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| Space Shuttle Watch |
This fun space shuttle watch for kids features an LCD display, lights and lift-off sounds. Priced at just $8.95, this is a perfect gift for any little space cadet! Order one from Countdown Creations!
(Advertisement)
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| Image credit: Hubble |
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| What's Up This Week - Nov 8 - 14, 2004 |
| Nov 8, 2004 - Greetings fellow skywatchers! We're in for more excitement this week as the Moon occults not one, not two, but three observable planets! But that's not all the action, while we're in a "planetary" frame of mind, we'll also study two planetary nebulae, the M57 and M27, as well as seek out a "planetary" located inside a globular cluster. Other studies for both telescopes and binoculars will include instructions for "visiting with Vesta" as we explore one of our Solar System's brightest asteroids. We'll learn about easily observed variable stars and double your pleasure - double your fun as we explore two open clusters instead of just one! This week will also include a minor meteor shower and things for the Southern Hemisphere skywatchers to do. There are challenges here, as well as a bit of history and a lot of fun! So mark your calendars - because here's "What's Up"! (Full Story) |
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| Book Review: How NASA Leaned to Fly in Space |
| Nov 8, 2004 - The early explorers sailed into a void not knowing what beasts, storms or cliffs might await their travels. Their shear audacity and pluck carried them through their adventures. The Gemini program is the equivalent for space travel and David Harland gives a great recount in his book ,How NASA Learned to Fly in Space. He takes the reader on a rollicking good drama of the pilots and support crew as their space vessels sail through the uncharted realms toward the stars. (Full Story) |
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| Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI |
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| Something Oozed on Titan's Surface |
| Nov 8, 2004 - NASA's Cassini spacecraft took this image of Titan as it sped past the moon on Oct. 26, 2004. It was taken from an altitude of 2,500 km (1,553 miles) using the spacecraft's aperture radar, which can penetrate thick clouds and reveal the texture of the ground underneath. The dark regions are areas which are smooth, and the bright areas are more bumpy. It could be that the smooth areas are cryovolcanic flows, where water-rich liquid has welled up from inside Titan's warmer interior and spread out on the surface. (Full Story) |
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| Image credit: Gemini |
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| Second Black Hole at the Heart of the Milky Way |
| Nov 5, 2004 - A French/US team of astronomers have discovered a second black hole is lurking at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, completely separate from the supermassive black hole that we've known about for years. This new object, IRS 13E, contains only 1,400 stellar masses, which is much less that the 4 million stellar masses of our supermassive black hole. IRS 13E probably used to be located far away from the galactic centre, where a cluster of stars could safely form. All that's left now are a few massive stars whipping around the black hole as it spirals towards the centre of our galaxy. (Full Story) |
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| Interview with David A. Hardy |
| Nov 4, 2004 - Futures: 50 Years in Space, The Challenge of the Stars, a superb new art book/astronomy guide by David A Hardy and Sir Patrick Moore was published in May 2004 (read the Universe Today review here). David took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with Richard Pearson about his passion for both art and space, and his long-lasting friendship and working relationship with Sir Patrick Moore. (Full Story) |
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| Image credit: Hubble |
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| Triple Eclipse on Jupiter |
| Nov 4, 2004 - The Hubble Space Telescope took this rare picture of a triple eclipse on Jupiter, an event that only happens once or twice a decade. Io is near the middle, Ganymede on the planet's left edge, and Callisto is near the right edge. Astronomers tested a new technique with Hubble when taking this picture. They sped up Hubble's tracking system so that Jupiter passed through its field of view more quickly than normal. This allowed them to take rapid-fire snapshots of the planet and its moons to build into a single image that shows more detail than one single image. (Full Story) |
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| Image credit: PPARC |
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| First Gamma Ray Image |
| Nov 4, 2004 - European astronomers have produced the first image of an object using high energy gamma rays - the most penetrating form of radiation known. The image is of a supernova remnant called RX J1713.7-3946, which exploded 1,000 years ago. Over time, a ring of material has expanded to twice the diameter of the Moon in the sky. If you had gamma ray eyes, you would be able to see a large ring in the sky every night. This also helps solve a 100 year mystery about the origin of cosmic rays; the remnant seems to be acting as a particle accelerator. (Full Story) |
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| Image credit: ESA |
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| Tithonium Chasma on Mars |
| Nov 3, 2004 - This image is of a region of Mars called Tithonium Chasma, which is at the western end of the enormous Valles Marineris Canyon system. The whole canyon system was created through a combination of geologic factors, including tectonic rifting, water, and wind action, volcanism, and glaciers. The canyon floors have a dark, layered material, which is probably sedimentary material, though it's still under much speculation from scientists. The picture was taken by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. (Full Story) |
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| Image credit: Beagle 2 |
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| Beagle 2 Just Didn't Have the Money to Succeed |
| Nov 2, 2004 - A new report by the UK House of Commons science and technology select committee pins the blame for the loss of the Beagle 2 lander on a lack of early money. Because the UK government failed to provide adequate funds early on in the lander's development, the developers had to chase celebrities for sponsorship when they should have been testing their equipment. The government eventually poured in �25 million as the project started to stall, but it was too late to make up time by that point as Mars Express had a firm launch date. (Full Story) |
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| What's Happening on the Universe Today Forum? |
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Check out the Universe Today discussion forums and share your thoughts with other space enthusiasts. Here are a few interesting topics recently added:
More Gmail Invites - People are sharing their invites. Come on... share yours.
Great Auroras - Did you see an aurora last night?
Solar Panels in Space - Could this solve the world's energy needs?
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