Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - December 2018

— Continued from previous page
January 2019
Two Soviet Union probes studying the atmosphere of Venus have 50th anniversaries
(1969) this month. Venera 5 was launched on January 5th and Venera 6
was launched on January 10th. Each probe lasted less than one hour in the
Venusian atmosphere.
FIGURE 2
about a partial solar eclipse taking place today — but that won’t happen in the
Caribbean. The solar eclipse passes from Russia into Alaska.
Sunday, January 6th
From our vantage point on Earth, Venus has reached its greatest separation from
the Sun or its greatest elongation. Even though the planet is only 50 percent illuminated
it remains very bright in the morning sky.
Saturday, January 12th
It shouldn’t be difficult to recognize Mars but you can spot it tonight by following the
“terminator”. That is the line of termination between dark and light on the Moon. Extend
that line towards the northeast and there will be Mars, less than five degrees away.
Tuesday, January 15th
A triangle of celestial bodies will be visible in the pre-dawn sky. Jupiter has maintained
its position throughout this period near Antares (Anti-Ares), the heart of
Scorpius. Ares is the Greek god of war, called Mars by the Romans. The star is associated
with Mars because they both appear the same color and brightness in the
night sky.
Clockwise from left:
The positions of Comet 46P/Wirtanen and six stars ready to go supernova
on December 31st at 2100 hours
NASA’s High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) manned airship
Surrounded by monsters is the mythical island of Thule (Tile). This image is a
segment from the Carta Marina, the first map of the Nordic countries,
created by Olaus Magnus in 1539
Tuesday, January 1st
Ushering in the New Year is a lineup of five bright celestial objects in this morning’s
sky. Ascending from the horizon in the eastern sky, Mercury, Jupiter, Antares,
Venus and the Moon are brightly displayed.
It has been about two years since NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft left Pluto. The
mission was expanded to
include a New Year’s Day
flyby of asteroid 2014
MU69, nicknamed Ultima
Thule after a distant place
located beyond the “borders
of the known world”,
shown in Figure 3. Any
data sent back towards
Earth will take almost 260
days to get here.
Looking for some fireworks
on New Year’s Eve?
There are six stars in the
east that could explode into
a supernova any day. That
will most assuredly occur
in the distant future, but it
doesn’t hurt to check for an
outburst once and a while.
Thursday, January 3rd
Early this morning there is a conjunction between the sliver Moon and Jupiter.
Towards the south you will find Antares close by. The Earth reaches its closest point
to the Sun, heating up the planet in the southern hemisphere.
Friday, January 4th
Look for another early-morning astronomical event today. Pre-dawn brings the
peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower. While the shower is active December 28th
through January 12th, it will reach peak today. There is little interference from the
Moon, so seeing a few meteors shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The Quadrantids
can produce from 60 to 200 meteors per hour radiating out of the northeast sky.
Saturday, January 5th
There is a New Moon today. The Sun and Moon are nearly in line, so you may read
FIGURE 3
In the News
“As different as Venus is, data returned from this bizarre planet — as well as from
other planets — may well help us understand our own atmosphere. An understanding
of the runaway greenhouse effect, and of the role of aerosols like sulfuric acid,
may help us prevent the Earth from eventually becoming another Venus,” says a
NASA mission statement. Below are three examples of future missions to Venus.
• High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) led to the development of an
evolutionary program for the exploration of Venus, with focus on the mission architecture
and vehicle concept for a 30-day crewed mission into Venus’s atmosphere at
50 kilometers.
• Russian Venus research community are working together to identify and prioritize
the scientific objectives of a joint Venera-D mission concept. The mission’s goal
is the advanced study of Venus’ atmospheric dynamics as well as its surface geology
and chemistry.
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced plans for the Venus
Orbiter to explore and study the planet’s climate. The proposed Venus mission targets
a 2020 launch date.
All times are given as Atlantic Standard Time (AST) unless otherwise noted. The
times are based on a viewing position in Grenada and may vary by only a few minutes
in different Caribbean locations.
Jim Ulik of S/V Merengue is a photographer and cruiser.
FIGURE 4
DECEMBER 2018 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 33
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