Space Weather News for Dec. 9, 2011LUNAR ECLIPSE: Sky watchers on the Pacific side of Earth should be alert for a total lunar eclipse on Saturday, Dec. 10th. The disk of the full Moon will turn a beautiful shade of copper-red as it passes through Eart…
Tag: astronomy
It’s Draconid Meteor Time! October 8, 2011
Look up, for the Draconid Meteor Shower is all around us!Space Weather News for Oct 7, 2011DRACONID METEOR SHOWER: On Saturday, October 8th, Earth will pass through a network of dusty filaments shed by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Forecasters expect the encounter to produce anywhere from a few dozen to a thousand meteors per hour visible mainly over Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. The
Space Station’s Aurora Movie a must-see!
Space Weather News for Sept 22, 2011SPACE STATION AURORA MOVIE: Astronauts onboard the International Space Station have recorded their best views yet of auroras dancing in the high atmosphere of Earth during a geomagnetic storm on Sept 17. Their must-see movie, just released by NASA, is highlighted on today’s edition of SpaceWeather News.UARS RE-ENTRY UPDATE: NASA’s massive UARS satellite remains
NASA Satellite Falls to Earth This Week Sept 2011
The following space alert definitely falls into SO’W’s Look Up category!Space Weather News for Sept 20, 2011UARS, a NASA satellite the size of a small bus, will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this week producing a brilliant fireball somewhere over our planet. Best estimates place the re-entry time during the late hours of Sept 23rd over a still-unknown region of Earth. Observers of the
Perseid Meteors with a Cosmic Coincidence! Aug 12-13, 2011
Space Weather News for Aug 12, 2011
METEOR SHOWER: The Perseid meteor shower is underway. International observers are now reporting more than 20 meteors per hour as Earth passes through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on the night of Aug 12-13. The best time to look is during the hours before dawn on Saturday morning, August 13th, when the
Visible Alignment of Planets: a presaging of 2012? 5.10.11
1999, the New Millennium, 2012, and Planets All in a Row 2011by Jude CowellMay 10, 2011: as of today it is possible to see with the naked eye a fabulous celestial show: a line-up of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter in the wee hours of the morning for the next few weeks.Even quirkily inclined Uranus and shy Neptune may be viewed if environmental conditions are right and you have a decent pair of
Spinning Asteroids Flashing! (and IRS) 4.15.11
A spinning space rock for Tax Day 2011! Well, sort of Tax Day since today is a holiday in the District of Columbia. Therefore, taxes are due by midnight on Monday April 18, 2011. Meanwhile, over our noggins, train your telescope on the "strobe light" twirling above!Space Weather News for April 15, 2011SPINNING ASTEROID FLYBY: A 50-meter asteroid is flying past the Earth-Moon system on April 15th.
Saturn’s rings surging bright, USAF space plane circling ‘secretly’
Space Weather News for April 1, 2011SPACE PLANE FLARES: The US Air Force X-37B space plane is circling Earth on a classified mission. Although its orbit is officially unpublished, amateur sky watchers have spotted it and are monitoring its progress. This week, a veteran observer witnessed a spectacular flare from the X-37B, exceeding the brightness of Venus. Details may be found on today’s
Astronomy and Astrology: Why Astrology Should Be Taught in the Schools
An observation by a British astronomer points to the need to teach astrology in the schools if only as a check and balance for the pronouncements of some astronomers. On April 1, 1976 British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC … Continue reading →
Astrology And Astronomy: NASA’s Mercury Mission During Mercury Rx
“Getting there was only half the fun,” says March 2011 issue of Scientific American. Because of Mercury’s proximity to the sun’s gravitational field, a direct flight to Mercury was not possible. The craft could not slow enough to be captured … Continue reading →