Tom

Here it comes! (2023 DZ2)

 Asteroid, Minor Planet, Solar System  No Responses »
Mar 232023
 

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is headed towards a close approach to Earth on the afternoon of the 25th of March 2023 at 1451 CDT (1951 UTC). It will pass by at an estimated distance of 108,000 miles or just under half a lunar distance. It is estimated to be about 70 meters in diameter. A light curve shows a 6-minute rotation and about a half a magnitude range in brightness leading to the conclusion that the asteroid is not spherical.

 

This is an animation of 2023 DZ2 as it approaches the Earth. Taken on the morning of the 23rd of March, it is a set of twenty 300 second exposures.

2023 DZ2’s orbit.
(Graphic courtesy of the JPL Small-Body Database Browser)

2023 DZ2 is classified as an Apollo class asteroid. These asteroids orbits have an semi-major axis greater than that of the Earth but their perihelion is less than the Earth’s aphelion. Simply stated, these asteroid’s orbits take them closer to the Sun than the Earth and further from the Sun than the Earth. This means the asteroid’s orbit crosses the Earth’s orbit.

 Posted by at 12:36

X-class flare SID detected (11 Feb 2023)

 General Commentary, Radio Astronomy, Solar System, Sun  No Responses »
Feb 112023
 

It looks like I got the SID detector remounted just in time. The Sun is coming out of a long, low solar minimum. It is now starting to show an increasing level of activity as evidenced by the number of sunspots starting to show up in the Sun’s photosphere.

I originally installed the observatory’s SID detector at the end of 2018 just as solar cycle 24 was winding down. Even at cycle 24’s maximum, the sunspot count was noticeably low with an even lower count of flares. There was some activity but none that effected the ionosphere enough that my equipment noticed any changes. Then at the end of 2020 I had to take the detector offline due to renovations in the observatory office.

With the solar activity finally starting to increase, I made the effort to finish the reinstallation of the SID equipment. This involved moving the antenna outside and dealing with the complications of routing the cables into the office. I finished that effort on the 17th of January. Even with the number of sunspots and associated flares climbing I still didn’t see any response from my equipment. That changed this past week. There was an M class flare on the 8th that just bumped up the signal I was monitoring. Today however, was the first X class flare that I noticed since I originally installed the equipment.

The upper half of the chart shows data reported by the GOES 16 spacecraft as a white line. The same chart shows the signal received by the PTO from the Navy’s NAA VLF transmitter as a blue line. As you can see, even though this was a minimal X class flare (1.1), the impact on the strength of the transmission received immediately increased. A subsequent M class flare resulted in a proportionally smaller increase.

The sunspot count anticipated for cycle 25 is already ahead of prediction. Cycle 25 may be one to pay close attention to. The SID detector data is available using the Observatory->Solar Conditions menu.

 Posted by at 23:14

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Where is it?

 Comet, Solar System  No Responses »
Jan 302023
 

This is a map of the sky at 2000 CST. It shows the location of the comet at that time and the path shows the location for future dates at 2000 CST. As you can see, the North Celestial Pole is at the bottom as if you were looking North. Right now, with the light pollution in the area, the can be seen using binoculars. You will not be able to see any of the tail. It will appear as a slight smudge of light.

 Posted by at 11:26

Dragon over the Florida panhandle (11 Jan 2023)

 Meteor, Solar System  No Responses »
Jan 122023
 

This is what I get for not checking the meteor camera every morning. According to the American Meteor Association web page there were 39 reports of a Wednesday morning fireball at the same time my camera recorded this object. We can safely assume this is the same event (#185-2023).

My camera recorded this starting at 0411. I haven’t heard any report on the suspected identity of the object but, my guess would be space junk, but that is just a guess.

UPDATE: I was just advised that this was the recent SpaceX Dragon capsule (mission CRS-26) returning from the ISS on its way to a splashdown off the coast of Tampa. The timing lines up so I am willing to accept the ID.

 Posted by at 17:12

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) (08 Jan 2023)

 Comet, Solar System  No Responses »
Jan 082023
 

Due to prompting from some of my west coast friends, I stayed up way too long and got these images of the “green comet” just before encroaching clouds and pending dawn stopped the session. Additional interference was light from a 16-day old Moon. But this stack shows the comet is developing a nice tail.

C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
[CV:2x60s]

The comet is a long period comet. JPL says the orbital period is not defined; other sources just say the orbit is greater than 50,000 yrs. It spends most of that orbit below the ecliptic, but right now is above it and just outside Earth’s orbit. It will cross below the ecliptic around the 12th of February roughly halfway between the Earth and Mars. It will be closest to the Earth on the 1st of February.

C/2022 E3’s orbit.
(Graphic courtesy of the JPL Small-Body Database Browser)

So, this is just a preview. In a couple of weeks, the comet will be above the tree line at a more convenient time (0300), the Moon will not be up, and I will be able to take the necessary exposures to put together a color photo.

 Posted by at 12:51
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