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ESA to recruit new European astronauts

bobs — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:32:58 GMT

With ESA astronauts working in the Columbus laboratory onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the first of ESA’s new ATV cargo ships having delivered fresh supplies to the station, ESA’s human spaceflight activities have entered a new era. It is now time for ESA to seek out new talent to bolster its Astronaut Corps for future manned missions to the ISS, the Moon and beyond.

The European Space Agency entered the annals of human spaceflight for the first time in 1978 with its first astronaut selection, followed in 1983 by the first Spacelab mission. Preparations for ESA’s Columbus laboratory project, meanwhile, involved a second selection of astronauts in 1992.

The overall selection process will start on Monday 19 May and follow a by now well-established procedure:
Screening: the first step in the formal application will be online at www.esa.int/astronautselection. Applicants will have to provide the same medical examination certificate as private pilots, the examination for which must be conducted by an Aviation Medical Examiner certified by his/her national aviation medical authority. More about the medical certificate requirement »»
Two stages of psychological and professional aptitude evaluation, including behavioural and cognitive skills tests.
Medical evaluation: this process includes clinical examination by aero- medical physicians and clinical specialists, laboratory screening tests, and special procedures.
Formal interview: as potential ESA staff members, the astronaut candidates will go before an ESA selection board for further professional assessment.
The final appointments will be officially announced in 2009.
The selected candidates will then join the European Astronaut Corps and begin basic training at the European Astronaut Centre (ESA-EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

“We want to find high-calibre men and women in Europe to prepare to meet the challenges of ISS exploitation and human exploration of our solar system in the 21st century. As of May 2008, ESA will be searching in each of its 17 Member States for the best candidates to make this vision a reality,” says Michel Tognini, former astronaut and Head of the European Astronaut Centre.

ISS and beyond

ESA is readying its teams to take part in the human spaceflight missions of the 21st century. The solar system is the next objective for human exploration, and the world's great industrial powers are taking steps to prepare for this vast undertaking. Possessing an operational astronaut corps is an essential strategic asset if Europe is to take part in this endeavour.

“Europe has long been involved in exploration, even before the days of Christopher Columbus,“ said Daniel Sacotte, ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration. “After exploring the Earth, space is the logical next step - and a new generation of explorers are needed to follow their illustrious predecessor Columbus and embark for those new worlds. I am therefore very pleased that at the beginning of 2009, we will be welcoming a new intake of men and women to the European Astronaut Corps to undertake missions to the ISS and beyond.”

ESA needs to regenerate the European Astronaut Corps, increasing its size in order to successfully accomplish its present and future programmes. The Agency has therefore decided to initiate this process of selecting new astronauts. Candidates from all 17 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) are welcome to apply.

Background in science and operations

“The ideal European astronaut candidate should be competent in relevant scientific disciplines, including but not restricted to life sciences, physics, chemistry and medicine and/or be an engineer or pilot, and should have demonstrated outstanding abilities in research, applications or the educational field, preferably including operational skills. In addition, characteristics expected of all applicants include a good memory and reasoning ability, concentration, aptitude for spatial orientation, and manual dexterity,” explained Gerhard Thiele, former astronaut and Head of the European Astronaut Division. Applicants should be fluent in English (Russian is also an asset) and should exhibit personality traits such as high motivation, flexibility, team competence, empathy with others and emotional stability.

Europe-wide information campaign

This major recruitment campaign will kick off with information conferences held in ESA Member States, in which ESA astronauts will be involved. Media organisations will be kept informed and will have the opportunity to attend these events.

For further information:

European Astronaut Centre (EAC)
Linda Villette
Email:Linda.Villette@esa.int
tel: +49 22 03 6001 113
Fax: +49 22 03 6001 112

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Astronaut_Selection/SEMPQG3XQEF_0.html

From 19th May, application forms at : http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Astronaut_Selection/index.html

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Mirror Re-coating

ergonaut — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:56:22 GMT

My 13.1" f/4.5 mirror has been a dear friend of mine for 28 years and I would like to get it something for it's birthday -I was thinking about a new silver coat. Ok, aluminum! Does anyone recommend an outfit that can give my friend a proper make-over? Please let me know. I am in Western Canada but can ship all over the continent. The mirror was originally from Coulter Optics...

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 3 replies

A better place for the more serious amateur astronomer

Starstuffed — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:49:55 GMT

This is to introduce my more focused and much more complete amateur astronomy forum, "Moderated sci.astro.amateur." With more than 100 members from all over the world, there are well over 600 posts/replies to read. You may view (or post) amateur astronomy related videos, cast your vote in many astronomy related polls, and even post or respond in the forum's off topic board.

Cloudy night? Visit the forum's arcade which has more than 70 fun and challenging flash games on which you can compete against other members of the forum for high score of the month on any of the games.

Drop on by and give it a look at: www.moderatedsciastroamateur.org

Hope to see you all there.

--
Martin R. Howell, aka Starstuffed
Moderated of the Amateur Astronomy Tribe
Administrator of Moderated sci.astro.amateur

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 0 replies

HAPPY NEW SOLAR CYCLE TO YOU!!

katygiorgio — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:16:12 GMT

Just when you thought the celebratory season was over... Solar Cycle 24 has begun!

Happy new solar cycle to you! Best wishes to you for the next ~11 years.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2008/04jan08/newspot.jpg?PHPSESSID=5b7okl8ma55q7qvln31p6plrn3

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

The untold story: how one small silicon disc delivered a giant message to the Moon

Marz-XamanEk — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:19:44 GMT

I thought this was a pretty interesting story and thought I'd share, because I had never heard about this until recently.

"Within a few feet of the first boot print made on the Moon, under the ladder on which a U.S. flag was stowed and a commemorative plaque is still attached, lies a small white cloth pouch. Inside that bag, next to a couple of embroidered emblems, medals and a gold olive branch, is a small case. Contained within that thin metal sheath is a silicon disc about the size of a half dollar coin. Etched onto that disc, in letters no larger than one-fourth the width of a human hair, are 73 messages..."

The rest of the story is here...

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111507a.html

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Are we alone?

MickD — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:06:13 GMT

http://tinyurl.com/33bamc

< Suppose you visited some alien planet and you came back giving the following account of some life form that you just saw on this planet. You come back to your friend and say, "You’ve got to believe me. I saw this animal. It can stalk its prey with infrared detectors and it swallows whole, live animals five times bigger than its head. It has no arms and legs or any other appendage, yet it can slide along the ground at about two feet per second." You say, "Wow, what an exotic creature that is!" Well, of course, you’ve just described a snake. Snakes have no arms or legs, not all but many have infrared detectors, and they can eat things five times bigger than their head. That’s a scary creature if you haven’t seen any other kind of creature in your life. >

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

Telescope kits or parts

stargeezer — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:30:42 GMT

I have just volunteered to help some students with some astronomy projects. I would like to have them build their own scopes, but have not had much success in finding parts or kits at a price a student could afford. When I became interested in astronomy, I just jumped in and bought a good scope, but I know these students cannot take that route. Does anybody have any experience with any reasonable priced kits or optics vendors? I would like to have more than just my scope available for viewing nights with students this spring. Thanks much for any information.

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 2 replies

Google Earth given celestial view

bobs — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:32:08 GMT

By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

The constellations of Andromeda, Hydra and Vulpecula are now just a mouse click away for amateur star-gazers, following the launch of Google Sky.

The tool is an add-on to Google Earth, a program that allows users to search a 3D rendition of our planet's surface.

Sky will allow astronomers a chance to glide through images of more than one million stars and 200 million galaxies.

Optional layers allow users to explore images from the Hubble Space Telescope as well as animations of lunar cycles.

"The basic idea is to take Google Earth and turn it on its head," Ed Parsons, Geospatial technologist at Google told the BBC News website.

"So rather than using it to view imagery of the Earth, use it to view imagery of space."

Dr John Mason of the British Astronomical Association, Britain's largest body for amateur astronomers said: "Light pollution and air pollution is now so bad in many areas that all you can see when you look up is a few dozen stars.

"If this helps people to realise just what they are missing, it is a jolly good thing."

Clear view

To use the new system, users will need to have Google Earth installed on their computer.

Digital astronomers can then zoom into an area from which they want to view the night sky.

"Click a button and the world flips round and you see the sky from that particular location," explained Mr Parsons. "[The view] would be the constellations that you would see oriented in the sky on that particular day at that particular time."

Users can overlay the night sky with other information such as galaxies, constellations and detailed images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Imagery for the system came from six research institutions including the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, the Palomar Observatory in California and the United Kingdom Astronomy Technology Centre.

Much of the imagery can be found through searches on the internet but Google hope the add-on will be simpler and more fun.

Mr Parsons said: "The sky you will be seeing will be a completely clear and you will be able to see objects which are very faint indeed - that you can only see with very large telescopes."

Virtual tour

Sky is not the first time Google has ventured into space.

In March 2006, the company launched Google Mars which allows users to explore the surface of the Red Planet.

Another service, Google Moon, lets users view the sites of the Apollo moon landings.

Both services use data from the US Space Agency Nasa, with which Google signed an agreement in December 2006.

The Space Agreement Act was intended to put "the most useful of Nasa's information on the internet".

At the time, Nasa administrator Michael Griffin said the agreement would soon allow "every American to experience a virtual flight over the surface of the moon or through the canyons of Mars".

The two organisations also said they would collaborate in a variety of areas including adding data collected by Nasa to Google Earth.

However, Mr Parsons said the latest tool was not a product of the partnership.

Mass market

Google Sky is not the only tool that allows astronomers to explore the night sky from their computer.

For example, Stellarium is a free open source tool that gives people a chance to access more than 210 million stars, in addition to planets and moons.

The software is the brainchild of Fabien Chereau, a Research Engineer at the Paris Astronomical Observatory, and is used in many planetariums.

Like the suite of Google applications, it allows people to explore places of interest on Earth, as well as mission sites on the Moon and Mars.

Commercial alternatives also exist, such as Imaginova's Starry Night, that offers a range of software packages aimed at beginners to "the serious astronomer".

Apple Mac users can download a Starry Night widget that will allow them to see the night sky from any location on Earth.

"The other astronomy packages are designed for maybe the more professional amateur market," said Mr Parsons. "We are aiming this more at the mass market. If people get hooked and interested they may migrate to these other packages."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6955787.stm

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

An old button...

MickD — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:46:13 GMT

I used to wear this during the days when buttons were cool:
http://people.tribe.net/mickd/photos/a2dd16a0-e422-42c7-b485-b1a755a6c771

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 2 replies

Top 5 things said to a sidewalk astronomer

Starstuffed — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:00:45 GMT

5. "Do you ever use this to look in windows?"
4. "Look, it's moving!!"
3. "That's really a slide, right?"
2. "How much did this cost?"

And the #1 thing said to a sidewalk astronomer is. . .

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 5 replies

Colossal tail trails dying star

bobs — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:19:45 GMT

A distant star that hurtles through space at extraordinary speeds has a huge, comet-like tail trailing in its wake, astronomers say.
The appendage, which measures a colossal 13 light years in length, was spotted by Nasa's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (Galex) space telescope.

The researchers said that nothing like it had ever been spotted around a star.

They believe the star, known as Mira, will help them to study what happens as stars meet their demise.

Mark Seibert, a co-author of the paper, which was published in the journal Nature, and a scientist at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, said: "This is an utterly new phenomenon to us, and we are still in the process of understanding the physics involved."

Racing through space

Mira (also called Mira A) has captivated astronomers for more than 400 years.

It sits about 350 light-years from Earth in a constellation known as Cetus, and is accompanied in orbit by a smaller secondary star, called Mira B, forming a binary system.

Billions of years ago, Mira would have been much like our Sun, but as it now enters its death-throes it has swollen into a type of star known as a red giant.

As it races through space at 130km/s (80 miles per second) it sheds vast amounts of material.

Yet despite centuries of study, its spectacular tail had remained undetected.

Now, ultraviolet images taken by the Galex space telescope have uncovered Mira's unusual feature.

Barry Madore, a co-author of the paper and senior research astronomer at the Carnegie Observatories, said: "Galex is so exquisitely sensitive to ultraviolet light and it has such a wide field of view that it is uniquely poised to scan the sky for previously undiscovered ultraviolet activity.

"The fact that Mira's tail only glows with ultraviolet light might explain why other telescopes have missed it."

The ultraviolet images also revealed a "bow shock" - a region, in front of the star, where hot gas builds up as Mira's stellar wind meets clouds of interstellar gas and dust.

The team believes that the hot gas in the bow shock is heating up gas that the star is shedding to create a turbulent tail trailing in its wake.

The scientists said that the tail was made up of the material that Mira has been ejecting over a period of 30,000 years.

Mark Seibert said: "We hope to be able to read Mira's tail like a ticker tape to learn about the star's life."

Studying the carbon, oxygen and other elements that make up the tail, the team said, could also provide an insight into how new solar systems and possibly even life are formed.

"After 400 years of study, Mira continues to astound," the team concluded.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6947607.stm

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 2 replies

Solar System Live

Yul — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:08:15 GMT

Can give you past, present and future views of planetary positions:
http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Solar

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 0 replies

Completed my Telescope!

Gregory — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:41:17 GMT

Hey everyone,

I finished building my telescope back on May 19th, though I still have a little bit of staining to do. Check out http://gstrike.blogspot.com for the story and pictures!

Greg

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 0 replies

The Chicago Astronomers Celebrate the first International Sidewalk Astronomy event...

chicagoastronomer — Mon, 21 May 2007 11:51:29 GMT

Fellow Astronomers...

The Chicago Astronomers celebrated the first International Sidewalk Astronomy night event by setting up our various telescopes and sharing the views with visitors, answering questions and talking astronomy. The Venus/Moon conjunction made a great target in the eyepiece, but Saturn & Mercury were there to enjoy too.

The entire narrative along with pics can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/3273d6

A great success and it was an enjoyable star party session in spite of the bright Chicago skyline.

Respectfully,

Chicago Astronomer Joe
Administrator
www.chicagoastronomer.com

Telescope/Observatory Operator
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum

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Lunar & Venus Conjunction from Chicago skies...

chicagoastronomer — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:39:07 GMT

Fellow Astronomers,

The Chicago Astronomers had the opportunity to view the recent Lunar & Venus paring in our western Chicago skies.

A full narrative and nice images can be found here:

http://astronomer.proboards23.com/index.cgi?board=StarParty&action=display&thread=1177412176

It was quite a cold spring evening, but well worth it.

Respectfully,

Chicago Astronomer Joe
Administrator
www.chicagoastronomer.com

Telescope/Observatory Operator
Adler Planetarium & Museum

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 0 replies

Build your own telescope!

Gregory — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:50:58 GMT

Hey everyone,

I thought you would all want to check out my latest project. I'm currently in the process of building my first telescope! This is a great way to learn more about astronomy and telescopes! I'm giving a step-by-step instructions on how I'm going about it. Go to http://gstrike.blogspot.com/2007/03/8-f6-newtonian-reflector-telescope.html to see! Pictures are soon to come!

Greg

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 7 replies

Lovejoy

MickD — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:29:27 GMT

On March 15th, Terry Lovejoy of Thornlands, Australia, discovered a new comet (C/2007 E2) in the southern constellation Indus. Remarkably, to make the find he used not a telescope but just an off-the-shelf digital camera--a Canon 350D.

The new comet is green and shines like a 9th magnitude star, too dim for the unaided eye but an easy target for large backyard telescopes in the southern hemisphere.

After five days of tracking, Comet Lovejoy's trajectory is known. The orbit is cockeyed, almost perpendicular to the rest of the solar system. At the moment the comet is swooping up from below, moving from southern to northern skies. At closest approach to Earth (0.44 AU) in late April, Comet Lovejoy is expected to brighten to 7th magnitude, still not a naked-eye comet but easy to see through small telescopes.

(from http://spaceweather.com/)

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

Jupiter's gravity

Yul — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:49:13 GMT

Maybe I remember it wrong, but I first learned back in the fourth grade that Jupiter has 12 times the gravity of Earth. But later on, I learned that Jupiter has 2.5 times the graviry of Earth. So was there a time when Jupiter's gravity was thought to be 12 gs or did I just remember it wrong?

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 2 replies

Total Lunar Eclipse Expected Saturday

bobs — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 20:08:51 GMT

http://www.physorg.com/news92060354.html

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

McNaught

Starstuffed — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:03:42 GMT

I didn't get to see this great comet. . .been kinda out of the loop and wasn't even aware of its existence until it had all but caught up with the setting sun. Now, as I understand it, when it very soon makes itself visibile only those fortunate to be very far south (the southern hemisphere being favored) will have opportunity to view the comet. Oh well, this is not the first celestial spectacle that escaped my eyes and it most certainly won't be the last.

Did you observe Comet McNaught? If so, what were your impressions?

--Starstuffed

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Amateur astronomers pursue next great discovery...

Frozenstars — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 17:22:49 GMT

From: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/01/15/virtual.astronomy.ap/index.html

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Amateur astronomer William Bianco doesn't huddle over a backyard telescope to hunt for undiscovered planets. He logs onto his computer.

Bianco, who was mesmerized by the intricacies of the universe as a young boy, is part of a growing online community that sifts through mountains of data collected by professional scientists in search of other worlds.

While Bianco has yet to make a landmark discovery, he savors the rush of teetering on the cutting edge of research.

Never before have amateur astronomers had so much unfettered access to celestial data once available only to scientists with huge telescopes.

In the latest frontier of astronomy, professionals are increasingly enlisting the aid of novices with personal computers to help pore through images and data -- all in pursuit of the next greaamateur astronomers had so much unfettered access to celestial data once available only to scientists with huge telescopes -- -- all in pursuit of the next great breakthrough.

"We're in the golden age of astronomy," said Bianco, who keeps his day job as a political science professor at Indiana University.

Thanks to technology, novices are effectively turning from lonely skywatchers to research assistants. Even before the rise of virtual astronomy, amateurs did everything from tracking asteroids to detecting supernova explosions to eyeing new comets.

In 1995, neophyte stargazer Thomas Bopp gained fame for co-discovering what would be known as Comet Hale-Bopp. Two years ago, in what was billed as the first such find by an amateur in 65 years, Jay McNeil of Kentucky took a picture of a new nebula -- an illuminated cloud of gas and dust lit by what is believed to be a newborn star.

Since the late 1990s, virtual astronomy has boomed. One of the earliest online citizen scientist projects was SETI(at)home, which distributed software that created a virtual supercomputer by harnessing idle, Web-connected PCs to search for alien radio transmissions.

While the SETI project hums in the background as a screen saver, the newer efforts require more human thought.

Bianco belongs to an Internet project called Systemic, which boasts 750 amateur planet hunters. Astronomers have already discovered more than 200 planets in far-off solar systems using traditional methods, yet there are likely more out there.

Participants download software and rifle through data that measure the tiny gravitational wobble in a star's motions in search planets that orbit stars other than our sun. Users also try to decode simulated data of planetary systems invented by the project managers -- a task that will help the professionals better understand real extrasolar planets.

To participate, users select a star -- real or simulated -- and adjust other variables such a planet's mass and orbital period by moving a slider back and forth on the screen. The goal is to design a planetary system that best fits the data and then publish the answer online.

So far, online users have pinpointed hundreds of potential candidates, but only about five might actually be real, said Systemic project head Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

"It's not an aimless game," he said.

Although the Systemic Web site provides the search tools, it doesn't promote any of the discoveries, Laughlin said. Amateurs who want to publicize their find need to look for another outlet, such as a scientific journal to get credit.

Laughlin is no stranger to Web-based astronomy. He helped start another project in which amateurs point their telescopes at potential extrasolar planetary systems and look at dimming starlight to learn about a planet's size and composition. Unlike Systemic, users have to buy expensive equipment -- including telescopes and cameras -- to participate.

Before Internet-based astronomy, it took a long time for novices to report their discoveries. High-speed, always-on Internet access has blurred the line between the professionals and amateurs, said Terry Mann, president of the Astronomical League, made up of over 240 U.S. amateur astronomy clubs.

Last year, Mann signed up to analyze a repository of online images of the first-ever microscopic grains of star dust brought back to Earth by a NASA spacecraft.

The work is painstaking. Mann and her fellow 25,000 volunteers eye hundreds of thousands of digital images in search of minuscule carrot-shaped trails left by the capture of star dust, believed to be the leftovers from stellar explosions.

Mann has submitted 40 possible examples of star dust in the images. If correct, amateurs can get their names published in scientific papers written by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, which manages the Stardust(at)home project.

"Amateurs can do real science. We can actually help," Mann said.

Andrew Westphal, associate director of the Space Sciences Laboratory at Berkeley, praised amateurs -- it would probably take his whole life to find all the dust sprinklings, he said.

"It's stunning how good they are. I think they're better at this than we are," Westphal said.

The Internet has also benefited professional astronomers, who often have to fight for scarce telescope time at major research observatories.

Since 2001, the National Science Foundation has funded a $10 million project to create a "national virtual observatory" that compiles data from ground and space-based telescopes -- including dazzling images from the Hubble Space Telescope and X-ray data from the Chandra Observatory.

The project, which is still under development, is primarily used by professionals who want to go to one source to mine archival images. High school and college students are increasingly tapping into the Web site as well, said project manager Robert Hanisch of the Space Telescope Science Institute.

As far as amateur astronomer Bianco is concerned, the more people teasing out the mysteries of the cosmos, the better.

"It's going to take some time and collective effort to find what's out there," he said.

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HiRISE Team Begins Releasing a Flood of Mars Images Over the Internet

bobs — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:10:28 GMT

The University of Arizona-based team that operates the high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, in conjunction with NASA, is releasing the first of what will be a non-stop flood of incredibly detailed Mars images taken during the spacecraft's two-year primary science mission.

The High Resolution Science Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera took almost 100 images during the first two weeks of its main science mission, which began Nov. 7.

"There's no Earth analog for some places we see, while other places look remarkably like Earth," said Professor Alfred S. McEwen of UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, HiRISE principal investigator. "The details we're seeing are just fantastic."

The HiRISE team is posting about 15 of the new large images on the HiRISE Website http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu today. Last week, they added more than a dozen new Mars images, as well as reprocessed images, taken from low orbit during test imaging in early October. The team plans to release the latest HiRISE images on their Website every Wednesday.

The views released today show seemingly endless fields of sand dunes, including some carved by gullies that possibly form when carbon dioxide or water frost in the dunes is heated by sunlight, triggering avalanches of flowing sand. Other HiRISE images show layered arid terrains that resemble landscapes protected as national parks on our own planet, and a fossil delta inside a crater that once held a lake. HiRISE images resolve meter-sized blocks within the delta channel that may be blocks of sand and gravel carried along as the channels eroded.

HiRISE images also capture numerous impact craters, including Endurance crater that NASA's Opportunity rover explored for ten months of its now nearly 3-year mission. Details visible in the HiRISE image of Opportunity's landing site show the parachute lying on the Martian surface, Opportunity's heat shield at a different location, and the lander itself on the floor of the small impact crater where the airbag came to a stop.

Other images show layered polar terrains that likely record Martian climate changes, and also polygon-patterned northern plains regions that are among candidate landing sites for the Phoenix Lander spacecraft in 2008.

"You see stuff at this level of detail and you want to see more," said Candy Hansen of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a HiRISE co-investigator who has helped lead imaging operations at the HiRISE Operations Center (HiROC) during the first weeks of the science mission this month.

"These images are at a geologist's scale," Hansen said. "A geologist could hike the terrain seen in the width of one of our images, six kilometers, in a day. These images bring the planet down to scales that match our own human level of experience, and that's a big help with interpretation."

The HiRISE camera takes images of 3.5-mile-wide (6 kilometer) swaths as the orbiter flies at about 7,800 mph between 155 and 196 miles (250 to 316 km) above the planet. The camera resolves geologic features as small as 40 inches across.

"It's been a constant race to look at all these images while we're planning our future targets," McEwen said. "But it's important to examine the data so we can learn how to use the best possible settings, and make decisions about which targets we'll need to get in stereo or color."

HiRISE began a new imaging cycle last week (Nov. 19) and begins another next week (Dec. 3). Over the next couple of weeks, the camera is targeting "all the easy-to-find hardware on Mars," McEwen said. That includes NASA's rover Spirit, the Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers, and Mars Pathfinder.

McEwen has been working a 12-hour day, seven days a week this month. The rest of the team has been clocking major overtime, too.

"We're trying not to get people too burned out, but we have to keep up. We're going to get about a hundred new images every two weeks without a break," McEwen said. "The spacecraft doesn't take Thanksgiving or Christmas off."

Source: University of Arizona

http://www.physorg.com/news84039646.html

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December offers meteor shower and cluster of three planets

bobs — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:09:18 GMT

The Geminid meteor shower is usually the best of the year, but it tends to take a back seat to the Perseid shower of August. The Perseids have the advantage of a pleasant summer night, while the Geminids have a major problem in attracting spectators -- it takes dedication to wait patiently outdoors in the biting cold of a December night. At least you don't have to deal with biting mosquitoes.

This year's Geminid shower will peak on the night of Dec. 13-14. Skywatchers normally can expect to see 60-70 meteors per hour at the peak. The Geminids are slower and brighter than many other meteors, making them easier to spot before they vanish. The waning crescent moon will not interfere, but city lights will overwhelm the fainter meteors, so try to get away from artificial lights if you can. The most meteor activity will be after midnight local time, though some meteors will begin to appear as soon as the sky is completely dark.

The bright streaks will seem to come from a point called the radiant near the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini the Twins, which gives the shower its name. The radiant will be well above the eastern horizon a few hours after sundown and will remain high in the sky for the rest of the night. The higher the radiant is above the horizon, the more meteors there will be. Try facing southeast if you have a clear view in that direction, though meteors will be visible in all parts of the sky. For details about the Geminid shower, see comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors...ids.html .

To stay comfortable in the frigid night, wear several layers of warm clothing and keep a thermos of hot coffee, tea or chocolate handy. If necessary, go indoors from time to time to warm up. No special equipment is needed to watch a meteor shower. Just enjoy the spectacle as the bright objects blaze across the sky.

More information about meteor showers is available at http://comets.amsmeteors.org/, a site sponsored by the American Meteor Society.

Planets

In a rare conjunction on Dec. 10, the planets Jupiter, Mercury and Mars will cluster very low in the east-southeast about an hour before sunrise, with the stars of the constellation Scorpius providing a sparkling background. This will be the closest conjunction of three planets visible with the unaided eye since 1974. As the predawn sky brightens, binoculars may be needed to pick out Mars, the faintest of the three.

At the beginning of the month, Mercury will be highest above the horizon, with Mars in the middle and Jupiter at the bottom. Each morning after that, Mercury will appear lower while Mars and Jupiter creep upward until the three planets form a tight group on the morning of Dec. 10. In the days afterward, Mercury will drift downward while Mars moves slightly upward. After midmonth, the orange star Antares will appear to the lower right (south) of Mars, slightly brighter than the planet and nearly the same color. Meanwhile Jupiter will climb higher than Mars to become a brilliant white "morning star."

Not to be outdone, the western sky in December will offer Venus as an "evening star," also close to the horizon. Venus will set only a half hour after the sun as the month begins but more than an hour later by month's end. By then you may be able to spot Venus above the west-southwestern horizon before any stars appear.

Bright yellow Saturn will rise in the east around 10 p.m. local time at the beginning of December and about two hours earlier by month's end. It will be highest after midnight, near the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the Lion. Those with telescopes will have a chance to view the planet's famous rings, which will be at their minimum tilt for the year. Even a small telescope will show Saturn's biggest moon, Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury. Titan will be due north of Saturn on the mornings of Dec. 3 and 19, and due south of the planet on the mornings of Dec. 11 and 27.

Solstice

The sun will reach its southernmost point in the sky, called the December solstice, on Dec. 21 at 7:22 p.m. EST. This will mark the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. For the next six months, the days will be getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere. Information about the December solstice, including the human history associated with it in many parts of the world, is available at www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html

Moon phases

The moon will be full on Dec. 4, at third quarter on Dec. 12, new on Dec. 20 and at first quarter on Dec. 27.

Source: Indiana University

http://www.physorg.com/news84037279.html

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Astronomical Society of Nevada Nov. and Dec. Events

nneth — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 01:37:35 GMT

The Astronomical Society of Nevada, in Reno, will host the following events in November and December. All events below are open to the public and entire family.

Nov 3rd: Public Star Party at Rancho San Rafael Park. Conditions permitting, Comet Swan will be observed. Start time 1/2 after dark, end time 10pm

Nov 8th: Mercury transits the Sun. On November 8th Mercury will make a transit of the Sun. The complete transit will be visible from Reno. The ASN will be setting up solar viewing at the North Valleys Sports Complex which is located between Lemon Valley and Stead. The observing will be conducted from 11:00 AM to 4:15 PM weather permitting.

Nov 14th: General Membership meeting at the Fleischmann Planetarium on the UNR campus. Start Time 7pm. We will have a guest speaker that night. The topic will be Moon Geology.

Dec 1st: Public Star Party at Rancho San Rafael Park. Conditions permitting, Comet Swan will be observed. Start time 1/2 after dark, end time 10pm

Dec 14th: General Membership meeting at the Fleischmann Planetarium on the UNR campus. Start Time 7pm. Meeting will include a telescope buyers clinic.

Additional details at: www.astronomynv.org

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Hmmm...

hellohello — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 06:12:05 GMT

Ok everbody, dont laugh but im a bit of a newbie to astronomy. I mean, I have always gazed up into the sky at night in awe and wonder. No doubt about that. But rarely have I used a telescope to do so. Thankfully,all this will turn around this weekend when I go camping in the desert. This is when the true astronomer in me is going to emerge! So, the question I have is where do I start? I have a telescope but I am not sure how good it is. I guess im just going to point it into the sky and see what I can find with it. But do does anyone have any suggestions of what I should be looking for? Where I should look? Anyone?

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 3 replies

The North American Nebula (NGC 7000)

Starstuffed — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 04:13:50 GMT

This one had always escaped my naked eye and telescopic observations. I had always heard that it truly was a naked eye object because of its vast size.

Going to my favorite dark sky location, the trailhead at Mt. Pilchuck in the Snoqualmie-Mt. Baker National Forest of Washington State, I was hoping for success. Having failed even at that spot to see NGC 7000 more than a few times, this night looked more promising than the others. It was very clear and turbulent free. Around 10:00 p.m. or so, skies were at their darkest so I grabbed my 7 x 50 binoculars and am pretty sure I located M81 and M82. That would be a first for me. I will attempt to verify this tonight by using Cartes du Ciel and my best remembrance of the surrounding field of stars.

Looking up at Cygnus, the Milky Way stood out better than I had ever seen it. THERE IT WAS!! The North American Nebula just as clear and prominent as a photograph. Turning my binoculars on it just ruined things. . .this is a visual treat and was more than worth all the years of waiting.

I hope you get to enjoy it soon if you haven’t already.

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

So what do you enjoy looking at most through your scope?

Starstuffed — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 05:50:41 GMT

I really enjoy seeking out the faintest galaxies obtainable for my 12.5 inch dobsonian. . .I am not after detail. . .just the faintest of photons slapping my retina.

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What about "planetoid"?

Yul — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 15:43:27 GMT

So what about the term "planetoid"? Is that another word for dwarf planet, or is it something else?

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 3 replies

telescope?

MickD — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 21:47:34 GMT

Anybody got an old telescope they want to get rid of?

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

Newbie

hellohello — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 03:51:50 GMT

Hello everyone, I'm just chiming in for this is my first post on Tribe. I look forward to talking to all of you about astronomy and everything alike.

Happy Gazing,
Matt

posted in Amateur Astronomy - 1 reply

Red stars (observation report)

Starstuffed — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 15:21:48 GMT

Ever notice them? It doesn't take much effort to spot these stars -- given dark enough skies with the resulting large number of other blue and white stars to make the red ones stand out. I spotted two new ones for me tonight; Mirach in the constellation Andromeda and Shedir in the constellation Cassiopeia. Actually, I was aware from years of reading about astronomy that Mirach was very red but funny, I never noticed until tonight. Shedir was very close by which made me notice it also. It isn't quite as red as Mirach but does have a definite redness about it.

I had gone to a boat launch by a lake about 5 miles from my house tonight with my 12.5 inch dobsonian and 7 x 50 binoculars. As it ended up, I never set up the telescope (just left it in the car and trunk) because mosquitoes were rampant. As I sat on the hood of my car, one foot on the ground and one foot on my car's front bumper, I surveyed the eastern horizon. Funny how one can never get tired of looking at the same things year after year. . .photons from the Andromeda Galaxy filled my eyes. The NELM of the sky was about 5.5 -- not great -- but good enough that I figured I had a chance at getting a visual of the North Amercan Nebula (NGC 7000). Nope. Couldn't make it out with unassisted eyeballs or the binoculars. Still, the Milky Way showed some stratification.

I ended up this short 30 minute observing session by trying to see the faintest stars I could with my bare eyes. A good test for me here is to attempt to make out the 5.5 magnitude close partner of Eta Ursae Minoris. Upon discerning it, I eased in my car and headed home. Some of my most satisfying observation sessions continue to come without telescopic aid.

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Using junk food to find the Ring Nebula

Starstuffed — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 03:49:51 GMT

Here's some practical advice. During daylight hours enlist a friend to hold a confectioner's powdered sugar coated doughnut against a cooperating neighbor's exterior house wall which you painted flat black. This kindly neighbor should live between 300 and 400 feet from your scope and that newly painted black wall should be clearly in sight. Now, with your daylight adapted eyes, center that doughnut in your telescope's finder device and peer through the eyepiece of your telescope. Look at the doughnut. Study it carefully. Take an afocal photo or two of it if you are so moved. Eat the doughnut. Then, when night falls, direct the telescope to the area between Beta Lyrae and Gamma Lyrae and slowly sweep the region until you see something that looks familiar. Voila!! Messier 57.

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The clouds walked up

Starstuffed — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 21:06:39 GMT

It was one of those rare nights for me up here in Lake Stevens, Washington. I had the night off from my 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM job. The moon, not even having waxed to first quarter, had already buried itself below the lunar-light extinguishing horizon. Looking skyward, fifth magnitude stars hurled their photons toward my eyes. All this, and Old Man Winter’s nasty side — cold temperatures — had not even manifest themselves. . .my outdoor thermometer was smugly proclaiming “44 degrees.” I was clearly in astro nirvana. Call it intuition, call it checking www.weather.com around 9:00 a.m. for the coming night’s forecast, call it what you will, I put the scope out like a housebound cat before hitting-the-sack around 10:00 a.m. (my usual time; I am a man of routine). The durable, dependable dobsonian was going to have plenty of time to acclimate. Things were in order. I slept well knowing that when I awoke, I’d be having dinner at an all-you-can-eat universal cafe. Give me a cupcake and I’ll eat the cake out from under the topping before enjoying the sugar-laden frosting every time. That’s another quirk about me. Business before pleasure permeates all aspects of my life. Is this a sickness? I wonder. Earlier in the morning, even before I had put the scope out, I had responded to a post from Morgoth’s Cat concerning IC2149 and in my response stated that I’d attempt to observe it on this night. I did too, and just in time. The weather was about to abruptly change. I heard the footsteps on my graveled driveway immediately before hearing the voice, “Martin, are you out here?” My neighbors had noticed my scope out on the deck all day, and knew where they would find me when darkness fell. Five in number, each wanting and expecting telescope time, their arrival was a bittersweet experience. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy showing the celestial showpieces to guests as much as the next astroholic. . .but as we all know when company shows up, the opportunity for “serious” work slips away. We did Saturn, and yes, M1 was visible to me. . .though bleakly. “Now, if you’ll look just to the left of Saturn, you may notice a faint, little cloudlike object. That’s the Crab Nebula!,” I said to ears that weren’t listening and minds that didn’t care. “Oh my God, look at those rings.” “Wow.” “It’s moving.”. . .Need I say more. . .you’ve been there too and you’ve got the tee shirt. It’s amazing just how long it takes for five people to view Saturn, The Orion Nebula, The Hyades, The Pleiades, M35, NGC2158, M37, and M38. I know what this experience meant them and I would not even think of being less accessible than I am . Amateur astronomers are a lucky lot, we go to places others would not even dream you can get to from backyards and driveways. In my mind, there is a responsibility to share astronomy whenever possible with the public. . .but this can make it pretty tough to break new ground, to go boldly where you’ve never gone before. So what do you do? How do you balance being a public and private facility?

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The FEAR of staying home

Starstuffed — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 21:04:35 GMT

If I don’t get out when conditions say “yes” but circumstance says “no,” I question whether my interest in the cosmos and scopes and all things astronomy is dimming. At these times I am well aware that when caught up in the zeal I experienced as a newbie to amateur astronomy I felt almost forty years ago, there was nothing that came between myself and the stars. Now I realize that as a youngster responsibilities are relatively few and once the homework was done I could get the scope out. Even as a married man in my 20’s and 30’s, I don’t recall much of anything significant enough to block my view of the sky.

So, when I can get out and choose not to, I find myself wondering how long it will be until the scope sits indoors, under the roof and not under the stars, for whole seasons at a time. . .and then whole years! Had all the money and time spent on the hobby come to an end? Was my costly scope being assigned the same fate as a department store letdown?

But. . .

When I do find myself scanning the night sky I still experience an excitement and contentment I find nowhere else. It’s like I’m going home. . .home to the universe. It is there that the atoms once roamed which compose this earthbound body and it is there that they will eventually roam again for all eternity.

Fear/guilt; guilt/fear, whatever. I guess I shouldn’t worry. Priorities may change, but astronomy is still high on my list. . .maybe not number one all the time but never that far behind.

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Funny post about Pluto from another forum

Starstuffed — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:40:34 GMT

The IAU decided this week to remove Pluto from the list of planets. A
spokesman released this statement, "We're awfully sorry to have to let
Pluto go, but this restructuring is necessary to move this solar system
forward. We've got to tighten our asteroid belt and make difficult
decisions. We've really enjoyed working with Pluto in the past and wish
it no ill will. We look on this event as a great opportunity to
revitalize our system."

Behind the scenes however, things were reportedly more heated. Rumors
abound that Pluto orbited slower than other planets, often appearing
sluggish and possibly intoxicated. Some have reportedly complained
about off color jokes directed at Uranus. Lawsuits by several asteroids
demanding inclusion in the solar system reportedly also motivated the
committee to take a hard line on planet definition. An original plan to
use the world "Pluton" was rejected by their lawyers as demeaning and
discriminatory.

Others have defended Pluto, claiming the decision to downsize was based
on unjust discrimination. One anonymous insider claimed, "It's a new
solar system, and if you're not wearing rings, or you're too small,
you're just not flashy enough for the kids today. Besides, the
committee was always uncomfortable with the attraction between Pluto
and its long-term partner, Charon. It's just prejudice I tell you."

Pluto's press agent released this statement, "While Pluto is saddened
by this turn of events, it's not bitter, rather Pluto looks on this as
an opportunity to explore new and exciting projects."

--Gareth Slee

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Detecting Plato's craterlets with smallish scopes

Starstuffed — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 08:48:42 GMT

Several nights ago, with the 9 day old moon only 20 or so degrees above the s.s.w. horizon, I attempted to observe any of the craterlets (or a hint of them) on Plato’s wonderfully smooth floor. It had been a hot day and, just after sundown, it was still pretty toasty. The atmosphere was slightly hazy/dirty and turbulence was present. There was also an expansive and wispy cloud right in front of the moon. Obviously, this was not a great night for attempting my goal, but I was off work the next day which gave me a whacky, “why the heck not?,” attitude.

Using my 114mm reflector — my second smallest scope — I slipped in a 24mm eyepiece and found the image to be surprisingly good (but what isn’t with a 1″ focal length EP?). Next I inserted a 12.5mm EP and the image still held up fairly well. Plato was now big enough to reveal its crisp, serrated rim. . .but no craterlets. Finally, using a 7.5mm EP, atmospheric issues became the limiting factor. I could still get a halfway decent glimpse of the crater in moments of better seeing, yet no craterlets were apparent. Had conditions been better, it didn’t seem impossible that my 6mm or 3.8mm eyepieces may have produced the illusive craterlets.

So I put it to you, what is the smallest aperture which you have successfully used to yield Plato’s craterlets?

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Do you really need a barlow?

Starstuffed — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 08:22:18 GMT

I don't own a barlow; don't see a need. Last night, I was viewing Jupiter with my 12.5 inch dobsonian (f/4.8) and was treated to some incredible views at 404x. This magnificaion was realized using a 3.8 Ultrascopic EP from Orion. The eye relief for this little fellow is more than comfortable for me and I suppose it is my "barlow." As far as the 50x per inch thingie, the nights are few for me which present good enough sky conditions to even push the magnification to the 400x level. But last night, I saw old Jupiter like I seldom have. The GRS was about the same color as the average cloud markings, yet the thin bordered outline it presented was astounding. Also, there was MUCH going on between the two major bands. A transit was also happening with Europa. Very satisfying. Switching to a 9mm Expanse EP, all of the aforementioned was still quite visible. Only smaller (duh!). Magnification isn't the most important ingredient for me in the mix leading to a truly satisifying and info packed observation. The prime ingredient is the overall condition of the sky at the moment.

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Less is more

Starstuffed — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 08:16:12 GMT

I seem to derive far more satisfaction from an observng session when limiting the number of objects being viewed to just a handful and I have small hands. . .two or three galaxies, a nebula or two, and perhaps a planet or the moon and my little hands can grasp for no more.

There was a time when I was younger and my scopes were newer that quantity triumphed over quality. All too many nights saw me hopping from one DSO to the next. Fifteen, twenty, thirty. . .the success of the night was erroneously judged by the number of notches carved on the scope. Soon, I burned out and without a clue as to why. I took several years off.

Concurrent with the return of my interest in astronomy was the availability (or at least my awareness of) planetariums for the home computer. I downloaded one here. I downloaded one there. Soon I had several and I studied them all for a long while without ever breaking out the scope. Then, when the time was right and I had gained an overall awareness of the night sky that my prior twenty-five or so years under the stars could not even start to match, I tuned up my homebuilt eight inch newtonian and prepared for an evening's observation with a very different approach than I had ever used. I located a few objects to INTENSELY observe. Most of the time the chosen few were in the same general part of the sky. It was not uncommon for them all to be in the same constellation.

The result? A more relaxed and satisfying observing session without even a hint of tiring of it all again. Furthermore, I end the night feeling I have "done real astronomy" (whatever that is) as opposed to feeling like I sat in a blind dropping galaxies like they were anonymous ducks flying overhead. So how do you structure your observing sessions?

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