9:15 AM | NASA/Wallops launch tonight should be visible here..."glowing" clouds to be generated right after launch should also be visible

[These "glowing" clouds were produced by five suborbital NASA rockets that launched on March 27, 2012, from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia; courtesy NASA]

Discussion

A launch is planned for ~7pm tonight at the NASA/Wallops facility and it should be visible in much of the Mid-Atlantic region depending on local weather conditions (which look pretty favorable). In addition, one of the main purposes of the mission is to generate “glowing clouds” high above the Earth which should also be visible in the region shortly after launch.

The main goal of Wednesday's launch is to test the performance of the two-stage Black Brant IX sounding rocket, which will be flying with a reformulated motor, NASA officials said. But the mission also serves to try out a number of technologies including newly developed lightweight materials and novel payload-ejection systems. The rocket will be launched on an east-southeast trajectory, reaching a maximum altitude (apogee) of 161 miles (259 kilometers) about 4.5 minutes after it leaves the launch pad at Wallops.

[Rocket launch at NASA/Wallops from earlier this year; courtesy NASA]

Another purpose of this mission is to generate “glowing clouds” which will be used to study wind in space and the ionosphere. About 6 to 6.5 minutes after the launch, on the rocket's downward leg, as many as four barium clouds will be released over the Atlantic Ocean, at altitudes of between 118 and 130 miles (190 to 209 km), over a point roughly 125 miles (200 km) downrange from Wallops. Scientists have launched vapor tracers into the upper atmosphere since the 1950s. Such research has greatly aided understanding of the planet's near-space environment.

Vapor clouds seemingly explode into view when first released, sometimes blooming so rapidly they resemble fuzzy fireworks. Depending on the state of the atmosphere, these clouds may appear to expand to several times the apparent size of the moon; on other occasions, they appear to elongate in a north-south fashion or stretch out into long plumes. Initially, they may appear to glow with prismatic colors, although the primary colors are expected to trend toward bluish-green and purple-red. Since observers must be in darkness while the barium cloud is in sunlight, the technique is limited to observations near sunset, local time. Depending on atmospheric conditions, the barium clouds could persist for as little as 2 minutes or they could linger for as long as 20 minutes before fading away.

To find the exact launch time and to watch the launch live go here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tv-wallops. In the Philly and DC metro regions look near the horizon towards the south and then to the southeast; in the DC metro region look near the horizon towards the southeast and then to the east.

[This map shows areas where tonight's sounding rocket launch may be visible; courtesy NASA]

12:45 PM | NASA/Wallops launch tomorrow evening should be visible in the Mid-Atlantic region...UPDATE-posponed until Wednesday evening

[Viewing area for tomorrow night's launch; courtesy NASA]

Discussion

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility is set to launch a sounding rocket Tuesday evening designed to test new technology, with the aim of making future space missions less expensive and less risky. The suborbital Black Brant IX sounding rocket is scheduled to take off between 7 and 9 p.m. and may be visible throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. If postponed, the launch could be rescheduled up through Oct. 12, according to NASA officials. Suborbital rockets, also called sounding rockets, are valuable tools in qualifying technologies for flight and providing the test drive that is needed.

Another task for the rocket is to release vapor clouds that incorporate a new ejection system. Such "glowing" clouds are used to study wind in space and the ionosphere. The new system could allow researchers to study wider areas during future launches, officials say. The vapor, which is to be released about 130 miles above the Earth, will contain a barium-strontium mixture that produces a cloud with a mix of blue-green and red colors.

Weather conditions at this time appear to be quite favorable for the planned Tuesday evening launch. Look near the horizon in the southern sky if located in Philly and New York metro regions or to the southeastern sky if in the DC metro area. Follow the launch here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tv-wallops

1:00 PM | “Supermoon” eclipse Sunday night...viewing conditions questionable here

[An eclipsed moon with a reddish appearance; image courtesy AP]

Discussion

Viewing conditions on Sunday night are certainly in question for much of the Mid-Atlantic region, but something that hasn’t taken place in 32 years and won’t take place again for another 18 years will occur:

a total lunar eclipse that coincides with a “supermoon”.

On Sunday (September 27, 2015) Earth's shadow will begin to dim the "supermoon" slightly, beginning at 8:11 p.m. EDT. The total eclipse will start at 10:11 p.m. EDT Sunday evening and will last one hour and 12 minutes. It will be visible across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of West Asia and the eastern Pacific.

A “supermoon” just means the moon looks a bit bigger than usual since it is closer to Earth compared to normal – as much as 50,000 km closer than other full moons. Specifically, a “supermoon” is defined as when the new or full moon comes within 224,834 miles of Earth as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth. There are six "supermoons" this year which are 12 to 14 percent brighter than a full moon in its most distant approach to Earth. There have been just five “supermoon” events since 1900 (in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982).

An eclipsed moon takes on a red appearance (hence reference to "blood" moon) as most of the light illuminating the moon passes through the stratosphere where it is reddened by scattering. Red is not necessarily the only visible color, however. Light that passes through the upper stratosphere penetrates the ozone layer which absorbs red light and actually makes the passing light ray bluer. This can be seen as a soft blue fringe around the red core of Earth’s shadow – usually best seen during the first and last minutes of totality.

This will be the last total lunar eclipse anywhere on Earth until 2018. In fact, there will actually be a total solar eclipse (in August 2017) visible in the USA before the next total lunar eclipse.

9:30 AM | Perseid meteor shower peaks late Wednesday night and it could be a great show this year

[Image of Perseid meteor over China from 2013]

Discussion

The Perseid meteor shower that arrives this time every year should be particularly spectacular when it peaks overnight Wednesday as the moon will be in its darkest or “new” phase. Up to 100 shooting stars per hour will streak across the sky during the peak and - given the lack of interference by moonlight – this could result in a stellar show as long as sky conditions are favorable (and they should be).

The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year from mid-July to mid-August as the Earth passes through a cloud of dust that comes from Comet Swift-Tuttle as it approaches the sun. Earth's gravity pulls in some of the chunks of debris — small rocks comprised of iron-nickel, stone, other minerals or a combination of these — which turn into bright balls of hot gas when entering Earth's atmosphere. Typically, the meteors are only the size of pebbles, some as small as a grain of sand. As darkness falls, the meteors appear to come from the constellation Perseus, hence the name; although late in the evening, the meteors originate higher in the sky than the constellation.

Perseid meteoroids hit our atmosphere at ~132,000 mph to produce the annual light show and this particular meteor shower is usually rich in “fireballs” because of the size of the parent comet. Comet Swift-Tuttle has a huge nucleus – about 26 kilometers in diameter whereas most other comets are much smaller with nuclei only a few kilometers across. As a result, Comet Swift-Tuttle produces a large number of meteoroids, many of which are large enough to produce fireballs. In fact, the Perseid meteor shower is considered the “fireball champion” of all of the annual meteor showers.

The best time to look during the peak is between the hours of 11pm (Wednesday night) and 5am (Thursday morning) far away from city lights.

11:15 AM | Amazing close-up view of Pluto and now all nine "planets"

[Final color image of Pluto before the flyby; courtesy NASA]

Discussion

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has made the first ever visit to Pluto speeding past at 30,000 miles per hour. This image (above) was taken late yesterday and is the final color image taken just before the flyby from about 476,000 miles away. In the image, we can see the "heart" of Pluto in much greater detail than before, craters that were impossible to make out in previous images, and a great view of the dwarf planet's dark equatorial belt. There are more images of the face of Pluto to come. The first true high-resolution mosaic image will be released tomorrow afternoon, and a few more will be released throughout the week. A much larger set will be released starting in September.

With this close-up view of Pluto that was more than nine years in the making, all nine objects considered by many to the solar system’s planets – from Mercury through Pluto – have now been visited at least once by a probe. This image below features some of the best available viewpoints of all nine planets in the solar system including the very latest of the dwarf planet Pluto (lower right).

[All nine planets in our solar systems have now been visited at least once by a probe]

One of the interesting findings regarding Pluto based on this close-up view is that the dwarf planet is apparently a bit bigger than previously thought. The diameter of Pluto will be increased by about 20 or 30 miles based on the new data according to NASA scientists. Also, early interpretation of the data suggests Pluto has “a history of impacts” and “surface activity that may be interpreted as tectonic indicating internal activity in the past and perhaps even in its present”. Pluto is quite unusual in that it is a fraction of the size of the Earth and yet has five moons. The dwarf planet slightly orbits the largest moon, Charon, leading some to suggest that the pair could be best described as a double planet system. Charon is about 750 miles across and half the diameter of Pluto – making it the solar system’s largest moon relative to its planet.

2:45 PM | We've never seen Pluto close up...until now

[Image of Pluto taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft on July 7th; courtesy NASA]

Discussion

It took NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft nine years to cover the 3 billion mile trip there, but come next Tuesday, July 14th, it’ll fly within 7,750 miles of Pluto and show us the dwarf planet and its five moons for the first time. Pluto is the farthest destination for any space mission in history and because New Horizons is traveling at such a high speed (~31,000 miles per hour) and can’t slow down, the flyby will be over in a matter of minutes. This brief encounter with Pluto will mark the first time since 1989 – when Voyager 2 probe fled by Neptune – that we’ll be seeing an entirely new world for the first time. Not even the Hubble Space Telescope could see the dwarf planet clearly, but those days are over.

In fact, over the past few weeks New Horizons has closed in on Pluto giving us better and better photos including the one above taken on July 7th from about 5 million miles away. While this photo is a big improvement from anything captured beforehand, it is nothing compared to what will come later next week after closest approach. The images taken at closest approach next Tuesday will actually not be available for viewing until a couple of days later (7/16), and they are expected to reveal high-resolution geological features on the surface of Pluto. They could reveal mountains, ice caps, volcanoes, or even an ocean of liquid water under ice – nobody knows for sure.

Pluto is quite unusual in that it is a fraction of the size of the Earth and yet has five moons. The dwarf planet slightly orbits the largest moon, Charon, leading some to suggest that the pair could be best described as a double planet system. Charon is about 750 miles across and half the diameter of Pluto – making it the solar system’s largest moon relative to its planet. Three of the smaller moons are swept up in the pair’s gravitational field which leads to bizarre and chaotic orbits of their own.

9:45 AM | Saturn is worth a look now as its rings surge in brightness

[This is an animation of two Saturn images about 10 minutes apart using a 16-inch telescope. It shows gaps in Saturn's rings, clouds in the planet's atmosphere, and a famous hex-shaped storm around Saturn's north pole. Courtesy "spaceweather.com"]

Discussion

If you have a backyard telescope then the best time to see the planet Saturn in 2015 is here! Saturn’s rings will surge in brightness tonight as the planet will be at “opposition” – that is, opposite the sun. The Earth passes in between Saturn and the sun later tonight and the ringed planet will be at its closest to the Earth and brightest in our sky. Saturn will rise in the eastern sky at sunset (opposite the setting sun) and then move through the southern sky reaching its highest point at midnight in the region of the constellation Scorpius (see sky map). Saturn should shine a touch brighter than Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Saturn will then set in the western sky at sunrise.

[An "opposition" takes place when Earth goes between Saturn and the sun]

Whenever Saturn is at “opposition”, its rings surge in brightness. Saturn’s rings are made of frozen chunks of ice ranging in size from dust to houses. Sunlight backscattered from these ice particles cause the ring system to shine more than usual around “opposition”. This is not a one-time event. Saturn’s rings should be in good view through June 2015, and it will remain a fixture in the evening sky until the fall. Skies should clear tonight following the passage of a cold frontal system – but it will get quite cold. Skies have a good chance of being clear tomorrow night as well.

8:45 AM | Lyrid meteor shower peaks late tonight

Discussion

Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Thatcher, the source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. This particular meteor shower has been seen each April for more than 2600 years making it one of the oldest known meteor showers. If forecasters are correct, April’s top meteor shower will peak late tonight with 10 to 20 meteors visible per hour. The best time to look for the meteors is between about 11 pm and sunrise on Thursday. Skies should clear somewhat by late tonight in the Mid-Atlantic region following the passage of a strong cold frontal system allowing for possible viewing of the meteor shower.

The Lyrids are quite unpredictable and have a history of putting on surprising performances. In 1982 and way back in 1922, the shower delivered a reported 90 meteors per hour. In 2014, the Lyrids were hampered in part due to moonlight from the last-quarter moon, but that won't be the case this year. This year the moon will be a waxing crescent - only one-fifteenth the brightness of a full moon - and it will set early allowing for excellent dark sky conditions for this shower. Typically, Lyrids produce a gratifying number of fireballs, which is somewhat surprising since their relatively moderate speeds of 30 miles per second is only about 75 percent that of the August Perseids or November Leonids. The Lyrids radiant point is about 10 degrees southwest of the blue-white star Vega (see sky map above). The Lyrid meteor shower lasts from roughly April 16-26 each year, but it is best seen on only about two nights.

1:50 PM | Strong geomagnetic storm currently underway and it could cause northern lights into this evening...Friday will feature three celestial events

[Northern lights seen earlier today in northern Alaska; courtesy spaceweather.com]

Discussion

Northern Lights and an ongoing geomagnetic storm

Despite an overall quiet look to the sun, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit the earth’s magnetic field earlier today sparking bright auroras across many northern latitude locations around the world including the northern tier of the US. The sun is currently featuring just one noticeable sunspot region (circled area) and it is from here that the current geomagnetic storm originated. At first, the impact generated a relatively mild "G1-class" geomagnetic field, but then it intensified into a “G4-class” ranking it as the strongest geomagnetic storm of the current solar cycle (#24).

[Current image of the sun with sunspot region circled; courtesy spaceweather.com]

This storm could continue for many hours to come as the earth passes through the turbulent wake of the CME. Should the storm continue at its current intensity into the evening hours, northern lights could even be visible (in dark areas) as far south as the I-95 corridor. Skies should clear out this evening in the I-95 corridor following an Arctic cold frontal passage.

Friday will feature three celestial events

There will be three celestial events this Friday including a total solar eclipse, a "new supermoon", and the spring equinox, but none of these will actually present anything visible around here. In fact, the total solar eclipse will be seen by very few people as it's visible path - while unusually wide and long - will mostly pass over the open North Atlantic Ocean. A Supermoon, or perigee moon, happens when the full or new moon does its closest fly-by of the Earth, making it look bigger than it normally does. There are actually six supermoons during 2015, but only three of them are visible during the full moon phase. The supermoon this Friday will not be visible as it will occur during the new moon phase. And the spring equinox refers to the time of the year when the day and night are of equal duration, mid-way between the longest and shortest days.

10:50 AM | An update on Comet Lovejoy...now in its best two weeks

[Image of Comet Lovejoy; courtesy Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang]

Discussion

Overview Comet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2, is in the midst of its best two weeks. Comet Lovejoy is now about magnitude 3.8, and it should remain that bright all week. On January 7th the comet passed closest by Earth, at a distance of 0.47 a.u. (44 million miles; 70 million km). Although the comet is receding from us now, its intrinsic brightness should still be increasing a bit. That's because it doesn't reach perihelion (its closest to the Sun) until January 30th (at a rather distant 1.29 a.u. from the Sun). By that date, the comet should finally be fading slightly from Earth's point of view.

Where to look Comet Lovejoy is high in the early-evening sky for binoculars or low-power, wide-field telescope viewing. It's also dimly visible to the unaided eye under dark-sky conditions — if you know exactly where to look! According to the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang, you’ll find Comet Lovejoy high enough around 8 p.m. (and the later hours too) to the right of the constellation Orion and just under the constellation Taurus. Think of the three stars (Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka) of Orion’s belt as a pointer toward the comet, because if you look carefully in a very dark sky, you could see a faint glow. By Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the comet will pass to the right of the Pleiades cluster – also know as the Seven Sisters or Messier 45. Our original story on Comet Lovejoy with links to finder charts can be found at http://vencoreweather.com/2014/12/31/1000-am-comet-lovejoy-rings-in-the-new-year/. Skies may be clear this evening for comet viewing; however, clouds are likely to roll in from the south by late tonight.

[Finder chart for tonight, January 13th; map courtesy Andrew Ochadlick and heavens-above.com]