Explanation: There's a traffic jam in Taurus lately. On April 1, this celestial frame from slightly hazy skies over Tapiobicske, Hungary recorded an impressive pile up toward the zodiacal constellation of the Bull and the Solar System's ecliptic plane. Streaking right to left the International Space Station speeds across the bottom of the telescopic field of view. Wandering about as far from the Sun in planet Earth's skies as it can get, inner planet Venus is bright and approaching much slower, overexposed at the right. Bystanding at the upper left are the sister stars of the Pleiades. No one has been injured in the close encounter though, because it really isn't very close. Continuously occupied since November 2000, the space station orbits some 400 kilometers above the planet's surface. Venus, currently the brilliant evening star, is almost 2/3 of an astronomical unit away. A more permanent resident of Taurus, the Pleiades star cluster is 400 light-years distant.
Have we all seen the Space Station fly by? Quite a sight to see when it is directly overhead.
Re: APOD: The Traffic in Taurus (2020 Apr 03)
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:26 pm
by orin stepanek
Very nice; wish Venus wasn't so bright in the photo; but still very nice! The SST really is icing on the cake heehaw!
Re: APOD: The Traffic in Taurus (2020 Apr 03)
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:49 pm
by Ann
Don't have much to add, but I'd like to give everybody's post here a like!
Ann
Re: APOD: The Traffic in Taurus (2020 Apr 03)
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 6:42 pm
by BillBixby
orin stepanek wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:26 pm
Very nice; wish Venus wasn't so bright in the photo; but still very nice! The SST really is icing on the cake heehaw! TrafficTaurusLionelMajzik_1067.jpg
Not sure how SST is being used in this reference. But it brings to mind the Super Sonic Transport,like the Concord. But the ISS is faster as it takes only about 90 minutes to orbit the blue marble.
Has the world given up on the SST as impracticable or only put it on hold for technology to advance?
orin stepanek wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:26 pm
Very nice; wish Venus wasn't so bright in the photo; but still very nice! 8-) The SST really is icing on the cake heehaw! :D TrafficTaurusLionelMajzik_1067.jpg
Not sure how SST is being used in this reference. But it brings to mind the Super Sonic Transport,like the Concord. But the ISS is faster as it takes only about 90 minutes to orbit the blue marble.
Has the world given up on the SST as impracticable or only put it on hold for technology to advance?
There's still active research into non-military supersonic aircraft. I've seen a few papers or articles about recent developments with increasing efficiency and largely eliminating shock waves.
orin stepanek wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:26 pm
Very nice; wish Venus wasn't so bright in the photo; but still very nice! The SST really is icing on the cake heehaw! TrafficTaurusLionelMajzik_1067.jpg
Not sure how SST is being used in this reference. But it brings to mind the Super Sonic Transport,like the Concord. But the ISS is faster as it takes only about 90 minutes to orbit the blue marble.
Has the world given up on the SST as impracticable or only put it on hold for technology to advance?
There's still active research into non-military supersonic aircraft. I've seen a few papers or articles about recent developments with increasing efficiency and largely eliminating shock waves.
Thanks; Chris! I wouldn't be able to reply to supersonic travel!
Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 6:57 pm
There's still active research into non-military supersonic aircraft. I've seen a few papers or articles about recent developments with increasing efficiency and largely eliminating shock waves.
Thanks; Chris! I wouldn't be able to reply to supersonic travel!
Thank you Chris from me, too. I would like that to return as an option.
Re: APOD: The Traffic in Taurus (2020 Apr 03)
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:02 am
by Jughead
I can't find Venus. Where is it relative to the Sun's glare?