Jun 2
The galaxy M77 looks truly out-of-this-world in a new image by the James Webb Space Telescope.
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Indonesia
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
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seen from Sweden
seen from China
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seen from United States
The galaxy M77 looks truly out-of-this-world in a new image by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Dramatic period was 'probably one of the most energetic events in the whole history of the Milky Way', astronomers say
Greater Toronto Area Iridium Flares and ISS Passes for the week of October 2nd, 2016
(Above: The ISS passes over the historic David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario, imaged by Bill Longo. www.billlongo.com)
Iridium flares are glints of sunlight off of the flat reflecting sides of one of the satellites that comprise the Iridium pager and sat-phone network. The flares occur before dawn and after dusk, when the satellite passing overhead is still illuminated by the Sun, which is below the horizon for observers on the ground. The duration and brightness depend on the angles between the observer, the satellite, and the Sun. For even more info about Iridium Flares and the space station, see an article that I wrote here.
Here are this week’s best Iridium Flares for the GTA. Using an accurate clock, go outside a few minutes ahead and look in the direction indicated. You should first see the dim Iridium satellite moving quickly across the sky, and then it will rapidly brighten for 3 to 8 seconds, and fade out. Truly spectacular! The more negative the Magnitude number, the brighter. The larger the Alt. number, the higher up it is! (The horizon is 0°, and 90° is straight up, so 55° is a bit higher than halfway between the horizon and zenith.) These data are adapted from www.heavens-above.com. To get your own schedule, enter your location in their website. Click the hyperlinks to see a star chart of the pass.
Date and Time (EDT) Mag. Alt. Direction 03-Oct at 7:06:58 am -7.9 52° 15° (NNE) Extremely Bright! 04-Oct at 7:01:01 am -5.5 51° 13° (NNE) Very Bright! 04-Oct at 8:27:42 pm -0.1 53° 136° (SE) 05-Oct at 8:21:32 pm 0.0 53° 140° (SE) 06-Oct at 8:15:28 pm -1.8 50° 137° (SE) 07-Oct at 8:09:28 pm 0.5 49° 138° (SE)
The ISS (International Space Station) is visible gliding silently over the GTA this week. The best passes are listed below. (Note: The more negative the Mag. number, the brighter. The larger the Alt. number, the higher up it is!) Many passes are high and bright! (Data adapted from www.Heavens-above.com. If you enter your location in their website, you will get a list of them for wherever you might be.) All the times are in Eastern Daylight Time. Click the hyperlinks to see a star chart of the pass.
Date Start and End Times Direction of Travel Max Alt. Mag. 02-Oct 20:26:27 pm to 20:30:53 pm moves W to NNE 43° -2.3 !! 03-Oct 19:34:07 pm to 19:40:36 pm moves WSW to NE 69° -3.1 !! 03-Oct 21:11:35 pm to 21:13:32 pm moves WNW to NNW 21° -0.9 04-Oct 20:19:01 pm to 20:23:26 pm moves WNW to NNE 28° -1.6 05-Oct 19:26:30 pm to 19:32:38 pm moves W to NE 37° -2.1 !! 05-Oct 21:04:09 pm to 21:05:57 pm moves NW to NNW 19° -0.9 06-Oct 20:11:37 pm to 20:15:45 pm moves WNW to NNE 22° -1.3 07-Oct 19:19:02 pm to 19:24:36 pm moves WNW to NE 25° -1.6 07-Oct 20:56:28 pm to 20:58:10 pm moves NW to NNW 19° -0.9 08-Oct 20:04:04 pm to 20:07:54 pm moves NW to NNE 20° -1.3 09-Oct 19:11:32 pm to 19:16:40 pm moves WNW to NE 21° -1.4 09-Oct 20:48:31 pm to 20:50:17 pm moves NW to NNW 21° -1.2
Keep looking up to enjoy the sky! I love getting questions so, if you have any, send me a note.