Space lovers are looking forward to the big space "dates" of 2015: Four eclipses and distant explorations of Pluto, the asteroid Demeter and new adventures in 67P.
Without doubt the great astronomical event of the new year is the total solar eclipse, which coincides with the arrival of spring, on the morning of March 20. The shadow of the Moon is expected to gradually cover him Helium over the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Circle.
For a few minutes the day will be night, while the impressive natural phenomenon will be partly visible from Europe, North Africa and Western Russia. The second solar eclipse, this time, comes in the second half of this year, 13 September, and is expected to be visible in South Africa, the southern part of the Indian Ocean and Antarctica.
But the eclipses do not stop here. And the Moon will have two eclipses, as it is expected to pass twice through the shadow of the Earth. A total lunar eclipse is expected on April 4, around 12 noon, which will be visible if the weather is favorable over the Pacific Ocean, East Asia and Northwest America. The phase of total eclipse will last about twelve minutes, during which the Moon will no longer be visible from Earth. The second partial lunar eclipse for 2015 is expected on September 28. The bronze color of the Moon will be visible from Europe, Africa, South America and Northwest America.
Planetary meeting Zeus-Aphrodite
But the interesting planetary phenomena do not stop at eclipses. On February 6, 2015, Jupiter, the eldest planet of our solar system, it will be visible from Earth with great clarity, while during the night it will be the brightest star in the sky. But Venus will also make her appearance in the starry sky between January and July and will be visible from both the northern and southern hemispheres.
In June, Venus is expected to approach Jupiter, presenting a unique spectacle even with the naked eye, since the two planets are about to meet each other. The two distant planets will renew their interplanetary appointment for October 26. At this time, the eastern side of Mars will be visible.
Earth visits to distant planets
Μέσα στο 2015 θα έχει επίσης την «τιμητική» της και η εξευρεύνηση του διαστήματος. Ο Πλούτωνας αναμένεται να τραβήξει τα βλέμματα των ειδικών, αφού τα πρώτα ερευνητικά Results της αποστολής «New Horizons» της ΝΑSA, η οποία βρίσκεται στο διάστημα ήδη από το 2006, θα στείλει κρίσιμα στοιχεία για την ταυτότητα του μακρινού πλανήτη. Το υλικό που αναμένεται να συλλέξει το «New Horizons» θεωρείται ότι θα διαφωτίσει σημαντικά τη μελέτη της μορφολογίας του πλανήτη αλλά και της σύσταση της επιφάνειάς του.
Finally, with great interest the scientists are also waiting for the findings of two more groundbreaking space missions: the Rosetta mission with the Philae robotic vessel, which has already been traced to the distant comet 67P or else to Tsiriomof - Gersaymenko or Tsuri - but also the "Dawn" mission, which is expected to reach its peak in March 2015 the asteroid Demeter. In these two missions, in which German research involvement is intense, space experts are putting forward many hopes for substantial progress in studying the beginnings of our solar system and its evolution.
Source: Skai.gr
