Category: Astronomy

Bright objects in the night sky — Part III

Venus and Jupiter continue to shine brightly in the western twilight sky each evening. The two planets have been converging and will be closest on the evenings of March 12 and 13 when they will have an angular separation of only three degrees (about the same as six moon diameters).

 

Conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the ISS over the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the ISS over the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff, Arizona.

On the evening of 01 March 2012 the International Space Station (ISS) made an evening transit low in the western sky. Its track placed it just below the planetary pair resulting in a great photographic opportunity. Shooting a total of six 30s exposures captured the ISS rising from the low hills to its high point just below the planets then moving into the southwestern sky. The 1st-quarter moon provided more than enough light to brighten up the scenery of the Kachina Wetlands with reflections of the planets visible in the water.

Bright objects in the night sky — Part II

Last week the planets Venus and Jupiter shone brightly in the western sky after sunset. This week, the new crescent moon joins the planets creating a triangle of brilliant objects in the sky.

Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon shine brighly above Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.
Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon shine brighly above Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.

Using star charts and other maps we determined that if we hiked a short distance along the Templeton Trail that the planetary and moon conjunction would be nicely positioned above Cathedral Rock in Sedona. As the sky darkened the celestial objects shone brightly but the lighting on the rocks was quickly fading. This image was the best combination of bright objects but with enough light to still see the details in the beautiful red rocks.

Later, as the planets and Moon set behind Cathedral Rock more stars appeared. To get some soft light on the tree I used a flash that was set to manual mode with the lowest light output and stood off to the side and fired the flash manually.

The stars shine down on the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona.
The stars shine down on the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona.

In  a few weeks, Venus and Jupiter will be at their closest approach to each other. And it will be time for a another set of photographs.

Bright objects in the night sky

There has been plenty to observe in the night sky in recent days and the show will get better towards the end of the month and into early March.

In the evening sky the planets Jupiter and Venus are both very bright and visible in the west at sunset and for several hours afterward. Over the next several days, Jupiter and Venus will move closer together creating a beautiful pair in the sky. Add in a crescent moon which will pass near the two planets (Feb 25 and 26) and it just gets better. (See the full story from NASA.)

Jupiter, Venus, and M31 above telescope dome.
Jupiter, Venus, and M31 above telescope dome.

This image was taken during the evening of 21 February 2012. Also visible — faint and located just above the telescope dome — is the Andromeda Galaxy (also known as M31). The telescope dome is located on Anderson Mesa and is part of the Anderson Mesa Station — a collection of telescopes and other astronomical instruments including the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI).

Iridium 19 flare.
Iridium 19 flare.
Cosmo SkyMed 4 flare.
Cosmo SkyMed 4 flare.

A few nights earlier were two good satellite flares. The first is one of the Iridium series; the second is part of the Cosmo SkyMed series. Both went from very dim spots of light traveling across the sky to exceptionally brilliant points — albeit for only a few seconds.

The SpaceWeather and Heavens-Above web sites both provide great information on when and where to look for these bright objects in the sky.

Iridium Flares and NOSS satellite pairs

With storm systems and cold fronts moving across the region last night the opportunity to do any sky watching seemed remote. And, yet, for a brief period, clear skies revealed the stars, moon, and satellites above northern Arizona.

First up was the X-37B at ~1805 MST. I watched — but did not photograph — this USAF spacecraft. I wish that I had because for a few seconds after it had passed maximum altitude it flared brightly – possibly rivalling Jupiter in brightness.

Iridium 98 satellite flaring along with the NOSS 2-2 (C) and NOSS 2-2 (D) satellite pair.
Iridium 98 satellite flaring along with the NOSS 2-2 (C) and NOSS 2-2 (D) satellite pair.

Next up was an Iridium 98 flare that was forecast to brighten to magnitude -6.5. This was easily captured by the camera but I was also able to capture two additional satellites travelling close together. A bit of investigation revealed that these were likely NOSS 2-2 (C) and NOSS 2-2 (D). NOSS is the Naval Ocean Surveillance System and these spacecraft travel in pairs and triplets.

I often use the information available at the Heavens-Above web site for satellite tracks and times. Below are the tracks for the Iridium98, NOSS 2-2(C), and NOSS 2-2(D) spacecraft.

Track of Iridium 98 for 12 November 2011.
Track of Iridium 98 for 12 November 2011.
Track of NOSS 2-2(C) for 12 November 2011.
Track of NOSS 2-2(C) for 12 November 2011.
Track of NOSS 2-2(D) for 12 November 2011.
Track of NOSS 2-2(D) for 12 November 2011.

There are hundreds of active satellites and thousands of objects (live satellites, dead satellites, and pieces of space debris) orbiting the earth. So it’s pretty easy to look up and see one of these moving across the sky. But it also makes it difficult to photograph the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies without getting a satellite track across the image.

Another Space Station in the Sky

We all know about the International Space Station (ISS). Many people have watched as it flies overhead as a brilliant point of light moving across the sky.

But now it is no longer the only space station in the sky. On 29 September 2011 China launched its own space station known as Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”). It’s not as bright as the ISS and thus less noticeable to most observers.

Tiangong and Shenzou spacecraft moving across the pre-dawn sky.
Tiangong and Shenzou spacecraft moving across the pre-dawn sky.

Then, on 01 November 2011, China launched the Shenzhou-8, an unmanned spacecraft designed to dock with Tiangong. And early on the morning of 02 November 2011, both spacecraft passed overhead cutting through the constellation Orion. Just a few hours later, Shenzou-8 successfully docked with Tiangong.

The dual spacecraft flyby is reminiscent of the ISS-Shuttle flybys.