THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PHILIPPINE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
APPULSE the
2ND QUARTER 2017 VOL. 50 NO. 93
JUNO What to learn and what to expect
SPACEX REACHES A NEW MILESTONE NEWS
JUNO’S TOOLS FOR SPYING ON JUPITER FEATURE
ABOVE ALL ELSE
COSMIC COLLECTIVES
TABLE OF CONTENTS P.A.S. NEWS
04 PAS organizes 2017 Lyrids stargazing
05 PAS organizes Eta Aquarids event 06 AskXLearn: 1ST PAS livestream video airs PAS collaborates with BSYA for Sequence
SPACE NEWS
07 Cassini’s last year in orbit turns up eventful 08 SpaceX reaches a new milestone 09 NASA announces discovery of 10 more new rocky planets LIGO scientists detect 3rd gravitational waves from merging black holes
ABOUT THE COVER
INFOGRAPHIC
10 Trivia About Juno Spacecraft
SPECIAL FEATURE
12 Juno’s Tools for Spying Jupiter
COSMIC COLLECTIVES 14 Above All Else
The front cover for this issue is a minimalist graphic art inspired by spacecraft Juno and the Jovian planetary system.
CELESTIAL EVENTS
16 UP NEXT: Upcoming Celestial Events for 3rd Quarter of 2017 19 PAS Astro Calendar 2017 July to September
ABOUT THE BACKGROUND
The background image is a close-up shot of the planet Jupiter, taken by a Deutsch astrophotographer under the name Wikilmages (Pixabay.com)
THE APPULSE
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF PAS EDITORIAL BOARD
CORRESPONDENTS
GRAPHIC ARTISTS
Lanz Anthonee Lagman
Rachel Sta. Iglesia Maria Sobina Yu
Jan Marvin Goh
Jamie Delos Reyes Mayumi Exiomo Denise Valentino
CONTRIBUTORS
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Pecier Decierdo Elora Marie Arthel Gavino Daud Kim Anthony So Engr. Ronald Tanco Beatrice Tulagan Angelica Y. Yang
Kashogi Astapan Lulu Redillas Edwin Rieza, Jr. Bedan Society of Young Astronomers
Editor-in-Chief
Assistant Editor
Almirah Tabao Amin News Editor
Angelica Y. Yang Consultant
Philippine Astronomical Society Office, 8/F Semicon Bldg., Brgy. De la Paz, Marcos Highway, Pasig City, Metro Manila https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineAstronomicalSociety/ pasbod@philastrosociety.org www.philastrosociety.org
The Juno Mission:
EDITOR’S NOTE
Lessons and Expectations
The Juno mission is not only the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s success but also humanity’s success. We’ve managed to build a machine large enough to occupy a basketball court that travelled millions of miles guided by the principles of physics to a place that our ancestors could only dream to reach: Jupiter. Now that Juno has successfully arrived, the mission requires the spacecraft to orbit around Jupiter numerous times, scanning and analyzing the planet at its nearest approaches. Bristling with instruments designed to study Jupiter’s atmospheric layers and magnetosphere, the mission is the closest thing we could get in terms of getting to touch the planet. Based on its current status, Juno is truly geared towards to success. By determining what makes up Jupiter’s clouds, we get a glimpse on how the planet and all of the Solar System formed 4.6 billion years ago. Juno would allow us to determine how much water the gas giant contains. This will help us determine how much hydrogen, oxygen and other elements were dispersed throughout the formation of the Solar System. Varying amounts of certain substances would also tell us whether Jupiter formed much farther or nearer from the Sun before settling on its current orbit. Due to the thickness of its clouds, we still don’t know much about the nature of its core; whether it has a solid one or composed of an inner and outer core. What Juno could do is to analyze the magnetic and gravitational fields which would give clues to the presence and nature of Jupiter’s core. A shift in Juno’s velocity caused by Jupiter’s gravity would tell a lot how solid and how smooth the core is. Additionally, the core is also responsible for the strength of the Jovian magnetic fields and its planetary rotation. The Hubble Space Telescope may have given as a glimpse on Jupiter’s gigantic auroras but these pretty pictures are not enough to determine their internal structures, how they form and what particles are there that interact with Jupiter’s atmosphere. Juno will be generating detailed 3D-maps of these bright structures, something that space telescopes aren’t designed to. We would also learn how the Jovian auroras are generated since Jupiter’s massive size and magnetosphere means that they’ll form in a drastically different way from Earth’s. The Juno mission would definitely benefit us a lot; we could get a better understanding on not only how Jupiter formed with the rest of our solar system, but also how could gas giant exoplanets and extrasolar systems possibly form. A lot of planetary models are expected to be either revised or completely dropped out. Lastly, more sophisticated missions aided by improved instruments and mechanisms based on what was learned from the Juno mission are expected to come towards Jupiter’s moons; the other gas giants and their moons; and even the other dwarf planets like Pluto. Lanz Anthonee Lagman Editor-in-Chief
PAS NEWS
PAS organizes 2017 Lyrids stargazing and meteor shower observation By Elora Marie Arthel Gavino The Philippine Astronomical Society (PAS) listed another event in the history of the Society titled Lyrid Meteor Shower 2017, last April 22-23 at Big Handy’s Grounds, Tanay, Rizal. PAS members and non-members, both the amateurs and experts in astronomy, mobbed the event. PAS Events Committee Head Hernan Dizon supervised the event, and together with the PAS facilitators, assisted the participants by announcing the program flow and designated campsites. Other activities before the meteor shower observation proper include the traditional taking of the hillside group photo and
a Human Bingo game. The game’s purpose was to aid the participants in knowing one another. To encourage participants, the facilitators added a tektites as prizes for the winners. Renowned astronomer Prof. Edmond Rosales attended the event to conduct basic astronomy lecture, share idea,s and amazed the participants. Clouds covered around 70% of the night sky while fogs hang low on the ground. The lack of visible sky made it difficult to track the planets and see constellations. Nevertheless, the participants seemed to enjoy the event and the rest of the night.
STARCAMPING. Participants made themselves comfortable in their respective tents under the stars during the Lyrids event on April 22-23, 2017 at Big Handy’s Grounds, Tanay, Rizal. Photo by Lulu Redillas
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PAS NEWS
PAS organizes Eta Aquarids event
UNDER THE SUN. Edmund Rosales (far right) discusses solar viewing beside a solar telescope during the event on May 6, 2017 at Big Handy’s Grounds, Tanay, Rizal. Photo by Edwin Rieza, Jr.
By Rachel Sta. Iglesia The Philippine Astronomical Society (PAS) organized yet another overnight stargazing event, the Nag-Meteor Shower Ka Na Ba? Eta Aquarids Stargazing and Meteor Shower Observation, last May 6-7 at Big Handy’s Grounds, Tanay, Rizal. The event was exclusive for old and new PAS members. PAS Events Committee Head Hernan Dizon supervised the facilitators in assisting the participants and assigning camp grounds. On the other hand, then PAS President Leah Villalon headed the setting of merchandise and food booths. Renowned astronomy lecturer Edmund Rosales discussed basic astronomy and celestial navigation. He taught the do’s-and-don’ts of solar telescope viewing during the late afternoon.By nightfall, he demonstrated the concepts in astronomy in a comprehensive manner. Telescope stations were strategically scattered around the location, with facilitators assigned to each stations to guide the participants in using the instrument.
Different astronomical objects were observed from time to time, such as Jupiter, Moon and its surface; Saturn, Omega Centauri, Double Star Albireo, Milky Way, M6 (Butterfly Cluster), M7 (Ptolemy Cluster), Antares, Alcor and Mizar, Southern Cross, and other constellations. The participants were amazed to catch a glimpse of the different objects in the night sky. Kashogi Astapan, Head of PAS Observation Committee conducted a crash course on astrophotography for participants who may be eager to learn its basics. During the peak hour of the meteor shower, the moon that obstructed the view of the stars and the Milky Way galaxy had set towards the west horizon just in time for the sky to become clearer. The appearance of an average of 30 meteors per hour was the defining moment of the night. Rosales described the night by paraphrasing a quote from Tom Hanks in the film Forrest Gump, saying, “‘Yung gabing iyon ay parang box of chocolates, ‘di mo alam kung ano ang makikita mo the whole night pero perfect lahat.” THE APPULSE | 5
PAS NEWS
AskXLearn: 1ST PAS livestream video airs By Maria Sobina Yu The Philippine Astronomical Society (PAS) hosted its first ever live stream Facebook video titled AskXLearn last June 9 from 7 PM to 8 PM, Philippine Standard Time, at the Semicon Building in Marikina City. Then PAS President Leah Villalon spearheaded the production of the event, aiming to answer astronomical queries, promote astronomy education, and encourage science enthusiasm among Filipino youths. The video interaction streamed online through the PAS’ Facebook page. The event allowed viewers to interact with five active PAS members that served as guest speakers by sending them inquiries about astronomy. The speakers comprised of Erika Valdueza and Evita Fernando; Engr. Ronald Tanco, Emeritus Treasurer; Education Committee Head Christian Noel Cantero; and Research Committee Head Rafael Chu. Chu is currently taking his Master’s Degree Materials Science and
ONE, TWO, THREE, CHEERS. Ask X Learn speakers start their show with greetings on July 9 at the PAS headquarters in Semicon Building. From left to right: Fernando, Chu, Cantero, Valdueza and Tanco.
Engineering at the University of the Philippines, Diliman while Valdueza finished her Master’s degree in Applied Earth Science in University of Twente in Netherlands last July 2016. The discussions range from instrumentation and physics to opinions about possible extraterrestrial life. The event concluded on 8 PM with an announcement of the PAS event, Sequence, as the monthly meeting for July 2017.
PAS collaborates with BSYA for Sequence the Cassini-Huygens Mission. The said mission involved sending the space probe named after the mission to Saturn back in October 15, 1997 and has been studying Saturn and its moons since arriving there in June 30, 2004. The space probe is expected to end its mission by plunging towards Saturn on September 15. IN THE BEGINNING. Engr. Camilo Dacanay discusses both the beginning and the end of the universe during the Sequence event on June 17, 2017 at San Beda College, Manila. Image courtesy of BSYA
By Daud Kim Anthony So The Philippine Astronomical Society (PAS), in partnership with the Bedan Society of Young Astronomers (BSYA) held an astronomical symposium titled Sequence held at the Conference Hall of San Beda College, Manila last June 17. PAS members, BSYA members, students from different universities, and the public attended the event. Due to unexpected circumstances, Christian Noel Cantero, the PAS Committee Education Head, provided an emergency lecture regarding 6 | THE APPULSE
After Cantero’s lecture, Engr. Camilo Dacanay, PAS Board of Directors Chairman, discussed both the beginning and the end of the universe through his lecture titled, Phase of Transition at the Moment of Creation. Continuing the Cassini-Huygens lecture as he arrived, Rosales further elaborated the CassiniHuygens Mission before proceeding to his lecture titled Updates on Celestial Events. Rosales discussed interesting future celestial events such as the June 21 Summer Solstice and the upcoming Great American Eclipse in August 21, wherein a total solar eclipse would be seen across the contiguous states of USA. The event concluded with the nomination for the new members of the PAS Board of Directors.
SPACE NEWS April to June Space News Features by Pecier Decierdo
Cassini’s last year in orbit turns up eventful
CASSINI. A 3D artist’s rendition of the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn. Image courtesy of David Mark (Pixabay.com)
As of April 26, the Cassini spacecraft, which has been orbiting Saturn for 13 years now, is entering “The Great Finale” as dubbed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This September, the spacecraft is designed to crash into the upper layers of Saturn’s atmosphere, where it will probably disintegrate in a fiery crash.
As recent as a couple of months ago, Cassini was still adding more clues in a pile that suggests Encaladus, one of Saturn’s moons, might have deep sea vents like the ones found here on Earth. Here on Earth, those deep-sea vents host life living in extreme conditions. It is not impossible for Encaladus’ vents to host life of its own.
Hitch-hiking microbes Scientists are not yet fully confident that their ability to scrub the spacecraft clean of germs from Earth. It is possible that microbes from Earth not only hitched a million-kilometer ride aboard Cassini across the Solar System, it is also possible that some of these microbes have been hibernating this whole time in order to survive the harsh conditions of outer space. If the microbes find themselves in a more hospitable environments, it is possible that an alien invasion will ensue; in this case, the aliens are the bacteria from Earth.
Scientists working with the Cassini mission arrived at this hypothesis due to the spacecraft’s flight near Encaladus, and by taking measurements of the materials the moon’s geysers have been spraying into space. Scientists have detected molecular hydrogen in the sprayed material.
Possible life After all, it was Cassini itself that alerted us to the tantalizing possibility that some of Saturn’s moons might harbor life, or at least have conditions favorable to life. By “favorable” we are of course talking about the hardiest organisms we know of. Humans won’t be able to survive in any of Saturn’s moons without sophisticated technology.
Last call Cassini has also been taking daring dives close to the ringed planet, taking it between the gas giant and its innermost rings. At closest approach, Cassini’s cameras take photos of Saturn’s clouds from a view no camera has had before. Cassini was also able to get a close view of Saturn’s odd hexagonal storm found in its poles. Scientists are hoping they will be able to communicate with the spacecraft and get data from it until the last few moments, although because of its close approaches it is at risk of getting hit by particles from Saturn’s innermost rings. THE APPULSE | 7
SPACE NEWS
SpaceX reaches a new milestone Last May, 9 private spaceflight company SpaceX announced that they are already in the advanced testing stage for their Falcon Heavy rocket, which they hope will bring passengers to the Moon next year and to Mars within the next couple of decades. One step forward SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk released a video in May showing pre-flight tests for the Falcon Heavy rockets. If further tests prove the Falcon Heavy’s capability and reliability, Musk might just fulfill his promise made in an announcement earlier this year of sending two passengers to the Moon next year. The successful launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket, especially one with human passengers on board, might also take Musk and his company closer to their dream of sending humans to Mars by the mid-2020s. In Musk’s timeline, Falcon Heavy rockets could safely and successfully send a Dragon cargo capsule to the Red Planet by 2018. A human mission will follow in 2024, culminating in the first human landing on another planet by 2025. Second thoughts However, many scientists, including engineers at NASA, who are working on their own plans to send humans to Mars by the 2030s, still consider Musk’s timeline to be quite aggressive and have doubts whether Musk can accomplish his self-imposed deadline. Tests on the Falcon Heavy rocket scheduled for earlier this year have already been delayed due to technical issues.
Nevertheless, the success of the most recent tests might mean SpaceX is not too far behind in their timeline. The game is afoot The successes and setbacks of SpaceX are also spurring other players in the private spaceflight industry and other countries like India and China into what might be a space race of sorts. Just this June, United Launch Alliance has been beaten by SpaceX to win a US Air Force launch contract. Private spaceflight Rocket Lab is also gearing up to compete with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in the cheap, small satellite launch market. Rocket Lab is currently testing its small rocket Electron in its private launch pad in New Zealand. If the Electron rocket goes into market, it will directly compete with ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which boasts of launch rates that are affordable to small countries and startup companies that only need to launch small satellites. Launching satellites via the PSLV is made cheap because ISRO launches many satellites in one go. Earlier this year ISRO set the record of most number of satellites launched at the same time by successfully sending 104 satellites into orbit aboard their PSLV. The high success rate of ISRO also makes the launching much cheaper. If successful, Rocket Lab will make their launches competitive by launching small satellites aboard their small rocket. At any rate, the entry of other players in the spaceflight industry seems to spur innovation that fuels bold and ambitious goal setting; and the rest of the world will be the better for it.
UNDER DEVELOPMENT. SpaceX engineers ready the Falcon Heavy for upgrades and modifications on July 2017 at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Image courtesy of Space-X Imagery (Pixabay.com) 8 | THE APPULSE
SPACE NEWS
NASA announces discovery of 10 more new rocky planets On May 11 this year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kepler Space Telescope of 219 announced the discovery of newly suspected exoplanets. Of these, 10 seem to be about the size of the Earth. Not only that, they also seem to be in their star’s habitable. New Worlds Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars. The recent announcement brings the current total to a little bit more than 4,000 exoplanets candidates discovered by Kepler. Around 50 of the exoplanets candidates are about the same size as the Earth and are in their star’s habitable zone. Scientists have already verified around 2,300 of the exoplanets candidates, and roughly 30 of them are possible Earth analogues.
A New Hope Given the limitations of detecting exoplanets using Kepler, and given the relatively short span of time Kepler has been searching for planets orbiting around other stars, the wealth of planets so far discovered is changing astronomers’ view of the possibility for life elsewhere in the universe. According to some estimates, there might be as many as millions of Earth-like planets in the Milky Galaxy alone. As of press time, scientists are very hopeful that the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled at October of next year, will open bigger floodgates of exoplanet discoveries.
Kepler has been searching for exoplanets using the eclipsing method for around 8 years now. Kepler hunts for potential exoplanets by carefully measuring the brightness of a star. If a star’s brightness dips regularly and in a specific way, scientists suspect that a planet passing in front of the star causes the dimming. Kepler has only been searching a relatively small region of the sky around the constellations Cygnus, Lyra, and neighboring areas. Furthermore, not all planets can be detected using Kepler’s method. For one, it requires a coincidence for an exoplanet’s orbit around its star to be oriented so that it can pass between the star and the Earth.
BLAST OFF. United Launch Alliance’s Delta II rocket carried NASA’s Kepler spacecraft as it launched off-planet on March 6, 2009 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA. Image courtesy of Wikilmages (Pixabay.com)
LIGO scientists detect 3rd gravitational waves from merging black holes
A year after the announcement of the first detection of gravitational waves, also known as ripples, scientists working at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced last June 1 the detection of a third source of the said ripples in space-time. Like the first two sources, the third gravitational wave source is a pair of black holes spiraling into each other about to merge. First detection When the first detection of gravitational waves was announced in February of last year, the signals that led to the announcement were actually detected in the latter half of 2015. Scientists working at LIGO made double checks and triple checks before they announced their discovery. In the middle part of last year, LIGO scientists announced the detection of a second pair of black holes emitting ripples in space-time as they spiral into each other. The first detection came from very massive black holes containing 29 to 36 solar masses. The second
detection came from lighter black holes containing 8 and 14 solar masses. The third detection came from black holes somewhere in between, around 19 to 31 times the mass of the Sun. A new window The announcement of a third source strengthens the case that the gravitational waves LIGO scientists find in their signal are probably real and not just statistical blips. This incident is important since some scientists who are not part of LIGO have recently argued that there might be problems in the signal that LIGO scientists consider their first detection. This third detection also shows that gravitational waves can serve as a promising window into astrophysics. For centuries, astronomers have been studying the universe through electromagnetic radiation. The regular detection of gravitational waves and the generation of astrophysical information from them will usher in a new era in the study of the universe. THE APPULSE | 9
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Jamie Delos Reyes
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JUNO’S TOOLS for Spying on Jupiter
Angelica Y. Yang & Lanz Anthonee Lagman Image courtesy of Reimund Bertrams
M
YTHOLOGY
tells us that Jupiter, the god of the Romans, drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. But he was no match for his wife and sister, the goddess Juno, who was able to peer through the clouds and reveal his true nature.
Today, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Juno breaks through the veil of clouds to spy on Jupiter. Using the latest technologies developed by NASA at the time of its launch, Juno was able to take never-before-seen footages of the so-called “Rosetta stone” of the Solar System. By using Juno’s numerous instruments, scientists around the world hope that by unveiling Jupiter’s secrets, we can also learn more about the origins of our Solar System.
GRAVITY SCIENCE
Jupiter’s pull of gravity won’t make it easy for Juno to orbit around it. But understanding the concept of gravity science allows NASA scientists to map the variations in Jupiter’s gravity. Juno has a cone-shaped telecommunications system equipped with radio transponders. These transponders detect signals from the NASA’s Deep Space Network, which immediately sends its own signal in return. The small changes in the signals tell scientists how much Juno’s orbit has shifted. 12 | THE APPULSE
J.A.D.E.
The Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment is a set of instruments that measures electrons and ions around Juno. When they follow the line of Jupiter’s magnetic field and interact with Juno’s atmosphere, Jovian auroras are produced. With the help of other instruments, JADE will also help in creating a 3D-map of Jupiter’s magnetic field. The JADE is composed of three identical electron sensors (JADE-E’s),, a single ion sensor (JADE-1), and a highly capable Electronics Box (EBox).
FEATURE J.E.D.I.
The Jupiter Energetic particle Distributor Instrument is also a set of instruments in which the main sensor is shaped like a hockey puck. Both JADE and JEDI work closely together and are both designed to detect and measure charged particles, but JADE measures charged particles of lower energy (0-30 kiloelectronvolts) while JEDI measures those of higher energy (30-1,000,000 KeV). To measure the Force, it is not designed. These highly-charged particles pass through microchannel plate sensors which produce currents. These currents are used in measuring the stronglymagnetized radiation belts around Jupiter.
J.I.R.A.M.
The Jovian Infrared Aerial Mapper is an image spectrometer that by measuring the heat emitted from Jupiter’s atmosphere, it will determine its chemical composition. This instrument operates between the infrared and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
JUNOCAM
It’s a camera primarily intended to spark public attention and engagement by taking beautiful images of Jupiter when Juno zooms near enough its clouds. Through collaboration with amateur astronomers and the public, JunoCam will acquire images of chosen regions of Jupiter. Interestingly, it’s not a sensitive instrument that is used for elaborate analysis- unlike many other sensitive instruments aboard the spacecraft.
MAGNETOMETERS
These are located at the triangular structure positioned at the tip of Juno’s solar panels. They map the Jovian magnetic field, determine Jupiter’s
internal structures and components, and determine the structure of polar magnetosphere and the resulting auroras.
MICROWAVE RADIOMETER
The MWR lives up to its name as it measures radiation in the microwave region. Composed of six radiometers, it measures the thermal radiation beneath Jupiter’s clouds. The MWR observes on 6 wavelengths; each designed to look at a region in the atmosphere and helps assemble into a 3D image of Jupiter’s atmosphere. The MWR’s measured thermal radiation also tells a lot about how much water is in a specific area, and how much material is moving beneath Jupiter’s thick clouds.
U.V.S.
The Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer will take pictures Jupiter’s aurora in ultraviolet, in coordination with JADE and JEDI. It is composed to two parts: the sensor (a telescope and spectrogram), and a deep vault that houses sensitive electronics. Looking at Jupiter through ultraviolet rays allows scientists to get a detailed view of its outer atmosphere and how it produces unique auroras. These auroras much more powerful than ours and are even bigger than our planet itself.
WAVES
Juno’s Wave instrument is a radio that tunes to frequencies ranging from 50 Hz to above 40 MHz. The Wave has two sensors: huge TV-like antennas that measure electric fields, and a coil of wire that measures magnetic fluctuations of waves. With the help of these two sensors, this instrument will enable us to understand the interactions between the Jovian atmosphere, magnetic field and magnetosphere.A
References: NASA’s Eyes Visualization: Juno Mission to Jupiter (Web App) https://junomag.gsfc.nasa.gov/ http://www.ifsi-roma.inaf.it/jiram/?page_id=44 https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/media-gallery/instruments https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/media-gallery/instruments https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/pub/e/downloads/JunoCam_Junos_Outreach_Camera.pdf https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11214-013-9990-9 THE APPULSE | 13
else
above all Beatrice Adeline Tulagan Mayumi Exiomo
COSMIC COLLECTIVES
S
OMETIMES, you need to approach such an abstract,
overwhelming problem like climate change from a different perspective—from 249 miles above, to be exact.
Over 73,000 people rallied in support of European Space Agency’s Thomas Pesquet’s post immediately following United States of America President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. “Seen from space, climate change is very real,” Pesquet wrote, criticizing the move.
It is easy to see why astronauts are among the best endorsers of the climate changemovements. Having access to a view of our planet in the sheer vastness and indifference of space, they are able to see how unique and majestic the Earth is and how therefore we must maintain the conditions necessary for our species to thrive. “Being up here made us see how fragile and thin the atmosphere is,” astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko once commented in an interview during the Paris negotiations. “It is something critical to our survival and it is something that we need to fix before it’s too late.”
“
It is easy to see why astronauts are among the best endorsers of the climate change movements.
“
It is not the first time an astronaut raised his voice in support of this global conundrum. British-born Piers Sellers also lent his influence to the climate change movement, even appearing on Leonardo diCaprio’s documentary, Before the Flood. Sellers, who also served as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) acting director for its Earth Sciences division, passed away in December 2016 but not without first addressing the global community and asking them to confront the reality of man-made climate change. He called for the cooperation of scientists, policymakers and industrialists to ensure Earth will remain to be “a planet that can continue to support life— including all of us.”
For the Philippines, our microsatellite Diwata-1 has the capacity to monitor and relay information to us in real time about weather patterns and the extent of disaster damage. This makes our first foray into space motivated by the realities of being one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, among many other uses. It may be a while before we can send a Filipino astronaut to space, but it is not so hard to believe that when that time comes, he or she will also look out and see the Earth as unique and needing urgent care for societies to survive and thrive. Until then, like Kornienko, Kelly, Sellers and Pesquet, we can expect more and more astronauts to also function as climate advocates, looking at and looking out for the Earth from miles above. A THE APPULSE | 15
CELESTIAL EVENTS
UPNEXT|
UPCOMING CELESTIAL EVENTS FOR 3RD QUARTER OF 2017
Engr. Ronald Tanco
THE THIRD
quarter of the year (July to September) can be considered one of the wetest season (at least for those from the Luzon Island) Nonetheless, every opportunity of clear skies does not stop us from looking up to the heavens.
JULY
For those measuring the Sun, you may have noticed a slight change in size with the sun as our planet is in aphelion. Meaning farthest from the sun. Hopefully the climates cools down a bit knowing that the source of heat is furthest away from us.
Early July, Mercury will slowly rise above the horizon right after sunset. After a close approach with Mars (which is nearly impossible to see due to its closeness to the sun) it begins to distance itself from the sun in angular separation. Mercury will reach its maximum separation from the Sun by the end of July.
AUGUST For August, we can gear up by looking following the moon. By August 3, the waxing gibbous moon would be seen rising near Saturn. In the early morning of August 8, there will be a partial Lunar eclipse. The umbral eclipse is expected to last for about 1 hour and 56 minutes, while whole eclipse from the start until the end of penumbral phase should last about 5 hours and 4 minutes. The next expected Lunar Eclipse will be on Jan 31 and July 28, 2018, both of which will be a total lunar eclipse. During the Eclipse, one may be able to catch a few meteors of the Perseids Meteor shower. For this year however, the Perseids falls close to the full moon. Hopefully during the lunar eclipse, your chances of catching the bright and fast Perseids meteors are increased significantly for that morning.
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WILLING TO WAIT. Starcampers marvel at the Milky Way as they wait for shooting stars during the PAS Eta Aquarids event on May 6-7, 2017 at Big Handy’s Grounds, Tanay, Rizal. Photo by Kashogi Astapan.
CELESTIAL EVENTS Saturn for the month of August will be visited twice by the waxing gibbous moon. One on Aug 3 and the other on Aug 30. Both can be seen after sunset.
SEPTEMBER
For September we have the opportunity to glimpse Mercury once more as the morning star. It reaches its greatest western elongation on the 12th and it will be at its closest approach to Venus of about 10 degrees apart on the morning of Sept 14-15. On Sept 22, the Moon-Jupiter-Spica conjunction can be seen for the last time, but closer to horizon just before sunset. This will be final time we will see this grouping together. Pretty much also on this eve we approach the Autumn equinox. From now, we will begin to notice that the nights are slowly getting longer and daylight shorter.
Similar to July, we can expect to see the Moon-Jupiter-Spica conjunction again on August 25 but this time with the moon northerly of Jupiter and almost forming a straight line. The moon is also a much thinner crescent moon as compared to July’s conjunction. If you are an early riser, Venus will greet you brightly on the Eastern horizon before sunrise. On Aug 16, you may be able to view the near half-moon near the Hyades cluster of Taurus again. On Aug 19, Venus will be joined by a thin waning crescent moon and just north to it are 3 bright stars of the Winter Triangle.
By Sept 26-27, we can see the moon near Saturn again which hovers between Scorpius and Sagittarius.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
We can start our evening looking for the planets J u p i t e r a n d S a t u r n . These two planets will be the brightest object in the sky in the early evening throughout the rainy months from July to September. They are still good objects to be viewed through telescope but they are bound to get smaller or you may need to boost your telescope magnification higher to see more
details as these planets approaches conjunction with the sun. Also for the quarter, Venus continues to be our morning star rising before the sun, and shining ever brightly. Eventually it will descend again towards the sun and ready its new role as the evening star by the first quarter of 2018. Telescope viewers will notice the change from a half phase to a full lit phase. A
Reference: Starmap Pro 12 with Manila as reference 18 | THE APPULSE
CELESTIAL EVENTS
PAS Astro Calendar 2017 July to September
Reference: Starmap Pro 12 with Manila as reference THE APPULSE | 199
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