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Wednesday 29 December 2010

Weekend recap: Indian rocket blows up / Russian launch success

NEWSALERT: Monday, December 27, 2010 @ 2355 GMT
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  The latest news from Spaceflight Now

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INDIAN SPACE PROGRAM HIT BY ANOTHER LAUNCH MISHAP
-------------------------------------------------
India's largest rocket lost control and erupted in a fireball Saturday,
dealing another blow to the country's space program after back-to-back
failures of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/25gslv/


EUROPEAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE RIDES PROTON TO ORBIT
-------------------------------------------------------
A Russian Proton rocket launched Sunday with a European broadband
communications satellite, the continent's first spacecraft dedicated to
high-throughput Ka-band connectivity for Internet and television services.

http://spaceflightnow.com/proton/kasat/launch/


SHUTTLE DISCOVERY INSPECTIONS UNDERWAY
--------------------------------------
The digital X-ray scans of all 108 structural beams on the ribbed
midsection of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank are underway in
the Vehicle Assembly Building after the Christmas holiday break.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/status.html

HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO COVERAGE:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/sts133/


TEAM EXTENDS STARDUST'S FUEL MILEAGE FOR COMET FLYBY
----------------------------------------------------
Dispatched on a bonus mission, NASA's Stardust probe is speeding toward a
Valentine's Day rendezvous with comet Tempel 1. A team of Lockheed Martin
engineers is ensuring Stardust has enough fuel to make it.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/23stardustnext/


SPACE STATION'S DEXTRE ROBOT PASSES CRUCIAL TEST
------------------------------------------------
Canadian engineers put the International Space Station's Dextre robot
through a workout Thursday, successfully proving the handyman is ready for
duty when a Japanese cargo freighter arrives at the orbiting lab in
January.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp26/101224dextre/


+++
NEW INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PATCHES!
Crew patches for Expeditions 26 and 27 are now available from our store.
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/
+++

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

Storms on Saturn and Earth

Space Weather News for Dec. 28, 2011
http://spaceweather.com

BIG STORM ON SATURN: Got a telescope for Christmas? Point it at Saturn. A giant storm even brighter than Saturn's rings is raging through the planet's cloudtops. Amateur images and sky maps are featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS: At the time this alert is being written (mid-day UT on Dec. 28), a polar geomagnetic storm is in progress (Kindex=5).  Observers report electric currents in the ground and intensifying Northern Lights over Scandinavia. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras:
http://spaceweathertext.com .
--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

Thursday 23 December 2010

NASA-NSF Scientific Balloon Launches From Antarctica

NASA-NSF Scientific Balloon Launches From Antarctica
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:00:00 -0600

NASA and the National Science Foundation launched a scientific balloon on Monday, Dec. 20, to study the effects of cosmic rays on Earth.


NASA Questions? Contact Us

This messaage has been sent by NASA Headquarters · Washington, DC 20546

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Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

Discovery and the Lunar Eclipse

Discovery and the Lunar Eclipse
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:00:00 -0600

Space shuttle Discovery waits to roll back from Launch Pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the early morning hours of Dec 21, 2010, with the beginning of the total lunar eclipse clearly in view. Once inside the VAB, Discovery's external fuel tank will be examined and foam reapplied where 89 sensors were installed on the tank's aluminum skin for an instrumented tanking test on Dec. 17. The sensors were used to measure changes in the tank as super-cold propellants were pumped in and drained out. Data and analysis from the test will be used to determine what caused the tops of two, 21-foot-long support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the intertank to crack during fueling on Nov. 5. Discovery's next launch opportunity is no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011. Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett


NASA Questions? Contact Us

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--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

Moon Shadows

Moon Shadows
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:00:00 -0600

A total lunar eclipse is seen as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth on the arrival of the winter solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in Arlington, VA. The eclipse lasted about three hours and twenty-eight minutes. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lines up directly between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's rays and casting a shadow on the moon. As the moon moves deeper and deeper into the Earth's shadow, the moon changes color before your very eyes, turning from gray to an orange or deep shade of red. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


NASA Questions? Contact Us


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling
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Festive Card: http://www.antiochian.org/assets/writer/TheFeastoftheNativityAccordingtotheFlesh_11694/image.png

--
Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

NASA Completes Space Station, Fosters Commercial Spaceflight And Makes Amazing Discoveries During Ambitious Year Of Exploration

NASA Completes Space Station, Fosters Commercial Spaceflight And Makes Amazing Discoveries During Ambitious Year Of Exploration
Sun, 19 Dec 2010 23:00:00 -0600

NASA in 2010 set a new course for human spaceflight, helped rewrite science textbooks, redefined our understanding of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor, put the finishing touches on one of the world's greatest engineering marvels, made major contributions to life on Earth, and turned its sights toward the next era of exploration.


NASA Questions? Contact Us

This messaage has been sent by NASA Headquarters · Washington, DC 20546

Powered by GovDelivery

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

SPA ENB No. 301

                        ***********************************
                 The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY
                        ***********************************
        ====================================================
         Electronic News Bulletin No. 301  2010 December 19
        ====================================================
 
 
Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular
Astronomy.  The SPA is Britain's liveliest astronomical society, with
members all over the world.  We accept subscription payments online
at our secure site and can take credit and debit cards. You can join
or renew via a secure server or just see how much we have to offer by
 
 
PLANETS
By Andrew Robertson, SPA Planetary Section Director
 
The South Equatorial Belt (SEB) on Jupiter is continuing to revive.
Visually it appears as a dark streak about half as wide and half as
dark as the NEB across the longitude range CM 260 to 30 degrees
approximately.  At the preceding end, from about CM 280 to CM 260
degrees, it dips down in the direction of the Equatorial Zone.
 
White spots have been observed on Saturn.  Here is a BAA Bulletin
(slightly edited):
OBSERVING ALERT: SPOTS ON SATURN
by Mike Foulkes, BAA Saturn Section director.
 
On 2010 Dec 8 two spots were recorded on Saturn at the same latitude.
First, a bright spot was recorded close to the central meridian in an
image taken at 02:12 UT by Sadegh Ghomizadeh in Iran.  Its provisional
position is latitude 37.5 degrees north (planetographic), longitude
(System 3) 248 degrees.  Just over 5 hours later, David Gray in the UK
visually recorded a light spot approaching the p. limb.  Its
provisional position measured from David's drawing is latitude 37.5
degrees north, longitude (System 3) 29 degrees.  Saturn is well placed
for observation before dawn and more observations are urgently
required to confirm those features.
 
 
I've also posted on the SPA web site   http://snipurl.com/1nv6c7
an image taken on December 11.  Observations are strongly encouraged.
 
Venus is a bright morning object displaying a crescent phase; this is
a good time to look for the Ashen Light.  The BAA Venus section
director Richard McKim has asked for observations of Venus and I quote
from him, "At or before 7 am the sky is still dark enough (and the
phase ideal) to make a search for the Ashen Light either visually or
by imaging.  Negative observations will be of value, but not once the
sky has become too bright.  If the phenomenon is seen or suspected,
try hiding the bright crescent with an occulting bar or even placing
Venus at the edge of the field, to see whether it still remains
visible (and so to avoid the possibility of illusion)."
 
Any reports of observations would be most welcome via:
 
A selection of members' images/sketches can be seen on the SPA
Planetary Section's web page:   http://popastro.com/planet/
 
 
METEOR SECTION REPORT
 
Alastair McBeath's meteor notes for January can be found on the SPA
 
 
SOLAR SECTION REPORT
By Richard Bailey SPA Solar Section Director
 
WHITE LIGHT
 
Poor weather conditions and the low autumn sun adversely affected
Section members' observing during November  In the first week small
NH AR1120 near the CM was joined by similar SH AR1121 by the E limb on
the 4th.  AR1121 was a return of AR1112 seen last month.  A burst of
activity followed around the 10th. when four ARs were to be seen
across the disc.  SH ARs 1121 and 1122 were nearing the W limb, SH AR
1123 by the CM and NH AR1124 inwards from the E one.  Activity stayed
good to the 19th, when new SH AR1125 was by the CM, NH AR1127 had
appeared at the E limb but 1121 and 1122 had vanished.  NH AR1127 was
on view almost to the end of the month crossing the disc westwards.
NH AR1130 came in the last week near the CM.
 
AR1124 had been the busiest of the month, on the 24th. a leader and
follower with good penumbrae had some smaller spots between them.
AR1126 developed a gaggle of small spots from the 10th to the 16th.
AR1127 was a fine single spot with a fine penumbra on the 24th.
Patches of limb faculae were seen occasionally .
 
MDF 1.67 R 21.31
 
H-ALPHA
 
Some large prominences were seen during the month, smaller ones being
frequent also around the perimeter.  On the 4th two excellent ones
stood out in the N, on the 16th also to the S and NW.  The 26th had a
profusion of large, bright prominences, many with striking structures.
On the 19th a rapidly extending and enlarging SW prominence was seen,
appearing almost detached from the disc.  A long NH filament persisted
in the first week, another in the third week.  On the 23rd to the 26th
a slender eastwards-curving filament was seen to start from the umbra
of AR1127.  Go to the Solar Section of the SPA website to see the full
report and a selection of splendid pictures and drawings made by
Section members.
 
MDF 4.63
 
 
SPIRAL ASTEROID
Spaceweather.com
 
The International Astronomical Union has announced the discovery of a
spiral structure around main-belt asteroid (596) Scheila.  Astronomers
found the curious shape in images obtained on Dec. 11 through the
Catalina 0.68-m Schmidt telescope.  Other observers have since
confirmed the phenomenon.  It is possible that a small asteroid might
have hit 596 Scheila, raising a cloud of dust which forms a nebula
around the larger space rock.  A 1-m-class impactor could be large
enough.  Alternatively, 596 Scheila might be a rare main-belt comet, a
body with the orbital characteristics of an asteroid and the physical
characteristics of a comet.  If so, a pocket of volatile ice might be
vaporizing to produce the spiralling tail.
 
 
EARTHLY GOLD CAME FROM ASTEROID BOMBARDMENT
University of Maryland
 
New findings appear to suggest that gold, platinum, palladium, and
other such elements found in the crusts and mantles of the Earth, the
Moon, and Mars arrived on mini-planet-sized impactors during the final
phase of planet formation in the Solar System.  The massive collisions
occurred within tens of millions of years after the even bigger impact
that has in recent years been supposed to have produced our Moon.
Current understanding of the formation of the Earth and other planets
with iron cores and silicate mantles suggests that heavy elements are
pulled into the planet cores as they form.  Thus, we should have an
Earth that has almost no gold or heavy-metal ores in its crust for us
to mine.  The fact that we do has long suggested that something must
have happened to bring more heavy elements to the Earth after
completion of the separation of the metallic core and silicate mantle.
But it has been open to question whether such late accretion of
material occurred in big chunks over a relatively short period of time
or as a 'rain' of smaller pieces of material over a longer time.
 
Now, some astronomers have used numerical models to try to see what
size objects would best match the needed criteria.  The criteria
include (1) providing the right amount of heavy metals to the Earth,
Moon and Mars; (2) being large enough to breach the crusts and mantles
of these bodies, creating local molten rock ponds from their impact
energy and efficiently mixing into the mantle; and (3) not being so
large as to cause a fragmenting and reformation of the planet cores,
which would result in most of the newly added elements being pulled
down into the cores.  The best results were obtained if the late-
accretion population were dominated by a limited number of massive
projectiles.  The largest Earth impactor would be roughly the size
of Pluto, while those hitting the Moon would be 250 to 300 km across.
The team asserts that those impactor sizes are consistent with
physical evidence such as the size distributions of present asteroids
and of ancient Martian impact scars.
 
 
ANOTHER NEW PLANET
University of California
 
Astronomers using the Keck II telescope in Hawaii say that a
planetary system in which they have obtained images showing a fourth
planet resembles an over-sized version of our Solar System.  Besides
having four giant planets, both systems also contain two 'debris
belts' composed of small rocky or icy objects, along with lots of
dust.  The planets orbit a sixth-magnitude star called HR 8799, which
is 40 parsecs away.  The astronomers estimate that the combined mass
of the four giant planets may be 20 times greater than the mass of all
the planets in our Solar System, and the debris belts also contain
much more mass than our own.  The newly discovered planet orbits
HR 8799 more closely than the other three, at a distance that would
correspond in the Solar System to between the orbits of Saturn and
Uranus.
 
 
'ZIRCONIUM STAR'
RAS
 
Astronomers from Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland have found
what appears to be the most zirconium-rich star ever analysed.  They
made the discovery while looking for chemical clues to explain why a
small group of stars known as helium-rich hot subdwarfs, which are
reaching the end of their lives, have much less hydrogen on their
surfaces than most otherwise similar stars.  Using data obtained with
the Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Spring in New South Wales,
they looked at the evolved star LS IV -14° 116, 600 parsecs away
towards the border between the constellations of Capricornus and
Aquarius.
 
The spectrum of LS IV -14° 116 had the usual lines arising from common
elements, but other strong lines were less easy to identify.  Four of
the lines proved to be due to Zr IV (triply-ionized zirconium), that
exists only at temperatures above 20 000°C and had never previously
been identified in an astronomical spectrum.  The zirconium abundance
is about ten thousand times as high as in the Sun.  Other spectral
lines proved to come from Sr II, Ge III and Y III (ionized strontium,
germanium and yttrium), and those elements are between one thousand
and ten thousand times more abundant than normal.  The astronomers
argue that the unusual abundances in LS IV -14° 116 are caused by
stratification of elements in the star's atmosphere -- the only part
of a star that can be seen directly.  A process called radiatively-
driven diffusion can concentrate certain elements, mainly metals
heavier than calcium, in the layer that we observe, even though their
overall abundances in the star as a whole may be near normal.  It is
suggested that the star is shrinking from being a bright cool giant to
a faint hot subdwarf.  As the star shrinks, different elements sink
down or float up in the atmosphere to a region where they become
highly visible, making the  apparent composition very sensitive to
the star's recent history.
 
 
SUPER-EARTH ATMOSPHERE OBSERVED
ESO
 
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of an atmosphere around a
'super-Earth' exo-planet known as GJ 1214b, observed as it transited
in front of its parent star and some of the starlight passed through
its atmosphere.  GJ 1214b is about 2.6 times as big as the Earth and
6.5 times as massive.  It is about 12 parsecs away, towards Ophiuchus.
It is a faint star, but is also small, so the size of the planet is
not too small compared to the stellar disc, making it relatively easy
to study.  The planet crosses the disc of its parent star once every
38 hours as it orbits at a distance of only two million kilometres --
70 times closer than the Earth is to the Sun.  Although there is now
known to be an atmosphere around the planet, it has not been possible
to decide whether it is made mostly of water in the form of steam, or
is obscured, dominated by thick clouds or hazes.
 
 
VENUS PROBE MISSES TARGET
Science Daily
 
A Japanese probe bound for Venus has failed to reach orbit and is now
heading towards the Sun.  It was designed to monitor volcanic activity
and provide data on the thick cloud cover and climate, including
whether the planet has lightning.  It will be six years before the
Japanese Space Agency can make another attempt.  Japan has never
succeeded in an interplanetary mission but has previously launched
several rockets into space; in 1998 it launched a Mars mission that
was plagued by technical glitches and was finally abandoned in 2003.
 
 
 
The next scheduled bulletin will appear on 2011 January 9.
Meanwhile, may I take the opportunity of wishing all our
subscribers a very happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.
 
 
Bulletin compiled by Clive Down
 
(c) 2010 the Society for Popular Astronomy 
 
 
--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
--

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Lunar Eclipse 2010: Will You Be There?

Lunar Eclipse 2010: Will You Be There?

The first total lunar eclipse in two years is scheduled to make its debut this evening and into the
early hours of Tuesday morning, and viewers in North America will have a front-row seat.

While winter storms are putting a damper on some moon-gazers' plans, a number of websites and
organizations are offering creative ways to still get a gander at the eclipsed moon. JPL is keeping a
running list of these lunar eclipse alternatives and resources at
http://bit.ly/eZWF4t .

We're also inviting viewers to text or tweet us their comments through our "I'm There: Lunar Eclipse"
campaign so we can alert others in the area and suggest chat rooms, simulations and videos that offer
the next-best thing to seeing the lunar eclipse in person.  Learn how to text us your comments at
http://bit.ly/eLENTc.

Hundreds have already signed up to participate in JPL's lunar eclipse campaign, which lets sky gazers
text in their lunar eclipse viewing spots and see them displayed on an interactive map at
http://bit.ly/eLENTc. If you'd
like to participate in this stellar event, there's still time. Simply *text IMTHERE to 67463 or enter your
10-digit cell phone number in the "Join the Conversation" box at
http://bit.ly/eLENTc (*message and data rates may
apply). All participants will receive a free "I Was There" lunar eclipse badge for Facebook, Twitter and
other social media.

Waiting for the eclipse to arrive? If the skies are wide open, but your eyes not so much, take a look at
the December skymap at
http://bit.ly/hgmx6i, and see how many constellations you can spot. And get a few hints
from astronomy expert Jane Houston Jones as she identifies the best stellar sights in this month's
What's Up video:
http://bit.ly/e360IF.

Find more lunar eclipse resources and join the community at
http://bit.ly/eLENTc.

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lat' 52.41825356698225 North
-
Long' 1.7198766767978668 East (Chimney Pot)
-
Elev: 38ft/11.5824 Meters above sea level
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra
--
Blog:
http://lyrandgyastronomers.blogspot.com/
--
astrocomera@googlemail.com (this main email address)
jupitermoon@tiscali.co.uk (alternative email address)
stella.comans@yahoo.co.uk (alternative email address)
astrocomet@bushinternet.com (old email address)
strobecrystal@bushinternet.com (old email address)

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Early Morning Lunar Eclipse...

I was up just before 06.00 U.T (Astronomical Twilight @ 05.54 UT) to see this one-already in its Penumbral Phase (P1 occurring @ 05.27 UT) the first Umbral contact occurring @ 06.30 UT.
 
A more conspicuous darkening of the Moon started to show after U1 @ 06.30 as the Moon gradually lowered to the North Western Horizon and after a while the Sky started to brighten in the East with Civil Twilight occurring @ 07.20 UT.
 
A bright silvery Venus was dominating the South Eastern Twilight Morning Sky, The Moon faded in and out of dark clouds low on the North Western Horizon as the shadow of the Earth gradually moved across the face of the Moon low in the North West, Sunrise occurred @ 08.01 UT and Moonset occurred @ 08.09 UT, 7 minutes after this was mid Eclipse @ 08.16 UT of which I was frozen standing around watching thick clouds build from the East so I came indoors and had a good hot cup of tea to warm up a bit.
 
--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
--

Monday 20 December 2010

[Baa-ebulletin 00547] GET UP EARLY FOR THIS MONTH'S LUNAR ECLIPSE

I'll have to set the alarm for half 4 to 5 this morning:
 
======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================
BAA e-bulletin, 2010 Dec. 19

GET UP EARLY FOR THIS MONTH'S LUNAR ECLIPSE

Early this Tuesday morning, on 21 December, the day of the winter solstice,
there will be a total eclipse of the Moon. The Moon first enters the outer,
penumbral part of the Earth's shadow at 05:29 UT, and the partial eclipse
begins at 06:32 UT.  The eclipse first becomes total at 07:40 UT, reaches
maximum at 08:17 UT, and ends at 08:53 UT.

The entire eclipse will be visible after local midnight from Canada, the
USA, central America and the north-western tip of South America. The eclipse
occurs at the Moon's descending node in eastern Taurus, four days before
perigee.  The Moon will be full at 08:13 UT.  Further information on this
eclipse may be found at:

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2010.html#LE2010Dec21T

>From southern parts of the British Isles, the initial umbral phases will be
visible, but the Moon will be dropping down into the western sky as dawn
approaches.  From such locations, when totality begins at 07:40 UT, the Moon
will be very low in the west-north-western sky, close to the horizon and in
a rapidly brightening sky.  From locations in Scotland and Northern Ireland,
totality will be visible in its entirety, but the Moon will be low down
after the time of greatest eclipse (08:17 UT).

>From London, sunrise is at 08:04 UT with moonset just seven minutes later.
The table below lists the times of moonset for various locations in the
British Isles:

Location                  Moonset (UT)

Brighton                        08:08
London                         08:11
Bristol                           08:21
Birmingham                   08:25
Swansea                       08:28
York                             08:30
Liverpool                      08:35
Newcastle-upon-Tyne   08:39
Dublin                           08:48
Belfast                           08:55
Glasgow                        08:57
Aberdeen                      08:58

The umbral phase lasts from 06:32 UT until 10:01 UT.  During totality, the
Moon tracks through the northern part of the Earth's umbral shadow, so for
those observers watching it high up in a clear sky, the southern half of the
totally eclipsed Moon will most likely appear considerably darker than the
northern part.

One never quite knows how dark or how bright a lunar eclipse will be.
Everything depends on the conditions in the Earth's upper atmosphere through
which all light falling onto the shadowed Moon has to pass. There have been
eclipses when the Moon has been difficult to find even with a telescope,
while at other eclipses it has remained bright red or vividly coloured.

For observers in the British Isles, the very low elevation of the Moon
during the total phase means that it is not possible to predict the exact
brightness distribution in the umbra, so observers are encouraged to
estimate the brightness using the Danjon scale at different times during
totality. Note that it may also be necessary to assign different Danjon
values to different portions of the Moon (i.e., north vs. south).

For an explanation of the Danjon scale of lunar eclipse brightness visit:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHres/Danjon.html

The 2010 December 21 total lunar eclipse belongs to Saros 125, a series of
72 eclipses in the following sequence: 17 penumbral, 13 partial, 26 total, 9
partial, and 7 penumbral lunar eclipses.

There will be two total lunar eclipses in 2011, on 15 June and 10 December,
but neither will be visible in its entirety from the British Isles.

The BAA Lunar Section will be pleased to receive observations of the lunar
eclipse.  See the Section's webpage at
http://www.baalunarsection.org.uk/
for more details.


John Mason
BAA Press and Publicity Officer
email:
docjohn@dircon.co.uk

51 Orchard Way, Barnham, West Sussex PO22 0HX
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Good Clear Skies
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Colin James Watling
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Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
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Total Eclipse of the Moon

Space Weather News for Dec. 19, 2010

http://spaceweather.com

LUNAR ECLIPSE:  For the first time in many years, northern winter is beginning with a total lunar eclipse.  On Dec. 21, 2010, the date of the northern winter solstice, the full Moon will pass through Earth's shadow, turning the lunar orb a delightful shade of coppery-red. Sky watchers in North America are favored with an overhead view as the eclipse unfolds on Tuesday morning between 02:41 am and 03:53 am EST. Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage of the event including live webcasts, observing tips, and a look at the surprising connection between lunar eclipses and Earth's climate.

SOMETHING NEW: Spaceweather.com is proud to announce SpaceWeather TEXT, an innovative alert service that turns your cell phone into a real-time space weather monitoring system. Subscribers receive text messages announcing X-class solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and CME impacts as they are happening. Learn more at
http://spaceweathertext.com .
 
--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra
--
Blog:
http://lyrandgyastronomers.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Rollout

Rollout
Sun, 12 Dec 2010 23:00:00 -0600

The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is rolled out by train on its way to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 26 Soyuz Commander Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA Flight Engineer Catherine Coleman and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 16. Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi


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--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
--
Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web:
http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
--
Information:
http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra