David Dickinson, Author at Universe Today

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022 by David Dickinson

Mars at Opposition 2022: The Full Moon Occults Mars Wednesday Night

A rare event transpires Wednesday night, as the Full Moon occults Mars near opposition.

Have you checked out Mars lately? The Red Planet currently rides high to the east at dusk, rising as the Sun sets. We call this opposition season, the biannual span when Mars passes closest to the Earth and offers observers optimal views of the planet. Mars opposition 2022 is special however, as three events converge in one night: Mars at opposition, the Moon reaches Full, and the Moon occults (passes in front of) Mars, all on the evening/morning of Wednesday/Thursday, December 7th/8th.

November 18, 2022November 18, 2022 by David Dickinson

BlueWalker-3 Unfolds, Brightens One-Hundredfold

After months of waiting, we’re getting our first good looks at a fully deployed BlueWalker-3.

A new high-profile satellite may now be visible in a sky over you. We recently wrote about AST Space Mobile’s new BlueWalker-3 satellite, and its potential to be among the brightest objects in the night sky. Launched on September 10^th, 2022 an a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket along with the Starlink Group 4-2 batch, BlueWalker-3 is the first of the company’s planned mega-constellation of 110 BlueBird satellites set to be deployed by the end of 2024 for worldwide communication.

November 17, 2022November 17, 2022 by David Dickinson

Are We in for a Leonid Outburst Friday Night?

Leonid from 2001 — A lone Leonid meteor from 2001. Image credit and copyright: Frankie Lucena.

The November Leonid meteors may produce a surprise outburst this weekend.

If forecasters are right, a notorious meteor shower may put on a surprise showing soon, right after its expected peak. The meteor shower in question is the November Leonids. Most years, the Leonids are really nothing to wake up early for, producing an average hourly rate of 10 meteors an hour, barely double the background sporadic rate. But every 33 years or so, the Leonids are the source of great storms of meteors, as the Earth plows headlong into the stream of debris laid down by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle on its 33-year orbit around the Sun.

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022 by David Dickinson

Our Guide to Tuesday’s Total Lunar Eclipse

The November 8th total lunar eclipse spans the Pacific and is the last until 2025.

Set your alarms: if skies cooperate, next Tuesday morning’s lunar eclipse on November 8^th is worth getting up for and braving the cold. Not only is this one of the top astronomical events for 2022, but it’s also the last total lunar eclipse for a while…until, in fact, March 14, 2025.

November 2, 2022November 3, 2022 by David Dickinson

Possible Taurid Meteor Outburst For 2022?

Why 2022 may be a banner year for the November Taurid meteors.

One of the most notorious producers of fireball meteors could prove to be active this coming week. We’re talking about the Taurid Fireballs, produced by the complex Southern and Northern Taurid meteor stream. Sandwiched between the better known October Orionids and the November Leonids, the Taurids (sometimes referred to as the ‘Halloween Fireballs’) are a complex meteor shower worthy of scrutiny in early November.

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 by David Dickinson

Occultation Chasers Nab the Shadow of Didymos, Post DART Impact

A worldwide team of dedicated observers ‘stood in the shadow’ of asteroid Didymos recently, as it passed in front of a distant star.

Amateur astronomers continue to provide key scientific observations, even in the modern era. This was highlighted recently, when a team of dedicated observers caught a series of occultation of a distant stars involving asteroid 65803 Didymos.

October 20, 2022October 20, 2022 by David Dickinson

Our Guide to Tuesday’s Partial Solar Eclipse for Europe

Europe, the Middle East, and northeast Africa will see the final partial solar eclipse of 2022 next Tuesday.

When it comes to eclipses, a close shave is better than nothing at all. Just such event happens this coming Tuesday on October 25th when the outer shadow of the Moon grazes the northern hemisphere of the Earth, resulting in a fine partial solar eclipse for Europe and surrounding regions.

October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 by David Dickinson

China Launches First Solar Observatory ASO-S

China launches ASO-S, its first mission to explore the Sun.

One thing’s certain in modern astronomy: you can’t have too many missions exploring our host star. This is especially true in 2022, as Solar Cycle #25 gets underway in earnest, and heads towards its peak in 2025. China entered the quest to explore our Sun this past weekend, with the launch of its new Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S).

September 26, 2022September 26, 2022 by David Dickinson

Jupiter at Opposition 2022, Closest in 59 Years

Be sure to observe Jupiter this week, during its finest apparition of a lifetime.

You’ve never seen Jove like this. Jupiter opposition season for 2022 is upon us tonight, as the King of the Planet shines rising in the east opposite to the setting Sun in the west. This is the very best time to catch Jupiter and its retinue of moons, as they dominate the sky throughout the night. And although Jupiter reaches opposition as seen from the Earth nearly every year, this one is special as it’s the closest to the Earth in our lifetimes, and the nearest for the 21^st century.

September 14, 2022September 14, 2022 by David Dickinson

Meet the New Vespera Telescope From Vaonis

The Vespera telescope offers power and portability in a small deep-sky imaging package.

A great new telescope just got smaller and more portable. The French-based company Vaonis released its newest addition to their ‘smartscope’ family this week: the Vespera telescope. The small pill-shaped instrument joins the Stellina and the (forthcoming) Hyperia line, offering a lower price point and backpack portability without a compromise in quality.