David Dickinson, Author at Universe Today

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 by David Dickinson

Did an Ancient Supernova Force Humans to Walk Upright?

Crab nebula — The Crab Nebula (Messier 1) a recent supernova remnant noticed as a bright new star in Taurus in the 11th century. Image credit and copyright: Nick Howes.

A new study hints at a possible fascinating twist in human evolution. Did a chain of cosmic events triggered by a nearby ancient supernova force humans to walk upright?

September 30, 2019September 30, 2019 by David Dickinson

Tracking Twilight: ‘Purple Sunset Effect’ Seen Worldwide

Has twilight looked at little… purple to you as of late? The ‘purple sunset’ effect is subtle, but currently noticeable on a clear evening. Sunsets are always colorful events, as the Sun’s rays shine through a thicker layer of the atmosphere at an oblique angle, scattering out at longer, redder wavelengths. When the air is clear and relatively dust free, this effect is at a minimum… but when the upper atmosphere becomes saturated with dust particles and aerosols, the sky can erupt in a panoply of colors at twilight.

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019 by David Dickinson

A 3D Printed Telescope: The Analog Sky Drifter

The Analog Sky Drifter, ready for a night's observing. Credit: Robert Asumendi

A unique 3d printed telescope named the Analog Sky Drifter may spark a revolution in amateur telescope making.

July 16, 2019July 16, 2019 by David Dickinson

Our Guide to Tuesday Night’s Partial Lunar Eclipse

The Full Moon rises in partial eclipse over the sandstone formations of Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in southern Alberta, on the evening of September 27, 2015.

Happen to be in Europe, Africa, Asia or Australia on Tuesday night, July 16th with clear skies? If the July weather cooperates, you’ll have a good view of a fine partial lunar eclipse, the final lunar eclipse for 2019.

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019 by David Dickinson

Our Guide to Saturn Opposition Season 2019

Saturn nearing opposition from July 2nd. Image credit and copyright: Efrain Morales.

Saturn opposition season never disappoints. Slowly, one by one, the planets are returning to the dusk sky. In June, we had Jupiter reach opposition on June 10th. Now, although Mercury and Mars are fleeing the evening scene low to the west at dusk and Venus lingers low in the dawn, magnificent Saturn reaches opposition tonight on July 9^th, rising to the east as the Sun sets to the west.

June 27, 2019June 27, 2019 by David Dickinson

Our Complete Guide to the July 2019 Total Solar Eclipse

This image combines many exposures of different durations taken to reveal aspects of the widely-viewed total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017, which was visible from the United States. In the centre the faint circle of the Moon can be seen, with its surface features dimly illuminated in light reflected from the Earth. Around the edge red prominences can be seen and further out the white glow of the corona is sculpted by the Sun's magnetic field.

You couldn’t order up a geekier solar eclipse from the cosmos. Next Tuesday on July 2^nd, the second of three eclipse seasons begins for 2019, with the only total solar eclipse of the year spanning the southern tip of South America, including the nations of Chile and Argentina. As an extra-special part of the spectacle, however, the path of totality for the eclipse passes right over the La Silla observatory complex in the Atacama Desert.

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 by David Dickinson

Is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Vanishing as We Near Opposition 2019?

The changing face of Jupiter during opposition 2019. Image credit and copyright: Sharin Ahmad

Jupiter opposition season is nigh, and with it, the largest planet in our solar system and its iconic Great Red Spot present us with a key mystery.

Jupiter in 2019

Jupiter reaches opposition for 2019 on June 10^th. For an outer planet with an orbit exterior to the Earth, opposition simply means it’s ‘opposite’ to the Sun as seen from our Earthly vantage point. This means that Jupiter will rise in the east and dominate the sky throughout the June night, after the Sun sets in the west.

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019 by David Dickinson

Catching a Ride on the Starlink Satellite Train: Midnight Marvel, or Night Sky Menace?

Starlink satellites prepare for deployment. Credit: SpaceX.

Have you seen Starlink? It all started, as all good breaking astronomical events seem to do, late on a Friday night. We got the notification first from veteran satellite tracker Dr. Marco Langbroek over in the Netherlands via the venerable See-Sat-L message board, and on Twitter soon after:

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 by David Dickinson

Mars Odyssey Reveals Phobos Using THEMIS

Phobos THEMIS — Phobos in three different phases (from left: half, crescent and full) as captured by 2001 Mars Odyssey's THEMIS imager. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/SSI

Welcome to the moons of Mars, as you’ve never seen them.

NASA’s aging 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter recently snapped some unique views of the twin moons Phobos and Deimos, in an effort to better understand their texture and surface composition. The images are courtesy of the spacecraft’s THEMIS (the Thermal Emission Imaging System) heat sensitive instrument, and show the thermal gradient across the surface of the moons in color. Odyssey has been studying the moons of Mars since September 2017. The recent images of Phobos taken on April 24, 2019 are especially intriguing, as they occurred during full illumination phase.

May 14, 2019May 14, 2019 by David Dickinson

The International Space Station Rides High Through the May Sky

The International Space Station rides high over the Florida peninsula. Credit: NASA

May is graduation month, and with it, school star party season is about to conclude. If you happen to be out this coming weekend showing the sky off to the public, keep an eye out for one of the top celestial sights that you won’t see at the eyepiece, as we’re in for a slew of good visible passes of the International Space Station worldwide.