What were you doing on Valentine's Day in 1990? I don't remember what I was doing(probably looking at Saturn). This photo is a famous one. On Valentine's Day 1990, Voyager I was speeding away from Saturn on its journey to the outer limits of the solar system and eventually interstellar space. Voyager's camera captured our tiny pale blue dot at a distance of nearly four billion miles.

 

About the photo, astronomer Carl Sagan opined: ""We succeeded in taking that picture, and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there – on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam."

 

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I always admired Dr. Sagan's work. He left us too soon.

 

He was a great guest on Johnny Carson's late night show. Carson enjoyed his visits very much and had him on as much as possible.

I always admired Dr. Sagan's work. He left us too soon.

 

He was a great guest on Johnny Carson's late night show. Carson enjoyed his visits very much and had him on as much as possible.

 

Johnny was an astronomy enthusiast. He even did skits with himself playing Sagan.

Here's Johnny doing a promo on California's Educational Television channel for an upcoming episode of Sagan's terrific series "Cosmos."

 

Johnny Carson as Carl Sagan . Hilarious! Professor, you will love this. You may remember the skit.

 

Watching "Journey to the Edge of the Universe" for probably the 80th time. I'm sure many of you have seen the Nat Geo production. If not, it is well worth the hour and a half. Baldwin is great as narrator, great script and computer-generated imagery.. I just wish it had been three or four hours in length, with even more detail about some of the deep space objects.

 

Edited December 28, 20178 yr by Science Friction

Just finished this documentary...thank you for posting it, I really enjoyed watching it. :thumb:

 

Fascinating, and it has spawned tons of thoughts and questions.

 

"Edge" - Feels like a misnomer. Though infinity is difficult to comprehend, the concept of "Edge" feels terribly illogical while I can more easily wrap my head around infinite and endless, as in the "infinite universe".

 

"Time" - In my estimation, while it's a convenient helpful measurement of now and then, this concept created by humanity to keep a sense of order to comprehend the eternal motion of matter is actually nonexistent.

 

"Beginning" - Again though infinity is difficult to comprehend, the concept of "Beginning" feels illogical while I can more easily wrap my head around no beginning, and no end.

 

"The Big Bang" - While the concept is plausible, and it makes believable sense for the whys and hows of the current state of the bodies of matter traveling and spinning throughout the endless universe, in the whole big picture what we're witnessing is the result of just one big explosion that perhaps is the last and most current of a multitude of other explosions that have been happening forever.

 

"God" - While the concept of God is difficult to comprehend, we do have evidence throughout the universe that its existence while fascinating, vast, and grand is inexplicable and likely will forever be, the universe in all it's wonder does exist.

 

I'm not adverse to the idea that a supreme power that always was created it, but I'm also not adverse in the same line of thinking that, that while hard to understand, that the universe just always was.

 

Therefore if helpful for some sense of order and understanding. I'm cool with the concept of The Universe is God.

Another favorite of mine is also a NatGeo presentation from the Naked Science series entitle "Swallowed by the Sun." The show is only about 45 min. in duration. It shows what will happen to the Earth when the sun enters its dying phase a few billion years from now. Long before the sun has used up its supply of hydrogen, life for us will be impossible. This show is for those curious about our planet's future as our sun begins to die. Please be aware, this is a chilling and foreboding tale about what will happen when the star that gave us life grows bigger and hotter and eventually consumes us. I think you will find this both fascinating and haunting. Enjoy. I welcome your comments.

 

As 2017 draws to a close, I'm reflecting on the year in astronomy. Of course, the GAE dominates my consciousness. The eclipse event was really something special. Being able to experience totality was a soul revival, a hyper-sensitive awareness of our close connection to the Universe. I can't wait until the 2024 total eclipse, which will have nearly twice the duration of totality as the GAE of 2017.

 

I love this image of an owl at a bird sanctuary in Missouri observing the sun being eclipsed on Aug. 21 . You can see the reflection of the eclipse in the little bird's eye.

 

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Another favorite of mine is also a NatGeo presentation from the Naked Science series entitle "Swallowed by the Sun." The show is only about 45 min. in duration. It shows what will happen to the Earth when the sun enters its dying phase a few billion years from now. Long before the sun has used up its supply of hydrogen, life for us will be impossible. This show is for those curious about our planet's future as our sun begins to die. Please be aware, this is a chilling and foreboding tale about what will happen when the star that gave us life grows bigger and hotter and eventually consumes us. I think you will find this both fascinating and haunting. Enjoy. I welcome your comments.

 

 

 

Just finished watching this...

 

While interesting, thought provoking, and disturbing, the premise is hypothetical sensationalism at best since what they are discussing will not likely be Planet Earth's experience anytime in the near future.

 

We might see this dismal progression hinting in that direction, and some speculate that we already are with global warming, but what is projected will likely not happen for a very long time, and by then we don't even know exactly what our cites will look like, or how our advances have dramatically changed it in function and appearance. Not that this much matters as nothing will survive anyhow.

 

Time and again the film suggests this as a result of speeding up the Sun's aging process, which isn't at all a reality of the natural order of things, nor is it likely to happen in this such way for many many years.

 

I can't say that I suffer from any impending doom related to our inevitable demise for an assortment of reasons, firstly because it will happen long after I am gone, secondly because it is what it is, as it's just the nature of things, and just as we come and go, so do planets eventually, and thirdly I'm confident that at any given period throughout this universe there are likely many planets residing in a goldilocks zone somewhere where life, intelligent or not, is thriving. No direct genetic lineage to me exactly, but life nonetheless.

 

Still, the documentary is interesting for it is foretelling of that which ultimately is inevitable.

B-ball-fan, thanks for watching the video. You are right, btw. Even a billion years from now, if our species is still around(doubtful), it will in no way resemble what we know today. My guess is that we will have long disappeared from this planet by then and possibly taken up residence somewhere else in the universe. Still, it is kinda interesting to speculate on what it would be like if we were still around when the sun went all "red giant" on our butts. I think we can all agree it wouldn't be pretty.

Here are some astronomical events in 2018 that I will be watching for. Will you join me in turning your eyes(and binoculars) to the sky and enjoying the wonders of the universe in 2018?

 

1. Super Blue Moon Eclipse — Jan. 31

 

For the first time in over 35 years, a total lunar eclipse will fall on the same night as a Blue Moon.

 

January will feature two full moons, the second of which earning the name of a Blue Moon. Both full moons will also be considered super moons, appearing bigger and brighter than normal.

 

Although the full moon on Jan. 31 is called a Blue Moon, it will not appear blue. In some parts of the world, the moon will turn a rusty orange color due to the effects of a total lunar eclipse.

 

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon passes through Earth’s shadow and turns a red or orange color during the height of the eclipse. Sometimes, this is referred to as a Blood Moon.

 

This will be the first time that a total lunar eclipse has occurred during a blue moon since Dec. 30, 1982.

 

Only a partial lunar eclipse will be visible for the contiguous United States as the moon begins to set before dawn on Jan. 31.

Alaska and Hawaii will be the only states in the United States that will be able to view a total lunar eclipse.

 

Eastern Asia and Australia will also be able to view the total eclipse with the rest of Asia seeing a partial eclipse as the moon begins to rise.

 

2. Mars reaches opposition, comes closest to Earth since 2003 — July 27

Mars will appear big and bright in night sky this year, reaching its peak brightness at the end of July.

 

About once every two years Mars reaches opposition. This phenomenon occurs when Mars appears opposite of the sun and when it is closest to the Earth.

 

This year will be a particularly good year for viewing Mars as it will be the closest it has been to the Earth since 2003.

 

Mars will be easy to find when it reaches opposition on July 27 since it will appear just below the full moon. It will also appear red in color, setting itself apart from the other planets and the countless stars in the night sky.

 

Evening stargazers will also be able to see Saturn and Jupiter when Mars is at opposition.

 

 

3. Perseid meteor shower — Aug. 12-13

The best meteor shower of the summer will reach its peak during the second weekend of August, boasting up to 60 meteors per hour. This shower is routinely one of the best and most popular meteor showers of the year and is well known for very bright and long-lasting meteors.

 

This year will be a good year for the Perseids as the peak of the shower falls just after a new moon. The lack of moonlight will make it easier to see many of the dimmer meteors.

 

4. Two comets to glide past Earth — December

Two comets will be making close approaches to Earth at the end of the year, giving stargazers new objects to look for with their telescopes.

 

Comet 46P/Wirtanen will be the brighter of the two comets and could become bright enough to spot with the unaided eye around mid-December. However, it will be best seen through the lens of a telescope or pair of binoculars.

 

Comet 46P/Wirtanen will be making its closes approach to Earth around Dec. 17 and will appear to the left of the the Pleiades star cluster.

 

Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma will be another comet to look for in the December sky as it flies through the inner solar system for the first time in 38 years.

 

This comet will require a telescope to see as it will not be as bright as Comet 46P/Wirtanen.

 

Stargazers should point their telescopes between the Gemini and Ursa Major constellations to look for the comet when it reaches peak brightness during the first few days of December.

 

The next time that Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma will appear this bright won't be until the fall of 2056.

 

5. Geminid meteor shower — Dec. 13-14

One of the last astronomy events of the year will also be one of the best as the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak the week before the start of winter.

 

Onlookers may see up to 120 meteors an hour on the night of Dec. 13 into the morning of Dec. 14 with some meteors glowing in different colors as they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

 

The Geminid meteors comprise one of the few showers active during the evening, but in 2018, the best viewing conditions will be after midnight once the crescent moon sets.

 

During a meteor shower, the shooting stars originate from a point in the sky, known as the radiant point. However, meteors will be visible in all areas of the sky. I usually find me a nice, dark pace , lay down a blanket and just look up at all areas of the night sky for a couple of hours. Happy star-gazing everyone !!!

I want to thank all of my BGP astronomy enthusiasts for all of your insights that you have posted in this thread since the past summer. It's been a lot of fun talking about our universe and reading your thoughts as well. A special thank you goes out to all of the frequent posters in the thread, including The Professor, Renuncible Owl, B-Ball-fan, TB&G , and my trusty space weather guy, Bluegrasscard. I appreciate all of you , as well as those who just stop in to read. Please continue to drop in from time to time and let me hear your thoughts. I wish I had more time to talk about astronomy because it really is my passion, and has been since I was six years old. I hope you will join me in some interesting discussions in 2018. As I've said before, I never grow tired of learning about our universe.

 

I'll leave you with one of the most identifiable nebulae in the sky, and one I've shared with you before. The Horsehead Nebula in Orion, is part of a large, dark, molecular cloud. Also known as Barnard 33, the unusual shape was first discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s. The red glow originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust, although the lower part of the Horsehead's neck casts a shadow to the left. Streams of gas leaving the nebula are funneled by a strong magnetic field. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are young stars just in the process of forming. Light takes about 1,500 years to reach us from the Horsehead Nebula. The image below was taken with a large 3.6 m telescope in Hawaii.

 

Some space missions that you may be reading about in 2018:

 

BepiColombo

 

The European Space Agency, working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is looking forward to starting their first-ever trip to Mercury next year. This is one of the least explored planets in the solar system, and the environment there is intense, to put it mildly. The spacecraft will endure massive temperature variations, with highs of 800 degrees Fahrenheit (427 degrees Celsius) and lows around -280 degrees Fahrenheit (-173 degrees Celsius). The craft’s mission, when it reaches Mercury in 2025, will last about a year, and if they get lucky, maybe two.

 

Chang’e 4

As China’s second lander mission to the Moon, Chang’e 4 is a followup to previous versions, namely Chang’es 1,2, and 3. In the time since those missions’ development, the China National Space Administration has dramatically improved its technology and predictions. They intend to explore parts of the Moon starting with a relay orbiter and are following it up with a lander and a rover. Mission scientists are currently looking at landing on the far side of the Moon, the side we never get to see. However, those plans may be disrupted if they discover another area that looks more promising.

 

Starliner: Boeing’s Manned Launch

Boeing has been hired by NASA as part of its ongoing program to find a better way to get people into space. They, along with other companies like SpaceX, have been working toward a manned launch and in 2018, Boeing is expected to try it. The Starliner is a whole new design: a weldless structure that can transport up to seven crewmembers or a mix of crew and materials. For its first manned flight, Boeing will be doing the mixed bag. They’ll be sending four NASA astronauts in addition to materials and data to the International Space Station. If all goes well, they will be the front-runners for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

 

Solar Orbiter

Another brainchild the ESA, the Solar Orbiter (SolO) is set to launch and start studying the Sun, which you might’ve been able to guess from its name. It will investigate heliocentric and solar physics. As a part of the larger Cosmic Vision Program, the SolO is only a small component of a much larger, ten-year program. The SolO was initially set to launch in 2017, but was delayed to ensure that the program could complete all of its goals with minimal issues. As the first medium program of Cosmic Vision, the pressure is as high as the goal.

 

Insight

Insight, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a NASA probe that will launch next year and head for Mars. Its goal is different than the previous rovers that have covered Mars’ surface — it will instead seek to find out about how the planet was formed. The lander, which is planned to launch in May of next year, will examine the deepest layers of the planet, tracking its temperature differences and tectonic plate movements, among others. Scientists hope that the information we get will help us to learn how other planets are formed, both within our solar system and without.

 

Chandrayaan-2

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is also planning a launch for 2018. They will be sending Chandrayaan-2, a followup to Chandrayaan-1, to the Moon. Similar to Chang’e 4, but with an original plan, their mission is to use an orbiter, lander, and rover to explore more of the Moon’s surface. Unlike other countries' missions to the Moon, the orbiter will create a 3-D map of the Moon’s surface. While we do have other maps of the Moon, this is the first time India has crafted their own using an original plan without foreign aid. The lander will take a look at the Moon’s crust and mantle. Some of the mission’s technology is from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

 

James Webb Space Telescope(new launch date- 2019)

The Hubble gave us incredible images of deep space that significantly expanded our understanding of the universe. Its successor is the James Webb Space Telescope, which was originally set to launch in October 2018 and will now launch between March and June 2019. This telescope will be even bigger than the Hubble, and therefore able to capture images of deeper space than Hubble could. It will also be able to provide more detail than its predecessor, but because it needs to use rocket fuel constantly, is unlikely to last as long.

 

I'll keep you updated ...

I want to thank all of my BGP astronomy enthusiasts for all of your insights that you have posted in this thread since the past summer. It's been a lot of fun talking about our universe and reading your thoughts as well. A special thank you goes out to all of the frequent posters in the thread, including The Professor, Renuncible Owl, B-Ball-fan, TB&G , and my trusty space weather guy, Bluegrasscard. I appreciate all of you , as well as those who just stop in to read. Please continue to drop in from time to time and let me hear your thoughts. I wish I had more time to talk about astronomy because it really is my passion, and has been since I was six years old. I hope you will join me in some interesting discussions in 2018. As I've said before, I never grow tired of learning about our universe.

 

I'll leave you with one of the most identifiable nebulae in the sky, and one I've shared with you before. The Horsehead Nebula in Orion, is part of a large, dark, molecular cloud. Also known as Barnard 33, the unusual shape was first discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s. The red glow originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust, although the lower part of the Horsehead's neck casts a shadow to the left. Streams of gas leaving the nebula are funneled by a strong magnetic field. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are young stars just in the process of forming. Light takes about 1,500 years to reach us from the Horsehead Nebula. The image below was taken with a large 3.6 m telescope in Hawaii.

 

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I absolutely love the Horsehead Nebula!

I absolutely love the Horsehead Nebula!

 

I love the Horsehead as well. Just breathtaking! I also love those Pillars of Life.

From a novice pair of star gazers, thank you for all the info. Papaw and I would miss some of these without your posts. I've loaded the dates for 2018 on my calendar with a reminder the day before. It takes a while for Papaw and I to get our telescope set up on the patio. Can't leave it out because we have grandchildren who are sportsaholics. Then again, maybe they would enjoy it with us. Thanks again and we have enjoyed your posts from 2017.