All of this cold weather has me thinking about taking a vacation.  I really want to head to some place warm and with no snow outside the window.  A place were all my worries would be hundreds of miles away.  If you feel like this too, I know where we can go.  Let’s start making our plans to go to the Aurora Station.

     Orion Span founder and CEO Frank Bunger unveiled the Aurora Station concept on April 5 at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, Calif.  What is the Aurora Station?  It is a new hotel that is expected to be the premier destination for space tourists.  The Aurora Station will be launched into low Earth orbit in late 2021.  The reservation counter is now open for rooms beginning in 2022. 

     The Aurora Station will be about the size of a large private jet’s cabin.  It will measure 43.5 feet long by 14.1 feet wide.  You will share this space with three other guests and two crewmembers.  This is the equivalent of about 2 to 3 rooms in an average sized home.  The Aurora Station will orbit the Earth at a height of about 200 miles.  A 12-day stay at the Aurora Station will start at $9.5 million.

     What will you get for your money?

• Shuttle transportation to and from your hotel (no extra charge).

• All meals are provided (they are cooked and served in rehydrated cooking pouches).

• Forget about queen-sided beds.  You get to sleep in a bag suspended from the wall.  Your bed will be very comfortable: it floats.

• You can’t go outside–there is no air and space walks are not offered.

• The ability to speed faster than you ever thought possible, about 19,000 miles per hour.  There is no speed limit and the police don’t have a car fast enough to catch you.

• No room service–the kitchen is never more than 40 feet away.

• A great view of the Earth and sky.

     Orion Span isn’t the only company launching commercial space tourist ventures.  Other groups include Axiom Space (https://www.space.com/37079-axiom-commercial-space-station-manufacturing.html) and Bigelow Aerospace (https://www.space.com/35978-private-moon-refueling-station-by-2020.html).  Other private players, including Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, are developing vehicles to take paying customers to and from suborbital space.

     To learn more, go to www.orionspan.com or https://www.space.com/40207-space-hotel-launch-2021-aurora-station.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:

Mornings–May 2 through May 28.

Evenings–March 23 through April 12.

     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

05/01/2018

05:17 Sunrise.

19:41 Sunset.

Not visible Mercury.

19:42–22:06 Venus.

01:24–05:06 Mars.

20:12–05:00 Jupiter.

00:18–04:42 Saturn.

05/10/2018

05:04 Sunrise.

19:54 Sunset.

Not visible Mercury.

19:54–22:24 Venus .

01:00–04:48 Mars.

20:06–04:48 Jupiter.

23:42–04:30 Saturn.

04/20 02:00 Mars’ apparent diameter grows to 10 arcseconds.

04/20 10:33 Moon at perigee–closest to the Earth.

04/22 Earth Day.

04/22 04:00 April Lyrid Meteor Shower (6.6 meteors per hour).

04/22 15:02 ISS crosses the face of the sun.  DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.  You will need a solar filter and binoculars or a small telescope to see this event.

04/22 16:00 April Lyrid Meteor Shower Peak.

04/22 17:45 First Quarter Moon.

04/23 04:00 April Lyrid Meteor Shower (6.6 meteors per hour).

04/23 06:36 Mercury at aphelion–farthest from the sun.

04/28 06:38 ISS crosses the face of the sun.  DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.  You will need a solar filter and binoculars or a small telescope to see this event.

04/29 14:24 Mercury at greatest western elongation (27 degrees) visible in the morning sky.

04/29 20:58 Full Moon.

04/30 20:54 Moon 4.9 degrees from Jupiter.

05/03 12:54 Mercury at half phase.

05/05 00:42 Moon 48 degrees from Saturn.

05/05 03:41 ISS passes 0.28 degrees from Saturn.

05/05 20:31 Moon at apogee–farthest from the Earth.

05/06 02:24 Moon 1.7 degrees from Mars.

05/07 22:08 Last Quarter Moon.

05/08 20:39 Jupiter in opposition–directly behind the Earth.

05/13 08:36 Mercury 2.2 degrees from Uranus.

05/15 07:47 New Moon.

05/17 16:57 Moon at perigee–closest to the Earth.