Happy Perihelion!

Courtesy of nasa.gov

Tonight marks the point when the earth is closest to the sun. This is called perihelion from the Greek peri meaning near and hellos meaning sun. The moment this happens is at 06:36 UTC Jan. 4, 2015. That translates to 01:36 Eastern US time, or 10:36 p.m. Pacific time on Jan. 3 so technically it is tomorrow for part of the world but for us here in the Western US it is tonight (living on a sphere causes weird things to happen with time). 

Courtesy of nasa.gov

The earth orbits the sun in an elliptical path so our distance from the sun is always changing. If we orbited in a perfect circle, our average distance would never change. However, because the moon orbits the earth we actually move a little bit each day. You see, the moon is orbiting the earth but technically they are orbiting a common center of gravity (see animation).

Now perihelion is an interesting phenomena because it, when explained, debunks the myth that seasons happen because of the planet's distance from the sun. After all, it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere and yet we are as close to the sun as we get. Now the aforementioned myth is also easily debunked because it stems from Eurocentric or Northern Hemisphere-centric views. A lot of people forget that while it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere it is summer down south, so that myth does not hold up to logic. 

So as we approach perihelion remember how incredible it is that you are on a planet that is revolving around a star that is one of approximately 100 billion other stars in our galaxy. Puts things in perspective doesn't it?

I bid you a happy perihelion!

Asteroids, Astronomers, and........Birthdays?

Yup! Those three things constituted my Thursday. 

The first part of my day was the birthdays. While at school I got to celebrate my friend Micaela’s birthday. (She has a really awesome blog which is definitely worth checking out!) I then went to the Clark Planetarium’s Tenth Anniversary Gala to celebrate their tenth birthday.

The Clark Planetarium is one of my favorite places to go. They have a really fun gift shop, cool movies, and amazing interactives. While there I had the privilege of eating really good food, although, I had to harken back to the days when I played princess in order to remember how to go about using ten different pieces of silverware correctly. 

I then got to do something SUPER-DUPER cool! That is where the astronomers come in. I had the amazing privilege of meeting Dr. Philip Plait! That name may not mean a lot to you but in the world of astronomy he is well-known. Dr. Plait used to work for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on the Hubble Telescope. He is most well-known for his blog titled Bad Astronomy. It is a highly entertaining blog that debunks bogus astronomy. 

After meeting Dr. Plait we then got to listen to a lecture by him. He discussed one of the topics that is mentioned in his book, Death From The Skies. That is when the asteroid part of my evening took place. Death From The Skies is all about the ways that the universe can kill us. The first chapter of his book details the possibility of Earth being hit by asteroids and comets. Dr. Plait talked about the recent meteor explosion that occurred over Russia in 2012 on the same day that asteroid DA-14 passed us. He also showed some movie clips of astronomical objects colliding with Earth that came from Hollywood. He then showed us just how wrong they were scientifically. It was quite entertaining. 

Phil Plait introducing his lecture

To wrap up the evening there was a book signing where I got my (brand spanking new) copy of Death From The Skies signed. (See below) 

How cool is that?!?!?!

Overall, it was one of the coolest evenings of my life! I love being around people who share the same passion that I do for space. It will be hard to top that experience but I have something coming up next week that might just do it. Keep checking back to find out more....Bye!

If You Are 90,816,000 Feet Tall Then You Had Better Duck

On February 15, 2013 asteroid DA14 will pass within 90,816,000 feet of Earth. Also known as 17,200 miles. Now that may sound like a very, very, VERY, long way away but really it is not. In fact, there are GPS satellites that fly further out from Earth than that. 

So, if you are here on Earth you need not worry, there is absolutely no chance that the asteroid will hit the Earth. NASA’s Neat Earth Object Observation Program (NEOO) has been tracking this satellite and all of it’s possible trajectories. They have determined that it definitely will not hit the Earth or the International Space Station and most likely will not even hit a satellite. 

The asteroid DA14 is about half a football field in diameter. The flyby of this asteroid is special because it is the closest ever predicted Earth approach for an object this size. The asteroid will be traveling at 17,450 miles per hour or 4.8 miles per second. That is really fast!

Those in Africa, Asia, and Australia who have a good pair of binoculars will be able to see the asteroid as it passes by the Earth. The asteroid will come up from the South Pole and then pass Australia, Asia, and Africa. To learn more about the trajectory you can view the video below or look at the image. In the picture below the geosynchronous ring is the ring on which GPS satellites rotate. It is 22,236 miles out from Earth’s equator. The positioning of satellites on this ring means that if someone on Earth observes the satellite it will appear in the same place in the sky because it rotates with the Earth.

Photo Courtesy of nasa.gov

So, my parting message to you is this: When you think about the asteroids in the sky tomorrow remember that Earth is not the only thing in this universe. Try to clear your mind and keep focused on what really matters. 

Oh! I almost forgot! Happy Valentines to all!! 

2012: The Space Year in Review

Before we dive into 2013 I think it is important to look back at all the amazing accomplishments that have occurred in 2012. This year has been a big one for discoveries in space and one full of milestones regarding people and ships who have traveled there. There have been well-known astronauts who passed away, new rovers sent out to discover, and new companies pushing the boundaries of space.

Photo Courtesy of nasa.gov

Neil Armstrong

August 5, 1930- August 25, 2012

This year the nation and world were saddened to hear that Neil Armstrong had passed away. Neil Armstrong was the first human being to ever touch another planet while in space. He is most well known for his quote, “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Throughout his life he pushed barriers and inspired other people to reach for the stars.

Photo Courtesy of nasa.gov

Curiosity Rover

On August 6, 2012 the Curiosity rover touched down on Mars. This was a game changing event for the United States and the entire world since the Curiosity rover carries the most advanced scientific research tools ever present on Martian soil. The discoveries that it has made and the discoveries that it will make are and will be influential for the future of space flight.

If you are interested in learning more about the Curiosity rover click here.

Photo Courtesy of wikipedia.org

Sally Ride

May 26, 1951- July 23, 2012

The world was saddened this year when they had to say goodbye to Sally K. Ride. She was the first female astronaut in space. Sally Ride lead the way for young women who were/are interested in going into space. She had a Ph.D. in physics and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Astronaut’s Hall of Fame. Sally Ride will never be forgotten for the barriers she broke down and the doors she opened up.

Photo Courtesy of wikipedia.org

SpaceX

This year SpaceX became the first commercial company to send their own space vehicle to the International Space Station. It sent its second Dragon capsule to the ISS where it docked and gave the station supplies. This is/was big news because it opens up space travel to private companies. That can mean that in the near future there will be  trips to space for the non-astronaut person and eventually even hotels and colonies.

I have already done a post about the Curiosity rover but intend to do individual posts about each of these topics so keep checking the blog for the latest posts!

Also, I would love to here what you want to see a post about! As long as it has to do with space I would be happy to try. If you have an idea leave it in the comments and I will try my hardest to do one a post about it.

We Are Not Going to Die (At Least Not on December 21)

The world is not going to end. Repeat, the world is not going to end. 

Last night I had the privilege to attend a presentation at the Clark Planetarium about the proposed end date for the world; December 21. The presentation was led by Dr. Peggy Cain. She discussed the myths and meanings of the origin of the doomsday legend.

I learned that the Mayan culture is the origin of the legend about the end of the world. During the presentation Dr. Cain discussed how the Mayans have three calendars. The truly amazing thing about these calendars is that they are all based on astronomical phenomenons. This may not seem impressive in this day and age but the Mayan civilization began in 2000 B.C. so for them to have been able to calculate down to the day when things like the solstice would occur is truly incredible. 

The calendar that the ends on December 21 is the only linear calendar of the three. The other two are cyclical and constantly restart. 

This picture shows the concept of the two cyclical and one linear calendars of the Maya.
Photo courtesy of kalarhythms.org

The Mayan legend predicts that on this day the Great Rift, which is the band of the dust and plasma that can be seen in the sky at night, and the horizon will line up. It also says that the sun will be directly between us and the center of the galaxy. Some Mayans and others believe that on this day when this happens the door to the underworld will open up causing the apocalypse. 

Dr. Cain told us how the sun can never actually be between us and the center of the galaxy and that the Great Rift lines up with the horizon all the time.

Dr. Cain went on to discuss how all the scientific experts are debunking the myth. Places like NASA and National Geographic all agree that this legend is just myth.
Another thing that Dr. Cain went on to discuss is that the calendar that ends on December 21 will actually restart December 22, the same way our calendars do on January 1. 

I find that this whole idea of the world ending is very interesting and to be quite frank: slightly funny. The way the world has turned the concept of 2012 into a celebrity seems like a waste of time spent worrying. The cartoon below seems to sum it up to me. It’s all just a legend that can have significance for some people but does not mean the world will end.

A funny cartoon that sums up 2012 to me.
Photo courtesy of simplycreativewriting.com

We are all going to continue living on December 22. I do however think that perhaps we can look at this “doomsday” as a way to give thanks for life. Being able to live here on planet Earth every day is a gift and sometimes I think we forget how lucky we are. So when you wake up on December 22 take a moment to remember how cool it is to be alive! We live in a world full of possibilities and are fortunate to be here.