Milroy Observatory with Donna the Astronomer in Coonabarabran, New South Wales | Observatory

Milroy Observatory with Donna the Astronomer

Locality: Coonabarabran, New South Wales

Phone: +61 428 288 244

Address: 2 Morrisseys Road 2357 Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.donnatheastronomer.com.au

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25.01.2022 In less than two weeks away OSIRIS-REx will fulfil its biggest goal collecting a piece of a pristine, hydrated, carbon-rich asteroid. OSIRIS-REx will then depart Bennu in 2021 and deliver the sample to Earth on September 24, 2023. The asteroid Bennu is a diamond-shaped pile of rubble floating in space, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. looks a bit like wombat poo.

25.01.2022 Fun Holiday Red Planet Day November 28 is Red Planet Day, a day to celebrate and learn more about the Red Planet - Mars. The planet is called so because it appears red in colour. The date of the unofficial holiday commemorates the day in 1964 when Mariner 4, a robotic interplanetary probe was launched by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).... Close-up of Mars In the 8 months it was on its mission, the Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by Mars. It also gave the world the first close-up images of Mars. Since then several exploratory missions have been sent to Mars to gather data about the planet.

24.01.2022 On this day 47 years ago Nov 3, 1973, Mariner 10 the American robotic space probe launched by NASA to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. It was the first spacecraft to perform flybys of multiple planets. Mariner 10 was launched approximately two years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program. (Mariner 11 and Mariner 12 were allocated to the Voyager program and redesignated Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.)

22.01.2022 No matter where you live, the first half of December provides some of the best meteor activity of the year. This activity will be tempered by a bright moon during the first week of the month. The warm, but short summer nights south of the equator make for some great viewing as long as the moon does not interfere. Phoenicid Meteor Shower... The meteors possess an average magnitude of 3.27, while only 2% leave trains. The shower is most notable for producing a rate of 100 meteors per hour in 1956---the year marking its discovery. The stream is probably produced by the previously lost period comet Blanpain (1819 IV) now known as 289P Blanpain. The comet reached perihelion November 2019 and brightened so perhaps there is a chance of an outburst this year but no one knows. Phoenix is visible all night in southern skies - the map below shows it at 1 am but later the Moon will be lower in the sky. Unfortunately, the comet was only observed for 59 days during 1819-1820, so that an error of several months existed in the estimated orbit. However after being lost for 194 years - it was re-discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in November 2003 as near-Earth asteroid 2003 WY25 and then identified as the lost comet. In 2013 the comet went through an outburst resulting in increased activity in December 2014. On December 5, 1956, observers in New Zealand, Australia, the Indian Ocean, and South Africa detected strong activity from the southern constellation Phoenix. Investigations by H. B. Ridley revealed maximum visual hourly rates of 100. It is incredibly unlikely that we should see anything like that but if you are early in the morning have a look about . The duration of this shower extends from November 29 to December 9. This is not a big shower in its own right but you have the chance of you get away from the Moon to see other sporadic meteors - just look up and see what you see!

22.01.2022 The Astronomy Calendar 2021 features all the winning photographs from the 2020 David Malin Awards. These are Australia’s most prestigious Astrophotography Awards hosted each year by the Central West Astronomical Society and are judged by world-renowned astrophotgraher Dr David Malin. Get all the dates for all upcoming astronomical phenomena including planet oppositions, elongations, conjunctions, moon phases, meteor showers etc. Monthly star charts selections show what constellations are in the sky for North, East, South and West directions. https://donnatheastronomer.com.au//astronomy-calendar-2021/

20.01.2022 At 18:20 UTC on the Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer together in Earth's night sky than they have been since the Middle Ages, offering people the world over a night sky treat to ring in the summer solstice for us In the South and the winter solstice for our northern friends. Thus will be in the evening for our northern hemisphere mates but 5:20am AEDT on Dec 22 for us and the planets are not visible at that time. However the picture from Stellarium below shows J...upiter and Saturn at 9:20pm AEDT on the night of the 21st for Eastern Australia. They will still appear very close. This is described as a great conjunction. Generally speaking, a conjunction is when two objects appear close to each other in the sky. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturnwhich only happens about once every 20 yearsis called a great conjunction. Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, when they pass in their orbits - Saturn takes 29.5 years to orbit the Sun while Jupiter takes just under 12. This conjunction is incredibly rare because of how close the planets will appear to one another in the sky. A few days before December 21, a thin Crescent Moon will pass close to Jupiter and Saturn in the sky. If you miss this one you will need to wait around until March 15, 2080. The two planets won't make such a close appearance again sometime after the year 2400. This is how it should look in a decent size telescope where your field of view would normally be about the size of the Full Moon.

20.01.2022 China's Chang'e 5 mission lands on Moon to retrieve lunar samples China's latest uncrewed mission, a lunar lander, named Chang'e 5 after the mythical Chinese goddess of the Moon has successfully touched down on the Moon, the Chinese Government has announced. Launched on November 24, the lander touched down on a massive lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or Ocean of Storms.... The lander vehicle that touched down on the Moon's surface was one of several spacecraft deployed by the Chang'e-5 probe. Upon landing, the vehicle is supposed to drill into the ground with a robotic arm, then transfer its soil and rock samples to an ascender vehicle that will lift off and dock with an orbiting module. Below is an artist impression of the Chinese lander touching down on the moon. (Chinese National Space Agency) (Supplied)

20.01.2022 Just FYI - we are still open every night it is clear enough to see the night skies!

20.01.2022 Unique and Fun Gift Idea - Astronomical chart/poster on the day you were born! A personalised chart created to show you the night sky details of the Moon, Sun and other astronomical events on the day you were born or for other significant dates in your life or that of your loved ones. This is a digital copy which will be emailed to you for printing at home. Please provide name and date of birth of the recipient of this product. https://donnatheastronomer.com.au//personalised-astronomi/

19.01.2022 Good evening from Milroy

18.01.2022 The Moon this Month The Full Moon occurred on the 1st in all states except WA. Last quarter will be on the 8th with the New Moon on the 15th and First Quarter on the 22nd with a second Full Moon on the 30th (unless you are in WA). This means that this second moon is popularly known as a ‘blue moon’. [ 1,026 more word ] https://donnatheastronomer.com.au/2020/11/04/november-skies/

18.01.2022 A huge, already damaged Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico has completely collapsed after its 900-ton receiver platform fell onto the reflector dish below. The metal reflector dish was crushed under the weight of the receiver platform. The telescope was built in the 1960s with money from the US Defense Department amid a push to develop anti-ballistic missile defences.... It had endured hurricanes, tropical humidity and a recent string of earthquakes in its 57 years of operation. The telescope has been used to track asteroids on a path to Earth, conduct research that led to a Nobel Prize and determine if a planet is potentially habitable.

18.01.2022 There will be a nice bright pass of the international space station visible around this general local area. It will appear slightly to the left of the scorpions tail about 20:44 and head towards Mars paaaing almost directly overhead at about 20:50 - it will be at its Brightest as it passes Jupiter and Saturn and heads towards Mars where it will disappear from view as it loses the sun.

16.01.2022 2 years ago Insight landed on Mars - and has been busy since then

16.01.2022 Just finished chatting about the International Space Station on our local ABC

16.01.2022 Meanwhile it’s going to be a long wait for Perseverance on Mars NASA expects its rover to collect and package up its first surface sample in July, which a future rover will later collect and return to Earth as early as 2031.

16.01.2022 On this day in 2000 Expedition 1 docked with the ISS and astronaut Commander William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko, the first resident crew members of the International Space Station, begin a planned four month stay.

14.01.2022 Check out the International Soace Station tonight as it makes a lovely sight in this area around 9:31 pm. It will be rather low in the sky appearing from the south west passing through the scorpion and then Sagittarius and until it disappears next to Jupiter and Saturn but it will be quite bright and easy to see although just a short pass.

13.01.2022 A trio of space travelers is poised to launch to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Oct 14 NASA Television will provide comprehensive coverage of launch and docking. Kate Rubins of NASA and Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos are preparing to launch aboard the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft Wednesday, Oct 14, at 1646 AEDT (10:45 a.m. Kazakhstan time or 5:45an UT) on a two-orbit, three-hour journey to dock to the station’s Rassvet module for the start of a six-month mission on the orbital outpost.

12.01.2022 Day Time tours of Siding Spring and the 4m Anglo Australian Telescope are back!!! Book now tours are starting December 3! https://www.darkskytraveller.com.au/daytours

12.01.2022 Happy November !!

11.01.2022 China's Mars rover Zhurong takes group picture on Mars This photo of the dusty, rocky Martian surface and a Chinese rover and lander together has been released by the China National Space Administration, with a wireless camera making the dual selfie possible. China landed the Tianwen-1 spacecraft carrying the rover on Mars last month after it spent about three months orbiting the Red Planet. China is only the second country to land and operate a spacecraft on Mars, after the ...United States. The orbiter and lander both display small Chinese flags and the lander has outlines of the mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

11.01.2022 October Skies - https://mailchi.mp/d44e9b278b82/october-skies

10.01.2022 Did you know that there are Mars rocks on Earth (and no we didn’t bring them here). There are currently 277 known specimens. Chemical analysis of meteorites found in Antarctica, the Sahara Desert, and elsewhere have been shown by various means to have originated on Mars. For example, some contain pockets of gas that is chemically identical to the Martian atmosphere. ... These meteorites may have been blasted away from Mars due to a larger meteoroid or asteroid impact on Mars, or by a huge volcanic eruption, and later collided with Earth. Martian meteorite NWA 7034, nicknamed "Black Beauty," weighs approximately 320 g. Martian meteorite EETA79001, shergottite named after the Shergotty meteorite, which fell at Sherghati, India in 1865. Shergottites are igneous rocks of mafic to ultramafic lithology.

10.01.2022 NASA sends first commands to Voyager 2 in eight months. NASA is back in contact with Voyager 2 after almost eight months of silence. Radio communication has not been possible because the Deep Space Station 43 (DSS43) in Canberra is undergoing an upgrade, but on October 29 it sent a signal to Voyager 2, which successfully carried out the commands and returned a confirmation signal. The 43-year-old Voyager 2 is currently over 18.8 billion km away from Earth as fast approaches ...interstellar space, never to return. Thanks to its nuclear power source, it will remain functional for several more years and is sending back data about the outside of the heliosphere on the edge of the solar system. Unfortunately, the conversation has been entirely one sided since March because DSS43, the only radio antenna capable of sending a powerful enough signal at the right frequency has been down for a major upgrade. This upgrade includes installing two new transmitters and improved heating and cooling equipment, power supply equipment, and additional electronics. The 70-m (230-ft) DSS43 is part of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), which is a collection of three ground stations located in Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. These allow the space agency to remain in contact with deep-space missions around the clock. However, the stations in Spain and the United States can't communicate with Voyager 2. Only DSS43 can. DSS43 is scheduled to return to full service in February 2021.

09.01.2022 Trivia about Saturn - visible in the night sky! When Galileo viewed Saturn for the first time through a telescope, he described the planet as having ears. It was not until 1655 that Christian Huygens suggested the then considered crazy theory that they might be an enormous set of rings around the planet.... If you could put Saturn in an enormous bathtub, it would float. The planet is less dense than water.

08.01.2022 This annual almanac has been produced each year since 1991 and is created for Australian Skywatchers by Australian experts. It will take even the most casual stargazer on a wondrous journey of the night sky and provide the more serious with all information at their fingertips to plan their activities throughout the year. T his critically acclaimed work, produced by three well-known experts in the field, takes a unique approach to explain and to identify the Sun, Moon, planets, and constellations; it is simply the best publication of its type in the world. https://donnatheastronomer.com.au/product/astronomy-2021/

07.01.2022 Double-sided Planisphere for the Southern Hemisphere. Now comes in clear PVC plastic printed in black. It features North and South sides to give greater space and clarity and shows the major stars, galaxies, nebulae and clusters in colour. It also comes with a reference guide with lists of Stars and binocular objects and planet positions for the next 5 years. Size: 27 x 24 cm Suitable for latitudes 25 to 45 South (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina & Chile) https://donnatheastronomer.com.au/product/planisphere/

06.01.2022 Full moon is at 20:30 AEDT today November 30 and since we already had a full Moon back on November 1st it is what is popularly known as a ‘blue moon’. First things first: a blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the Moon. Instead, it is all to do with the timing of full moons during the year. Normally blue moons come only about every two or three years. In 2018 unusually, we had two blue moons in one year and only two months apart and one was a lunar eclipse! The next time we will get two blue moons in a year will be 2037.

06.01.2022 16-Year-Old Cosmic Mystery Solved, Revealing Stellar Missing Link In 2004, scientists with NASA's space-based Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spotted an object unlike any they'd seen before in our Milky Way galaxy: a large, faint blob of gas with a star at its center. In the GALEX images, the blob appeared blue - though it doesn't actually emit light visible to the human eye - and subsequent observations revealed a thick ring structure within it. So the team nicknamed it th...e Blue Ring Nebula. Over the next 16 years, they studied it with multiple Earth- and space-based telescopes, but the more they learned, the more mysterious it seemed. A new study published online on Nov. 18 in the journal Nature may have cracked the case. By applying cutting-edge theoretical models to the slew of data that has been collected on this object, the authors posit the nebula - a cloud of gas in space - is likely composed of debris from two stars that collided and merged into a single star. The Blue Ring Nebula consists of two expanding cones of gas ejected into space by a stellar merger. As the gas cools, it forms hydrogen molecules that collide with particles in interstellar space, causing them to radiate far-ultraviolet light. Invisible to the human eye, it is shown here as blue. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Seibert (Carnegie Institution for Science)/K. Hoadley (Caltech)/GALEX Team

04.01.2022 The sample-return capsule of JAXA mission Hyabussa 2 will be landing on 6 December 2020 in the Woomera prohibited area, which is military shooting range for testing rockets and other high-altitude and high-velocity crafts. The image below is of the asteroid Ryugu captured by the ONC-T at an altitude of about 64m. Image was taken on September 21, 2018

04.01.2022 Check out the Orionid Meteor Shower 22 October 2020 https://donnatheastronomer.com.au//orionid-meteor-shower-/

01.01.2022 Just for your information if you were planning on bushwalking in the Warrumbungles this weekend

01.01.2022 Check out our gift range including calendars and Astronomy 2021