Subj : Daily APOD Report To : All From : Ben Ritchey Date : Wed Aug 15 2018 10:13:04 Astronomy Picture of the Day Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2018 August 15 [2] Launch of the Parker Solar Probe Image Credit & Copyright: John Kraus [3] Explanation: When is the best time to launch [4] a probe to the Sun? The now historic answer -- which is not a joke [5] because this really happened this past weekend -- was at night. Night, not only because NASA's Parker Solar Probe [6] 's (PSP) launch window [7] to its planned orbit [8] occurred, in part, at night, but also because most PSP instruments [9] will operate in the shadow [10] of its shield -- in effect creating its own perpetual night near the Sun [11] . Before then, years will pass as the PSP [12] sheds enough orbital energy [13] to approach the Sun [14] , swinging past Venus [15] seven times. Eventually, the PSP [16] is scheduled to pass dangerously close to the Sun, within 9 solar radii, the closest ever. This close, the temperature [17] will be 1,400 degrees Celsius [18] on the day side of the PSP's Sun shield [19] -- hot enough to melt many forms of glass [20] . On the night side, though, it will be near room temperature [21] . A major goal [22] of the PSP's mission to the Sun is to increase humanity's understanding of the Sun's explosions [23] that impact Earth's satellites [24] and power grids [25] . Pictured is the night launch [26] of the PSP aboard the United Launch Alliances [27] ' Delta IV Heavy [28] rocket early Sunday morning. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- < [29] | Archive [30] | Submissions [31] | Index [32] | Search [33] | Calendar [34] | RSS [35] | Education [36] | About APOD [37] | Discuss [38] | > [39] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [40] (MTU [41] ) & Jerry Bonnell [42] (UMCP [43] ) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [44] . NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [45] A service of: ASD [46] at NASA [47] / GSFC [48] & Michigan Tech. U. [49] ---------- Site notes: [1] archivepix.html [2] image/1808/SolarProbeLaunch_Kraus_2048.jpg [3] https://www.johnkrausphotos.com/ [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d8raqfq6oQ [5] https://books.google.com/books?id=74g-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58 [6] http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php [7] https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2018/08/12/t-4-minutes-and-holding-2/ [8] http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/images/ 16-00815_MissionDesign.png [9] http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/Spacecraft/index.php#Instruments [10] ap110102.html [11] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/ [12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_z19KPvV1w [13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvKvX-niMLA [14] http://solar-center.stanford.edu/interview/nemiroff.html [15] ap160607.html [16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe [17] http://allmeasures.com/temperature.html [18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius [19] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT9laVHZZQo [20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHl9Ms9HOo [21] http://mscouponista.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ Pancho-Cooling-Off-300x225.jpg [22] http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php#Science-Objectives [23] ap031029.html [24] https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Space_for_you/ How_the_Sun_affects_us_on_Earth [25] https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/ 110302-solar-flares-sun-storms-earth-danger-carrington-event-science/ [26] https://www.flickr.com/photos/ulalaunch/albums/72157699429674795 [27] https://www.ulalaunch.com/ [28] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_IV_Heavy [29] ap180814.html [30] archivepix.html [31] lib/apsubmit2015.html [32] lib/aptree.html [33] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search [34] calendar/allyears.html [35] /apod.rss [36] lib/edlinks.html [37] lib/about_apod.html [38] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180815 [39] ap180816.html [40] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html [41] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ [42] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html [43] http://www.astro.umd.edu/ [44] lib/about_apod.html#srapply [45] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html [46] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ [47] https://www.nasa.gov/ [48] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ [49] http://www.mtu.edu/ --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A39 (Windows/32) * Origin: FIDONet - The Positronium Repository (1:393/68) .