Fone IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter

Astronomy News for the Month of September 2022

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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...

The Month - At-A-Glance
Moon
Planets & Dwarf Planets

Planetary Highlights
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Ceres
Pluto

Astronomical Events

Meteor Showers
Comets
Occultations
Eclipses
Asteroids
Observational Opportunities

Subscriber Gallery
Member Meteor Sightings
Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions

JPL Latest News
James Webb Space Telescope
Juno
New Horizons
TESS

Mars Missions

JMARS
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
LASP
Maven
Mars 2020 - Perseverance
Mars Science Laboratory - Curiosity
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission
Mars Odyssey Orbiter
Journey to Mars
Mars Missions Status

Astronomy Links and Other Space News

Colorado Astronomy Links
Radio Astronomy Links
Other Astronomy Links

Astronomical Lexicon
UniverseToday
Acknowledgments and References
Subscription Information

Newsletter Archives
Items of Special Interest to Ham Radio Operators
IAAS News
Web Sites of Interest

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 dominates the sky above Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada. This month, the gas giant reaches opposition, offering amazing views of its disk and Galilean moons." Alan Dyer, Astronomy Magazine, September 2022, p. 32.

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

The Moon

Phases

First Quarter Moon occurs on the 3rd.
Full Moon occurs on the 10th.
Last Quarter Moon occurs on the 17th.
New Moon occurs on the 25th.

Apogee/Perigee

The Moon is at Perigee (226,485 miles from Earth) on the 7th.
The Moon is at Apogee (251,379 miles from Earth) on the 19th.

Moon/Planet Pairs

Venus passes 0.8° north of Regulus on the 4th.

The Moon passes 4° south of Saturn on the 8th.

Mars passes 4° north of Aldebaran on the 8th.

The Moon passes 3° south of Neptune on the 10th.

The Moon passes 1.8° south of Jupiter on the 11th.

The Moon passes 0.8° north of Uranus on the 14th.

The Moon passes 4° north of Mars on the 16th.

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

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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 September "Jupiter is at its best all month, reaching opposition in late September. Saturn puts on a great evening show, along with a brief view of elusive Mercury soon after sunset. For early risers, the morning sky carries a growing Mars as its main planetary focus, while early in the month you can catch Venus in the bright morning twilight." Astronomy Magazine, September 2022, P. 32.
	Mercury Is stationary on the 9th. Mercury is in inferior conjunction on the 23rd. Mercury sets at 8:18 p.m. on the 1st. After inferior conjunction, Mercury returns to the morning sky, rising about 5:48 a.m. by month's end. Look for Mercury low to the west about 30 minutes after sunset during the first 2 weeks of the month. Mercury is in the constellation of Virgo shining at magnitude 0.4 on the 1st.
	Venus Rises at 5:19 a.m. on the 1st and about 6:28 a.m. by month's end. Look for Venus low to the east before sunrise. Venus moves from the constellation of Leo into Virgo shining at magnitude -3.9 on the 1st.
	Earth The Autumnal equinox occurs at 9:04 P.M. EDT on the 22nd.
	Mars Rises at 11:22 p.m. on the 1st and about 10:11 p.m. by month's end. Even though Mars rises late in the evening, it is best viewed after midnight when it is higher up in the southern skies. Mars is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude -0.4.
	Jupiter Is at opposition on the 26th, rising as the Sun sets. Jupiter rises at 8:35 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:29 p.m. by month's end. Look for Jupiter in the east soon after sunset, and follow it across the sky as the night progresses. Jupiter is at its best viewing for the year this month. Jupiter moves from the constellation of Cetus into Pisces shining at magnitude -2.9.
	Saturn Rises at 6:41 p.m. on the 1st and about 4:38 p.m. by month's end. Look for Saturn to the east soon after sunset, and follow it across the sky as the night progresses. Saturn is still near its best viewing and easily accessible in the early evening. Saturn will be visible almost all night long this month. Saturn is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 0.4.
	Uranus Rises at 10:18 p.m. on the 1st and about 8:19 p.m. by month's end. Look to the east after sunset once the skies darken to spot Uranus. Uranus is in the constellation of Aries shining at magnitude 5.7.
	Neptune Is at opposition on the 16th, rising as the Sun sets. Neptune rises at 8:05 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:05 p.m. by month's end. Neptune is visible all night long and is also at its best viewing for the year, though you will still need relatively dark skies to spot Neptune with binoculars or a small telescope. Neptune is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 7.7.
	Dwarf Planets
	Ceres Rises at 4:28 a.m. on the 1st and about 3:38 a.m. by month's end. Look for Ceres low to the east in the early morning before sunrise. Ceres is in the constellation of Leo shining at magnitude 8.8.
	Pluto Pluto sets at 2:53 a.m. on the 1st and about 12:53 a.m. by month's end. Look for Pluto to the south once the skies are very dark. Pluto is in the constellation of Sagittarius shining at magnitude 14.4. As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed.

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Astronomical Events

	Meteor Showers The Alpha Aurigids - This shower's duration seems to persist from August 25 to September 6. Maximum occurs on September 1. The annual maximum hourly rate may be as high as 9, but outbursts of over 30 occurred in 1935, 1986, and 1994, and observers recorded up to 130 meteors per hour in 2007. The Epsilon Perseids meteor shower is a relatively new meteor shower which can be observed from September 4 to September 14. The Epsilon Perseids peaks on the night of September 9, morning of September 10. Observers may expect to see up to 5 or 6 meteors per hour during the peak. 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 C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is traveling down through Libra to the west of Scorpius into the constellation of Lupus this month, shining around 7th magnitude. A 4 inch telescope should be able to pick this comet out under a dark sky. Start looking just about 15 minutes after twilight, because once the skies are fully dark, the comet may be lost toward the horizon. 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 No solar eclipse activity this month. Lunar Eclipses No lunar eclipse activity this month.
	Observational Opportunities Look for Mercury in the early evening during the first 2 weeks of the month. Follow Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune across the sky all night long. Look for Uranus in the late evening and early morning. Look for Mars and Venus and early morning before sunrise.
	Asteroids (From west to east) Vesta is in the constellation of Aquarius. Juno is at opposition on the 7th in the constellation of Aquarius. Bamberga is in the constellation of Perseus. Pallas is in the constellation of Monoceros. Information about the Minor Planets can be found at the Minor Planet Observer website.
	Ocultations Information on various occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.

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Subscriber Gallery

I have created a web page containing images taken and submitted by subscribers to the email newsletter, check-ins to the Colorado Astronomy Net and readers of the online newsletter. Any one wishing to submit their own images to the gallery, please let me know. The images must be taken by the submitter and be astronomy related. Please include a description and your information so that I can give proper credit to your work.

Featured Images

StarLink Train (G4-3)
STARLINK-3200 and others
December 03, 2021
Courtesy of Burness Ansell
Taken with iPhone X @ 6:43 P.M. MST
Traveling from WSW to W passing close to the bright star Altair in Aquila.

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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

3871-2015 2015-11-13 01:55 MST CO Charles N 3871a

3587-2015 2015-11-22 17:38 MST CO Kevin S 3587aw

3829-2015 2015-12-05 18:06 MST CO Burness A 3829a

986-2020 2020-02-21 22:20 MST CO Lukas S 986

3716-2020 2020-07-24 23:22 MDT CO Lukas S 3716

4774-2021 2021-08-13 21:57 MDT UT Lukas S 4774

7044-2021 2021-10-28 20:37 MDT CO Burness A 249058

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Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions

(Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)

	JPL Latest News The Latest from Space JPL Latest News August 24, 2022 NASA Scientists Help Probe Dark Energy by Testing Gravity Full Article & Images "Could one of the biggest puzzles in astrophysics be solved by reworking Albert Einstein's theory of gravity? A new study co-authored by NASA scientists says not yet. The universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, and scientists don't know why. This phenomenon seems to contradict everything researchers understand about gravity's effect on the cosmos: It's as if you threw an apple in the air and it continued upward, faster and faster. The cause of the acceleration, dubbed dark energy, remains a mystery. A new study from the international Dark Energy Survey, using the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope in Chile, marks the latest effort to determine whether this is all simply a misunderstanding: that expectations for how gravity works at the scale of the entire universe are flawed or incomplete. This potential misunderstanding might help scientists explain dark energy. But the study — one of the most precise tests yet of Albert Einstein's theory of gravity at cosmic scales — finds that the current understanding still appears to be correct." 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.
	James Webb Space Telescope August 25, 2022 NASA's Webb Detects Carbon Dioxide in Exoplanet Atmosphere Full Article & Images "NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. This observation of a gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the composition and formation of the planet. The finding, accepted for publication in Nature, offers evidence that in the future Webb may be able to detect and measure carbon dioxide in the thinner atmospheres of smaller rocky planets. WASP-39 b is a hot gas giant with a mass roughly one-quarter that of Jupiter (about the same as Saturn) and a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter. Its extreme puffiness is related in part to its high temperature (about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit or 900 degrees Celsius). Unlike the cooler, more compact gas giants in our solar system, WASP-39 b orbits very close to its star — only about one-eighth the distance between the Sun and Mercury — completing one circuit in just over four Earth-days. The planet's discovery, reported in 2011, was made based on ground-based detections of the subtle, periodic dimming of light from its host star as the planet transits, or passes in front of the star. Previous observations from other telescopes, including NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, revealed the presence of water vapor, sodium, and potassium in the planet's atmosphere. Webb's unmatched infrared sensitivity has now confirmed the presence of carbon dioxide on this planet as well." More information on the James Webb Space Telescope mission is available at The James Webb Space Telescope website. The public can follow the mission on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
	Juno July 26, 2022 NASA'S JUNO MISSION SPIES VORTICES NEAR JUPITER'S NORTH POLE Full Article & Images "As NASA's Juno mission completed its 43rd close flyby of Jupiter on July 5, 2022, its JunoCam instrument captured this striking view of vortices — hurricane-like spiral wind patterns — near the planet's north pole. These powerful storms can be over 30 miles (50 kilometers) in height and hundreds of miles across. Figuring out how they form is key to understanding Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the fluid dynamics and cloud chemistry that create the planet's other atmospheric features. Scientists are particularly interested in the vortices' varying shapes, sizes, and colors. For example, cyclones, which spin counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern, and anti-cyclones, which rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere, exhibit very different colors and shapes." 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 August 23, 2022 The PI's Perspective: Extending Exploration and Making Distant Discoveries Full Article & Images "New Horizons remains healthy from its position deep in the Kuiper Belt, even as it speeds farther and farther from the Earth and Sun by about 300 million miles per year. The spacecraft is about 54 times farther from the Sun than Earth, which is about two billion miles farther out than our first science flyby target, Pluto, and about a billion miles farther out than Arrokoth, the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) New Horizons explored in 2019. As planned, the spacecraft was put into hibernation mode on June 1, and will remain so until March 1, 2023. Hibernation saves fuel, wear and tear on spacecraft electronics; it also saves money, because less mission control and planning effort is needed to operate the spacecraft. But hibernation doesn't mean a pause in science data collection. In fact, our Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter (called SDC) and both the PEPSSI and SWAP charged-particle plasma spectrometers are measuring the distant environment around the clock. This is truly unique and highly valuable data for understanding the space weathering environment of KBOs and Kuiper Belt dwarf planets, and also for understanding how the far reaches of the Sun's heliosphere interface to the interstellar medium, or the environment beyond the Sun's cocoon of space." 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 August 24, 2022 Discovery Alert: Intriguing New ‘Super-Earth' Could Get a Closer Look Full Article & Images "The discovery: Planet TOI-1452 b. Key facts: Using observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), backed up by ground-based telescopes, an international team led by the University of Montreal announced the discovery of a "super-Earth" — a planet that is potentially rocky like ours, but larger — orbiting a red-dwarf star about 100 light-years away. Further investigation could shed light on an intriguing possibility: that the planet might be a "water world." Details: Ocean planets are long imagined but difficult to confirm, and TOI-1452 b is no different. About 70% larger than Earth, and roughly five times as massive, its density could be consistent with having a very deep ocean. But more follow-up will be needed. The planet also might be a huge rock, with little or no atmosphere. It could even be a rocky planet with an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium." 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.

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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
July 6, 2022
NASA robotic mission to explore the Moon's mysterious Gruithuisen Domes
Full Article & Images
"NASA has selected a new science mission that will land a spacecraft on a part of the Moon that's never before been visited: the Gruithuisen Domes. Scientists, mission operators, and data analysts from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder will play an important role in this mission, which will be led by researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
The domes, located along the western rim of the Imbrium Basin, the largest impact crater on the Moon's near side, remain a mystery to scientists. Flyover data from previous missions indicate the surface in this region is unlike most other volcanic features on the Moon. Rather than the dark, magnesium- and iron-rich volcanic minerals that once crystallized from molten magma in the Moon's mare, or "seas", the Gruithuisen domes instead appear to be composed of lighter-colored, more silica-rich volcanic minerals."

MAVEN
June 1, 2022
NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Resumes Science & Operations, Exits Safe Mode
Full Article & Images
"NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission returned to normal science and relay operations on May 28, 2022, after recovering from an extended safe mode event. The spacecraft encountered problems in February with its Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The mission team successfully diagnosed the issue with these navigation instruments and developed a system for the spacecraft to navigate by the stars, which should allow for continued MAVEN mission operations through the next decade."
Visit LASP and MAVEN for more information.

Mars 2020 - Perseverance
August 25, 2022
NASA's Perseverance Makes New Discoveries in Mars' Jezero Crater
Full Article & Images
"The rover found that Jezero Crater's floor is made up of volcanic rocks that have interacted with water.
Scientists got a surprise when NASA's Perseverance Mars rover began examining rocks on the floor of Jezero Crater in spring of 2021: Because the crater held a lake billions of years ago, they had expected to find sedimentary rock, which would have formed when sand and mud settled in a once-watery environment. Instead, they discovered the floor was made of two types of igneous rock — one that formed deep underground from magma, the other from volcanic activity at the surface.
The findings are described in four new papers published Thursday, Aug. 25. In Science, one offers an overview of Perseverance's exploration of the crater floor before it arrived at Jezero's ancient river delta in April 2022; a second study in the same journal details distinctive rocks that appear to have formed from a thick body of magma. The other two papers, published in Science Advances, detail the unique ways that Perseverance's rock-vaporizing laser and ground-penetrating radar established that igneous rocks cover the crater floor."
Learn more about the Mars 2020 (Perseverance) mission.

Mars Science Laboratory - Curiosity
August 5, 2022
10 Years Since Landing, NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Still Has Drive
Full Article & Images
"Despite signs of wear, the intrepid spacecraft is about to start an exciting new chapter of its mission as it climbs a Martian mountain.
Ten years ago today, a jetpack lowered NASA's Curiosity rover onto the Red Planet, beginning the SUV-size explorer's pursuit of evidence that, billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life.
Since then, Curiosity has driven nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) and ascended 2,050 feet (625 meters) as it explores Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp within it. The rover has analyzed 41 rock and soil samples, relying on a suite of science instruments to learn what they reveal about Earth's rocky sibling. And it's pushed a team of engineers to devise ways to minimize wear and tear and keep the rover rolling: In fact, Curiosity's mission was recently extended for another three years, allowing it to continue among NASA's fleet of important astrobiological missions."
For information about NASA's partnership with Foursquare.
Visit the Mars Science Laboratory page.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission
June 28, 2022
Help NASA Scientists Find Clouds on Mars
Full Article & Image
"By identifying clouds in data collected by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the public can increase scientists' understanding of the Red Planet's atmosphere.
NASA scientists hope to solve a fundamental mystery about Mars' atmosphere, and you can help. They've organized a project called Cloudspotting on Mars that invites the public to identify Martian clouds using the citizen science platform Zooniverse. The information may help researchers figure out why the planet's atmosphere is just 1% as dense as Earth's even though ample evidence suggests the planet used to have a much thicker atmosphere.
The air pressure is so low that liquid water simply vaporizes from the planet's surface into the atmosphere. But billions of years ago, lakes and rivers covered Mars, suggesting the atmosphere must have been thicker then.
How did Mars lose its atmosphere over time? One theory suggests different mechanisms could be lofting water high into the atmosphere, where solar radiation breaks those water molecules down into hydrogen and oxygen (water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). Hydrogen is light enough that it could then drift off into space."
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
May 5, 2022
Science at Sunrise: Solving the Mystery of Frost Hiding on Mars
Full Article and Images
"A new study using data from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter may explain why Martian frost can be invisible to the naked eye and why dust avalanches appear on some slopes.
Scientists were baffled last year when studying images of the Martian surface taken at dawn by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. When they looked at the surface using visible light — the kind that the human eye perceives — they could see ghostly, blue-white morning frost illuminated by the rising Sun. But using the orbiter's heat-sensitive camera, the frost appeared more widely, including in areas where none was visible."
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
June 21, 2022
NASA's InSight Gets a Few Extra Weeks of Mars Science
Full Article and Images
"The mission's team has chosen to operate its seismometer longer than previously planned, although the lander will run out of power sooner as a result.
As the power available to NASA's InSight Mars lander diminishes by the day, the spacecraft's team has revised the mission's timeline in order to maximize the science they can conduct. The lander was projected to automatically shut down the seismometer — InSight's last operational science instrument — by the end of June in order to conserve energy, surviving on what power its dust-laden solar panels can generate until around December."
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.

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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.)

Colorado Astronomy Links

Brighton Astronomy Group - Astronomy in Brighton, Colorado (under construction).

Cloudbait Observatory, Guffey Colorado - Submit your fireball reports here. Interesting, knowledgeable site.

Colorado Springs Astronomical Society - The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (CSAS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment of the nighttime sky.

Denver Astronomical Society - Promotes the enjoyment and understanding of astronomical phenomena, history and lore by providing educational and observing opportunities for our members, general public, and outreach activities at the University of Denver's historic Chamberlin Observatory, schools, and nature centers.

Little Thompson Observatory - Begin or sustain your interest in astronomy at LTO! The night sky is wondrous, filled with countless swirling galaxies, the planets, the moon and so much more. Many of these sights are easily visible from Earth, but few people have witnessed them personally.

The Little Thompson Observatory can change that for you. Our mission is to help people of all ages learn about the universe by offering a first-hand experience with astronomy...

National Space Science & Technology Institute - NSSTI runs the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Northern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the science of astronomy and to encourage and coordinate activities of amateur astronomers.

Rocky Mountain Star Stare - The Premier Star Party in The Rocky Mountains

Sangre Stargazers - We are a group of individuals interested in amateur astronomy most of whom live in the Wet Mountain Valley of Custer County, Colorado, where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the stars on the western horizon.

Southern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Southern Colorado Astronomical Society, CSU-P and the Pueblo Nature and Raptor Center welcomes everyone to participate in the discovery of our night sky.

Star Cruiser Bill's Astrophotography - Great astrophotography from Aurora Colorado.

Star Light-Star Bright Observatory - The observatory is part of the nonprofit National Space Science & Technology Institute's education and public outreach program.
The goal of the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory, is to put the universe within reach of primary grade students and their teachers; along with being an educational asset for the community. The observatory is an educational project that was established in 2004 to serve young and old alike and provides the only free access to viewing the universe in the Pikes Peak Region.

Radio Astronomy Links

AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT, is a worldwide group of Amateur Radio Operators (Hams)... AMSAT's goal is to foster Amateur Radio's participation in space research and communication.

HighQ Software Group - Blog of Ralph Boyd, Software engineer, amateur radio operator, radio astronomer.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NRAO - Radio Astronomy news and information.

Radio Astronomy Research Posts - Radio Astronomy Research news posts and observations.

Radio Astronomy Supplies - Radio Astronomy Supplies, the International leader in research radio telescopes for universities, observatories and individual.

Radio JOVE Project - Radio JOVE students and amateur scientists observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy.

Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers - The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.

Astronomical Lexicon

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

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Read the Universe Today Newsletter by clicking on the logo.

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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

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Keep looking UP!
73 from KIØAR

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Home of KIØAR
created by Burness F. Ansell, III,
Email me
IAAS - COO, Director of Aerospace Technologies
JPL Solar System Ambassador, Colorado
last modified: September 01, 2022

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

Event ID	Date/Time	Location	Observer	Link
3871-2015	2015-11-13 01:55 MST	CO	Charles N	3871a
3587-2015	2015-11-22 17:38 MST	CO	Kevin S	3587aw
3829-2015	2015-12-05 18:06 MST	CO	Burness A	3829a
986-2020	2020-02-21 22:20 MST	CO	Lukas S	986
3716-2020	2020-07-24 23:22 MDT	CO	Lukas S	3716
4774-2021	2021-08-13 21:57 MDT	UT	Lukas S	4774
7044-2021	2021-10-28 20:37 MDT	CO	Burness A	249058

	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 July 6, 2022 NASA robotic mission to explore the Moon's mysterious Gruithuisen Domes Full Article & Images "NASA has selected a new science mission that will land a spacecraft on a part of the Moon that's never before been visited: the Gruithuisen Domes. Scientists, mission operators, and data analysts from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder will play an important role in this mission, which will be led by researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The domes, located along the western rim of the Imbrium Basin, the largest impact crater on the Moon's near side, remain a mystery to scientists. Flyover data from previous missions indicate the surface in this region is unlike most other volcanic features on the Moon. Rather than the dark, magnesium- and iron-rich volcanic minerals that once crystallized from molten magma in the Moon's mare, or "seas", the Gruithuisen domes instead appear to be composed of lighter-colored, more silica-rich volcanic minerals."
	MAVEN June 1, 2022 NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Resumes Science & Operations, Exits Safe Mode Full Article & Images "NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission returned to normal science and relay operations on May 28, 2022, after recovering from an extended safe mode event. The spacecraft encountered problems in February with its Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The mission team successfully diagnosed the issue with these navigation instruments and developed a system for the spacecraft to navigate by the stars, which should allow for continued MAVEN mission operations through the next decade." Visit LASP and MAVEN for more information.
	Mars 2020 - Perseverance August 25, 2022 NASA's Perseverance Makes New Discoveries in Mars' Jezero Crater Full Article & Images "The rover found that Jezero Crater's floor is made up of volcanic rocks that have interacted with water. Scientists got a surprise when NASA's Perseverance Mars rover began examining rocks on the floor of Jezero Crater in spring of 2021: Because the crater held a lake billions of years ago, they had expected to find sedimentary rock, which would have formed when sand and mud settled in a once-watery environment. Instead, they discovered the floor was made of two types of igneous rock — one that formed deep underground from magma, the other from volcanic activity at the surface. The findings are described in four new papers published Thursday, Aug. 25. In Science, one offers an overview of Perseverance's exploration of the crater floor before it arrived at Jezero's ancient river delta in April 2022; a second study in the same journal details distinctive rocks that appear to have formed from a thick body of magma. The other two papers, published in Science Advances, detail the unique ways that Perseverance's rock-vaporizing laser and ground-penetrating radar established that igneous rocks cover the crater floor." Learn more about the Mars 2020 (Perseverance) mission.
	Mars Science Laboratory - Curiosity August 5, 2022 10 Years Since Landing, NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Still Has Drive Full Article & Images "Despite signs of wear, the intrepid spacecraft is about to start an exciting new chapter of its mission as it climbs a Martian mountain. Ten years ago today, a jetpack lowered NASA's Curiosity rover onto the Red Planet, beginning the SUV-size explorer's pursuit of evidence that, billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life. Since then, Curiosity has driven nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) and ascended 2,050 feet (625 meters) as it explores Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp within it. The rover has analyzed 41 rock and soil samples, relying on a suite of science instruments to learn what they reveal about Earth's rocky sibling. And it's pushed a team of engineers to devise ways to minimize wear and tear and keep the rover rolling: In fact, Curiosity's mission was recently extended for another three years, allowing it to continue among NASA's fleet of important astrobiological missions." For information about NASA's partnership with Foursquare. Visit the Mars Science Laboratory page.
	Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission June 28, 2022 Help NASA Scientists Find Clouds on Mars Full Article & Image "By identifying clouds in data collected by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the public can increase scientists' understanding of the Red Planet's atmosphere. NASA scientists hope to solve a fundamental mystery about Mars' atmosphere, and you can help. They've organized a project called Cloudspotting on Mars that invites the public to identify Martian clouds using the citizen science platform Zooniverse. The information may help researchers figure out why the planet's atmosphere is just 1% as dense as Earth's even though ample evidence suggests the planet used to have a much thicker atmosphere. The air pressure is so low that liquid water simply vaporizes from the planet's surface into the atmosphere. But billions of years ago, lakes and rivers covered Mars, suggesting the atmosphere must have been thicker then. How did Mars lose its atmosphere over time? One theory suggests different mechanisms could be lofting water high into the atmosphere, where solar radiation breaks those water molecules down into hydrogen and oxygen (water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). Hydrogen is light enough that it could then drift off into space." 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 May 5, 2022 Science at Sunrise: Solving the Mystery of Frost Hiding on Mars Full Article and Images "A new study using data from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter may explain why Martian frost can be invisible to the naked eye and why dust avalanches appear on some slopes. Scientists were baffled last year when studying images of the Martian surface taken at dawn by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. When they looked at the surface using visible light — the kind that the human eye perceives — they could see ghostly, blue-white morning frost illuminated by the rising Sun. But using the orbiter's heat-sensitive camera, the frost appeared more widely, including in areas where none was visible." 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 June 21, 2022 NASA's InSight Gets a Few Extra Weeks of Mars Science Full Article and Images "The mission's team has chosen to operate its seismometer longer than previously planned, although the lander will run out of power sooner as a result. As the power available to NASA's InSight Mars lander diminishes by the day, the spacecraft's team has revised the mission's timeline in order to maximize the science they can conduct. The lander was projected to automatically shut down the seismometer — InSight's last operational science instrument — by the end of June in order to conserve energy, surviving on what power its dust-laden solar panels can generate until around December." 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.

Astronomy News for the Month of September 2022

An Open Invitation

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.)

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

Phases

Apogee/Perigee

Moon/Planet Pairs

(All times are local unless otherwise noted.)

Dwarf Planets

(From west to east)

Featured Images

(Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)

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

Keep looking UP! 73 from KIØAR

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.)

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

Keep looking UP!
73 from KIØAR