Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory

When:

Friday September 9, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Cost:

$1 Suggested Donation per Person

Tonight is Stargazing Night at Frosty Drew Observatory and forecasts are returning to their usual cloudy conditions with much variability. Certainly a staple for 2016 Stargazing Nights! We can largely expect partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies tonight with hot sticky temps. Remember the heat during the Perseid Meteor Shower? Well tonight will probably offer similar conditions. Though the First Quarter Moon will be with us from sunset until midnight and may give us excellent views of the lunar surface if clouds aren’t too thick. Sweet mercy lays in the forecasts variability, where we usually experience best case scenario. Maybe we can score a few views of the Moon in between passing clouds?

We will open the Observatory and Sky Theatre at 7:30 tonight. In the Observatory, telescopes will open on standby as we evaluate conditions on site. If weather allows, we will start off with either the First Quarter Moon or Saturn, both will be spectacular in the telescope. Once twilight starts to fade, we will direct telescopes towards binary stars and anything else visible in between passing clouds. In the Sky Theatre a showcase of celestial objects photographed at Frosty Drew Observatory will be on display. If clouds attack we will close up at 10:00 p.m. Otherwise, we will stay open until about midnight. Check in on our Twitter (@FrostyDrewOBSY) and Facebook for updates on conditions at the Observatory. This will help you make an informed decision on setting out and will get you a “Closing up” post when we decide to pack it up.

Overall, tonight’s forecast will make for a rather sticky, unpleasant night out under the stars. High temps, humidity, haze, and clouds will make for difficult viewing in the telescopes as well. Though the 52% Moon could offer up some relief, views will certainly be sub-optimal. If you are in the area, and have a free night, swing over and hope with the best. Otherwise, tonight will probably be another night to sit out. Let’s hope for some clearings in Autumn.

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Weekly Happenings
Scott MacNeill

This past Wednesday, September 7 at 1:20 p.m. EDT, near-Earth asteroid 2016 RB1 flew past Earth’s South Pole at a mere 25,000 miles distant (9.9% the distance of the Moon). The asteroid was discovered on Monday, September 5, 2016 by the Catalina Sky Survey on Mount Lemmon outside of Tucson, AZ. Estimated at 25-50 feet in diameter, 2016 RB1 flew close enough to interfere with communications and weather satellites. Though no danger was present to these satellites as they do not orbit over the southern polar region. Though the pass presented no impact danger, this is a subtle reminder that many near-Earth asteroids are identified only days before they pass, with some going unidentified, like the near-Earth asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013.

On Thursday, September 8, 2016 at 7:05 p.m. EDT, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission successfully launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. OSIRIS-REx is just starting its seven year journey to the near-Earth asteroid – Bennu, where it will collect a sample from the asteroid’s surface and return that sample to Earth for study in September 2023. The OSIRIS-REx mission is the third mission of the excellent NASA New Frontiers program, alongside the NASA New Horizons (Pluto), and Juno (Jupiter) missions. OSIRIS-REx will arrive at Bennu in August 2018. Go NASA!

Save the Date: International Observe the Moon Night returns to Frosty Drew Observatory on Saturday, October 8, 2016. The celebrations starts at 6:00 p.m. with multiple telescopes setup on the Moon, live projections of the Moon from a telescope with a camera, and presentations about the Moon. This is our night to showcase how awesome Earth’s Moon is and all the amazing things it does for us. So mark your calendar and make plans to join the world in celebrating the Moon.

-Scott