A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Astronaut Buzz Aldrin

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Image (Credit): Buzz Aldrin. (CNN)

On this day in 1930, Edwin Eugene (Buzz) Aldrin Jr. came into the world. Since that day, he has been busy with adventures in the sky (US Air Force fighter pilot), in orbit (Gemini 12), and on the Moon (Apollo 11). He will always be remembered as part of the first pair of humans (Neil Armstrong being the other half) to step on the lunar surface.

Here are a few other interesting facts about Mr. Aldrin:

  • “Buzz” came from his sister mispronouncing “brother” as “buzzer”;
  • his father wanted him to go to the Naval Academy, but Buzz’s seasickness steered hims towards West Point;
  • he flew 66 combat missions in Korea;
  • the was the first astronaut with a doctoral degree;
  • the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon;
  • following the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins toured Michael Collins toured 22 countries over 38 days;
  • he was the oldest person to reach the South Pole at age 86;
  • he has written numerous books, including his autobiography Magnificent Desolation.
Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing

A Day in Astronomy: The Start of the Pluto Mission

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Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

On this day in 2006, NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The objective of the mission was to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. In 2015, the spacecraft spent six months studying Pluto and its moons. New Horizons is now on an extended mission exploring other parts of the Kuiper Belt.

Here is last year’s mission summary from NASA:

New Horizons flew past Pluto in 2015 and the Kuiper belt object (KBO) Arrokoth in 2019. In its second extended mission, New Horizons will continue to explore the distant solar system out to 63 astronomical units (AU) from Earth. The New Horizons spacecraft can potentially conduct multi-disciplinary observations of relevance to the solar system and NASA’s Heliophysics and Astrophysics Divisions. Additional details regarding New Horizons’ science plan will be provided at a later date.

Image (Credit): Pluto as seen by the New Horizons spacecraft (with enhanced color). (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Astronomer Johannes Kepler

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Credit: NASA

It was on December 27, 1571 that German astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer Johannes Kepler was born in the Free Imperial City of Weil der Stadt. He is best remembered for his laws of planetary motion, though he had many discoveries, including:

  • The first to formulate eyeglass designing for nearsightedness and farsightedness;
  • The first to explain the principles of how a telescope works;
  • The first to develop integral calculus;
  • The first to explain that the tides are caused by the Moon; and
  • The first to derive the birth year of Christ (a date that is now universally accepted).

Kepler’s name is also attached to a NASA space telescope launched into space in 2009 that was designed to detect exoplanets, which it did with great success. Thanks to the Kepler Space Telescope, we now know that planets are common throughout the galaxy, including Earth-sized planets. As of today, NASA reports there are 5,235 confirmed exoplanets, and more than 9,000 are still being reviewed. However, using the small patch of sky studied by the Kepler telescope as a start, scientists now estimate the Milky Way may contain over 100 billion exoplanets.

Credit: NASA Exoplanet Exploration

A Day in Astronomy: The Last Lunar Footprint

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Image (Credit): Official emblem of the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission. (NASA)

On this day in 1972, Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan was the last human to be on the Moon. He was the eleventh human to ever step on the Moon.

Here is the full crew of Apollo 17:

  • Eugene A. Cernan, Commander
  • Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot
  • Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot

Mr. Cernan, who passed away in 2017, was also part of the Apollo 10 mission that orbited the moon without landing (similar to the upcoming Artemis II mission).

With the successful orbit of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon this month, let’s hope the 50 year dryspell is finally over and the United States can again be the nation putting humans back on the lunar surface. Of course, we will be followed by others, including the Chinese. Yet it’s important the first space-faring nation get back in the game and restart the human exploration of the Moon, and then Mars soon thereafter.

A Day in Astronomy: The Blue Marble

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Image (Credit): The Blue Marble from 1972. (NASA)

On this day in 1972, the Apollo 17 crew on their way to the Moon took a photograph of the Earth that became known as “The Blue Marble” (shown above). You can see Africa, the Middle East, and Antarctica. It remains one of the most popular images of the Earth.

The Orion spacecraft caught its own image of the Earth earlier in Artemis I mission (shown below). It is more of a black and white marble. We can expect to see many more images of the Earth in the years to come as the Artemis missions continue.

Image (Credit): View of the Earth from the Orion spacecraft on November 17, 2022. (NASA)