Space and astronomy news
M44: The Beehive. Image credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF. Click to enlarge. Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! This week brings darker skies, bright star clusters, meteor showers, unusual nebulae and a chance to participate in G.L.O.B.E. at Night! Whether you use a telescope, binoculars, or just your eyes – you’ll find a wealth of astronomy activities this week. So turn …
Continue reading “What’s Up This Week – March 20 – March 26, 2006”
Artist illustration of brown dwarf binary pair. Image credit: Hubble. Click to enlarge. One of the most difficult tasks for astronomers is to figure out how massive distant objects are. Once you find objects orbiting one another; however, it’s relatively easy to do. The Hubble Space Telescope has helped astronomers measure the mass of a …
Download our free “What’s Up 2006” ebook, with entries like this for every day of the year. Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Although the Moon is back “en force”, this will still be an exciting week filled with events such as an eclipse, meteor shower and bright, beautiful star clusters. Here’s what’s up! Archival image of Percival …
Continue reading “What’s Up This Week – March 13 – March 19, 2006”
Uranus and its faint ring system which was discovered this week in 1977. Image credit: NASA/JPL. Click to enlarge. If you haven’t had the chance to catch bright comet Pojmanski, the time is now. Head out this week to catch lunar features, bright stars and open clusters. Keep on looking because… Here’s what’s up! Monday, …
Continue reading “What’s Up This Week – March 6 – March 12, 2006”
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! If it’s been awhile since you’ve stepped outside to view the stars, be sure to have a look at the beautiful combination of Mars, Aldeberan and Betelguese. If what’s happening hasn’t made you see “red” yet, then watch as the Moon steals away Antares by mid-week! Come along as we explore the Sun and take on deep sky studies. Get out your scopes and binoculars – or just turn your eyes to the skies, because…
Here’s what’s up!
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! If you’re not “seeing double” yet, you will by the end of the week as we explore the wonderful world of multiple stars systems. There will be plenty of lunar features to keep you busy and some history to study as well, so be sure to put on a coat if it’s cold and head out tonight, because…
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Astronomers from MIT and Williams College were fortunate enough to be watching Pluto’s moon Charon at the moment that it passed in front of a very dim star. By measuring how the light from this star dimmed as it passed behind the tiny, distant moon, they were able to come up with a very accurate measurement of Charon’s size (606 km or 377 miles). They also determined that the moon doesn’t have any appreciable atmosphere, lending evidence that it was formed when something smashed into a proto-Pluto millions of years ago.
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers… I hope everyone around the world is enjoying the peace and joy the holidays bring. Why not stay up late and view one of the bluest objects in the cosmos – the “Hubble Variable Nebula!” Let’s not forget Venus, the “Witch Head” or the “Rosette.” For viewers in northern Australia, you’re in for a year end treat as the Moon occults Antares. The year ends on a dark note as we reach New Moon and the “Hunter” becomes the hunted. Be sure to keep your eyes on the skies because…
Here’s what’s up!
When ESA’s Huygens probe passed through Titan’s atmosphere on its way to a successful landing, it was buffeted by turbulence unexpected by scientists. Very little was known about Titan’s atmosphere before Huygen’s landing because the moon is shrouded by a thick hydrocarbon haze. Huygens found that the upper atmosphere was much thicker than expected, and broken up into several distinct layers. The probe also discovered possible evidence of lightning strikes around it.
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Let’s start the week off with one of the finest globular clusters for both hemispheres – M2. There’s plenty in store as we explore history, take a look at planetary nebulae, seek out galaxies and hunt down open clusters. A pair of occultations will round out the week as we keep our eyes on the skies…
And find out what’s up!