Oct 19, 2020 11:19 PM
No tricks - just a Halloween Blue Moon
https://news.yale.edu/2020/10/19/no-tric...-blue-moon
EXCERPT: An extra treat is coming Earth’s way for Halloween, compliments of the cosmos. On Oct. 31, there will be a nearly global blue moon for the first time since 1944, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. Weather permitting, all of the United States - major cities and small towns alike - will get to bask in its pale light. Michael Faison, a lecturer in the Department of Astronomy and director of the Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium, spoke with YaleNews about the phenomenon.
[...] How rare is it to have a blue moon on Halloween? Since October has 31 days, and the average time between full moons is 29.5 days, if there's a full moon on Halloween, it has to be a blue moon. You get the same phase of the moon on the same date in the Gregorian calendar every 19 years... (MORE - details)
What’s Happening with Betelgeuse? Astronomers Propose a Specialized Telescope to Watch the Star Every Night
https://www.universetoday.com/148289/wha...ery-night/
INTRO: Starting in late 2019, Betelgeuse began drawing a lot of attention after it mysteriously started dimming, only to brighten again a few months later. [...] Whereas some thought that the dimming was a prelude to the star becoming a Type II supernova, others suggested that dust clouds, enormous sunspots, or ejected clouds of gas were the culprit. In any case, the “Great Dimming of Betelgeuse” has motivated an international team of astronomers to propose that a “Betelgeuse Scope” be created that can't monitor the star constantly.
The paper that outlines their proposal was recently presented at the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Optical Engineering + Applications 2020, a virtual conference that took place from Aug. 24th to Sept. 4th. The paper, “Betelgeuse scope: single-mode-fibers-assisted optical interferometer design for dedicated stellar activity monitoring,” is also available online as part of the Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 11490... (MORE)
This is what “war in space” probably would look like in the near future
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/...ar-future/
EXCERPT: . . . Published by The Aerospace Corporation, The Physics of Space War: How Orbital Dynamics Constrain Space-to-Space Engagements lays out several basic concepts that are likely to govern any space combat for the foreseeable future. [...] Unlike a war on Earth, which typically involves an effort by opposing forces to dominate a physical location, satellites in orbit do not occupy a single location. Therefore, the report authors Rebecca Reesman and James Wilson write, controlling space does not necessarily mean physically conquering sectors of space.
Rather, control over the high ground involves reducing or eliminating adversary satellite capabilities while ensuring one retains the ability to freely operate their own space capabilities for communications, navigation, observation, and all the other increasingly essential ways in which militaries rely on space. When considering how to control space, the authors lay out the ways in which space combat is counter-intuitive for policymakers and strategists.
https://news.yale.edu/2020/10/19/no-tric...-blue-moon
EXCERPT: An extra treat is coming Earth’s way for Halloween, compliments of the cosmos. On Oct. 31, there will be a nearly global blue moon for the first time since 1944, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. Weather permitting, all of the United States - major cities and small towns alike - will get to bask in its pale light. Michael Faison, a lecturer in the Department of Astronomy and director of the Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium, spoke with YaleNews about the phenomenon.
[...] How rare is it to have a blue moon on Halloween? Since October has 31 days, and the average time between full moons is 29.5 days, if there's a full moon on Halloween, it has to be a blue moon. You get the same phase of the moon on the same date in the Gregorian calendar every 19 years... (MORE - details)
What’s Happening with Betelgeuse? Astronomers Propose a Specialized Telescope to Watch the Star Every Night
https://www.universetoday.com/148289/wha...ery-night/
INTRO: Starting in late 2019, Betelgeuse began drawing a lot of attention after it mysteriously started dimming, only to brighten again a few months later. [...] Whereas some thought that the dimming was a prelude to the star becoming a Type II supernova, others suggested that dust clouds, enormous sunspots, or ejected clouds of gas were the culprit. In any case, the “Great Dimming of Betelgeuse” has motivated an international team of astronomers to propose that a “Betelgeuse Scope” be created that can't monitor the star constantly.
The paper that outlines their proposal was recently presented at the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Optical Engineering + Applications 2020, a virtual conference that took place from Aug. 24th to Sept. 4th. The paper, “Betelgeuse scope: single-mode-fibers-assisted optical interferometer design for dedicated stellar activity monitoring,” is also available online as part of the Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 11490... (MORE)
This is what “war in space” probably would look like in the near future
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/...ar-future/
EXCERPT: . . . Published by The Aerospace Corporation, The Physics of Space War: How Orbital Dynamics Constrain Space-to-Space Engagements lays out several basic concepts that are likely to govern any space combat for the foreseeable future. [...] Unlike a war on Earth, which typically involves an effort by opposing forces to dominate a physical location, satellites in orbit do not occupy a single location. Therefore, the report authors Rebecca Reesman and James Wilson write, controlling space does not necessarily mean physically conquering sectors of space.
Rather, control over the high ground involves reducing or eliminating adversary satellite capabilities while ensuring one retains the ability to freely operate their own space capabilities for communications, navigation, observation, and all the other increasingly essential ways in which militaries rely on space. When considering how to control space, the authors lay out the ways in which space combat is counter-intuitive for policymakers and strategists.
- Satellites move quickly, but predictably: Satellites in commonly used circular orbits move at speeds between 3km/s and 8km/s, depending on their altitude. By contrast, an average bullet only travels about 0.75km/s. They are here, and then gone.
- Space is big: The volume of space between low-earth orbit and geostationary orbit is about 200 trillion cubic kilometers. That is 190 times larger than the volume of Earth.
- Timing is everything: Within the confines of the atmosphere, airplanes, tanks, and ships can nominally move in any direction. Satellites do not have that freedom. Due to the gravitational pull of Earth, satellites are always moving in either a circular or elliptical path, constantly in free-fall around the Earth. Getting two satellites in the same spot is not intuitive. Therefore, it requires careful planning and perfect timing.
- Satellites maneuver slowly: While satellites move quickly, space is big, and that makes purposeful maneuvers seem relatively slow. Once a satellite is in orbit, it requires time and a large amount of delta-V to perform phasing maneuvers.