Skynotes: October 2019
This month marks 415 years since the observation in 1604 of the first naked-eye supernova ever recorded. It still remains the most recent seen by the naked eye in our galaxy.
Johannes Kepler was quick to observe this new star and publish an account in his De Stella nova in pede Serpentarii (‘On the new star in the foot of Ophiucus’). It was visible in daylight for almost a month, and at night for 18 months, with historical sources recording sightings in Europe, China, Korea and in Arabic lands.
Modern astronomy recognises this as a Type 1A supernova resulting from the interaction of two stars; a white dwarf and a companion red-giant. What is seen through telescopes is a slowly expanding shell of stellar material given out by the powerful explosion. The evidence, especially in x-ray and infrared bands of the spectrum, is still being studied closely. The exact mechanism and precise sequence of events leading to the event and its observable aftermath is not yet fully understood.
Read more at www.nasa.gov.
Month highlights
Mercury, Venus and a crescent moon will be in the west on the 29th, and a great combination for much of the month will be Scorpius, Sagittarius (with Teapot), Antares, Jupiter and Saturn in the west and north-west in the evening, with the Milky Way bisecting the sky from north to south.
Planetarium events
Spring School Holidays | until Sunday 6 October
Our program has four different shows each day:
12pm – Tycho to the Moon
1pm – Solar System Odyssey
2pm – Moonbase ONE
3pm – Ticket to the Universe
Planetarium Nights | Friday 4, 11, 18, & 25 October
Evenings for adults
7.30pm – The Hot and Energetic Universe + What's in the Sky Tonight
9.00pm – Elemental
Journey to Pluto | Monday 4 November
Nearly 15 years ago a small spacecraft lifted off from Earth, bound for one of the most distant objects in the solar system. When it reached its destination, we were treated to exquisite photographs of our distant neighbour Pluto and its moon, Charon. Join us at Scienceworks for a very rare opportunity to hear from NASA New Horizons Missions Operations Manager Alice Bowman in conversation with Emmy award-winning journalist and author Sara James.
Party Beyond | Saturday 16 November
For one night only Scienceworks and the Planetarium becomes the coolest night club in the west with musicians and DJs performing in all our galleries. For this epic after-hours party, space enthusiast and musician BATTS will present a gorgeous experience under the dome with her album inspired by the Voyager mission. Planetarium tickets are included with event entry, but make sure you book as seats are limited!
Melbourne sun times
| Date | Rise / Solar noon§ / Set (day length) |
|---|---|
| Tue 1st | 5:56am / 12:10pm / 6:23pm (12:27 hrs) |
| Fri 11th | 6:41am* / 1:07pm* / 7:33pm* (12:51 hrs) |
| Mon 21st | 6:27am / 1:04pm / 7:42pm (13:14 hrs) |
| Thu 31st | 6:15am / 1:03pm / 7:53pm (13:37 hrs) |
*Australian Eastern Summer Time (AEST) or Daylight Savings begins at 2am on Sunday 6th
§ When the Sun is at its highest crossing the meridian or local longitude.
Moon phases
| Phase | Date |
|---|---|
| First Quarter | Sunday 6th |
| Full Moon | Monday 14th |
| Last Quarter | Monday 21st |
| New Moon | Monday 28th |
The Moon will be at apogee (furthest from Earth) on Fri 11th at 405,899 km and perigee (closest to Earth) on Mon 28th at a distance of 361,311 km.
Planets
Mercury will be visible in the west at evening from mid-month joining Venus.
Venus will rise higher each evening in the west becoming brighter during the month.
Mars will extremely difficult if not impossible to see this month in the east lost in the dawn sky.
Jupiter is high in the west at evening to the right of red star Antares in Scorpius. In the Boorong tradition of north-western Victoria, Jupiter and Venus are Ginabongbearp and Chargee Gnowee, husband and wife, two of the most important law givers. As third brightest and second brightest objects at night after the moon, they continue shining together in spring.
Saturn shines in the north-west close to the Teapot’s handle in Sagittarius.
Meteors
The Orionids are visible from the 15th-29th peaking on the 21st with estimates of around 30 meteors per hour. The best time will be from around midnight until early dawn. The shower is centred on Orion near the red supergiant star Betelgeuse with meteors typically fast, bright and many leaving persistent trains. This shower was first recorded by the Chinese in 288 AD and is associated with Comet Halley.
Linked to Comet Encke, the Taurids are a long duration shower in spring peaking in the first week of November. There are two branches: one near the star cluster Pleiades and the other close to the red star Aldebaran in Taurus, each giving 10 meteors per hour that can be bright and slow with colourful fireballs.
Stars and constellations
Scorpius is clear in the west at sunset with claws to the horizon and curved tail high above against the dense star fields of the galaxy.
Low in the north the Andromeda Galaxy M31 can start to be seen clear of the horizon.
In the north-west three bright stars, Vega (Lyra) and Deneb (Cygnus, the swan) low to the horizon and Altair (Aquila, the eagle) is above. To the First Peoples of Port Phillip Bay, the Boonwurrong, Altair is the wedge-tailed eagle Bunjil the creator spirit.
In the south-east Achernar shines at the head of the river Eridanus, and the Large and Small Clouds of Magellan are seen well in dark skies. Lower and further south is Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky. The Southern Cross is now seen in the south-west with the Two Pointers almost vertical above it.
International Space Station
ISS orbits every 90 minutes at an average distance of 400 km appearing like a bright star moving slowly across the night sky. Here are some of the brightest passes expected this month over Melbourne and Central Victoria:
Tue 15th 5:26am-5:33am SouthWest to NorthEast
Thu 17th 5:26am-5:32am SouthWest to NorthEast
Fri 18th 9:18pm-9:22pm NorthWest to East
Sat 19th 8:30pm-8:36pm NorthWest to SouthEast
For predictions go to www.heavens-above.com
On this day
3rd 1942, first object to reach space, the experimental V2 (‘Vengeance’) rocket, was launched from Peenemünde, Germany in a brief flight over the Baltic.
4th 1957, Sputnik (USSR) was launched to become the first artificial satellite.
4th 2004, SpaceShipOne was launched as the first private spacecraft into space.
5th 1923, Edwin Hubble (USA) established that M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, is separate to our own Milky Way Galaxy.
7th 1959, first photos of the moon’s far side are taken by Luna 3 (USSR).
9th 1604, a Type1A supernova 20,000 light years away in constellation Ophiucus is visible from Earth, and on 17th Johannes Kepler observes and publishes his account of the new star. It is the most recent supernova visible to the naked eye in our galaxy.
10th 1967, the United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty on the peaceful exploration and use of space was established. By now 109 nations are signatories and several other agreements and conventions have been created to cover space law.
11th 1958, Pioneer 1 (USA), a battery- powered probe aiming for lunar orbit, fails to reach escape velocity and burns up.
11th 1968, first crewed Apollo mission, Apollo 7 (USA), launched into Earth orbit in test of Saturn V rocket and Command and Service Module (CSM).
12th 1964, USSR’s Voskhod 1 (‘Sunrise’) was the first spacecraft with a crew of more than one. In this case, three cosmonauts who orbited for 41 hours.
13th 1773, the Whirlpool Galaxy M51a, 31 million light years away in constellation of Canes Venatica, is discovered by astronomer Charles Messier.
18th 1967, Venera 4 (USSR) is the first probe to analyse the atmosphere of another planet when it does so at Venus.
19th 1910, birth of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who had major insights into stellar evolution and black holes.
24th 1998, Deep Space 1 (USA) probe was launched to test innovative technologies, including an ion engine, while visiting Asteroid Braille and Comet Borrelly.
27th 1994, first sub-stellar object orbiting a star is found, a brown dwarf at Gliese 229.
29th 1991, Galileo probe (USA) is the first to visit an asteroid, Gaspra 951, on its way to Jupiter.
31st 2000, Expedition 1, first resident crew of the International Space Station, arrived by a Russian Soyuz craft for a 136 day stay lasting until March 2001. The three-person crew (one American and two Russians) made the station fully operational, hosted three visiting US Space Shuttles, and received two Russian Progress supply vehicles.