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FOAP Newsletter October 2024 |
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President's Message, CFC, Membership, Student Advisory Council, October Shows, Kid's Corner, Space News and Straight from the ISS
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October is a time of seasonal change, both in our world and in what we can see in the nighttime sky. Lots is happening with the Friends too! Read more from President Theresa Schweser.
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Are you a Federal employee or retiree? Would you like to support the work of the Friends of Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium? Then GIVE HAPPY to us through the CFC using charity code #39066. This enables you to give directly through payroll deduction or through your retiree annuity, giving a little each pay period and supporting our mission all year long.
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You can access CFC’s Online Giving System directly at this QR Code:
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Spread the Word and Inspire Others to Explore the Universe with Us
Share your enjoyment and great benefits of becoming a member of Friends of Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium with your neighbors and family. Encourage them to connect with fellow space enthusiasts while supporting Arlington’s planetarium and science education in our community.
It’s so easy to join now with our newly designed and streamlined website at www.friendsoftheplanetarium.org. Benefits include early access to tickets, discounted admission for higher level members, a digital monthly newsletter, and members-only events. Remember, membership is only $20 a year for an individual and $35 for an entire family!
Please share the excitement of membership and encourage others to join in exploring the universe and supporting our local planetarium. |
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2024-2025 Student Advisory Council
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As you join us at shows and events this year, you will find some new faces assisting in a variety of ways. We are pleased to announce that 10 high school students will be part of an expanded Student Advisory Council. The students are currently 10-12th graders from Yorktown, Washington-Liberty, Wakefield, and Arlington Tech. Many of them have found memories of touring the planetarium as younger students, and are excited to be making a contribution throughout this school year. We are looking forward to this partnership and hope you will join us in welcoming them! |
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David M Brown Public Planetarium Shows Continue in October!
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The Friends of the Arlington Planetarium (FOAP) will be hosting full dome planetarium shows about other worlds and the search for extraterrestrial life on October 19 (6:30 and 8:00pm) and 20 (1:30 and 3:00pm). Show details and an advance ticket sales notice will be released to members next week.
APS will offer planetarium shows in October as well.
Check https://www.apsva.us/planetarium/weekend-programming for details. |
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PhotoArtist’s Concept: Space travel after Cassini Mirror.co.UK |
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Do you want to be a comet hunter?
By MaryClare Whitehead What is a comet? NASA tells us that comets are large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the Sun. Best known for their long, streaming tails, these ancient objects are leftovers from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago.
What is a comet hunter? Comet hunters look for comets in the sky. If they discover a new comet, the comet is usually named for them.
You may have a chance to see a newly discovered comet this October - C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)—or just 2023 A3.
Scientists know that this comet came from the Oort Cloud, and this is probably the first time it will orbit the sun. Right now, 2023 A3 is approaching the sun, and you would have to be up very early in the morning – before sunrise – to see it.
Beginning October 9 or 10, 2023 A3 may be visible after sunset.
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It will make its closest approach to Earth, on October 12, when it will be 71 million kilometers away from us. Look in the sky to the West after sunset. It will help if you are in a dark place, can see the horizon, and have a pair of binoculars.
Why do we say that you may be able to see comet 2023 A3? Because comets are tricky. Sometimes, they fall apart when they approach the sun. Sometimes they are not as bright as expected. David Levy, who is a comet hunter in Canada, once said, “Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want.” |
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Photo: Comet c/2023 A3 (Tsuchanshan- Atlas) on 28 September 2024 |
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Discovery of 51 Pegasi b
By Jennifer Bartlett
In October 1995, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the discovery of 51 Pegasi b (Dimidium), the first exoplanet orbiting a star similar to our Sun. It looked nothing like a Solar-System planet: about 0.47 times the mass of Jupiter, about 1.5 times the size of Jupiter, orbits it star in 4 days, has a temperature of about 1,800 deg F. It was the first of a new class of planets known as “hot Jupiters.” Mayor and Queloz shared half the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery. Now, scientists have detected over 7,000 exoplanets. Their discovery has changed the way we think about planets and planetary systems. While a smaller number of these exoplanets appear to be capable of sustaining life as we know it, their existence expands the potential for the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. |
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Astrobiology vs. SETI
By Jennifer Bartlett
Astrobiology is the scientific study of the origins, evolution, and distribution of life throughout the Universe. While we only know for certain that terrestrial life exists, astrobiology posits that life may exist elsewhere. Astrobiologists strive to understand the origin and evolution of terrestrial life, which environments with our Solar System might be habitable, and whether exoplanets exhibit “biosignatures,” or tell-tale signs of present, or past, life. In 1952, Miller–Urey experiment attempted to simulate the chemical environment of the early Earth. The Europa Clipper mission scheduled for launch this month is intended to determine whether this moon orbiting Jupiter might be habitable. JWST is characterizing the atmospheres of exoplanets, which may reveal the presence of oxygen or methane produced by biological processes (non-biological processes can also produce these The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) focuses on detecting evidence that extraterrestrial life not only exists but is sufficiently technologically advanced to communicate with us.
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The Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977 carry golden records describing terrestrial life to any extraterrestrials that might encounter the probes. Recently, searching terrestrial oceans for “space trash” might reveal extraterrestrial civilizations. |
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WoW! What’s that!
By Jennifer Bartlett
If you catch something streaking across the sky this month, it is less likely to be an alien spacecraft and more likely to be a meteor. A meteor is a small bit of debris that is superheated as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere; most burn up but some reach the ground as meteorites. A meteor shower occurs when the Earth crosses a region of concentrated meteoroids, such as the path of a comet. October plays host to seven meteor showers: Camelopardalids peak October 5, Draconids peak October 8, Southern Taurids peak October 10, Delta Aurigids peak October 11, ε-Geminids peak October 18 (visible above 60 deg North) Orionids peak October 20/21, Leonis Minorids peak October 21. Unfortunately, with Arlington’s light pollution, we rarely get a spectacular show for a meteor shower. Your best opportunity is probably the Orionids, which have their origin in Halley’s Comet.
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Straight from the International Space Station |
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Photo by Suni Williams Soyuz approaching the ISS |
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Photo by Suni Williams Astronaut and Cosmonauts preparing to return to Earth |
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Photo by Astronaut on the ISS Comet streaking through space passing by Earth as seen from the ISS |
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This message has been sent to you from the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium.
Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium
P.O. Box 7029
Arlington, VA 22207 USA
Copyright (C) 2024 Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium (FOAP). All rights reserved.
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