Astronomy in Brunei Darussalam
NASA – Although it will be years before the first humans set foot on Mars, NASA is giving the public an opportunity to send their names — stenciled on chips — to the Red Planet with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, which represents the initial leg of humanity’s first round trip to another planet. The rover is scheduled to launch as early as July 2020, with the spacecraft expected to touch down on Mars in February 2021.
Bandar Seri Begawan – If the sky is clear, people in Brunei will have the chance to witness 2 very rare astronomical phenomenon on the same night – a planetary opposition and a moon eclipse – on 27th/28th July 2018. Continue reading “Blood Moon and Mars to put on a stellar show July 27/28, 2018 in Brunei”
Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:44am EDT
Related: Science
(Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it planned to send an unmanned probe to Mars by 2021, in the Arab world’s first mission to another planet.
A UAE Space Agency will be set up to supervise the mission and develop a space technology industry in the country, a government statement said. It did not give details such as the cost of the probe or how it would be designed and built.
“The UAE Mars probe represents the Islamic world’s entry into the era of space exploration. We will prove that we are capable of delivering new scientific contributions to humanity,” said UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
With a population estimated at no more than about 8 million, most of whom are foreign workers, the UAE lacks the scientific and industrial base of the big spacefaring nations.
But it is keen to diversify its economy beyond oil into high-technology sectors, and its oil reserves give it immense financial power that it could use to buy expertise. One of the sovereign wealth funds of Abu Dhabi, the biggest emirate, is estimated to have assets worth nearly $800 billion.
The UAE’s fast-growing airlines, Emirates and Etihad, are among the world’s biggest buyers of planes from U.S. and European aerospace firms, and a factory in the Abu Dhabi desert now turns out sophisticated parts for Airbus.
The UAE has invested over $5.4 billion in satellite ventures such as data and television broadcast company Al Yah Satellite Communications, mobile communications firm Thuraya and earth mapping and observation firm Dubai Sat, the government said.
The Mars probe will take nine months to complete the more than 60 million-kilometer (37.5 million-mile) journey to Mars, and will make the UAE one of only nine countries with space programs exploring the Red Planet, the statement said.
(Reporting by Andrew Torchia; editing by Andrew Roche)
Bandar Seri Begawan – Look west in twilight on February 20 and 21 as two planets, Venus and Mars, appear close one another in the sky and will be accompanied by the thin moon crescent. The celestial phenomena known as conjunctions occur when celestial bodies have the same right ascension or the same ecliptic longitude as seen from the Earth. While it would be very low in the twilight sky, it might be an interesting photo opportunity. Venus will be shining bright in the west after sunset and sky gazers can locate Mars as they are separated within 1 degree apart. If the weather cooperates, it could be a spectacular image.
Two moon on 27 August
*27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for………….* Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am . It will look like the earth has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.
The above is an email which is still going around claiming that Mars will approach Earth on August 27th; the encounter will be so close, the email states, that Mars will rival the full Moon in size and brightness. (Imagine the tides!)
Above: Comparison between the apparent size of the Moon (Left) and Mars (Right) as seen on the sky. The planet will appear as an orange bright “star” which is about 1/225 the size of the moon.
Don’t believe it. The Mars Hoax email first appeared in 2003. On August 27th of that year, Mars really did come historically close to Earth. But the email’s claim that Mars would rival the Moon was grossly exaggerated. Every August since 2003, the email has staged a revival.
Above: The inner planets in December 2007, the orbit of mars and earth will be closest on 18th December.
In fact this year, on 18 December 2007, the earth will be closely approaching with the planet Mars which is about 0.589 AU and not in August as claimed by the email. Even at this distance, it is still a vast distance for the planet to appear as big as the moon.
How will the planet looks like then? It’s a great news where by mars will be appear brighter and brighter in the night sky as it approching closer by december. You can distinguish it from the other stars by its reddish colour.
