This Months Sky

News on what is visable in this months sky as posted by Adrian Zielonka's in his monthly sky notes.

Thank you Adrian and thank you CADAS.

Hi all

Here is the astronomy news for August.

Astronomy
News

Night Sky 2022 - August

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury
Sets

Venus
Rises

1st
– 5:36am

10th
– 5:50am

20th
– 6:05am

30th
– 6:21am

1st
– 8:57pm

10th
– 8:42pm

20th
– 8:22pm

30th
– 8:01pm

1st
– 9:36pm

10th
– 9:22pm

20th
– 8:57pm

30th
– 8:25pm

1st
– 3:42am

10th
– 4:03am

20th
– 4:30am

30th
– 5:00am

Moon
Rise

Moon
Set

Moon
Rise

Moon
Set

1st
– 9:20am

2nd
– 10:33am (E)

3rd
– 11:48am

4th
– 1:05pm

5th
– 2:25pm (ESE)

6th
– 3:50pm

7th
– 5:15pm

8th
– 6:35pm (SE)

9th
– 7:41pm (SE)

10th
– 8:30pm

11th
– 9:03pm

12th
– 9:28pm (ESE)

13th
– 9:46pm

14th
– 10:02pm (E)

15th
– 10:16pm

16th
– 10:30pm

17th
– 10:45pm (ENE)

18th
– 11:03pm

19th
– 11:26pm

20th
– 11:55pm

1st
– 10:47pm

2nd
– 11:00pm (W)

3rd
– 11:13pm

4th
– 11:29pm (WSW)

5th
– 11:47pm

7th
– 12:13am

8th
– 12:48am

9th
– 1:40am (SW)

10th
– 2:51am (SW)

11th
– 4:16am

12th
– 5:47am

13th
– 7:17am (WSW)

14th
– 8:43am

15th
– 10:05am (W)

16th
– 11:24am

17th
– 12:41pm (WNW)

18th
– 1:56pm

19th
– 3:10pm

20th

4:21pm

21st
– 5:25pm (NW)

22nd
– 12:33am (NE)

23rd
– 1:23am (NE)

24th
– 2:23am

25th
– 3:30am

26th
– 4:42am

27th
– 5:56am (ENE)

28th
– 7:10am

29th
– 8:24am

30th
– 9:38am (E)

31st
– 10:55am

-------------

All
times in notes

are
set

for

Somerton

unless
stated

22nd
– 6:21pm (NW)

23rd
– 7:05pm (NW)

24th
– 7:39pm

25th
– 8:05pm

26th
– 8:25pm

27th
– 8:41pm (WNW)

28th
– 8:55pm

29th
– 9:08pm (W)

30th
– 9:21pm

31st

9:35pm (WSW)

-------------

Moon
Phases

First
Quarter – 5
th

Full
Moon – 12
th

Last
Quarter – 19
th

New
Moon – 27
th

A
useful site:

www.heavens-above.com

A
S Zielonka

There
is a planned launch this month of the Artemis 1 mission. The Orion
spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch Artemis 1
from Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will be the
first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems. The
first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis 1 will be
an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep
space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to
extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight,
the spacecraft will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of
miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission.
Orion will stay in space longer that any ship for astronauts has done
without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter
than ever before.

From
the 31st July – 4th August Mars passes close to Uranus. On the 2nd
at 4:30am in the ESE Uranus will be just 1¼ degrees above Mars and ½
a degree to the left.

From
the 1st – 4th Venus passes close to the star Wasat (3.5 mag) in
Gemini. On the 2nd at 4:30am Wasat will be just a ¼ of a degree
below Venus.

On
the 1
st
at 10:06pm the crescent Moon is due west and just 5½ degrees above
the horizon. The star Nu Virginis (4 mag) in Virgo is just 2¼
degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree above.

At
10:15pm on the 2
nd
the star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is just 1¼ degrees to the upper
left of the crescent Moon low in the west.

On
the 3
rd
at 10:00pm the star Spica (1 mag) in Virgo is 4 degrees to the lower
left of the crescent Moon in the WSW. The star Theta Virginis (4.3
mag) is 3½ degrees to the right of the Moon.

At
10:00pm on the 4
th
the star Kappa Virginis (4.1 mag) is 2½ degrees above the crescent
Moon and 1 degree to the right.

From
the 5th – 27th Saturn passes within 1½ degrees of the star Nashira
(1.6 mag) in Capricornus. At midnight from the 15th – 17th Nashira
will be just 1¼ degrees below Saturn.


On
the 5
th
at 10:15pm low in the south west, the star Zubenelgenubi (2.7 mag) in
Libra is 3¾ degrees to the right of the First Quarter Moon and ½ a
degree above.

From
10.00pm – 10:10pm on the 6
th
the star Dschubba (2.2 mag) in Scorpius is just a ¼ of a degree
above the Moon. There is a lunar occultation of the star Dschubba. It
starts at 10:40:30 and ends at 11:10:45. (These times are set for
Yeovilton so there will be minor differences from your different
locations).

At
10:15pm on the 7
th
the star 84405 ‘Hipparcus Catalog ID’ (4.3 mag) in Scorpius is
just 3 degrees to the left of the Moon.

On
the 8
th
at 10:00pm the star Alnasl (2.9 mag) in Sagittarius is 2¾ degrees
below the Moon and a ¼ of a degree to the right.

At
10:00pm on the 9
th
the star Tau Sagittarii (3.3 mag) is just 1½ degrees to the right of
the Moon and a ¼ of a degree above.

The
stars Castor (1.5 mag) and Pollux (1.1 mag) point to the planet Venus
on the mornings of the 10th & 11th in the ENE around 4:30am.

The
Moon is at perigee (359,828km) on the 10
th
at 6:09pm. At 10:37pm the Moon is 10½ degrees above the horizon and
due SSE.

On
the 11
th
at 10:15pm the star Zeta Capricorni (3.7 mag) is just 1 degree below
the Moon. The star 106039 ‘Hipparcus Catalog ID’ (4.5 mag) is 1
degree to the lower left of the Moon. Saturn is 6 degrees to the left
of the Moon and 4 degrees above. The star Nashira (3.6 mag) is just
1¼ degrees to the lower right of Saturn.

At
10:15pm on the 12
th
the full Moon is 5½ degrees above the south east horizon at 124.5
degrees azimuth. Saturn is 8½ degrees to the right of the Moon and 6
degrees above.

The
Perseids meteor shower reaches its peak on the 12th – 13th though
they can be seen from the 17th July – 24th August. With the full
Moon at this time, only the brighter ones may be seen.

On
the 13
th
at 10:22pm the Moon will be 4½ degrees above the horizon due ESE
amongst some fainter stars of Aquarius. Neptune is 9 degrees to the
left of the Moon and 2 degrees above.

Saturn
is at opposition on the 14th.

At
11:00pm on the 14
th
Jupiter is 8 degrees to the left of the Moon and 1 degree above.
Neptune is 7 degrees upper right of the Moon.

On
the 15
th
at 10:40pm the Moon is due east and just 3 degrees above the horizon.
Jupiter is 6¾ degrees above right of the Moon.

At
midnight on the 16
th
the star Omicron Piscium (4.2 mag) is just 1 degree above the Moon
and a ¼ of a degree to the right.

On
the 17
th
at midnight Uranus is 7½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 2
degrees below.

At
midnight on the 18
th
the Moon is low in the ENE at 69 degrees azimuth. Mars is 5¾ degrees
lower left of the Moon. Uranus is 4½ degrees to the right of the
Moon and two degrees above. The Pleiades star cluster is 7½ degrees
to the left of the Moon and 1½ degrees above.

On
the 19
th
at midnight the last quarter Moon is low in the north east and just
3½ degrees above the horizon with Mars 6½ degrees to the right of
the Moon and just ½ a degree above. The Pleiades star cluster is 7
degrees above right of the Moon.

At
1:00pm on the night of the 20
th
the star Elnath (1.6 mag) in Taurus is 5½ degrees to the left of the
crescent Moon and 1 degree above. The star Aldebaran (0.8 mag) is 11
degrees to the right of the Moon and 2 degrees below and by 5:00am on
the 21
st
their just 3¾ degrees apart.

From
the 20th – 25th Comet C/2017 K2 Panstarrs (8.5 mag – 23rd July)
passes close to the star Acrab (2.5 mag) in Scorpius. On the 22nd at
10:00pm Comet Panstarrs is just ½ of a degree to the right of Acrab
and a ¼ of a degree above low in the south west. (For further
information on this comet or others please see the “Comet”
section of the website above). The Moon is at apogee (405,418km) on
the 22
nd
at 11:53pm.

Mercury
is at aphelion on the 23rd.

On
the 23
rd
at 5:00am the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is 4 degrees to the
right of the crescent Moon and 2 degrees above.

At
4:00am on the 24
th
the two stars Castor and Pollux point the way to the crescent Moon in
the ENE. The star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag) is just 2 degrees to the
upper right of the Moon.

On
the 25
th
at 5:30am Venus is 8¾ degrees below the thin crescent Moon and 1½
degrees to the left. Venus is at 71 degrees azimuth and 6¼ degrees
above the horizon.

At
5:30am on the 26
th
Venus is 4½ degrees to the right of a very thin crescent Moon low in
the ENE. Their around 5½ degrees above the horizon.

Mercury
is at maximum eastern elongation on the 27th.

On
the 28
th
at 8:35pm a very thin crescent Moon is very low in the west, and just
2½ degrees above the horizon at 276.5 degrees azimuth.

At
8:45pm on the 29
th
the star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is 4¾ degrees to the left of a
thin crescent Moon and 2 degrees above.

On
the 30
th
at 8:45pm the star Zeta Virginis (3.3 mag) is less than ½ a degree
above left of the crescent Moon.

At
8:45pm on the 31
st
the star Spica (1 mag) in Virgo is 6½ degrees to the right of the
crescent Moon and 4 degrees below, and low in the WSW.

*=
Dates and times are subject to change.

News:
A recent lunar science mystery has provided an interesting result.
After a months-long search, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission
team recently found a pair of new craters on the lunar farside,
formed when an object hit the Moon on March 4
th
2022. Observers had spotted the object on its moonbound trajectory,
though the impact itself was of course out of Earth’s line of
sight. Observers later refined the trajectory and identified the
object as a Long March 3C upper stage from China’s Chang’e 5 T1
mission. Chang’e 5 T1 flew past the Moon in late 2014 to
demonstrate capsule re-entry ahead of the full Chang’e 5
lunar-sample return. To date, however, China has not confirmed that
the object was related to the Chang’e 5 T1 mission.

Rubble
piles in space aren’t like the solid ones that gravity holds on the
ground. New analysis shows that NASA’s OSIRIS-REX probe punched
right through the surface of asteroid 101955 Bennu while on its way
to collect a sample. If the probe hadn’t been programmed to lift
itself back into orbit a few seconds after landing, the
half-kilometre asteroid could have swallowed it whole. Although the
first images from OSIRIS-REX’s sampling manoeuvre on October 20
th
2020, took only 18 minutes to reach Earth, it took time for the team
to sort out what had happened during the brief touch-and-go. The team
estimates the probe was able to fill its hopper with 250 grams of
material to take home. Observations of Bennu so far have shown this
near-Earth asteroid is a strange world of its own right. The 5.4-gram
sample returned from Ryugu in December 2020 by Hayabusa 2 is now
being studied. Analysis of the much larger Bennu samples, to be
returned to Earth late next year, will reveal further details.

Astronomers
have found a dormant black hole in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large
Magellanic Cloud which is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The
system is composed of a hot blue star, with 25 times the Sun’s
mass, and a black hole, which is at least nine times the mass of the
Sun.

Facts:
The largest crater on Mercury is Caloris Planitia. Its informally
named Caloris and is 1,550 km in diameter. Its one of the largest
impact basins in the Solar System.

Extra:
If you havn’t managed to see Horizon: Super Telescope: Mission to
the Edge of the Universe, do watch it. Its on BBC iPlayer. It is an
excellent programme on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Hi all

Here is the astronomy news for July.

Astronomy
News

Night
Sky 2022 - July

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury
Rises / Sets

Venus
Rises

1st
– 5:00am

10th
– 5:08am

20th
– 5:20am

30th
– 5:33am

1st
– 9:29pm

10th
– 9:24pm

20th
– 9:14pm

30th
– 9:00pm

1st
– 3:59am

5th

4:08am

10th
– 4:29am

30th
– 9:37pm

1st
– 3:16am

10th
– 3:16am

20th
– 3:23am

30th
– 3:38am

Moon
Rise

Moon
Set

Moon
Rise

Moon
Set

1st
– 6:42am

2nd
– 7:52am

3rd
– 9:04am

4th
– 10:17am (ENE)

5th
– 11:29am

6th
– 12:43pm (E)

7th
– 2:00pm

8th
– 3:20pm (ESE)

9th
– 4:45pm

10th
– 6:13pm

11th
– 7:40pm

12th
– 8:57pm (SE)

13th
– 9:56pm (SE)

14th
– 10:37pm

15th
– 11:05pm

16th
– 11:26pm (ESE)

17th
– 11:43pm

18th
– 11:57pm (E)

20th
– 12:11pm

1st
– 11:32pm

2nd
– 11:54pm

4th
– 12:12am (WNW)

5th
- 12:26am

6th
– 12:40am

7th
– 12:53am (W)

8th
– 1:07am

9th
– 1:24am (WSW)

10th
– 1:46am

11th
– 2:16am

12th
– 2:59am (SW)

13th
– 4:01am (SW)

14th
– 5:21am

15th
– 6:51am

16th
– 8:21am (WSW)

17th
– 9:48am

18th
– 11:10am

19th
– 12:28pm (W)

20th

1:43pm

21st
– 12:25am

22nd
– 12:41am (ENE)

23rd
– 1:00am

24th
– 1:24am

25th
– 1:56am (NE)

26th
– 2:38am (NE)

27th
– 3:31am (NE)

28th
– 4:34am

29th
– 5:43am

30th
– 6:55am

31st
– 8:07am (ENE)

-------------

All
times in notes

are
set

for

Somerton

unless
stated

21st
– 2:57pm (WNW)

22nd
– 4:10pm

23rd
– 5:22pm

24th
– 6:30pm

25th
– 7:32pm (NW)

26th
– 8:24pm (NW)

27th
– 9:05pm

28th
– 9:36pm

29th
– 9:59pm

30th
– 10:18pm (WNW)

31st

10:33pm

-------------

Moon
Phases

First
Quarter – 7
th

Full
Moon – 13
th

Last
Quarter – 20
th

New
Moon – 28
th

A
useful site:

www.heavens-above.com

A
S Zielonka

The
first flight of NASA’s X-57, a small, experimental airplane powered
by electricity. The all-electric technology will make flying cleaner,
quieter, and more sustainable. The flight will take place at NASA’s
Armstrong Flight Research Centre in California this month*.

From
the 1
st
– 4
th
Mars passes close to the star Omicron Piscium (4.2 mag) in the ESE.
At 4:30am on the 2
nd
Omicron Piscium is just ¼ of a degree above Mars.

On
the 1
st
at 10:30pm the Beehive star cluster is 4 degrees below the crescent
Moon and 1 degree to the right.

At
10.30pm on the 2
nd
the stars Kappa Leonis (4.4 mag) and Lambda Leonis (4.3 mag) point
the way to the Moon. Lambda Leonis is 5 degrees to the right of the
Moon and 2 degrees above.

On
the 3
rd
at 10:00pm the star Regulus (1.3 mag) in Leo is 5½ degrees to the
lower right of the crescent Moon.

At
11:30pm on the 4
th
the star Iota Leonis (4 mag) is 2½ degrees above the crescent Moon.

On
the 5
th
at 11:30pm the star Zavijava (3.5 mag) in Virgo is 3 degrees below
the crescent Moon and 2 degrees to the right.

At
11:30pm on the 6
th
the star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is 2½ degrees to the right of
the crescent Moon.

On
the 7
th
at 10:30pm the star Spica (2.7 mag) in Virgo is 3½ degrees below the
Moon and 1¼ degrees to the right.

At
10:30pm on the 8
th
the star Zubenelgenubi (2.7 mag) in Libra is 5¾ degrees to the left
of the Moon.

On
the 9
th
at 10:30pm the star Gamma Librae (3.9 mag) is 5½ degrees above the
Moon and 2 degrees to the left.

Mercury
is at perihelion on the 10th.

At
10:30pm on the 10
th
the star Sigma Scorpii (2.9 mag) is 1½ degrees below the Moon and ½
a degree to the right. The star Antares (1 mag) is 2 degrees to the
lower left of Sigma Scorpii.

On
the 11
th
at 10:30pm the star Theta Ophiuchi (3.2 mag) is 2½ degrees to the
upper right of the Moon.

At
10:30pm on the 12
th
the star Phi Sagittarii (3.1 mag) is 2¼ degrees to the left of the
Moon.

From
the 12
th
– 16
th
Venus passes close to the star Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag). On the 14
th
at 4:30am Zeta Tauri is just 1½ degrees to the lower right of Venus
low in the ENE.

The
Moon is at perigee (357,264km) on the 13
th
at 10:06am. At 11:30pm the star numbered 98688 (4.4 mag) in the
Hipparcus catalog is 3½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 2¾
degrees below.

On
the 14
th
at midnight the star Psi Capricorni (4.1 mag) is 2½ degrees to the
right of the Moon and ½ a degree below.

At
midnight on the 15
th
Saturn is 5 degrees above the Moon in the south east. The star Delta
Capricorni (2.8 mag) is just 1½ degrees to the lower right of
Saturn. At 4:00am the following morning Saturn is 5 degrees above
right of the Moon.

Mercury
is at superior conjunction on the 16
th.

From
the 17
th
– 25
th
Venus passes along a row of stars in Gemini low in the ENE. At 4:30am
on the 19
th
the star 28734 (4.1 mag) in the Hipparcus catalog is just ¾ a degree
above Venus. On the 21
st
at 4:30am the star Propus (3.3 mag) is just a ½ of a degree to the
right of Venus. At 4:30am on the 22
nd
the star Mu Geminorum (2.8 mag) is just ½ a degree below Venus. On
the 25
th
at 4:30am Venus is approximately midway between the stars Mebsuta (3
mag) and Nu Geminorum (4.1 mag).

On
the 17
th
at 4:30am the star Tau Aquarii (4 mag) is 2¼ degrees to the right of
the Moon and 1¼ degrees below.


The
Perseids meteor shower can be seen from the 17
th
July – 24
th
August. They reach their peak on the 12
th
/ 13
th
August. This is associated with Comet Swift-Tuttle.

At
4:30am on the 18
th
Neptune is 3¾ degrees above the Moon and 1 degree to the right.
Jupiter is 14 degrees to the upper left of the Moon.

On
the 19
th
at 4:30am Jupiter is just 2¾ degrees upper right of the Moon.

Pluto
is at opposition on the 20th. At 1:18am Pluto is at 16.1 degrees
above the horizon, and due south.

At
4:30am on the 20
th
Jupiter is 13½ degrees to the right of the last quarter Moon.

On
the 21
st
at 4:30am Mars is 5¾ degrees to the left of the crescent Moon and 1
degree below.

At
4:30am on the 22
nd
Mars is 5½ degrees to the right of the crescent Moon and 1 degree
above. Uranus is just 1¼ degrees to the left of the Moon and a ¼ of
a degree above.

On
the 23
rd
at 4:30am the Pleiades star cluster is just 4 degrees upper left of
the crescent Moon. Uranus is 10 degrees to the right of the Moon and
5 degrees above.

At
4:30am on the 24
th
the star Tau Tauri (4.2 mag) is just ¾ of a degree below left of the
crescent Moon. The star Aldebaran (0.8 mag) is 7 degrees below right
of the Moon.

On
the 25
th
at 4:30am the crescent Moon is approximately midway between the stars
Elnath (1.6 mag) and Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag) in Taurus. Elnath is 4
degrees to the upper left of the Moon. Venus is 17 degrees to the
lower left of the Moon.

From
the 25
th
– 31
st
Comet C/2017 K2 Panstarrs (9.8 mag – June 12
th)
passes close to the star Zeta Ophiuchi (2.5 mag). On the 28
th
from 10:00pm in the SSW Comet Panstarrs is 1½ degrees to the upper
right of Zeta Ophiuchi. (For further information on this comet or
others please see the “Comet” section in the website above).


At
5:00am on the 26
th
Venus is 5½ degrees below a thin crescent Moon and ¾ of a degree to
the left. The Moon is at apogee (406,275km) at 11:23am. They are in
the constellation of Gemini.

On
the 27
th
at 4:30am a very thin crescent Moon will be seen low in the north
east. Venus is 7 degrees to the right of the Moon and 1½ degrees
above. At the time given, the Moon will be 6 degrees above the
horizon at 55.5 degrees azimuth.

At
9:30pm on the 29
th
a very thin crescent Moon may be seen low in the WNW. At 9:25pm the
Moon is 4½ degrees above the horizon at 296 degrees azimuth. Mercury
is 3 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. Mercury is just 2 degrees
above the horizon at 293.5 degrees azimuth.

The
Delta Aquarids meteor shower reach their peak on the 30
th,
though they can be seen from the 12
th
July – 23
rd
August.

The
Alpha Capricornids meteor shower reach their peak also on the 30
th,
and can be seen from the 3
rd
July – 15
th
August. These are likely to be yellow slow fireballs.

On
the 30
th
at 9:29pm the star Regulus is 3¾ degrees directly below a thin
crescent Moon in the WNW. The star Eta Leonis (3.4 mag) is 3 degrees
to the right of the Moon. The Moon is 7 degrees above the horizon at
285 degrees azimuth. Mercury is 2 degrees above the horizon at 293
degrees azimuth.

At
10:00pm on the 31
st
the star Iota Leonis (4 mag) is 5 degrees to the upper left of the
Moon.

From
the 31st July – 4th August Mars passes close to Uranus. On the 2nd
at 4:30am in the ESE Uranus will be just 1¼ degrees above Mars and ½
a degree to the left.

*=
Dates and times are subject to change.

News:
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with European
Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), will release
its first full-colour images and spectroscopic data this Summer.
After launching on Dec 25
th
last year, Webb has been going through a six-month period of
preparation. The first images and data will, for the first time,
demonstrate Webb at its full power, ready to begin its science
mission and unfold the infrared universe.

In
the short time since its launch in February 2020, the Solar Orbiter
has already returned some incredible photos and data of the Sun. The
joint ESA-NASA mission is expected to have its biggest scientific
breakthroughs when it tilts its orbit to be able to see the Sun’s
poles – a region that we’ve never photographed – but it has
already revealed never-before-seen phenomena like the miniature
explosions on the Sun’s surface called solar campfires.

A
magnitude 5 quake shook the surface of Mars on the 4
th
May, the strongest temblor ever detected not only on Mars but on any
planet besides Earth. The marsquake, detected by NASA’s InSight
lander, surpassed the previous record-holder a 4.2-magnitude quake
that took place in August 2021.

Since
the arrival of NASA’s Perseverance on Mars on 18
th
February 2021, the rover has surveyed its home in Jezero Crater,
deployed the Ingenuity helicopter, and begun to analyze and cache
samples for a future sample-return mission. But while geology and
astrobiology feature in its primary mission, Perseverance is also
proving to be a first-rate interplanetary meteorologist. Recently,
researchers have revealed some of the amazing dust storm activity the
rover is capturing in Jezero Crater. Jezero’s a good place to
watch this process in action because it sits near the dust storm
track that runs north to south across the planet. Perseverance has
witnessed hundreds of dust devils across the crater, at the rate of
four per sol and a peak rate of one per hour around local noon. The
rough surface of the crater floor – including the treacherous
Séítah dunes – make it an ideal source for dust-lifting events.
Indeed, large gust-lifting events, rare as they are, kick far more
dust into the air than the smaller daily whirlwinds. Astronomers
have witnessed dust storms over Mars for almost as long as they’ve
been observing the planet.

Pianist
Jeffrey Biegel’s longtime dream was to bring to life an updated
version of Holst’s - The Planets, infusing the music with current
scientific understanding. Biegel was born deaf, and until the age of
three, when corrective surgery allowed him to hear for the first
time, his world was very closed. He relied on other means of
expression and communication, and so music became his first language.
As a result, his projects often have an “out of the box” element.
Biegel’s vision of a revamped Planets features the pianist as a
space traveler journeying through the Solar System. Jeffrey Biegel
and composer Daniel Perttu (Professor of Music Theory and composition
at Westminster College) teamed up to produce “A Planets Odyssey”.
Shortly after meeting Perttu, Biegel realized that he’d found the
person who could help bring his project to fruition. Perttu loved the
idea, and so the pair embarked on their collaboration. A Planets
Odyssey, isn’t your typical three-movement concerto. Instead, it’s
in a theme-and-variations form. “It begins with the Big Bang,
followed by the pianist introducing the main theme of the concerto”,
Perttu explains. “This theme is then varied as the pianist visits
each planet and is inspired by the unique properties of each planet”.
Like Holst, Perttu skips the Earth. But unlike Holst, these planets
are featured in their order from the Sun. And more importantly,
Perttu focuses solely on the science. Perttu picked a few
characteristics of each planet for inspiration and transformed those
into sonic visions. For example, Mercury, subject of the first
variation, is the innermost and smallest of the solar system’s
planets and experiences extremes in temperature. It also has
virtually no atmosphere. So Perttu drew on those characteristics to
produce a variation that conveys the imagery of a “stark, extreme
kind of place”. Holst’s seven-movement orchestral suite
The
Planets
premiered
in London in 1918. Now, a little more than a century later, a modern
version on the theme saw first light on Sunday 22
nd
May 2022. But while Holst turned to astrology for inspiration,
composer Daniel Perttu turned to astronomy.


Facts:
The Hubble Space Telescope reached the age of 32 back in April of
this year.

Hi all

Here is the astronomy news for May.

From Adrian.

Astronomy News

Night Sky 2021 - May

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury Sets

Venus Sets

1st – 5:44am

10th – 5:28am

20th – 5:14am

30th – 5:03am

1st – 8:33pm

10th – 8:47pm

20th – 9:02pm

30th – 9:14pm

1st – 9:54pm

10th – 10:47pm

20th – 10:59pm

30th 10:21pm

1st – 9:18pm

10th – 9:45pm

20th – 10:14pm

30th – 10:36pm

Moon Rise

Moon Set

Moon Rise

Moon Set

1st – 1:22am (SE)

2nd – 2:21am

3rd – 3:05am

4th – 3:37am

5th – 4:00am (ESE)

6th – 4:19am

7th – 4:35am

8th – 4:49am (E)

9th – 5:03am

10th – 5:17am

11th – 5:33am (ENE)

12th – 5:52am

13th – 6:16am

14th – 6:46am

15th – 7:26am

16th – 8:16am (NE)

17th – 9:16am

18th – 10:25am

19th – 11:40am

1st – 8:47am (SW)

2nd – 9:54am

3rd – 11:08am

4th – 12:25pm

5th – 1:40pm (WSW)

6th – 2:52pm

7th – 4:02pm

8th – 5:11pm (W)

9th – 6:19pm

10th – 7:27pm (WNW)

11th – 8:36pm

12th – 9:44pm

13th – 10:51pm

14th – 11:54pm

16th – 12:50am (NW)

17th – 1:36am

18th – 2:12am

19th – 2:41am

20th – 3:04am (WNW)

20th – 12:58pm (ENE)

21st – 2:18pm

22nd – 3:40pm (E)

23rd – 5:05pm

24th – 6:33pm (ESE)

25th – 8:04pm

26th – 9:34pm

27th – 10:58pm

29th – 12:08am (SE)

30th – 1:00am

31st – 1:38am

- - - - - - -

All times

in notes are set

for

Somerton

unless stated

21st – 3:24am

22nd – 3:42am

23rd – 3:59am (W)

24th – 4:18am

25th – 4:39am (WSW)

26th – 5:06am

27th – 5:42am

28th – 6:30am (SW)

29th – 7:33am (SW)

30th – 8:48am

31st – 10:06am

- - - - - - -

Moon Phases

Last Quarter – 3rd

New Moon – 11th

First Quarter – 19th

Full Moon – 26th

A useful site: www.heavens-above.com

A S Zielonka

Arianespace
will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 36 satellites into orbit for the
OneWeb internet constellation. The Mission, called OneWeb 7 will lift
off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia sometime during this
month*.

China's Tianwen-1 Mars rover will touch down on the Red Planet this month*.

On the 1st at 4:45am the star Kaus Borealis (2.8 mag) in Sagittarius is 1¼ degrees upper right of the Moon.

From the 1st – 5th Jupiter passes the star Iota Aquarii (4.2 mag) in Aquarius. On the 3rd at 4:30am low in the south east Iota Aquarii is 1¼ degrees below Jupiter.

From the 2nd – 4th Mercury passes close to the Pleiades low in the WNW. On the 4th
at 9:05pm Mercury is 2½ degrees to the left of the Pleiades star
cluster with Venus 6½ degrees below the Pleiades at 296 degrees azimuth
and just 3 degrees above the horizon.

At 4:45am on the 3rd
Saturn is 9 degrees to the left of the Moon and 3½ degrees above. The
star Theta Capricorni (4 mag) in Capricorn is just ¾ of a degree to the
left of Saturn.

On the 4th
at 4:30am Saturn is 6 degrees above the Crescent Moon and 3½ degrees to
the right. Jupiter is 11½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 3 degrees
above. The star '106039' (4.5 mag) in Hipparcos Catalogue is 1 degree
lower right of the Moon.

At 4:30am on the 5th
the crescent Moon is in the south east and just 3 degrees above the
horizon at 122 degrees azimuth. Jupiter is 5¾ degrees above the Moon and
¾ of a degree to the right.

On the 6th
at 4:40am the crescent Moon is due ESE at 112.5 degrees azimuth and
just 2¼ degrees above the horizon in the constellation of Aquarius.

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can be seen from 19th April - 28th May. They reach their peak on the night of the 6th/7th May.
Its produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley. Best
viewing will be from a dark location after midnight and will radiate
from the constellation of Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

At 4:45am on the 7th a
thin crescent Moon is barely a degree above the eastern horizon at 102
degrees azimuth. Neptune is 5½ degrees above the Moon and 2 degrees to
the right.

From the 7th – 10th Venus passes close the Pleiades low in the WNW. On the 8th
at 9:15pm Venus is 4 degrees to the lower left of the Pleiades with
Mercury 8 degrees above Venus and 3½ degrees to the left. Venus is at
298 degrees azimuth and just 3½ degrees above the horizon.

From the 7th – 11th Mars passes close to the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini. On the 9th around 10:00pm Mebsuta will be ¾ of a degree upper right of Mars in the west.

On the 8th at 5:00am a very thin crescent Moon will be low in the east at 94 degrees azimuth and just 1 degree above the horizon.

An occultation of the planet Venus by the Moon occurs on the 12th. This will only be visible from the South Pacific ocean.

At 9:15pm on the 12th
a very thin crescent Moon is just 3 degrees above the WNW horizon at
298 degrees azimuth. Venus is 2 degrees above the Moon. Mercury is 8
degrees above Venus and 4 degrees to the left. Aldebaran (0.8 mag) is 7½
degrees to the left of Venus. The Pleiades star cluster are 6 degrees
to the right of the Moon and Venus.

On the 13th
at 9:30pm Mercury is 2½ degrees to the upper right of the thin crescent
Moon in the WNW. Venus is 9 degrees to the lower right of the Moon at
300.5 degrees azimuth and just 3½ degrees above the horizon.

From the 14th – 16th Venus passes close to the Stars Kappa Tauri (4.2 mag) and Upsilon Tauri (4.2 mag). On the 15th at 9:30pm Kappa Tauri is less than ½ a degree to the upper right of Venus, and on the 16th at the same time Upsilon Tauri is 1½ degrees to the right of Venus.

At 10:30pm on the 14th
the star Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag) in Taurus is 4 degrees below the crescent
Moon. The star Elnath (1.6 mag) is 6½ degrees to the right of the Moon.
Mercury should easily be seen 6½ degrees below Elnath and 3 degrees to
the right.

On the 15th
at 10:30pm the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is ½ a degree above left
of the crescent Moon. Mars is 3½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 2
degrees above.

At midnight on the 16th
the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag) in Gemini is just 1¼ degrees above
left of the Moon. Mars is 8 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

Mercury is at maximum eastern elongation (22 degrees) from the Sun on the 17th.

There is a planned launch on the 17th
*of an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will put the
U.S. Space Force's fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous
satellite (SBIRS GEO 5) into orbit.

On the night of the 17th at 1:00am the Beehive Star Cluster is 2½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 1 degree below.

At 9:30pm on the 19th
the Moon is approximately midway between the stars Algieba (2 mag) and
Regulus (1.3 mag) in Leo. The star Eta Leonis (3.4 mag) is just 2
degrees to the right of the Moon.

From the 20th – 24th Mercury passes within 3 degrees of the star Elnath (1.6 mag) in Taurus. On the 23rd at 9:30pm Venus is 6½ degrees below Elnath. On the 24th at 9:30pm Mercury is midway between Elnath and Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag) with Venus 4¼ degrees lower right of Mercury.

On the 20th at 10:00pm the star Chertan (3.3 mag) in Leo is 5 degrees above the Moon.

At 10:00pm on the 21st the star Nu Virginus (4 mag) in Virgo is 3 degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree above.

From the 21st – 25th Mars pases close to the star Wasat (3.5 mag) in Gemini. On the 23rd at 10:00pm Wasat is just 1½ degrees lower left of Mars.

On the 22nd at 10:00pm the star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is just 2 degrees to the right of the Moon.

At 10:00pm on the 23rd the star Spica (0.9 mag) in Virgo is 6 degrees below right of the Moon.

On the 24th at midnight the star Zubenelgenubi (2.7 mag) in Libra is just 2¾ degrees lower left of the Moon.

At midnight on the 25th
the star Theta Librae (4.1 mag) in Libra is 3¾ degrees to the upper
left of the Moon... Then at 4:00am the following morning Theta Librae is
3½ degrees above the Moon and 1 degree to the right.

There is a Total Eclipse of the Moon on the 26th
May. As the greatest eclipse occurs around midday not even a partial
phase will be visible from any part of Europe or Africa. The penumbral
phase starts at 9:47am and ends at 2:49pm. Totality only lasts for 14½
minutes.

From the 26th – 31st Venus passes close to Mercury. On the 28th at 9:30pm Mercury is ½ a degree to the left of Venus low in the WNW. On the 29th at the same time Mercury is 1 degree below Venus.

On the 26th at midnight low in the SSE the star Antares (1 mag) in Scorpius is 5 degrees to the right of the Moon and 2 degrees below.

From the 28th – 31st Comet C/2020 R4 Atlas (9.5 mag – April 16th) passes close to the star Zosma (2.5 mag) in Leo. On the 29th and 30th at midnight Comet Atlas is 2½ degrees to the right of Zosma.

Low in the south east at 12:30am on the night of the 28th, the star Nunki (2 mag) in Sagittarius is just 1 degree upper right of the Moon.

On the 30th
at 4:00am Saturn is 13½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 6 degrees
above. The star Theta Capricorni (4 mag) is less than ½ a degree to the
left of Saturn.

From the 30th May – 1st June Mars passes close to the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag). On the 31st

Kappa Geminorum will be just under 2 degrees to the upper right of Mars.

At 4:15am on the 31st Saturn is 5 degrees above the Moon in the SSE.

* = Dates and times are subject to change.

News: NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. Space
Launch System (SLS), along with NASA's Orion spacecraft, the Human
Landing System and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA's
backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can
send Orion, astronauts and cargo to the Moon on a single mission.

China's
Chang'e 4 mission is currently exploring Von Karman crater on the Moon.
A south pole site will also be the target for NASA's VIPER rover
launching in 2023. The crewed Artemis initiative could also pay it a
visit in the coming years.

NASA's
Ingenuity carries inertial sensors, a laser altimeter,and two cameras: a
13-megapixel colour camera and a 0.5-megapixel black-and-white
navigation camera. It also has internal heaters to withstand the cold
Martian nights. There's also a piece of fabric from the original 1903
Wright flyer aboard Ingenuity, a swatch about the size of a postage
stamp. The cost for design, development and construction of Ingenuity
was $85 million.

Future
helicopters could become standard aboard planetary missions to scout
terrain ahead, look into shadowed craters, and more. While Ingenuity's
mission is a short proof of concept, it's only the beginning. NASA plans
on sending a much more ambitious nuclear-powered helicopter named
Dragonfly to Saturn's large moon Titan, perhaps launching in 2027.

Facts: George Robert Carruthers (b.1939) was an African American inventor, who passed away at the age of 81 on December 26th
2020, is immortalized on the Moon. There, in the shadow of the
abandoned Orion lunar module, sits a 2 foot 7inch gold-plated camera
that he designed and built: the first astronomical telescope to observe
the heavens from another celestial body. It was launched aboard Apollo
16 in 1972.

Hi All

Here is the astronomy news for October.

From Adrian Zielonka

Astronomy News

Night Sky 2021- October

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury Rises

Venus Sets

1st – 7:12am

10th – 7:26am

20th – 7:43am

30th – 8:00am

1st – 6:48pm

10th – 6:29pm

20th – 6:08pm

30th – 5:48pm

15th – 6:37am

20th – 6:08am

25th – 6:05am

30th – 6:20am

1st – 7:58pm

10th – 7:45pm

20th – 7:35pm

30th – 7:31pm

Moon Rise

Moon Set

Moon Rise

Moon Set

1st – 12:24am

2nd – 1:36am

3rd – 2:53am

4th – 4:13am (ENE)

5th – 5:34am

6th – 6:57am (E)

7th – 8:22am

8th – 9:50am (ESE)

9th – 11:19am

10th – 12:46pm

11th – 2:06pm

12th – 3:12pm (SE)

13th – 4:02pm

14th – 4:38pm

15th – 5:04pm

16th – 5:24pm (ESE)

17th – 5:41pm

18th – 5:55pm (E)

19th – 6:09pm

1st – 5:20pm

2nd – 5:47pm

3rd – 6:08pm (WNW)

4th – 6:27pm

5th – 6:44pm (W)

6th – 7:00pm

7th – 7:18pm

8th – 7:39pm (WSW)

9th – 8:05pm

10th – 8:40pm

11th – 9:27pm

12th – 10:29pm (SW)

13th – 11:41pm

15th – 1:00am

16th – 2:19am (WSW)

17th – 3:36am

18th – 4:50am

19th – 6:03am (W)

20th – 7:14am

20th – 6:23pm

21st – 6:38pm (ENE)

22nd – 6:56pm

23rd – 7:18pm

24th – 7:46pm

25th – 8:23pm

26th – 9:10pm (NE)

27th – 10:08pm

28th – 11:15pm

30th – 12:29am

31st – 1:46am (ENE)

- - - - - - -

All times

in notes are set

for

Somerton

unless stated

21st – 8:25am

22nd – 9:35am (WNW)

23rd – 10:46am

24th – 11:54am

25th – 12:59pm

26th – 1:55pm (NW)

27th – 2:42pm

28th – 3:20pm

29th – 3:49pm

30th – 4:12pm

31st – 3:31pm (WNW)

- - - - - - -

Moon Phases

New Moon – 6th

First Quarter – 13th

Full Moon – 20th

Last Quarter – 28th

A useful site: www.heavens-above.com

A S Zielonka

During the evenings this month Jupiter lies just above the two stars Delta Capricorni (2.8 mag) and Nashira (3.6mag) in retrograde motion. Jupiter and the two stars form an equalateral triangle around the 3rd - 5th as well as on the 31st when its back in forward motion.

During the first half of this month the asteroid Ceres (8.3 mag) stays 2 degrees from Aldebaran (0.8 mag). Ceres will be to the lower left of Aldebaran. On the 31st at 11:00pm Ceres (7.7 mag) is just ½ a degree to the lower left of Aldebaran. This is a good month to follow Ceres. (For further information please see the “Asteroid “ section in the website above).

On the 1st at 5:30am the Beehive Star Cluster is 6 degrees below the crescent Moon and 1 degree to the left.

On the 2nd the Bepi Colombo mission to Mercury has its first flyby of this planet. It goes into orbit around Mercury in 2025.

At 5:30am on the 2nd the Beehive Star Cluster is 7 degrees to the right of the crescent Moon and 5 degrees above.

Venus is at aphelion on the 3rd.

An occultation of the star Eta Leonis (3.4 mag) by the Moon occurs on the 3rd. It disappears at 3:41:21am and reappears at 4:16:03am. (Please note that these times are set for Yeovilton)

At 5:15am on the 4th the star Chertan (3.3 mag) in Leo is 5 degrees to the left of a

thin crescent Moon.

On the 5th at 6:00am a very thin crescent Moon will be seen low in the east at 85 degrees azimuth and just 3 degrees above the horizon.

At 7:05pm on the 7th a very thin crescent Moon may be seen low in the WSW at 251.5 degrees azimuth and 1 degree above the horizon.

The Draconids meteor shower reaches its peak on the 7th. The shower runs annually from the 6th – 10th. This year, the nearly new Moon will leave dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be in the evening from a dark location away from lights.

Mars is at superior conjunction on the 8th.

The Moon is at perigee (363,386km) on the 8th at 6:29pm. At 7:15pm a very thin crescent Moon is just 2½ degrees above the horizon at 240 degrees azimuth.

Mercury is at inferior conjunction on the 9th.

On the 9th at 7:15pm the crescent Moon is 5 degrees above the south west horizon at 226 degrees azimuth. Venus is just 2 degrees to the lower left of the Moon at 224.5 degrees azimuth amongst the stars of Scorpius. The star Dschubba (2.2 mag) is ¾ of a degree above Venus.

From the 10th - 18th around 7:15pm Venus will be low near the south west horizon passing through the constellation of Scorpius. On the 16th at 7:00pm Venus is 4 degrees above the horizon at 220 degrees azimuth with the star Antares (1 mag) just 1½ degrees below it.

At 7:30pm on the 10th the star 84405 'Hipparcus I.D.' (4.3 mag) in Ophiuchus is 4 degrees to the left of the crescent Moon.

On the 11th at 8:20pm the star Mu Sagittarii (3.8 mag) is 6 degrees above the crescent Moon.

At 8:15pm on the 12th the star Nunki (2 mag) in Sagittarius is 3 degrees to the right of the Moon. The star Tau Sagittarii (3.3 mag) is less than a degree below the Moon.

On the 13th at 10:00pm Saturn is 7½ degrees above the Moon and 3½ degrees to the left.

At 10:45pm on the 14th Saturn is 8 degrees to the left of the Moon. Jupiter is 10 degrees upper left of the Moon. All three are amongst the stars of Capricornus.

On the 15th at 9:00pm Jupiter is 6 degrees above right of the Moon. Between them and slightly nearer Jupiter is the star Delta Capricorni (2.8 mag). The star Nashira (3.6) is 1½ degrees below Jupiter.

The Parker Solar Probe has a Venus flyby on the 16th.

From the 16th - 31st around 6:45am Mercury passes through the constellation of Virgo low in the east. On the 17th at 6:45am Mercury is 3½ degrees above the horizon at 100 degrees azimuth with Porrima (2.7 mag) 2¼ degrees to the upper left. On the 20th Mercury is 5½ degrees above the horizon at 101.5 degrees azimuth with Porrima 1½ degrees upper left. On the 23rd Mercury is 6 degrees above the horizon at 102.5 degrees azimuth with Porrima 2¼ degrees above. On the 29th Mercury is 4 degrees above the horizon at 104 degrees azimuth with the star Theta Virginis (4.3 mag) just ½ a degree to its right.

At 7:00pm on the 16th the star Tau Aquarii (4 mag) is less than ½ a degree above the Moon. The star Skat is 2¼ degrees below the Moon.

There is a planned launch no earlier than October 16th* from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida of the “ Lucy “mission. Lucy will be the first space mission to study the Trojan asteroids associated with the planet Jupiter. Lucy will complete a 12 year journey to eight different asteroids which hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.

On the 17th at 7:00pm Neptune is 5 degrees above the Moon.

Mercury is at perihelion on the 20th.

At 9:00pm on the 20th the star Omicron Piscium (4.2 mag) is 2¾ degrees above the Moon and 2 degrees to the right.

On the 21st at 9:45pm the star Mu Ceti (4.2 mag) is 3 degrees to lower right of the Moon. Following a straight line from Mu Ceti through the Moon you will come to Uranus which is 2¼ degrees further on. A fainter star is just below and close to Uranus.

The Orionids meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of the 21st and the morning of the 22nd. Though they can be seen from the 1st October - 6th November. The full Moon will be a problem this month though if you are patient, you should manage to see a few bright ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.

At 11:00pm on the 22nd the Pleiades star cluster is 6 degrees to the left of the Moon and 3 degrees above.

From the 22nd - 25th Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (11.8 mag – Sept 13th) will be passing the star Mu Geminorum (2.8 mag) in Gemini. At midnight on the 23rd Chur-Gera will be just ½ a degree upper left of Mu Geminorum. Its distance from Earth on this day is 0.431AU. It will be ¾ of a degree from the Moon at midnight on the 26th. Its at perihelion on the 2nd of November when its 1.211AU from the Sun. From November 8th - 14th its at its closest to Earth at 0.418AU near the bright star Pollux.

On the 23rd at 11:00pm Aldebaran (0.8 mag) is 6 degrees below the Moon. Midway between them is the star Ain (3.5 mag).

The Moon is at apogee (405,615km) on the 24th at 4:29pm. At 11:00pm the star Elnath (1.6 mag) in Taurus is 5½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 1½ degrees above.

Mercury reaches maximum western elongation on the 25th when its 18.4 degrees from the Sun

At 11:00pm on the 25th the star 28734 'Hipparcos I.D.' (4.1 mag) in Gemini is 2 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. The star Propus (3.3 mag) is 3¾ degrees below the Moon.

On the 26th at 10:30pm the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is 3 degrees to the upper right of the Moon.

At 11:30pm on the 27th the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag) is 1¾ degrees upper right of the Moon.

On the night of the 28th at 12:30am the Beehive Star Cluster is 3 degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree below.

Venus reaches maximum eastern elongation on the 29th when its 47 degrees from the Sun.

At 1:00am on the night of the 29th the star Epsilon Leonis (2.9 mag) is 4 degrees to the left of the crescent Moon and 3 degrees above.

On the 31st at 6:00am the crescent Moon is approximately midway between the stars Chertan (3.3 mag) and Regulus (1.3 mag) in Leo.

There is a planned launch on the 31st* from Kennedy Space centre to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission will launch four astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket. Assigned to the mission are NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron. Also with them is the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer. (See below for further details)

  • = Dates and times are subject to change.

News: The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is now scheduled for December 18th. It will be placed 960,000 miles from Earth at Lagrange point (L2) which is directly opposite the Sun and known as an halo orbit. Since L2 is just an equilibrium point with no gravitational pull, a halo orbit is not an orbit in the usual sense: the JWST will actually be in orbit around the Sun, but stays in the vicinity of the L2 point.

It was announced on the 7th September that the Perseverance rover had successfully collected two pencil-size cores from Jezero Crater on Mars. The holes were drilled September 1st and the 7th.

Four amateur astronauts have splashed down successfully in the Atlantic ocean after spending three days in space. They are the first private, all-civilian team ever to orbit the Earth. The Inspirational4 crew left on a SpaceX capsule from Florida on Wednesday 15th September and landed off the state's coast on Saturday 18th.

ISS News: Raja Chari (b.1977) is married to Holly Schaffter and have three children. In June 2017 he was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 22 to begin two years of training to become an astronaut. In December 2020 he was selected to be a part of the Artemis Team, a group of astronauts “to help pave the way for the next lunar missions including sending the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface in 2024”. He will be the first NASA rookie to command a spaceflight in this current mission since Joe Engle, who commanded the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.

Tom Marshburn (b.1960) is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of two spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS). During his first spaceflight in 2009 he took part in three spacewalks. During his second spaceflight in 2012/2013 Christopher Cassidy and himself performed an unplanned spacewalk to replace a pump controller box suspected to be the source of an ammonia coolant leak. Two days later Marshburn and his crew returned to Earth on May 13th.

Kayla Barron (b.1987) is married to Tom, who is a U.S. Army Special Forces officer. Kayla is an American submarine warfare officer, engineer and a NASA astronaut. Following her submarine assignment on USS Maine she was Flag Aide to the superintendent at the Naval Academy until her selection as an astronaut.

Matthias Maurer (b.1970) is a German European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and materials scientist. He is fluent in three other languages (English, Spanish and French). He has also taken intensive language training in Russian and Chinese for his astronaut training. On the 28th July 2020 he was announced as a backup crew member for Thomas Pesquet on SpaceX Crew-2 to the ISS. The current mission will make him the twelfth German astronaut.

Facts: Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go into space. In 1963 she spent almost three days in space and orbited Earth 48 times in her space capsule, Vostok 6. It was her only trip into space. She later toured the world to promote Soviet science and became involved in Soviet politics.