Cassini's Farewell, HELP- I'm Looking for a One Metre Telescope.

[Suzy]

*** A CALL OUT TO AUSSIES WITH ACCESS TO A ONE METRE TELESCOPE WITH PLANETARY IMAGING ***


217435


On 15th September 2017, we will sadly bid farewell to the Cassini Mission ending with the spacecraft being hurled into Saturn's atmosphere. Australia has front row seating for this event. The attached simulation shows the view of Earth from Saturn at the time of Cassini's entry. There's a chance that telescopes of one metre aperture may catch the fireball.


Extensive info in this link: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1708/1708.05036.pdf


Exmouth in W.A. has excellent opportunity as Saturn will be 53 degrees above the horizon. But - correct if I'm wrong - the biggest scope I can find in W.A. with planetary imaging is 30" :question:.


I'm having a hard time trying to find a one metre scope anywhere in Australia (there is one private one at i-telescope.net at Siding Spring that I'm pursuing), so if you can help, it'd be much appreciated and we can enjoy some pics.



Time of event due: 10pm AEST / 12 UT.


I will be aiming my 10" dob at Saturn at the time to say goodbye and well... can't hurt to try and catch something, I might get lucky :astron:.



The reason for one metre, is because fireballs have been observed on Jupiter with amateur telescopes, however Saturn is further away and the spacecraft burning up is smaller, so it's approximated at being two magnitudes dimmer than fireballs seen on Jupiter.


I've put a call out on our fb page, it'd be great if you can share to get the word out :).
https://www.facebook.com/iceinspace/photos/a.443095681202.235512.114571796202/10155475166736203/?type=3&theater


If anyone catches anything, please, please share your images here!

[Lognic04]

i don't have a 1 meter scope, but i will be recording with my MT-160!

[glend]

Imaging it might be easier. Anyone who has done planetary imaging on Saturn should be able to catch it in a high frame rate video with the right focal length and conditions. Note the time is now showing as 9:54pm AEST, so looking at 10pm maybe too late as its not going to last long. Keep updated on possible time changes in the week to come.

[pluto]

I've read that the HST has been booked but they're not sure if its orbit will allow observation yet.

Worth a try on amateur gear anyway! :D

[peter_4059]

Biggestl scope I've seen in SEQ is the 30 inch dob at astrofest. Peter R owns that beast.

[Suzy]

True. The latest update to the time is now 9:55pm AEST.

Here's a timeline thanks to @CanberraDSN via Glen Nagle on twitter which has been edited with Australian times from the original infographic from NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Everyone is welcome to join our IceInSpace event page on facebook (I created it today) and keep up-todate with all the news, latest updates and links on Cassini's Grand Finale: http://bit.ly/2wY4akF (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2wY4a kF&h=ATMEGHzz9u1HB2LORDB2Glop6N1OBOGtX 9nBWqTBeQISmqeHzhrN4jbCXWs0u7Wh-aEZ0cFVF372E4rRiCFcO11H_5keL2Gm1c1Y CE-WdXCpf0CgZjMDrTYYiN5NdYrgEjyBJD0Nqa O75_QMXQsW-wAg7RIlaM_pYM7mqQ67pAd17mfOfcFdnMuK EP4Cc50C651v5LZbK35YYLtSvdYM8l7ddLR M4pYEQgY4v0cS_RQDknKcoymSkdA-BFhS9A42rTewJHpoOXILUiMjGXGX-bOtK0R5_YmXCFsR1BM)

218368

[Suzy]

It sure is worth a try isn't it Hugh :).
Can't hurt :shrug: and imagine if someone gets lucky :D.
If nothing else, we can look fondly at Saturn during the plunge and give a salute to a great mission, that's pretty special just on that count.

[Suzy]

Graphic showing the relative altitudes of Cassini's final five passes through Saturn's upper atmosphere, compared to the depth it reaches upon loss of communication with Earth.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech


218380

[Kunama]

What a fantastic mission it has been Suzy, I remember the launch and have followed the mission since then. It will be a sad time to realise on Saturday that Cassini is no more...

I will be watching Saturn tomorrow evening if these clouds allow it......

Ten months ago I was lucky to attend the Cassini presentation at the Australian National University by Dr Linda Spilker and Dr Earl Maize

[Suzy]

Hi Matt :hi:,
I can't help thinking what Carolyn Porco will be going through, both excitement and tears no doubt.

I can't wait for the release of "In Saturn's Rings" on IMAX which will cover the end of the mission in the movie. The teaser is mind blowing, it gives me chills; if you can view on a big TV, do so!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANuCH-_olaw

[rustigsmed]

are these times adjusted for the length of time the light takes to reach us? i would presume so but just checking.
but what a mission, up there with the Voyagers. going to miss those amazing photos.

[Suzy]

Hi Russell, yes it is, accounting for the 83 mins light travel from Saturn to Earth.

[andyc]

Will be looking and imaging as per guidance with my small scope and methane filter in the faint hope of a catch. Totally don't expect to see a thing, but will salute the end of a wonderful mission. I'll miss the Cassini images!

[Suzy]

That's the spirit Andy. All the best :).

[N1]

Great project, good luck with it!
And the mission, what a ride it has been.
Wikipedia entry for Cassini is already in past tense :(
Oh well, Huygens is still out there sitting on Titan's surface.

Edit: Isn't there a guy by the name of Barry in WA who's got huge dobs?

[multiweb]

Will get my C11 out too and take a shot of Saturn at the time. Even if you can't see it, it's gotta be somewhere in one of the blurry pixels :)

[Suzy]

No way, that's horrible killing it off early :(
I think large scopes need to have planetary imaging to make anything out.
I've found a 30" up for the job so we'll how that goes, I can't give out much at the moment but stay tuned if there's success.

[Suzy]

Boooo :sad:. I hear Hubble won't be looking during impact.
It will however, 10 mins afterwards by pointing its STIS instrument at Saturn. STIS combines a camera with a spectrograph, and covers a wide range of wavelengths from the near-infrared region into the ultraviolet. So I guess doing a study on the aftermath. I've no idea why it won't be looking just beforehand as well :shrug:.

Here's some observing resources put together by my friend Padma Yanamandra-Fisher and Ralph Lorenz. Padma is a planetary scientist with Space Institute and does a lot of pro-am work and outreach efforts and I've been helping her out for years. So, if by any chance, anyone observes anything, would you pleeeeease message me and I will tell you where to send the information, thanks. I hope the pics come out large enough to read, if not, download and enlarge them?

Meanwhile, here's the link for the live streaming which will start at 9pm AEST. https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/grand-finale/for-media/?admin_preview=true#streaming

And don't forget we have an Events section running over on our facebook page with lots of updates :).

Ooops and nearly forgot to mention that I've been told Canberra DSN is keeping the dishes pointed and receiving for an extra 90 mins after LOS just in case there are any unexpected late signals :lol:.


218405

218406

[coldspace]

Watching it now on Nasa tv
Awesome stuff...

[tonybarry]

Hi Suzy,

Well the WSAAG crew were at Linden Observatory to see if Ralph's predictions could perhaps come to pass.

The seeing was marginal, even in the infrared. We used a 807nm IR pass filter on a TACOS Watec 910BD videocamera; the 750mm f/4.7 scope had a 3x barlow to increase image scale, but there were patches of relatively clear seeing interspersed with the marginal stuff.

There was no obvious bolide visible on the recording.

An image is attached.

Regards,
Tony Barry
WSAAG

[multiweb]

Got a couple of videos as well at the time. It cleared in western sydney but a little wobbly. :lol:

[Dennis]

Here is an image of the planet Saturn as seen from our back garden in Brisbane, taken through my Mewlon 210 telescope on the evening that the Cassini spacecraft made its fateful plunge into Saturn's atmosphere, ending this incredible mission just one-month shy of Cassini’s 20th launch anniversary.

The spacecraft and its impact are well beyond the ability of my telescope to resolve, so no live crash-and-burn photos.;)

It was a poignant evening, gazing at the images on my computer screen as Saturn appeared to dance to the tune of the scintillations caused by the jet stream’s impact on the Earth’s atmosphere.

Cheers

Dennis

[strongmanmike]

I was observing Saturn the night of 14 Jan 2005 through my 12" SCT when Huygens touched down...but I couldn't see anything either :shrug: :P

End of an amazing mission.

Mike

[Kunama]

I watched Saturn with binoculars during the last few minutes through the sucker holes in the clouds. At 2156hours the sucker holes closed up....
After following this mission since before the launch date, I felt an emptiness !!!

Thanks Carolyn, Linda, Earl et al....

[RobF]

I only managed to look up early in the evening and admire Saturn before it went down behind the trees. Sad day, but magnificent mission :) :thumbsup:

[glend]

According to the NASA live feed, it did not burn up as there is no oxygen in the atmo to support combustion, rather it vapourised in the friction which produced extreme heat. So likely there was no visual light trail to capture, although IR might have been detectable.
The NASA live feed did show the X and S band signal graph coming from Cassini, and the telemetry report on thruster activity (which indicated Cassini fighting against the atmo drag). The thruster activity gradually became fast and faster till it was constant as Cassini fought to maintain stability for broadcast. After the red line of the thrusters the X and S band signal levels rapidly dropped away to lose of signal at approximately 1000 miles above the could tops.

I suggest watching the NASA live feed on utube, it is comprehensive and you can move forward on the time line bar to jump to parts that are most interesting. It's about an hour long, with the atmo entry in the last 15 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Ho30EMRm4&t=3955s

[Dennis]

Nice one Marc; it looks like the Mewlons were out in force last night!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[jwoody]

I found it interesting and just a little kinda sad watching the live NASA feed last night. Also had open the Deep Space Network site and watched as the signal from Canberra went dead......

[Dennis]

Hi Folks

I just added some more IR642 data to my Saturn LRGB image and after performing Digital Development in PixInsight and “Add Space Object enhancement” in Photoshop CC, noticed a strange, geometric object in the bottom left hand corner – I wonder if this could be a candidate for the Cassini Spacecraft!;):question:

Cheers

Dennis

[multiweb]

Very nice. :thumbsup:

[Suzy]

:lol::lol::lol:

Haha little Cassini there, so funny, that's a treasure, why not include it too so worthy of the occasion!
Dennis, your Saturn image is fantastic :eyepop:.

All wonderful pics, Tony, Marc and Dennis, thank you so much for sharing them, wow, these were great to see. Even if nothing got spotted, isn't it special you observed and captured images of Saturn at this time.

So sorry Tony that you guys weren't able to see anything, the Evans 30"scope was the biggest on the job to my knowledge so I was really looking forward to the results. Still.... you got to have a great moment with a magnificent telescope, enjoying Saturn at this time, so you've got to be happy with that :D.

As for me... with all the work I did trying to find scopes for this event and all the update work on our fb page, incl. the event page........... I didn't get to see Saturn at all :mad2:.
I've been so sick, why now, life is just not fair :sadeyes:. Today I finally went to the doctor after 5 days sick with a nasty cough keeping me up every night, which has hugely escalated my normal asthma levels so I've been round the clock on Ventolin nebuliser machine, and he told me that I have an upper respiratory tract chest infection and has put me on prednizone and targeted antibiotics. It would've been health suicide for me to go out in the cold late at night and believe me, I had to fight myself not to, I'm still trying to get over not having that moment with Saturn :(. But you know what, oh my gosh, seeing these pics brought such a great smile to face.

[skysurfer]

The availability of visual light has nothing to to with the (un)availability of O2.
Otherwise, we won't see any stars.
Extreme heat results in emission of blackbody radiation and any object emits visible light from 500ºC onwards, starting from dull red. The friction of Cassini in the asmosphere would likely generate temperatures above 1500ºC which is easily visible, but barely from Earth as it is too small an far away. Possibly a large space scope like JWST (6.5m across) might have detected it.
Such temperatures decompose parts made of complex chemical compounds, like plastics, but the metals mostly just melt. But later on, after being dispersed in the atmosphere all small particles will cool down (and molten metals freeze) and fall into the methane / ammonia / hydrogen ocean on Saturn.
And: plutonium will be a new chemical element on Saturn as the onboard energy supply is nuclear based.

[Dennis]

Hi Suzy

So sorry to hear that you were unwell.:(

Look after yourself and take the time to recover fully before you plunge back into the demands of daily life.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[tonybarry]

Hi Suzy,

Thank you for posting the original link to Ralph Lorenz's arViX paper. That got the show on the road. The rest is now history.

On a personal level, it was fun and enjoyable, and held a lot of interest. On a club level, it was a good activity and keeps us all in touch with each other and the equipment we have opportunity to use. It also keeps us in touch with what's happening in the scientific community. All these are good goals, even if the science goal was not achieved.

Regards,
Tony Barry

[Kunama]

Saturn seemed a little bit larger in the eyepiece last night :shrug:
.
.
.
.about 2125Kg in fact :sadeyes:

[LewisM]

No, that was atmospheric heat haze caused by Luigi's arancini ball effluence.

[Boozlefoot]

Cassini is still intact. I have it on good authority that the Saturnalians have their own version of Area 51, where the ship is currently being dismantled in the vain search for astronauts to probe.

[Suzy]

Thank you so much Dennis for the very kind and caring words. I've been taking it is easy and trying not to exert myself. My digits flying across the keyboard on the other hand are getting a thorough workout :lol:.


TO EVERYONE: HEADS UP TONIGHT


Catalyst tonight on ABC TV at 8:30pm will feature the Cassini Mission :)
. If you miss it, you'll be able to catch up on ABC I-View.

[Saturnine]

The Catalyst doco on the Cassini Mission on tonight as with the Voyager doco a few weeks ago were excellent programs highlighting how much more we have learnt about our solar system because of the data and images returned.
Thoroughly entertaining and illuminating, will happily watch them again.

[Suzy]

Hi Jeff, yes, wow, what a brilliant show it was tonight. I especially loved towards the end when filmed from Canberra DSN showing the signals as they faded out, it gave me chills. Oh, and Carolyn Porco (was she in her basement?) with a ton of large Cassini images hanging down as she showed off some very special ones. But everything was great about the show, it had me frozen watching it. Definitely worth another watch, I recorded it.

[Saturnine]

Hi Suzy

NASA and ESA must be extremely pleased with the Cassini / Huygens mission, must be one of the most successful missions launched and a successful 20 year job for the crew involved.
Re- Caroline Porcos' basement, some nice momentos of some of your lifes' work. But then could it really be classified as work or as just doing what you love.
What I'm really enjoying is the number of astronomy and space related documentaries that the ABC and SBS have been showing this year, nor forgetting Stargazing Live.