SpaceX Starship Flight 7: Highs and Lows

SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket for the seventh time ever today (Jan. 16). The launch was beautiful (as usual for these Super Heavy rockets).

SpaceX's seventh Starship megarocket launches on a test flight on Jan. 16, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX)

One of the goals of this test flight was to catch Starship's giant first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, back at Starbase's launch tower, using the structure's "chopstick" arms, which was accomplished back in October of last year for the first time during flight #5. SpaceX succeeded in doing so once again (see video at MSN).

But approximately eight minutes into the flight, SpaceX lost contact with the Starship upper stage, known as Ship and it went out with a bang. Preliminary analysis has indicated that some sort of pressure build up in the craft caused the explosion (video).

Blue Origin finally joins the Space Race

Jeff Bezos must be proud today as New Glenn launched for the first time ever this morning (Jan. 16). It launched off a brand new pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Florida's Space Coast at 2:03 a.m. EST. 

Blue Origin launches its first New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
 on Jan. 16, 2025. (Image credit: Miguel J. Rodríguez Carrillo/Getty Images)

About 12.5 minutes later, the rocket's upper stage reached orbit — the main goal of today's test flight, which the company called NG-1. Unfortunately, the booster, which was expected to return for a landing on a barge, did not return.

See the full details of the launch at Space.com

 

Comet Atlas rounds the sun

Comet ATLAS G3 in the sunset’s glow

Comet ATLAS G3 has successfully made its trip around the sun and is now visible just after sunset until about January 20 for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Southern Hemisphere observers will have the best views. For those of us in the north, things are a little more difficult. During this time the comet will be placed very close to the sun; within 5 degrees of the sun from our point of view (that’s about three fingers width held at arm’s length). ATLAS will stay relatively close to the sun (from our point of view) for a couple days on either side of perihelion. See Earth Sky for details on the orbital approach to the sun.

Steven Bellavia in Smithfield, Virginia, caught Comet ATLAS G3 on January 15, 2025.

Although ATLAS is very bright it will be sinking to the south as it exits the sun’s vicinity and so for those of us at 40 degrees north latitude ATLAS will be difficult to see. But, if ATLAS develops a long tail, we might be able to see just the tail after sunset even though the head of the comet may be below the horizon. Back in 2007 Comet McNaught provided this very view.

Since I'm still on a cruise ship in Norway I doubt I'll be able to capture this comet.

Day 6 - Changed Itinerary

Well, it looks like the cruise to Tromsø and Alta won't happen. The ship needs to remain in Alesund while inspections are underway to verify the integrity of the ship to make sure there isn't any structural damage. Too bad; no sled rides with the huskies or reindeer sleigh rides. But Viking is doing everything they can to make our voyage as enjoyable as possible and they are providing a 60% voucher for a future cruise (which we will take advantage of!). The changed itinerary now includes stops at Flåm, Eidfjord and Stravanger before returning to Bergen.

As for the Northern Lights (this is an Astronomy and Space blog after all) - the weather is simply not cooperating, and neither is the sun for that matter (low KP index). Rain and clouds expected for the next few days. 

Here are a few more photos of Ålesund from our ship.

Day 5 - Ålesund Norway

We docked in Ålesund late last night. After breakfast we headed out to tour the city via tour bus. The only group available was the early tour which started at 8:30, and of course it was still dark at that time. The tour was to run about 90 minutes, so we would get back to the ship when the sun was just rising. It was raining and there was some wind, but the tour was actually quite enjoyable as we got to see the town lit with the seasonal lights and by 9:00 am it was dusky and easy to see the historic sites. Getting pictures with my SLR was hard, so I used the trusty iPhone.

Mountains between the Fjords

The city's art nouveau architecture appeared after a fire destroyed much of the city in 1904. Over 850 houses burned down. Near the place where the fire stopped spreading was a house that was untouched. It is the white house at the top of the hill in the picture below (with the white flagpole on the left of the house). More than 50 architects and builders designed the new city, which spreads across several islands, in the art nouveau style that still graces Ålesund today.

The municipality of Ålesund occupies seven of the large outer islands in the county of Møre og Romsdal: Hessa, Aspøya, Nørvøya, Oksenøya, Ellingsøya, Humla, and Tørla. The town centre is located on the islands Aspøya and Nørvøya, while Hessa and Oksenøya contain residential areas. There are also many other smaller surrounding islands.

The second largest island, Ellingsøya, used to be accessible only by boat or by road via Skodje Municipality, but the undersea Ellingsøy Tunnel was built in 1987 to make traveling between the island and the town center more convenient. The tunnel is 3,481 meters (11,421 ft) long and was upgraded in 2009. Our tour guide lives in Ellingsøya and she mentioned that her daily commute from her home to her place of work was reduced to 5 minutes from the one hour prior to the tunnel opening.

Our next stop is Tromsø, but another north sea storm may impact our plans.

Day 4 - Storm at Sea

We had an unscheduled 'entertainment' activity last evening (actually, early morning of the 13th).  The ship ran into a fairly large wind storm at about 1:00 AM. With winds of 65-85 mph and gusts of over 100 mph, the sea churned with swells of 50+ feet!! Not surprisingly the brand-new Viking Vela (this is only the 2nd voyage since it was delivered to Viking from the Fincantieri S.p.A., Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy) was listing and rocking quite violently. Most everything in our cabin was tossed around and lots of the furniture, bar equipment, liquor bottles, dining room tableware, books on shelves in the atrium, and just about anything else not attached to the walls or floor in the public areas went flying throughout the ship. Our closet doors were damaged as they swung uncontrollably back and forth on their sliders, but other than that, everything else seems to be fine.

Captain Rune Loekling had to turn the ship into the wind to minimize the rocking and swaying and because of that we started heading west and southwest, opposite the direction we should be sailing. Finally, at about 2:00 pm the winds died down a bit (to only 45-55 mph) and the swells got
smaller (20-30 ft).

Captain Rune decided it was best to anchor at Ålesund (at least I think that is where we are headed) with the assistance of two tug boats. This means our second port-of-call, Narvik (#3 on the map), will not be made and so our excursion to Katterat Station was cancelled. 

The captain and cruise director tell us that we can finally leave out staterooms by 5:30-6:00 this evening for dinner service at the various restaurants (we were served breakfast and lunch in our rooms).

Here's to better conditions tomorrow - although another, smaller storm will hit us while anchored in Ålesund. Hey - all this extra entertainment is a bonus, right?

Soldiers Delight Star Party - This Saturday, Jan 18!

Soldiers Delight Star Party - January 18, 2025

Come out and join us for an exciting discussion of what's up in the winter sky. As I am currently on a cruise ship sailing up the Norway coast in search of the Northern Lights, I will not be your host for this session. Our WASI president, Skip, will entertain you!

ORION BATTLES JUPITER FOR CUSTODY OF THE TWINS!

Join us for an epic battle of the Titians as we start the New Year. See Jupiter the king of the planets go toe to toe with Orion the King of Deep sky wonders in a battle to see who will get custody of the twins (Gemini), While Venus and Saturn watch nearby and Mars eggs them both on. 

Make a comet to see where meteor showers come from and one lucky person will win a genuine meteorite.

You can find out about special local events by contacting us at https://www.westminsterastro.org/.

All programs rain or shine. Time machines will be provided by the Westminster Astronomy Club.

Activity: Making a Comet.

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

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

Location: Soldiers Delight Environmental Area

5100 Deer Park Rd.

Owings Mills, MD 21117

Viking Cruise to Norway - In Search of the Northern Lights

In Search of the Northern Lights

Joan and I are currently on a Viking Cruise to Norway. It is tagged as "In Search of the Northern Lights" but, of course, that depends on a number of things - predominatly the weather and the Sun's activity. As we know, the Sun has been very active in the past few years (I was able to see and photograph the aurora back in October of last year from my home in Maryland). But the best places to see it are of course far north - hence our trip to Norway.

Currently, the solar activity is not all that strong (KP of 1.33). And, to further complicate matters, the weather forecast is for cloudy weather with snow almost every day. But, we'll keep an eye open! Regardless of the weather we are thoroughly enjoying the sightseeing and life on the cruise ship.

Day 1 - Jan 11, 2025
Our first port of call was Amsterdam, Netherlands. We took a canal tour today in sunny (and relatively warm day)

We are now sailing the North Sea for 2 days arriving in Narvik, Norway on the 14th.

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