Astronomy

A chemical reaction that recycles carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen could provide more sustainable life support for astronauts on the moon or Mars – and as a bonus, it also produces carbon nanotubes

A chemical reaction that recycles carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen could provide more sustainable life support for astronauts on the moon or Mars – and as a bonus, it also produces carbon nanotubes

Loneliness was long thought to cause health conditions ranging from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, but new research paints a more nuanced picture

Loneliness was long thought to cause health conditions ranging from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, but new research paints a more nuanced picture

Artificial intelligence has more in common with ants than humans, says Neil Lawrence. Only by taking a more nuanced view of intelligence can we see how machines will truly transform society

Artificial intelligence has more in common with ants than humans, says Neil Lawrence. Only by taking a more nuanced view of intelligence can we see how machines will truly transform society

Apophis will come close enough to Earth to be seen with the naked eye in 2029, but a chance encounter with another asteroid could steer 'God of Destruction' space rock destructively close on a future pass.

The long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so huge so quickly could be solved by decaying dark matter

The long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so huge so quickly could be solved by decaying dark matter

The Moon just brushes the umbral shadow of the Earth during Tuesday night’s partial lunar eclipse.

A shallow partial lunar eclipse is on tap for the night of September 17th/18th. The eclipse is a slight one to be sure, but will be noticeable as the northwestern limb of the Moon just slips past the dark inner umbral shadow of the Earth. The eclipse is just over 8% partial at its maximum, meaning the Full Moon will look a little ‘smushed’ on one side at mid-eclipse.

The path of the Moon through the Earth’s shadow Tuesday night. Credit: F.Espenak/NASA/GSFC. Additional annotations by author. Timing and Visibility

The eclipse will be visible in its entirety around the Atlantic Ocean region, including western Africa and Europe, eastern North America, and all of South America. Eastern Europe and Africa will see the eclipse in progress at moonset towards sunrise, while western North America will see the eclipse already underway at moonrise/sunset. The umbral (partial) phase of the eclipse lasts not quite 63 minutes in duration, and is centered on 2:45 Universal Time (UT) Sept 18th/10:45 PM U.S. East Coast Time (EDT) on the evening of Tuesday, September 17th. The entire penumbral phase of the eclipse starts at 00:41 UT/8:41PM EDT, and runs about 4 hours and six minutes in duration.

A map showing the visibility footprint of Tuesday night’s eclipse. F. Espenak/NASA/GSFC A Complicated Celestial Affair

This is also a complex event, before and after the eclipse. First up, the Moon occults (passes in front of) the planet Saturn for western North America, just over 15 hours prior. Then, the Moon reaches perigee (its closest point to the Earth) just 10 hours after the eclipse. This will likely lead to cries of a ‘Supermoon eclipse’ across ye ‘ole web. Don’t buy into any purported ‘Blood Moon’ hype; the Moon won’t go far enough into the umbral shadow of the Earth to turn red. Finally, the Moon also occults Neptune for North America just over five hours after the eclipse, a challenging event indeed.

The start of the January 31st, 2018 lunar eclipse. Credit: Marion Haligowski.

The September Moon nearest the Equinox (which falls on Sunday, September 22nd, for 2024) is also known as the Harvest Moon. Not only did the illumination from the Full Moon give farmers in the pre-industrial era a few extra hours to get the harvest in, but the angle of the ecliptic is shallow enough in September that the Moon seems to linger from one night to the next, rising only slightly later. I remember growing up picking potatoes in Northern Maine in September, working our way home on foot under the light of the Harvest Moon.

A partial lunar eclipse over London, UK from April 25th, 2013. Credit: Sculptor Lil. Catching This Week’s Partial Lunar Eclipse

Observing and imaging the eclipse is as simple as following the Full Moon Tuesday night at the appointed time. Modern phones zoomed in will produce a clear image, as will a phone camera aimed through the eyepiece of a telescope. You probably won’t notice anything is amiss with the eclipse until about 30 minutes into the penumbral phase. Then, the Moon may seem to have a bit of a tea-colored tint. Towards the partial phase, the ragged umbral shadow of the Earth will just brush the Moon. The curve of the shadow cast by the Earth will become apparent, visual proof that our fair planet is indeed round.

Cloud cover prospects for the contiguous United States seem to favor the central and southern U.S. around eclipse time:

Cloud cover percentages for the CONUS around eclipse time. Credit: NWS/NOAA.

Clouded out, or simply live in the wrong hemisphere? You can still watch the eclipse live courtesy of astronomer Gianluca Masi and the Virtual Telescope Project.

The Partial Lunar Eclipse…As Seen From Space

The spectacle extends out into space as well. Most of the Earthward face of the Moon will experience a partial solar eclipse, except the very northwestern limb, which will see a total solar eclipse. Perhaps one day, human astronauts will stand on the Moon and witness this event.

A time lapse of Tuesday night’s eclipse as seen from the northwest limb of the Moon. Credit: Stellarium. Tales of the Saros

Eclipses (lunar or solar) occur in groups known as saroses, with members spaced 18.04 years (223 synodic months) apart. Several saroses are active at any given time. This is eclipse member 52 of 74 for lunar saros series 118, meaning this cycle is past its prime on its way out. Lunar saros 118 began waaaaay back on March 2nd, 1105. This saros produced its first total lunar eclipse on August 22nd, 1393, and final one on June 22nd, 1880. If you caught the September 7th, 2006 partial lunar eclipse centered over the Indian Ocean region, you caught the last member of this saros cycle. The final member of saros series (a barely perceptible penumbral eclipse) occurs on… (mark your calendars) May 7th, 2403.

This marks the start of the final eclipse season of 2024. This is book-ended by an annular solar eclipse two weeks from now on October 2nd. This event spans Easter Island in the South Pacific, and the southern tip of South America.

The next lunar eclipse is a total lunar eclipse on March 13-14th 2025 favoring the Americas. This ends the current ongoing ‘lunar eclipse drought,’ as the last one occurred on November 8th, 2022.

The partial phase start of a lunar eclipse. Credit: Dave Dickinson

If skies are clear, be sure to give this final lunar eclipse of 2024 a look Tuesday night.

The post Earth’s Shadow Nicks the Moon During This Week’s Partial Lunar Eclipse appeared first on Universe Today.

Looking for your next space exploration game? Astroneer is getting its first expansion soon and might be the playful odyssey you're looking for.

We think the Nikon z6 II mirrorless camera is one of the best cameras for astrophotography and now this bundle is $500 off.

Northern lights could be visible over mid-latitudes across the US and Europe tonight, Sept. 16. A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

China's new Long March 8A rocket could fly for the first time by the end of the year, helping the country build a number of planned satellite megaconstellation.

Mars has always held a special place in our hearts, likely from hints over the decades of perhaps finding signs of life, albeit fossilised and primitive. It’s been the subject of study from telescopes and space missions alike, most notably ESA’s Mars Express which has been observing the red planet for 20 years. Over the two decades of observation it has studied an amazing variety of atmospheric phenomenon which have now been catalogued in a new ‘Cloud Atlas.’ Many will be familiar to sky watchers on Earth but some are very different. 

The atmosphere of the red planet is thin and mostly composed of carbon dioxide. There are traces of nitrogen and argon but with an atmospheric pressure of just 1% of the Earth’s it’s inhospitable for human life. The rarefied atmosphere provides insufficient insulation to the surface leading to aggressive temperature fluctuations from -125°C on night time side to 20°C during the day. It’s not unusual for dust storms to whip up in the atmosphere sometimes encircling the entire planet. It’s in this atmosphere that a multitude of cloud features have been observed. 

Mars, Credit NASA

Over the last 20 years, Mars Express has been studying the cloud formations in the Martian atmosphere. It was launched in June 2003 to study Mars remotely from an orbit around the red planet. Mars Express was not only studying atmospheric phenomenon but also the surface, subsurface and geological history. With a suite of scientific instruments from high resolution cameras and radar to spectrometers and atmospheric sensors, Mars Express is well equipped for the task. 

Using the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HSRC) on board Mars Express, images of a multitude of clouds have been captured. The clouds are usually the result of microscopic dust particles in the atmosphere around which, water and carbon dioxide crystals form. The dust particles themselves can be left hanging in the atmosphere following unusually strong winds that lift large quantities of dust into the atmosphere. They are occasionally seen as large beige coloured clouds. In the north polar regions it’s possible to see giant spiral dust storms as cyclonic storm systems develop. They are one of the drivers of the global weather systems seen on Mars and studying them is crucial to understanding the dynamics of the atmosphere. 

In January 2024, DLR’s HRSC on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft captured the Caralis Chaos region, which has several interesting and sometimes puzzling landscape features – such as a field of small, light-coloured hills to the northeast (bottom-right of the image). The mounds are located in the remains of a depression that was once filled by a lake. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

So called ‘gravity waves’ are a common sight on Mars as they are on Earth. Somewhat resembling rolling hills or the rippling of water, they are usually seen in the mid-latitudes in the colder winter months. A particular type of these gravity waves, known as Lee waves, can build up on the downwind side of mountains and ridges. The presence of the mountain or other large obstacle disturbs the laminar flow of air to generate the effect.

The study has led to a Martian cloud spotters dream, the publication of a fully browsable 20-years of cloud images and data. It was created by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Berlin and is proving invaluable helping researchers to gain a better understanding of the Martian atmosphere. In particular how the different dynamical processes can lead to the clouds seen. The ‘Atlas’ which is available to the public here has been presented at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin by Daniela Tirsch form DLR.

Source : Cloud Atlas of Mars Showcases Array of Atmospheric Phenomena

The post Mars has an Amazing Variety of Clouds appeared first on Universe Today.

Temperature fluctuations above Antarctica in winter show the earliest warming of the stratosphere on record.

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A species of leaf chameleon newly named Brookesia nofy was discovered in a patch of coastal rainforest, a highly threatened habitat in Madagascar

A species of leaf chameleon newly named Brookesia nofy was discovered in a patch of coastal rainforest, a highly threatened habitat in Madagascar