Comments on: New moon http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Thu, 23 May 2013 13:54:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: planettom http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1679944 planettom Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1679944  Yeah, being sunside on Mercury (700 K)  or that comet I'm sure is pretty balmy. Though it hardly holds a candle to this Comet ISON in November that will come within 1.1 million kilometers of the Sun, which wikipedia informs me will be 2900+ K, hot enough to melt iron. I tried to simulate it in my Starry Night program:   Peril-sensitive sunglasses recommended: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/CometISON-11282013-1817UT_zps9c0f1d48.jpg And even that is chilly compared to that Comet Lovejoy in November 2011 that came within 140,000 kilometers of the Sun and somehow made it out relatively intact, despite being at closest exposure for an hour and reaching 1 million kelvin http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/CometLovejoy-12162011_zps551695c0.jpg Even though this is just yellow pixels on a screen in a simulation, I have a hard time looking at it without fearing I'll be flash-fried. That comet that's probably going to almost but not quite hit Mars October 19 2014, C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) reaches perihelion at 1.396 AU, not even inside perihelion of Mars. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/marscomet3-10202014-2040UT_zpsfc3a3daf.jpg C'mon, comet, you're not even trying!  Yeah, being sunside on Mercury (700 K)  or that comet I’m sure is pretty balmy.

Though it hardly holds a candle to this Comet ISON in November that will come within 1.1 million kilometers of the Sun, which wikipedia informs me will be 2900+ K, hot enough to melt iron.
I tried to simulate it in my Starry Night program:   Peril-sensitive sunglasses recommended:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/CometISON-11282013-1817UT_zps9c0f1d48.jpg

And even that is chilly compared to that Comet Lovejoy in November 2011 that came within 140,000 kilometers of the Sun and somehow made it out relatively intact, despite being at closest exposure for an hour and reaching 1 million kelvin
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/CometLovejoy-12162011_zps551695c0.jpg
Even though this is just yellow pixels on a screen in a simulation, I have a hard time looking at it without fearing I’ll be flash-fried.

That comet that’s probably going to almost but not quite hit Mars October 19 2014, C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) reaches perihelion at 1.396 AU, not even inside perihelion of Mars.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/marscomet3-10202014-2040UT_zpsfc3a3daf.jpg
C’mon, comet, you’re not even trying!

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1679867 niktemadur Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1679867 Holy frijoles, one learns something new every day.  Or in this case, <b>unlearns</b>. From Wikipedia, <i>...three rotations about its axis for every two orbits</i>.  Check, ya got me. The original brunt of what I tried to say, and failed miserably at it, was that Panstarrs was probably impossible to view from the sun-facing side of Mercury, and what a sun that would be!  But then again, with virtually no atmosphere to disperse light, Panstarrs might after all be visible from there.  Maybe, I don't know. I did however, get Mercury's night side temperature roughly correct, it's closer to -280º. One out of three ain't... no wait, that's not good at all. Unless it's baseball, then I'd be a millionaire. Holy frijoles, one learns something new every day.  Or in this case, unlearns.
From Wikipedia, …three rotations about its axis for every two orbits.  Check, ya got me.

The original brunt of what I tried to say, and failed miserably at it, was that Panstarrs was probably impossible to view from the sun-facing side of Mercury, and what a sun that would be!  But then again, with virtually no atmosphere to disperse light, Panstarrs might after all be visible from there.  Maybe, I don’t know.

I did however, get Mercury’s night side temperature roughly correct, it’s closer to -280º.
One out of three ain’t… no wait, that’s not good at all. Unless it’s baseball, then I’d be a millionaire.

]]> By: planettom http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1679854 planettom Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1679854 I hate to nitpick, but everything you wrote here is wrong. The image above is a (roughly) accurate depiction of what the comet would have looked like from Mercury on March 14th. Numbers from the Minor Planet Center, plugged into the Starry Night astronomy program. The comet reached perihelion on March 10th.  At that point it was .302 AU from the Sun. Mercury was .4 AU, so the comet was closer to the Sun than Mercury ever gets (.307 AU) Today, March 15th, Mercury is .425 AU from the Sun.   The comet is .344 AU from the Sun, so it's still closer to the Sun than Mercury.  Heading back out into the black, for another hundred thousand years or so. Here's what the Sun would have looked like from the comet on March 10th perihelion: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/cometpanstarrs-perihelion03102013_zps4939dc46.jpg Finally, Mercury is not tidally locked.  This was proven by radar observations in 1965. I hate to nitpick, but everything you wrote here is wrong.
The image above is a (roughly) accurate depiction of what the comet would have looked like from Mercury on March 14th.
Numbers from the Minor Planet Center, plugged into the Starry Night astronomy program.
The comet reached perihelion on March 10th.  At that point it was .302 AU from the Sun.
Mercury was .4 AU, so the comet was closer to the Sun than Mercury ever gets (.307 AU)
Today, March 15th, Mercury is .425 AU from the Sun.   The comet is .344 AU from the Sun, so it’s still closer to the Sun than Mercury.  Heading back out into the black, for another hundred thousand years or so.
Here’s what the Sun would have looked like from the comet on March 10th perihelion:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/cometpanstarrs-perihelion03102013_zps4939dc46.jpg
Finally, Mercury is not tidally locked.  This was proven by radar observations in 1965.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1679608 niktemadur Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1679608 Not quite.  If you were watching the comet, you'd be on the dark side, frozen solid at under -300ºF. And since Mercury is "tidally locked", there you'd remain, on the night side forever. Not quite.  If you were watching the comet, you’d be on the dark side, frozen solid at under -300ºF.
And since Mercury is “tidally locked”, there you’d remain, on the night side forever.

]]> By: planettom http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678993 planettom Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678993 The comet is a lot easier to see from the surface of Mercury.  Argh! I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/mercury-cometpanstarrs03142013_zps03cd3a47.jpg The comet is a lot easier to see from the surface of Mercury.  Argh!
I’m melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/planettom/lj3013/mercury-cometpanstarrs03142013_zps03cd3a47.jpg

]]> By: glatt1 http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678974 glatt1 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:08:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678974 Awesome picture!  Good job, Rob Pfile! Awesome picture!  Good job, Rob Pfile!

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678876 Antinous / Moderator Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:33:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678876 The last tram down is at 21:45, but the light stays on all night. The last tram down is at 21:45, but the light stays on all night.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678872 niktemadur Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678872 Really?  I thought the tram only operated until sunset or so.  Then again, last time I was in the area was late 97. That tram.  It's incredible going from pool weather to snowy forest in 15 minutes. However, take away the mountain, and the Riverside/San Bernardino/LA glare would surely impede any quality star gazing. Really?  I thought the tram only operated until sunset or so.  Then again, last time I was in the area was late 97.
That tram.  It’s incredible going from pool weather to snowy forest in 15 minutes.

However, take away the mountain, and the Riverside/San Bernardino/LA glare would surely impede any quality star gazing.

]]> By: chellberty http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678843 chellberty Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678843 For me, it's solar or nothing For me, it’s solar or nothing

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678838 Antinous / Moderator Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678838 It's a beautiful view, but it precludes viewing astronomical phenomena that take place at sunset. Also not helped by the ten trillion watt light on the Tram House. It’s a beautiful view, but it precludes viewing astronomical phenomena that take place at sunset. Also not helped by the ten trillion watt light on the Tram House.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678832 niktemadur Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678832 At sunset on Tuesday, four of us were scanning the horizon for the moon, it took me AGES to find it, a very thin and dim sliver.  Then I pointed it out to my friends, yet they still couldn't see it, it took them a while. Then we got to work and party at the same time:  I've got an 8" Dobsonian (reflector) beauty, my friend has a smaller refractor but with very high quality optics.  We saw Panstarrs easily with the scopes, but not at all with the naked eye. After the comet, there was still Jupiter and the Orion Nebula to gawk at close to the zenith, then the fog kicked into high gear. All in all, it was a wonderful little amateur astronomy session. At sunset on Tuesday, four of us were scanning the horizon for the moon, it took me AGES to find it, a very thin and dim sliver.  Then I pointed it out to my friends, yet they still couldn’t see it, it took them a while.
Then we got to work and party at the same time:  I’ve got an 8″ Dobsonian (reflector) beauty, my friend has a smaller refractor but with very high quality optics.  We saw Panstarrs easily with the scopes, but not at all with the naked eye.
After the comet, there was still Jupiter and the Orion Nebula to gawk at close to the zenith, then the fog kicked into high gear.
All in all, it was a wonderful little amateur astronomy session.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678824 niktemadur Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:15:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678824 San Jacinto is usually one of the good guys, but in this case you'll make an exception? San Jacinto is usually one of the good guys, but in this case you’ll make an exception?

]]> By: Randy Walters http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678737 Randy Walters Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678737 I stood out in the cold for a couple hours... I thought the comet was going to be between the moon and the horizon, and that it would be larger than the moon’s disc. I never saw it, and went home disappointed; damn. I stood out in the cold for a couple hours… I thought the comet was going to be between the moon and the horizon, and that it would be larger than the moon’s disc. I never saw it, and went home disappointed; damn.

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678726 Antinous / Moderator Thu, 14 Mar 2013 02:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678726 Damn you, 11,000-foot peak standing one mile to my west. Damn you, 11,000-foot peak standing one mile to my west.

]]> By: relawson http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678692 relawson Thu, 14 Mar 2013 02:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678692 I hate living near the city. I miss things like this all the time :( I got the transit of Venus, though! Daylight cosmic event w00t! :D I hate living near the city. I miss things like this all the time :(

I got the transit of Venus, though! Daylight cosmic event w00t! :D

]]> By: Just_Ok http://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/new-moon.html#comment-1678671 Just_Ok Thu, 14 Mar 2013 01:46:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=218636#comment-1678671 It may be a new moon, but it's still really old. It may be a new moon, but it’s still really old.

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