Public Stargazing

Public Stargazing

Where:
Frosty Drew Observatory
When:
Friday February 13, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.
Cost:
$1 Suggested Donation per Person

Tonight's forecast is calling for clear skies, wind, and redonkulously cold temps. The 25% waning crescent Moon will not rise until 2:49 a.m. offering us super dark skies to revel in as we freeze. Conditions on the Frosty Drew campus are full swing winter! Ice, snow, huge drifts, and limited parking and access are all in effect. Overall it should be a great night of stargazing only if you have come to terms that winter rocks New England.

We plan to open the Observatory and Sky Theatre at 6:30 p.m. In the Observatory, in true Valentines Day fashion, we will feature binary stars, star systems made up of two (or more) stars bound together by each others gravity. We will also showcase Venus early in the evening and Jupiter will be on display periodically throughout the night. In the Sky Theatre, temps will be warm and toasty with videos, slide shows, and possibly live views on display for those who need a break from the insanely cold temps.

Tonight's skies look to be exceptional, though wind gusts upwards of 20mph could make for rough observing conditions. Additionally, the bitter cold wind chills and extreme winter conditions on site may not make welcome for the unhardened winter astro-geek. If you can brave the cold, the starscape will be fabulous! If planning a visit, follow us on Twitter (@FrostyDrewOBSY) or Facebook for updates from the observatory and read about dressing for extreme winter conditions. Though a fun night is in store, the cold is the real deal and properly respecting the dangers it brings is detrimental to your safety! Hats, gloves, boots, wind resistant parka, and hoods are required tonight. Gear up and get out there for a frigid Friday the 13th out under the stunning starscape at Frosty Drew!

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Weekly Happenings
Scott MacNeill

Remember that super awesome spacecraft that spent ten years venturing across the Solar System destined to orbit and land on a comet? Well, it did it and the resulting discoveries and up-close visualizations of a comet's evolution as it orbits a star have been mind blowing! As amazing as this mission has been, the best may still be yet to come.

The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta mission launched in 2004 en route to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). Ten years later the mission arrived at and acquired orbit around the comet, flawlessly, in mid 2014. November 2014 brought the most ambitious moment of the mission, the deployment of the Philae lander and its attempt to land on the surface of the comet. The landing did not take place as planned, though it was successfully completed. Unfortunately, little Philae landed in a dark place with not enough sunlight to keep it alive. After receiving all science data gathered during Philae's First Science Sequence, the Rosetta orbiter lost contact with Philae overnight on November 15, 2015. Though it was quite an emotional moment, the Philae lander preemptively set itself up for optimal collection of needed sunlight when Comet 67P's orbital position around the Sun changes later in the mission.

Though Philae has been lost for now, the Rosetta orbiter has been rocking its science! After completing numerous orbits around Comet 67P, Rosetta is about to begin a new phase of its mission that will bring super close passes to the comet's surface. The first of these close passes will take place on Saturday February 14th and will bring Rosetta within 6 miles of the comet's surface. Recent images of Comet 67P show a significant amount of out-gassing, resulting in jets of water vapor, dust, and debris emanating from the comet's surface, which will continue to intensify as the comet continues its journey towards perihelion (closest to the Sun) in August 2015.

After perihelion, sunlight will cast on Comet 67P from opposite angles and may allow for the Philae lander to recharge and come back to life. The new orbital pattern and resulting close approaches will allow Rosetta to search for the little lander, though it is not a priority of the mission. Keep up with the excellent discoveries and up-close images of the ESA Rosetta mission and get excited about the awesome science this little spacecraft is doing as it continues its mission throughout 2015!

-Scott