Category Archives: Space participation

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for May 2022

** What’s Up: May 2022 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in May 2022? May provides some great planet spotting, including a close conjunction of Jupiter and Mars. At mid-month, a total eclipse of the Moon should delight skywatchers across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. And all month long, the Coma star cluster (aka, the Coma Berenices star cluster, or Melotte 111) is a great target for binoculars in the evening. YouTube Full Description (i.e., “Show More”)

0:00 Intro
0:11 Planet-spotting opportunities
1:02 Lunar eclipse
2:27 The Coma star cluster
3:33 May Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: May – Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

In May, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64. About this Series “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-galle….

** What to see in the night sky: May 2022 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

What can you see in the night sky tonight? Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their pick of May’s night-sky highlights.

** Night Sky Notebook May 2022 – Peter Detterline

What’s happening in the skies above for May 2022.

** See also:

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Envisioning Exoplanets:
Searching for Life in the Galaxy

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for April 2022

** What’s Up: April 2022 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in April 2022?

The gathering of planets in the morning sky increases from three to four, as Jupiter joins the party. Two close conjunctions – between Mars and Saturn, and Venus and Jupiter – provide highlights at the beginning and end of the month. And the Big Dipper hosts a surprise: a double star you just might be able to “split” with your own eyes.

0:00 Intro
0:09 Morning planets & TWO conjunctions!
1:28 The Big Dipper’s hidden “double star”
3:09 April moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: April– Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

Clear April nights are filled with starry creatures. Near the Big Dipper, you will find several interesting binary stars. You can also spot galaxies like the Pinwheel Galaxy, M82, and M96—the last of which is an asymmetric galaxy that may have been gravitationally disrupted by encounters with its neighbors. Keep watching for space-based views of these celestial objects. About this Series “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-galle….

** What to see in the night sky: April 2022 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

What can you see in the night sky tonight? Astronomers Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their night-sky highlights for April 2022.

See a beautiful planetary parade in the sky throughout April 2022 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

** What’s in the Night Sky April 2022 #WITNS | Lyrid Meteor Shower | Partial Solar Eclipse – Alyn Wallace

** Night Sky Notebook April 2022 – Peter Detterline

** April: Dancing Planets at Dawn – Sky & Telescope Podcast

With the arrival of April, you’re likely to spend more time outdoors under the stars. So why not bring along our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast? It provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download the April episode to explore the fascinating movement of four planets in the sky before dawn.

** See also:

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Envisioning Exoplanets:
Searching for Life in the Galaxy

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for March 2022

** What’s Up: March 2022 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in March 2022? Look for Saturn to join Venus and Mars in the morning sky around mid-month. In the evenings, find the Y-shaped constellation Taurus, the bull, high in the southwest. The Hyades star cluster forms the bull’s face. Then take a tour of four easy-to-find stars that have known planets of their own orbiting them.

0:00 Intro
0:11 Morning planets
0:37 Hyades star cluster
2:11 Easy to find exoplanets
3:30 Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: March – Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

In March, the stars of spring lie eastward: Look for the constellations Gemini and Cancer to spot interesting celestial features like star clusters M35 and the Beehive Cluster, and NGC 3923, an oblong elliptical galaxy with an interesting ripple pattern. Keep watching for space-based views of the galaxies.

** What to see in the night sky: March 2022 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

What can you see in the night sky tonight? Astronomers Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their night-sky highlights for March 2022.

** What’s in the Night Sky March 2022 #WITNS | Zodiacal Light | Equinox – Alyn Wallace

00:00 Intro
00:50 Squarespace
01:39 Northern Hemisphere Night Sky
04:38 Southern Hemisphere Night Sky
07:23 Star Tracker Target
08:09 Moon
08:28 Equinox
09:17 Zodiacal Light
13:45 #WITNS Winners

** Night Sky Notebook March 2022 – Peter Detterline

What’s happening in the skies above for March 2022.

 

** See also:

** March: Sirius in the Spotlight – Sky Tour Podcast – Sky & Telescope

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Envisioning Exoplanets:
Searching for Life in the Galaxy

Education, Space participation, Space Radio

ARRL Foundation funds student space telerobotics initiative

An announcement from the ARRL Foundation and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS-USA) organizations:

ARRL Foundation Grants First-Year Funding for
ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Initiative

A $47,533 ARRL Foundation grant will fund the initial phase of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS‐USA) *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project. *STAR*, which stands for Space Telerobotics using Amateur Radio, honors the memory of Keith Pugh, W5IU, a highly respected member of the ARISS team who died in 2019. ARISS arranges live question-and-answer sessions via ham radio between International Space Station (ISS) crew members and students. A long-time and enthusiastic supporter of ARISS, Pugh was a star ARISS technical mentor, assisting schools with ARISS contacts, encouraging interest in ARISS among educators, and visiting schools to teach students about wireless radio technology. One goal of ARISS is to engage students in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) subjects.

The ARISS *STAR* Project, is a new educational initiative that will enable US junior and senior high school groups to remotely control robots via ham radio through digital APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) commands. Year 1 will focus on systems development and initial validation of ARISS *STAR*, and year 2 will focus on evaluation and final validation.

Systems development and evaluation will be led by university staff and students who will undertake hands-on wireless and telerobotics lesson development, learn about amateur radio, and support *STAR* engineering hardware and software development.

Next, youth teams will be selected to experiment and critique *STAR* telerobotics scenarios in closed courses. In the process, ARISS will encourage students to prepare for and earn an FCC amateur radio license, enabling them to use ham radio to learn and practice concepts in radio technology and radio communication.

ARISS-USA Executive Director Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, praised the ARRL Foundation for its generosity.

“ARISS team member Keith Pugh, W5IU, poured his energy into inspiring, engaging, and educating youth in space and in amateur radio endeavors,” Bauer said. “What better way to honor Keith than through the ARISS *STAR* initiative. We thank the ARRL Foundation for its vision to move this initiative forward. Maybe someday one of our ARISS *STAR* students will use their telerobotics skills to control scientific rovers on the [m]oon or Mars!”

Over the past 2 decades, more than 1,400 ARISS contacts have connected more than 1 million youth with the ISS using amateur radio, with millions more watching and learning.

The overarching goals for *STAR* are to improve and sustain ARISS STEAM educational outcomes. Robotics is gaining popularity among youth and adults alike, and telerobotics adds a wireless accent to robotic control. This will expand ARISS’s educational dimension to attract the attention of more groups, students, and educators — outreach that promises to attract new audiences.

The ARRL Foundation was established in 1973, to advance the art, science, and social benefits of the Amateur Radio Service by awarding financial grants and scholarships to individuals and organizations that support their charitable, educational, and scientific efforts.

ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and space agencies that support the ISS. US sponsors include ARRL, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the ISS National Lab‐Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. For more information, visit www.ariss-usa.org and www.ariss.org.

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Introduction to CubeSat Technology and Subsystem:
Orbit Design, Debris Impact, and Orbital Decay Prediction

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for January 2022

** What’s Up: January 2022 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in January 2022? Stargazing is at its best on the nights around the new moon, Jan. 2. Later that night, catch the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. Then look for the Moon with Jupiter on Jan. 5, and with Mars and Venus on Jan. 29.

0:00 Intro
0:10 New Moon
0:30 Quadrantid meteors
1:28 Dusk / Dawn Highlights
2:28 Moon Phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: January 2022 – Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

In January, the northern hemisphere features beautiful views of Capella, a pair of giant yellow stars; Aldebaran, a red giant star; and two star clusters—the Hyades and the Pleiades. Keep watching for the awe-inspiring space-based views of the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star that exploded as a supernova. About this Series “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-galle....

** What to see in the night sky: November 2021 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

What can you see in the night sky tonight? Astronomers Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best night-sky highlights to observe throughout January 2022.

** What’s in the Night Sky June 2021 #WITNS | Comet Leonard | Quadrantid Meteor Shower – Alyn Wallace

** Night Sky Notebook March 2021 – Peter Detterline

** See also:

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Stellaris: People of the Stars

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Envisioning Exoplanets:
Searching for Life in the Galaxy