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ISS to Flyover Lower Michigan Nov. 30, 2017 6:16-6:21 PM

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Bob TrembleyNovember 30, 2017

About an hour after sunset, the International Space Station will be flying directly over Michigan tonight (Nov. 30, 2017). This would be a great opportunity to spot the station if you have never seen it!

ISS Ground Track - Nov. 30, 2017

International Space Station Ground Track – Nov. 30, 2017, Credit: heavens-above.com

The Station will be visible from my location in Chesterfield between 6:16 – 6:21 PM, and will be almost directly overhead at its highest.

ISS location in the sky from Chesterfield Michigan, Nov. 30, 2017

International Space Station location in the sky from Chesterfield Michigan, Nov. 30, 2017. Credit: heavens-above.com

You can find exact ISS fly-over times, and generate a sky map for your location at Heavens-Above.com.

NASA’s Spot the Station website lets you sign-up for alerts when the ISS will be flying-over. They also have a page with a ton of Frequently-Asked-Questions about observing the station.

ISS Detector is a mobile app for the iPhone and Android.

The International Space Station. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Posted in Outreach, Satellite | Tagged Flyover, International Space Station, ISS | Leave a reply

Astronomy for Everyone: Asteroids!

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Bob TrembleyMay 27, 2018

I talked about Asteroids! during a filming of Astronomy for Everyone in June of 2015.

Astronomy for Everyone is a TV series produced by members of the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club, airing monthly in a couple communities in southeastern Michigan, and also on YouTube. The program is targeted towards beginner and intermediate audiences, as well as all amateur astronomers and sky observers. My program was the first of the show’s 7th year, and the first to be filmed in HD; it airs in early June – I’ll put up a link to it when it is posted.

We started out discussing what Asteroids were, where they were, and how they were discovered.

Asteroid Belt and NEOs. Image Credit: Scott Manley

Asteroid Belt and NEOs. Image Credit: Scott Manley

We talked about the relationship of meteorites to Asteroids, and some interesting discoveries from the study of meteorites, such as: determining the age of the Earth, organic molecules, and even amino acids.

I discussed the Chelyabinsk Impact Event from 2013, and damage and injuries it caused.

Workers repair a power line near the wall of a local zinc plant which was damaged by a shockwave from a meteor in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk, on February 15, 2013. A meteor strike in central Russia that left today hundreds of people injured is the biggest known human toll from a space rock, a British expert said. AFP PHOTO / 74.RU/ OLEG KARGOPOLOV --BEST QUALITY FROM SOURCE--OLEG KARGOPOLOV/AFP/Getty Images

Workers repair a power line near the wall of a local zinc plant which was damaged by a shockwave from a meteor in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk, on February 15, 2013. A meteor strike in central Russia that left today hundreds of people injured is the biggest known human toll from a space rock, a British expert said. AFP PHOTO / 74.RU/ Oleg Kargopolov/Getty Images

We then talked about the frequency of Asteroid strikes, and how to defend against them. I discussed the pitfalls of  using nukes or impactors against a low-density or porous asteroids (or comets), and covered some other deflection methods – such as the Planetary Society’s Laser Bees project, and the Gravity Tractor concept.

I mentioned that you have to find Asteroids before you can deflect them, and that as of this time, no government on the planet has assigned the task of Planetary Defense to any of its agencies. Because of this, private individuals and foundations are having to take up the mantle; I described the B612 Foundation’s privately-funded, asteroid-hunting Sentinel Mission:

I mentioned the formation of IWAN, the International Asteroid Warning Network, and went over the #AsteroidDay declaration, its impressive list of signatories, and the numerous global awareness events happening on June 30th:

All of this in 20 minutes, with a short break in the middle. It was quite the experience, and I hope to be back in the future!

Posted in Asteroids, Astronomy, NEO, Outreach, Science | Tagged #AsteroidDay, Astronomy for Everyone, B612 Foundation, Ford Amateur Astronomy Club, Impact, Sentinel Mission | Leave a reply

Interview by the B612 Foundation

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Bob TrembleyFebruary 8, 2015
Bob outside with two telescopes

Bob with scopes. Credit: Scott Kennedy – Penguicon, May 3 2014

If you have spent ANY time in proximity to me in recent years, I’ve probably brought up the subject of Asteroids; of all my Astronomy and Space Science lecture topics, it’s my favorite. Over the last couple years, I’ve gotten to know several people who are in the “Asteroid biz:” planetary astronomers, entrepreneurs who want to mine them, and concerned citizens who are tired of world government inaction, and intend on finding Potentially Hazardous Asteroids themselves.

The B612 Foundation has released an interview with me about the Sentinel Mission – the first privately-funded infrared asteroid-hunting space telescope – words cannot express how honored I am.

http://sentinelmission.org/just-for-fun/an-interview-with-sentinel-supporter-bob-trembley/

Read more about the B612 Foundation and the Sentinel mission here: http://sentinelmission.org

Posted in Asteroids, Outreach, Space Exploration | Tagged B612 Foundation, Sentinel Mission | Leave a reply

Chelyabinsk Poem

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Bob TrembleyDecember 11, 2014
The Chelyabinsk Asteroid Contrail. Image credit: unknown.

The Chelyabinsk Asteroid Contrail. Image credit: unknown.

On a clear winter morning,
while walking to work,
Something flashed in the sky,
And made my head jerk.

Then there appeared across the sky,
A ball of fire that hurt the eye.
It left a roiling cloud of smoke,
The frightened people barely spoke.

Minutes later came a sound so loud,
That windows shattered, and fell to the ground.
People ran screaming, and rooftops fell in,
All the car alarms sounded, creating quite a din.

Emergency crews were put through their paces,
As glass shards were pulled from hundreds of faces.
We can prevent this from happening again,
We muster the will; we can make a plan.

There are so many Asteroids yet to be found,
Earth needs your help; WE need it now.

Support #AsteroidDay  http://www.asteroidday.org/

– Bob Trembley, 11 Dec. 2014

Posted in Poetry | Tagged #AsteroidDay, Asteroid, Chelyabinsk, Fireball, Impact | Leave a reply

Orion Test Flight Infographic and Video

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Bob TrembleyDecember 4, 2014
Orion Test Flight Infographic. Credit: NASA

Orion Test Flight Infographic. Credit: NASA

Orion reentering Earth's atmosphere. Credit: NASA

Artist’s Impression of the Orion Capsule Reentering Earth’s Atmosphere. Credit: NASA

Orion Spacecraft at NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/orion/

Posted in NASA, Space Flight, Uncategorized | Tagged Orion | Leave a reply

True color image of comet 67P taken by the Rosetta spacecraft

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Bob TrembleyDecember 3, 2014
Color-corrected and sharpened image by Reditter IG-64

Color-corrected and sharpened image of comet 67P by Reditter IG-64. Original image credit: ESA/Rosetta/OSIRIS.

Most images taken of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko have been in greyscale. This is the first true color image of the comet, taken with Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera.

Source: The first true color image of comet 67P taken by the Rosetta spacecraft.

Rosetta images of comet 67P on Flicker: https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/sets/72157638315605535/

Posted in Asteroids | Tagged Color, Rosetta | Leave a reply

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Bob Trembley

Bob and his telescope

* Lifelong amateur astronomer
* Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador
* Outreach Officer for the Warren Astronomical Society
* Blogger for the Vatican Observatory Foundation

I do a lot of astronomy outreach; I lecture about astronomy and space science, and set up his telescopes at schools, planetariums, conventions, and other venues.

I am fantastically interested in asteroids and near-Earth objects (NEOs), and a HUGE fan of space visualization applications like Kerbal Space Program and NASA Eyes on the Solar System.

I am determined to improve the teaching of astronomy, space science, and space history throughout Michigan, and the U.S.

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Aurora over Chesterfield MI – Oct. 24, 2011

Aurora

Recent Posts

  • ISS to Flyover Lower Michigan Nov. 30, 2017 6:16-6:21 PM
  • Astronomy for Everyone: Asteroids!
  • Interview by the B612 Foundation
  • Chelyabinsk Poem
  • Orion Test Flight Infographic and Video
  • True color image of comet 67P taken by the Rosetta spacecraft
  • Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? An Excerpt From Brother Guy Consolmagno’s Latest Book
  • David J. Eicher’s New Book: Comets! Visitors From Deep Space
  • Numerous Bolide Events Between 1994 and 2013
  • Philae Lander Drifting Across Comet 67P
  • New Horizons Spacecraft to Wake Up for Pluto Encounter
  • Philae Lander Completes Main Science Mission Before Entering Hibernation
  • Where is Rosetta Now?
  • Philae’s First Look After A Bouncy Landing
  • Cassini Probes the Depths of Titan’s Largest Sea
  • Astronomy, the oldest of the sciences, is now an elective – if it’s even offered
  • New Horizons Probe Gets A Kuiper Belt Target
  • Comet Siding Spring
  • NASA LRO Mission Finds Widespread Evidence of Young Lunar Volcanism
  • Why Aren’t You Getting That In School?

Comments

  • Asteroid Day 2016 - The Catholic Astronomer on Asteroid Defense Program Needed BEFORE The Next Impact
  • Mike on LASER Pointer Awareness
  • B612 | An Interview with B612 Supporter Bob Trembley on Asteroid (117852) Constance
The Catholic Astronomer - The Blog of the Vatican Observatory Foundation

RSS Bob’s Posts on “The Catholic Astronomer” Blog:

  • Vatican Observatory’s Discovery Is Latest in Series of Important Contributions to Astronomy
    The discovery of astronomers Father Gabriele Gionti and Father Matteo Galaverni ‘could spark a revolution in our understanding of the early universe.’
  • In the Sky this Week – May 24, 2022
    Messier 17 (M17) also known as the Omega Nebula, is one of the brightest star-forming nebulae in the Milky Way. It was discovered in 1745.
  • From Peru to Mars: New Worlds and Jesuit Science
    Video of Br. Guy Consolmagno’s lecture at St. Ignatius Church in New York discussing contributions to science made by historic Jesuits.
  • Solar Astro-photography on the Cheap
    Astronomy often looks as though it costs too much for many people to be able to take interest in it, but you will be surprised at what cheap equipment can do.
  • Maximilian Hell: A Legacy in Transit
    A new entry for the Faith & Science Resource Center.
  • Across the Universe: Spiral Effects
    The passing of another great astronomer... what is it like to hear about giants of the field, first-hand?
  • A Neophyte at the VATT
    Development director Chris Kennedy writes about his first visit to the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.
  • From the V.O. Faith and Science Pages (Younger Readers): Maria Mitchell: The Soul of an Astronomer
    This book about America’s first professional woman astronomer is written for younger readers, but readers of all ages are likely to enjoy it.
  • In the Sky this Week – May 17, 2022
    Messier 16 (M16) is a star-forming nebula with a young open star cluster containing about 460 stars. It was discovered in 1745-46.
  • James Webb Space Telescope Inspiration
    In March, I alluded to a few mini paintings with their origins based on using copper. The three paintings were part of a fundraiser for an Irish...

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