I am starting this article with a small disclaimer.  The Falcon Heavy Rocket was scheduled to launch after this article was due into the U Times.  Hopefully, the launch went well.

    Many of us have seen the movie “The Martian.”  For those of you who have not, it was about astronauts landing on Mars, leaving and then needing to return to rescue a teammate who was left for dead.  Matt Damon, who plays Mark Watney, was left behind and had to hack his way to survive on Mars.  It was a great movie, but until recently, the ability to get to Mars was only science fiction.

    On Feb. 6, 2018, the Falcon Heavy rocket, designed and built by SpaceX, was launched between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  This was the first full test launch with a payload for the Falcon Heavy rocket.  If the test is successful, the Falcon Heavy will be the largest rocket ever to be successfully launched.  This rocket is large enough to deliver payloads of nearly 130,000 pounds to low earth orbit and payloads of about 40,000 pounds to Mars.  

    Elon Musk, the owner of the Tesla Car Company, owns SpaceX.   In 2007, Elon Musk stated that SpaceX would be developing a rocket to colonize Mars.  Falcon Heavy is the first step in doing this.  The next stage is a rocket call the BFR that will nearly double the payload capacity of the Falcon Heavy.

    So, what is the payload for this mission?  Elon Musk is sending up his own cherry-red Tesla convertible roadster.  Driving the car will be a spacesuit-clad mannequin strapped to the driver’s seat.  The David Bowie classic “Space Oddity” will be looping on the radio.  There will be three camera attached to the car, which should give us an amazing view of the mannequin’s long drive.

    Once released from the top of the rocket, the car will enter an orbit around the sun that will take it out past the orbit of Mars.  If all goes well, the car will stay in its orbit for several hundreds of millions of years.

    For more information, please go to http://www.spacex.com/falcon-heavy or https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/science/falcon-heavy-spacex-launch.html.

 

THE NIGHT SKY

 

    To get more information on astronomy in northern Maine, check out the Aroostook County Astronomy Club’s web page at http://aroostookastronomy.strikingly.com/ or join our Facebook page at the “Aroostook County Astronomy Club” page.

 

The International Space Station is visible as follows:

Evening –Through Feb. 14.

Mornings–Feb. 25 through March 20.

 

    For the times of other events, go to www.calsky.com.  You will need to register at this site and load your location to be able to get exact times.  The University of Maine at Presque Isle is located at 68d00m7.8s west longitude and 46d40m45.6s north latitude.

    To get a free sky chart go to www.skymaps.com.

 

Sun and Planet Visibility

02/20/2018

06:27 Sunrise.

17:04 Sunset.

Not visible Mercury.

17:06–17:54 Venus.

02:06–05-54 Mars.

03:48–06:54 Jupiter.

03:42–05:54 Saturn.

 

03/05/2018

06:03 Sunrise.

17:23 Sunset.

17:36–18:36 Mercury.

17:24–18:30 Venus.

01:54–05:36 Mars.

23:24–05:54 Jupiter.

02:54–05:36 Saturn.

 

02/16 17:00 Moon passes 2.1 degrees from Venus.

02/17 07:30 Mercury in superior conjunction with the sun–Behind the sun.

02/19 545th Birthday of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473).

02/21 13:45 Venus 0.5 degrees from Neptune.

02/23 03:09 First Quarter Moon.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

02/23 17:42 Moon passes 2.9 degrees from Aldebaran (Alpha Taurus).

02/23 17:42 to 23:59 Moon passes through the Hyades star cluster.

02/24 00:00 to 01:18 Moon passes through the Hyades star cluster.

02/25 07:26 Mercury 0.4 degrees from Neptune.

02/27 05:45 ISS passes 0.8 degrees from Jupiter.

02/27 09:46 Moon at Perigee–closest to the Earth–222,187.3 miles from the Earth.

03/01 01:06 to 01:37 Moon eclipses Regulus (Alpha Leo).

03/01 05:39 ISS passes 0.1 degrees from Deneb (Alpha Cygnus).

03/01 19:51 Full Moon.

03/03 03:55 ISS passes 0.8 degrees from Altair (Alpha Aquila).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

03/04 00:40 Mercury 101 degrees from Venus.

03/07 04:24 Moon 3.2 degrees from Jupiter.

03/09 06:19 Last Quarter Moon.

03/09 08:19 ISS passes 1.3 degrees from Saturn.

03/10 06:00 Mercury at Perihelion–closest to the sun – 28,583,910 miles

03/10 10:00 to 13:00 Planet Head Day–Wieden Auditorium, UMPI.

03/11 04:18 Moon 3.7 degrees from Saturn.

03/11 05:16 Moon at Apogee–farthest from the Earth–247,470 miles.

03/14 Pi Day.

03/14 05:06 Mercury at half phase.

03/15 05:42 ISS passes 0.9 degrees from Altair (Alpha Aquila).

03/15 11:12 Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (18.4 degrees) visible in the evening sky.