Skywatch

[Palehorse]

It's too dad-burned cold out and I am indisposed surrounding dragging my big tele out. . .  I sure wish I'd have built this stall with that big observation platform facing in a southerly direction. . . 

[Bo D]

Solar Ballet on the Sun

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/solar-ballet2.html

[libby]

Solar Ballet on the Sun

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/solar-ballet2.html

[Palehorse]

That big ol' bright moon is out and shining. . . Will make a nice show tomorrow night glistening off all the ICE we're going to be coated in. . .

[Locutus]

A close encounter of the asteroid kind is coming up this Friday.  It's a super close approach in which the asteroid will pass inside the satellite belt of the Earth.  It's asteroid 2012 DA14.  It's about half the size of a football field, and it will pass within 17,200 miles of our planet.  It will be between us and our geostationary satellites this coming Friday.  That's extremely close. 

Just for a frame of reference, DirecTV satellites are geostationary, and they're all orbiting at a little over 22,000 miles above the planet.  So if 2012 DA14 accidentally hits one of those, prepare to be without a few channels for a LONG time.    For the record, the satellites are safe, but this is just a small reminder of what can happen, and will eventually happen again.

Always remember that our solar system is a shooting gallery.  Be prepared to go extinct at any time. 



The asteroid 2012 DA14 will fly extremely close to Earth on Friday, Feb. 15, but poses no risk of impacting our planet.  It may, however, be visible in backyard telescopes if you know when and where to look, but will be a stargazing challenge, NASA says.

Discovered last year, asteroid 2012 DA14 is about half the size of a football field and will approach within 17,200 miles (27,680 kilometers) of Earth when it flies by during its close encounter.

NASA scientists have called the event a record-setting flyby for an asteroid of 2012 DA14's size. The asteroid is about the same size as the object that exploded over Russia's Siberia in 1908 in what scientists now call the Tunguska Event.

http://www.space.com/19646-asteroid-2012-da14-earth-flyby-complete-coverage.html

[Locutus]

The asteroid will be within this triangle viewed horizontally and vertically.   

Imagine those two satellites being either GOES weather satellites trying to track dangerous hurricanes and other severe weather, or simply DirecTV satellites bringing your favorite TV shows into your home.  This asteroid will be between Earth and those satellites.  One accidental pop, and it's lights out for whatever satellite it may hit. 

[me]

I'm glad we know where our telescopes are now.  I found them during the move and put them where they are visible this time.   

[Locutus]

You won't see the asteroid.  It will pass by during the light of day in our hemisphere.  However, do keep it quite handy for comet PANSTARRS which should be visible next month!  I'm very excited about PANSTARRS and ISON which are both coming up this year. 

[libby]

   Thanks for posting all that, Locutus.

I have spent some time recently trying to find my first telescope, which I'd forgotten about  -- a Balscope that my first boss, a doctor in Bluefield, gave me. It's a spyglass, about 10 inches long, a quality optical instrument with a tripod, which can also be hand held with a steady hand. I hadn't thought about it in the last few years, and assumed I'd find it somewhere, but so far not so.

[Locutus]

A representation of its path from the polar south to the polar north inside the geosynchronous satellite belt.

[Locutus]

  Thanks for posting all that, Locutus.

I have spent some time recently trying to find my first telescope, which I'd forgotten about  -- a Balscope that my first boss, a doctor in Bluefield, gave me. It's a spyglass, about 10 inches long, a quality optical instrument with a tripod, which can also be hand held with a steady hand. I hadn't thought about it in the last few years, and assumed I'd find it somewhere, but so far not so.

Well like I said before, you won't be able to see the asteroid because it will make a close pass during our daylight hours on Friday.  So trying to use a telescope, or the naked eye, would only result in blindness. 

Save that telescope, though, for next month's Comet PANSTARRS event. 

[Locutus]

Don't forget we have an extremely close asteroid approach tomorrow.  Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson offered the following humorous graphic to shed a bit of truth on this very close encounter.

[libby]

Don't forget we have an extremely close asteroid approach tomorrow.  Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson offered the following humorous graphic to shed a bit of truth on this very close encounter.

Locutus! Who would've thought it would be upstaged by the big meteorite that exploded over Russia this morning?   

I was watching the news this morning while drinking my coffee when the picture of it flashed across the screen. What a story!

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson was interviewed briefly, and in the usual cautious way of a real scientist, he opined that as far as he knows there is no connection between the two.

[Locutus]

Yep!  We should be constantly reminded that the solar system is a shooting gallery.

Moscow (CNN) -- A meteor streaked through the skies above Russia's Urals region Friday morning, before exploding with a flash and boom that shattered glass in buildings and left about 1,000 people hurt, state media said.

The number of injured has continued to rise through the day as new reports come in from across a swath of central Russia.

As of late afternoon local time, the Interior Ministry said about 1,000 people had been hurt, including more than 200 children, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency said.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/world/europe/russia-meteor-shower/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

[Henry Hawk]

Yep!  We should be constantly reminded that the solar system is a shooting gallery.

Uh, I think that is something I would be just fine if I was NOT reminded of.  First of all, there isn't diddly squat you or I can do about it.  So, If it is going to happen, it's going to happen.  Thinking about it happening is not something I want waste too much time on. 

I guess, if they knew for a fact it was going to hit somewhere in central Indiana at a certain time.........THEN, it might be a good time to go visit my good buddy Locutus in sunny Florida.