UCF Robinson Observatory

See you at the first of the semester on Thursday! Should have good views of the Moon and Saturn. Assuming the weather cooperates.

Robinson Observatory - UCF Planetary Sciences Group Robinson Observatory Robinson Observatory (RO) is a research and education facility at the University of Central Florida. It is run by the faculty and students of the Planetary Sciences Group and of the UCF […]

Dropping a cool new documentary about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) featuring UCF planetary scientist Noemi Pinilla-Alonso at UCF's Robinson Observatory!
https://youtu.be/3jT_Zui1Am8

Seeing The Universe Like We've Never Seen It Before Now that the James Webb Space Telescope has released its first images, it’s time for the science programs to begin. We meet 5 scientists who will be using t...

In honor of here are a few things to know about , an extensively observed asteroid by the Arecibo Observatory. ☄️

• Bennu is classified as a B-type asteroid, which means it contains a lot of carbon in and along with its various minerals.

• It is so primitive that scientists calculated it formed in the first 10 million years of our solar system’s history — over 4.5 billion years ago.

• It is so old, Bennu could be made of a material containing molecules that were present when life first formed on Earth.

• Bennu is likely to be rich in platinum and gold compared to the average crust on Earth.

• The side of Bennu facing the Sun gets warmed by sunlight, but a day on Bennu lasts just 4 hours and 17.8 minutes, so the part of the surface that faces the Sun shifts constantly.

• Between the years 2175 and 2199, the chance that Bennu will impact Earth is only 1-in-2,700, but scientists still don’t want to turn their backs on the asteroid.

• Bennu was named after an ancient Egyptian deity.

Ten Things to Know About Bennu (2020) NASA https://go.nasa.gov/3NDKQfS

Yes MegaCon There IS a Black Hole - The MegaCon special Walkabout The Galaxy Podcast! Live from MegaCon 2022 in Orlando, we team up with space reporter Brendan Byrne to discuss the image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, great ...

The Arecibo Newsletter for Spring 2022 is out now!

In it, you will find the most recent articles and papers redacted with Arecibo staff or data.

You can read up on and sign up for our seasonal newsletter at: https://naic.edu/ao/newsletters

AO documentary coming out. Hard to believe it's been a year since that sad day.

Arecibo Observatory Documentary Debuts on 1-Year Anniversary of the Telescope’s Collapse | University of Central Florida News Arecibo Observatory Documentary Debuts on 1-Year Anniversary of the Telescope’s Collapse | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus, Research, Science & Technology, Orlando and Central Florida news.

Hm that setting looks somehow familiar..... ;) Donate via this link: https://www.ucffoundation.org/robinson-observatory so that we can provide you with more astronomy events in the future

University of Central Florida 🖤💛 I'm supporting UCF's Greatest Needs this Giving Tuesday. Will you join me? ⚔️

Wow, some news!

UCF Names Its Microgravity Research Center in Honor of Stephen W. Hawking | University of Central Florida News UCF Names Its Microgravity Research Center in Honor of Stephen W. Hawking | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus, Community, Research, Orlando and Central Florida news.

After 57 years of science, where do we go from here?

The Biggest Dream will be in select theaters starting December 2nd.

For more information about the Arecibo Observatory movie, visit our webpage at: https://www.naic.edu/ao/movie

Trailer for movie about AO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEovDt6eci4

Arecibo Observatory Movie - The Biggest Dream TRAILER The loss of the Bill E. Gordon radio telescope has left a void in the world of radio science, the mountains that cradled it, and the hearts of many visitors ...

To all who registered for our event today: not sure yet if the weather will cooperate. Expect a final go/no-go decision at 5 pm.

Tonight is International Observe the Moon Night! We'll have telescopes set up at Knights Plaza from 7:30-9 pm tonight for up-close views of the Moon (and some planets too!). We strongly encourage mask-wearing and social distancing. https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/

International Observe the Moon Night – Moon: NASA Science Moon.nasa.gov is NASA's deep dive resource for lunar exploration from astronauts to robots.

UCF Moon Dust Research Blasts Off Aboard Blue Origin | University of Central Florida News UCF Moon Dust Research Blasts Off Aboard Blue Origin | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus, Research, Science & Technology, Orlando and Central Florida news.

UCF Planetary Scientists Join Star-Studded MegaCon Guest List | University of Central Florida News UCF Planetary Scientists Join Star-Studded MegaCon Guest List | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus, Research, Science & Technology, Orlando and Central Florida news.

This week it's time for the Perseid meteor shower. Some info about how to see it: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/. And some other info about how to not be disappointed if you try to watch from an area with light pollution: https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2021/08/09/how-many-perseids-will-i-see-in-2021/

How many Perseids will I see in 2021? – Watch the Skies How many Perseids will I see in 2021? By Bill Cooke, NASA Meteoroid Environments Office Many Perseid-related news stories and social media posts state that the maximum rate is about 100 meteors per hour, which is a lot. So, folks get excited and go out on the peak night, braving mosquitos and other....

https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_weather/Name_ESA_s_new_mission

Name ESA’s new mission! Safety & Security Name ESA’s new mission! 17/05/2021 28561 views 116 likes ESA / Safety & Security / Space weather ESA needs you. We need a name for our new spacecraft. Its mission? To spot potentially hazardous solar storms before they reach Earth. Spacecraft monitoring the Sun The new space we...

The 2021 summer newsletter is out!
Here you can read our most recent science highlights and stories!
http://www.naic.edu/ao/newsletters

Reach for the stars ✨

📸: UCF Burnett Honors College student Zachary Morris

There's a big group of asteroids out there between Mars and Jupiter with UCF names on them!

12 UCF Researchers Honored with Asteroids Named after Them | University of Central Florida News 12 UCF Researchers Honored with Asteroids Named after Them | Read more about UCF Colleges & Campus, Research, Science & Technology, Orlando and Central Florida news.

Science is still being done down at Arecibo....

First-of-its-Kind Study Finds Lightning Impacts Edge of Space in Ways not Previously Observed | University of Central Florida News First-of-its-Kind Study Finds Lightning Impacts Edge of Space in Ways not Previously Observed | Read more about UCF Research, Science & Technology, Student Life, Orlando and Central Florida news.

And here's Ganymede....

Hello, old friend. Yesterday our Juno spacecraft made the first close flyby of Jupiter’s giant moon Ganymede in more than 20 years, and the first images have been received on Earth. 📸 More to come.

See more images and details at: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/news/see-the-first-images-juno-took-as-it-sailed-by-ganymede

“This is the closest any spacecraft has come to this mammoth moon in a generation,” said Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “We are going to take our time before we draw any scientific conclusions, but until then we can simply marvel at this celestial wonder."

Alas we cannot see any of Thursday's partial solar eclipse from Central FL. Sorry! But if you're up early anyway, there are some livestream options linked in this explanatory article: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observing-news/a-sunrise-annular-solar-eclipse/ .

A Sunrise Annular Solar Eclipse - Sky & Telescope Even if you're not in the path of annularity during the June 10th solar eclipse, get ready for a sunrise spectacle.

Lunar eclipse early Wednesday morning! Just keep in mind that we can't see totality from Florida this time. But you could get a nice view of the partial phase.

A lunar is sometimes called a "blood moon," but the actual source of the red color is quite gentle: it's light filtered through all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth. Here's our video guide to and how to see it on May 26 in some parts of the world: youtu.be/dHTOMMWzDfU?t=67

Stop by solarsystem.nasa.gov for a lunar eclipse celebration, including our interactive, 3D model of the Moon during the eclipse, and scroll down for photography tips, answers to common questions, and more.

Photo by Kevin M. Gill

We're less than a week away from a lunar eclipse! Part of it will be visible from Central Florida, you'll just have to get up really early, before dawn next Wednesday. The penumbral phase, when the Moon will still look pretty gray but will have a darker chunk, lasts from about 4:45 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. The partial phase, when the Moon is moving into the deepest part of Earth's shadow (its umbra) comes after that. Parts of the Moon could look dark-red for us during this partial phase. But the Moon will be close to the western horizon, since it sets at 6:30 a.m. Plus, the sky itself will be brightening up as sunrise approaches. But it will still look very dramatic! A simulation of what we'll see is here: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/orlando .

If you miss this lunar eclipse, don't worry. We'll have a better one in November and an even better one a year from now, in May 2022!

Super Blood Moon: Your Questions Answered – Moon: NASA Science May 26, 2021 brings the “most super” of this year’s supermoons, and on top of that, a total lunar eclipse.