David Dickinson, Author at Universe Today

July 23, 2024July 26, 2024 by David Dickinson

Astro-Challenge: Catching Pluto at Opposition 2024

Why July 2024 is a prime time to see distant Pluto before it fades from view.

Lots of the ‘wow factor’ in astronomy revolves around knowing just what you’re seeing. Sure, a quasar might be a faint +14^th magnitude point of light seen at the eyepiece, but it’s also a powerful energy source from the ancient Universe, billions of light-years distant.

The same case is true for finding Pluto. Though its 0.1” disc won’t resolve into anything more than a speck in even the most powerful backyard telescope, knowing just what you’re seeing is part of the thrill of finding the distant world.

July 11, 2024July 11, 2024 by David Dickinson

The Moon Occults Spica This Weekend For North America

The Moon occults the star Mu Geminorum. Credit: David Dickinson

The ‘Great North American Occultation’ sees the Moon blot out Spica Saturday night.

Few events in the sky transpire as quickly as occultations. While the path of the planets may move at a leisurely pace, and the orbits of double stars may be measured in terms of a lifetime or more, occultations are swift vanishing acts.

North American observers have a chance to witness just such an event this coming weekend, when the waxing gibbous Moon passes in front of the bright first magnitude star Spica.

July 4, 2024July 4, 2024 by David Dickinson

Meeting Mercury at Dusk in July

Mercury puts on one of its best apparitions for 2024 this month.

Where have all of the planets gone? The late evening fall of dusk in early July also sees a sky seemingly vacant of familiar naked eye planets. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are now denizens of dawn, and will stay that way for most of the remainder of 2024.

But two challenging planets are now emerging low to the west at dusk: Mercury and Venus. The two interior worlds are now mounting a slow return, as the hunt is now on the recover the two after sunset.

June 28, 2024July 26, 2024 by David Dickinson

Existing Telescopes Could Directly Observe ‘ExoEarths…’ with a Few Tweaks

The four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory complex. ESO/VLT

One proposal offers a unique method to directly image ExoEarths, or rocky worlds around nearby stars.

It’s the holy grail of modern exoplanet astronomy. As of writing this, the count of known worlds beyond the solar system stands at 6,520. Most of these are ‘hot Jupiters,’ large worlds in tight orbits around their host star. But what we’d really like to get a look at are ‘ExoEarths,’ rocky worlds (hopefully) like our own.

June 13, 2024June 13, 2024 by David Dickinson

Catching Comet 13P Olbers This Summer

The knotty tail of Comet 13P Olbers from early June. Credit Dan Bartlett

A little known periodic comet graces northern hemisphere summer skies.

Short summer nights present a tough dilemma for nighttime astronomy: to stay up late, or wake up early? Summer 2024 gives you at least one reason to opt for the former, as periodic Comet 13P/Olbers graces the evening sky.

May 21, 2024May 21, 2024 by David Dickinson

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Could See Lunar and Solar ‘Exo-Eclipses’

A future space observatory could use exo-eclipses to tease out exomoon populations.

If you’re like us, you’re still coming down from the celestial euphoria that was last month’s total solar eclipse. The spectacle of the Moon blocking out the Sun has also provided astronomers with unique scientific opportunities in the past, from the discovery of helium to proof for general relativity. Now, eclipses in remote exoplanetary systems could aid in the hunt for elusive exomoons.

May 16, 2024May 16, 2024 by David Dickinson

New Photos Show Jupiter’s Tiny Moon Amalthea

Juppy — Jupiter (and tiny Amalthea, crossing the Great Red Spot) as seen from Juno). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing: Gerald Eichstädt

NASA’s Juno spacecraft spies a tiny inner moon of Jupiter, Amalthea.

It’s tiny, but it’s there. By now, we’re all used to seeing amazing photos of Jupiter courtesy of NASA’s Juno mission on a routine basis. Many of these are processed by volunteer ‘citizen scientists,’ and they show the swirling cloud-tops of Jove courtesy of the spacecraft’s JunoCam in stunning detail.

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024 by David Dickinson

There Was a Doomed Comet Near the Sun During the Eclipse

A surprise appearance of a new comet made the April 8^th total solar eclipse all the more memorable.

Any dedicated ‘umbraphile’ will tell you: no two eclipses are exactly the same. Weather, solar activity, and the just plain expeditionary nature of reaching and standing in the shadow of the Moon for those brief moments during totality assures a unique experience, every time out. The same can be said for catching a brief glimpse of what’s going on near the Sun, from prominences and the pearly white corona to the configuration of bright planets… and just maybe, a new comet.

April 17, 2024April 18, 2024 by David Dickinson

Amazing Amateur Images of April 8th’s Total Solar Eclipse

Totality from central Indiana. Credit: Peter Forister.

The last total solar eclipse across the Mexico, the U.S. and Canada for a generation wows observers.

Did you see it? Last week’s total solar eclipse did not disappoint, as viewers from the Pacific coast of Mexico, across the U.S. from Texas to Maine and through the Canadian Maritime provinces were treated to an unforgettable show. The weather threw us all a curve-ball one week out, as favored sites in Texas and Mexico fought to see the event through broken clouds, while areas along the northeastern track from New Hampshire and Maine onward were actually treated to clear skies.

April 3, 2024April 3, 2024 by David Dickinson

Inside a Week to Totality: Weather Prospects, Solar Activity and More

Looking at prospects for eclipse day and totality.

Have you picked out your site to observe the eclipse on April 8^th? Next Monday, the shadow of the Moon crosses Mexico, the contiguous United States from Texas to Maine, and the Canadian Maritimes for the last time for this generation. And while over 30 million people live in the path of totality, millions more live within an easy day drive of the path. I’m expecting that many folks will decide to make a three-day weekend of it, and eclipse travel traffic will really pick up this coming Saturday, April 6^th.