Martz-Kohl Observatory
non-profit organization devoted to the amateur astronomer
Recent Images
Facebook feed
Load more
The Hubble Telescope is back in use 👍 The James Webb telescope, its successor, is scheduled for a December 22, 2021 launch
Hubble telescope restores 3rd instrument in slow return to operations
trib.al
Only one more left to go!The full Beaver Moon passed through Earth's shadow in a partial lunar eclipse this morning, Friday, Nov. 19 in what was the longest eclipse of its kind in 580 years. The eclipse lasted over 6 hours. The Beaver Moon is a native American name for the November full moon. Tom Traub captured this image.
Great photo.
Stunning!!!
Nice!
The Hubble Space Telescope is currently in "safe mode" after instrument failures over the last several weeks. The telescope has been working since 1990 with astronaut performed repairs in 2009. NASA is considering software changes as no further "visits" to the 'scope are planned. Software changes, if they happen at all, will happen once the Hubble team looks at control unit design diagrams, data from the lost messages, and the range of potential instrument software changes that could address the problem.
arstechnica.com/science/2021/11/hubbles-science-on-hold-as-instruments-switch-into-safe-mode/Instruments on Hubble in safe mode; NASA trying to understand why
arstechnica.com
After two spontaneous shutdowns in two days, NASA has kept hardware offline.While Mercury is not as bright as Venus, you can’t miss it - if you get up early -this week.Early risers get to see the Crescent Moon above Mercury! Moonrise is around
3:25am on Monday, 4:40 on Tuesday, and 5:55 on Wednesday. Mercury rises around 6:15.Did you know that NASA has a Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO)? Planetary defense is the term used to encompass all the capabilities needed to detect the possibility and warn of potential asteroid or comet impacts with Earth, and then either prevent them or mitigate their possible effects. Planetary defense involves finding, tracking and categorizing near-Earth objects that pose a hazard of impacting Earth. Part of the office's mission is the planning and implementation of measures to deflect or disrupt an object on an impact course with Earth, or to mitigate the effects of an impact that cannot be prevented.
NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft launch window begins November 24, 2021. The spacecraft is designed to impact an asteroid as a test of technology. DART’s target asteroid is NOT a threat to Earth. This asteroid system is a perfect testing ground to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course, should an Earth-threatening asteroid be discovered in the future. While no known asteroid larger than 140 meters in size has a significant chance to hit Earth for the next 100 years, only about 40 percent of those asteroids have been found as of October 2021.
More info on NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office: www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/overview and info on DART (spacecraft image, below): www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart 👍🔭✨You may have noticed that the names of Uranus’ moons are familiar. That's because they are named for fairies and sylphs from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. 📚
Here's your guide to Uranus: www.planetary.org/worlds/uranus