Did you ever find yourself out under a clear, dark sky in November wondering what to look at? How about targeting a few objects in the constellation Pegasus, one of my favorite autumn constellations. Here are some suggestions:Galaxy NGC 7479 is one of the most popular objects for viewing in the constellation, as it shows a distinct, nearly face-on barred spiral structure. Photos of NGC 7479 appear frequently in astronomy magazines and on the web and give this object a familiar form. This galaxy lies at the end of a long string of stars that appear starkly to viewers with a 3-inch scope. In a…
Astronomy
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Astronomy.com blog
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Try these weekend observing targets
20 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am -
NASA technology in your world
19 Nov 2009 | 9:58 amNASA recently released its 2009 edition of Spinoff, an annual publication that chronicles successfully commercialized NASA technology. It’s easy to get lost in the magazine or its Web counterpart.The 2009 issue features 49 “spinoffs” in the areas of health and medicine; public safety; consumer, home, and recreation; environmental and agricultural resources; and more. I enjoyed many of them, but my favorites are the life rafts that use water to prevent the them from capsizing, the star-mapping tools used to track whale sharks, and the “anti-gravity” treadmill that now helps patients… -
Leaving Earth behind
17 Nov 2009 | 7:03 amThe International Space Station may not inspire everyone with awe, but it has kept humanity consistently in space at all times for just over 9 years. NASA photoI inadvertently let an anniversary slip by a few weeks ago. It wasn’t a major one (I’m not sleeping on the couch), but it was nifty enough that I wish I could have celebrated appropriately.I refer, of course, to the ninth anniversary of the last day every human being was on Earth. On October 31, 2000, the first resident crew of the International Space Station (ISS) launched, and ever since at least two people have been in space at… -
Busting astronomy myths
16 Nov 2009 | 11:22 amAs the editorial staff of the world’s best-selling astronomy publication, we get a lot of e-mails. Some suggest story ideas, some praise a column, feature, or image, and many ask questions.Lately, lots of e-mail writers have enquired about astronomy-related stories they’ve heard on the radio or television or read on the Internet. For example, “Is it true that Mars will appear as large as the Full Moon to the naked eye in August?” or, “I’ve heard astronauts can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon.”Both of these are myths. And, although we answer all e-mails sent to us, at… -
This is the way the world ends
16 Nov 2009 | 9:42 amThis isn’t going to happen in 2012! Baseless theories, like a proposed planetary alignment on the scale of this photo illustration, have led many to fear the year 2012 needlessly. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (NASA) photoRejoice, for the end is nigh. Not of the actual world, of course, but of 2012’s marketing campaign.As you are no doubt aware, Roland Emmerich’s end-of-the-world epic, 2012, opened this weekend. As in Emmerich’s previous movies (Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow), 2012 features mass destruction and plucky everyday people who become heroes. But,…
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Discover Blogs
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Radio Alert: Science Fantastic Today At 5 | The Loom
21 Nov 2009 | 8:04 amToday at 5 pm EST I am going to be on Science Fantastic, the radio show hosted by physicist Michio Kaku. You can call in at 800-449-8255. Here’s a list of stations that carry the show, either live or repeated later this week. -
Exquisite rubble | Bad Astronomy
21 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amI know, I usually wax lyrical and scientific over this picture or that returned from various astronomical and space observatories. But honestly, I don’t have a whole lot to say about this particular image, from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, showing boulders that have rolled downhill to the bottom of the 45 kilometer-wide Rutherford crater: Except: a) Click to embiggen. 2) I still have not gotten used to these super hi-res pictures. This one is 510 meters across. See the big rock at the top, left of center? The one casting a long shadow? That’s about the size of my yard, and I… -
Weekly News Roundup: A Klingon Dad, Russian Space Bloggers, & Black Market Fat | Discoblog
20 Nov 2009 | 2:04 pm• Gardak! To learn about children and language, Dad speaks to son only in Klingon for first three years of the child’s life. • In Soviet Russia, blog writes you! Maksim Suraev, a Russian cosmonaut, joins the blogosphere with a healthy dose of cold war humor about life on the International Space Station. • In a case of Project Mayhem gone terribly bad, Peru police say a gang drained the fat from their murder victims and sold it on the black market for use in cosmetics. • Wisconsin looks to become the first state to recognize an official state microbe. Of course the bacterium,… -
Found: Dino-Munching Crocodiles Who Swam in the Sahara | 80beats
20 Nov 2009 | 1:25 pmA thrilling set of ancient crocodile fossils have been unearthed in northern Africa. A “saber-toothed cat in armor” and a pancake-shaped predator are among the strange crocodile cousins whose bones have been found beneath the windswept dunes of the Sahara, archaeologists say [National Geographic News] At a news conference organized by the National Geographic Society, which sponsored the research, scientists announced that the fossils represent 5 species; 3 new species and 2 that were previously known. These ancient croc ancestors, known as crocodilyforms, are unlike any crocodiles… -
Sirius Stargazing | Bad Astronomy
20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pmI have few regrets in life, but if there’s one, it’s that I didn’t have access to all this amazing technology when I was a teenager and figuring out just how I was going to tackle my love for astronomy. How I would have loved podcasts, programmable telescopes, CCDs, websites with satellite pass information… But that’s the way things are now, and lots of people are putting this tech to good use. Like, for example, Sirius Stargazing, a new YouTube channel with info on how to observe various astronomical objects. It’s just starting out but off to a good start.
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Science @ NASA Feature Stories Podcast
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SOFIA Seeks Secrets of Planetary Birth
18 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmImagine cutting retractable doors in the side of a 747 airliner, installing a 17-ton telescope, and flying to the stratosphere to solve one of astronomy's greatest puzzles. That's what NASA and the German Aerospace Center plan to do with a cutting-edge airborne observatory named SOFIA. Please vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley! Get this podcast story. -
LCROSS Finds Water on the Moon
12 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmThe argument that the Moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water. At a press conference today, researchers revealed data from NASA's LCROSS mission indicating that water exists in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. Please vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley! Get this podcast story. -
Can Spirit be Freed?
11 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmOn Monday, NASA will begin transmitting commands to its Mars exploration rover Spirit as part of an escape plan to free the venerable robot from its Martian sand trap. Please vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley! Get this podcast story. -
The 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower
9 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmThe 2009 Leonid meteor shower peaks on Nov. 17th with a sprinkling of meteors over North America and a possible outburst over Asia. Please vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley! Get this podcast story. -
A Tale of Planetary Woe
5 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmLong ago, something calamitous happened to Mars, transforming a hospitable world into the apparently lifeless desert we see today. Many scientists believe the Red Planet lost most of its atmosphere, but how? A new NASA mission named MAVEN is specifically designed to answer that question. Please vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley! Get this podcast story.
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Astronomy Today.com
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Lunar Landing Sights
30 Oct 2009 | 5:32 amYes, we did go to the Moon! Paul Downing designed this webpage of Lunar Landing sites taken by the high resolution camera aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Marked sites are highlighted areas where the moon-walking astronauts abandoned equipment. Thank you Paul for this interesting and important information. -
Two New Book Reviews
28 Oct 2009 | 1:16 pmZoo in the Sky: a Book of Animal Constellations (left) is aimed at teaching children about the constellations. We were quite impressed by its colourful, yet accurate, representations of the sky. Read: the full review of Zoo in the Sky. Pluto Confidential (right) focuses on Pluto’s status as a planet while also charting past astronomical disputes. Written by two astronomers with opposing viewpoints, it provides a balanced account of the arguments. Read: the full review of Pluto Confidential. -
ARES I-X rocket was ‘Go’ for launch but delayed by weather
27 Oct 2009 | 6:46 amThe goal of ARES I-X is to test a rocket design which will enable a manned vehicle to launch in a range of weather and wind conditions. More than 700 sensors will be relaying useful data, including sound waves generated by the motor as well as behavior of the stack in wind speed and direction. (more…) -
Moon/Jupiter Conjunction for 26Oct2009.
26 Oct 2009 | 6:12 amTonight (26Oct2009), just after sunset, look for a Moon/Jupiter conjunction. The pair should appear in the southern sky, in the constellation of Capricornus. The pair should be easily visible through city light pollution, so observers will not need to drive to the country to see it. Neither should high, thin clouds prevent the pair from being seen. The conjunction should be an easy target for photographers. See what you can do with it and then let me know if you have a nice shot. Don’t automatically send it to me, but let me know first, then I’ll tell you how to send a photo… -
Solar Cycle 24 Perking Up
26 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amSolar Cycle 24 has been very calm and mostly uneventful. We have seen one of the longest minimums in recorded history. And solar observers have not had much to report. This weekend, that all changed. During Oct 23-25, Sunspot 1029 grew into quite a nice display. B- and C-Class flares associated with Sunspot 1029 could be seen, and the complex grew quickly. If the growth continues, Sunspot 1029 may become one of the largest, if not the largest, sunspot complex for the year. (more…)
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Tom's Astronomy Blog
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Water… Water Everywhere…
20 Nov 2009 | 2:16 pmMost of us watched with interest as the LCROSS slammed into the moon October 9, 2009. Most of us saw… not much, admittedly. But NASA has been working at high speed to analyze data from the impact, and they have discovered water. Yes, water. On the moon. Image: LCROSS – NASA This opens up a whole new avenue for space exploration, because with water already present on the moon we can set up a cost-efficient moon base from which to work. Also, remember those bacteria found on equipment left on the moon years ago? They were terrestrial, of course, but after having been… -
Ticking Time Bomb
19 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pmA 2-year time lapse series of the ticking time bomb V445 Puppis. Click for larger. Image credit: ESO Here is a great example of the process leading up to a type 1A supernova. Most of the time when we think of a supernova we think of a massive star collapsing in on itself because it has exhausted all of its fuel and gravity overcomes the force of the nuclear fires and hydrostatic pressure is lost and there is a collapse of titanic proportions. However there is more than one way to create a supernova and V445 Puppis is a great example of what could become such a supernova called a Type 1A… -
Now, For a Really Close Look at an Old Friend…
18 Nov 2009 | 12:50 pmMeteors are fascinating, aren’t they? Whether we’re talking about the ones we pick up off the ice in Antarctica, or the ones that go blazing by overhead at terminal velocity. Scientists have made some important discoveries from examining meteors here on Earth. Divided into categories based on their composition, and named after where they are found (or who they hit), it is estimated that about 500 objects make it to the surface of the Earth each year. Everybody remembers when this image made the world news: Image: NASA/JPL SOHO/ESA (ALH840001) When the fragment was viewed… -
Chicken Little Was Right
17 Nov 2009 | 6:27 amMeteorites, asteroids, comets, outer planet crossers, astronomical objects, celestial objects… the sky IS falling, and sometimes it’s falling in quite respectable-sized chunks. The object which fell 50,000 years ago to the Northern Arizona desert, resulting in Meteor Crater (Barringer Crater), was composed of nickel-iron, 150 feet across, weighing 300,000 tons, and traveling at 28,600 mph. Image: Public domain, USGS The asteroid to hit Vredefort, South Africa, is one of the largest ever known to have hit the Earth; estimated at over 10 km (6 miles) wide. At slightly over 2… -
Launch Day!
16 Nov 2009 | 2:04 amUPDATE: BEAUTIFUL LAUNCH! Mission/Orbiter:STS-129 / Atlantis Crew: Commander: Charlie Hobaugh, Pilot: Barry Wilmore, Mission Specialists: Robert Satcher, Michael Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Crew bios here. Note: This is the last scheduled space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the International Space Station. Current Status: Go Launch Date: Monday November 16, 2009 14:28 EST Odds of Launch: 90 percent. Launch Pad 39A — Webcam Image courtesy: NASA/Kennedy Space Center NOAA’s Forecast: Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. North northwest wind between 5 and…
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Universe Today
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De Plume! De Plume! Enceladus Raw Flyby Images
21 Nov 2009 | 6:50 amRaw images are already being returned from Cassini's Nov. 21 "E-8" or eighth flyby of the tiger-striped moon Enceladus. Visible in this raw image are several plumes from fissures in the south polar region of the moon. These fissures spew jets of water vapor and other particles hundreds of kilometers from the surface. This flyby included a very different geometry to the flyby trajectory – and a different look at the plumes — approaching within 1,606 kilometers (997.9 miles) of the surface, buzzing over 82 degrees south latitude. This is the last look we'll have for… -
Hayabusa May Come Home After All
20 Nov 2009 | 3:26 pmArtist concept of the Hayabusa spacecraft. Credit: JAXA As we reported last week, it seemed as if the Hayabusa asteroid explorer mission was dealt a fatal blow when the third of its four ion engines failed. But the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced yesterday that it may have come up with a solution to that problem to get Hayabusa back home by using components from two different inoperable thrusters in combination.(...)Read the rest of Hayabusa May Come Home After All (516 words) © nick for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:… -
Astronaut Glove Challenge Winners Announced
20 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pmNASA's Astronaut Glove Centennial Challenge contest was held yesterday at the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Florida, and two contestants walked away with a total of $350,000 in prize money for their improved designs of space suit gloves. Peter Homer of Southwest Harbor, Maine, won $250,000 for his glove, and Ted Southern of Brooklyn, New York won $100,000. Both contestants had participated in the 2007 event, and Peter Homer qualified for a prize last time.(...)Read the rest of Astronaut Glove Challenge Winners Announced (371 words) © nick for Universe Today, 2009. |… -
Find the Answer to this Week's WITU Challenge
20 Nov 2009 | 12:34 pmIf you're still wondering what this very strange image is, find out by going to the original WITU challenge post for this week. Have a great weekend, and check back next week for another Where In The Universe Challenge! © nancy for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh -
Video of Utah Fireball
20 Nov 2009 | 12:20 pmEarly Nov. 18th, eyewitnesses reported an explosion in the atmosphere above Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho in the western United States. Some said the fireball "turned night into day" and produced shock waves that shook the ground when it exploded just after midnight Mountain Standard Time. Infrasound recordings of the blast suggest a small asteroid hitting Earth's atmosphere and exploding with an energy of 0.5 to 1 kiloton of TNT. As the sun rose in the morning, remnants of the explosion were visible as noctilucent clouds over the region. The best video of the extremely…
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Astronomy Notes
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Links for 2009-11-15 [del.icio.us]
16 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amStewart CALCULUS -
Links for 2009-10-27 [del.icio.us]
28 Oct 2009 | 12:00 ameSILAv2 -Gerbang Maklumat Modal Insan- -
Orionids 2009
20 Oct 2009 | 5:33 amWhat does the third week of October mean to us? Yes, as indicated by the title, the earth is passing through the debris stream left by the Halley Comet. As a result, earthlings get the chance to watch the spectacular Orionids. The rate is about 60 meteors per hour. As usual, the best time to watch meteor shower is before the dawn. This year is especially good since the moon is almost new, no moon light will interfere the show. As you get under the night sky, you will notice that the winter constellations (for northern hemisphere) are up which makes the sky spectacular again. For example,… -
Links for 2009-09-25 [del.icio.us]
26 Sep 2009 | 12:00 amSlickdeals.net - The best coupons, lowest prices, and hottest deals. Save money with Slickdeals: find the lowest and cheapest price, best deals and bargains, and hot coupons. Community driven bargain hunting with thousands of free discounts, promo codes, freebies and price comparisons. -
Links for 2009-09-24 [del.icio.us]
25 Sep 2009 | 12:00 amCoupons, Deals, and Cash Back Shopping - FatWallet.com Save money and shop smarter with coupons, deals, and cash back from Fatwallet.com!
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Astroblog
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Unexpected Rainbows (Part 7)
21 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pmThese rainbows were projected onto our bedroom wall by light hitting the bedroom window at an angle. I have no idea why two spots were fromed. I took me a whle to find the source of the light, and I couldn't see if it was being split or occluded in some way. Maybe I'll pick it up again this wekend. -
By Jupiter!
20 Nov 2009 | 1:28 pmImage credit, Chris Wyatt (click on images to embiggen, it's worth it).Correspondent Chris Wyatt of Bendigo has sent in these terrific pictures of Jupiter and its Moons. Chris writes:"From mid August to early October I have made a number of efforts to photograph Jupiter, especially with the Great Red Spot (GRS) visible.I used my 10 inch dobsonian with my Canon S2IS camera with the magnification of the set-up at about 260.My first attempt was on the evening of 18 August. Here I also obtained Io & Europa almost in conjunction with each other at 7:05 pm AEST. The first image is a stack of 5… -
The Crescent Earth from Rosetta
19 Nov 2009 | 1:10 pmThe Crescent Earth as seen from the Rosetta spacecraft on November 13 (Image Credit, ESA)The Rosetta spacecraft, on its way to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko did another flyby of the Earth-Moon system. This striking image of the crescent Earth is my favourite, but there is a number of images and an animation of the approach to Earth here. -
Then Like Lightnig...
19 Nov 2009 | 1:06 pmLightning flash seen from our backyard at 8:30 pm (click to embiggen).We hit a record today, the hottest November day since records began (43 degrees Celsius in the city, it was hotter elsewhere). This after a long string of 35 plus days. We are still officially in spring, temperatures like these should not happen until late January early February.As I type we are still on catastophic fire alert, and multiple fires are burning on the Yorke Peninsula, with an extremely dangerous bushfire burning out of control at Pine Point on the Yorke Peninsula near Pine Point.Today going outside felt like… -
Science Communicators at Ria AUS
19 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pmImage left, the Bettdeckererscnappenden Weisles heart rate converted to colour and images. Image right, MiddleOnes heart rate converted to light and colour.The inaugral meeting* of the Adelaide branch of the Australian Science Communicators was a hoot. Held in the Royal Institute Australia's newly refurbished home in the old Exchange Building, Rob Morrison did a demonstration of the science of wind instruments called "Taming the Raspberry" (the kids, who did not want to come as this would interrupt their TV watching, enjoyed this immensely). Afterwards the structure of the reformed branch was…
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Hogg's Research
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nothing
18 Nov 2009 | 5:57 pmWith getting ready for travel, nada. -
Bayesian spectrum analysis
17 Nov 2009 | 3:58 pmI spent my research time today reading Bretthorst's book on Bayesian spectrum analysis [one big PDF file]. It is a beautiful and useful document; I think there will be many ideas in this book useful to the exoplanet problem. Roweis pointed me to this book; Yavin made me read it. One small comment on this excellent book, which I am compelled by God and Man to make: Bretthorst, like Jaynes, is a believer in assuming that errors are Gaussian because that is the most conservative thing you can do if you have a noise variance estimate and nothing else. This is technically correct, and beautiful to… -
absorption lines
16 Nov 2009 | 8:59 pmBrice Ménard (CITA) came by for the day, and Schiminovich came down in the afternoon and we all discussed weak but measurable correlations in quasar spectra and imaging. For example, Ménard has measured relationships between quasar images and absorbers (to show that there is extended star formation associated with absorbers), between emission lines and absorption lines in absorbers (same conclusion), and between quasar colors and angular separation to nearby galaxies (to show that there is dust correlated with galaxies). These projects are all describable as stacking projects, because they… -
streams, exoplanets
13 Nov 2009 | 1:27 pmLang and I found a significant bug in the code we were running this summer to brute-force identify stream-like substructures in the stellar distribution in the Milky Way. We fixed it, updated our results, and started to follow up the most promising stream (follow up statistically, not observationally). Our plan is to write an observing proposal to confirm it (or deny it) with radial velocity measurements. I ate lunch with Yavin, during which we discussed how next to proceed on the exoplanets. Yavin has made something that finds the dominant planet incredibly fast by performing Fourier-based… -
practice of programming
12 Nov 2009 | 8:59 pmMy only real research time was spent reading a chunk of The Practice of Programming.
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Astronomy Cmarchesin
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Watching a Cannibal Galaxy Dine
20 Nov 2009 | 4:01 amESO PR Photo 44a/09The “meal” of Centaurus AESO PR Photo 44b/09The “meal” of Centaurus AESO PR Video 44a/09Visible and infrared views of giant, cannibal galaxy Centaurus AESO PR Video 44b/09Inside Centaurus AA new technique using near-infrared images, obtained with ESO’s 3.58-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT), allows astronomers to see through the opaque dust lanes of the giant cannibal galaxy Centaurus A, unveiling its “last meal” in unprecedented detail — a smaller spiral galaxy, currently twisted and warped. This amazing image also shows thousands of star clusters,… -
Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System
20 Nov 2009 | 1:21 amIn this illustration, the multicolored (blue and green) bubble represents the new measurements of the emission of particles known as energetic neutral atoms. Image credit: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL Full image and captionNASA's Cassini spacecraft created this image of the bubble around our solar system based on emissions of particles known as energetic neutral atoms. Image credit: NASA/JPL/JHUAPLFull image and caption Enlarge imageWhen NASA's Cassini spacecraft began orbiting Saturn five years ago, a dozen highly-tuned science instruments set to work surveying, sniffing, analyzing and scrutinizing the… -
Baffling boxy bulge
18 Nov 2009 | 6:06 amStill an astrophysical mystery, the evolution of the bulges in spiral galaxies led astronomers to the edge-on galaxy NGC 4710. When staring directly at the centre of the galaxy, one can detect a faint, ethereal "X"-shaped structure. Such a feature, which astronomers call a "boxy" or "peanut-shaped" bulge, is due to the vertical motions of the stars in the galaxy's bar and is only evident when the galaxy is seen edge-on. This curiously shaped puff is often observed in spiral galaxies with small bulges and open arms, but is less common in spirals with arms tightly wrapped around a more… -
Discovery of a Retrograde or Highly Tilted Extrasolar Planet
17 Nov 2009 | 8:25 amThe panels show two possibilities for the bizarre orbit of HAT-P-7b. The top panel shows a "polar" orbit in which the planet goes over the north and south poles of the star. The bottom panel shows a "retrograde" orbit in which the planet revolves in the opposite direction as the star's rotation. Astronomers cannot distinguish these two possibilities because the exact orientation of the star's rotation axis is not yet known. Illustrations: Simon Albrecht/MITFigure 1An illustration of the concept of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. Each star generally rotates by itself and has an approaching… -
Ticking Stellar Time Bomb Identified
17 Nov 2009 | 4:31 amESO PR Photo 43a/09The expanding shell around V445 PuppisESO PR Photo 43b/09Around the nova V445 Puppis annotatedESO PR Photo 43c/09Around the nova V445 PuppisESO PR Photo 43d/09Shell around V445 Puppis (March 2005)ESO PR Photo 43e/09Shell around V445 Puppis (December 2005)ESO PR Photo 43f/09Shell around V445 Puppis (October 2006)ESO PR Photo 43g/09Shell around V445 Puppis (March 2007)ESO PR Video 43a/09The expanding shell around V445 PuppisESO PR Video 43b/09Artist’s impression of vampire starAstronomers find prime suspect for a Type Ia supernovaUsing ESO’s Very Large Telescope and its…
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ASTRONOMY IN LIPAN (LASS)
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SPACE ACROBATICS
20 Nov 2009 | 7:13 am">You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the thrill of flying out of him. That's a paraphrase of an old time saying but I think you will forgive me for that. This is an amazing video of the shuttle Atlantis making a end over end maneuver to allow the ISS crew to inspect the shuttle for possible damage. In pilot talk, that is an excuse to do a little space acrobatics. When I watched this I couldn't help but think about an ole dog rolling over to have his tummy scratched. But we all know that space flight is serious and dangerous business so if there can be a minute or two… -
WHAT DID I EXPECT?
17 Nov 2009 | 4:59 pmI got up at 3AM Tuesday morning, put on my warm clothing and went out to watch the Leoniods meteor shower. Now I don't really know how to tell anyone what I expected to see but let me put it this way--- when I was active playing golf I didn't always hit the ball exactly where I thought I would. But usually sometime during the day I would get one good hit and that would be so encouraging that it would carry me until the next time I played. There would be times when I would be lying in bed waiting for the sandman to come and I would allow myself to think about what I would do the next time I… -
METEOR SHOWER ON TAP
15 Nov 2009 | 2:55 pmThe Leonids meteor shower is set to put on its show early this Tuesday AM, Nov 17th (that's after midnight on Monday night). Just like most traditional meteor showers the best time to observe is around 3 AM until dawn. The Leonids is forecast to be better than it has been in the last few years and we might expect to see as many as 20 to 30 meteors per hour in really dark areas. It will be really useless to try seeing this shower event before midnight so if you do want to see anything set your clock for the early AM time. -
PUBLIC STAR PARTY VS CLUB OBSERVING SESSION
11 Nov 2009 | 4:25 pmI have actively participated in two public star parties during the month of November and I will (weather permitting) participate in the LASS monthly observation session this week end. To the casual beginning or novice astronomy participant there may not appear to be any significant difference. I just want to take a few moments to give you my thoughts on the major differences in the two events.You may think I am grasping for straws but that may be the difference in in how you relate to the night sky. For the most part, almost any gathering of folks with telescopes is called a star party. Taken… -
BIG STAR PARTY AT TARLETON OBSERVATORY
7 Nov 2009 | 7:08 amThe 2nd annual star party at the Tarleton observatory was a rousing success as far as I could tell. Naturally I give a lot of credit to LASS members who showed up with telescopes for the public to use. LASS was by far the leading contributor with both active participants and telescope hardware. My special thanks to everyone who participated.We didn't get to look thru the 32 inch scope housed in the observatory dome because it was being used to do some project but at least they had a big TV screen set up outside so you could see what the scope was pointed toward. I was especially proud to see…
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The Urban Astronomer
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Leonid Meteor Shower 2009
16 Nov 2009 | 10:49 pmThe Leonids are reaching their peak tonight. This annual meteor shower peaks every time the Earth moves through the remnants of the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor shower peaks when the Earth is directly intersecting the remnant streams ("filaments") from previous passes of the comet, and the peak for this year will be during the day of November 17th - unfortunate for those of us in the Western Hemisphere, but good for the night side of Earth at that time (primarily Asia).Don't despair, however, as both the nights of Nov 16-17 and Nov 17-18 should provide some good meteor viewing even here in… -
KFOG Broadcast - Nov 10, 2009
10 Nov 2009 | 7:05 pm -
Moon, Saturn, Corvus, Virgo and Venus
9 Nov 2009 | 10:49 pmNow that the sky is remaining dark later and later each day, I am enjoying the early morning interplay of Solar System and stellar objects. This week provides a series of lunar alignments with Saturn, the constellation Corvus, the bright star Spica in Virgo, and finally Venus -- if you have an exceptionally clear, low eastern horizon. Sunrise in San Francisco is from 6:45 to 6:50 am this week. -
Astronomical Pseudoscience and the 2012 Hoax
7 Nov 2009 | 11:30 amWith the imminent release of the movie "2012" there is a blitz of pseudoscience on the internet that is helping to market the movie but is also unnecessarily fueling fears of "Doomsday." My view is that good science fiction is fun and entertaining, but the movie 2012 has opened a new chapter in viral marketing and the use of social media to misinform in the name of entertainment. The movie makes numerous (but inaccurate) claims of disaster based on changes to the Earth's magnetic poles, collision with planet Nibiru, alignment of the Sun with the Galactic Center, and of course the prediction… -
Dominating the Autumn Sky: Pegasus
4 Nov 2009 | 9:44 amIn November, the nights grow longer and the sky changes rapidly. The Summer Triangle gradually fades into the west, and Orion and the winter constellations have not risen in the east to dominate the night sky. Instead, we see the less prominent (but no less beautiful) zodiac constellations of Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces in the south, and directly overhead the large constellation Pegasus with the very distinctive asterism "The Great Square" in clear view. The sketch of the constellation Pegasus shown here is courtesy of the Battle Point Astronomical Association.Pegasus is named after the…
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Astronomy Cameras Blog
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Solar Images
19 Nov 2009 | 8:13 pmThe following Solar images are captured by Italian astronomy amateur Erio Rossi. He uses DMK 31AF03.AS astronomy camera to photograph the sky. Instrument: refractor Sky Watcher 102/500 Halfa filter: Solar Spectrum 0,5A+TZ4 Final focus lenght: 2000 mm (Prominence) Final focus cromosfera: 2000mm +red 0,37x=740 mm Sensor: DMK 31AF03.AS Software: Registax 5 Pictures: Photoschop CS 2 Thank you Erio! -
Copernicus Crater
19 Nov 2009 | 2:11 amWe received this picture of Copernicus Crater from German astronomy amateur Volker Brodale. He captured the raw images with DMK 31AF03.AS on Feb.04.2009. Both of the two images below show Copernicus Crater, but they look different because Volker processed them in different ways. Here is his email translated from German: (The Copernicus picture was) taken on Feb.04.2009 with STF-Mirage 8″ ~ f25 and DMK 31AF03.AS at 15fps. The AVI has got 1100 frames and then processed with RegiStax5. Approximately 300 frames were stacked and sharpened. Further processing was done in PS6-Elements. The… -
Set up the GigE Cameras on PC
16 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pmDespite of the advantages like longer cable and broader bandwidth, GigE astronomy cameras‘ setup is a little more complicated than those of the FireWire or USB cameras, which are basically nothing but driver installation. This post will illustrate how to configure the PC’s IP options after you install the driver of GigE camera. Note that GigE astro cameras work on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. The following steps only apply to the scenario in which the camera is directly connected to the PC’s network card. If the camera and your computer are connected via a router,… -
Image Sequence of Jupiter from Hongkong
13 Nov 2009 | 12:28 amThese Jupiter pictures were sent by Savio Fong, based in Hong Kong. He took them on the night of Sep.17th. (Click to open large pictures) As he described in the email: … … it was a busy night on Jupiter on Sept 17th. I drove my telescope to sea-side and overall the seeing there is quite good and stable. Usually under clear nights, I can image for an hour or two continuously without dropping any videos and create the animation, e.g, I took >100 videos for 2.5hr or so that night, but only the last 30mins not useable as Jupiter is getting low. Everytime when I image the Jupiter, I… -
GigE Astronomy Cameras
11 Nov 2009 | 7:03 amAs you have probably read in our Newsletter, The Imaging Source officially released its new line of GigE astronomy cameras last month. Now you see three categories at the astronomy cameras’ official web – USB, FireWire and GigE. There are only three things different with the new models: A 10-meter Cat 6 Ethernet cable is shipped with camera. In fact, the GigE protocol allows you to extend the length up to 100 meters without a repeater, if you really want to. A power supply is shipped with the camera. Since the Ethernet cable does not provide power to its connected device, you will…
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sci.astro Google Group
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Re: How much more proof does one need?
21 Nov 2009 | 9:22 amCephids aren't planetary systems. Around the time you post under your real name. -
Re: Nice John Archibald Wheeler Quote
21 Nov 2009 | 9:15 amDear Knecht: I find it funny that people concentrate on the "answer", when the "beauty" and "simplicity" derive from the complexity of data via the actions of people that are not afraid to deal with it. You will be all happy if the accountant tells you you have money after all (or get a refund, whatever), but seem to have little grasp of the -
Re: Good pictures of the moon?
21 Nov 2009 | 9:06 amDear Ross: The TV stills would not be, but they had hand-held still cameras with them, and those photos were gorgeous (if grey) and detailed. No, they'd be "TV" quality pictures also. Here are a buttload of stills from the command module, in high resolution: [link] There are a few of the classics on the surface here: -
Re: Good pictures of the moon?
21 Nov 2009 | 8:32 amRoss wrote: Google for Virtual Moon Atlas Pro (version 4.0B ??) It has most of the available info for each interesting spot on the moon, and a nice interface. -
Re: Perpetual Gregorian Calendar
21 Nov 2009 | 7:13 am[snip] Here is a version of your program in which I've inserted some comments to describe what (I think) is going on. Hope it helps. 10 REM CALENDAR.BAS by Emmanuel ROCHE 20 : 30 REM Perpetual Gregorian Calendar 40 REM "Astronomical Computing", "Sky & Telescope", July 1985, p.62 50 REM [link]
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uk.sci.astronomy Google Group
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Re: Sirius and us, Newtonian inseparable / FAS & Brad Guth
19 Nov 2009 | 10:24 pmThose Newtonian laws of gravity should apply, as well as explaining the 100,000 year, 41,000 year and 25,000 year cycles as we go back in time to when it was just that terrific molecular cloud of < 1.25e7 Ms parked out there, before creating the Sirius star system... ~ BG -
Re: Sirius and us, Newtonian inseparable / FAS & Brad Guth
19 Nov 2009 | 9:07 amMuch of our "geological record" had been reset or wiped clean as of the last ice-age, not to mention after having been impacted by our Selene/moon, or do we have some other viable notions as to how and when that absolutely enormous lunar south pole crater materialized, that’s a reasonably good match to our Arctic ocean basin, or when -
Re: Sirius and us, Newtonian inseparable / FAS & Brad Guth
18 Nov 2009 | 10:58 amMuch of our "geological record" had been reset or wiped clean as of the last ice-age, not to mention after having been impacted by our Selene/moon, or do we have some other viable notions as to how and when that absolutely enormous lunar south pole crater materialized, or when Earth got its seasonal tilt? -
Re: Sirius and us, Newtonian inseparable / FAS & Brad Guth
18 Nov 2009 | 8:41 amIn spite of what my Google Groups "alt.astronomy" rabbi always has to say, our solar system is still unavoidably associated with the nearby Sirius star system, mostly because of what it used to represent prior to Sirius(B) going nova, and long before then worth <1.25e7 Ms. ~ BG -
Re: Sirius and us, Newtonian inseparable / FAS & Brad Guth
18 Nov 2009 | 6:39 amMuch of our "geological record" had been reset or wiped clean as of the last ice-age, not to mention after having been impacted by our Selene/moon, or do we have some other viable notions as to how and when that absolutely enormous lunar south pole crater materialized, or when Earth got its seasonal tilt?
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Are We Alone? - Science Radio for Thinking Species
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SETI: Now What?
16 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amHello! Is anyone out there? As the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence marks its 50th anniversary, there’s been no contact as yet with alien beings. But SETI researchers maintain that we are not alone. Find out why in a SETI retrospective that looks at the past and future of the search. We remember the first scientific SETI search… Carl Sagan… how the SETI Institute began… the WOW signal…and the 1993 NASA budget cuts. We’ll also hear from critics of the search… scientists involved in optical SETI and SETI@home. Plus, international collaborations… and where… -
Skeptic Check: Doomsday at the Movies
9 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amENCORE Hollywood has a few ideas of how the world will end: killer asteroids … lethal pandemics … deadly ice-ages. These themes have all played out on the big screen. But, hey, they’re only movies, right? We’ll separate the science from the fiction in doomsday movies. From the 2012 prophesy of the Mayans … to colliding worlds … to abrupt climate change, find out which among this crowd of cinematic scares are for real, and which aren’t worth the price of popcorn. Guests: Dave Morrison – Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center Phil Plait – Astronomer, keeper of… -
Do Computers Byte?
2 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amThe march of computer technology continues. But as silicon chips and search engines become faster and more productive – can the same be said for us? The creator of Wolfram Alpha describes how his new “computational knowledge engine” is changing – and improving – how we process information. Meanwhile, suffering from data and distraction burnout? Find out what extremes some folks take to stop their search engines. Also, the Singularity sensation of humans merging with machines… and, why for the ancient Greeks all of this is “been there, done that.” A deep sea dive turns up a… -
Skeptic Check: Mind Your Body
26 Oct 2009 | 12:00 amPopping a pill may help when you’re sick… but maybe not for the reasons you think. Sugar pills – placebos – cure illness better than prescription pills in as many as half of all cases in clinical trials … and the placebo effect is getting stronger. Plus, the safety – or otherwise – of electromagnetic waves, and the “electro-sensitive” refugees who have built a camp to protect themselves from waves they say are causing pain. Is it all in their minds? And, New York Times reporter Dennis Overbye joins Phil Plait on the latest lapse in critically-thinking brains –… -
Seth's Storage Locker
19 Oct 2009 | 12:00 amIt’s always an adventure to go digging in Seth’s storage locker – who knows what we’ll find … In this imposing pile of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of socket wrenches and old 45s, we stumble upon the hunt for extrasolar planets, the evidence for water on moons of the solar system, theories of language, a controversial hypothesis for the peopling of the Americas, and a new dinosaur fossil. Guests: Steve Brusatte – Vertebrate paleontologist from the American Museum of Natural History in New York Steven Pinker – Psychologist, Harvard University Geoff Marcy…
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StarDate
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Evening Splendor - StarDate: November 21
20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmA beautiful evening lineup. (Note: Audio will be available tomorrow.) -
Pinpoint Landing - Featured Image: November 20
19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmThe Surveyor 3 spacecraft sits silently in a small lunar crater, with the Apollo 12 lunar module on the crater's rim in the background. -
Apollo 12, Part 2 - StarDate: November 20
19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmHitting a lunar bullseye. -
Apollo 12 - StarDate: November 19
18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmAn electrifying ride to the Moon. -
COBE - StarDate: November 18
17 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmDetails in the afterglow of the Big Bang.
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About.com: Astronomy
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"Strange" New Star?
18 Nov 2009 | 2:01 amSupernova remnants are beautiful to behold, but they are also the result of extremely violent explosions and leave behind one of the most dynamic objects in the Universe. One such object, the pulsar at the center of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), has been the source of much study ever since data from the Chandra X-ray observatory were published over 10 years ago. Based on the observational data, the size of the pulsar -- a rapidly rotating neutron star -- was estimated to be about 6 miles across, which is theoretically impossible. Theories abounded, that this must not be a… -
Water Found On The Moon
17 Nov 2009 | 2:20 pmBack in October many of you were following the events of the LCROSS mission as the probe slamed into the Moon (on purpose), to look for traces of water. Well, after weeks of pouring over mountains of data, NASA has released their initial findings. And it turns out that the Moon contains more water than we once thought. NASA determined that the only way they could make sense of the data was if water was present on the Moon -- and a rather significant amount of water at that. This was not completely surprising however; several months ago, NASA determined that deep in the Moon's shadowed craters… -
Meteor Shower To Peak Over The Next Two Nights
16 Nov 2009 | 5:40 amEvery year the Earth passes through the trail of the comet Tempel-Tuttle, creating a pretty good meteor shower visible in the night sky. NASA reports that about about 20 - 30 meteors per hour should visible during the Leonid shower in North America. While this pales in comparison to the nearly 300 per hour being predicted in Asia, it should be a great sight nontheless. The Moon will be in a new phase, creating the kind of dark conditions desired for seeing the events. The best time to see the events will be after 4:00 a.m. So those of you who are early risers, get out there with your morning… -
Creating A New Earth
12 Nov 2009 | 6:04 amThe idea of colonizing Mars is not a new one, it has been the backdrop of many science fiction novels, and the focus of much scientific research. But, actually making it happen is a whole other story. Well on Sunday, November 15, the National Geographic Channel is going to air a special, as part of their "Expedition Week", about how we would go about creating a habitable planet out of Mars. I think it will definitely be worth a watch, and in the meantime you can check out the promotional material and videos to whet your appetite. I think the reality of how close we are to undertaking the… -
Asteroid Has Near Miss With Earth
11 Nov 2009 | 2:19 amNASA reported that a 23 foot wide asteroid came within about 8,700 miles of entering Earth's atmosphere on Friday. This was the third closest miss on record. Astronomers at the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey group announced the finding. They discovered the asteroid about 15 hours before it passed our planet, moving at more than 16,000 miles per hour. So, what would have happened if the asteroid would have entered our atmosphere? Well, at 23 feet across, it most likely would have burned up in our atmosphere. The heat generated by air resistance as it fell toward Earth would have…
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A Pacific View
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Upcoming career move?
20 Nov 2009 | 11:39 pmI'm going to be a tour guide tomorrow (Saturday). Six people who I've never met before will be taking the Mauna Kea summit tour with me as their guide. It should be fun especially as I can offer a little more than the normal MK tour companies - a guided tour of a submillimetre and infrared telescope plus watching the night crew in action taking data. I won't be charging nearly $200 for the tour as most companies do either, but tips are welcome! I just hope I'm not asked to point out the constellations, that might be embarrassing.I hope it goes well, and I might even show my guests the best… -
What will they think of next?
20 Nov 2009 | 9:12 pmI was almost taken out today by some driver who clearly wasn't looking out for traffic. Fortunately I saw the guy was doing something very unusual and since I drive rather defensively, as you have to do here, I managed to swerve out of his way. I really was waiting for the big crash but managed to put just enough space between our cars that we missed by inches. At the next stop he was behind me and very sheepishly raised his hand in apology - which I acknowledged although I was a little shaken. We all make mistakes after all.It occurred to me that perhaps he was using this product. You have… -
Tim Hawarden
20 Nov 2009 | 1:25 amTim Hawarden. Picture courtesy of the ROE.Further to my post a few days ago about Tim's sudden passing, the Royal Observatory Edinburgh now has an orbituary. I still can't believe Tim is no longer with us. -
Above the cloud layer
19 Nov 2009 | 9:57 pmWhen I was a kid I dreamed of being a pilot. I was going to fly for the Royal Air Force and then pilot airliners all over the world while visiting the most exotic locations on the planet - and being paid to do so. As things turned out, I'm not jetting the airways at 35,000 feet nor am I staying at luxury hotels on tropical beaches but I live in one of the most beautiful places on our planet and I do get to work above the clouds. Things didn't turn out too badly after all!As ever, you can see larger versions of these post-sunset pictures from Mauna Kea's summit by clicking on them. -
Evening colours
17 Nov 2009 | 11:18 pmI'm glad to see most of the tour companies that visit the summit of Mauna Kea are staying longer after sunset than I remembering them doing in the past. Although the sunset is always beautiful (as long as it's not foggy) the best colours appear in the sky well after the sun has disappeared, often ten to fifteen minutes afterwards. It's great that the visitors have a chance to experience the sky at this time and some of the things I overheard this evening were good to hear, such as "this was the best trip I've ever been on!". It was helped, of course, by having very light winds and reasonably…
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Remanzacco Observatory - Comets & Neo
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Utah Fireball - 18 November 2009
20 Nov 2009 | 1:20 pmOn Nov. 18, just after midnight local time (MST) a great fireball was seen over parts of the western United StatesAccording to Spaceweather website witness in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho saw "remarkable midnight fireball that turned night into day. It was not a Leonid. Infrasound measurements suggest a sporadic asteroid not associated with the Leonid debris stream. The space rock exploded in the atmosphere with an energy equivalent to 0.5 - 1 kilotons of TNT"Many surveillance cameras have recorded the midnight-landscape illuminated by the fireball:(click to enlarge)Here you can find other videos… -
Leonids 2009
18 Nov 2009 | 4:08 amAccording to preliminary counts from the International Meteor Organization (IMO) the Leonids meteors reached a ZHR(max) ~ 120/130 around 22UT of Nov. 17, as predicted by forecasters.The ZHR surge, witnessed by observers in Asia, occurred when Earth passed through the debris left from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in 1466 AD and 1533 AD. When Earth exit these streams, the ZHR count fall to the value ~30/40.Our meteorcam starting to image at 23:30 UT of Nov. 17. In 5 hours of imaging, our camera detected 35 meteors, of which 26 were leonids.This is a composite of the brightest meteors (mostly… -
NOVA SCUTI 2009
9 Nov 2009 | 1:06 amFollowing the posting on the Central Bureau's unconfirmed-objects webpage about a possible nova in Scuti, on 2009 November 09.08 we performed some follow-up of this object through a 0.25-m, f/3,4 reflector + CCD, from GRAS Observatory (near Mayhill, NM).We can confirm the presence of an optical counterpart with unfiltered CCD magnitude about 8.5 (UCAC-2 Catalogue reference stars) at coordinates:R.A. = 18 43 45.57, Decl.= -07 36 42.0(equinox 2000.0; UCAC-2 catalogue reference stars).Our confirmation image:A bigger version is available here:http://bit.ly/1pDivHThe extreme stellar crowding due… -
NOVA SAGITTARII 2009 No. 4
27 Oct 2009 | 6:29 amCbet circular No. 1994, issued on 2009 Oct. 26, announces the discovery by K. Nishiyama and F. Kabashima of an apparent new Nova (mag 9.3) on images taken with a 105-mm f/4 camera lens in the course of their nova survey. Nothing is visible on their two recent survey frames taken on 20 & 21 October 2009 (limiting magnitude 13.9).On our images taken on October 27.09 through a 0.25-m, f/3.4 reflector + CCD, near Mayhill (NM), we can confirm the presence of an optical counterpart with unfiltered CCD magnitude about 9.0 (USNO-B1 Catalogue reference stars) at coordinates:R.A. = 18 31 32.81,… -
Alan Young Award 2009
26 Oct 2009 | 6:36 amWe have just received news that our team members Ernesto Guido & Giovanni Sostero have been awarded the 2009 "Alan Young" Award by the readers of "The Astronomer" magazine. TA is a magazine for the advanced amateur with the "aim to publish all observations of astronomical interest as soon as possible after they are made". The magazine has been published monthly since 1964 and subscribers are found all over the world.The award is in memory of the late Alan Young.Congratulations to Ernesto & Giovanni!!!The Team
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365 Days of Astronomy
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November 21st: Under a New Sky
21 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amDate: November 21, 2009 Title: Under a New Sky Podcaster: David Ault Link: David Ault: www.davidault.co.uk Description: These are the musings of an English astronomer able for the first time to see a proper night sky and observe the movement of the stars in India over the course of 6 months. Bio: David is an actor, writer and science presenter from the UK who performed Shakespeare in India between Sept 08 and Mar 09. He is one of the founding members of the Jodcast team, heading up the crazy pastiche division. Today's sponsor: This episode of "365 Days of… -
November 20th: MUSTANG Gallops Towards Clusters Last Stand
20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amDate: November 20, 2009 Title: MUSTANG Gallops Towards Clusters Last Stand Podcaster: Sue Ann Heatherly Organization: NRAO: http://www.gb.nrao.edu/ Description: Join us as Dr. Simon Dicker from the University of Pennsylvania chats about a new tool for the Green Bank Telescope and what it can do. The receiver is called MUSTANG. Although you may not be able to remember what MUSTANG stands for at the end of this podcast, you’ll be amazed at how it allows astronomers to image galaxy clusters in a very unusual way. Bio: Sue Ann Heatherly is the Education Officer at the… -
November 19th: A Ceremony Celebrating Dark Skies
19 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amDate: November 19, 2009 Title: A Ceremony Celebrating Dark Skies Podcaster: Scott Kardel Organization: Palomar Observatory: http://palomar-observatory.org Description: Borrego Springs, CA was just named the world's second International Dark-sky Community. Palomar Observatory's Scott Kardel, a member of the Borrego Springs Dark-sky Coalition, takes this podcast to the ceremony where the community was officially recognized and shows off how they did it. Bio: Scott Kardel received his MS in Astronomy from the University of Arizona and his BS in Physical Science /… -
November 18th: Astrophilia in the City that Never Sleeps
18 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amDate: November 18, 2009 Title: Astrophilia in the City that Never Sleeps Podcaster: Ian Cheney Organization: Wicked Delicate: www.wickedelicate.com Description: Filmmaker Ian Cheney fell in love with the night sky in rural Maine, but now he lives in New York City — and deals with the consequences. With over half the world's population living in cities, and only a dozen or so stars visible above his own Brooklyn apartment, Ian finds himself asking a simple question: do humans need the stars? In this podcast, Ian Cheney explores the concept of "astrophilia," and describes… -
November 17th: Astronomy Without an Astrophysics Degree
17 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amDate: November 17, 2009 Title: Astronomy Without an Astrophysics Degree Podcaster: Pamela Gay and Fraser Cain Organization: Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ Universe Today: http://www.universetoday.com/ Star Stryder: http://www.starstryder.com/ Description: If you're too impatient to spend the 10+ years it takes to get an astrophysics degree, and want to do some real astronomy research right now, we can help. We're going to talk about how amateurs are making real contributions to astronomy. Bio: Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today and Dr.
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The Daily Astronomer
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Have a ‘Close Encounter’ Dec. 5
21 Nov 2009 | 5:32 amTHE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM SCI-FI Saturday: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” Saturday, December 5, 2009 12:00 NOON Join us for one of the most famous alien movies ever made! Before ET…before War of the Worlds…Steven Spielberg directed a highly successful film about the first interaction of humans and beings from another world. We invite you to watch this amazing movie on our star dome theatre. Admission by donation. Call 207-780-4249 to reserve your space or for more information -
[DA November 20, 2009] Quiz: The Body Universe
20 Nov 2009 | 2:34 amTHE DAILY ASTRONOMER November 20, 2009 Quiz: The Body Universe *********************************** If you like quizzes, we invite you to try: www.freerice.com This web-site offers quizzes about English vocabulary, English grammar, famous paintings, world geography, foreign languages, and other topics. Every time you answer a question correctly, 10 grains of rice is donated to the World Food Program. Engage the mind and combat hunger at the same time! ************************************** You are a Universe in and of yourself. This statement is not merely a whimsical notion designed for… -
“Solstice Dawning” Celestial Poetry Evening Dec. 18
19 Nov 2009 | 4:54 amSOLSTICE DAWNING Friday, December 18, 2009 7:00 p.m. The Southworth Planetarium presents its next evening of celestial poetry on Friday, December 18, 2009 at 7 p.m. Local writers read poetical works (theirs and of others) about the Universe, night sky, nature, love, the stars, and more. While they read, a variety of images will often appear on the dome to add a visual component to the readings. We invite you to join us for a program of poetry under the stars. The planetarium has three celestial poetry evenings each year: “Beltane Fires” (May 1); “Lammas Celestial Poetry” (August 1);… -
[DA November 19, 2009] Space Smoke
19 Nov 2009 | 4:51 amFrom the USM Southworth Planetarium “Out of sight” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER November 19, 2009 Space Smoke Tedious? Certainly. Time-consuming? Undeniably. Hideously boring to observe? Depends upon your idea of a good time. Worthwhile? Depends upon what kind of day you’ve had and how that has affected your view of humanity. We are discussing the creation of our solar system, an event that began more than five billion years ago and required more than 10 million years from initiation to conclusion. We personally believe that this genesis fest was a grand occurrence, for we are truly… -
[DA November 18, 2009] Medusa Never Did That!
17 Nov 2009 | 9:08 pmFrom the USM Southworth Planetarium “Eschew Obfuscation” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER November 18, 2009 Medusa Never Did That! Soon to strike theatres with a bolt, bang and crash will be a remake of the geek-adored but critic-deplored mythological movie “Clash of the Titans.” Like the original, which was released in 1981, the remake will revolve around the ancient hero Perseus, with the focus being on his rescue of the lightly-clad Andromeda and slaughter of the sea monster which was about to dine upon her. While many applauded the original for its groundbreaking (at the time)…
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IYA 2009 Astronomy Sri Lanka
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Youtube Video of IYA2009 Featured Scientist of the Day
14 Nov 2009 | 7:52 amI hope all of you guys remembers the series of featured scientists that I introduced under an enhancement step for this IYA2009 blog. Now they are all collected in this video. You can watch them all... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Send Your Messege to Venus along with Your Name; Your Gift for IYA2009
13 Nov 2009 | 7:52 amToday, I come back to you with this cool news, which will make many of you amazed. Yes, it's true. Now you can send your name to Venus together with your name aboard AKATSUKI, (Planet-C) The Venus... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
A UNAWE project @ HFC, Dehiwala : Featured with IYA2009 & Observation Astronomy
10 Nov 2009 | 5:57 amIn fact I think that I should have blogged this earlier. However now the story has already hit the UNAWE site, thanks to Dr. Carolina Ödman, the Single Point of Contact of UNAWE. This has already... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Annual Astronomy Workshop 2009 at Southlands College, Galle, Sri Lanka
7 Nov 2009 | 9:37 pmIt was the last day of the October in fact. The 31st to be precise. The day dawned with promising sun light from the East. However we were supposed to travel to South , to Galle for the annual... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
My Tribute to IYA 2009 : A Poem on Pluto
30 Oct 2009 | 3:38 amHere is my tribute to IYA 2009: A Poem I composed this in early 2007, when I was the president of Anandian Astronomical Association for the years 2006/2007. However now it's the almost the end of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
