KAG Kessingland Astronomy Group: November 2011

Friday 25 November 2011

Black Friday Solar Eclipse

Space Weather News for Nov. 25, 2011
http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE: This morning, the new Moon passed in front of the sun producing a partial solar eclipse over Earth's southern hemisphere. Sky watchers in Antarctica and parts of New Zealand and South Africa witnessed the solar disk turning into a crescent as slender as 9%. Images and more information are highlighted on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

Circumstances and Parameters etc:

http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0522011/

BLACK FRIDAY: Authentic rocks from space, solar telescopes, stellar wall hangings: You can't get any of this stuff at your local mall. For truly out-of-this-world holiday gifts, visit the Space Weather Store:

http://shopspaceweather.com

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
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 -- More Info -- And More Info

Monday 21 November 2011

LIVE: Mobile launcher rollout / New crew arrives at space station

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 @ 1824 GMT

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest news from Spaceflight Now

+++
INTRODUCING LATEST ASTRONAUT PATCH!
The International Space Station's Expedition 35 crew patch is now
available from our store. Free shipping to U.S. addresses!
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/
+++

MAMMOTH MOBILE LAUNCH MOUNT MOVES TO PAD TODAY
----------------------------------------------
One of NASA's heavy-duty diesel-powered crawlers is moving the space
agency's towering new 39-story mobile launch platform Wednesday to pad 39B
at the Kennedy Space Center. First motion occurred just before 9:30 a.m.
EST (1430 GMT) and it's expected to reach the pad by 5:30 p.m. EST. We are
streaming live video of the rollout.

LIVE VIDEO OF ROLLOUT:
http://spaceflightnow.com/live/

PREVIEW STORY:
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/15mobilelauncher/

PHOTO GALLERY: ROLLOUT BEGINS:
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/16rolloutphotos/

SOYUZ CAPSULE DOCKS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
------------------------------------------------------
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying three new residents for the International
Space Station successfully docked to the orbiting outpost at 12:24 a.m.
EST (0524 GMT) Wednesday while flying 248 miles over the South Pacific.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp29/status.html

ARCHIVED VIDEO COVERAGE:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php

HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/exp29/

HELP WANTED: APPLY TO BE A NASA ASTRONAUT ONLINE
------------------------------------------------
NASA is recruiting up to 15 new astronauts to bolster the agency's corps
of space fliers to staff the International Space Station and lay the
groundwork for exploration missions beyond Earth, agency officials
announced Tuesday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/15astronauts/

DECEMBER DEADLINE FOR STRANDED MARS PROBE
-----------------------------------------
Russia has until early December to establish contact with the stranded
Phobos-Grunt Mars probe and send it toward the Red Planet, the head of the
Russian space ageny said Monday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/14phobosgrunt/

+++
NEW IN OUR STORE: SPACE MODELS
Spaceships scaled to fit on your desk
http://spaceflightnowstore.com/us/catalog/
+++

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

[BAA-ebulletin 00629] 2011 November 19 meeting videos

=============================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
=============================================================
We had a really good Ordinary Meeting at Burlington House yesterday and
I have just uploaded the videos. Everything worked well this time and I
have made some changes to the video encoding that should make the slides
a bit easier to read. You can access this material by logging in to the
BAA website and then selecting Members->Videos. The videos are in MP4
format and they should play on most PCs and most mobile devices.

If you have not yet registered for the members' only section of the
website you can do this by selecting Members->Register.

The videos available are:

- Dark Energy, Extra Dimensions and Cosmology (Heavens)

- Extrasolar Planets (Veras)

- Sky Notes (Moore)

I found Alan Heavens talk particularly interesting and would definitely
recommend downloading this if you have not tried the videos before. It
lasts 70 minutes and is 160MB in size. This should take only around 5
minutes to download with 4Mbit/s broadband.

Let me know if you have any problems playing these videos or any
suggestions for how we can improve the service.

Don't forget that the Christmas meeting is on Saturday December 10th and
includes a talk by Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell so it should be an
excellent event, well worth a trip to London.

Nick James (ndj@nickdjames.com)
=============================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2011 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
=============================================================

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

SPA ENB No. 321

***********************************
The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY
***********************************
====================================================
Electronic News Bulletin No. 321 2011 November 20
====================================================

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
visiting http://www.popastro.com/

LUTETIA: A RARE SURVIVOR FROM THE BIRTH OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
ESO

New observations indicate that the asteroid Lutetia is a leftover
fragment of the same original material that formed the Earth, Venus
and Mercury. In 2010 the spacecraft Rosetta passed within 2000 miles
of Lutetia. Earlier studies of its colour and surface properties had
already shown that Lutetia is an unusual member of the asteroid main
belt. The spectrum of Lutetia matches that of one, rather rare, type
of meteorite -- enstatite chondrites -- found on Earth. Enstatite
chondrites are thought to be material that dates from the early Solar
System and to have formed close to the young Sun and been a major
building block in the formation of the rocky planets, in particular
the Earth, Venus and Mercury. Lutetia seems to have originated not in
the main belt of asteroids, where it is now, but much closer to the
Sun.

Astronomers have estimated that less than 2% of the bodies located in
the region where the Earth formed ended up in the main asteroid belt.
Most of the bodies of the inner Solar System disappeared after a few
million years as they were incorporated into the young planets that
were forming. Lutetia, which is about 100 km across, may have been
tossed out from the inner parts of the young Solar System if it passed
close to one of the rocky planets and thereby had its orbit
dramatically altered.

A STAR WITH SPIRAL ARMS
NASA

Researchers using the Japanese Subaru telescope in Hawaii have found a
star with spiral arms. The name of the star is SAO 206462. It is a
young star some 400 light-years away in the constellation Lupus. It
attracted attention because it has a circumstellar disc -- that is, a
broad disc of dust and gas surrounding the star. Researchers wondered
if new planets might be coalescing inside the disc, which is about
twice the diameter of the orbit of Pluto, but they found arms, not
planets. Spiral arms are familiar around galaxies, but to find them
around an individual star is unprecedented. The arms might be a sign
that planets are forming within the disc; theoretical models indicate
that a single embedded planet may produce a spiral arm on each side of
a disc. The structures around SAO 206462, however, do not form a
matched pair. Discs round other stars have shown other types of
structure, and it seems a bit facile just to say that they could all
be caused by planets moving or forming there. The researchers in the
present case themselves have cautioned that processes unrelated to
planets might give rise to the structures.

STARS CAN FORM IN IMPROBABLE ENVIRONMENTS
NASA

Researchers using a space telescope named GALEX have been finding
stars in galactic environments where star formation would not be
expected to happen. GALEX, which stands for Galaxy Evolution
Explorer, was launched in 2003 to study how galaxies change and evolve
as new stars form in them. It observes in the ultraviolet and is
thereby particularly effective at seeing young hot stars; it can
detect stars being born more than halfway across the Universe.

In some GALEX images, stars can be seen forming outside galaxies, in
places where the gas density ought to be too low for star birth to
occur. Stars are born when interstellar clouds of gas collapse and
contract under the pull of their own gravity. When a cloud gets dense
and hot enough as it collapses, nuclear fusion occurs and a star is
born. We see the process happening in the gas-laden spiral arms of the
Milky Way. But in other galaxies GALEX sees stars forming far
outside the gassy spiral disc. It has also found stars being born in
elliptical and irregular galaxies thought to be gas-poor, and even in
cold primordial gas clouds, which are small and would seem to be
barely massive enough to hang together.

GAMMA-RAY BURST SHOWS ABUNDANT METALLIC ELEMENTS IN EARLY UNIVERSE
ESO

Gamma-ray bursts are very powerful explosions that are briefly visible
at very great distances. They are first detected by orbiting
observatories that then report their positions. That allows immediate
follow-up by large ground-based telescopes that can detect the
visible-light and infrared afterglow that the bursts emit over the
succeeding hours and days. One such burst, called GRB 090323, was
observed with the VLT just one day after it exploded. Its spectrum
showed absorption lines from its own host galaxy and another galaxy
nearby, galaxies that are being seen as they were about 12 billion
years ago. Surprisingly, the heavy-element abundances in the distant
galaxies is higher than in the Sun.

It is expected that galaxies in the early Universe would contain
smaller amounts of heavier elements than galaxies at the present day.
The heavy elements are produced by successive generations of stars,
gradually enriching the gas in galaxies. The recently observed pair
of young galaxies must have formed new stars at a rapid rate, to have
enriched their gas so strongly and quickly. As the two galaxies are
close to each other they may be in the process of merging, which would
provoke a lot of star formation when the gas clouds collide.

HUBBLE OBSERVES DISC AROUND BLACK HOLE
ScienceDaily

Quasi-stellar objects (quasars) are thought to consist of glowing
discs of matter orbiting around super-massive black holes, heating up
and emitting extremely bright radiation as they do so. Quasar discs
may have sizes of a few light-days, dozens of times the size of
Neptune's orbit, but they are much too far away for their structure to
be seen directly. Recently, however, observations have been made with
the Hubble telescope of quasars that are seen behind other galaxies.
Gravitational 'lensing' by individual massive stars in a foreground
galaxy can on occasion have the effect of focusing light from regions
in the quasar disc, offering some, though crude, resolution of the
disc. As the stars move across the line of sight to the quasar, the
gravitational effects amplify the light from different parts of the
disc, giving some colour information for the different regions. That
appeared to happen in one case among the recent observations. From
records of the variation in colour, the observers tried to reconstruct
the colour profile across the disc. That is of interest because the
temperature of a disc increases the closer it is to the black hole,
and the colours emitted by the hot matter get bluer the hotter they
are. That allowed the team to estimate the diameter of the disc,
and plot how hot it is as a function of distance from the centre.
They found that the disc is between four and eleven light-days
across (approximately 100 to 300 billion kilometres).

VOYAGER 2 TO SWITCH TO BACKUP THRUSTER
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA's Deep Space Network has sent commands to the Voyager 2
spacecraft to switch to the backup set of thrusters that control the
roll of the spacecraft. Confirmation has been received that the
spacecraft accepted the commands. The change will allow the
34-year-old spacecraft to reduce the amount of power it requires to
operate and use previously unused thrusters as it continues its
journey toward interstellar space, beyond our Solar System. Launched
in 1977, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are each equipped with six sets, or
pairs, of thrusters to control their movement. They include three
pairs of primary thrusters and three backup pairs. Voyager 2 is
currently using the two pairs of backup thrusters that control the
pitch and yaw motion of the spacecraft. Switching to the backup pair
that controls roll motion will allow engineers to turn off the heater
that keeps the fuel line to the primary thruster warm, saving about 12
watts of power. The spacecraft's power supply now provides about 270
watts of electricity; by reducing its power usage, it can continue to
operate for another decade even as its available power continues to
decline. Voyager 2 is currently about 14 billion kilometres away, in
the 'heliosheath', where the solar wind, which streams out from the
Sun, is slowed by the pressure (infinitesimal as it is) of
interstellar gas.

PHOBOS PROBE FAILURE
BBC News

The Russian Phobos-Grunt probe intended to go to Mars was launched
successfully but then the engine failed to fire to put it on the
correct interplanetary path, and the craft is currently stuck in Earth
orbit. Almost two and a half hours into the mission, the huge cruise
stage of Phobos-Grunt should have made the first of two firings, to
raise the orbit and to send the mission on to Mars. Russian officials
say that neither of those planned engine burns occurred. Reports
suggest that the spacecraft attempted to orientate itself in space by
the stars, failed to pick them up, and therefore did not execute the
firings as planned. If the problem is simply a software issue and
engineers can upload new commands, they have a chance of rescuing the
mission. They have two weeks to correct the fault before the probe's
batteries run out.

The project is Russia's most ambitious space venture in recent years.
It has been designed to collect rock and dust samples from Mars' moon
Phobos and bring them back for study. Scientists hope that the dusty
debris would provide fresh insights into the origin of the moon, which
is only 27 km across and which is suspected of being a captured
asteroid. The spacecraft is also carrying China's first Mars
satellite, Yinghuo-1. The Russians had been hoping that Phobos-Grunt
would finally bury their Martian curse. They have despatched a total
of 16 missions to Mars since the 1960s. None has successfully
completed its goals, with the most recent endeavour -- the
sophisticated Mars-96 spacecraft -- being destroyed in a failed
launch. If engineers can correct the current problem, Phobos-Grunt
should reach Mars late next year. After dumping the cruise stage and
releasing Yinghuo-1, the main spacecraft would then manoeuvre itself
into position to land on Phobos. Phobos-Grunt is a hefty spacecraft,
and requires several tasks to be carried out successively --
travelling to Mars, landing on Phobos, picking up samples, and then
despatching them home. The total mass for the mission with all its
fuel is more than 13 tons. That makes the venture the biggest
Solar-System expedition ever, a title previously held by the six-ton
Cassini-Huygens craft launched to Saturn in 1997.

CANADIAN X-RAY SPECTROMETER HEADED TO MARS
QMI Agency

NASA's new rover, Curiosity, will carry a piece of Canada with it when
it goes to Mars later this month. A Canadian-made instrument called
the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) will help the rover to
determine the chemical composition of rocks and soils. About the size
of a soup tin, the APXS will sit on the end of a robotic arm. It is
moved in close to whatever it is required to investigate, then bombards
it with alpha particles and X-rays to study its composition. Curiosity
is to be launched on November 25.

SPA SOLAR SECTION
By Richard Bailey, SPA Solar Section Director

OCTOBER 2011
Rotation Nos. 2115, 2116

WHITE LIGHT

8 or 9 active regions (ARs) were often seen in the first three weeks,
with a maximum of 10 on the 20th. Their numbers dropped in the last 5
days, to 3 at the end of the month. Again, the NH was more active by
about a factor of two over the SH, that hemisphere being without any
ARs from the 27th. Maximum R number in the month was 146 on the 15th
and 21st. Some observers had the hottest October day on record on the
1st, but that was probably nothing to do with solar activity.

Week 1: The ARs that spread across the NH at the end of September were
on show, NH AR 1392 still the strongest but decaying during the week.
Two small SH ARs were seen. Week 2: A burst of activity in both
hemispheres in the second half with some strong ARs. NH AR 1319 was a
stretch of mainly small sunspots with NH AR 1314 above and SH AR 1316
below it. 9 ARs were seen on the 10th and 13th. Week 3: Gradually
the most active areas of both hemispheres went westwards, by the 16th
past the CM, when AR 1319 had more than 30 individual sunspots. On
the 18th. NH AR 1324 was just showing by the E limb, being in full
view on the 20th as a long collection of 21 mixed sunspots, as the
main NH AR 1310 got close to the W limb. Week 4 to the end of the
month: Nine ARs were counted on the 21st mainly in the NH. As NH AR
1324 neared the CM, SH AR 1320 appeared by the E limb, matched near
the W limb by SH AR 1327.

MDF 6.03 R 87.57

H-ALPHA

The MDF for prominences was about the same as the two previous
months, but for ARs and R they continued increasing. Flaring was not
so frequent, but large and varied prominences were often seen.
Smaller ones were seen at each observation by Section members with
H-alpha filter systems. A finely detailed prominence stood out in the
SE on the 2nd and 3rd. A large, delicate triangular structure
projected in the NW on the 11th. The 18th showed a mixed clustering
almost the length of the western perimeter. Filaments and plaging
accompanied the larger ARs, a strong, long filament stretched W from
NH AR 1314 from the 14th to the 19th when the AR had reached the W
limb.

MDF 4.96

To see a display of photographs and drawings, go to the Solar link
from the SPA homepage, and click Reports.

Bulletin compiled by Clive Down

(c) 2011 the Society for Popular Astronomy

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

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 -- More Info -- And More Info

Re: Newsletter

On 19 November 2011 00:36, Ron Larter <ron.larter@talktalk.net> wrote:

Hello Colin.

I hope all is well with you and with KAG.

Richard has invited me to become involved with the newsletter and with that in mind, it's in the process of being re-organised to become a newsletter more geared around our society. It will still have the usual bi-annual reports, committee information, LYRA programme, Jim Stellar's article etc; but the remaining part of the newsletter is being changed . For example, there will be observation pages, back to basic astronomy pages, meteor page, comet page, planet page, articles page and so on. There will also be a page for LYRA members to publish their views, thoughts, poetry, observations, astro photos and drawings, etc. In fact, anything astronomical they might wish to send in to us for publication. I also hope to have a page where members will be invited to send in a brief outline about themselves and how they got into astronomy and what equipment they have. It's felt it will help us come to know each other better, which is turn should create a better bonding society.

My reason for writing to you is to ask if you would like to make a regular contribution to the newsletter for the 'Brief Bio' page, the NASA page, the Comet page and perhaps reports about your affiliated Kessingland group observation reports and programmes.

I suggested perhaps the newsletter could be published on a quarterly basis, one for each season, but Richard feels every four months might be better instead of every three months. However, it's being put forward in the committee meeting next month for final approval.

Would you be interested to make contributions to the newsletter?

Best regards.

Ron.

PS: Did you see the fireball on Thursday night at about 10.20. It shot out from just under the Plough and had a blue head of about mag -6 and a firework sparkly tail. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

Hello Ron-I have seen several fireballs of that description but unfortunately I must have missed that one-the SPA Meteor Section always welcomes those reports and I have sent several in past years to them.

I would very much like to contribute information about what's happening in the night sky with Comet reports and also a bit about NASA and Space travel in general and also a regular update on KAG although not much has been happening of recent and only a few clear nights have there been so I have made the effort to do something when the night skies are clear although not as much as I would like to because of the inconsistent weather-thankyou for asking Ron.

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

Mars rover fitted with nuclear power source for next week's launch

NEWSALERT: Friday, November 18, 2011 @ 1630 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest news from Spaceflight Now

+++
NEW IN OUR STORE: SPACE MODELS
Spaceships scaled to fit on your desk
http://spaceflightnowstore.com/us/catalog/
+++

NUCLEAR POWER GENERATOR HOOKED UP TO MARS ROVER
-----------------------------------------------
Engineers installed the plutonium power source on NASA's Curiosity rover
Thursday, adding the final piece to the complex robot before its Nov. 25
blastoff to Mars.

http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av028/111117mmrtg/

MOBILE LAUNCHER ROLLOUT VIDEOS POSTED
-------------------------------------
The mobile launch platform for NASA's heavy-lift rocket was rolled to
Kennedy Space Center's pad 39B this week. Check out these videos of the
move, posted for on-demand viewing and downloading for Spaceflight
Now+Plus users:

http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS CRAFT MOVES CLOSER TO LAUNCH
----------------------------------------------------
A spacecraft that will improve communications with the U.S. military's
aerial drones currently employed in some of the world's hotspots has
arrived at Cape Canaveral to prepare for blastoff in January.

http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d358/111117wgs.html

CHINESE CAPSULE RETURNS AFTER DOCKING MISSION
---------------------------------------------
The return capsule of the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft parachuted to a safe
landing in Inner Mongolia on Thursday, wrapping up China's first docking
mission ahead of manned flights next year.

http://spaceflightnow.com/china/shenzhou8/111117landing/

VIDEO: SHENZHOU DESCENDS UNDER PARACHUTE
http://spaceflightnow.com/china/shenzhou8/111117landing/landingvideo.html

MESSENGER GETS ANOTHER YEAR EXPLORING MERCURY
---------------------------------------------
NASA has announced that it will extend the MESSENGER mission for an
additional year of orbital operations at Mercury beyond the planned end of
the primary mission on March 17, 2012. The MESSENGER probe became the
first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet on March 18, 2011.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/17messenger/

VOYAGER 2 COMPLETES SWITCH TO BACKUP THRUSTER SET
-------------------------------------------------
NASA's Voyager 2 has successfully switched to the backup set of thrusters
that controls the roll of the spacecraft, allowing engineers to reduce the
amount of power that the 34-year-old probe needs to operate by turning off
the heater that keeps the fuel to the primary thrusters warm.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/17voyager/

+++
INTRODUCING LATEST ASTRONAUT PATCH!
The International Space Station's Expedition 35 crew patch is now
available from our store. Free shipping to U.S. addresses!
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/
+++

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

Monday 14 November 2011

Fwd: LIVE: Three men will fly their Soyuz capsule to space tonight

NEWSALERT: Sunday, November 13, 2011 @ 1757 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest news from Spaceflight Now

+++
INTRODUCING LATEST ASTRONAUT PATCH!
The International Space Station's Expedition 35 crew patch is now
available from our store. Free shipping to U.S. addresses!
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/
+++

THREE MEN READY TO FLY THEIR SOYUZ CAPSULE TO SPACE TONIGHT
-----------------------------------------------------------
After exhaustive work to recover from a dramatic August launch failure, a
Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut was
poised for blastoff late Sunday on a delayed flight to the International
Space Station, the program's first manned launching since the U.S. shuttle
was retired.

LAUNCH UPDATES AND STREAMING VIDEO:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp29/status.html

ROLLOUT PHOTO GALLERY:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp29/111111rollout/

ARCHIVED VIDEO COVERAGE:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php

HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/exp29/

PHOBOS-GRUNT MARS PROBE REMAINS SILENT IN EARTH ORBIT
-----------------------------------------------------
Russia officially remained silent on the status of its beleaguered
Phobos-Grunt Mars probe Friday as concerns grew that the toxic fuel-laden
spacecraft could crash back to Earth by December.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/11phobosgrunt/

LAUNCH VIDEO REPLAY:
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/08phobosgrunt/launchvideo.html

LOCKHEED MARTIN TO SELECT DELTA 4 ROCKET FOR ORION TEST
-------------------------------------------------------
NASA announced this week it has signed on to a long-sought proposal by
Lockheed Martin Corp. for a $370 million unmanned orbital test flight of
the Orion capsule in early 2014, clearing the way for final contract
negotiations for launch on a Delta 4-Heavy rocket.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/10orioneft1/

+++
NEW IN OUR STORE: SPACE MODELS
Spaceships scaled to fit on your desk
http://spaceflightnowstore.com/us/catalog/
+++

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

Tuesday 8 November 2011

What's Up for November 2011?

What's Up for November 2011?
Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:00:00 -0500

What's Up for November 2011. Planets on parade as we prepare for Curiosity Rover Launch


		Questions? Contact Us

STAY CONNECTED:


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

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

[BAA-ebulletin 00626] BBC Stargazing Live 2012 and UK astronomers

============================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
============================================================

Dear BAA members,

We have been asked to relay the following message to the UK astronomy community from the BBC Stargazing LIVE team. This is a good opportunity for UK astronomers - professional and amateur astronomers and astronomy communicators - to get involved with this popular television series to be broadcast on 16-18 January 2012.

All the national organisations involved in the UK Dark Sky Discovery partnership (www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/about_us) are sending this message to their members and contacts in the astronomy community to encourage them to support the Stargazing LIVE efforts.

Best wishes,
David Boyd, Vice President
2011 November 3

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Stargazing LIVE (to be broadcast 16-18 January 2012)

1) Stargazing LIVE really captured the public's imagination during January 2011. Almost four million people watched each episode live on BBC Two and more than another two million downloaded the Stargazing LIVE Star Guide produced by BBC Learning to accompany the series. Across the UK more than 180 partners held over 300 Stargazing LIVE events. In total more than 40,000 people attended and had a taste of astronomy, many for the very first time. We were really impressed, and we want Stargazing LIVE 2012 to be even bigger and better. The series returns to BBC Two on January 16th 2012. We're currently in the process of planning new programme content and resources and are encouraging our partners to think about how they might like to get involved.

2) The timing of series one, in early January 2011, meant that the majority of schools were on holiday and unable to hold their own Stargazing activities. This year, a later transmission date which falls within term time means we hope both primary and secondary schools will engage with the project. We have commissioned a range of Stargazing resources for schools and plan to produce a Schools Events Pack and host a Stargazing LIVE schools webcast on Thursday 19th January 2012. Many schools lack the astronomical knowledge and confidence to host their own Stargazing events though, and whilst BBC Learning can provide resources (including the new 2012 version of our fantastic Star Guide) we don't have sufficient staff on the ground to send someone to every school to help out. This is where you come in. Do you have the expertise to offer support to a school wanting to hold their own Stargazing event? Perhaps you could advise on activities, share best telescope practice or give up a couple of hours to answer questions from small, curious minds. The BBC has a network of Learning Project Managers around the UK who can 'match-make' astronomy professionals with schools near them, and you can give as little or as much time as you can. If you would like to get involved, please email stargazing@bbc.co.uk with your geographical location and contact details and we'll be in touch.

Of course it's not just schools. Scout and Guide groups have shown interest in Stargazing 2012 and we've also had enquiries from tourist attractions and venues large and small offering space and facilities for Stargazing LIVE events. This is a really exciting opportunity. Many of the fantastic clubs and societies who ran events last year reported having twice as many people attend than they were expecting, meaning sometimes things got a little squashed. Larger spaces mean more people can enjoy events and have their own astronomy 'wow!' moment, but of course a lot of these venues don't have the astronomy expertise needed to make Stargazing a success. Once again, we're looking for astronomers who are willing to advise at events like these, provide expertise and answer questions, and if you'd like to get involved the contact details are as above.

3) Of course we'd like you to think about holding your own Stargazing events for 2012 too, and the way we share those on the BBC Stargazing website has changed. Things To Do, the BBC's new event planner, lets people find free and non-commercial activities by the BBC and our partners connected to BBC TV, Radio & Campaigns. Visitors to the website can simply enter a postcode and find hundreds of activities going on in their area. The site will make it easier for people who are interested to find out about your events next year, not only during Stargazing LIVE but on an ongoing basis. If you already know what you're planning to do for 2012, or before, you can start uploading your events to our website straight away. Any activities running up to the end of December and from the start of February should be uploaded against the Countryfile project. BBC One's flagship rural news show are outdoor and adventure champions and will continue promoting Things To Do fortnightly on their Sunday shows. (The project offer can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activitymaker)
.Any activities running throughout January should be uploaded against the Stargazing LIVE project to make the most of broadcast trails and the live show. (The project offer can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activitymaker). Please visit www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activitymaker

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activitymaker

take a look at the project offer and feel free to to start uploading your activities straight away. if you have questions about how Things To Do can work for your organisation email the team at activitymaker@bbc.co.uk

In January 2011 there were some wonderfully creative collaborations that combined astronomy with other activities, like 'Starlings and Starlight' in which Mexborough and Swinton Astronomical Society joined birdwatching and astronomy, and a guided night-time cycling tour of the scale model of the solar system organised by the University of York. We really look forward to seeing what you come up with in 2012!

Kind regards,

Stargazing LIVE
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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
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Information -- More Info -- And More Info

Huge Sunspot

Space Weather News for Nov. 3, 201
http://spaceweather.com

HUGE SUNSPOT: One of the biggest sunspot groups in many years has just emerged over the sun's eastern limb. The sunspot's magnetic canopy is crackling with M-class (medium-sized) solar flares and seems poised to launch even stronger X-class eruptions. The sunspot, named AR1339, is not yet directly facing Earth but it will be turning toward our planet in the days ahead. Check http://spaceweather.com for images of the behemoth and updates.

SUNSPOT TELESCOPE: Sunspot AR1339 looks magnificent when viewed through Explore Scientific's White Light Solar Observing System. This safely-filtered telescope is designed for high-quality imaging of sunspots and it is now available in the Space Weather Store: http://www.shopspaceweather.com/

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Freighter docks to space station / Photography of Delta 2 rocket

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, November 2, 2011 @ 1216 GMT
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The latest news from Spaceflight Now

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CHARITY SPACE AUCTION OPEN

Bidding is now open on 50 unique lots, including space artifacts and
signed mementos, in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's 9th Annual
Auction of Astronaut Experiences & Memorabilia, which closes November 5.

http://astronautscholarship.org/aams/auction.html
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SPACE STATION WELCOMES RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP ARRIVAL
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The International Space Station received a cargo freighter today when the
Russian-made vessel loaded with three tons of supplies safely approached
and docked on autopilot.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp29/111102p45pdock/

DELTA 2 ROCKET LAUNCH YIELDS PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHY
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Last Friday's Delta 2 rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base was a
photographer's dream with beautiful weather and a gorgeous California
sunset. Take a look back at the countdown and blastoff through the lens of
ULA's cameraman.

RIDE THE GANTRY DURING ROLLBACK:
http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d357/gallery/mst/

CALIFORNIA SUNSET OVER THE PAD:
http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d357/gallery/sunset/

MIDDLE-OF-THE-NIGHT LAUNCH:
http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d357/gallery/

ESA WRESTLES WITH SOFTWARE ERRORS ON MARS EXPRESS
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European officials have temporarily halted scientific observations aboard
the Mars Express spacecraft after a spate of software hiccups, but
managers are hopeful the mission can resume research after eight years at
Mars.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/01marsexpress/

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NEW IN OUR STORE: SPACE MODELS
Spaceships scaled to fit on your desk
http://spaceflightnowstore.com/us/catalog/
+++

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

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

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

Total Pageviews

Friday 25 November 2011

Black Friday Solar Eclipse

Monday 21 November 2011

LIVE: Mobile launcher rollout / New crew arrives at space station

[BAA-ebulletin 00629] 2011 November 19 meeting videos

SPA ENB No. 321

Re: Newsletter

Mars rover fitted with nuclear power source for next week's launch

Monday 14 November 2011

Fwd: LIVE: Three men will fly their Soyuz capsule to space tonight

Tuesday 8 November 2011

What's Up for November 2011?

[BAA-ebulletin 00626] BBC Stargazing Live 2012 and UK astronomers

Huge Sunspot

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Freighter docks to space station / Photography of Delta 2 rocket

Astrocomet

KAG (Kessingland Astronomy Group) other Links

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