Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

Don't miss the last Soldiers Delight Star Party of 2024 - Saturday, December 21, 2024

 

Soldiers Delight Star Party - December 21, 2024

"The Search for Exoplanets"

Tonight, we embark on an exciting journey beyond our solar system to explore the fascinating world of exoplanets and the quest for habitable zones. The search for exoplanets—planets orbiting stars outside our solar system—has revolutionized our understanding of the universe and our place within it. With advancements in technology and the dedication of astronomers worldwide, we have discovered thousands of these distant worlds, each with its own unique characteristics. Our discussion will delve into the methods used to detect these planets, the criteria that define a habitable zone, and the implications of finding potentially life-supporting environments beyond Earth. Join me as we unravel the mysteries of these distant realms and consider the profound question: Are we alone in the universe?

December Highlights

Meteor Showers

December 12: Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks
The Geminids are quite active during their peak, with up to 120 meteors per hour. But a nearly full moon this year could make some of the dimmer ones harder to see. 

Planetary Views

Venus: Venus keeps getting brighter this month as it moves closer to Earth (it will reach its closest point in February of 2025).
Jupiter:  the king of planets will be at opposition on Saturday, December 7.
Mars: Increasing in brightness throughout the month, visible in the late evening.

December 15: Full “Cold” Moon

December’s full moon, which is nicknamed the cold moon, the oak moon and the black moon, will peak at 4:02 am on December 15.

Constellations

Orion: The beautiful constellation of Orion rises in the early evening, a favorite for stargazers.

All programs are Rain or Shine. All ages.

Time machines will be provided by the Westminster Astronomy Club.

Activity: "Where Are the Distant Worlds?" and "What is the "Habitable Zone"?

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Location:

Soldiers Delight Environmental Area
5100 Deer Park Rd.
Owings Mills, MD 21117

Join us at the Soldiers Delight Star Party - November 16, 2024

Soldiers Delight Star Party - November 16, 2024

"Exploring the Wonders of Our Solar System: A Journey Across Planetary Realms."

Tonight, we embark on a cosmic voyage, traversing the vast expanse of space to unveil the marvels and mysteries that inhabit our celestial neighborhood. We will embark on a grand tour of our solar system, from the scorching inferno of Mercury to the icy depths of the Kuiper Belt. Along the way, we will encounter gas giants adorned with swirling storms, rocky worlds scarred by eons of cosmic collisions, and icy moons harboring secrets of their own.

November Highlights

Meteor Showers

Southern Taurids: Peaking on November 4-5, this shower is known for its bright fireballs.
Northern Taurids: Following closely, this shower peaks on November 11-12 and often aligns with the Southern Taurids for a double meteor show.
Leonids: Known for their swift, bright meteors, the Leonids peak on November 17-18.

Planetary Views

Venus: Becoming more prominent in the western evening sky.
Jupiter: Visible in the east, shining brightly among the stars of Taurus.
Saturn: Located in the south, with its stunning rings visible through a telescope.
Mars: Increasing in brightness throughout the month, visible in the late evening.
Mercury: An evening object, though challenging to view due to its low position on the southwest horizon.

Supermoon

Beaver Moon: The fourth and final supermoon of 2024, offering a spectacular view.

Constellations

Orion: The beautiful constellation of Orion rises in the early evening, a favorite for stargazers.

All programs are Rain or Shine. All ages.
Time machines will be provided by the Westminster Astronomy Club.

Activity: Making a Comet

Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Location:

Soldiers Delight Environmental Area
5100 Deer Park Rd.
Owings Mills, MD 21117

Sun Eats Comet

Back on Oct 1, 2024, I posted that the ATLAS survey in Hawaii had discovered another new comet that would become bright in Earth’s skies. Predictions for C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) had it reaching as bright as magnitude -5 to -7 when it comes closest to the sun, at perihelion, on October 28. But now it appears likely that the Sun has devoured this latest interloper. The latest imagery from the sun-observing SOHO spacecraft suggests that Comet S1 did not survive its run-in with the sun. On its approach to today’s perihelion, the once-promising sungrazer comet seems to vanish from the spacecraft’s field of view. Presumably, the comet has disintegrated.

Complete article can be found at EarthSky

More of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

I'm still processing the camera shots of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS that I took on Thursday from the church property in Westminster, but yesterday I noticed that the comet was high enough in the sky now to be visible from my home above the trees. So, I imaged it with my wide field ZS61 telescope and ASI533 camera. Later this coming week I'll image it with my EdgeHD11 to get real close and hopefully some more fine detail in the tail(s).

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - October 18, 2024 - 7:30pm EDT
ZS61/ASI533mc - 17x60sec

New Photos of Comet A3

Skies cleared wonderfully this evening, so I set up my camera at my church property and snapped away! 

Here are the first images to be processed, I'll get to the rest later this week.

Image one is a stacked composite using Astro Pixel Processor to register and stack the comet and PSP to enhance the image. The anti-tail is plainly visible.

Comet A3 - October 15, 2024 7:28 pm EDT
Canon 70D - 22 stacked subs
70mm, ISO 400, f/5 5sec per sub 

Image two is a single photo, taken at the end of my session at 18mm, processed in PSP to enhance the image.

Comet A3 - October 15, 2024 - 7:59 pm EDT
Canon 70D - f/4, ISO3200, 18mm, 5 sec

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas has an anti-tail!

Comet A3 has an anti-tail! Can you see it?

What's so special about an anti-tail? Well ... ordinary comet tails always point away from the sun. That's because they're created by solar radiation pressure and by solar wind streaming out from our star. But – as of Sunday – Comet A3 also has a rare anti-tail pointing toward the sun. An anti-tail appears as Earth crosses the comet’s orbital plane, as it has been since Sunday and will be through this evening. A discussion of A3's rare anti-tail can be found at EarthSky.

Here are a few photos of A3 with it's anti-tail. I was actually able to capture it in my photos from Monday (see Sky and Rockets: Additional Processing of Tsuchinshan-Atlas) but these are really excellent.

Yarelis Medina caught the anti-tail of Comet A3
on October 13, 2024, from Utuado, Puerto Rico.

By Anis Abdul
Pontotoc, TX, USA, Pontotoc, TX, United States
AstroBin

Soldiers Delight Star Party this Saturday

“Unlocking the Cosmic Secrets: The James Webb Space Telescope”

Join us on a captivating journey beyond the visible spectrum! The JWST, humanity’s latest cosmic sentinel, is poised to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. Imagine peering through the veil of dust and time, witnessing the birth of galaxies, the dance of exoplanets, and the cosmic symphony of star formation. In this exclusive talk, we’ll delve into the cutting-edge science, awe-inspiring innovations, and mind-boggling discoveries that await us. Buckle up, stargazers—Webb has already challenged our understanding of the Universe and is continuing to unveil the cosmos as never before!

All programs are Rain or Shine. Time machines will be provided by the Westminster Astronomy Club.

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024

Time: 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. Eastern

Location:

Soldiers Delight Environmental Area
5100 Deer Park Rd.
Owings Mills, MD 21117

Additional Processing of Tsuchinshan-Atlas

Spent some time stacking 14 individual 10sec images to get a cleaner, slightly more detailed image of the comet.

First sighting of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas

Tonight was the first evening that I expected comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas to be visible, possibly with the naked eye, but certainly in binoculars. Originally, I was going to view it at my church in Westminster, but the overlook on Deer Park road, just west of the Soldiers Delight Visitor Center (where I give lectures every third Saturday evening) was just a couple of minutes from where I live and has a nice parking area facing west.

I arrived at 6:00PM and there was already about 10 or so folks gathering to photograph the comet. Had a great time talking with everyone while waiting for the sky to darken a bit and the comet to show. Some rather thick clouds were obscuring the western horizon, but as soon as it got reasonably dark Tsuchinshan-Atlas made it's appearance. It appeared to be quite dim, but that could have been due to the cirrus and cirrostratus clouds covering the area. Fairly easy to spot with binoculars - tail extending about 10 degrees nearly straight up.

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas - October 13, 2024 - 7:41PM EDT
Canon 70D - 32mm f/4 ISO 800 10sec
Processed in Paint Shop Pro

Weather prospects are still fairly good for the next few evenings, and with the comet rising a bit each day it should be easier to pick out. I'll be imaging it every night, weather permitting.

Aurora Here In Reisterstown

Although I try to announce when astronomical events will happen reasonably in advance of the event auroras are hard to anticipate and predict. Partially because I've never seen one myself and it is very rare to see them at all this far south (they are a northern sky event, hence the popular name "Northern Lights".

However, I was ready to post about the likelihood of seeing the aurora after 10:00pm tonight when I get a Facebook notification from my astronomy club (WASI) that the event is happening NOW (that was at about 7:00 - 7:30 pm). It is still possible to see it throughout the evening, but the major portion may have already gone by.

Here are a few pics from my iPhone taken from my front yard in Reisterstown, MD.