Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has broken +3rd magnitude at dawn, and brightening. Meanwhile, Rob Sparks caught the comet this weekend over Kitt-Peak’s McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope: instagram.com/p/DAdlqgHPFK1/
An intriguing simulation of Comet T-ATLAS by French astronomer Nicolas Lefaudeux shows as what may be in store over the next week, as forward scattering comes into play. Could we be in for a show like 1956’s Comet Arend-Roland? Check out Nicolas’ page: hdr-astrophotography.com/comet-tails-...
We’ve got the 1st crewed launch from SLC-40 at the KSC, with SpaceX’s Crew-9 headed to the ISS. The mission is only launching w/2 crewmembers to facilitate the return of Starliner crew. Liftoff is today at 17:17UT, to dock is tomorrow at 21:27 UT. Live: www.youtube.com/live/SKXtysR...
The comet is now at +3rd magnitude ‘with a bullet’ fresh off of perihelion today interior to Mercury’s aphelion point, and brightening in the dawn sky. (Image of Comet T-ATLAS from September 26th courtesy of Yuri Beletsky):
The planet Mercury slides through the field of view of SOHO’s LASCO C3 imager this week into this weekend, headed from the dawn into the dusk sky. SOHO will see another interloper soon; Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will transit the view on October 7-11.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter had an unexpected collaboration recently. Research from a rare alignment of the two solar missions answered a 50-year old puzzle on how Alvén waves play a role in the acceleration of the solar wind. nasaspaceflight.com/2024/09/sola...
Tonight: the Moon reaches its northernmost declination for 2024 (+28.7º) at 17UT, passes Last Quarter phase at 18:51UT, passes 4.4ºN of M35 at 20UT, and passes 5ºN of Mars tomorrow morning at 14UT. The Moon is riding high into 2025, and we head towards Major Lunar Standstill.
The search was conducted with a 9" refractor, and found on the Aquarius/Capricornus border. Neptune was the 1st planet discovered using math. In 2024, +8th mag Neptune is now in Pisces and just passed opposition on September 21st, having completed one 165-year orbit (since discovery) in 2011.
Astronomers Heinrich Louis d’Arrest & Johann Gottfried searched for the planet Neptune #OnThisDay 1846 on a letter received at the Berlin Observatory that morning from French mathematician Urbain Jean-Joseph Le Verrier, and found the distant ice giant just after midnight, September 24th.
