Passengers Movie Review

from Perth Observatory Newsletter | December 2022

A View Through The Eyepiece

By Bryn Durrans

Synopsis:

A malfunction in a sleeping pod on a spacecraft (called the Avalon) traveling to a distant colony planet wakes one passenger 90 years early.

Review:

This part romance, part science fiction, and part drama has something for everyone. The production design, views of space, ideas of future space travel, etc. will appear to science audiences. The drama and thought-provoking aspects of the story (won’t say more or else spoiler alert!) will appeal to drama audiences. Having Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as some of the main actors in the film will also lead to interaction between the two in some form or other offering romantic aspects.

During the film, the star Arcturus is mentioned. This is a star we can see in our Southern Night Sky. If you come along for a Night Sky Tour at the observatory, ask one of our friendly Amateur Astronomers to point it out to you, and feel closer to Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.

Overall, I enjoyed the film a lot, and found it one of the more subtle science fiction films, which personally I usually find more appealing than the in-your-face-action-and-effects over substance style ones that are so common nowadays.

Writer: Jon Spaihts

Cast:

Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne

Writer: Jon Spaihts

Awards:

Nominee for two Oscars (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures and Best Achievement in Production Design)

Nominee for five Saturn Awards (Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films)

Available On:

Rating: 8/10

Image Credit: Matt Woods

Sunday Day Tours

Sundays are perfect to take family and friends sightseeing on a beautiful drive through the Bickley Valley for a special Guided Day Tour of the Perth Observatory.

Come up and see a jewel in the state’s history. See why the Observatory was so important to help the growth of WA and maybe see some Kangaroos as well. We’ll be doing guided site tours of the Observatory and solar experience tours at 1:30 pm, 2 pm, 2:30 pm and 3 pm.

Guided Site Tour

Learn more about Perth Observatory with stories from Mt Eliza (1896 to 1965), our move to Bickley in 1966 and what we’ve done since then. Step back in time in our museum and tour the Meridian, Astrograph & Calver Telescopes. Be enchanted with Worl Wangkiny and discover what we are doing now with the Lowell, RCOP and Obsession Telescopes.

Solar Experience Tour

See our Collins Sundial and learn how it works and what an analemma is. View the Sun safely through our Coronado Solar Telescope (If the weather permits) and be amazed at how sunspots and coronal mass ejections are created and how they cause the auroras here on Earth. Also, find out cool facts about the Sun and the space probes that are helping us learn more about it

Museum Tour

Learn about the timekeeping the Perth Observatory did and why it was so important. Discover how photos were taken of the night sky and how they are taken today. Touch the Mundrabilla Meteorite and find out what meteors are.

The Lagoon & Trifid Nebula M8 & M20

What’s In January’s Skies

By Matt Woods

Planets:

During January, Mercury is visible in the morning, with the other four naked-eye planets still visible in the evening. Mercury reappears low in the southeast in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer) in the middle of January. It’ll also be at its greatest elongation in the West on the 30th of January, it will then begin its way back towards the Sun from that day.

Venus starts off January in the constellation of Sagittarius, but after a few days, it’ll move through the constellation of Capricorn (The Sea-Goat) and eventually into the constellation of Aquarius (The Water Bearer). You can find Mars in the northern evening sky in the constellation of Taurus (The Bull) during January below the red giant Aldebaran (The Red Eye of Taurus).

Jupiter can be found throughout January between the constellations of Cetus (The Sea Monster) and Pisces (The Fish). Saturn can be found in the evening sky very low in the west between the constellations of Capricornus and Aquarius, and it’ll be very close to Venus on the 22nd and 23rd of January. Uranus can be found in between the constellations of Aries (The Ram), Cetus, and Taurus. Neptune is near Jupiter again in January. It can be located in between the constellations of Pisces, and Cetus.

Mercury on the 15/01/23 at 04:30 am. Image Credit: Stellarium Mercury’s greatest elongation in the West in the morning of 30/01/23. Image Credit: Stellarium

All the planets except Mercury on the 15/01/23 at 08:30 pm. Image Credit: Stellarium

Earth At Perihelion:

The Earth will be at its closest point to the Sun (At Perihelion), about two weeks after the January Solstice at 03:00 pm (AWST) on Sunday the 4th of January. The Earth will be 147,105,052 km away from the Sun that day and this occurs because the Earth’s orbit is elliptical. Approximately every 100,000 years, Earth’s orbital path changes from being nearly circular to elliptical.

This is due to the gravitational influences of other planetary objects, particularly the Moon. The difference in the Earth’s orbital path from a perfect circle is known as its eccentricity. Also, the word Perihelion comes from ancient Greek, where Peri means close, and Helios means the Sun.

Earth’s orbit around the Sun changes. Earth is closest to the Sun in its orbit when its summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Image Credit: Time And Date

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower:

The Quadrantids are the first major shower of the year, and for those living in North America, much of Europe, and the majority of Asia you’ll be able to view them. Unfortunately, for us living in Australia and lower portions of South America and Africa, we won’t be able to view this shower as their radiant point (Where the shower appears to be coming from) is in the Northern Hemisphere’s sky.

The Quadrantids are an annual shower that has one of the highest predicted hourly rates of all the major showers (40-120 meteors per hour to be more accurate) and it’s comparable to August’s Perseids for the Northern Hemisphere and December’s Geminids for the Southern Hemisphere. The object that causes the Quadrantids was tentatively identified back in 2003 by Peter Jenniskens as the minor planet 2003 EH1, which could be related to the comet C/1490 Y1 which was observed by Chinese, Japanese and Korean astronomers some 500 years ago.

The name comes from the former constellation Quadrans Muralis, which was created in 1795 by the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande and is now part of the Boötes Constellation. The meteor shower was first noticed in early January 1825, by Antonio Brucalassi in Italy who reported that “The atmosphere was traversed by a multitude of the luminous bodies known by the name of falling stars.”, and that they appeared to radiate from the Quadrans Muralis Constellation. In 1839, Adolphe Quetelet of Brussels Observatory in Belgium and Edward C. Herrick who was in Connecticut independently suggested that the Quadrantids were an annual shower.

Meteor fireball break up. Image Credit: John Chumack

Quadrantid meteor shower radiant point. Image Credit: Stellarium

The meteor shower is active from the 28th of December through to the 12th of January with the peak being on the morning of the 4th of January. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and want to view the Quadrantids, you need to get up at around 2 am and look towards the Boötes Constellation which is the radiant point for the shower and not far from the Big Dipper. This year the Moon will be in its Full Moon phase, so people will have to deal with a lot of light pollution from it, which means you won’t see the fainter meteors.

Celestial Wonder To Look At This Month:

The Wishing Well Cluster:

Wishing Well Cluster (NGC 3532) is an open cluster in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). The cluster is located 1,600 light-years from Earth and is 24 light-years across. 677 stars are recognised as members of the cluster, and the cluster is rich in binary stars. It is estimated to be around 300 million years old and ~ 2,000 solar masses.

To the naked eye, the cluster looks like an enhancement of the Milky Way, but by using a Wishing Well Cluster on the 15/01/23 at 09:00 pm. pair of binoculars or a telescope you’ll see five Image Credit: Stellarium dozen or more stars. Its discovery is credited to 18th Century European explorer Louis de Lacaille who included it in his 1755 catalogue. The cluster is also known as the Firefly Party Cluster, and Black Arrow Cluster.

NGC 3532

The Wishing Well Cluster

Image Credit: ESO/G. Beccari

What’s In February’s Skies

By Matt Woods

Planets:

Mercury rises early in the early morning in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer) at the start of February, and as the month goes on, it’ll move into the constellation of Capricorn (The Sea-Goat). Venus starts off February in the constellation of Aquarius (The Water Bearer), but it’ll move between the constellations of Cetus (The Sea Monster) and Pisces (The Fish). You can find Mars in the northern evening sky in the constellation of Taurus (The Bull) during February below the red giant Aldebaran (The Red Eye of Taurus).

Jupiter can be found throughout February between the constellations of Cetus and Pisces (The Fish). At the end of the month, Jupiter will get very close to Venus, and it’ll get even closer in March. Saturn is lost to the Sun’s glare at the start of the month, and we won’t see it until March when it reappears in the morning. Uranus can be found in between the constellations of Aries (The Ram), Cetus, and Taurus. Neptune can be located in between the constellations of Pisces, and Cetus. At the end of the month, we’ll lose it to the Sun’s flare as well.

Mercury on the 15/02/23 at 04:30 am. Image Credit: Stellarium All the planets except Mercury on the 15/02/23 at 08:00 pm and Saturn. Image Credit: Stellarium

Alignment of The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter on the 23/02/23 at 08:00 pm. Image Credit: Stellarium

Eta Carinae And The Carina Nebula:

Variable brightness and colour, Eta Carinae is one of the most remarkable stars in the heavens. When we say “Eta Carinae” we refer to the star itself which for Perth is a circumpolar star (We see the star all year round) and not the nebula.

Eta Carinae is 100 times the Sun’s mass and 4 million times brighter; this brightness has been unstable with the star being recorded over the past 300 years between magnitude -0.8 which is as bright as Canopus and +7.9. It’s a star that is sometimes in the news as it’s expected to become a supernova within the next 1 million years and will be a spectacular sight when it occurs, being visible by day and possibly bright enough to read by at night.

Eta Carinae is very likely a binary star with a smaller partner orbiting in a highly elliptical orbit of 5.5 years. The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), which surrounds Eta Carinae, is a large, bright starformation region that has produced several very massive stars including Eta Carinae. At around 260 light-years the Carina Nebula is around 7 times the size of the Great Orion Nebula, but due to its greater distance, it only spans twice the width. There are many O-type stars, young (~2 million years), hot and bright that energise the entire Carina nebulae.

Carina Nebula on the 15/02/23 at 09:00 pm. Image Credit: Stellarium

Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio Javier Diaz Bobillo

NGC 3372

The Carina Nebula

By Matt Woods

Planets:

Mercury can be found in the constellation of Capricorn (The Sea-Goat) in the early morning. It’ll be lost to the Sun’s Glare after the first week of March. Venus starts off March between the constellations of Cetus (The Sea Monster) and Pisces (The Fish) and by the middle of March, it’ll move into the constellation of Aries (The Ram). You can find Mars for most of March in the constellation of Taurus (The Bull). By the end of March, it’ll move into the constellations of Gemini (The Twins).

Jupiter can be found up very low in the west until the middle of March in the constellations of Pisces. On the 2nd of March, Jupiter will be extremely close to Venus. It’ll be within half a degree away (One moon-width) from Venus. Saturn reappears very low in the eastern morning sky. You can locate it in the constellation of Aquarius (The Water Bearer) throughout March. Uranus can be found in between the constellations of Aries (The Ram), Cetus, and Taurus. on the 31st of March, Uranus is very close to Venus. Neptune reappears in the morning sky at the end of March. It can be located in between the constellations of Pisces, and Cetus.

Saturn on the 15/03/23 at 05:00 am. Image Credit: Stellarium Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus on the 15/03/23 at 07:30 pm. Image Credit: Stellarium

Venus, and Jupiter on the 02/03/23 at 08:00 pm. Image Credit: Stellarium

The March Equinox:

On Tuesday the 21st of March, The Northward Equinox occurs at 05:24 am (AWST), marking the beginning of astronomical Spring for the Northern Hemisphere, and the start of Autumn for the Southern Hemisphere. This is an exact moment when the Sun’s declination equals 0 as seen from the Earth. The two points where the ecliptic or the imaginary path the Sun seem to trace out along the celestial sphere meets the celestial equator are known as the equinoctial points.

The Equinox (literally meaning ‘equal nights’ in Latin) means that night and day are nearly equal worldwide, and that the Sun rises due east of an observer on the equinox and sets due west. The term Equilux is sometimes used to discern the difference between the true Equinox and the point when sunlight length equals the length of the night. Several factors play a role in this, including the time it takes the physical diameter of the Sun to clear the horizon, atmospheric refraction, and the observer’s true position in their respective time zone. The Equilux occurs within a few days of either Equinox.

Equinoxes and Solstices. Image Credit: Time And Date

Centaurus A Galaxy:

Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is an elliptical galaxy that we see edge-on. The galaxy is the fifth brightest galaxy in the sky and one of the closest radio galaxies to earth. It’s between 10 to 16 million light-years away from us and it can be found in the Centaurus constellation.

The galaxy itself has a diameter of 60,000 lightyears making it 40% smaller than our galaxy and at its centre, it has a supermassive black hole with a mass of 55 million suns. It was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from Parramatta, in New South Wales.

It’s a starburst galaxy meaning that it is undergoing a period of intense star formation compared to an average galaxy. Studies have confirmed that this high rate of star birth is caused by a collision between itself and a smaller spiral galaxy. The bright central bulge and the dark dust lane can be easily viewed using an amateur telescope however a larger telescope is required to view greater detail and contrast. Centaurus A is an extremely bright radio object, X-Rays in particular. The central supermassive black hole is the source of this with two long radio jets extending well beyond the visual bounds of the galaxy.

Centaurus A on the 15/03/23 at 09:00 pm. Image Credit: Stellarium

NGC 5128

The Centaurus A Galaxy

Image Credit & Copyright: Rolf Olsen

A Quick Look In The Astroshop!

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Please take glass, plastic, aluminium, steel and paper-based cartons between 150mL and 3L to your local refund depot, and use the Perth Observatory (Scheme ID: C10424615).

POVG will receive 10 cents for each container. Save the ID on your phone for every time you recycle your containers. Find your local refund depot and get more info on what containers are eligible for refunds here:

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Your help supports the continuing upkeep and running of Western Australia’s oldest observatory!