A small impact on the Moon observed at three locations

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This Week’s Sky at a Glance, March 10 – 18

By: Alan MacRobert | March 10, 2017  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-march-10-18/

This Week's Planet Roundup 

Raffaello Lena in Rome has been imaging Venus as it wanes in phase and enlarges in size, using a 7-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain scope. He plans to continue right up to Venus's conjunction 8° north of the Sun.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF VENUS, CONTINUED: On March 25th, Venus will pass almost directly between Earth and the sun--an event astronomers call "inferior solar conjunction." As Venus approaches the sun, the planet is turning its night side toward Earth, reducing its luminous glow to a thin sliver. Astrophotographer Raffaello Lena of Rome, Italy, has been monitoring the transformation:

"I've just added an image from March 10th to this composite," says Lena.  "It clearly shows the transformation of Venus to a skinny crescent."

You don't need such a large telescope to see the shape of Venus.  Even ordinary binoculars will show the crescent.  Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor Venus in the lead-up to inferior conjunction.  In the nights ahead, the crescent of Venus will become increasingly thin and circular. The horns of the crescent might actually touch when the Venus-sun angle is least on March 25th.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF VENUS: On March 25th, Venus will pass almost directly between Earth and the sun--an event astronomers call "inferior solar conjunction." As Venus approaches the sun, the planet is turning its night side toward Earth, reducing its luminous glow to a thin sliver. Astrophotographer Raffaello Lena of  Rome, Italy, has been monitoring the transformation:

"The progression of the crescent as Venus approaches inferior conjunction is clear," says Lena.  "I took these pictures using an 18 cm (7 inch) Mak Cassegrain telescope."

You don't need such a large telescope, however, to see the shape of Venus.  Even ordinary binoculars will show the crescent.  Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor Venus in the lead-up to inferior conjunction.  In the nights ahead, the crescent of Venus will become increasingly thin and circular. 

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, CRESCENT VENUS: Like the Moon, Venus has phases, and right now it is a beautifully slender crescent.  On March 17th, Italian astronomer Raffaello Lena used a small telescope to track Venus down to the horizon as it set in the evening sky of Rome. He recorded a beautiful example of atmospheric turbulence distorting the curved lines of the second planet

This kind of scintillation is normally reserved for pinpoint objects like distant stars.  Venus is so thin, it's doing it too. 

A small impact on the Moon observed at three locations Simultaneous observation of the impact of a "small meteoroid" on the Moon, north of Mare Crisium, 0221:55.7 GMT, 1 August 2013, captured at the same moment by three observers using three telescopes in Switzerland, 10 km apart, and a fourth telescope in Rome 558 km away.  Observations by Raffaello Lena (GLR Group, Rome), using a 130 mm refracting telescope equipped with a Mintron video camera,  Andrea Manna (Cugnasco, Switzerland), with a 200 mm Schmidt Cassegrain equipped with a Watec 120N+ - and by Stefano Sposetti  (Gnosca, Switzerland) using two telescopes, a 150 mm refractor and an 11" Schmidt Cassegrain, each equipped with Watec 902H2  cameras. Raffaello Lena, of the GLR Group in Rome, has documented the simultaneous observation of the exceedingly transitory flash of an impact on the Moon by three observers, using four telescopes equipped with CCD cameras, from three separate locations. "On  August 1, 2013 at 02:21:55.7 UT, we observed a small meteoroid impact on the Moon's surface. The kinetic energy transformed into heat caused a brief and intense flash detected simultaniously in telescopes operated by R. Lena, A. Manna and S. Sposetti. "The simultaneity of the flash observations, at the same position on the lunar surface strongly indicate the flash is unlikely to be mistaken for anything other than an impact." The event was recorded by Raffaello Lena in Rome Italy, Andrea Manna in Cugnasco, Switzerland, and by Stefano Sposetti in Gnosca, Switzerland. The two observatories in Switzerland were separated by 10 km while Lena in Rome was 558 km from Gnosca. The meteoroidal lunar impact detected on August, 1, 2013 at 02:21:55.7 UT was simultaneously recorded by  four independent video recordings. The duration of the flash corresponds with 0.08 seconds peaked in a brightness of 8.3 ± 0.7 magnitude. Synchronicity of the documenting images and related files was verified using GPS time inserters (KIWI-OSD) and an Atomic Clock Synchronization protocol. The coordinates of the flash were determined to 73° (± 4°) East, 27° (± 3°) North, near the crater Seneca C. "The flash probably corresponds to an α-Capricornids meteor stream, exhibiting favorable geometry at time of impact." A report of the coordinated observing session is published in Selenology Today, HERE, and an Adobe pdf file with the particular of the event and observing session can be also downloaded HERE. In addition, Lena reports, "some animations and data, are also presented on my website:http://lunarimpact2.blogspot.it/ . The phase of the Moon at the time the impact was observed at three locations on Earth, 0221.55 UT, August 1, still a considerably bright 29.7 percent illumination from a Moon, 23.63 Earth-days old in the early predawn. At time of impact, still late July 31 in North America, the Moon was 405,528 km distant [Virtual Moon Atlas v.6]. Related Posts: Earth's Nightlight (June 26, 2013) March of Time Paces Changes on the Lunar Surface (May 21, 2013) Brightest impact recorded by NASA lunar monitoring program, March 17 (May 17, 2013) LROC team identifies a new lunar crater (July 28, 2010) Lunar meteor impact observations and the flux of kilogram-sized meteoroids (July 25, 2010) The Lunar Geminids (December 10, 2009) Impact Gap in the Moon's Southern Highlands? (May 22, 2008) CAUGHT ONE! images and location map from Selenology Today #33 (Enhanced by CAW) On August 1, 2013 at 02:21:55.7 UT, a small meteoroid impacted the Moon's surface. The kinetic energy of the impact transformed into thermal energy also caused a short and intense flash of light that was detected by telescopes by R. Lena, A. Manna and S. Sposetti. The simultaneity of the flash and the same position on the lunar surface indicates it is an impact. The event described above was observed by Raffaello Lena (GLR group, Rome Italy) with a refractor 130 mm and with a video camera Mintron. Andrea Manna observes from Cugnasco (Switzerlnd) and this morning decided to with a Schmidt Cassegrain 200 mm and a camera watec 120N+. Stefano Sposetti (Gnosca, Switzerland) detected the flash using two telescopes: Refractor 150 mm and SC C11” equipped with watec 902H2 cameras. The two observatories in Switzerland are at a distance of 10.0 km. The observatory in Italy ( Rome ) is at a distance of 558 km from Gnosca. Time synchronicity of the various files is assured by using a GPS time inserters (KIWI-OSD) and an Atomic Clock Synchronization protocol. The duration of the flash correspond to 0.08s and reached a peak brightness of 8.3 ± 0.7 mag. The selenographic coordinates of the lunar impact flash are determined to 73° ± 4° E and 27° ± 3° N, near the crater Seneca C. The examined impact flash probably corresponds to a α-Capricornids shower exhibiting favourable impact geometry on the impact date. Raf Lena COMMENTS? Click on this icon  at the upper right to post a comment. You can support LPOD when you buy any book from Amazon thru LPOD!

VERY SPOTTED SUN: Solar activity is still relatively low, but the appearance of the sun suggests the quiet might not last. Over the weekend, a profusion of new sunspot groups peppered the solar disk with dark cores--each one a potential source of eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of M-class flares and a 5% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. Solar flare alerts: text,voice. There are so many spots on the sun, even a jumbo jet cannot hide them: Raffaello Lena took the picture on January 5 not far from the international airport in Rome, Italy. "An animation of the flyby is available here," he says.

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An unexpected transit

Rafaello Lena, of the GLR Group in Rome passes along this serendipitous interruption of his efforts to record Earth atmosphere-grazing Perseid meteors and perhaps another lunar impact, captured at 1945 UT, Monday, August 12 . An aircraft, and easily "identified flying object," transits the evening Moon. Still 40 hours shy of its Quarter phase, the Moon was 377,200 km away as the terminator swung over central Mare Serenitatis and the Southern Highlands, sunrise over the 1972 landing site of Apollo 16.