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Getting closer to the "Big Bang"

Dave Heller — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:19:23 +0000

Astronomers discover some of the oldest galaxies to date, a mere 787 million years after the "Big Bang." But remember distance is time, so astronomers may only be seeing remnants of what once was. Much like the classic sci-fi movie Star Wars when Luke looks out at the two setting suns, more clues have been discovered about a binary system, thus indicating somewhere in the galaxy there might be a pair of stars with their own set of planets. Also Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter gives us a glimpse of the Apollo 11 landing site – a remarkable image to see.

Image credit: Hubblesite.org

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Could your next vacation be in space?

Dave Heller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:09:31 +0000

It wasn't long ago that commercial space exploration was considered out of reach, but now companies like Google are upping the ante. Google is offering a $30 million dollar prize for the first company to come up with a launch vehicle that can go to the moon, traverse the surface, and send back pictures of the experience. There is even a space hotel scheduled to open in 2012, but it will cost a lot more than your average getaway. Also, the Messenger mission gleans new information from Mercury.

Image credit: Reuters

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Ares I launch a success!

Dave Heller — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:22:21 +0000

It's finally time to push the clocks back an hour and grab an extra hour of sleep, but what's behind this change in daylight? It has to do with being in the northern part of the Earth. Those living nearer to the equator won't see so much change in daylight. After a couple of weather delays Ares I launched on Wednesday successfully. Although this fight was only 5 minutes long the successful launch means we can look forward to the launch vehicle serving as a booster system in the future for cargo or astronauts to get to International Space Station, the moon or even Mars. Also, take a look at many planets in the night sky this week and on Tuesday night the moon will be passing in front of the star cluster Pleiades, also known as Seven Sisters.

Image Credit: NASA

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Don't forget to check out "No Night without a Telescope" going on at area universities. For more information visit: haverford.edu/iya2009/

32 Exoplanets Discovered

Dave Heller — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:18:11 +0000

Thirty-two planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, which is a step forward in the search for planets like earth. Don't forget to join a planet party near you to view the many planets in the night sky this week. Derrick Pitts gives you tips on how to view these objects burning brighter than anything else in the night sky. Also this week will be the first launch of the Ares I-X launch vehicle, a critical test due to how the launch components have been integrated.

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Enormous new ring discovered around Saturn

Dave Heller — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:22:13 +0000

An enormous ring has been discovered around Saturn by the Spitzer space telescope. The discovery helped solve a long standing mystery about one of Saturn's moons. Also, a near miss for earth as an asteroid once thought to be on a collision coarse with earth in 2029 will now have at least an 18,000 mile gap between its passage and earth. 18,000 miles is still a small distance in celestial terms, but the concern seems to be lessening.

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See images of Saturn's Ring from the Spitzer space telescope at spitzer.caltech.edu

For photo's of Saturn's unusual moon visit antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/

When the dust settles

Dave Heller — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:01:38 +0000

LCROSS impacted with the moon last Friday. Now that the lunar dust has settled, what did scientists find out about the presence of water in the lunar soil? Did you know that the scientific term for moon soil is lunar regolith? Also it's the International Year of Astronomy and area universities are celebrating with "No Night without a Telescope," which gives everyone, even the most novice astronomer the chance to view the night sky. As always Derrick Pitts forecasts what you might see this week.

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For more information on area universities hosting "No Night without a Telescope" from October 18th through November 24th visit haverford.edu/iya2009/

The search for water on the moon

Dave Heller — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:24:19 +0000

This Friday at 7:30 am the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite or LCROSS are both going to crash into the moon. The satellite may be able to detect water on the moon. Astronauts are not the only ones going into space, the founder of Cirque du Soleil will spend 7 days on International Space Station. And don't miss a jam packed night sky this week.

Follow the LCROSS impact on NASA's website

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Messenger space craft gets close to Mercury

Dave Heller — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:23:47 +0000

The Messenger space craft gets 142 miles from Mercury. It left earth a few years ago, but orbited around earth first, then Venus and finally has charted a path onto Mercury. But they can't get too close since Mercury is super hot. The Indian space craft Chandrayaan 1 has confirmed the presence of water on the moon, but don't get your swim trunks out yet, since these are small particles distributed in the soil. Also, a sight rarely seen, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto all in the evening sky this week.

Image Credit: NASA

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A new rocky planet, and the surface is sizzling

Dave Heller — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:21:37 +0000

The last day of summer is upon us and a new rocky planet has finally been confirmed by scientists. Close to the size of Jupiter, this rocky planet is only 1.6 million miles from its star, which means the surface has to be sizzling. On the surface of Mars Spirit Rover may be stuck for good in the soft soil. Scientists are trying to find ways to get the rover un-stuck.

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A Renewed Hubble Telescope

Dave Heller — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:16:05 +0000

A repaired Hubble telescope is almost like new, which means it has new capabilities to take images that are much improved. Now we can derive more information from these refined images, images including black holes. NASA is trying to get a sense of our cryosphere, which is the effort to study our planet. These observations have lead to understanding the changes in the arctic, indicating the shrinkage of polar caps. Also what to look for in the night sky this week.

Image Credit: NASA

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