Above: An international team of scientists have used data collected by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to detect a molecule known as the methyl cation (CH3+) for the first time, located in the protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. They accomplished this feat with a cross-disciplinary expert analysis, including key input from laboratory spectroscopists. The vital role of CH3+ in interstellar carbon chemistry has been predicted since the 1970s, but Webb’s unique capabilities have finally made observing it possible — in a region of space where planets capable of accommodating life could eventually form. Also, the slider bar option to compare Hubble (visible) and Webb (near-infrared) in the same region is a real treat. ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), the PDRs4All ERS Team
The most recent issue of Free Astronomy Magazine (November-December 2023) is available for your reading and downloading pleasure in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Arabic at www.astropublishing.com (and facebook).
Another gorgeous edition and I was delighted to get a second SSA contribution myself in for 2023 (with Michele leading the article beautification effort with his selection of images). The article "Ancient and everywhere, Webb detects organic molecules" is based on only two publications of recent Webb discoveries, in both cases articles that came out in June of this year. The June 5th article in Nature on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the galaxy SPT0418-47 only provided about five days MAX to get something into the July-August issue. The second article, also from Nature and on the detection of methyl cation, landed on the 26th, ruining any chance for inclusion in the next issue. The September-October issue might have been an option, but it was booked solid by the time the final edition of my article was ready for translation.
And the article could have gone on and on with other relevant articles discussing organic molecules detected by Webb during June and early July.
The organization background of scheduling and publishing is not without its complexities – the goal is still about 50 pages per issue, for which precious few issues have had a singular focus (I've only been an active participant for one). Add to that the need to translate each article roughly four times (my English article to French, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic), which itself is a feat of coordination by our fearless leader. With ten pages and pictures to sharpen the mind, this forces a tug-of-war of depth vs. breadth (especially if you're a scientist who really enjoys all this stuff and would rather bore someone to tears for pages and pages on the fine details).
Additionally, the cadence of the (bimonthly) magazine means that, in terms of one writer's publication proximity to the original article, quite a bit of liquid water will have been shot out of an Enceladus geyser by the time your take on the new science is available for download and reading. Personally, I take that as a challenge to find something else to say that hasn't been a focus of any of the rapid-response articles on the subject. This article featured a little bit of an expansion on our amazing ability to do vibrational spectroscopy over 12-ish billion years and a little bit more about how highly reactive chemical species combine with time and a reactivity driver (UV radiation) to enable the synthesis of increasingly large molecules – admittedly in an exobiological vein that has been a staple topic in the magazine for years now.
And we will endeavor to show Hubble, which has produced data that will remain a centerpiece in the peer review process long after Webb shuts off completely, some love in future issues.
Above: In this mosaic image stretching 340 light-years across, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust. From webbtelescope.org.
The magazine closes out the year with a curated selection of articles from NOIRLab, NASA, CSA, ESA, the Jeddah Astronomy Society, ALMA, and the IAC. Original content for the first issue of 2023 is already in the works, with specific hope that the search for life doesn't come up with anything too exciting before then to cause dramatic rewrites.
This summertime weekly summary for planetary, satellite, constellation, and other observing opportunities covers the last full week of July. We welcome the return of the moon to our sunset skies this week at the same time that we celebrate the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon on the 20th – and the safe return from the surface of the late Neil Armstrong and the still ever social-media savvy Buzz Aldrin on July 21, 1969. The third name on that list, regretfully less-often mentioned because he stayed onboard the command module Columbia while the other two rode the Eagle module to the moon's surface, is Michael Collins. Of all of the documentation of this mission, the above photo might be the most memorable – especially in our current, selfie-crazed society. In this picture, the only person not accounted for in the entirely of human history – and, in fact, very likely the only multi-cellular organism not accounted for in the 4.5 billion year history of the Earth – is Collins, patiently monitoring the return of the other two to the Columbia module.
Lectures And Observing Opportunities In Upstate/Central New York
New York has a number of astronomers, astronomy clubs, and observatories that host public sessions throughout the year. Announced sessions from several respondent NY astronomy organizations are provided below for the remainder of July so you can plan accordingly. As wind and cloud cover are always factors when observing, please check the provided contact information and/or email the groups a day-or-so before an announced session, as some groups will also schedule weather-alternate dates. Also use the contact info for directions and to check on any applicable event or parking fees.
Satellite flyovers are commonplace, with several bright passes easily visible per hour in the nighttime sky, yet a thrill to new observers of all ages. Few flyovers compare in brightness or interest to the International Space Station. The flyovers of the football field-sized craft with its massive solar panel arrays can be predicted to within several seconds and take several minutes to complete.
This is an exceptional week for those interested in ISS flyovers, with a number occurring between sunset and midnight in addition to even more between midnight and sunrise. The 25th is a stand-out date with six total flyovers – four before sunrise and two well-placed after sunset. Properly equipped members of the amateur radio community can even add audio to their visual experiences by listening to transmissions from the ISS – see ariss.org or issfanclub.com for details.
The Moon's increasing brightness as Full Moon approaches washes out fainter stars, random meteors, and other celestial objects – this is bad for most observing, but excellent for new observers, as only the brightest stars (those that mark the major constellations) and planets remain visible for your easy identification. If you've never tried it, the Moon is a wonderful binocular object. The labeled image identifies features easily found with low-power binoculars.
Lunar features prominent in low-power binoculars.
Observing Guides
Items and events listed below assume you're outside and observing most anywhere in New York state. The longer you're outside and away from indoor or bright lights, the better your dark adaption will be. If you have to use your smartphone, find a red light app or piece of red acetate, else set your brightness as low as possible.
The sky at 10 p.m. from July 21 to 28, accurate all week except for the changing Moon position.
Evening Skies: The two most prominent shapes in the sky, the Big Dipper and the Summer Triangle, are joined by a third shape you will hopefully come to recognize just as easily. The body of Sagittarius, close to the southern horizon from our view in New York all summer and into fall, can have its dots connected to look just like a teapot sitting flat above the tree line. Once you find Saturn and Antares, simply look around low and to the east for this prominent shape – the handle to the far east may be the first component to jump out at you.
The Big Dipper is a bright and easy guide for finding Polaris, the north star. From its handle, you can "arc" down to Arcturus. Jupiter, which stands out soon after sunset, is close to the bright star Spica in Virgo and to the southwest of bright Arcturus in Bootes. Saturn is also visible as dusk approaches, rising soon after the bright orange star Antares in Scorpius.
The sky at 4 a.m. from July 21 to 28, accurate all week except for the changing Moon position.
Morning Skies: Venus is unmistakable in the early morning sky, second only to the Moon in brightness before sunrise. Venus has passed through the head of Taurus the Bull these past few weeks and will pass by the horn star Zeta Tauri on July 27.
Planetary Viewing
Mercury and the Moon on the 24th and 25th of this month.
Mercury: While technically visible after sunset this week, Mercury is very low on the horizon and awash in scattered sunlight. Observers with binoculars might consider scanning the western horizon before 9:15 p.m. to find it, but DO NOT risk doing so until after the sun has set, as even a moment of magnified sunlight will permanently damage your vision. You can use the Moon as an observing aid on the 24th and 25th of this month to look for both Mercury and the bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion. For the patient, Mercury becomes a good early morning target in August.
Venus: Venus remains unmistakable in the early morning and even into sunrise, rising around 3:30 a.m. all week. With good, steady binoculars, you should be able to see Venus as either half-lit of as a wide crescent – and you can follow the changing phase of Venus as it and the Earth make our way around the Sun.
Mars: Mars will not return to our pre-midnight skies until this time next year, but will become a morning target this mid-August. Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope and some image processing, we were all treated to a sequence of stills showing the Martian moon Phobos in its orbit, taken on May 12th of last year and freshly released to the public on July 20th of this year. Keen observers will note not only the brightness of this tiny moon, but the amazing surface details that Hubble can achieve from Earth's orbit.
Mars and a fly-by of its tiny moon Phobos. From NASA/ESA/STScI.
Jupiter: If you look south soon after sunset, Jupiter will be the brightest object you'll see this summer (or second-brightest if the Moon is out). Low power binoculars are excellent for spying the four bright Galilean moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – and several online guides will even map their orbits for you. Jupiter is to the west of the bright star Spica in Virgo, roughly a full fist-width if you measure with your arm fully-extended. Finding both will be easy on July 28, when the crescent moon rides just above Jupiter in the western sky.
Jupiter and the Moon on July 28th in Virgo.
Saturn: Still on the western edge of the brightest part of the Milky Way, Saturn is going to spend the next 18 months making its way to the eastern edge, all the while giving us an excellent observing target from late Spring to mid-Autumn. Saturn does have one interesting close approach on the evening of the 21st – there is one fly-by of the ISS just to the southeast of Saturn between 10:05 and 10:10 p.m. This flyover will be either very faint or completely invisible due to the orientation of the ISS solar array – and because Earth will be blocking nearly all of the sunlight these panels would otherwise reflect.
As a refresher from the June 30th to July 7th article, those looking in the direction of Saturn with binoculars are treated to a host of Messier ("M") Objects – all residing between ourselves and the center of the Milky Way galaxy above the spout of the Sagittarius teapot. A good star chart and some guide stars will help you determine just which object you're looking at.
Saturn, Antares, and the great assortment of Messier Objects towards the Milky Way center.
