The next Mercury transit is fast approaching. Mercury will transit (or pass in front of the Sun) as seen from Earth on Monday, November 11, 2019. The last time this happened was three years ago in 2016. If you miss it in 2019 you’ll have to wait 13 years until the next transit in 2032.
Mercury Transit 2016
Mercury is very small compared to the Sun. The small speck to the right of center in the image above is Mercury. The other speck to the left is a sunspot. You could line up 194 Mercuries across the face of the Sun. Since it’s small you will need a telescope and an approved solar filter in order to view this event. Warning: NEVER look at the Sun without proper eye protection or you will permanently damage your eyes. NEVER look through a telescope at the Sun unless you are certain you have a “visual grade solar filter” on the telescope.
On July 20, 2019 we will collectively celebrate the first lunar landing’s 50th anniversary.
A little over a month ago I went to see the documentary Apollo 11 in IMAX, and unlike “First Man” I left this film excited and exhilarated.
Apollo 11 covers the entire mission from 6-8 days prior to launch to the astronauts coming out of medical confinement a couple weeks after splashdown. All of this using original footage of the people and events that made up this historic first landing on the Moon.
You hear it and see it as it’s happened. The sights, the sounds, the gathered spectators, the astronauts on their mission, the journalists, the cigarette puffing, launch technicians in their white shirts, and in fact, the whole world is focused on what’s about to play out.
After watching the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong I’m sorry to report that this film has issues. All of the glowing four star critical reviews I had read online about the movie should have been a clue as I rarely align with the critics. That, and the “flag planting” omission controversy that immediately followed the film’s release just seemed to place a dark cloud over the movie. I was able to get past that with ease but after having read the book and seeing Neil interviewed many times I just feel that Ryan Gosling totally missed capturing the nature and personality of the man.
I get what the actor was attempting to do and it was a gallant try but fell short and left me feeling depressed and sorry for Neil and his family. In an effort to show Neil as a man of few words, which he was, the viewer is instead left with a character who is deeply depressed, and hard pressed to show any emotion at all. The attempt was to make him seem strong and focused (which he was) but that is not what I took from the screen. I don’t think it’s a fair assessment or representation of the man. Yes, he was deeply affected by the death of his infant daughter Karen but that over shadows the entire film leaving the viewer’s impression of Neil empty, distant and dry.
It’s like deja’ vu all over again! Last year there was a total lunar eclipse that occurred on January 31, 2018. That TLE was sure fun to watch and photograph. What made it enjoyable was the eclipse took place as the Moon was setting and made for some good images with the landmarks and the horizon. In fact, the moon was actually eclipsed as dawn was coming on, and it was setting at the same time. There was a lot happening. This total lunar eclipse, which occurred less than a year later was much higher in the sky. The weather was not perfect. It was cold with high thin clouds and periods of thicker cloudiness initially but as the night and eclipse wore on the sky did clear out nicely.
Posted below are images I shot of the January 20, 2019 total lunar eclipse or if you prefer the “media hyped” naming convention then it would be the “super blood wolf moon – total lunar eclipse.” Super because this full moon occurred near perigee which is when the moon is a fraction closer to Earth. Blood because total lunar eclipses take on a reddish/orange hue due to light refracting through the Earth’s atmosphere which sucks out the blue light waves and lets the red ones run free to bath the moon in blood. Finally, the January full moon is commonly called the “wolf” moon. Had this eclipse occurred in March when the full moon is known as the “worm moon,” they would have been calling it the “super blood worm moon,” or in August, the sturgeon moon. You get the idea.
I’ve been meaning to create a Spotify playlist of songs that are astronomy, space or sci-fi themed for some time now. I’ve finally done it. It’s complete. Okay well, sort of. As you probably know Spotify playlists can be added to or updated at any time. So in that sense it’s never really complete. So let’s just say I’m at a point where I feel comfortable with sharing it with all of you space music lovers out there.
You might recall back in April of 2014 my “Musical Interlude” post on this blog which included 11 songs in no particular order that were astronomy and space themed. We’ll that was a fun post and I did get some positive feedback from folks who enjoyed the music. Now with Spotify I’ve expanded on that humble beginning and have created a playlist of over 125 songs with a run-time of almost 9 hours!
Here are images I shot of this morning’s total lunar eclipse using a Nikon D60 with a Nikkor 50-200mm lens. These images were shot at Richard Simpson Park on Lake Arlington in Arlington, TX.
Almost 50 years ago the famous Apollo 8 mission to the Moon was well underway. It was Christmas Eve 1968 and the spacecraft had just entered lunar orbit that same day. That evening, astronauts Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. Said Lovell, “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth.” They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis. You can relive that historic moment by clicking the video below. Merry Christmas!
There’s nothing like getting a new telescope! The anticipation of the delivery and then once it does arrive the pure excitement of unboxing your new instrument. Yes, it’s like Christmas and your birthday all wrapped into one. After the boxes have been cast aside and a rough assembly takes place we turn our attention to the instruction manual for all the “hmm, I wonder where this fits?” or maybe “I know this is the thing that goes on here but why is it not staying on?” We’ve all been there at some point. Time to consult the manual. My Dad always used to say “If all else fails, read the directions!”
I myself enjoy instruction manuals for all things electronic and of course that means telescopes to. You know you’re a nerd when you actually look forward to kicking back with a nice cup coffee and reading through the entire instruction manual page by page whether it be a hard copy or online in PDF form.
A total lunar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) from the North Texas area early on the morning of Wednesday, January 31, 2018. Here are the eclipse event times (CST) specific to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
4:51 a.m. Penumbral Eclipse begins
5:48 a.m. Partial eclipse begins with Umbra making contact
6:51 a.m. Total eclipse begins
7:20 a.m. Maximal Eclipse for DFW area
7:24 a.m. The Moon sets for DFW area
7:26 a.m. Full Moon occurs for DFW (occurs below horizon for DFW)
As the Autumnal Equinox passes us by the nights start growing longer and cooler in this part of the world. It’s the perfect time for a star party. I thought I would offer up some star parties that you’ll want to add to your calendar. Star parties are great opportunities to get out under the night sky, visit with like minded folks and peek through an assortment of telescopes. This can be very rewarding especially if you are thinking about buying a telescope.
The events listed below are within an hour or so drive, or closer, from the DFW area that I have been to in the past and have found to be very enjoyable. Some have presentations at the beginning of the evening explaining basic astronomy concepts and discussing what can be seen in the sky and telescope that evening. Don’t miss this presentation as it will provide important info and guidelines for the evening as well as help set the tone and your expectations. Also, sometimes there are astronomy related giveaways or door prizes that you can get in on too.
Current amateur astronomy information such as points of interest and events in the night sky, star party dates, educational information, telescopes buying tips and much more.
You might recall back in April of 2014 my “
As the