Check out the night sky this month, May 2024. Here are videos highlighting the top sights to observe.
** What’s Up: May 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL
What are some skywatching highlights in May 2024?
Mars and Saturn tussle with the Moon, Mercury makes a brief a.m. appearance, East Coasters can see red giant star Antares emerge from behind the Moon, and the eta Aquariid meteors peak on May 6th.
0:00 Intro 0:15 Moon & planet highlights 1:06 Moon occults Antares 1:53 eta Aquariid meteor shower 3:54 May Moon phases
Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….
In May, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64.
About this Series … “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-gallery/tonights-sky.
What can you see in the night sky tonight? Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky this month, including the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, Asteroid Pallas at opposition, noctilucent clouds and a tantalising lunar occultation of star cluster M4.
00:00 Intro 00:21 Solar System planets 04:39 Eta Aquariid meteor shower 05:29 The Moon 10:52 Minor planet (2) Pallas opposition 11:16 Noctilucent Clouds 12:39 Lunar occultation of M4 14:03 Arcturus and Boötes 17:45 Corona Borealis 19:47 Keystone asterism in Hercules 21:05 Globular cluster M13 25:19 Spica 26:00 Virgo 27:17 Antares
** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – May 2024 | Full Moon and the Swiss Army knife of the Sky – Sky & Telescope Youtube
Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 10-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Join us for the May 2024 episode where we highlight this month’s #lunar phases, track down three #planets before dawn, keep alert for bits of #Halley’s #Comet, and get to know the Swiss Army knife of the #night #sky.
Listen and subscribe to this podcast at https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/ and don’t forget to subscribe to S&T’s YouTube channel to get alerts about new videos, including this monthly podcast
** Space to Ground: Outside the Hatch: April 26, 2024 – NASA Johnson
** NASA Astronaut Discusses Life in Space with CBS News – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Matt Dominick of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 23 with CBS News Streaming Service. Dominick is in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
** Space Station Crew Prepares Science for Dragon Departure – NASA Johnson
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick closes out the Dragon spacecraft in preparation for its scheduled departure in late April. Dragon will return to Earth with samples and hardware from several experiments for further study.
** Roscosmos spacewalk to be conducted outside Space Station – NASA Johnson
This animation discusses the upcoming spacewalk in which Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of the Expedition 71 crew will egress the Poisk airlock to complete the deployment of one panel on a synthetic radar system on the Nauka module and install equipment and experiments on the Poisk module to analyze the level of corrosion on station surfaces and modules. It will be the 270th spacewalk in support of station maintenance and upgrades, the seventh for Kononenko and the second for Chub.
=== Commercial space habitats
** Axiom negotiating with NASA for changes in installation sequence of ISS modules:
Also from the NAC HEO meeting: NASA says Axiom Space has requested a modification to its agreement with NASA to change the sequence of modules they plan to add to the ISS to allow them to become a free-flyer after two module launches. pic.twitter.com/4oGmHQJSOW
Happy Earth Day! During a mission, crews conduct multiple experiments aimed at advancing research and innovation #ForEarth, as well as getting some of the best views of our planet. Thanks to Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría, some members of #TeamAxiom received some memorable photos. — — —
Axiom Space is building for beyond, guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure, Axiom Space operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while developing its successor, Axiom Station – the world’s first commercial space station in low-Earth orbit, which will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. For more information about Axiom Space, visit www.axiomspace.com.
Gravitics, Inc. announced today it has been awarded a $1.7M Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct-to-Phase II contract from SpaceWERX. In partnership with Space Systems Command’s Space Safari Program Office, this effort will focus on a new mission area for Gravitics, Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS). Under this contract, Gravitics will leverage its commercial space station product architecture to develop orbital platforms that will enable rapid and flexible response options for the United States Space Force. Gravitics’ commercial space station modules can support a wide range of military and civilian applications, including in-space rapid response applications.
“We are looking at all options to meet the mission on tactically relevant timelines. The Gravitics space station module offers an unconventional and potentially game-changing solution for TacRS,” said Lt Col Jason Altenhofen, Space Safari’s Director of Operations. “As we look into the future, the innovative use of commercial technologies will be an important aspect to solving some of our toughest challenges.”
“Developing and manufacturing commercial space station modules will continue to be at the core of our company mission,” said Colin Doughan, CEO of Gravitics. “Gravitics is thrilled to have the opportunity to offer these commercial capabilities to the Department of Defense.
I’ll note that Gravitics is not a contractor in NASA’s commercial space station partnership program. So I’m sure they are eagerly looking for support from other funding sources such as the Space Force.
** Roadmap Artificial Gravity Station – VAST Youtube
VAST releases this animation demonstrating how a multi-module station would provide artificial gravity via spin. The outermost end of a module will become the floor for that volume. Moving outward from the center, a person would experience increasing gravity. This would allow one floor to provide lunar level gravity and another floor farther out to provide Mars gravity.
=== Chinese space habitats
— Replay! China’s Shenzhou 18 crew launches to Tiangong space station – VideoFromSpace
A Chinese Long March 2F rocket launched the Shenzhou 18 crew to the Tiangong space station from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 25, 2024. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-launches-…
— China’s Shenzhou-18 Manned Spaceship Docks with Space Station Combination – CCTV Video News Agency
China’s Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship successfully docked with the space station combination on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
— Shenzhou-18, Shenzhou-17 Astronauts Meet Inside Space Station – CCTV Video News Agency
The astronauts of the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship met with their Shenzhou-17 colleagues after arriving at the Tiangong space station in the early hours of Friday (Beijing Time).
— Zebrafish Enter Orbit on China Space Station, In Stable Condition – CCTV Video News Agency
Four zebrafish brought into orbit by the Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission are in stable condition after being transferred to a lab module aboard the China Space Station on Friday morning, according to an institute responsible for the experiment.
Chinese scientists have recently unveiled their groundbreaking prototype for a lunar research station.
Known as the “Moon Pot,” this innovative structure was designed by a team of researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Resembling an arched structure reminiscent of an eggshell, the Moon Pot aims to provide a living and research space for astronauts on the moon.
Work to land China’s taikonauts on the moon before 2030 is going on smoothly, with component systems under research and development as planned, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said at a press conference in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Wednesday.
=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:
** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA
Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.
The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8
Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov
** Space Station Crew Talks with AccuWeather – Thursday, April 18, 2024 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Mike Barratt and Tracy Dyson of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 18 with Accuweather. Barratt and Dyson are in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
** Astronaut Matt Dominick Talks with University of San Diego – Friday, April 19, 2024 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 19 with San Diego University. Dominick is in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
As they reach the end of one year of rigorous basic astronaut training, ESA astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, Marco Sieber and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg will receive astronaut certification at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre on 22 April 2024.
The group was selected in November 2022 and began their training in April 2023.
Basic astronaut training provides the candidates with an overall familiarisation and training in various areas, such as spacecraft systems, spacewalking, flight engineering, robotics and life support systems, as well as survival and medical training.
Following certification, the new astronauts will move on to the next phases of pre-assignment and mission-specific training, paving the way for future missions to the International Space Station and beyond.
Join us for the graduation ceremony live on ESA Web TV on Monday 22 April from 10:00 – 11:30 CEST.
=== Commercial space habitats
** 2024 February – North Houston Space Society – Megan Yang – Building Axiom Station – Axiom Space Youtube – Axiom Space
Megan Yang, an engineer at Axiom, gate a talk in February about the design and construction of the Axiom commercial space station.
Our solenoid valves are designed, manufactured, assembled, and tested in our Long Beach facility. These valves control gaseous oxygen and nitrox flow into Haven-1’s habitable space.
NASA is assisting private companies in building commercial space stations like Voyager Space’s Starlab — a low-Earth orbital designed for astronauts to conduct scientific research in place of the ISS after its shutdown — which will be launched in 2028 at the earliest. Hilton partnered with Voyager Space to design the interior of the space station in hopes to make a more comfortable zero gravity environment.
“We’re looking at this through the lens of space tourism,” Hilton Senior Vice President of Global Design Larry Traxler said. “How do we elevate the stay?”
This isn’t the first time Hilton and Voyager Space partnered for a space stunt. In late 2019, the global hospitality company Nanoracks — most of which was acquired by Voyager Space the following year — and Zero G Kitchen, a food development company creating products for space, teamed up to bake a batch of the famous Doubletree cookies in the ISS.
=== Other space habitat and settlement news, articles, events, etc:
Join some of the planet’s top experts as we discuss topics vital to both saving the Earth and expanding life into the cosmos. EarthSpace 2024 is a unique event, built on the idea that opening the High Frontier must be done differently than any frontier in the past.
Contrary to some who cast the space revolution as a wasteful escapist extravaganza, EarthSpace helps begin a new conversation. A conversation about how we not only can open the High Frontier responsibly and sustainably, but that we must, to help save the MotherWorld of Earth.
Starting with a new philosophy – that this time, for the first time, as humans move into a new frontier, we do so based on an ethos that comes from our love of life and respect for our environment, rather than leaving a path of destruction and waste in our wake.
annual space settlement contest invites students to design an orbital space habitat. The contest, open for 6-12th grade students, was sponsored by the NASA Ames Research Center from 1994-2018 in conjunction with the National Space Society and since then is being sponsored by NSS. The single highest scoring team or individual attending ISDC will receive the Herman Rubin Award for $5,000.
The contest this year received 5,200 entries from over 29,000 students, whoc came from 28 countries. The 2024 contest winners and finalists are listed here.
Here is a video from 2022 about the contest:
=== Earth views from ISS
** Highlight: USA KY NC ARISS – Apr 18 2024 13:53 EDT – ISS Above
During this pass, NASA Astonaut Jeanette Epps was speaking with Mountain View Elementary Murietta GA students via a direct ARISS ham radio downlink event.
NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station
** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA
Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.
The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8
Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov
Astronomers have found the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy, thanks to the wobbling motion it induces on a companion star. This artist’s impression shows the orbits of both the star and the black hole, dubbed Gaia BH3, around their common centre of mass. This wobbling was measured over several years with the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Additional data from other telescopes, including ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, confirmed that the mass of this black hole is 33 times that of our Sun. The chemical composition of the companion star suggests that the black hole was formed after the collapse of a massive star with very few heavy elements, or metals, as predicted by theory. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
Astronomers have identified the most massive stellar black hole yet discovered in the Milky Way galaxy. This black hole was spotted in data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission because it imposes an odd ‘wobbling’ motion on the companion star orbiting it. Data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and other ground-based observatories were used to verify the mass of the black hole, putting it at an impressive 33 times that of the Sun.
Stellar black holes are formed from the collapse of massive stars and the ones previously identified in the Milky Way are on average about 10 times as massive as the Sun. Even the next most massive stellar black hole known in our galaxy, Cygnus X-1, only reaches 21 solar masses, making this new 33-solar-mass observation exceptional [1].
Remarkably, this black hole is also extremely close to us — at a mere 2000 light-years away in the constellation Aquila, it is the second-closest known black hole to Earth. Dubbed Gaia BH3 or BH3 for short, it was found while the team were reviewing Gaia observations in preparation for an upcoming data release.
“No one was expecting to find a high-mass black hole lurking nearby, undetected so far,”
says Gaia collaboration member Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, France.
“This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life.”
To confirm their discovery, the Gaia collaboration used data from ground-based observatories, including from the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) instrument on ESO’s VLT, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert [2]. These observations revealed key properties of the companion star, which, together with Gaia data, allowed astronomers to precisely measure the mass of BH3.
Astronomers have found similarly massive black holes outside our galaxy (using a different detection method), and have theorised that they may form from the collapse of stars with very few elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in their chemical composition. These so-called metal-poor stars are thought to lose less mass over their lifetimes and hence have more material left over to produce high-mass black holes after their death. But evidence directly linking metal-poor stars to high-mass black holes has been lacking until now.
Stars in pairs tend to have similar compositions, meaning that BH3’s companion holds important clues about the star that collapsed to form this exceptional black hole. UVES data showed that the companion was a very metal-poor star, indicating that the star that collapsed to form BH3 was also metal-poor — just as predicted.
The research study, led by Panuzzo, is published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
“We took the exceptional step of publishing this paper based on preliminary data ahead of the forthcoming Gaia release because of the unique nature of the discovery,”
says co-author Elisabetta Caffau, also a Gaia collaboration member and CNRS scientist from the Observatoire de Paris – PSL. Making the data available early will let other astronomers start studying this black hole right now, without waiting for the full data release, planned for late 2025 at the earliest.
Further observations of this system could reveal more about its history and about the black hole itself. The GRAVITY instrument on ESO’s VLT Interferometer, for example, could help astronomers find out whether this black hole is pulling in matter from its surroundings and better understand this exciting object.
Notes
[1] This is not the most massive black hole in our galaxy — that title belongs to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s centre, which has about four million times the mass of the Sun. But Gaia BH3 is the most massive black hole known in the Milky Way that formed from the collapse of a star.
[2] Aside from UVES on ESO’s VLT, the study relied on data from: the HERMES spectrograph at the Mercator Telescope operated at La Palma (Spain) by Leuven University, Belgium, in collaboration with the Observatory of the University of Geneva, Switzerland; and the SOPHIE high-precision spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence – OSU Institut Pythéas.
On the last day of his Huginn mission, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen takes us on a tour of the place he called home for 6 months: the International Space Station. From the beautiful views of Cupola to the kitchen in Node 1 filled with food and friends and all the way to the science of Columbus, the Space Station is the work and living place for astronauts as they help push science forward.
** Soyuz MS-24 Space Station Farewells and Hatch Closing – Friday, April 5, 2024 – NASA Video
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya closed the hatch of the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on April 6 ahead of their landing later that day. Following hatch closure, the vehicle undocked from the International Space Station’s Rassvet module, returning to Earth a few hours later for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan. During her mission, O’Hara spent 204 days in space living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
** Soyuz MS-24 Space Station Undocking – Friday, April 5, 2024 – NASA Video
** Soyuz MS-24 Landing Day Highlights – Saturday, April 6, 2024 – NASA Video
The diverse backgrounds and experiences of each astronaut make them truly exceptional. Celebrate International Day of Human Space Flight with @Commandeer_MLA as he reads the children’s book “An Unlikely Astronaut” by @Astro_Susan in space.
** Max Space – Designing very large inflatable space habitats
Max Space offers scalable modules for in-space habitation, manufacturing, research labs, farms, tourism, sports and entertainment. pic.twitter.com/zJWsfY8sAf
Today, we are announcing that Vast’s Haven-1, scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station, will be equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink laser terminal providing Gigabit/s speed, low latency connectivity to its crew users, internal payload racks, external cameras and instruments.
“If you need to provide high-speed, low-latency, continuous internet connectivity on a space station in orbit in 2025, SpaceX Starlink is the only option,” said Max Haot, Vast’s CEO. “We expect their network and technology leading position to continue and accelerate over time, which is why we are excited to have the chance to partner with SpaceX on deploying their first laser connectivity for a space station.”
The Haven-1 crew will be able to connect their personal devices via Wi-Fi to the Starlink network and have unprecedentedly better internet connectivity on orbit to host outreach video calls and perform experiments and science with full, high-speed internet access. Even during crew rest time, they will be able to use high-speed internet.
“High-speed, low-latency connectivity on orbit for crew and critical scientific research is critical to any space station experience,” said Stephanie Bednarek, SpaceX’s Senior Director of Commercial Sales. “We are excited for Vast’s Haven-1 to be the first commercial space station to stay connected with Starlink.”
Vast and SpaceX have reached an agreement for SpaceX to provide Starlink connectivity to future Vast platforms beyond Haven 1, including connectivity for Vast’s next space station, which the company plans to bid for in NASA’s upcoming commercial Low Earth Orbit destinations (CLDs) competition.
In May 2023, Vast announced that SpaceX will launch Haven-1, followed by two human spaceflight missions to the Haven-1 space station.
This new partnership between Vast and SpaceX will continue to create and accelerate greater accessibility to space and more opportunities for exploration on the road to making humanity multiplanetary.
ICON, a leader in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing, announced that it has received a contract awarded under Phase III of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The nearly $60 million contract builds upon previous NASA and Department of Defense funding for ICON’s Project Olympus to research and develop space-based construction systems to support planned exploration of the Moon and beyond. ICON’s Olympus system is intended to be a multi-purpose construction system primarily using local Lunar and Martian resources as building materials to further the efforts of NASA as well as commercial organizations to establish a sustained lunar presence.
“To change the space exploration paradigm from ‘there and back again’ to ‘there to stay,’ we’re going to need robust, resilient, and broadly capable systems that can use the local resources of the Moon and other planetary bodies. We’re pleased that our research and engineering to-date has demonstrated that such systems are indeed possible, and we look forward to now making that possibility a reality,” said Jason Ballard, ICON co-founder and CEO. “The final deliverable of this contract will be humanity’s first construction on another world, and that is going to be a pretty special achievement.”
=== Mars habitation
** SpaceX Starship – Latest on plans for using Starship for Mars settlement and a lunar base
** Highlight: Canberra – Sydney – Australia – Mar 25, 2024 11:28 AEDT – ISS Above
NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station
** Highlight: Aotearoa NZ S to N – Mar 27, 2024 – 10:17 NZDT – ISS Above
** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA
Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.
The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8
Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov
