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ARKIVERET INDHOLD
03 APR. 2020
Udgivelsesdato
9330
Visninger
On 10 April, BepiColombo will be visible to amateur and professional astronomers during its first – and only – Earth flyby, as the spacecraft makes its way to Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System. The best place to spot it is the southern hemisphere, but observers in southern locations of the northern hemisphere might also catch a parting view of the spacecraft.
BepiColombo will make its closest Earth approach at 05:24:58 BST (06:24:58 CEST) on 10 April 2020 as it crosses the sky from East to West. The spacecraft will not be visible to the naked eye, but observers with access to a small telescope, binoculars or a camera might be able to catch the Mercury explorer as it bids farewell to our home planet.
“The flyby has an emotional effect,” says Johannes Benkhoff, BepiColombo Project Scientist at ESA.
“It’s the last time that we can see the spacecraft from Earth, so we are inviting amateur and professional astronomers to observe it before it goes.”
The scheduled flyby takes place as billions of people across the world face an exceptional situation caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which limits human movement and therefore also the access to many professional telescopes. Amateur astronomers in suitable locations, far from large cities, can contribute from their home terrace or garden.
“BepiColombo should be visible with a small telescope, accessible to amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere or in southern parts of the northern hemisphere,” adds Joe Zender, ESA BepiColombo Deputy Project Scientist.
“If you live in southern Europe – south of Rome or Madrid, for example – you might be able to glimpse it for a moment, and the further south you are, the longer you should be able to see it. If something appears as a moving star in the field of view of your telescope or camera, that will be Bepi.”
Mediemodal
Say goodbye to BepiColombo
BepiColombo will make its closest Earth approach at 05:24:58 BST (06:24:58 CEST) on 10 April 2020 as it crosses the sky from East to West. The spacecraft will not be visible to the naked eye, but observers with access to a small telescope, binoculars or a camera might be able to catch the Mercury explorer as it bids farewell to our home planet.
“The flyby has an emotional effect,” says Johannes Benkhoff, BepiColombo Project Scientist at ESA.
“It’s the last time that we can see the spacecraft from Earth, so we are inviting amateur and professional astronomers to observe it before it goes.”
The scheduled flyby takes place as billions of people across the world face an exceptional situation caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which limits human movement and therefore also the access to many professional telescopes. Amateur astronomers in suitable locations, far from large cities, can contribute from their home terrace or garden.
“BepiColombo should be visible with a small telescope, accessible to amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere or in southern parts of the northern hemisphere,” adds Joe Zender, ESA BepiColombo Deputy Project Scientist.
“If you live in southern Europe – south of Rome or Madrid, for example – you might be able to glimpse it for a moment, and the further south you are, the longer you should be able to see it. If something appears as a moving star in the field of view of your telescope or camera, that will be Bepi.”
Mediemodal
This simulation shows BepiColombo’s flyby as seen by an observer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The spacecraft can be seen flying in relation to constellations of stars behind it, which may make it easy to look for in the night sky.
BepiColombo will make its closest Earth approach at 05:24:58 BST (06:24:58 CEST) on 10 April 2020 as it crosses the sky from East to West. The spacecraft will not be visible to the naked eye, but observers with access to a small telescope, binoculars or a camera might be able to catch the Mercury explorer as it bids farewell to our home planet.
“The flyby has an emotional effect,” says Johannes Benkhoff, BepiColombo Project Scientist at ESA.
“It’s the last time that we can see the spacecraft from Earth, so we are inviting amateur and professional astronomers to observe it before it goes.”
The scheduled flyby takes place as billions of people across the world face an exceptional situation caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which limits human movement and therefore also the access to many professional telescopes. Amateur astronomers in suitable locations, far from large cities, can contribute from their home terrace or garden.
“BepiColombo should be visible with a small telescope, accessible to amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere or in southern parts of the northern hemisphere,” adds Joe Zender, ESA BepiColombo Deputy Project Scientist.
“If you live in southern Europe – south of Rome or Madrid, for example – you might be able to glimpse it for a moment, and the further south you are, the longer you should be able to see it. If something appears as a moving star in the field of view of your telescope or camera, that will be Bepi.”
Mediemodal
For anyone at northern latitudes or without access to telescopes and binoculars, follow @BepiColombo, @esaoperations and @esascience on Twitter for live updates.
The three spacecraft modules also have personalised accounts (@ESA_Bepi, @JAXA_MMO, and @ESA_MTM) that you may follow for extra content and a unique take on the mission.
Look out too for this real-time animation on the Heavens-Above website depicting the spacecraft’s position, as it edges closer and then disappears into the dark sky forever.
More information
Around closest approach, BepiColombo will have a magnitude of eight, meaning that it will not be visible to the naked eye (the faintest sources in the sky visible to the naked eye have a magnitude of six, with lower magnitude values indicating brighter objects).
Further details about the visibility of the BepiColombo flyby from Earth are available here: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/bepicolombo-flyby/ground-based-observations
Mediemodal
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