Pardon me for this non-Europa item, but I thought you all might
enjoy seeing this image of Saturn and Titan from the Cassini
probe at a distance of 285 million kilometers! It leaves one just
imagining what the images will be like later on.
CASSINI SPOTS SATURN
Currently high in the evening skies near Orion's Club, Saturn has the
attention of amateur astronomers everywhere. The Cassini spacecraft is
also observing Saturn -- with nearly the same tools amateurs have on the
ground. Using its 2,000-mm-focal-length telescope, Cassini snapped images
of Saturn on October 21st from a distance of 285 million kilometers....
http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_782_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
COSMIC RAYS FROM THE KUIPER BELT
Scientists have finally identified a missing source of so-called anomalous
cosmic rays -- charged particles striking the Earth (and spacecraft).
Their work accounts for certain particles that for a long time had no
plausible origin.
The particles in question are ionized (electrically charged) atoms of
elements such as carbon, iron, and silicon. Their energies range from
about 10 million to 100 million electron volts, which means they're moving
very fast but still far below the speed of light. From their energy
distribution, scientists can tell that they must be accelerated to their
high speeds fairly nearby, not far off among the stars like other cosmic
rays - but that they can't originate in the inner solar system either....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_781_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GALILEO'S LAST RENDEZVOUS
In the seven years since reaching Jupiter, NASA's Galileo spacecraft
looped around the planet 34 times and made myriad discoveries about the
king of planets and its major satellites. However, Galileo's mission is
nearing its end: the camera and other imagers aboard have been turned off,
and next September the spacecraft will plunge directly into the Jovian
atmosphere. But Galileo should provide one more burst of science data
before making a final orbit around Jupiter. Next week it will sweep past
Amalthea (Jupiter's innermost large satellite), race through the planet's
ring, and experience its most intense magnetic and radiation environment
to date....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_780_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LIGHT POLLUTION GOES MAINSTREAM
If the fall 2002 meeting of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)
proved anything, it's that astronomers have lost control of the
light-pollution issue -- and that's a good thing. Like the spoiling of our
air and water, the loss of nighttime darkness is becoming a serious
concern not only to astronomers but also to health-care professionals,
zoologists, lighting engineers, politicians, and the public.
Some 175 activists gathered in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, last
week for the IDA's first national meeting outside its headquarters city of
Tucson, Arizona. They learned that poorly designed light fixtures do more
than just blot out our view of the starry sky. They also disrupt our
circadian rhythms, cause accidents on roadways, confuse migrating birds
and other wildlife, and waste billions of dollars in energy costs....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_777_1.asp
=========================================================================
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK'S SKY
* On November 2-3, minor planet 431 Nephele passes in front of the
magnitude 5.9 star Z.C. 593 in Taurus, the Bull. This is a fine
occultation for observers in the northeastern United States.
* The new Moon on November 4th.
* Saturn is located between constellations Taurus and Gemini at the top of
Orion's Club.
For details, see This Week's Sky at a Glance and Planet Roundup:
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/ataglance/
Currently high in the evening skies near Orion's Club, Saturn has the
attention of amateur astronomers everywhere. The Cassini spacecraft is
also observing Saturn -- with nearly the same tools amateurs have on the
ground. Using its 2,000-mm-focal-length telescope, Cassini snapped images
of Saturn on October 21st from a distance of 285 million kilometers....
http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_782_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
COSMIC RAYS FROM THE KUIPER BELT
Scientists have finally identified a missing source of so-called anomalous
cosmic rays -- charged particles striking the Earth (and spacecraft).
Their work accounts for certain particles that for a long time had no
plausible origin.
The particles in question are ionized (electrically charged) atoms of
elements such as carbon, iron, and silicon. Their energies range from
about 10 million to 100 million electron volts, which means they're moving
very fast but still far below the speed of light. From their energy
distribution, scientists can tell that they must be accelerated to their
high speeds fairly nearby, not far off among the stars like other cosmic
rays - but that they can't originate in the inner solar system either....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_781_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GALILEO'S LAST RENDEZVOUS
In the seven years since reaching Jupiter, NASA's Galileo spacecraft
looped around the planet 34 times and made myriad discoveries about the
king of planets and its major satellites. However, Galileo's mission is
nearing its end: the camera and other imagers aboard have been turned off,
and next September the spacecraft will plunge directly into the Jovian
atmosphere. But Galileo should provide one more burst of science data
before making a final orbit around Jupiter. Next week it will sweep past
Amalthea (Jupiter's innermost large satellite), race through the planet's
ring, and experience its most intense magnetic and radiation environment
to date....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_780_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LIGHT POLLUTION GOES MAINSTREAM
If the fall 2002 meeting of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)
proved anything, it's that astronomers have lost control of the
light-pollution issue -- and that's a good thing. Like the spoiling of our
air and water, the loss of nighttime darkness is becoming a serious
concern not only to astronomers but also to health-care professionals,
zoologists, lighting engineers, politicians, and the public.
Some 175 activists gathered in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, last
week for the IDA's first national meeting outside its headquarters city of
Tucson, Arizona. They learned that poorly designed light fixtures do more
than just blot out our view of the starry sky. They also disrupt our
circadian rhythms, cause accidents on roadways, confuse migrating birds
and other wildlife, and waste billions of dollars in energy costs....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_777_1.asp
=========================================================================
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK'S SKY
* On November 2-3, minor planet 431 Nephele passes in front of the
magnitude 5.9 star Z.C. 593 in Taurus, the Bull. This is a fine
occultation for observers in the northeastern United States.
* The new Moon on November 4th.
* Saturn is located between constellations Taurus and Gemini at the top of
Orion's Club.
For details, see This Week's Sky at a Glance and Planet Roundup:
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/ataglance/
