KAG Kessingland Astronomy Group

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Electric-Blue Clouds Sighted over Europe

Space Weather News for June 4, 2011
http://spaceweather.com

ELECTRIC-BLUE CLOUDS: The 2011 noctilucent cloud (NLC) season has begun. For the past few nights, observers in northern parts of Europe have spotted velvety, electric-blue tendrils rippling across the sunset sky. NLCs are a summertime phenomenon first reported by polar observers in the 19th century. In recent decades, for reasons no one fully understands, the clouds have intensified and spread as far south as Utah and Colorado. Visit today's edition of http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

CHANCE OF MAGNETIC ACTIVITY: NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of geomagnetic activity on June 4th when an incoming solar wind stream and a CME might deliver a double blow to Earth's magnetic field. High-latitude sky watchers in both hemispheres should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: http://spaceweatherphone.com

(voice) or http://spaceweathertext.com (text).

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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

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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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Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra
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More Info: http://www.localokel.com/event/666/good_clear_skies

Arctic Skywatchers Photograph Midnight Solar Eclipse

Space Weather News for June 2, 2011
http://spaceweather.com

ECLIPSE OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN: A solar eclipse at midnight? It's not only possible, it actually happened last night. On June 1st, the new Moon passed in front of the midnight sun above the Arctic circle, producing a partial eclipse of exquisite beauty. Images of the event are featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com .

METALLIC PHOTOS OF THE SUN: These unique photos of the sun make a stellar gift for Father's Day. Visit the Space Weather Store now and receive 25% off on any three metallic prints: http://www.shopspaceweather.com/picturesofthesun.aspx

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Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--

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)
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Information: http://www.clubbz.com/club/2895/LOWESTOFT---3054/Lowestoft%20And%20Great%20Yarmouth%20Regional%20Astronomers%20(Lyra
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More Info: http://www.localokel.com/event/666/good_clear_skies

Magnificent Solar Flare on June 7th

Space Weather News for June 7, 2011
http://spaceweather.com

MAGNIFICENT ERUPTION: This morning around 0641 UT, magnetic fields above sunspot complex 1226-1227 became unstable and erupted. The blast produced an M2-class solar flare, an S1-class radiation storm, and a massive CME. A recording of the blast from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory ranks as one of the most beautiful and dramatic movies of the SDO era. Must-see movies at http://spaceweather.com

AURORA WATCH: High-latitude sky watchers in both hemispheres should be alert for auroras during the late hours of June 8th or 9th when a CME from today's eruption could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field. Aurora alerts are available from http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice) or http://spaceweathertext.com

(text).

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--

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

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

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

[BAA-ebulletin 00583] UPDATE: Supernova in galaxy M51

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

New Supernova in Galaxy M51

Guy Hurst, UK Nova / Supernova Patrol and Supernova Search Coordinator for the BAA Deep Sky Section, today issued a TA Circular (E2743) giving details of a new supernova discovery in M51.

The object is located at: RA 13h 30m 05.8s and Dec +47deg 10min 11.2sec (2000). The magnitude of SN is currently around 13.5 putting it within easy range of imagers and visual observers with medium to large aperture telescopes.

An image of the galaxy taken by Ron Arbour, with the SN marked, can be found on the BAA Variable Star Section web pages at:

http://www.britastro.org/vss/

M51 is a popular target for both visual observers and imagers and members are asked to check any images of the galaxy taken over the last week for signs of the "new" star.

Please forward all images (past and future), with full details of equipment / filters / exposures to the Director at sigarro@btinternet.com.

Stewart Moore, Director BAA Deep Sky Section
2011 June 3
===========================================================
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This is an announcements only list - please do not reply to the list.

Or visit:
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(c) 2011 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
==========================================================

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--

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

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

Thursday, 2 June 2011

Space Shuttle Endeavour Sails To Home Port For Final Time

Space Shuttle Endeavour Sails To Home Port For Final Time
Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 -0500

Space shuttle Endeavour and its six-astronaut crew sailed home for the final time, ending a 16-day journey of more than 6.5 million miles with a landing at 2:35 a.m. EDT on Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

NASA To Launch New Science Mission To Asteroid In 2016

NASA To Launch New Science Mission To Asteroid In 2016
Tue, 24 May 2011 23:00:00 -0500

NASA will launch a spacecraft to an asteroid in 2016 and use a robotic arm to pluck samples that could better explain our solar system's formation and how life began.

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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

STS-135: Atlantis' Final Roll to Launch Pad 39A

STS-135: Atlantis' Final Roll to Launch Pad 39A
Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:00 -0500

Space shuttle Atlantis makes its historic final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.



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

Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

[BAA-ebulletin 00582] DSLR Astrophotography

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

The Association has recently published a booklet, written by Tony
Morris, entitled 'Introduction to DSLR Astrophotography' (price £7.50).
It describes several projects which can be carried out with DSLR cameras
and lenses, small refractors, and a portable tracking mount, without the
requirement of an expensive telescope. For further details, including
methods of purchase, see the BAA website sales page at:

http://britastro.org/baa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51

R.A. Marriott
Director, Instruments and Imaging Section
http://www.britastro.org/iandi/

2011 May 30

============================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list-
This is an announcements only list - please do not reply to the list.

E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org or visit: http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin (c) 2011 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
============================================================

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Good Clear Skies
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Astrocomet
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Colin James Watling
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Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
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Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

NASA's Spirit Rover Completes Mission on Mars

Feature: 2011-160 May 25, 2011

NASA's Spirit Rover Completes Mission on Mars

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-160&cid=release_2011-160

NASA has ended operational planning activities for the Mars rover Spirit and
transitioned the Mars Exploration Rover Project to a single-rover operation focused on
Spirit's still-active twin, Opportunity.

This marks the completion of one of the most successful missions of interplanetary
exploration ever launched.

Spirit last communicated on March 22, 2010, as Martian winter approached and the
rover's solar-energy supply declined. The rover operated for more than six years after
landing in January 2004 for what was planned as a three-month mission. NASA
checked frequently in recent months for possible reawakening of Spirit as solar energy
available to the rover increased during Martian spring. A series of additional re-contact
attempts ended today, designed for various possible combinations of recoverable
conditions.

"Our job was to wear these rovers out exploring, to leave no unutilized capability on the
surface of Mars, and for Spirit, we have done that," said Mars Exploration Rover Project
Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Spirit drove 4.8 miles (7.73 kilometers), more than 12 times the goal set for the mission. The drives crossed a plain to reach a distant range of hills that appeared as mere bumps on the horizon from the landing site; climbed slopes up to 30 degrees as Spirit became the first robot to summit a hill on another planet; and covered more than half a mile (nearly a kilometer) after Spirit's right-front wheel became immobile in 2006. The rover returned more than 124,000 images. It ground the surfaces off 15 rock targets and scoured 92 targets with a brush to prepare the targets for inspection with spectrometers and a microscopic imager.

"What's really important is not only how long Spirit worked or how far Spirit drove, but
also how much exploration and scientific discovery Spirit accomplished," Callas said.

One major finding came, ironically, from dragging the inoperable right-front wheel as
the rover was driving backwards in 2007. That wheel plowed up bright white soil.
Spirit's Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer and Miniature Thermal Emission
Spectrometer revealed that the bright material was nearly pure silica.

"Spirit's unexpected discovery of concentrated silica deposits was one of the most
important findings by either rover," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca,
N.Y., principal investigator for Spirit and Opportunity. "It showed that there were once
hot springs or steam vents at the Spirit site, which could have provided favorable
conditions for microbial life."

The silica-rich soil neighbors a low plateau called Home Plate, which was Spirit's main
destination after the historic climb up Husband Hill. "What Spirit showed us at Home
Plate was that early Mars could be a violent place, with water and hot rock interacting to
make what must have been spectacular volcanic explosions. It was a dramatically
different world than the cold, dry Mars of today," said Squyres.

The trove of data from Spirit could still yield future science revelations. Years of
analysis of some 2005 observations by the rover's Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer,
Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer and Moessbauer Spectrometer produced a
report last year that an outcrop on Husband Hill bears a high concentration of
carbonate. This is evidence of a wet, non-acidic ancient environment that may have
been favorable for microbial life.

"What's most remarkable to me about Spirit's mission is just how extensive her
accomplishments became," said Squyres. "What we initially conceived as a fairly
simple geologic experiment on Mars ultimately turned into humanity's first real
overland expedition across another planet. Spirit explored just as we would have,
seeing a distant hill, climbing it, and showing us the vista from the summit. And she
did it in a way that allowed everyone on Earth to be part of the adventure."

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the
Mars Exploration Rovers Opportunity and Spirit for the NASA Science Mission
Directorate, Washington. For more about the rovers, see: http://www.nasa.gov/rovers
and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

-end-

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--

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

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

NASA says goodbye to Spirit rover / Deep space capsule picked

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 @ 1536 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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NASA CLOSES BOOK ON SPIRIT ROVER'S HISTORIC MISSION
---------------------------------------------------
NASA's immobilized, crippled Spirit rover likely succumbed to cold
temperatures during the last Martian winter, and officials will cease
attempts to regain contact with the intrepid robot this week, the agency
announced Tuesday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1105/24spirit/

AMERICAN SPACEWALKERS WORK ON RUSSIAN MODULE
--------------------------------------------
Endeavour crewmates Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke, working outside on the
mission's third spacewalk, today established an operating base for the
International Space Station's robotic arm on the Zarya module, creating
the ability for the Canadian-made crane to cross borders from the U.S. to
the Russian segments for the first time. The astronauts also wired
redundant power paths to supply electricity to the Russian elements and
plugged in new communications antennas that were bolted on the Destiny
laboratory last week.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts134/status.html

NASA SELECTS ORION MOON SHIP AS EXPLORATION CAPSULE
---------------------------------------------------
NASA announced Tuesday the design of a new deep space exploration capsule
will be based on the canceled Orion vehicle, a spacecraft in which the
space agency has invested more than $5 billion since 2006.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1105/24mpcv/

SOYUZ CREW RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER SHUTTLE PHOTO OP
--------------------------------------------------
Outgoing space station commander Dmitry Kondratyev, Italian astronaut
Paolo Nespoli and Catherine "Cady" Coleman undocked and returned to Earth
Monday, pausing briefly to snap long-sought pictures of the station with a
space shuttle attached before dropping out of orbit and landing in
Kazakhstan to close out a 159-day voyage.

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts134/110523fd8/index3.html

GALLERY OF VIDEO STILLS:

http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts134/110523gallery/

+++
FINAL SPACE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT PATCH!
Emblem for STS-135 now available in our store.
http://www.spaceflightnowstore.com/
+++

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Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--

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

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

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Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Electric-Blue Clouds Sighted over Europe

Arctic Skywatchers Photograph Midnight Solar Eclipse

Magnificent Solar Flare on June 7th

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

[BAA-ebulletin 00583] UPDATE: Supernova in galaxy M51

Thursday, 2 June 2011

Space Shuttle Endeavour Sails To Home Port For Final Time

NASA To Launch New Science Mission To Asteroid In 2016

STS-135: Atlantis' Final Roll to Launch Pad 39A

[BAA-ebulletin 00582] DSLR Astrophotography

NASA's Spirit Rover Completes Mission on Mars

NASA says goodbye to Spirit rover / Deep space capsule picked

Astrocomet

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