David Dickinson, Author at Universe Today

April 17, 2019April 17, 2019 by David Dickinson

Astro-Challenge: Spotting Slender Moons

Jimena Moon — A slender crescent Moon sighted from Jimena de la Frontera, Spain. Image Credit: Dave Dickinson

Up for a challenge? Some of the toughest targets for a backyard observer involve little or no equipment at all. Northern hemisphere Spring brings with it one of our favorite astronomical pursuits: the first sighting of the extremely thin, waxing crescent Moon. This unique feat of visual athletics may be fairly straight forward, requiring nothing more than a working pair of Mk-1 eyeballs… but it’s tougher than you think. The angle of the evening ecliptic in the Spring is still fairly high for mid-northern latitudes, taking the Moon up and out of the weeds when it reaches waxing crescent phase.

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 by David Dickinson

SOFIA Follows the Sulfur for Clues on Stellar Evolution

The high-flying SOFIA telescope is shedding light on where some of the basic building blocks for life may have originated from. A recent study published on The Astrophysical Journal: Letters led by astronomers from the University of Hawaii, including collaborators from the University of California Davis, Johns-Hopkins University, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Appalachian State University, and several international partners (including funding from NASA), looked at a lingering mystery in planet formation: the chemical pathway of the element sulfur, and its implications and role in the formation of planets and life.

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 by David Dickinson

See the Moon Photobomb Saturn in an Amazing Capture

Saturn photobomb — A composite capture of Saturn versus the Moon, minutes before the March 31st occultation. Image credit and copyright: Cory Schmitz, PhotographingSpace.com

Welcome to Saturn, as you’ve probably never seen it. It’s always awe-inspiring to see the clockwork motion of the heavens, transpire in real time. In a slow motion Universe, occultations give us the chance to see the cosmos pull off a celestial hat-trick. This can appear as a split second-type of event—such as when the Moon, a planet or an asteroid winks out a distant star—or transpire as a leisurely affair as the Moon covers, then uncovers the disk of a planet.

March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 by David Dickinson

Spot Failed Soviet Venus Probe Kosmos 482 in Earth Orbit

Venera-8 on Earth. Image Credit: NASA/Russian Space Web.

A ghost from the old Soviet space program may return to Earth in the coming years. Mimicking a campy episode of the 70s series The Six Million Dollar Man, a Soviet Venus lander stranded in Earth orbit will eventually reenter the atmosphere, perhaps as early as late 2019. Fortunately, this isn’t the “Venus Death Probe” that the Bionic Man Steve Austin had to defeat, but Kosmos 482 is part of a fascinating forgotten era of the Space Age and one you can track down in the night sky, with a little skill and patience.

March 15, 2019March 16, 2019 by David Dickinson

The Iridium Flare Era is About to End

You never forget your first one. I remember reading about a curious new set of flaring satellites, known as Iridiums. This was waaaaay back in the late 1990s, when we still occasionally read things in something called magazines, which involved pressing ink into plant-flesh to convey information.

Fast-forward to 2019, and the age of the predictable Iridium flare may be coming to an end. Already, scrolling through Heavens-Above reveals very few Iridium flares for the coming months, and these familiar nighttime flashes may become a thing of the past come the end of the decade in 2020.

February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 by David Dickinson

Comet Y1 Iwamoto Tops Out in February

Comet Iwamoto — Comet C/2018 Y1 Iwamoto from February 2nd, 2019. Image credit and copyright: Hisayoshi Kato.

Every year produces a handful of binocular comets, and the first one for 2019 is coming right up, with a fine apparition for Comet C/2018 Y1 Iwamoto.

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 by David Dickinson

When Does the Sun Rise… Really?

Mercury Sunrise — A transit of Mercury at sunrise. Image credit and copyright: Alan Dyer.

It’s strange but true. We may not fully understand one of the simplest metrics in observational astronomy: just what time does the Sun rise… really?

January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 by David Dickinson

Amazing Images From Sunday’s Total Lunar Eclipse as Observers Spy Impact Flash

Amazing Sky eclipse — A mosiac of partial and total phases for Sunday night's eclipse, showing the size and curved outline of the Earth's shadow. Image credit and copyright: Alan Dyer.

Wow. Sunday night’s total lunar eclipse offered an amazing view, and for a few astute observers, a little surprise.

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 by David Dickinson

Jupiter Meets Venus at Dawn in a Close Conjunction

Jupiter v Venus — Jupiter meets Venus on the morning of October 9th, 2015. Image credit and copyright: frankastro

You might be asking yourself: Where have all the planets gone?

With Mars past its epic opposition in 2018 and still lingering in the evening sky, all other naked eye planets are loitering in the early dawn for January 2019. Sure, it’s cold outside this month for folks up north, but January dawn skies offer early risers an amazing view, as Jupiter closes in on brilliant Venus for a close conjunction on the morning of January 22^nd.

January 11, 2019January 28, 2019 by David Dickinson

Our Complete Guide to the January 21st Total Lunar Eclipse

Total Eclipse — The Moon just a few minutes from the end of totality on October 8th. 2014. Credit and Copyright: Alan Dyer.

By now, you’ve heard the news. One of the top astronomy events for 2019 is coming right up on the night of January 20^th into the morning of the 21^st with a total eclipse of the Moon. There’s lots of hype circulating around this one, as it assumes the meme of the “SuperBloodWolf Moon eclipse” ’round ye ole web.