AEHF 1 satellite investigation / Next Soyuz capsule replaced

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 @ 1417 GMT

---------------------------------------------------------------------

  The latest news from Spaceflight Now

 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ASTRONAUTS ON THE AUCTION BLOCK

 

A whitewater rafting adventure with Apollo moonwalker Charlie Duke is one

of twelve astronaut experiences offered in the Astronaut Scholarship

Foundation's (ASF) 8th Annual Auction of Astronaut Experiences &

Memorabilia. Bidding opens October 29; preview all 65 lots and register to

bid at

 

http://www.astronautscholarship.org/auction

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

MAIN ENGINE PROBABLY NOT TO BLAME FOR AEHF 1 TROUBLE

----------------------------------------------------

As investigators narrow the list of potential culprits in the Advanced

Extremely High Frequency satellite's main propulsion system problem, the

Air Force has decided to delay launching the follow-up spacecraft and

rearrange its upcoming Atlas rocket manifest.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/101019aehf2.html

 

EARLIER COVERAGE:

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/status.html

 

 

WORKERS RACE TO REPLACE DAMAGED SOYUZ MODULE

--------------------------------------------

Responding to unexplained damage to a piece of the next Soyuz spacecraft,

the Russian builder of the capsule has shipped a replacement descent

module to Kazakhstan for preparations to launch the next three-person crew

to the International Space Station in December.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/19soyuztma20/

 

 

SIX IMPROVED GLOBALSTAR CRAFT ORBITED BY SOYUZ

----------------------------------------------

Globalstar's fleet of orbiting communications satellites received

reinforcements Tuesday, when a commercial Soyuz rocket launched from

Kazakhstan and deployed six advanced spacecraft to restore the company's

diminished two-way voice and data services.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/19globalstar/

 

COUNTDOWN AND LIFTOFF PHOTOS:

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/20soyuzgallery/

 

 

NASA MANAGERS ORDER SEAL REPLACEMENT IN DISCOVERY

-------------------------------------------------

Uncomfortable with an on-again, off-again leak in the plumbing used by the

shuttle Discovery's maneuvering rockets, NASA managers Tuesday ordered

engineers to forego additional testing and to press ahead instead with

work to replace internal seals in a fuel line fitting.

 

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

 

 

+++

SHUTTLE PROGRAM COMMEMORATIVE PATCH ON SALE!

A special commemorative patch to mark the end of the space shuttle program

is 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)

--

Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/

--

Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

[BAA 00523] Close pass of bright near-Earth asteroid, 2003 UV11

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin No. 00523            http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

2003 UV11, a relatively large near-Earth asteroid measuring roughly 400-500
meters across, is currently making a close approach over the next few days.
In so doing it will become one of the brightest such objects for several
years attaining a V magnitude of about 11.9 on October 29 and passing
closest to the Earth at a range of 5.0 lunar-distances on 2010 October 30 at
04:14 UT.

Although we know the orbit of this object with high accuracy and details of
this close approach have been listed in the BAA Handbook for 2010 (p.55), we
do not know a great deal about its physical nature including its rotation
period.  The close pass therefore represents an excellent opportunity for
observers to obtain images suitable for photometry.  From the UK, the most
favourable observing times (UT) will be the nights of Oct 26/27 (20h-03h),
Oct 27/28 (20h-03h), and in particular the two nights of Thursday, Oct 28/29
(19h-02h) and Friday, Oct 29/30 (18h-0h) when it will reach magnitude 12 and
be moving at 50-60 arcsec/min and 130-160 arcsec/min respectively.  Visual
observation through a telescope on the last night should also prove very
rewarding as it will then be possible to see it moving in real-time - a rare
opportunity for such a bright target!

Exact positions for your location can be obtained by going to either the
Minor Planet & Comet Ephemeris Service at:
http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html

or the JPL HORIZONS interface at:
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi#top

Do let me know if you are able to obtain good quality images.  For
photometry, exposure times are best kept short although short trails can
still be used.  Near closest approach, exposure times of up to 20 sec should
be fine.  (N.B. Longer times are helpful in that the reference stars are
recorded with good signal-to-noise.)  Fortunately for observers, the object
is favourably placed well south of the Milky Way sweeping through the
constellations of Aries, Pisces and Pegasus where the starfields are not too
crowded.

Good luck and clear skies,

Richard Miles
Director, Asteroids and Remote Planets Section
arps[at]britastro.org


======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletins service.      E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org
Bulletin transmitted on Mon Oct 25 13:13:14 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

A Comet Plunges toward the Sun

THIS IS WHAT I DO AND THIS IS WHAT I DO THE BEST-LOVE THE OBSERVING:

 

Space Weather News for Oct. 20, 2010
http://spaceweather.com

SUNDIVING COMET: A newly-discovered comet is plunging toward the sun for a close encounter it probably will not survive.  The comet is too deep in the sun's glare for human eyes to pick out, but it is showing up nicely in coronagraph images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for latest movies.

ORIONID METEOR SHOWER:  Earth is passing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, and this is causing the annual Orionid meteor shower.  Bright moonlight is reducing the number of visible meteors; nevertheless, sky watchers are reporting some bright Orionids.  The best time to look is during the hours before local dawn on Thursday, Oct. 21st, and again on Friday, Oct. 22nd.   Check http://spaceweather.com for a sky map and more information.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS:  With the arrival of northern autumn, aurora season is underway. Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms erupt at your latitude?  Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.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

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (October 22, 2010)

Dear comet observers,

 

We have prepared the following new charts for our homepage:

 

  

 *  103P/Hartley 2 : 

• three 15x20 degrees charts for the period 22 October - 14 November 2010.

 

These new charts can now be downloaded from the charts section of our mainpage:

http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro

Here you can also download charts from earlier updates....

 

Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk.

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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

Astronomers Find Weird, Warm Spot on an Exoplanet

NEWS RELEASE: 2010-340                  Oct. 19, 2010

Astronomers Find Weird, Warm Spot on an Exoplanet

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-340&cid=release_2010-340

PASADENA, Calif. -- Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal a
distant planet with a warm spot in the wrong place.

The gas-giant planet, named upsilon Andromedae b, orbits tightly around its star, with
one face perpetually boiling under the star's heat. It belongs to a class of planets termed
hot Jupiters, so called for their scorching temperatures and large, gaseous constitutions.

One might think the hottest part of these planets would be directly under the sun-facing
side, but previous observations have shown that their hot spots may be shifted slightly
away from this point. Astronomers thought that fierce winds might be pushing hot,
gaseous material around.

But the new finding may throw this theory into question. Using Spitzer, an infrared
observatory, astronomers found that upsilon Andromedae b's hot spot is offset by a
whopping 80 degrees. Basically, the hot spot is over to the side of the planet instead of
directly under the glare of the sun.

"We really didn't expect to find a hot spot with such a large offset," said Ian Crossfield,
lead author of a new paper about the discovery appearing in an upcoming issue of
Astrophysical Journal. "It's clear that we understand even less about the atmospheric
energetics of hot Jupiters than we thought we did."

The results are part of a growing field of exoplanet atmospheric science, pioneered by
Spitzer in 2005, when it became the first telescope to directly detect photons from an
exoplanet, or a planet orbiting a star other than our sun. Since then, Spitzer, along with
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, has studied the atmospheres of several hot Jupiters,
finding water, methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

In the new study, astronomers report observations of upsilon Andromedae b taken across
five days in February of 2009. This planet whips around its star every 4.6 days, as
measured using the "wobble," or radial velocity technique, with telescopes on the ground.
It does not transit, or cross in front of, its star as many other hot Jupiters studied by
Spitzer do.

Spitzer measured the total combined light from the star and planet, as the planet orbited
around. The telescope can't see the planet directly, but it can detect variations in the total
infrared light from the system that arise as the hot side of the planet comes into Earth's
field of view. The hottest part of the planet will give off the most infrared light.

One might think the system would appear brightest when the planet was directly behind
the star, thus showing its full sun-facing side. Likewise, one might think the system
would appear darkest when the planet swings around toward Earth, showing its backside.
But the system was the brightest when the planet was to the side of the star, with its side
facing Earth. This means that the hottest part of the planet is not under its star. It's sort of
like going to the beach at sunset to feel the most heat. The researchers aren't sure how this
could be.

They've guessed at some possibilities, including supersonic winds triggering shock waves
that heat material up, and star-planet magnetic interactions. But these are just speculation.
As more hot Jupiters are examined, astronomers will test new theories.

"This is a very unexpected result," said Michael Werner, the Spitzer project scientist at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., who was not a part of the study.
"Spitzer is showing us that we are a long way from understanding these alien worlds."

The Spitzer observations were made before it ran out of its liquid coolant in May 2009,
officially beginning its warm mission.

Other authors of the study are Brad Hansen of UCLA; Joseph Harrington at the
University of Central Florida, Orlando; James Y-K. Cho of Queen Mary, University of
London, United Kingdom; Drake Deming of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md.; Kristen Menou of Columbia University, New York, N.Y.; and Sara
Seager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston.

JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center
at the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for
NASA. For more information about Spitzer, visit http://spitzer.caltech.edu/ and
http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer .

                                                -end-

--
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 00521] Improved Computing Section applet to plan your viewing sessions

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin No. 00521            http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

The solar system applet on the Computing Section web site
(http://britastro.org/computing) has been considerably enhanced to make
it an invaluable tool for planning observing sessions.
It gives a rapid summary of where solar system objects appear for your
latitude, and will appear in the near future, in a readily assimilated
graphical format.
Initially it shows the positions of the Sun, major planets and,
importantly, the Moon so it is immediately obvious whether that will
interfere with observing.
It is easy to add minor planets (from a list of 93) and periodic comets
(30 at opposition in the coming year) or any objects for which you know
the heliocentric elliptical orbital elements.
The plot is interactive. Click on any object to get a summary of its
position, phase angle and, for minor planets, a magnitude estimate (from
H and G parameters). This summary can be copied and pasted to compile a
list of observable objects to go and see.
The Computing section website can be found from the BAA website:

http://www.britastro.org

or directly:

 

http://britastro.org/computing/

To go straight to the applet:

http://britastro.org/computing/applets_planets.html

Sheridan Williams
Computing Section Director
British Astronomical Association
baa (at) clock-tower (dot) com


======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletins service.      E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org
Bulletin transmitted on Mon Oct 18 21:35:30 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

Rescue of Air Force satellite requires patience

NEWSALERT: Monday, October 18, 2010 @ 1544 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.
===========================================


PATIENCE REQUIRED AS AEHF 1 RECOVERY BEGINS NEW MODE
----------------------------------------------------
Moving into the next phase of its orbital rescue, the Air Force's Advanced
Extremely High Frequency satellite is warming up exotic electric thrusters
to begin 10 months of propulsion-with-persistence that's needed to save
the craft's life.

http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/101017hct.html

EARLIER COVERAGE:
http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av019/status.html


GERMAN MAPPING SATELLITES ENTER ORBITAL FORMATION
-------------------------------------------------
Two German radar mapping satellites have moved into close formation to
collect unprecedented three-dimensional imagery of Earth for scientific
and commercial users, officials announced Friday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/17tandemx/


JAPAN PLANS H-2A ROCKET UPGRADES BY MID-2010S
---------------------------------------------
Continuing efforts to snare an elusive share of commercial launches, the
Japanese government and industry are planning upgrades to the country's
H-2A rocket to make it more competitive in the global marketplace.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/16h2aupgrades/


DISCOVERY ASTRONAUTS PRACTICE LAUNCH COUNTDOWN
----------------------------------------------
Shuttle Discovery's six veteran astronauts suited up and climbed aboard
the spacecraft at launch pad 39A for a countdown dress rehearsal Friday.
The test culminated with a simulated shutdown of the main engines at
T-minus 4 seconds to practice emergency procedures.

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

PRACTICE COUNTDOWN PHOTO GALLERY:
http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/101015gallery/

STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE:
http://spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php?k=STS-133&s=date

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

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lat' 52.418056N Long' 1.719722E (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)

LIVE COVERAGE: Shuttle Discovery's countdown dress rehearsal

NEWSALERT: Friday, October 15, 2010 @ 1235 GMT

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 The latest news from Spaceflight Now

 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

COSMIC AUCTION DEBUT

 

Registration is now open for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's (ASF)

8th Annual Auction of Astronaut Experiences & Memorabilia. The auction is

comprised of 65 incredible lots, making this ASF's biggest auction to

date. Bidding opens October 29; preview the catalog and register today at

 

http://www.astronautscholarship.org/auction

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

LIVE COVERAGE: SHUTTLE DISCOVERY'S PRACTICE COUNTDOWN DAY

---------------------------------------------------------

Space shuttle Discovery's six veteran astronauts suited up and went to

launch pad 39A for this morning's countdown dress rehearsal. The crew will

board the orbiter and get strapped into their seats for the final three

hours of the launch day simulation.

 

LIVE STREAMING VIDEO:

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

 

 

SIRIUS XM RADIO SATELLITE LAUNCHED BY RUSSIAN ROCKET

----------------------------------------------------

Sirius XM Radio's next broadcasting satellite rocketed away from Earth and

into space Thursday, reaching a lofty perch high above Earth for a 15-year

mission serving nearly 20 million subscribers in North America with music,

news and variety programming.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/proton/siriusxm5/launch/

 

 

HUBBLE SEES AFTERMATH OF ASTEROID SMASH-UP

------------------------------------------

Using a sharp-eyed camera installed by space shuttle astronauts last year,

the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a long, glittering tail of dust

streaming from an asteroid. Scientists believe the mysterious object was

the victim of a collision in the asteroid belt in early 2009.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/13hstasteroid/

 

 

NASA EXPECTS A GAP IN COMMERCIAL CREW FUNDING

---------------------------------------------

Some companies could see a gap in funding between the first and second

rounds of NASA's procurement to help develop commercial crew

transportation services for low Earth orbit, according to the agency's top

exploration official.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/11commercialcrew/

 

 

PAYLOADS LOADED ABOARD SHUTTLE DISCOVERY FOR LAUNCH

---------------------------------------------------

Space shuttle Discovery's cargo bay was filled Monday with the orbiter's

final payload complement, a new module and platform that are among the

last accouterments for the International Space Station after a decade of

construction.

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/101011payload/

 

 

+++

SHUTTLE PROGRAM COMMEMORATIVE PATCH ON SALE!

A special commemorative patch to mark the end of the space shuttle program

is 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)

--

Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/

--

Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra

Solar Flare + Best Time to See Comet Hartley 2

Typical-with the Brightest Comet of the year is now on full view the Moon is waxing to block the best of it out-and as for the clouds-I give up.

There is even some rain around too: http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

Comet Chart: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro/comets/103PCH08.png

Ephemeris (for the U.K) http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/103p.uk

 

SPA 103/P Comet Hartley:

http://www.popastro.com/sections/comet/Hartley_Oct10.html

 

SPA Forum:

mike a feist wrote:

I was certain that I could see this as a faint misty patch amongst a neat asterism consisting of a pair of 7th mag stars, a pair of 8th mag and a 9th single.

I replied:

I noticed these double stars close to the comet Mike although I couldn't pick out the mag 9 single star with my 20x50 Binoculars-I was surprised I could pick out the mag 8 double being interfered with and covered in dust from the Comet though...

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Space Weather News for Oct. 16, 2010

http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR FLARE: The strongest solar flare in nearly three months erupted from sunspot 1112 on October 16th.  Remarkably, the M1-class event did not disrupt a huge magnetic filament passing right by the blast site.  Future eruptions might, however, if this active sunspot continues to grow as quickly as it has in the past few days.

 

Visit http://spaceweather.com to view movies of the event from the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

COMET 103P/HARTLEY AT ITS BEST:  For backyard stargazers, the next few nights are the best time to see green Comet 103P/Hartley 2 as it approaches Earth for an 11-million-mile close encounter on Oct. 20th. Set your alarm for the dark hours before dawn, go outside, and look straight up. You will find Hartley 2 not far from the bright star Capella. Although the comet is barely visible to the unaided eye, it is easy to locate using binoculars and looks great through a backyard telescope.  Sky maps and more information may be found at http://spaceweather.com .

THE COMET HUNTER: Need a telescope for Comet Hartley 2? We recommend the David H. Levy Comet Hunter--on sale during Hartley 2's close encounter with Earth. Click here: http://www.shopspaceweather.com152mmf48comethunterotawithdeluxecaseandaccessories.aspx

 

--
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

What's Up for October?

What's Up for October?
Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:00:00 -0500

What's Up for October?

The Solar System you can see, and a scale model you can make!

Hello and welcome!

I'm Jane Houston Jones at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

This month we begin a Year of the Solar System celebration, exploring new worlds and new discoveries!

We'll celebrate the amazing discoveries of NASA missions as they explore our near and distant neighbors and probe the very outer edges of our solar system.

How many solar system objects can you see this month?

October is prime Jupiter season. Through a small telescope you can see cloud bands and four moons. You can see even more detail through larger instruments.

Near Jupiter, you can spot Uranus.

They look close together but Uranus is really 1.4 billion miles farther away .

We say goodby to Venus in the evening sky as it slips around the sun and prepares to appear in the morning sky. Saturn peeks out at dawn this month.

Mars and Mercury are difficult to impossible to see this month.

Which solar system objects have we left out?

Earth?

Take a look around to see earthly features found on other solar system bodies. Clouds, lakes, mountains and valleys.

You can view our sun safely through solar –safe telescopes, but never look directly at the sun or you'll hurt your eyes. The moon is visible in our sky all month long.

The moon appears above Jupiter at dusk on October 19th.

A few days later, on the 22nd, the bright moon will wash out the meteors of the Orion Meteor shower.

One special comet is visible this month through binoculars or telescopes. It might even be visible to the unaided eye. It's called Comet 103P Hartley 2, or just Hartley 2 for short.

It should be easy to spot, passing through the constellations Auriga and Gemini this month.

NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, on its extended mission, will fly by this comet in November.

Here's an image the spacecraft 60 days before encounter.

You can make your own scale model of the solar system. All you need is a string and some beads to mark the planets. And here's where you can get a guide for how to space them.

To learn about all of NASA's missions at www.nasa.gov 

That's all for this month. I'm Jane Houston Jones.  

---

Questions? Contact Us

---

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

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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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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Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
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Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra