2024.
During the weekend of June 22-23, 19 teachers gathered in San Jose, California for a full agenda, including:
NASA SME presentations regarding planetary protection and exoplanet detection, a journey to the University of California’s Lick Observatory on nearby Mt. Hamilton for an in-depth guided tour of the observatory’s astronomy research facilities, which included engagement with the astronomers using the 3-meter Shane telescope, and a 4-hour hands-on EMS/MWA curriculum teaching workshop.
A similar STEM immersion sequence was offered September 14-15 to 23 AAA teachers who attended a curriculum teaching workshop, learned about current infrared astronomy research from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists, and received guided visits to the Keck Observatory’s remote observing facility on the Caltech campus and the Mt. Wilson Observatory, including a half-night’s reserved use of the historic Mt. Wilson 60-inch telescope.
The teachers were invited to submit a list of objects to be observed with the Mt. Wilson telescope and viewed a wonderful array of star clusters, colorful double stars, and galaxies, with a grand finale view of Saturn and its rings.
Teacher participant, Domina Stamas (Westlake Charter School, Sacramento, California), had this to say:
"My students and I are already benefiting greatly from the combination of NASA resources, science content, and curricular materials we have received from the AAA project.
The evening at Lick Observatory talking with the astronomers who were using the research telescopes watching the laser guide star setup in action was a rich experience.
I can convey to my students how scientists actually practice their craft."
The Astronomy Activation Ambassador project’s efforts to improve student STEM learning and engagement via science teacher professional development are detailed at: https://www.seti.org/aaa
Educator enrollment is still open via the participant registration form: https://forms.gle/G34vCzz63ko5RRrM8
The AAA project, led by the SETI Institute, is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC51A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio.
Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/astronomy-activation-ambassadors-a-new-era/
https://www.seti.org/astronomy-activation-ambassadors-program-new-era
Red and Green Aurora Move Through Earth’s Atmosphere
Dec 31, 2024
Peering through the window of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured this image on Oct. 7, 2024 of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft as vivid green and pink aurora swirled through Earth’s atmosphere while the International Space Station soared 273 miles above the Indian Ocean.
Visit Dominick’s photography on station to experience the wonders of space through his eyes, enriched by his remarkable journey of orbiting the Earth 3,760 times.
To see a short-term forecast of the location and intensity of the next aurora check this link: Aurora – 30 Minute Forecast and also NASA’s Guide to Finding and Photographing Auroras.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/red-and-green-aurora-move-through-earths-atmosphere/
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast
'A community of galactic civilizations': Jimmy Carter's decades-old message for aliens
Updated 2:30 p.m. ET Dec. 31, 2024
A message of peace and hope penned in 1977 by the late President Jimmy Carter is attached to spacecrafts currently floating in interstellar space, intended for an audience of alien life.
Carter, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 100, included the message in two golden records attached to the Voyager spacecrafts, which are charting the edge of space outside the heliosphere created by the Sun.
The records are a time capsule of life on Earth in 1977, designed to tell extraterrestrials about the people, cultures and nature on our planet.
"This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings," Carter wrote in the message, which appears as an image on the record.
"We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations.
This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe."
Carter wrote in an introduction to his message that humans were still divided into separate nations, "but these states are rapidly becoming a single global civilization."
His note is likely to survive a billion years into the future, he added, "when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed."
The record includes 115 images of cultures around the globe.
They show human anatomy, families, children, birth, ways humans eat and drink; people dancing, hunting, cooking, building homes, harvesting cotton and picking grapes; structures like the Taj Mahal, the Sydney Opera House and the Golden Gate Bridge; and natural scenes like a sunset, fallen leaves, and a school of fish.
It also includes greetings in dozens of languages and music from around the world.
Selections from the United States included "Dark was the night" by Blind Willie Johnson, Navajo Native Americans performing a Night Chant, "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry, and "Melancholy Blues" by Louis Armstrong.
Carl Sagan, an astronomer who worked with Cornell University, chaired a committee to determine what would be included.
"The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space," Sagan said of the experiment.
Carter helped rescue NASA's space shuttle program by funding its projects through the late 1970s and early 1980s.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/12/30/jimmy-carter-voyager-message-aliens-nasa/77330025007/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-golden-record-overview/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/golden-record-contents/
U.S. Space Force’s Eastern Range breaks records with 93 space launches in 2024
January 1, 2025
The Eastern Range, managed by Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45), has cemented its status as the world’s busiest spaceport in 2024.
Based at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the team successfully facilitated 93 launches, delivering 1,389 orbital assets into space.
This accomplishment marked the second consecutive year the U.S. broke the world record for annual space launches, surpassing the 2023 record of 108 launches.
The previous record, held by the Soviet Union since 1982, underscored the growing pace of global space operations.
Brigadier General Kristin Panzenhagen, director of the Eastern Range, commended the collaboration between SLD 45 and commercial launch providers.
She highlighted the team’s commitment to securing reliable space access for national defence, international partners, and commercial ventures.
Among the year’s highlights was the historic Crew-9 mission on 28 September 2024, which launched Col. Nick Hague as the first United States Space Force Guardian into space.
Accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, Hague’s mission expanded to support the safe return of astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS).
SLD 45 also ensured the success of four National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions, which bolstered U.S. defence capabilities.
These launches included payloads critical to missile detection, intelligence gathering, and global vigilance.
One standout mission, the Rapid Response Trailblazer on 16 December 2024, demonstrated the ability to adapt swiftly to warfighter needs, deploying a GPS III Space Vehicle (SV-07) in record time.
As operations ramp up, the Eastern Range is preparing for even greater activity in 2025. Panzenhagen projected an increased launch cadence, underscoring the U.S.’s role as the “world’s premier gateway to space.”
https://defence-industry.eu/u-s-space-forces-eastern-range-breaks-records-with-93-space-launches-in-2024/
New Year's northern lights delight as powerful solar storms spark auroras across central US and Europe
January 1, 2025
What a start to 2025!
While many celebrated New Year's Eve with bursts of glittering fireworks, Earth joined the festivities with a natural display of its own: the northern lights.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) struck Earth's magnetic field on Dec. 31 at 11:21 a.m. EST (16:21 GMT), sparking geomagnetic storm conditions and painting the night sky with vivid aurora displays as far south as California U.S., Austria, and Germany.
The geomagnetic storms waxed and waned throughout the night, creating a dynamic celestial fireworks show that stretched well into the new year.
What caused the strong auroras?
When CMEs strike Earth's magnetosphere, they bring electrically charged particles called ions that collide with Earth's magnetic field. These collisions can spark geomagnetic storms.
During these storms, ions collide with atmospheric gases, releasing energy in the form of light.
This creates the stunning displays known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, in the Northern Hemisphere, and the southern lights, or aurora australis, in the Southern Hemisphere.
Geomagnetic storms are ranked by NOAA's G-scale, from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).
Although a G3 storm watch was issued for New Year's Eve, most of the night saw G1 conditions, with G2 levels reported at 5:44 a.m. EST (1044 GMT) on Jan. 1, according to spaceweatherlive.com.
More to come?
And it's not over yet! The sun started 2025 with a bang, hurling a new CME toward Earth, which could trigger more northern lights around Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, according to space weather physicist Tamitha Skov.
"Our Sun rings in the New Year! We just had a new #solarstorm launch from Region 3939 in the Earth-Strike Zone," Skov wrote in a post on X.
But first, let's look back at the incredible New Year's Eve display, with these spectacular northern lights photos.
Photographer Alex Nicodim celebrated the new year with a stunning aurora show above a ski slope in Levi, Finland.
Nicodim and other skywatchers celebrating the new year were treated to an incredible northern lights display as tall pillars of green and red auroras filled the sky in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2025.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/aurora-borealis/new-years-northern-lights-delight-as-powerful-solar-storms-spark-auroras-across-central-us-and-europe-photos
Space debris weighing over 1,000 pounds reportedly crashes into village in Kenya
Updated on: January 1, 2025 / 8:16 AM EST
Kenyan officials said Wednesday they were investigating fragments of metal, believed to be from a rocket, that crashed into a village in the country's south.
The issue of space junk has risen in tandem with increased spatial traffic.
Kenya Space Agency (KSA) said the object, a metallic ring roughly 8 feet in diameter and weighing some 1,100 pounds, crashed into Mukuku village, in Makueni county, on December 30 at around 3:00 pm local time (1200 GMT).
The KSA, working alongside other agencies and local authorities, "secured the area and retrieved the debris, which is now under the Agency's custody for further investigation."
It said "preliminary assessments indicate that the fallen object is a separation ring from a launch vehicle," which are designed to either burn up upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere or fall over uninhabited areas.
"This is an isolated case, which the agency will investigate and address," the KSA said in a statement.
It said the object was not a threat to public safety, and praised the villagers nearby who had swiftly alerted authorities.
The KSA said they were working to identify the piece's origin.
Past examples of manmade human space debris hitting Earth include part of a SpaceX Dragon capsule landing on an Australian sheep farm in 2022.
And earlier this year, NASA faced a lawsuit from an American family whose Florida home was hit by a piece of falling metal.
A cylindrical object tore through the home of Alejandro Otero in Naples on March 8.
He told CBS Fort Meyers, Fla., affiliate WINK-TV that his son called him about the crashing object while he was on vacation.
"I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage," Otero said. "I'm super grateful that nobody got hurt."
China has also been criticized by NASA for allowing its giant Long March rockets to fall back to Earth after orbit.
Last February, the European Space Agency said a satellite weighing as much as an adult male rhinoceros made an uncontrolled return to Earth, re-entering the atmosphere over the north Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Hawaii.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/space-debris-reportedly-crashes-village-kenya/
https://x.com/SpaceAgencyKE/status/1874322755304173592