Matt Woods from Perth Observatory sat down with Doug to discuss what is happening in space for the month of February.
Artemis 2
Matt detailed the launch attempt of Artemis 2.
“Artemis is the America going back to the moon,” began Matt.
He explained that Artemis was the moon god for the Greeks and also the sister of Apollo.
“This one is going to be very much like Apollo 8. You go to the moon, you orbit around it and then come back. They’re not going to land. They’re going to carry 4 astronauts on a roughly 10-day lunar flyby.”
Following Artemis 2 will be Artemis 3, which will actually land on the moon.
A Few Firsts
According to Matt, this rocket will include the first toilet to go out of Earth’s orbit.
“So they’re actually going to have a toilet where they can close the door and do their business,” he said.
The Space Launch System
“The Space Launch System has been in some form of configuration since probably mid to late 2000s. And so, especially the Orion capsule. So this will be the Orion capsule’s third launch.”
Matt said that people like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are making cheaper rockets than the ones built in the early 00s.
“So it’s really this is only going to be the time that Space Launch System is going to be launched. But it’s definitely making new technologies that not only work in space, but also here on Earth as well.”
Australian of the Year
Matt had the opportunity to meet Australian of the Year, Catherine Bunnell-Pegg who was the first person to qualify as an astronaut under the Australian flag.
“I actually got to meet her when she came up to the Observer,” said Matt. “She’s the Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency in Adelaide.”
Catherine Bunnell-Pegg also holds the honorary rank of Group Captain in the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve. She previously served in the Army Reserve and does a lot of work with STEM and promoting science, engineering and space careers among young people.
Total Lunar Eclipse
There is a total lunar eclipse, expected to appear on March 3rd 2026. “This total lunar eclipse will be where the moon goes completely into the shadow of the earth,” said Matt. “We are very lucky to live in a time where the moon, even though it’s 400 times smaller than the sun, it’s actually 400 times closer to us.”
Matt explained that because of the moon’s positioning and proximity towards Earth, we are able to witness a blood orange moon.
“For about an hour or so, that you’ll see the shadow slowly eating the moon away. And then then it will go for about another hour being completely blood orange.”
Our Atmosphere
“Our atmosphere is blue because of Raleine scattering, it scatters the blue part of the light And so what’s left over is red and yellow light that hits the moon. And when you get, when you mix red and yellow, you get orange. And so that’s where you get this blood orange color. And it dims dramatically as well. I think it drops about a magnitude.”
The exact time of this moon and lunar eclipse will begin at 8:02pm on Tuesday 3rd of March.
Check out the full interview with Matt Woods on Mornings with Doug below.