Astronomy News for the Month of December 2020


    This news letter is provided as a service by
The International Association for Astronomical Studies
provides this newsletter as a service for interested persons worldwide.

Downloadable version of the newsletter in
PDF Format
(Right click and select "Save target as" to begin download.)
(Always check the PDF link above if the web page is not updated.
I always publish the PDF before I upload the web page.)
PDF updated 1st of every month!

Visit the Home Page of KIØAR

Subscribe to the
IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter

(Email version)
SUBSCRIBE

Subscription notes below.


Donate to the IAAS!
Shop Smile.Amazon.com, sign up or sign in to
smile.amazon.com
and select the
International Association for Astronomical Studies.
0.5% of every purchase will be donated to the group.
Thank you!


Web and email hosting by

TotalChoice Hosting


Locations of Site Visitors
Create your own visitor map!


An Open Invitation

For amateur radio operators and scanner enthusiasts, when in the Denver metro area, please join the Colorado Astronomy Net on the Rocky Mountain Radio League's WØWYX 146.94 MHz and 449.825 MHz repeaters.
Due to hardware issues, links with the Allstar node, Echolink and the Cripple Creek repeater are down until further notice.
The net meets on Tuesday nights at 7 P.M. Mountain Time (US).

Obtain your Amateur Radio (Ham) License or your General Radio Operator's License (GROL)! Visit the South Metro VE Team website for more information. The South Metro VE Team provides test sessions on the 1st Saturday of each month at our new Eagle Street Facility, The City of Centennial, 7272 South Eagle Street, Centennial, Colorado 80112-4244 at 9am.
** Check the website for current info during these COVID-19 times. **

The Colorado Astronomy Net and the IAAS are on Facebook.
Please be sure to "Like" us!


 Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part
of the JPL Solar System Ambassador/NASA Outreach program.

For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador website.
(Click on the logo to link to the JPL SSA homepage.)


In this Newsletter...


Background screen credits: NGC5775
Imaged March 21/22, 2001
using the 16" Kitt Peak Visitors Center telescope
as part of the Kitt Peak Advanced Observing Program.


"Jupiter (left) and Saturn are this month's highlight. While you enjoy their great conjunction, take some time to also admire detail within their turbulent atmospheres." Astronomy Magazine, p. 32, December 2020.
NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center) and M. H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley); NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center) and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley), and the Opal Team.


The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.


The Moon and Santa

The Moon

Phases

Apogee/Perigee

Moon/Planet Pairs

For reference: The Full Moon subtends an angle of ~0.5°.

Return to Top


The Planets & Dwarf Planets

Planetary Reports generated by "TheSkyX" software. These reports provide predicted data for the planets for the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month as well as meteor shower radiants are also included in the reports. These reports have been optimized for the Denver, Colorado location, however, the times will be approximate for other locations on Earth.

(All times are local unless otherwise noted.)

Planetary Highlights for November

Jupiter and Saturn are in conjunction and can be seen in the same field of view through a telescope. Don't miss this event on the Winter Solstice. Mars continues to dim as it moves away from Earth. Uranus is visible through binoculars in the constellation of Aries. Neptune is near 4th magnitude star HIP 114724 in the constellation of Aquarius and hopefully will be relatively easy to find with binoculars or a small telescope. Before sunrise, look for Venus in the east; however, Mercury is lost in the Sun's glare all month.

Mercury

Is in superior conjunction on the 19th. Mercury rises at 6:11 a.m. on the 1st and about 8:00 a.m. by month's end. Mercury is lost in the morning twilight glow all month. Mercury will return to the evening sky next month. Mercury moves from the constellation of Libra into Sagittarius shining at magnitude -0.8 on the 1st.

Venus

Rises at 4:42 a.m. on the 1st and about 5:52 a.m. by month's end. Look for Venus in the east before sunrise. On the morning of the 12th, look for the crescent Moon suspended over the planet Venus. Venus moves from the constellation of Libra into Ophiuchus shining at magnitude -3.9 on the 15th.

Earth

The Winter Solstice occurs at 5:02 a.m. EST on the 21st.

Mars

Sets at 2:45 a.m. on the 1st and about 1:37 a.m. by month's end. Mars can be viewed all evening. The best time to observe Mars will be around 9-10 p.m. in the evenings when Mars is highest in the south. Mars is in the constellation of Pisces shining at magnitude -0.7 on the 15th.

Jupiter

Sets at 9:28 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:26 p.m. by month's end. Look for Jupiter soon after sunset to the southwest. Jupiter and Saturn will be in conjunction on the 21st, passing within 0.1° south of Saturn. With a small telescope, Jupiter and Saturn will appear in the same field of view. Jupiter moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Capricornus shining at magnitude -2.0.

Saturn

Sets at 8:06 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:20 p.m. by month's end. Observe Saturn as is nears Jupiter for its conjunction on the 21st. Saturn moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Capricornus shining at magnitude 0.6.

Uranus

Sets at 4:26 a.m. on the 1st and around 2:21 a.m. by month's end. Uranus is visible in the evening almost night long. Look to the south-southeast soon after sunset to spot Uranus. Uranus is in the constellation of Aries shining at magnitude 5.7.

Neptune

Sets at 12:19 a.m. on the 1st and about 10:15 p.m. by month's end. Neptune can be spotted to the south once the skies darken. Neptune is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 7.9.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres

Sets at 10:46 p.m. on the 1st and around 9:30 p.m. by month's end. Ceres can be spotted to the southwest soon after sunset. Ceres is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 9.1.

Pluto

Sets at 7:36 p.m. on the 1st and around 5:39 p.m. by month's end. Pluto now precedes Jupiter and Saturn by a few minutes. Pluto is in the constellation of Sagittarius shining at magnitude 14.7.

As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed.

Return to Top


Astronomical Events

Meteor Showers

  • The Geminids - This shower is active during the period December 6 to December 19. Upon reaching maximum activity during December 13 to 14, hourly rates are typically near 80. The meteors are described as rapid and yellowish, with about 4% displaying persistent trains. They possess an average magnitude of 2.4.

  • The Ursids - Occurring primarily between December 17 and 24, this meteor shower reaches maximum on December 22... The maximum hourly rate is usually between 10 and 15... Meteors belonging to this stream are typically faint.

    Meteor Shower Radiant Report

    For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's Meteor Showers Online web page.

    Meteor Scatter (or Meteor burst communications) - "is a radio propagation mode that exploits the ionized trails of meteors during atmospheric entry to establish brief communications paths between radio stations up to 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) apart." Tune your shortwave or your HF amateur radio to 54.310 MHz SSB and see if you can hear any pings. Try other frequencies as well... 6m FT8 digital - 50.313 Mhz & 50.276 Mhz, JP-65 digital mode and the carrier frequencies of the lower VHF bands for TV channels 2, 3 & 4.

    Meteor Rx How-To by Terry Bullett (WØASP)

  • Comets

  • Comet 88P/Howell is now passing through the constellation of Capricornus in the early evening. Comet Howell is shining about 9th or 10th magnitude about 15° above the southwest horizon, so look for the comet soon after local twilight as it will set fairly soon in the early evening.

  • For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets, visit the Observable Comets page from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

    For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's Cometography.com webpage.

  • Eclipses

    Solar Eclipses

  • A total solar eclipse occurs on the 14th for locations in southern Chile and Argentina. Totality occurs near midday and lasts for about 2 minutes 9 seconds while over land.
    December 14, 2020 Total Solar Eclipse Path

    Lunar Eclipses

  • No lunar eclipse activity this month.
  • Observational Opportunities

  • Look for Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Mars and Uranus in the evening.
  • Look for Comet Howell in the early evening.
  • Look for Venus in the morning before sunrise.

  • Asteroids

    (From west to east)
    • Papagena is in constellation of Cetus.
    • Flora is in constellation of Cetus.
    • Psyche is at opposition on the 7th in the constellation of Taurus.
    • Eunomia is in the constellation of Cancer.
    • Irene is in the constellation of Cancer.
    • Vesta is in the constellation of Leo.

    • Information about the Minor Planets can be found at the Minor Planet Observer website.
    Ocultations

    IOTA Logo

  • Information on various occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.
  • Return to Top


    Subscriber Gallery

    Return to Top


    Member Meteor Sightings

    In this section I will post meteor, fireball, etc sightings that have been published on the American Meteor Society's web site. I want to make this an active section of the web pages and newsletter and would like to publish the links to member sightings. If you have any published sightings, please provide me with the links and I will post them here for all to enjoy.

    Event ID Date/Time Location Observer Link
    3587-2015 2015-11-22 17:38 MST CO Kevin S 3587aw
    3829-2015 2015-12-05 18:06 MST CO Burness A 3829a
    3871-2015 2015-11-13 01:55 MST CO Charles N 3871a
    986-2020 2020-02-21 22:20 MST CO Lukas S 986
    3716-2020 2020-07-24 23:22 MST CO Lukas S 3716

    Return to Top


    Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions

    (Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)

    JPL Latest News
    The Latest from Space

    JPL Latest News

    November 25, 2020
    Follow Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in Real Time As It Orbits Earth

    Full Article & Images

    "The only radio antenna that can command the 43-year-old spacecraft has been offline since March as it gets new hardware, but work is on track to wrap up in February.

    "When Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich was encapsulated in the payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, it was the last time human eyes would have a close-up look at the satellite. But now that the spacecraft is in orbit after launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California on Nov. 21, NASA's Eyes on the Earth is keeping track."

    Read the latest news and discoveries from JPL's dozens of active space missions exploring Earth, the solar system and worlds beyond.

    Past, Present, Future and Proposed JPL Missions.

    For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador web site.

    Juno - October 27, 2020
    Juno Data Indicates 'Sprites' or 'Elves' Frolic in Jupiter's Atmosphere

    Full Article & Images

    "An instrument on the spacecraft may have detected transient luminous events — bright flashes of light in the gas giant's upper atmosphere.

    New results from NASA's Juno mission at Jupiter suggest that either "sprites" or "elves" could be dancing in the upper atmosphere of the solar system's largest planet. It is the first time these bright, unpredictable and extremely brief flashes of light — formally known as transient luminous events, or TLE's — have been observed on another world. The findings were published on Oct. 27, 2020, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

    Scientists predicted these bright, superfast flashes of light should also be present in Jupiter's immense roiling atmosphere, but their existence remained theoretical. Then, in the summer of 2019, researchers working with data from Juno's ultraviolet spectrograph instrument (UVS) discovered something unexpected: a bright, narrow streak of ultraviolet emission that disappeared in a flash."

    Images from NASA's JunoCam.

    More information on the Juno mission is available at: Juno and Mission Juno.

    The public can follow the Juno mission on Facebook and Twitter.

    New Horizons - November 4, 2020
    The PI's Perspective: New Plans Afoot

    Full Article & Images

    "New Horizons is healthy and continuing to send data back from the flyby of the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) Arrokoth back in late 2018 and early 2019, even as it speeds deeper into the Kuiper Belt and farther from the Earth and the Sun.

    By next spring, New Horizons will be 50 times as far from the Sun as the Earth is — only the fifth operating spacecraft to reach that distance. But as far as we've come, there's much more ahead! We plan to upgrade the spacecraft system and instrument software aboard New Horizons to enhance the mission's scientific capabilities and to search for new KBO targets to study or even fly by. I'll describe both of those plans just below."

    New Horizons gallery

    Find New Horizons in the iTunes App Store.

    For more information on the New Horizons mission - the first mission to the ninth planet - visit the New Horizons home page.

    TESS - October 26, 2020
    New NASA Posters Feature Cosmic Frights for Halloween

    Full Article & Images

    "The eye-catching posters depict some of the universe's most mysterious astronomical phenomena with artistic flair. With Halloween just around the corner, NASA has released its latest Galaxy of Horrors posters. Presented in the style of vintage horror movie advertisements, the new posters feature a dead galaxy, an explosive gamma ray burst caused by colliding stellar corpses, and ever-elusive dark matter."

    For more information on the TESS mission, visit the Latest Tess Stories page.

    Past, Present, Future and Proposed JPL Missions

    Visit JPL's mission pages for current status.

    Return to Top


    Mars Missions

    Be A Martian

    Mars website mobile version is here!

    MARS WEATHER
    Mars Daily Weather Report

    Mars on the Go! NASA Be A Martian Mobile App
    If you want the latest news as it happens, try our Be A Martian app.
    Download on Mobile Devices
    Android | iPhone | Windows Phone
    JMARS

    JMARS is an acronym that stands for Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing. It is a geospatial information system (GIS) developed by ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility to provide mission planning and data-analysis tools to NASA's orbiters, instrument team members, students of all ages, and the general public.

    Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

    "The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) began in 1948, a decade before NASA. We are the world's only research institute to have sent instruments to all eight planets and Pluto.

    LASP combines all aspects of space exploration through our expertise in science, engineering, mission operations, and scientific data analysis. As part of CU, LASP also works to educate and train the next generation of space scientists, engineers and mission operators by integrating undergraduate and graduate students into working teams. Our students take their unique experiences with them into government or industry, or remain in academia to continue the cycle of exploration.

    LASP is an affiliate of CU-Boulder AeroSpace Ventures, a collaboration among aerospace-related departments, institutes, centers, government labs, and industry partners."

    LASP/MAVEN - November 20, 2020
    LASP scientists find hidden pockets of water ice on the moon

    Full Article & Images

    "Hidden pockets of water ice could be much more common on the surface of the moon than scientists once suspected, according to new research led by the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU Boulder. In some cases, these tiny patches of ice might exist in permanent shadows no bigger than a penny."

    Visit LASP and MAVEN for more information.

    Mars 2020 - Perseverance - November 18, 2020
    Hear Audio From NASA's Perseverance As It Travels Through Deep Space

    Full Article & Images

    "A microphone aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has recorded the sounds of the spacecraft as it hurtles through interplanetary space. While another mic aboard the rover is intended specifically to listen for the laser zaps of the SuperCam instrument, this one is devoted to capturing some or all of the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) sequence – from the firing of the mortar that releases the parachute to the Mars landing engines kicking in to the rover wheels crunching down onto the surface."
    Listen to Perseverance

    Learn more about the upcoming Mars 2020 (Perseverance) mission.

    Mars Science Laboratory - Curiosity - November 12, 2020
    NASA's Curiosity Takes Selfie With 'Mary Anning' on the Red Planet

    Full Article & Images

    "NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has a new selfie. This latest is from a location named "Mary Anning," after a 19th-century English paleontologist whose discovery of marine-reptile fossils were ignored for generations because of her gender and class. The rover has been at the site since this past July, taking and analyzing drill samples."

    Follow the Mars Curiosity rover on Foursquare.

    For information about NASA's partnership with Foursquare.

      Mars Rover Landing - Free for the Xbox 360 (requires Kinect)

      Visit the Mars Science Laboratory page.

    Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission - October 1, 2020
    AI Is Helping Scientists Discover Fresh Craters on Mars

    Full Article & Image

    "It's the first time machine learning has been used to find previously unknown craters on the Red Planet.

    Sometime between March 2010 and May 2012, a meteor streaked across the Martian sky and broke into pieces, slamming into the planet's surface. The resulting craters were relatively small — just 13 feet (4 meters) in diameter. The smaller the features, the more difficult they are to spot using Mars orbiters. But in this case — and for the first time — scientists spotted them with a little extra help: artificial intelligence (AI)."

    MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES
    All of the HiRISE images are archived here.

    More information about the MRO mission is available online.

    Mars Odyssey Orbiter - June 8, 2020
    Three New Views of Mars' Moon Phobos

    Full Article and Images

    "Three new views of the Martian moon Phobos have been captured by NASA's Odyssey orbiter. Taken this past winter and this spring, they capture the moon as it drifts into and out of Mars' shadow.

    The orbiter's infrared camera, the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), has been used to measure temperature variations across the surface of Phobos that provide insight into the composition and physical properties of the moon. Further study could help settle a debate over whether Phobos, which is about 16 miles (25 kilometers) across, is a captured asteroid or an ancient chunk of Mars that was blasted off the surface by an impact."

    Daily Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images
    Can be found at the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) website.

    The Odyssey data are available through a new online access system established by the Planetary Data System.

    Visit the Mars Odyssey Mission page.

    Journey to Mars - InSight - Revealing the Heart of Mars - October 16, 2020
    NASA InSight's 'Mole' Is Out of Sight

    Full Article and Images

    "NASA's InSight lander continues working to get its "mole" — a 16-inch-long (40-centimeter-long) pile driver and heat probe — deep below the surface of Mars. A camera on InSight's arm recently took images of the now partially filled-in "mole hole," showing only the device's science tether protruding from the ground.

    Sensors embedded in the tether are designed to measure heat flowing from the planet once the mole has dug at least 10 feet (3 meters) deep. The mission team has been working to help the mole burrow to at least that depth so that it can take Mars' temperature.

    The mole was designed so that loose soil would flow around it, providing friction against its outer hull so that it can dig deeper; without this friction, the mole just bounces in place as it hammers into the ground. But the soil where InSight landed is different than what previous missions have encountered: During hammering, the soil sticks together, forming a small pit around the device instead of collapsing around it and providing the necessary friction."

    Interactive selection of raw images taken by the cameras aboard InSight.

    Learn more about the InSight Mission.

    Mars Missions Status

    New Mars missions are being planned to include several new rover and sample collection missions. Check out the Mars Missions web page and the Mars Exploration page.

    Return to Top


    Astronomy Links and Other Space News

    (If you have a link you would like to recommend to our readers, please feel free to submit it.)

    Green Laser

    Colorado Astronomy Links

    Radio Astronomy Links

    Other Astronomy Links

    Return to Top


    Astronomical Lexicon

    Definitions of astronomical terms. Many of the astronomical terms used in this newsletter are defined here.

    Return to Top


    UT Logo

    Read the Universe Today Newsletter by clicking on the logo.

    Return to Top


    Acknowledgments and References

    Much of the information in this newsletter is from Astronomy® Magazine (Kalmbach Publishing), JPL mission status reports, the Internet, "Meteor Showers - A descriptive Catalog" by Gary W. Kronk, Sky & Telescope web pages, and other astronomical sources that I have stashed on my bookshelves.

    The author will accept any suggestions, constructive criticisms, and corrections. Please feel free to send me any new links or articles to share as well. I will try to accommodate any reasonable requests. Please feel free to send questions, comments, criticisms, or donations to the email address listed below. Enjoy!

    More Acknowledgements and References

    Return to Top


    Subscription Information

    Return to Top


    Keep looking UP!
    73 from KIØAR

    Return to Top


    Free Web Counters

    Home of KIØAR
    created by Burness F. Ansell, III,
    Email me
    IAAS - COO, Director of Aerospace Technologies
    JPL Solar System Ambassador, Colorado
    last modified: December 01, 2020

    URL:http://www.ki0ar.com/astro.html