Damian Sendler: In 2022, the sky will be illuminated by total lunar eclipses, many meteor showers, and supermoons. There are a lot of celestial events to look forward to in the new year. Inevitably, the International Space Station will pass directly above at some point. Check out The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s list of visible planets if you ever need to know what planets are visible in the morning or evening sky. Here are some of the most anticipated celestial occurrences for the year 2022, so get out your binoculars and telescopes.
Damian Jacob Sendler: A total of two full moons in 2022 qualify as supermoons, with a total number of 12 full moons. In general, a supermoon is a full moon that is brighter and closer to the Earth than usual, making it look bigger in the night sky. However, specific definitions do exist. When the moon is near 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth in orbit, some astronomers believe that the event happens. Both the June and July full moons are considered supermoons under this criterion.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, there will be two complete lunar eclipses and two partial solar eclipses in 2022.
On April 30, individuals in southern South America, the southern Pacific Ocean, and the Antarctic Peninsula will be able to observe a partial solar eclipse. Another one will be visible on October 25th from Greenland, Iceland and Europe to the northeast of Africa, the Middle East, western Asia, India and western China, as well as Europe. Neither of the two partial solar eclipses will be seen in the United States or Canada.
Damian Sendler
Only a full moon can produce a lunar eclipse because the sun, Earth, and moon all line up just so for the moon to enter Earth’s shadow. During a lunar eclipse, Earth throws two shadows on the moon. There are two types of shadows: the penumbra and the umbra.
Full moons migrate into Earth’s shadow and get darker, yet they remain visible. “Blood moons” are the result of sunlight flowing through Earth’s atmosphere and illuminating the moon in a spectacular way, making it crimson.
It might seem rusty, brick-colored, or even blood red, depending on the local climate.
Red light is the most prominent hue emphasized when sunlight travels through our atmosphere and casts it on the moon. This occurs because blue light suffers more from atmospheric dispersion.
This year’s second complete lunar eclipse will take place on November 8 at 3:01 a.m. Eastern Time and last until 8:58 a.m. Eastern Time, however the moon will be setting for people in eastern North America.
Quadrantid meteor shower peaks the first week of January, bringing new year’s eve to a close.
The Lyrid meteor shower, which will peak in April, is the next in a series of 12 that will occur throughout the year.
Consider driving to a region that is not overshadowed by lights from the city, so you can get a clearer view of the night sky. From late evening till dawn, meteors may be seen every few of minutes if you can locate a spot free of light pollution.
Look for a spot with a clear view of the sky in an open region. Make sure you have a comfortable place to sit or a blanket to lie on so you can see well. It is also a good rule of thumb not to glance at your phone for at least 20 to 30 minutes, so your eyes can acclimate to the darkness.
According to NASA, the explosion from a meteor that sparked a tremendous bang in western Pennsylvania on New Year’s Day was 30 tons of TNT.
After a few minutes of silence, the noises became audible. According to a post on NASA’s Meteor Watch Facebook page, the fireball would have been clearly visible in the sky had it not been overcast. In a rough estimate, NASA claimed the explosion was nearly 100 times brighter than the moon at full moon.
NASA was able to determine the meteor’s energy output because to data gathered from an infrasound station nearby.
It is possible to estimate the meteor’s size and mass at around a yard in diameter, with a mass close to half a ton, according to NASA’s estimations.
According to the county’s Twitter account, the Pittsburgh neighborhood of South Hills got 911 calls reporting a loud boom and shaking on Saturday. At first, it was thought that the only likely causes were an earthquake and thunder and lightning.
Damian Jacob Sendler
Had there not been a haze, the exploding fireball would have been clearly visible throughout the day.
Sonic booms, which sound like an explosion or thunderclap, occur when an item moves through the atmosphere faster than the speed of sound, such as a meteor or a supersonic aircraft.
NASA has said that supersonic objects cause air to behave like a fluid. Shock waves, or sonic booms, are created when flying objects push away molecules in the air they pass through.
One of Russia’s own aging satellites was destroyed on November 15, 2021, by a missile fired from the Earth’s surface. This action produced an enormous amount of debris and put numerous space assets, including humans in orbit, in danger.
These events occurred barely two weeks after the UN General Assembly’s First Committee acknowledged the critical role played by the universe’s resources and the dangers military actions in space pose to the improvement of human life on the planet.
The First Committee of the United Nations works with disarmament, global issues, and threats to peace. It passed a resolution on Nov. 1 that establishes an open-ended committee.
Assessment of present and future space dangers, determination of when action may be regarded irresponsible and “contribution to the drafting of legally enforceable instruments,” including a convention to avoid “an arms race in space,” are the group’s main objectives.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: The commercial space industry and space law are our areas of expertise. In addition, we serve as the head and vice head of the National Space Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to space exploration. To have the United Nations recognise that peace in space is still a fragile state is a welcome change of pace. Since operations in space are becoming more vital and tensions are rising, this resolution has been adopted in a timely manner.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been ratified by 111 countries, governs space activities. There were only two countries with space capabilities at the time of the treaty’s negotiation, Soviet Union and the United States.
As a general guide, the Outer Space Treaty does not provide any specific “rules of the road” for governments. The pact essentially guarantees the right to explore and utilize space for all human beings. Two cautions are all that are needed here, and a number of holes are readily apparent.
Damien Sendler: The moon and other heavenly bodies must only be utilized for peaceful purposes, according to the first caveat. Because of this broad ban, the rest of the world is excluded. A “common interest” in the “development of the exploration and use of space for peaceful purposes” is acknowledged in the preamble of the treaty. With respect to “the equivalent interests of all States Parties to the Treaty,” the second caution states that anyone undertaking space operations must do so with “due attention.”
The lack of definitions for “peaceful aims” and “due regard,” respectively, in the treaty constitutes a significant obstacle.
Even while the Outer Space Treaty explicitly prohibits the placement of nuclear arms or weapons of mass destruction anywhere in space, it does not ban the deployment of conventional weapons in space or the use of ground-based weapons against assets in space. A last ambiguity concerns the treaty’s restriction on certain weapons, such as China’s new nuclear-capable parabolic hypersonic missile.
The treaty’s ambiguous military restrictions offer opportunity for interpretation that might lead to confrontation.
In 1942, Germany launched its first V2 rocket for military objectives.
It should come as no surprise that many of the first satellites, as well as GPS and the Soviet Space Station, were designed or have been utilized for military objectives.
The distinction between military and civilian usage of space is becoming less and less blurred as commercialization expands. Agricultural yields may be increased and human rights abuses can be monitored thanks to satellites’ ability to provide weather predictions, climate monitoring, and internet access.
A new space economy built on Earth and lunar activities shows that humanity’s reliance on outer space as a source of revenue will only grow in the future.
However, satellites that deliver advantages to the earth’s surface may — and in some cases, do — also be used for military purposes. We are left with no choice but to conclude that the distinctions between military and civilian applications are still blurry enough to increase the likelihood of a confrontation. The expansion of commercial activities will also lead to conflicts over operating zones, which might lead to military reactions from the government.
While there has been no direct military confrontation in space, there has been an increase in the number of countries attempting to demonstrate their military might in and near space. The most recent example is Russia’s latest nuclear test. An anti-satellite weapon was tested by China in 2007 and caused a massive debris cloud that is still generating difficulties. Even as late as Nov. 10, 2021, the International Space Station had to avoid a portion of the Chinese test.
There was significantly less devastation caused by similar rallies in the US and India, but the world community did not welcome them any less.
Since 1959, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has been addressing space activities.
This committee’s primary goal is to encourage international collaboration and investigate legal issues associated with space exploration. Neither can it implement the 1967 Outer Space Treaty’s concepts and rules, nor can it compel parties to discussions.
A United Nations resolution passed in November 2021 mandates that the newly formed working group meet twice a year for the next two years, starting in 2022 and continuing through 2023. Despite the slow pace of commercial space development, this is a significant milestone in global space policy.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.
