This composite image made from five frames shows the International Space Station, with a crew of nine onboard, in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly 5 miles per second, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015.
Tag: space
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Slam dunk for Andreas in space controlling rover on ground
Putting a round peg in a round hole is not hard to do by someone standing next to it. But yesterday ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen did this while orbiting 400 km up aboard the International Space Station, remotely operating a rover and its robotic arm on the ground.
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Live: driving from ISS
Follow ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen operating the Interact rover from space – initial force feedback test now at 1600 CEST, with rover on move at 1800 -
Cosmic billows
Space Science Image of the Week: Planck reveals an interstellar filament and our galactic neighbours, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds -
Labor Day in Space Has Full House, No Barbecue
One-year-mission crewmember NASA astronaut Scott Kelly corrals the supply of fresh fruit that arrived on the Kounotori 5 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-5) the day before, Aug. 24. Visiting cargo ships often carry a small cache of fresh food for crewmembers aboard the International Space Station.
Credit: NASAThat’s a negative on the fire: There will be no barbecuing on the International Space Station this Labor Day. But the orbiting lab’s American crew will get a free day to relax and exercise after the excitement of welcoming three new teammates on Friday (Sept. 4).
“The three USOS [U.S. Operating Segment] crewmembers [Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren of NASA, and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency] will have the day off, with only their exercise on the schedule and some sample collection for Kelly for his Twins Study experiments,” NASA spokesman Dan Huot told Space.com in an email. Kelly’s identical twin Mark, also an astronaut, has remained on the ground so scientists can track the duo to investigate the effects of spending a year in space.
Huot added that the four cosmonauts aboard the station have a light day scheduled as well, focusing on maintenance and talking with media, and that the two visiting crewmembers — Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency and Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency — will be working on experiments. The visitors will only be spending a week in space, so every moment of research time counts. [Watch: Blastoff! New Crew Launch Will Make It 9 on Space Station]
On Sept. 5, Cmdr. Gennady Padalka, of the Russian Space Agency, ceremonially transferred command to Kelly before Padalka’s upcoming departure on the Soyuz craft. Fellow cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Mikhail Kornienko will stay onboard.
Even before the latest bunch arrived, more astronauts on the station meant a more varied mix of science and maintenance work: While the three cosmonauts went on a long spacewalk on Aug. 10, Kelly, Lindgren and Yui shared a bite of NASA’s first space-grown produce. Now, with nine aboard, there’s even more going on.
And the quarters will be bit tight — “a little more crowded than normal, but not anything we haven’t had in the past,” Huot said. “We had nine aboard back in 2013, when the Olympic torch was brought up to the station in advance of the Sochi Winter Olympics.” It was an unlit torch, of course — fire not allowed.
Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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Best Space Stories of the Week – Sept. 5, 2015
This image of the geyser-spewing Saturn moon Enceladus was taken on Oct. 5, 2008 by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science InstituteThe Star Wars toys awaken, a looming ‘supermoon’ eclipse overshadows a solar eclipse, and hoverboard technology aims for the stars in Space.com’s best stories for this week.
Total eclipse of the supermoon
Observers can watch the first total lunar eclipse of a ‘supermoon’ in over three decades on Sept. 27, when the full moon is at its closest to the Earth. There will also be a much less visible partial solar eclipse Sept. 13. [Full Story: Rare ‘Supermoon’ Total Lunar Eclipse Coming This Month]
Moon samples crumble away
Samples of the moon’s soil collected by Apollo astronauts have crumbled since their collection 40 years ago: the particles scientists study have halved in size since the soil was fresh. [Full Story: Some Apollo Moon Samples ‘Crumbling to Dust’]
That’s no spoon
A mysterious floating spoon spotted in pictures by NASA’s Curiosity rover is merely a rock, sculpted by Martian winds, say officials — an uncannily spoon-shaped rock. [Full Story: ‘Floating Spoon’ on Mars Is Just a Weird Rock, But Still Awesome]
Two searches for life
NASA plans to search for life on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in the 2020s, and a new proposed project would investigate Saturn’s Enceladus, too. [Full Story: NASA Mulling Life-Hunting Mission to Saturn Moon Enceladus]
Space Station full house
A Soyuz spacecraft dropped off three more crewmembers to the International Space Station Friday (Sept. 4), bringing the total up to 9 for the first time since 2013. Sept. 12, two of the newcomers and the current Commander will head back down. [Full Story: Crowded House! International Crew Arrives at Space Station]
Can life leap across the stars?
If life could spread from star to star, it would leave a distinct mathematical fingerprint — much like an epidemic, bubbles of life would scatter and grow. [Full Story: Life Might Spread Across Universe Like an ‘Epidemic’ in New Math Theory]
Star Wars toys awaken
Midnight Friday (Sept. 4) a brand-new line of “Star Wars” toys was released to fans in New York’s Times Square Toys ‘R’ Us. Hip-hop-dancing Stormtroopers built up to the big reveal (and many adorable rolling BB-8s were snatched up). [Full Story: The Force is Strong With These Toys: New ‘Star Wars’ Line is Here!]
Navy communications satellite blasts off
The United States Navy launched an advanced new tactical communications satellite into orbit Wednesday (Sept. 2) on an Atlas V rocket, the fourth installment in a network covering U.S. forces worldwide. [Full Story: US Military Launches Advanced Tactical Communications Satellite Into Orbit]
Well, it’s the future: Hoverboard tractor beams
NASA will join forces with the California company Arx Pax, whose magnetic hoverboard technology could maneuver tiny cube-sats in space without touching them. [Full Story: NASA Wants to Use Hoverboard Tech to Control Tiny Satellites]
Souped-up SpaceX rocket returning soon
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will return to flight in a “couple of months,” boasting beefier engines for increased thrust. The rocket has been grounded since a failed launch in June. [Full Story: SpaceX Will Debut Upgraded Flcon 9 Rocket on Return to Flight Mission]
Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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Best Space Photos of the Week – Sept. 05, 2015
Astrophotographer Stefan Muckenhuber sent in a photo of galaxies M81 (left) and M82, obtained in mid-2015 from Tirol, Austria. M81 (AKA Bode’s Galaxy),…Read More » a spiral galaxy, lies about 12 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major. M82 is also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Muckenhuber writes in an email message to Space.com: “I took this picture from a quite dark spot in … Tirol. I collected 16 hours of data and it also took me about 20 hours of processing until I was satisfied with the result. The exposure of 16 hours was necessary to bring out the faint Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN) … “ appearing as the gray dust in the image. He notes the IFN, which lies closer to us than the two galaxies, is made visible by the glow of stars in our Milky Way. [Read the full story.] Less «
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SpaceX's 1st Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Set for Spring 2016
An illustration of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Credit: SpaceXPASADENA, Calif. — The long-delayed first flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch vehicle is now scheduled for April or May of 2016, a company official said Sept. 1.
Speaking at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Space 2015 conference here, Lee Rosen, vice president of mission and launch operations for SpaceX, said the company was also wrapping up work on the renovated launch pad that rocket will use.
“It’s going to be a great day when we launch that, some time in the late April-early May timeframe,” he said of the Falcon Heavy. [Video: How SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket Will Fly]
That first launch will be a demonstration mission without a paying customer. That launch will be followed in September by the Space Test Program 2 mission for the Air Force, carrying 37 satellites. Rosen said the company was also planning Falcon Heavy launches of satellites for Inmarsat and ViaSat before the end of 2016, but did not give estimated dates for those missions.
Prior to the June 28 failure of a Falcon 9 carrying a Dragon cargo spacecraft, SpaceX has planned to carry out the inaugural Falcon Heavy launch by the end of this year. At a July 20 press conference, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said work on the Falcon Heavy would be “deprioritized” while the company devotes resources to return-to-flight activities, delaying the first flight into 2016.
SpaceX first announced the Falcon Heavy in April 2011, and at that time said the vehicle’s first launch would take place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in 2013. That launch date has steadily slipped, and SpaceX moved the first launch to Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center after completing a lease agreement with NASA in April 2014.
SpaceX has been renovating that pad to support launches of both the Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 flights of crewed Dragon spacecraft. That work has included construction of a hangar near the pad and a rail system that will be used to transport the rockets from the hangar to the pad.
That work is nearing completion. “That launch site will be operational in November of this year,” Rosen said. That includes completing a milestone in SpaceX’s commercial crew contract with NASA for a launch site readiness review.
When Falcon Heavy becomes operational, it will be the most powerful U.S. launch vehicle since the Saturn 5, with the capability to launch up to 53,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit. The vehicle uses three first stage cores of the Falcon 9, including a total of 27 Merlin engines, with some modifications to the structure to accommodate loads of linking the three together.
SpaceX is working on a larger rocket engine called Raptor, but Rosen said there is no plan to replace the Merlin engines in the Falcon Heavy with Raptors. “The plan for Falcon Heavy is to fly 27 Merlins,” he said, adding that Raptor “can be integrated on our next-generation vehicles.”
This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
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Boeing Opens Renovated Shuttle Facility for 'Starliner' Crewed Space Capsule
Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, or the C3PF, will ready the CST-100 “Starliner” for flight.
Credit: collectSPACE.comCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Boeing rolled open the doors to its new commercial spacecraft processing facility on Friday (Sept. 4), celebrating the grand opening of the re-purposed space shuttle-era building and revealing the name of the crewed capsule that will be assembled for launch inside.
The ceremony, held inside the facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marked a milestone for the space agency’s partnership with Boeing to develop and operate a new spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. As the building-size mural added to the hangar displays, Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, or C3PF, will be used to ready for launch the company’s CST-100 — now named the “Starliner” — for flights into Earth orbit.
“When the shuttle program went away, we had this facility available for us to use,” remarked Chris Ferguson, who as a NASA astronaut commanded the final shuttle mission in 2011 and is now deputy program manager for commercial crew operations at Boeing. “We cleaned this all out, took a lot of the services out of here, took a lot of the plumbing, put in new facilities and we are getting ready to now build our crew module and our service module.” [CST-100 Starliner: Images of Boeing’s Private Space Capsule]
“We had an incredible history here, and more importantly right now, there’s a really bright future,” Ferguson said.
Boeing’s newly named Starliner is one of two commercial spacecraft that NASA has issued contracts for to resume U.S.-based crewed launches to the space station. Boeing and SpaceX, the latter with its Dragon crew capsule, are working toward launching their first flights in 2017.
“I couldn’t be more excited than to be here,” said NASA chief Charles Bolden. “I congratulate the entire Boeing and NASA team that has made this milestone possible. I know we have a bright future ahead, and I can’t wait to see our astronauts board a Boeing spacecraft bound for space.”
The upper and lower dome of the CST-100 “Starliner” structural test article is seen inside Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF), Sept. 4, 2015.
Credit: collectSPACE.comFrom OPF to C3PF
Built in 1986 to serve as a space shuttle maintenance and refurbishment facility and then upgraded to be the third of the orbiter processing facilities (OPF-3) at Kennedy Space Center, the modernized C3PF now provides about 78,000 square feet (7,300 square meters) of processing and manufacturing areas — the same space as about 30 average-size American homes.
“Just a few years ago, this building was the base for the space shuttle Discovery,” said Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who flew aboard the space shuttle as a congressional observer the same year the C3PF was first built. “If these walls could talk, what a story they would tell — now they begin to tell about a new chapter in our space history.”
That new chapter begins with Boeing’s transition from the design to production and integrated testing of the CST-100 Starliner.
“Today, we’re in the middle of producing the structural test article, the first piece of fully flight design hardware,” said John Mulholland, vice president of commercial programs at Boeing. “We’ve got an upper and lower dome, a tunnel and hatch that are ready to be assembled and shipped out to the test site.”
Later this year or by early next year, the major components of Boeing’s next crew module will arrive at the C3PF, and by next May, the company expects to power on the first fully functional Starliner.
“Immediately after that, we will be in full production for the first crew module that’s going to go to space,” Mulholland said, referencing an uncrewed test flight planned for May 2017. “We now have a clear path to regaining domestic launch capability.”
Boeing initially plans to build three Starliner crew modules, each intended to fly 10 missions. The CST-100 Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas Vrocket and return from space under parachutes to a touchdown using airbags at landing sites in the western United States.
Welcome the CST-100 Starliner
The opening of the C3PF coincided with Boeing’s yearlong celebration of its first 100 years as a company.
“As I think about our centennial coming up, I am always reminded of points of history,” stated Dennis Muilenburg, the president and CEO of Boeing. “You get a sense that at this point we are witnessing something that we are all going to remember decades from now.”
“This is a point in history that reflects a new era in human spaceflight,” he said.
It was with that optimism that Boeing selected “Starliner” as the name for the spacecraft that will take the company into its next century.
“We wanted to choose something that gave a nod to the next generation of space and the next 100 years of flight for Boeing,” Ferguson said. “The CST-100 incorporates 50 years of heritage in spacecraft design, and is paving the way for the next 100 years of flight.”
Watch Boeing’s introduction to its new commercial crew and cargo processing facility (C3PF) at collectSPACE.com.
Pearlman attended the C3PF grand opening in part for Space.com on a trip paid for by The Boeing Company.
Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2015 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
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May the Toys Be with You! 5 Cool 'Force Friday' Finds
One of the new “Star Wars” toys that become available today (Sept. 4) is the adorable robot BB-8.
Credit: Getty for Toys“R”UsThe new line of “Star Wars” toys was revealed today (Sept. 4), aka Force Friday, and we’re already picking out our favorites. The toys feature a mixture of elements from the upcoming movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the classic “Star Wars” trilogy and the three prequels. Here are five of the new toys we love (check out the “Star Wars” Amazon store for these and more toys)
The Sphero BB-8 ($150)
Everyone seems to be talking about the BB-8 RC robot. Its amazing technology and adorable physicality make it feel more like a pet than a toy. Check out the great video, posted below, from Yahoo Tech’s Dan Howley to see what I mean. The accompanying article also includes a description of the technology behind this little ‘bot. Many of the fans we interviewed at last night’s Times Square Toys “R” Us midnight reveal said they were there to buy the BB-8, which was one of the few toys that was widely reviewed prior to last night’s big reveal.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Bladebuilders Jedi Master Lightsaber ($49.99)
Do you prefer the classic, swordlike lightsaber, like those wielded by Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi? Are you partial to the tri-pointed saber wielded by Kylo Ren? Or do you want a totally unique lightsaber design? The Bladebuilders Jedi Master Lightsaber offers over 100 lightsaber combinations. The kit comes with a main lightsaber blade featuring lights and sounds, two light daggers that also light up, plus multiple hilt pieces including an expansion hilt, two elbow connectors, a dual connector and a cross connector.
Poe Dameron’s Black X-Wing Vehicle ($49.99) and Lego Building Kit ($79.99)
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” isn’t due out until Dec. 18, but based on the brief teaser trailer, X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron looks awesome. Let’s hope the character lives up to the hype, because these black X-Wing vehicles are also extremely tempting. Technically, this is two different toys: the classic action-figure vehicle (equipped with projectile cannon, moving wings, plus Dameron and BB-8 figures) and the Lego building kit (this one is packed with features: four spring-loaded shooters, two stud shooters, retractable landing gear, opening wings, opening cockpit, three minifigures, a BB-8 minifigure and much more).
Lego Millennium Falcon Building Kit ($150)
This isn’t the first time Lego has produced a Millennium Falcon building kit, but the earlier edition of the kit is now retired, so it’s hard to find one for less than about $250. The new “Force Awakens” version of the classic ship may be even better than the last one: According to the “Star Wars” Lego homepage, the new Falcon is “crammed with new and updated external features, including an even more streamlined and detailed design, [a] detachable cockpit with space for two minifigures, rotating top and bottom laser turrets with hatch and space for a minifigure, dual spring-loaded shooters, [a] sensor dish, [a] ramp, and an entrance hatch.” The description goes on and on about the inside of the ship as well. It comes with six minifigures, including a silver-haired Han Solo.
New Action Figures ($7.99 – $19.99)
While the high-tech options made available on Force Friday are certainly something to behold, sometimes the best toys are those that leave the most to the imagination. So we’re also loving the new action figures that were released today, based on characters from the new movie, including Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca and new Stormtroopers, as well as classic figures such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. There are multiple new action-figure lines, including the 3.75-inch (9.5 centimeters) “Build-a-weapon” figures that come with additional weapon accessories ($7.99); the 3.75-inch “Armor up” figures that come with additional armor accessories ($12.99); the 12-inch (31 cm) action figures ($9.99); and the “Black Series” 6-inch (15 cm) action figures, which are more detailed and probably better for display ($19.99). These toys are classic, affordable and the only type of toy that never feels dated.
Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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Making Mars Exploration 'Smart and Cool': NASA and 'The Martian'
Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is stranded on Mars, in the new Ridley Scott movie, “The Martian.”
Credit: Twentieth Century FoxIn the history of Hollywood envisioning the future of space exploration, few, if any movies have come as close to NASA’s own goals at the time of their release as does “The Martian.”
At a recent media event that previewed NASA’s “Journey to Mars” and the Ridley Scott film opening in theaters on Oct. 2, the director of the U.S. space agency’s planetary science division integrated images from the movie into his talk about NASA’s real missions to the Red Planet, subtly blurring the line between reality and imagination.
“As a filmmaker, [Scott] wanted to make [“The Martian”] realistic, and I really appreciated pulling together teams of people and answering the questions that he asked,” stated NASA’s Jim Green while describing his interaction with the movie’s director. “And the more that happened, the more I got excited about it.” [Video: Matt Damon Says Making ‘The Martian’ Was Amazing]
“Because it does indeed look very realistic, there are a lot of realistic elements in it, and it is very much appreciated from a NASA perspective,” he said.
Green and Scott came together to discuss their respective visions for the exploration of Mars at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, where they were joined by astronaut Drew Feustel, actor Matt Damon and Andrew Weir, whose novel “The Martian” was the basis for the film.
“It never occurred to me that it would have mainstream appeal,” Weir said of his 2011 book, which he initially self-published online. “I just thought it would be this complete niche, that very few people would be interested in.”
“My favorite thing,” he added, “is when I get fan mail that begins ‘I don’t normally read science fiction, but…’”
Emphasis on the science
As the movie trailers have already revealed, Damon plays NASA astronaut Mark Watney, who finds himself stranded on Mars in the near future. His only hope for survival is to “science the shit out of this planet,” as Damon’s character memorably states in both the book and the film.
Weir went to some lengths to make sure that the science he presented was correct, going so far as first calculating the trajectory that his Ares III astronaut crew would take to reach Mars, such that where and when they landed was scientifically accurate. [See Photos from ‘The Martian’]
As such, Scott was keen to get the science as correct as possible, too.
What he found though was that it was more of a challenge to make a movie where the engineering was grounded in reality than one where the science fiction could be more futuristic. For example, to get around the fact that Mars has less gravitational pull than on Earth, Scott rationalized how his astronauts walked on the surface.
“It is a fairly chunky suit,” he explained. “Fairly heavy, so the mathematics roughly works out at, more or less, just under normal movement.”
“It’s a situation where you just have to suggest it, I think” Damon added. “We’re not at a point where we can do 40 percent gravity. We can do weightlessness, we can get on wires and do that space stuff, or you can do the ‘Vomit Comet’ [parabolic flights].”
“But it’s not what these real guys can do – I’m sitting next to one,” he said, pointing at Feustel to his right.
“These things are very real for us,” said the veteran of two spaceflights, “these visions of exploration, and this brings them to life. Thank you for making us look good.”
“We are not as smart and cool as we look up there on the screen,” Feustel remarked.
As it turns out, being cool is something the space agency, and its astronauts, find can be difficult.
“The challenge we have at NASA — even as astronauts — part of our role is to go out and educate the public, talk to kids and inspire people. But unfortunately we do that with boring things that we do really well,” Feustel said.
“I mean, we have been exploring space with humans for a long, long time — more than fifty years, and the challenge we have is, we do it well, we do it right, we try not to make mistakes, and we keep the drama out of it,” he stated. “I watched this movie, I read this book, and it’s just amazing — I was really captivated. But as an astronaut, the last thing you want to have happen is something to go wrong, someone to be left behind, someone to be dead. That is not part of our business.”
And so that is where movies like “The Martian” can play a role, observed Weir.
NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, at left, actor Matt Damon, director Ridley Scott, author Andy Weir, and NASA’s director of planetary sciences Jim Green pose for a photo together after talking about NASA’s journey to Mars and the “The Martian.”
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls“If the public has an interest in science that drives a market demand for science-based entertainment and when you have guys like [Scott and Damon] making stuff of this quality, you are going to get butts in seats. That’s going to encourage more people to make similar movies,” he said. “So people are more interested in actual science fiction as opposed what science fiction used to be, which is just fantasy with a scientific skin on it.”
While he is realistic, Damon is hopeful that perhaps “The Martian” will make a small difference in advancing getting humans to Mars.
“I don’t have any lofty expectations, but I do hope some kids see it and geek out in science and enjoy it,” he said. “And maybe it’s one thing amongst many other things in their life that might push them in that direction.”
Click through to collectSPACE.com to watch the latest movie trailer for “The Martian.”
Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2015 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
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Right Place, Right Time: See Mercury in the Night Sky This Week
Mercury is a very challenging planet to view, but this week, skywatchers have a good chance to see it, especially in the Southern Hemisphere —on Friday, Sept. 4, the planet travels as far east of the sun as it can go, its greatest elongation.
Here, we see the planet as we might from space —for example, on the International Space Station or with the Hubble Space Telescope. The green line marks the ecliptic, the path the sun appears to follow over the year from Earth’s perspective. Most of the planets also appear to revolve in this same plane.
The red line is Mercury’s orbit, which you can see is tilted quite a bit compared to the ecliptic. Of all the planets, Mercury’s 7-degree tilt is the most extreme. The small, orange dot marks Mercury’s position this Friday —as far east of the sun as it can go. [Planet Mercury: Some Surprising Facts for Skywatchers]
How will Mercury look to viewers on Earth? It very much depends on where you are located.
As seen from Europe and North America, the ecliptic makes a shallow angle with the horizon, so Mercury is not well placed.
Credit: Starry Night SoftwareThis view of Mercury is how it will appear to me from my location close to Toronto at sunset. Everyone at a similar latitude across southern Canada, the northern United States and most of Europe and Asia will see something very similar.
Because of the Earth’s current position in its orbit around the sun, the ecliptic makes a very shallow angle with the western horizon as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. So, even though Mercury is as far east of the sun as it can get, at this time of the year, it ends up very close to the horizon during the best viewing time, around sunset. To make matters worse, because of its orbit’s tilt, Mercury is quite far south of the ecliptic at this time. As a result, Mercury is barely 7 degrees above the horizon at sunset.
As seen from Australia and South Africa, the ecliptic makes a steep angle with the horizon, so Mercury is very well placed.
Credit: Starry Night SoftwareThe situation in the Southern Hemisphere is very different. This view shows the sky from Australia. The ecliptic makes a very steep angle with the horizon —and Mercury is south of the ecliptic, so the planet is much higher above the horizon at sunset (26 degrees, in fact).
As a result, spotting Mercury from the Northern Hemisphere will be a major challenge this week, but the lucky people in the Southern Hemisphere will have a fine view.
This situation reverses in the spring, when Northern Hemisphere skywatchers get a fine view of Mercury at dusk and Southern Hemisphere viewers are out of luck. It also reverses when Mercury is at elongation on the western side of the sun —as far away from the sun as possible in that direction. That is why, every year, we publish a table showing which elongations of Mercury will be favorable or unfavorable, depending on which hemisphere you view it from.
All in all, even though it is very bright, Mercury is probably the most challenging planet to view. You have to be in the right place at the right time.
Mercury viewed through a telescope is a disappointment. The most you will see is a tiny disk, which goes through phases similar to Venus’ and the moon’s. But it is a great satisfaction to most stargazers to say that they have actually seen it at all.
This article was provided to Space.com by Simulation Curriculum, the leader in space science curriculum solutions and the makers of Starry Night and SkySafari. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.