Skynet 1-20-18 The JPL Missions: Viking 1 & 2 and Asteroid Hunting 9PM CT

Tom Uncategorized

151106main_image_feature_599_ys_fullSKYNET!!!! 9PM CT – 10:30PM CT

Saturday’s Topic: “JPL Missions: Viking 1 & 2” and “Asteroid Hunting”

Net Control: Kelley K5KTX

Afterglow Movie 10:30PM:
“Space Master X-7” (1958)

2-Meter Repeater W5FC: 146.880MHz, PL 110.9, –
Echolink: W5FC-R, node 37247.
Video Stream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/skynet2
& Facebook “DARC Skynet Astronomy Net”
Audio Stream: http://pokeys.doomdns.com:8000
Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skynet
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.

Discussion topic of the evening.

The JPL Missions: Viking 1 and 2 to Mars

Viking Mission website: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
Viking Orbiter: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/viking_spacecraft.jpg
Viking Lander: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/spacecraft/viking_lander_model.jpg
First image ever taken on surface of Mars: https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA00381_modest.jpg
Mars image mosaic from Viking 1 orbiter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_program#/media/File:Mars_Valles_Marineris.jpeg
Carl Sagan with a model of a Viking Lander: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_program#/media/File:Sagan_Viking.jpg
Image of Mars taken from Viking Lander 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_program#/media/File:Viking2lander1.jpg

What can you see in the sky over the next couple of weeks?

West, Winter Evenings
http://en.es-static.us/upl/2012/01/12Jan16_430.jpg
image
http://en.es-static.us/upl/2012/01/12Jan16_430.jpg
View on en.es-static.us
Preview by Yahoo

A featured constellation or object(s) or topic.

Hunting Asteroids

Taurus Asteroids Discovered 1995

http://wwwcdn.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/4_Asteroids_by_Dennis_l.jpg

Hubble Guide Star Catalog
http://wwwcdn.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/chart_l.jpg

Recent Astronomical discoveries

Hubble Weighs in on Mass of 3 Million Suns
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180116144249.htm

Middle-Aged Sun Observed by Tracking Motion of Mercury
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180118141822.htm

Space Exploration and Space History

X-Ray Navigation in Space with NICER
NICER mirror: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/mirrorclose.jpg
NICER components: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/nicercomponents.gif
NICER on the ISS (artist concept): https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/nicerclose2.jpg

 

One thought on “Skynet 1-20-18 The JPL Missions: Viking 1 & 2 and Asteroid Hunting 9PM CT”

  1. I just wanted to second the article on Hunting Asteroids. If you submit asteroid data to the Minor Planet Center in the correct form your location becomes an Observatory site that gets listed on the MPC Observatory List. There are only (1972) sites on that list. Back in the day around the year 2000 I put the city of Allen, TX on that list. #733 is Allen, TX. I used an 8″ Celestron and a Cookbook CCD camera to image a “lost” asteroid called Zomba and sent the data to the MPC and the data was accepted.

    So any Amateur Astronomer with CCD capabilities can do this. It doesn’t take too much equipment to do it but requires a dedication to learning what all must be done to make it happen. Everything you need is on the web, I was self taught and figured this out so give it a try. William, N5WOI.