Anniversary of the discovery of two moons of Mars.

Air Date: August 16, 2010

Image credit: Hubblesite.org, Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (Cornell University), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute, Boulder)

It’s the 133rd anniversary of the discovery of the two moons of Mars by mathematician, Asaph Hall. The largest of the two only 8 miles long, these moons are very small and were first detected with a telescope, not as advanced as what we have now, but the skies were darker so it might have been easier to see. Also, the night sky this week is full of planets for your star gazing pleasure. Look out for Porama, a double star, easily visible from a small telescope. This and more on this week’s Sky Talk.[audio: st20100816.mp3]

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