Space Probe to Crash Into Moon (et cetera…)

We have several orders of astronomical business today…

First, two celestial events to mark in your calendar for the next couple of weeks…

On the morning of October 9, at 4:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (11:30 Universal Time), the upper stage of a Centaur rocket will purposefully crash into the crater Cabeus near the south pole of the moon.  Four minutes later, a second probe will fly through the dredged-up lunar debris and analyze the material for signs of water.  This event is part of NASA’s LCROSS mission (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) to look for water on the surface of the moon.  Such water might supply future manned lunar expeditions with drinking water, and allow the fabrication of rocket fuel for missions further into the solar system.

There’s a chance… a small chance… that amateur astronomers might see the effects of this impact.  A 10″ to 12″ telescope will be required, as well as a sharp eye, since the event will last just a fraction of a second.  Observers in eastern North America and Europe are out of luck… the moon will be washed out by daylight at the time of impact.  Observers in western North America and the Pacific will get the best chance at seeing this (ahem) “striking” event.

For more detail about the mission and what to expect, visit the NASA website here.

You can also watch the event live here, starting at 3:30 a.m. PDT.

To convert Universal Time to your local time, check out this website.

Artist’s drawing of the upper stage of a Centaur rocket (right) on its way to impact the moon, followed by a the LCROSS space probe.

And for you early risers, Saturn puts on a good show in the pre-dawn sky this month.  On October 8, the ringed planet is just 1/3 degree from tiny Mercury before sunrise.  And five days later, on October 13, it’s just 1/2 degree from brilliant Venus, the brightest star-like object in the morning sky.  In both cases, you can fit the planet pairs into the same low-power field of view of a telescope.  The view might not be optimal, however, as the planets are low in the murky air of the morning horizon.

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If you’ve enjoyed our new astronomy guidebooks Stargazing for Beginners and Secrets of the Deep Sky, subscriber Bill B. wrote to suggest our e-books (which are in PDF form) can be viewed with Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader.  To convert our e-books (and, indeed, any PDF file) to Kindle-friendly formats, go to this Amazon link to get started.

It costs a couple of dollars, but Bill claims our e-books read quite nicely on the Kindle.  If you have the device, give it a try.  There’s a Kindle reader for the iPhone and iPod touch, as well.  Though the Kindle and Kindle reader are not available in all countries just yet.

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Next week, we begin a short series on the largest planet in our solar system, which is primed for viewing in Capricorn this month.  And over the rest of October, we’ll show you how to see more remarkable sights on the sun, as well how and when to see the best meteor shower of the season.

But that’s it for today.  Live well this weekend.