They started to open the space probe capsule on Thursday 24 June/10. According to their website, it will take a week to properly open it so that no contamination occurs. Very exciting stuff...
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/topics/2010/0625.shtml
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Things to Look For...
If we can get some clear skies then look for the ISS(International Space Station). It is making multiple passes over the course of the night for the next little while.
If you have never seen it, there are multiple web sites that will tell you when and where to look for satellites, that are extremely accurate. When it goes over-head you cannot miss it, if you are looking up, as it is the brightest thing in the sky next to the Moon.
Here is an excellent site that clearly shows timings for satellite transits. All you have to do is input your postal code.
http://www.spaceweather.com/flybys/flybys.php?zip=e2m1v8
If you have never seen it, there are multiple web sites that will tell you when and where to look for satellites, that are extremely accurate. When it goes over-head you cannot miss it, if you are looking up, as it is the brightest thing in the sky next to the Moon.
Here is an excellent site that clearly shows timings for satellite transits. All you have to do is input your postal code.
http://www.spaceweather.com/flybys/flybys.php?zip=e2m1v8
Pics and Video From The Road
The Top picture was taken on 26 June/10 at 1400 hrs from NB Hwy 2 northbound near Florenceville, NB. The windmills are located in Mars Hill, ME. The next two are of Venus taken on 25 June/10 at 2140 hrs from ON Hwy 17 near the ON/QC border. The bottom one is of a Full Moon taken at the same time and place as the above Venus. It was low in the eastern sky.Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Interesting Space Pics
Here are some recently taken space pictures that I found interesting.
The top pic was taken on the ISS and is an aurora over the Indian Ocean.
http://www.spaceweather.com/
The bottom pic is the far side of the Moon. This side we never see from earth. It was taken by NASAs' LRO which has been orbiting the Moon since last summer.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/first-year.html
Japanese Space Probe (Hayabusa) Update
This is the probe that landed on an asteroid and hopefully took samples, then returned to earth. The whole process took years to complete and experienced many difficulties along the way.
When last reported, they obtained a video of the probe re-entering our atmosphere like a shooting star. They found it and I have not been able to ascertain if they have actually opened it yet. For pictures of it laying in the desert in Australia go to this site...
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/topics/2010/0614_3.shtml
When last reported, they obtained a video of the probe re-entering our atmosphere like a shooting star. They found it and I have not been able to ascertain if they have actually opened it yet. For pictures of it laying in the desert in Australia go to this site...
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/topics/2010/0614_3.shtml
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Observing Report for 15-16 June/10
Location: Irving Nature Park, Saint John, NB
Date/Time: 15 June/10 0330-0445 hrs
16 June/10 0330-0500 hrs
Conditions: 15 June/10 12 degrees Celsius, clear, very strong winds
16 June/10 13 degrees Celsius, clear, light breeze
Equipment: 150 mm reflector on EQ3 mount, 20x80 Binos with tripod, and Kodak C190 digital camera mounted to reflector and alone on tripod.
Report: The main goal for these two observing sessions was to get a picture of Comet R1 McNaught which has been reported to be in Perseus which comes up in the NE at about 0200 hrs. On the morning of the 15th, the wind was too strong for the reflectors' mount to keep it still, so the binos were used. They would not stay still either, but tried with them anyway. Seen a greenish blob by the brightest star in Perseus on the 15th, but after observing on the 16th, it was determined that it was only a star. Never seen anything with the scope or binos that stood out as a comet. There was a star field around that bright star, but I could not say for sure that one was a comet. As it turned out, the Comet moved out of Perseus to the North much farther in one day than I would have thought. Lesson: don't assume comets are going to stay in the same place from one night to the next...
Jupiter and Uranus are very close together in the East in the morning. I did get a picture of Jupiter, its moons and what I think is Uranus right where it is suppose to be according to Astronomy.com star map. I find Uranus and Neptune or really anything magnitude 5 or 6 to be hard to differentiate from a star.
Both mornings around 0430 hrs a very bright satellite went over-head from the west right over the Big Dipper to the NE. Stayed very bright most of the way across the sky, then turned orange as it was in the east.
At 0415 hrs on the 15th a very slow moving, faint shooting star came low out of the SW to the NW and flared, then changed directions and it simply dropped out of the sky and then got blown backwards by the very strong winds. First time that I have observed a shooting star do this. I think it either landed in the Bay or in the woods in the park.
Date/Time: 15 June/10 0330-0445 hrs
16 June/10 0330-0500 hrs
Conditions: 15 June/10 12 degrees Celsius, clear, very strong winds
16 June/10 13 degrees Celsius, clear, light breeze
Equipment: 150 mm reflector on EQ3 mount, 20x80 Binos with tripod, and Kodak C190 digital camera mounted to reflector and alone on tripod.
Report: The main goal for these two observing sessions was to get a picture of Comet R1 McNaught which has been reported to be in Perseus which comes up in the NE at about 0200 hrs. On the morning of the 15th, the wind was too strong for the reflectors' mount to keep it still, so the binos were used. They would not stay still either, but tried with them anyway. Seen a greenish blob by the brightest star in Perseus on the 15th, but after observing on the 16th, it was determined that it was only a star. Never seen anything with the scope or binos that stood out as a comet. There was a star field around that bright star, but I could not say for sure that one was a comet. As it turned out, the Comet moved out of Perseus to the North much farther in one day than I would have thought. Lesson: don't assume comets are going to stay in the same place from one night to the next...
Jupiter and Uranus are very close together in the East in the morning. I did get a picture of Jupiter, its moons and what I think is Uranus right where it is suppose to be according to Astronomy.com star map. I find Uranus and Neptune or really anything magnitude 5 or 6 to be hard to differentiate from a star.
Both mornings around 0430 hrs a very bright satellite went over-head from the west right over the Big Dipper to the NE. Stayed very bright most of the way across the sky, then turned orange as it was in the east.
At 0415 hrs on the 15th a very slow moving, faint shooting star came low out of the SW to the NW and flared, then changed directions and it simply dropped out of the sky and then got blown backwards by the very strong winds. First time that I have observed a shooting star do this. I think it either landed in the Bay or in the woods in the park.
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