Mon Apr 17, 2023 FALLING INTO THE NEAREST BLACK HOLE
What happens if you fall into a black hole? Well, it would be bad: if you jumped in, your feet would be pulled with a lot more force than your head. You would be stretched out as thin as a piece of spaghetti, which of course is not a natural state for the human body to be in, and you would disintegrate, your atoms eventually spiraling into the black hole. Are you likely to fall into a black hole? The nearest known black hole we know of is just to the east of Orion the Hunter, in our western sky this evening, in a constellation known as Monoceros the Unicorn. It is here where we find V616 Monocerotis. This black hole is about 3,000 light years away, or 18,000 trillion miles. So even the nearest black hole is so far away that nobody is in any danger of falling in!
Tue Apr 18, 2023 ARCTURUS AND BOOTES
Tonight, and for the next several weeks, you’ll find a bright star in the eastern sky after sunset. That star is named Arcturus, which means, “bear chaser.” It’s called the bear chaser because Earth’s rotation causes this star to follow or “chase” the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear in the Sky. The bear is to the north of Arcturus (you’ll recognize its back and tail as the Big Dipper, well up in the northeast.) Arcturus is in the constellation Bootes, the Shepherd. This is an agricultural constellation that farmers and shepherds used long ago to keep track of when to plant and harvest and tend to the sheep. In the springtime, Bootes appears in the east after sunset, heralding the time when lambs are born.
Wed Apr 19, 2023 PLANETARIUM SHOW: FORWARD TO THE MOON
In late 1972, the last two people to walk on the moon returned to the planet earth. Since then, nobody has gone to the moon, our nearest neighbor in space. Now many people don’t believe we’ve ever been to the moon, that it was all some elaborate hoax. But Jack Schmitt is still alive, and like him, I have also examined moon rocks, and discovered that these rocks are not from earth. In our new planetarium show, “Forward to the Moon,” A recording of Dr. Schmitt talks about his mission and prepares us for our return through NASA’s Artemis program. Shows will be at Indian River State College’s Hallstrom Planetarium this Friday at 7 and 8:30 pm, and on Saturday at 1 and 2:30 pm. You can get tickets at the IRSC box office - call 772) 462-4750.
Thu Apr 20, 2023 LYRID METEOR SHOWER
The Lyrid meteor shower will reach peak activity over the next couple of nights. It’s coming out of the part of the sky where we find the constellation Lyra, the Harp, that’s why we call them the Lyrids. This shower isn’t especially strong, but viewing will be pretty good. Get away from bright streetlights. Face east, and then look up toward the zenith. You don’t need a telescope to see these momentary bright streaks of light, in fact a telescope would hinder your view. Take a lounge chair to lean back in, dress warmly, and don't forget to protect against mosquitoes and other hazards. And if it’s cloudy or raining, go back inside, you can’t see meteor showers during rain showers.
Fri Apr 21, 2023 PLANETARIUM SHOW: FORWARD TO THE MOON
In late 1972, the last two people to walk on the moon returned to the planet earth. Since then, nobody has gone to the moon, our nearest neighbor in space. Now many people don’t believe we’ve ever been to the moon, that it was all some elaborate hoax. But Jack Schmitt is still alive, and like him, I have also examined moon rocks, and discovered that these rocks are not from earth. In our new planetarium show, “Forward to the Moon,” A recording of Dr. Schmitt talks about his mission and prepares us for our return through NASA’s Artemis program. Shows will be at Indian River State College’s Hallstrom Planetarium this Friday at 7 and 8:30 pm, and on Saturday at 1 and 2:30 pm. You can get tickets at the IRSC box office - call 772) 462-4750.
