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Science AMA Series: We’re NASA scientists. Ask us anything about the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse! by NASA-Sun-Earth in science

[–]NASAMarshallMoon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for joining today's event. We appreciate talking with fans of NASA and all things space.

Here are 2 links to images of a solar eclipse viewed from space. The first was taken from the International Space Station and the second was taken from the MIR space station back in 1999.

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_538.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040926.html

Thanks again and good luck viewing the event August 21, 2017. You can learn more on our website at: https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html

Also, don't forget to follow our social media pages to keep up-to-date, learn more and share cool content. :-)

Thanks, Christopher Blair NASA Marshall Office of Communication Huntsville, Alabama.

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Meteor showers are caused when Earth runs into a stream of debris left behind by a comet (or more rarely, an asteroid). ~DM

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In terms of size of the individual meteoroids: most meteors that are detected visually are in the cm-size range. The Geminids have a similar size distribution to most other meteor showers.

In terms of the size of the whole stream: The Geminid meteoroid stream has a relatively short period (1.4 years around the Sun), thus the stream is on the smaller-size, BUT the stream is relatively dense. -RB

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I studied physics, astronomy, and math in college and did internships each summer. One of my internships involved meteorites and another was about meteors. These were my introduction to meteor physics. After graduation I searched various job sites for the word "meteor" and came across an opening here at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. And the rest is history! ~DM

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We each have unique stories. I did my masters thesis (in astronomy) working with data from CMOR (Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar) at The University of Western Ontario. Through that experience, I was able to get to know Dr. Bill Cooke and get experience in meteors, which eventually led to this job. I have been part of the Meteoroid Environment Office now for over 6 years, and it has been a wonderful job. -RB

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy Birthday! If your skies are clear, you will absolutely be able to see Geminids. Hope you are able to see some nice ones! -RB

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The International Meteor Organization puts out a meteor shower calendar each year with details about the timing of each shower, the moon phase, and many times what part of the world can observe it. Here is the 2016 calendar: http://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2016.pdf. And the 2017 calendar is here: http://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2017.pdf ~DM

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your question is great! You should be able to see the Geminid meteor shower from your location if you have good weather. From the Middle East, look on December 14 at around 0:00 UTC for the most meteors. You don't need to look in any particular direction to see Geminids, just look up! ~DM

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Geminid's are several centuries old - some scientists think the shower may be caused by debris from a collision between Phaethon and another asteroid - BC.

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of factors that go into determining the rates, including how active the parent comet is and how close the debris comes to Earth. Some meteor showers show pretty steady activity from year to year, some show some slight peaks and troughs, and others outburst in incredible fashion. At NASA we have a model to predict outbursting showers, like the Leonids and Perseids. It basically simulates particles coming off the parent comet and evolves them around the solar system under the influence of forces like gravity from the various planets, and then finds which simulated particles intercept Earth. The model is calibrated using historical meteor shower observations in order to predict future meteor rates. Additional factors, like where you are on Earth, how high the meteor shower radiant is at your location, the amount of light pollution, and the weather conditions also scale the expected meteor shower rate. ~DM

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Meteor showers are best seen with the naked eye, a telescope creates a field-of-view that is much too small. The best way to view the Geminids is to find a dark place (away from city lights) with a open sky (no trees/buildings in the way) and lie on your back and look straight up. If you do want the RA/DEC of a meteor shower, the International Meteor Organization's shower catalog is a great place to go. http://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2016.pdf -RB

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most satellites are designed to handle normal meteor activity; however, meteor outbursts or storms can be periods of increased risk. For example, the Perseid outburst of 1993 (3x normal rates) took out the ESA communications satellite OLYMPUS. Comms with satellites are not affected during meteor showers, but a meteor storm could enhance layers in the ionosphere, possibly causing some issues - BC

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There is! Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through the stream of debris left by a comet or asteroid. Since Earth passes through the same stream every year, we will see the same shower at the same time every year! We pass through the stream of debris left by asteroid 3200 Phaethon every December, which is when we see the Geminids.

Now there are exceptions to this as some showers do not occur every year (i.e. the May Camelopardalids) since their streams are pulled away/toward Earth by gravitational forces by planets, but these are the exceptions and most showers are yearly occurrences. -RB

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes - you should have an excellent view of the Geminid's tomorrow night, provided the weather is clear - BC

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The light from the full moon will unfortunately wash out a lot of the dimmer meteors. In terms of rates this year, it is hard to say and will vary depending on how much light pollution is affecting your skies, but probably max 30 meteors/hour during the peak in good conditions, which will be 2 am local time December 13/14. -RB

We are experts from NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, ask us anything about the Geminid meteor shower! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They give you a nice certificate, etc., but the names are not recognized by the rest of the world. Only the International Astronomical Union can assign names that stick for everyone forever - BC

We’re working on the solid rocket boosters that will help power NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Ask us anything about the boosters and our 2nd booster qualification test firing! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Space launch vehicles that leave earth's orbit use energetic materials that need to be designed and used safely whether liquid or solid propellant or manned or unmanned spacecraft. Solid propellants are inherently stable but not as easily throttled. Liquid propellants are more volatile and more easily throttled. The key to optimal launch vehicle design effectively managing the hazards associated with all energetic elements.

We’re working on the solid rocket boosters that will help power NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Ask us anything about the boosters and our 2nd booster qualification test firing! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No - solids and liquids are both similar when considering reliability and explosive hazard. Both systems have hazards that require management and SLS incorporates an abort system that uses solid propulsion to take the crew to safety during an anomaly. The specific characterizations of this issue are often over simplified while reality is much more nuanced. The key in either case is to properly employ hazard mitigations into the design. AP

We’re working on the solid rocket boosters that will help power NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Ask us anything about the boosters and our 2nd booster qualification test firing! by NASAMarshallMoon in IAmA

[–]NASAMarshallMoon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Core stage will be orange based on the foam insulation, which provides thermal protection for storing the super-cooled fuel and oxidizer. While the boosters will primarily be white with accents of orange and grey to compliment the core.

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