[BAA 00499] Wrottesley Observatory Summer Solstice Event

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin No. 00499            http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

The Wrottesley Observatory at the Black Country Living Museum, Tipton
Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4SQ will be holding their 2010 Summer
Solstice Event on Sunday 20th June from 10.00 to 4.00.  There will be
tours of the Museum's Victorian observatory, displays and talks and,
weather permitting, solar observing with a number of instruments both
vintage and modern.

Visitors should also be able to use BAA instrument No. 150, the 7-inch
f/11 reflector by George Calver (see BAAJ 119,1,40,2009).

Entry to the event on the day is the normal Black Country Living
Museum admission price - Adult £13.20, Child £7.00 and Senior £10.70.

To book or for museum details ring 0121 557 9643 or 0121 520 8054. See
also www.bclm.co.uk . Alternatively, you can call John Armitage on
01543 579805.

Roger Pickard, Vice President

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletins service.      E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org
Bulletin transmitted on Thu Jun 10 22:14:44 BST 2010
(c) 2010 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

--
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

New Comet in the Morning Sky

Space Weather News for June 8, 2010

http://spaceweather.com

NEW COMET McNAUGHT: A fresh comet is swinging through the inner solar system, and it is brightening rapidly as it approaches Earth for a 100 million mile close encounter in mid-June.  Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) has a vivid green head and a long wispy tail that look great through small telescopes.

 

By the end of the month it could be visible to the naked eye perhaps as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper.

 

Because this is the comet's first visit to the inner solar system, predictions of future brightness are necessarily uncertain; amateur astronomers should be alert for the unexpected.

 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.

--
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

Exclusive post-launch interview with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

     NEWSALERT: Monday, June 7, 2010 @ 1726 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
         The latest news from Spaceflight Now


===========================================
Looking for a job out of this world?
The top jobs and the best talents in
the space industry are on Space Careers.

http://www.space-careers.com/?id=sfn

Space Careers, a one-stop reference source
for employment in the space industry.
===========================================


THIS WEEK IN SPACE
------------------
In this special edition of This Week in Space, SpaceX boss Elon Musk
speaks to Miles O'Brien about the successful flight of his Falcon 9 rocket
and hits back at critics of the rocket's role in the Obama space plan.

http://spaceflightnow.com/twis/


NEW! MUST-SEE PICTURES FROM FALCON 9 LIFTOFF
--------------------------------------------
Sound-activated cameras around Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 capture the
thunderous blastoff of the Falcon 9 rocket on its experimental first test
flight.

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/remotes/


FALCON 9 BOOSTER ROCKETS INTO ORBIT ON DRAMATIC FIRST LAUNCH
------------------------------------------------------------
Defying questionable odds and technical gremlins, the Falcon 9 rocket
completed a nearly flawless first flight Friday afternoon, successfully
hitting a bullseye 155 miles high in space after a drama-filled countdown
and launch.

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/100604launch/

OUR LIVE COUNTDOWN AND LAUNCH JOURNAL:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/launch/

IMAGES FROM PAD CAMERAS AND ROCKET ITSELF:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/stills/


LAUNCH VIDEO IN STANDARD AND HIGH DEFINITION!
---------------------------------------------
Spaceflight Now captured the Falcon 9 rocket's maiden blastoff from three
locations: Kennedy Space Center's press site, the NASA Causeway and atop
the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building.

Standard definition:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php?k=falcon+9

High definition:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/falcon9/


ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME INDUCTS ITS 2010 CLASS
---------------------------------------------
The first African-American astronaut, a spacewalking woman and two
shuttle-turned-station commanders now leading competing commercial
spaceflight programs at Orbital Sciences and SpaceX were honored Saturday.
Guy Bluford, Kathy Thornton, Frank Culbertson and Ken Bowersox were
inducted as the Astronaut Hall of Fame's class of 2010. The ceremony is
presented here for Spaceflight Now+Plus subscribers.

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

--
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

Soyuz lands safely / Falcon 9 still aiming for Friday launch

      NEWSALERT: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 @ 1718 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
          The latest news from Spaceflight Now


++++++++++
AGI Users' Conference: We're Coming to You!

AGI is taking its technology on the road in 2010. We'll be making stops in
18 states around the U.S. Each free, one-day event includes hands-on
software demos, virtual expert sessions, developer kiosks and user
discussions. Register today at http://uc.agi.com
++++++++++


SOYUZ BRINGS INTERNATIONAL CREW BACK TO EARTH
---------------------------------------------
The Soyuz TMA-17 crew capsule, carrying outgoing space station commander
Oleg Kotov, Timothy Creamer and Soichi Noguchi, settled to a safe
parachute-and-rocket-assisted landing in Kazakhstan after a descent from
the International Space Station. Touchdown occurred at 11:25 p.m. EDT
Tuesday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp23/status2.html


FALCON 9 ROCKET MOVES CLOSER TO FRIDAY LAUNCH
---------------------------------------------
The inaugural Falcon 9 rocket for SpaceX's experimental test flight was
rolled from its hangar to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40
today, still aiming for liftoff Friday during a window extending from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT.

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html


JAPANESE SATELLITE BEGINS FLIGHT TO TET SPACE AGE PARTS
-------------------------------------------------------
The Rockot launcher, a modified Russian ballistic missile, lifted off
Wednesday with a Japanese satellite running on off-the-shelf components
designed to prove the utility of everyday parts in space.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/02rockot/


THIS WEEK IN SPACE
------------------
Neil Armstrong speaks out against Obama plan and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
fires back, Atlantis returns home home - perhaps permanently, Delta 4 and
Ariane 5 rockets fly, black holes merge with a bang, and news from Mars'
North Pole.

http://spaceflightnow.com/twis/


+++
GET OUR LIVE UPDATES FROM TWITTER!
Sign up to Spaceflight Now's Twitter feed
and get text message updates on your cell phone.
http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/
+++

--
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

Noctilucent Clouds Sighted over Europe

The NLC season has begun:

Space Weather News for June 3, 2010
http://spaceweather.com

Every summer since the late 19th century, Earth's polar skies have lit up with gossamer, electric-blue clouds, twisting and rippling in the twilight sky.  They're called noctilucent ("night-shining") because they can be seen after dark. The origin of the clouds, which hover at the very top of Earth's atmosphere in close proximity to space itself, is uncertain. They have been linked to causes as varied as meteoroids, climate change, and the icy exhaust of the space shuttle.

News flash: The 2010 noctilucent cloud season has just begun in the northern hemisphere, with sightings over Russia, Scotland and Denmark.  Although noctilucent clouds were once a phenomenon of high latitudes only, in recent years they have been sighted in the United States as far south as Colorado and Utah. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

--
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

Jupiter Impact Event Caught on Video

Space Weather News for June 3, 2010
http://spaceweather.com

SOMETHING HAS JUST HIT JUPITER:  Veteran amateur astronomers Anthony Wesley of Australia and Christopher Go of the Philippines have independently observed an impact event on Jupiter. The strike occurred at 20:31 UT on June 3rd and produced a bright flash of light in the giant planet's cloudtops.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and video.

--
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

[BAA 00498] New impact on Jupiter

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin No. 00498            http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

New impact on Jupiter

A new impact has been detected on Jupiter.  This time the impact flash was
recorded directly, by two independent amateur observers. It was first reported
by Anthony Wesley (Australia) (who discovered the impact last year), and
confirmed by Chris Go in a video taken at exactly the same time: 2010 June 3,
20:31:29UTC.  It was a very bright flash lasting about 2 seconds, so there can
be no doubt that it was an impact; no internal event in Jupiter would produce
such a bright brief flash. It was in the faded South Equatorial Belt, about 50
deg. preceding the central meridian; Wesley's preliminary measurements put it
at Longitude L2 = 342.7, L3 = 159.4, Latitude 16.1 deg.S. Nothing further was
seen at the impact site in the half-hour before it disappeared round the limb.
When it reappeared, this morning around 03:30 UT , observers in England,
France and Italy looked for an impact spot but recorded nothing definite.
However, the images were at low resolution (due to the low altitude and bright
dawn sky), so the images do not exclude a smaller scar.  Observations of this
site over the next few days will be very important. Even if no 'scar' is
detected, this would not be surprising. The direct imaging of the SL9 impacts
in 1994 by the Galileo spacecraft showed a bright flash a few seconds long
like this one even for a small fragment which produced virtually no scar,
probably because a small impactor can explode high in the atmosphere.  So,
impacts like this could be frequent, but never before recorded, and still
consistent with the rarity of larger impacts that leave obvious traces. By the
way:  Uranus is 0.5 degrees north of Jupiter at present: a good opportunity to
compare the two giant planets.
 ______________________________________
John H. Rogers
Jupiter Section Director,
British Astronomical Association.

<jhr11  -at- cam.ac.uk>
______________________________________

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletins service.      E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org
Bulletin transmitted on Sat Jun 5 11:53:13 BST 2010
(c) 2010 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

--
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

Extensive coverage, pictures and high definition video of Falcon 9 launch

    NEWSALERT: Saturday, June 5, 2010 @ 1817 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
         The latest news from Spaceflight Now


++++++++++
AGI Users' Conference: We're Coming to You!

AGI is taking its technology on the road in 2010. We'll be making stops in
18 states around the U.S. Each free, one-day event includes hands-on
software demos, virtual expert sessions, developer kiosks and user
discussions. Register today at http://uc.agi.com
++++++++++


FALCON 9 BOOSTER ROCKETS INTO ORBIT ON DRAMATIC FIRST LAUNCH
------------------------------------------------------------
Defying questionable odds and technical gremlins, the Falcon 9 rocket
completed a nearly flawless first flight Friday afternoon, successfully
hitting a bullseye 155 miles high in space after a drama-filled countdown
and launch.

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/100604launch/

OUR LIVE COUNTDOWN AND LAUNCH JOURNAL:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/launch/

IMAGES FROM PAD CAMERAS AND ROCKET ITSELF:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/stills/


LAUNCH VIDEO IN STANDARD AND HIGH DEFINITION!
---------------------------------------------
Spaceflight Now captured the Falcon 9 rocket's maiden blastoff from three
locations: Kennedy Space Center's press site, the NASA Causeway and atop
the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building.

Standard definition:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php?k=falcon+9

High definition:
http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/hd/falcon9/


SPACEX SHUFFLES DRAGON CARGO FLIGHTS TO STATION
-----------------------------------------------
SpaceX hopes to move forward its bid to deliver supplies to the
International Space Station to the second test flight of the Dragon
capsule next spring, foregoing an extra mission to prove out the cargo
ship's rendezvous capabilities.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/03spacexcots/


+++
GET OUR LIVE UPDATES FROM TWITTER!
Sign up to Spaceflight Now's Twitter feed
and get text message updates on your cell phone.
http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/
+++

--
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

JUPITER impact and comet alert

                ***********************************
                 The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY
                ***********************************
       ======================================================
        Special Electronic News Bulletin         2010 June 5
       ======================================================


NEW IMPACT ON JUPITER
By Andrew Robertson, SPA Planetary Section Director

SPA members may or may not be aware of a possible new impact on Jupiter.
Amateur astronomers Anthony Wesley of Australia and Christopher Go of
the Philippines have independently observed a bright flash of light on
Jupiter at 20:31 UT on June 3. See http://spaceweather.com/ for a
report and links to videos of the event.  The likely scenario for this
is believed to be an impact but observations made by amateurs in
Western Europe as Jupiter came into view following the event revealed
no impact scar.  However only low-resolution images were possible
owing to Jupiter's low altitude in a bright sky.  Any observations
would be welcomed at http://popastro.com/planet/contact/ .
Also, if you do get a chance to look at Jupiter (which I appreciate
will be difficult until Jupiter gets higher and in a darker sky) don't
forget that the SEB which has almost vanished.


COMET C/2009 R1 McNAUGHT
Heavens Above

It may be possible to observe Comet C/2009 R1 McNaught low on the
north-east horizon during this month.  Australian astronomer Robert
McNaught discovered the comet last September with the 0.5-m Schmidt
telescope at Siding Spring.  The comet will reach perihelion on July 2
at a distance of 0.4 AU and is predicted to reach magnitude 5.  On
June 21 it will be less than 2° above Capella.  A finding chart can be
found at www.heavens-above.com .

Bulletin compiled by Clive Down

(c) 2010 the Society for Popular Astronomy

--
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

Plasma rocket revolution? / Station trio returning to Earth tonight

      NEWSALERT: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 @ 2000 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
          The latest news from Spaceflight Now


+++++++++
Celebrate the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductees!

The highly anticipated U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Gala is set
for June 4, 2010 to honor this year's class of inductees! Reserve your
SPACE now at http://www.astronautscholarship.org/2010ahof_induction.html
+++++++++


PLASMA ROCKET COULD REVOLUTIONIZE SPACE TRAVEL
----------------------------------------------
Inside an unsuspecting warehouse in suburban Houston, hidden behind a
streetcorner strip mall, a team of elite engineers and enterprising
physicists is busy developing a high-tech plasma rocket designed to carry
humanity to the stars.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/01vasimr/


STATION CREW EXCHANGE BEGINS WITH TONIGHT'S LANDING
---------------------------------------------------
The International Space Station's current Russian commander, a NASA
astronaut and their Japanese crewmate will return to Earth tonight,
capping a half-year in orbit by landing in a parachute-equipped Soyuz
descent capsule.

***LIVE COVERAGE of undocking at 8:04 p.m. and landing at 11:24 p.m. EDT.

http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp23/status2.html


HAYABUSA ON TRACK FOR LANDING IN TWO WEEKS
------------------------------------------
Two weeks before its scheduled return to Earth, Japan's Hayabusa asteroid
explorer is halfway through a series of unprecedented ion engine burns to
aim the probe for a narrow re-entry corridor toward Australia.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1005/30hayabusa/


WEATHER OUTLOOK 60% FAVORABLE FOR FALCON
----------------------------------------
The Air Force has issued the first weather forecast for Friday's scheduled
launch attempt of the Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral.

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html


+++
GET OUR LIVE UPDATES FROM TWITTER!
Sign up to Spaceflight Now's Twitter feed
and get text message updates on your cell phone.
http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/
+++

--
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