September 30, 2019 - Test Drive a Telescope This Week
Test Drive a Telescope This Week On Saturday, thousands of stargazers will “bring astronomy to the people” during numerous semi-annual Astronomy Day events coordinated by the Astronomical League, an umbrella organization of over 240 U.S. amateur astronomy clubs. Science museums, astronomy clubs, planetaria, libraries, and nature centers will host special events worldwide—at decidedly non-astronomical sites like shopping malls, parks, and downtown centers—to acquaint people with local astronomical resources and facilities. This is a great chance to meet and learn from talented amateur astronomers, test the view through different telescopes, find out how to observe the Sun safely during the day, or attend your first star party at night. Visit the AstroLeague.org website to learn more.
Image credit: NPS photo by Michael Quinn
Weekly Calendar
September 30 - October 6, 2019
Holidays - Sky Events - Space History
Monday 30
1880: Henry Draper takes first photograph of Orion Nebula
1994: STS-68 Endeavour launched
1995: Daily communication with Pioneer 11 ends
2005: Soyuz TMA-7 launched carrying ISS Expedition 12 crew
2009: Soyuz TMA-16 launched carrying ISS Expedition 21/22 crew
2016: Rosetta mission ends with controlled descent to surface of Comet 67P
Tuesday 1
1897: 40-inch refractor dedicated at Yerkes Observatory
1958: NASA founded
1962: 300-foot radio telescope at Green Bank goes into operation
2010: Chang’e-2 lunar spacecraft launched
Wednesday 2
Pluto appears stationary
Venus 3° north of Spica
Thursday 3
Jupiter 1.9° south of Moon
1935: Charlie Duke born
1942: First V2 rocket launched
1962: Mercury Sigma 7 launched
1967: X-15A-2 flies at mach 6.7
1985: STS-51J Atlantis launched
2018: MASCOT lander deployed to asteroid Ryugu
Friday 4
World Space Week begins
1957: Sputnik 1 launched
1959: Luna 3 launched
2004: SpaceShipOne wins X Prize
Saturday 5
First Qtr Moon 12:47 PM ET
Saturn 0.3° north of Moon
1882: Robert Goddard born
1923: Edwin Hubble finds Cepheid variable stars in galaxy M-31
1962: European Southern Observatory founded
1984: STS-41G Challenger launched
Sunday 6
Pluto 0.1° north of Moon
1990: STS-41 Discovery launched
1992: NASA and RASA sign Human Spaceflight Agreement to share astronauts and cosmonauts
2008: MESSENGER spacecraft makes its second flyby of Mercury