Research_News_20_08_2022 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/ Astronomy in New Zealand - Groups.io https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ Google Group https://groups.google.com/g/nzastrochat Astronomy in Wellington https://www.facebook.com/groups/11451597655/ Blogger Posts http://laintal.blogspot.com/ Reddit https://www.reddit.com/user/Edwin_Rod_NZ Quaroa https://www.quora.com/q/astronomyinnewzealand Twitter https://twitter.com/EdwinRodham ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Research papers A super-Earth orbiting near the inner edge of the habitable zone around the M4.5 dwarf Ross?508 https://academic.oup.com/pasj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pasj/psac044/6623879?login=true Architecture and implementation of the Argus Array https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.14304 The 2019 Discovery of a Meteor of Interstellar Origin https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.07224 A faint, distant, and cold brown dwarf https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.14802 How Many Moons could the earth have? Moon-packing around an Earth-mass Planet https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.03604 Challenges in forming Phobos and Deimos directly from a splitting of an ancestor single moon https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.04794 Computational modeling of orthostatic intolerance for travel to Mars https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-022-00219-2 Rocket Lab Mission to Venus https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/8/445/htm The Astronomical, Astrobiological and Planetary Science Case for Interstellar Spaceflight https://arxiv.org/abs/1008.4893 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Interesting News items Europa https://news.utexas.edu/2022/08/15/underwater-snow-gives-clues-about-europas-icy-shell/ You know I had never thourgh about this before, but the tidal pull of the satellites would impact the rings. https://spaceref.com/science-and-exploration/why-jupiter-doesnt-have-rings-like-saturn/ Yes making this happen with everything working is going to be amazing https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-will-inspire-world-when-it-returns-mars-samples-to-earth-in-2033 Rocket Lab https://spaceref.com/space-commerce/rocket-lab-to-supply-solar-power-for-united-states-space-forces-new-missile-warning-satellites/ An amazing canyon system https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Mars_Express_peers_into_Mars_Grand_Canyon Nice spots on the lunar surface https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/07/moon-lunar-pits-comfortable-temperature/670991 Readying spacecraft to surf Venus’ atmosphere https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Readying_spacecraft_to_surf_Venus_atmosphere An interesting look at Ceres https://spaceref.com/science-and-exploration/how-ceres-powers-unexpected-geologic-activity/ Another interesting discovery here If exoplanets around red dwarf stars are your interesting this is another interesting discovery. Ross 508 is around 20% the mass of the Sun, with the super Earth perhaps 4 times that of our own planet, on an elliptical orbit. Can a Super-Earth around a Low-Mass Star Harbor Life? https://subarutelescope.org/en/results/2022/07/31/3075.html A super-Earth orbiting near the inner edge of the habitable zone around the M4.5 dwarf Ross?508 https://academic.oup.com/pasj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pasj/psac044/6623879?login=true Ross 508 b: What We Can Learn from a Red Dwarf Super-Earth https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2022/08/05/ross-508-b-what-we-can-learn-from-a-red-dwarf-super-earth/ I think they have all the main points right https://astronomy.com/news/2022/07/rare-earth-hypothesis-why-we-might-really-be-alone-in-the-universe A great video showing it being moved and assambled here to watch, and is this going to be an amazing mission too. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-europa-clipper-spacecraft-kicks-assembly-into-high-gear Alright, here is another reminder that you only have less than a month left to sort your amazing astro photos for the NZ Astrophotography competition 2022. This year's judge is Alyn Wallace, who is arguably one of the world's top Astro, landscape, and time-lapse photographers. Please read over the rules and conditions of entry before submitting your entries. https://drive.google.com/.../1xMg.../view... The last date for submitting your entries is the 21st of September 2022. The competition awards will be announced at the Burbidge dinner, Which is the Auckland Astronomical Society's premier annual event; keep an eye out on the society website for details of the forthcoming Burbidge dinner. This year, the entries will be submitted via Google Form, so no more downloading and signing entry forms. https://forms.gle/vnGsWJe7nUtcVcHX9 We are looking forward to seeing all your images and wishing you all clear skies. --------------------------------------------------------------- Updates from Andrew B, Mars Perseverance Rover . Imaged: Sunday 24th July 2022. Sol 507. New images. A small handful returned, but what a beautiful set. Just returned to Earth within the last hour. MastCam Z (Zoom). Remember what we are looking at here. A River Delta on Mars!!!!! Those layers are very thin from a few mm to a few cm thick. Mars Perseverance Rover is now taking short drives up Hawkesbill Gap onto the Neretva Vallis Delta, up from the lava floor of Jezero Crater and the Neretva Vallis Delta sedimentary formation in front of the delta. The Delta Front Campaign has now commenced. These images show cross bedding and the layering now in the Neretva Vallis Delta front from Perseverance and these observations are already contributing to how a martian delta formed and compare with deltas on Earth such as the Nile Delta in Egypt, Amazon Delta in Brazil, Mississippi Delta in the USA, etc, and how through weathering, extremely ancient sediments are being revealed. Formed from when Mars was warmer, wetter and more Earth like than now, much warmer with a far denser atmosphere. The northern hemisphere of Mars is now just past Winter Solstice, temperatures are still dropping and would have been cold even during high Summer at this location. The mast would have been heated during the morning observations as the martian mornings are extremely cold. MastCam Z, Skinner Ridge abrasion images taken @ 10:26 HRS LMST. Neretva Vallis Delta images: 12:05 HRS to 12:08 HRS LMST Local Mars Standard Time in Jezero Crater. Jezero Crater, Syrtis Major Quadrangle. Text: Andrew R Brown. NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / LANL / CNES / IRAP. Mars Perseverance Rover. Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity. Saturday 23rd July 2022. Sol 3,541. Not only is Mars Perseverance Rover over in Jezero Crater about 3,730 KM / 2,318 miles away delivering historic, unique views of a very rare feature (ancient river delta front) on Mars, MSL Curiosity continues do do likewise whilst climbing a very large mountain on Mars within Gale Crater. Front & Rear HazCams / Hazard Cameras & NavCams / Navigation Camera. MAHLI / MArs Hand Lens Imager. HazCams: 120 degree wide view. NavCams: 45 degree wide views. MAHLI / MArs Hand Lens Imager. MAHLI / MArs Hand Lens Imager shows very small patches of ground, gravel, small rocks & duricrust only a few square CM the widest views. The layering and some of the patterns in some of the blocks are amazing. There had clearly been a great deal going on here during the very remote past some 3.5 billion years or more ago. These observations will be a nice contemporary set to those also being made by Mars Perseverance Rover in front of the Neretva Vallis Delta in Jezero Crater. Both data sets will certainly nail down the past habitability & hydrological cycle on very ancient Mars. Another crop of beautiful and very scientifically important images from the veteran & venerable MSL Curiosity. MSL Curiosity was climbing the 5,500 metre / 18,044 foot tall Aeolis Mons aka Mt Sharp, in turn inside the 4,850 metre / 15,900 foot deep and 154 KM / 96 mile wide Gale Crater, within the Aeolis Quadrangle on Mars. Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity continues to operate flawlessly. It has been just announced that MSL Curiosity's mission has been extended for at least a further three years from this October to climb right up to the upper part of Aeolis Mons. There is still plenty of power being produced by the MMRTG, the instruments are still in full working order, and damage to the wheels has not continued at a quick rate and is somewhat less serious than previously feared, it is more cosmetic rather than actually damaging to motability. Gale Crater, Aeolis Quadrangle. Front & Rear HazCams / Hazard Cameras & NavCams / Navigation Camera. Text: Andrew R Brown. NASA / JPL / Malin Space Science Systems. Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity. Phobos. The inner and larger Mars moon Phobos imaged by the CNSA / China National Space Administration, Areocentric / Mars centred orbiting Tianwen-1, mandarin for Questions to Heaven spacecraft using the High Resolution Camera. Phobos at the time was 5,100 KM / 3,168 miles away from Tianwen-1. For scale, Öpik Crater is 2 KM / 1.2 miles wide. The smallest detail visible is about 50 metres. Phobos is only 27 KM by 22 KM by 18 KM / 17 by 14 by 11 miles in size, orbits Mars at a mean distance of 9,376 KM / 5,822 miles once every 7 hours and 22 minutes. Phobos appears to have a density of 1.88 g/cm3, so likely to be a rubble pile held together by gravity. Phobos experiences a wide range of surface temperatures from a maximum of minus 4 Celsius / 25 Fahrenheit or 269 Kelvin to a minimum of minus 143 Celsius / minus 220 Fahrenheit or 130 Kelvin. Phobos orbits Mars at an average distance of only 9,376 KM / 5,820 miles, once every 7 hours and 22 minutes, where as Mars rotates on it's axis once every 24 hours and 37 minutes (very similar to Earth's 23 hours and 56 minutes). This means that Phobos is lapping the rotation of Mars. Therefore to an observer on the surface, Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east. The Sun and other astronomical objects on Mars rise in the east and set in the west as on Earth. Text: Andrew R Brown. CNSA / China National Space Administration. Tianwen-1 spacecraft. Mars Perseverance Rover . Imaged: Wednesday 17th August 2022. Sol 530. New images. A small handful returned, but what a beautiful set. Looking across the Jezero Crater including the Kodiak Mesa. MastCam Z (Zoom). Remember what we are looking at here. A River Delta on Mars!!!!! Those layers are very thin from a few mm to a few cm thick. Mars Perseverance Rover is now taking short drives up Hawkesbill Gap onto the Neretva Vallis Delta, up from the lava floor of Jezero Crater and the Neretva Vallis Delta sedimentary formation in front of the delta. The Delta Front Campaign has now commenced. These images show cross bedding and the layering now in the Neretva Vallis Delta front from Perseverance and these observations are already contributing to how a martian delta formed and compare with deltas on Earth such as the Nile Delta in Egypt, Amazon Delta in Brazil, Mississippi Delta in the USA, etc, and how through weathering, extremely ancient sediments are being revealed. Formed from when Mars was warmer, wetter and more Earth like than now, much warmer with a far denser atmosphere. The scale of the layered top varies between less than one metre to about six metres at the thickest. Imaged between 12:18 to 12:25 HRS LMST. Local Mars Standard Time in Jezero Crater. Jezero Crater, Syrtis Major Quadrangle. Text: Andrew R Brown. NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / LANL / CNES / IRAP. Mars Perseverance Rover. --------------------------------------------------------------- RASNZ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December Celestial Calendar by Dave Mitsky -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minor Planet Occultation Updates: --------------------------------------------------------------- Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Groups.io https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/ Google Group https://groups.google.com/g/nzastrochat Astronomy in Wellington https://www.facebook.com/groups/11451597655/ Blogger Posts http://laintal.blogspot.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/EdwinRodham Reddit https://www.reddit.com/user/Edwin_Rod_NZ Quaroa https://www.quora.com/q/astronomyinnewzealand Groups.io Astronomy in New Zealand https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ AstronomyNZ@groups.io Wellington Astronomers https://groups.io/g/WellingtonAstronomers WellingtonAstronomers@groups.io AucklandAstronomers https://groups.io/g/AucklandAstronomers AucklandAstronomers@groups.io North Island Astronomers https://groups.io/g/NorthIslandAstronomers NorthIslandAstronomers@groups.io South Island Astronomers https://groups.io/g/SouthIslandAstronomers SouthIslandAstronomers@groups.io NZAstrochat https://groups.io/g/NZAstrochat NZAstrochat@groups.io NZ Photographers And Observers https://groups.io/g/NZPhotographers NZPhotographers@groups.io --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: My standard caveat that these are the views of a learned amateur, not a professional in the sector, applies as always. The above post/email/update represents my own words, views, research and opinions, unless stated otherwise the above work represents my own writing. I’ll give credit or thanks if I have used or represented other people’s words and/or opinions. The links and references listed below represent the work and research of the respective author’s. Questions and constructive criticism are always welcome, however I don’t believe anything written here by myself is any reason for impolite behaviour. Thanks for your time and I hope you have enjoyed reading. -----------------------------------------------------------------