This Crazy Cosmos » Astronomy

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Mike — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 06:27:33 +0000

The Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) archive contains the largest collection of annotated astronomical images on the internet.

APOD is originated, written, coordinated, and edited since 1995 by Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell.

Astronomy Picture of the Day @ apod.nasa.gov/

Into The Universe with Stephen Hawking

Mike — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:00:16 +0000

On the Discovery Channel…

Into The Universe with Stephen Hawking is an epic new kind of cosmology series, a Planet Earth of the heavens. It takes the world’s most famous scientific mind and sets it free, powered by the limitless possibilities of computer animation.

Hawking gives us the ultimate guide to the universe, a ripping yarn based on real science, spanning the whole of space and time; from the nature of the universe itself, to the chances of alien life, and the real possibility of time travel.

There are some truly mind-blowing video clips of the show at
dsc.discovery.com/tv/

The Official Website for Professor Stephen W. Hawking at hawking.org.uk

Hubble Space Telescope 20 Years

Mike — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 05:15:27 +0000

NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope on April 24th, 1990. Since then we’ve discovered things that we never even imagined, and seen light from distant galaxies and stars billions of years old.

Named for groundbreaking astronomer Edwin Hubble, the Hubble Space Telescope has helped astronomers prove the existence of black holes, dark energy, and defined the age of the universe.

NASA celebrates 20 years of amazing astronomical discoveries with the Hubble Space Telescope with an interactive showcase of incredible images of our universe.

NASA has also announced the extension of the Hubble Space Telescope Science Operations Contract through April 2013, which will extend science operations with the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy for the Hubble Space Telescope Science Operations Center located at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

Astrophotography by Anthony Ayiomamitis

Mike — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:26:11 +0000

I recently discovered a beautiful site. Astrophotography by Anthony Ayiomamitis www.perseus.gr

It’s got a great collection of celestial objects captured in stunning detail; nebula, galaxies, star clusters, comets, plus images from our solar system. The author also talks in great detail about astrophotography and offers tips and advice for the best imaging.

www.perseus.gr

International Year of Astronomy ends January 10

Mike — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:57:12 +0000

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) officially ends on January 10th.

The closing ceremony will be held in the Aula Magna of the University of Padova, where Galileo taught astronomy and physics, in Padova, Italy. It’s the final event of a year long global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to society and culture.

Official Website: www.astronomy2009.org/

IYA YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/astronomy2009

Follow Live Streaming Video on www.beyond2009.org

Blue Moon

Mike — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:25:09 +0000

Did you see the recent “blue moon?” The story was all over the news, but the term “blue moon” is actually misunderstood.

www.skyandtelescope.com/ offers an insightful and in depth definition of a blue moon.

The website for Astronomy Picture of the Day has a striking composite picture of the new year’s blue moon and a partial lunar eclipse.

Orionid Meteor Shower 2009

Mike — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:29:04 +0000

The Orionid meteor shower has been very active the past few years, and is expected to peak Wednesday morning around 6:00am. Although the best time for viewing can be anywhere from 2:00 to 6:00 am. Astronomers are saying this year’s show could be just as good or better than previous years because of an absence of moonlight.

More info at science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/19oct_orionids.htm

www.astronomy.com/

www.space.com/

www.earthsky.org/

Rocky Exoplanet CoRoT-7b Discovered

Mike — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:48:41 +0000

Scientists at the European Southern Observatory have announced the discovery of a new exoplanet, CoRoT-7b, which has been described as a “super-earth” like planet.

Details at http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2009/pr-33-09.html

Source: ESO, the European Southern Observatory, www.eso.org/public

Perseid Meteor Shower 2009

Mike — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:04:20 +0000

This year’s Perseid meteor shower should be a good one, putting on a great show for stargazers who stay up late to view the annual shooting stars. The best time to watch is generally between midnight and dawn, when the earth’s rotation is moving into the sun, placing the meteor stream directly in the earth’s path.

For viewers in North America, premium viewing time will be between midnight and five a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, but the Perseids may also be visible late Tuesday night.

The Perseid meteor shower for 2009 will not be quite as spectacular as in the past, because of a bright moon this year, which will interfere with the most faint meteors, as they reach their peak on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Every August the Earth passes through a trail of dust and debris remaining from the Comet Swift-Tuttle, which causes the annual Perseid meteor shower.

This map from Yahoo! News illustrates the shower’s location in the August night sky. (Source: http://news.yahoo.com/)

Atlantis repairs Hubble Space Telescope

Mike — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:41:44 +0000

The repairs made by the Atlantis Space Shuttle crew in their historic eleven day mission will enable the Hubble Space Telescope to see farther into our universe than ever before. It was quite a ride for STS-125.

Five spacewalks extended Hubble’s lifespan until at least the year 2014
Replaced gyroscopes, batteries and science data transmitter
Increased the space telescope’s power 10 x 70 times
Installed new instruments (like the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph) and thermal blankets
Repaired two existing instruments

Some of the astronauts were blogging from space. Mission specialist Mike Massimino is on Twitter as astro_mike.

More shuttle news at www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/