Question What's your most anticipated celestial event or upcoming space launch?

[shaines]

Greetings space fans!

With so much news happening in the universe, it's time for you to weigh in and let us know what upcoming events have you the most excited.

If you're especially anxious for any specific launch, or celestial event, we'd love to here what it is and why we should all be excited.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the community!

 

[rod]

FYI, I enjoyed some very good views of Jupiter at opposition on 14-July using my telescopes (until dew formed all over the eyepieces). Perhaps the upcoming event for me is the Mars opposition on 13-Oct-2020. I viewed Mars since last year and document in my stargazing log as Mars approaches opposition later this year. Following in the footsteps of Tycho Brahe in his Mars opposition viewing Tycho attempted to refute Copernicus with his Mars opposition campaign but failed (tried to show Mars opposition parallax, the planet is always farther away from Earth than the Sun). Hopefully, we will not have a global dust storm like in 2018 opposition. The planet should be a bit larger than 22" angular size and show some good surface feature details too in my 90-mm refactor telescope and 10-inch Newtonian telescope.

 

[Helio]

Is there an astro schedule of upcoming events to allow me to pick and choose? I've given up trying to do see what's ahead since there's so much, making it too much.

I like the Mars opposition event though I will be opposed to it on my B-day. I heard it will appear bigger than the Moon. [How many years did that nonsense claim last? That alone would make for a fun story.]

 

[rod]

Is there an astro schedule of upcoming events to allow me to pick and choose? I've given up trying to do see what's ahead since there's so much, making it too much.

I like the Mars opposition event though I will be opposed to it on my B-day. I heard it will appear bigger than the Moon. [How many years did that nonsense claim last? That alone would make for a fun story.]

Helio, this is great LoL I look forward to viewing Mars larger in angular size than the Moon. My 10x50 binoculars should show some good details. Got to mark my calendar now for Helio B-day on Mars opposition this year

 

[Helio]

I prefer chocolate cake.

The oversized Mars story apparently began in 2003 when someone must have confused arcseconds for arcminutes. It spread like wildfire and subsequent oppositions, for some reason, resurfaced that erroneous claim.

Here's an article I just found that seems to cover the history on it.

 

[rod]

I prefer chocolate cake.

The oversized Mars story apparently began in 2003 when someone must have confused arcseconds for arcminutes. It spread like wildfire and subsequent oppositions, for some reason, resurfaced that erroneous claim.

Here's an article I just found that seems to cover the history on it.

Helio, stay the course with the Mars at opposition larger in angular size than the Moon, commonly about 0.5-degree. It is fun

 

[Helio]

The JPL Horizon's calculator shows that it was in 2003 that Mars and Earth came unusually close, matching close for our aphelion and Mars' perihelion. The difference in distance is at least 80% greater for subsequent opposition years!

 

[rod]

FYI Helio et al. I used MS BING and found Mars at opposition on 27-August-2003 was close to 56E+6 km distance from Earth. I checked the stats using Starry Night Pro Plus 8 and Stellarium 0.20.2 simulations. I ran the simulations for 27-Aug-2003, my location at 0200 UT or 2200 EDT. Mars was then 0.3727 AU from Earth, angular size a bit more than 25 arcsecond angular size vs. 1865 (a bit more than 31 arcminute) for the Moon at its mean distance from Earth. If Mars at opposition was ever as large or larger than the Full Moon in our sky, Mars would be very, very close to Earth . We may enjoy some great tidal effects. Surf's up, get your bogie boards and surf boards folks

 

[Helio]

Agreed.

It's worth noting, that the closest approach and opposition aren't always the same, but very close. I only used daily increments and I didn't bother to see if they were GMT times.

Here is what I found for closest events.

For 2003, I think the hype back then was how dramatically close we were going to be, unlike most any other time, which may have triggered the confusion.

8/26/2003	0.373​
10/14/2005	0.464​
12/3/2007	0.589​
1/28/2010	0.664​
3/6/2012	0.674​
4/15/2014	0.618​

 

[Jennarosity]

Greetings space fans!

With so much news happening in the universe, it's time for you to weigh in and let us know what upcoming events have you the most excited.

If you're especially anxious for any specific launch, or celestial event, we'd love to here what it is and why we should all be excited.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the community!

Comet NEOWISE was super awesome last week. I'm looking forward to NASA's launch of Mars Rover Perseverance tomorrow! Excited for the landing in FEB2021 and the "Wright Brothers Moment" where we fly a helicopter around on Mars!

 

[rod]

I enjoyed watching the launch on NASA TV on the web. Much fun, along with some solar observing of two sunspots this morning too

 

[Sproutmans]

This launch to Mars is an historical event. The Rover carrying the names of people supporting the mission, opens the possibility of Aliens reading my name. They may have to dust off that "Tandy 286" to do it tho. (It's on a chip, not engraved,Eugene.)

 

[Spacerzzz]

My main Space Launch I would have anxiety for honestly would be the mission to Mars because there cannot be any screw ups other wise we are set back, months in time possibly up to a year if it fails to succeed. I hope Elon Musk Space X will be the first to succeed in this huge en devour of Human Kind.

 

[AsteroidAware]

The DART test by NASA and ESA combined is one that I'm certainly looking forward to! (DART = Double Asteroid Redirection Test)

Agreed that the recent launch to Mars is quite exciting too

 

[YetAnotherBob]

Greetings space fans!

With so much news happening in the universe, it's time for you to weigh in and let us know what upcoming events have you the most excited.

If you're especially anxious for any specific launch, or celestial event, we'd love to here what it is and why we should all be excited.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the community!

Falcon 9 launched the manned Dragon capsule up two months ago. It returned yesterday. It's just the first manned test flight, I know, but it's the start for a much lower cost to orbit. Here's hoping it starts a trend.

The current price to orbit is approximately 80Million per seat. For a Falcon launch, it could drop to five Million a seat.

I also noted that the first "Hop Test" for the next gen SpaceX rocket was held today. I realize that this is just a mock-up of the second stage of a system where the first stage isn't even begun yet and exists only on paper. But here's hoping it gets built soon. Within two years would be nice.

Taking up thirty people at a time for the same twenty million per launch cost would drop the cost down to $650,000.00!

It's lowering the cost to orbit that will really open up space for more than a handful of government agents. That's the future we need.

 

[fletch92131]

Mine will be the next launch from Wallops Island, Virginia, the mid-Atlantic MASA launchsite.

 

[fletch92131]

Falcon 9 launched the manned Dragon capsule up two months ago. It returned yesterday. It's just the first manned test flight, I know, but it's the start for a much lower cost to orbit. Here's hoping it starts a trend.

The current price to orbit is approximately 80Million per seat. For a Falcon launch, it could drop to five Million a seat.

I also noted that the first "Hop Test" for the next gen SpaceX rocket was held today. I realize that this is just a mock-up of the second stage of a system where the first stage isn't even begun yet and exists only on paper. But here's hoping it gets built soon. Within two years would be nice.

Taking up thirty people at a time for the same twenty million per launch cost would drop the cost down to $650,000.00!

It's lowering the cost to orbit that will really open up space for more than a handful of government agents. That's the future we need.

 

[fletch92131]

Amen!

 

[fletch92131]

Amen!

 

[Catastrophe]

Come on guys - something BIG . . . . . . . . .

Like Earth being hit by an asteroid just large enough to clear redundant life forms (including, of course, humans) so some better life form can develop.

 

[GasGiant]

I feel we could make space stations around any of the gas giants and design the stations to use the natural gravity for these station and possibly send probe type ships to skim the atmosphere to pull and test the different gasses of these giants maybe even be able to separate them too add more oxygen or hellium the station and maybe use the rest of the gasses as propellant in space walks if we never go we can always speculate but if we make the effort we can accomplish many things as a society with the gravity I always imagine these gas giants would hold gravity outside the the atmosphere itself and possibly could be the base of use there gravity as the station making that task easy I imagine like a dome station that would make anything we have in space look pretty small of course we would grow plants there with in the station to help with oxygen and filter the air

 

[Catastrophe]

Gas Giant! What a descriptive name!

 

[dfjchem721]

Like Earth being hit by an asteroid just large enough to clear redundant life forms (including, of course, humans) so some better life form can develop.

Just a few pesky questions - (you can ignore them if you please) -

Did you have any brilliant ideas about some "better life form" that does not currently exist on the planet?! One or more examples from the past, perhaps.

And what exactly are these "redundant life forms", and why do they need to be 'cleared'?

Are you referring to the destructive tendencies of the human race, with the inclusive "of course" commentary?

You don't need to kill off most of the planet to get rid of the human infestation. A really nasty virus might do.

Just look at what a wimpy little virus is doing right now!!

 

[Catastrophe]

Come on dfj, just a bit of fun, not really meant to be taken that seriously!

 

[dfjchem721]

Of course you know this is all for fun!

And your posts offer some of the best amusement on this site.

All the more reason to get you to comment on just about anything!