Night Sky: Still time to catch the Perseid meteor shower
Pictured is a bright Perseid fireball captured by Mary McIntyre. A fireball is a much larger and brighter spectacle, far outshining most regular meteors.
If you intend to be up to watch the Perseids, there's also a great opportunity to catch an array of early morning planets.
Situated above the east-northeast horizon on the morning of Wednesday August 20, there will be a thin crescent Moon sat near to Venus and Jupiter; Venus being the brighter of the two.
On the following morning, Thursday August 21, the Moon will be positioned just above Mercury and with Venus and Jupiter in the vicinity it will make for a wonderful sight by sunrise.
Space news and China have scored a significant goal as NASA's plans and schedules to return to the Moon continue to look uncertain.
With the aim of placing two astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030, China has successfully completed tests of its 'Lanyue' (meaning 'embracing the Moon'), ascent vehicle, which will take its occupants down to the surface of the Moon.
With NASA's budget cuts and logistical issues with their own space hardware, this might be the incentive needed for NASA and SpaceX to proactively respond.
It was with sadness that news broke of the death of Commander Jim Lovell who has passed at the age of 97.
We often pay tributes to people we've deemed as heroes and heroines and for me personally, Jim Lovell was one such man.
While I didn't meet Jim Lovell, I did have the pleasure of meeting Fred Haise, now the last surviving member of the Apollo 13 crew. It was because of Lovell's calm, collected, and steadfast nature that Apollo 13 stood a chance of making it back to Earth when combined with the unified brain power of NASA's best at mission control.
A true testimony to the man came when he remarked that only when he and his crew had returned safely to Earth, did he realize he didn't get to walk on the Moon.
Sadly, for Lovell, he never did, but his actions onboard Apollo 13 spoke volumes about the man and his character.
Lovell also said that when he put his thumb up to the window of the spacecraft and blotted out the Earth, he realized that behind his thumb were six billion people all striving to live there, remarking that one has to really think about one's own existence here in the universe.
Finally, Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, the astronaut who spent a great deal longer in space than he intended onboard the International Space Station with fellow "stranded" colleague Suni Williams, has retired from NASA duties.
Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@themoon.co.uk
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South Wales Argus
11 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Night Sky: Still time to catch the Perseid meteor shower
After midnight and looking up high in a north-easterly direction, you should still be able to catch a good number of meteors as the hours pass. Pictured is a bright Perseid fireball captured by Mary McIntyre. A fireball is a much larger and brighter spectacle, far outshining most regular meteors. If you intend to be up to watch the Perseids, there's also a great opportunity to catch an array of early morning planets. Situated above the east-northeast horizon on the morning of Wednesday August 20, there will be a thin crescent Moon sat near to Venus and Jupiter; Venus being the brighter of the two. On the following morning, Thursday August 21, the Moon will be positioned just above Mercury and with Venus and Jupiter in the vicinity it will make for a wonderful sight by sunrise. Space news and China have scored a significant goal as NASA's plans and schedules to return to the Moon continue to look uncertain. With the aim of placing two astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030, China has successfully completed tests of its 'Lanyue' (meaning 'embracing the Moon'), ascent vehicle, which will take its occupants down to the surface of the Moon. With NASA's budget cuts and logistical issues with their own space hardware, this might be the incentive needed for NASA and SpaceX to proactively respond. It was with sadness that news broke of the death of Commander Jim Lovell who has passed at the age of 97. We often pay tributes to people we've deemed as heroes and heroines and for me personally, Jim Lovell was one such man. While I didn't meet Jim Lovell, I did have the pleasure of meeting Fred Haise, now the last surviving member of the Apollo 13 crew. It was because of Lovell's calm, collected, and steadfast nature that Apollo 13 stood a chance of making it back to Earth when combined with the unified brain power of NASA's best at mission control. A true testimony to the man came when he remarked that only when he and his crew had returned safely to Earth, did he realize he didn't get to walk on the Moon. Sadly, for Lovell, he never did, but his actions onboard Apollo 13 spoke volumes about the man and his character. Lovell also said that when he put his thumb up to the window of the spacecraft and blotted out the Earth, he realized that behind his thumb were six billion people all striving to live there, remarking that one has to really think about one's own existence here in the universe. Finally, Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, the astronaut who spent a great deal longer in space than he intended onboard the International Space Station with fellow "stranded" colleague Suni Williams, has retired from NASA duties. Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@
The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish church window tribute to astronaut's inspiration
It commemorates the Linlithgow-born scientist Charles Wyville Thomson and his 1872 voyage that inspired space missions and astronauts of the 20th century. This voyage was named the Challenger Expedition, which laid the foundation for the field of oceanography over 150 years ago as the world's first exploration of the deep sea. It was a global expedition that sailed across the Atlantic, then to Australia and Hong Kong. They measured the ocean's depth, collected samples, and discovered all manner of new sea creatures, such as the pink New Zealand Lobster pictured in the bottom right of the St Michael's window. Another major discovery was the deepest part of the ocean, which they named the Challenger Deep, now known as part of the Mariana Trench. This mission is famous in the scientific community, and the parallels of travelling to the very edge of human knowledge made Challenger the perfect name for Nasa's latest space shuttle in 1982. One astronaut who flew on this shuttle was Kathy Sullivan, but her connection to this name was not limited to this flight to space. Kathy Sullivan in 1984. (Image: Getty Images) Before she was an astronaut, Sullivan was a student of oceanography in California, and was inspired by the Linlithgow-born lead scientist Wyville Thomson during her studies. 'Charles Wyville Thomson and the Challenger expedition founded the field of oceanography as a study, shifting what had been myth and speculation into a scientifically rigorous endeavour," she said. "But it means an awful lot to me because that's the field that I ended up finding my direction, finding my career, and finding a lifetime's worth of satisfaction. So I am forever grateful to Wyville Thomson and the Challenger expedition.' Read more: To later fly on the Challenger Shuttle to space was a great coincidence for her. She was also the first woman to both travel to space and the deepest part of the ocean, when she dived down to the Challenger Deep in 2020. Sullivan's trip to Scotland was an invitation from Alan Miller, a church member of St Michael's, who sought to reunite this piece of history with the space industry that carried on its namesake. Alan Miller in St Michael's Church. (Image: Gordon Terris) It included a fine dinner social at Hopetoun House and a visit to the Edinburgh University archives, where Wyville Thomson was a professor. 'I've never been to Linlithgow before, I've been to Scotland a few other times, but not to this village and not to this church to see that great east window and get more deeply into the story of Thomson and the vessel and the expedition," Sullivan said. "It's really been a fun coming-full-circle for my own career arc to get to be here.' She was also joined on the trip by Lance Bush, a former Nasa engineer, and CEO of the Challenger Centre in Washington DC, created after the shuttle exploded in 1986. 'The Challenger Centre was created by the families of the legendary crew of space shuttle Challenger 51-L, who were tragically lost," Bush said. "Over the almost four decades since it was created, Challenger Centre has inspired and engaged over 6.5 million students, with its network of centres across the US and also in several other countries.' Kathy speaks to the church. (Image: Graham Black) Bush connected with the Challenger window on a similar level to Sullivan. 'As a space enthusiast, it all comes together for me with the representation of the cosmos at the top of the window," he said. "This window provides such a unique perspective not often seen in church stained glass … I am in awe of all the generations of explorers that came before us, and realize the necessity for us as a society to continue that spirit.' The Challenger window as a whole is a representation of creation, complete with the bottom of the oceans, angels, and the stars in outer space. As Scotland returns to the business of expedition with the newly-announced Shetland satellite launchsite, the celebration of delving into the unknown and pushing the limits of human knowledge is as poignant and meaningful as ever.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Flight test of Chinese start-up LandSpace's rocket fails
BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A flight test of one of Chinese commercial rocket developer LandSpace Technology's methane-powered rockets failed on Friday after the carrier rocket experienced an "anomaly", the company said, adding that it is investigating the cause. Interest has grown in recent years in using rockets fuelled by methane to launch satellites: the fuel is deemed less polluting, safer and cheaper than more commonly used hydrocarbon fuels, and can power a reusable rocket. The Beijing-based start-up became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket with the successful launch of Zhuque-2 in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin. LandSpace has since tested various versions of its Zhuque-2 series, including the Zhuque-2E Y2, whose flight test succeeded in May. A Zhuque-2E Y3 carrier rocket "experienced an anomaly" after taking off from a commercial space launch site in northwestern China on Friday morning, LandSpace said in a statement published on WeChat. It gave no further details of the issue, which it said the company was looking into. LandSpace is committed to the research, manufacturing and launch of liquid oxygen and methane rockets, the statement said.
