[Astronews] IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter
IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter
astronews at ki0ar.com
Fri Mar 1 19:53:20 EST 2013
IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter
March 2013
The International Association for Astronomical Studies provides this newsletter as a service for interested persons worldwide.
This newsletter is published on the World Wide Web at http://www.ki0ar.com/astro.html - The Home of KI0AR - and is received nationally and internationally. A PDF formatted downloadable version of the newsletter is at http://www.ki0ar.com/current_nl.pdf.
An Open Invitation - For amateur radio operators and scanner enthusiasts, when in the Denver metro area, please join the Colorado Astronomy Net on the Rocky Mountain Radio League's (http://rmrl.hamradios.com/) 146.94 MHz repeater on Tuesday nights at 7 P.M. local time.
Special Notice to Denver, CO area residents and visitors to the area: The Plains Conservation Center in Aurora hosts Full Moon Walks every month, weather permitting, on or near the night of the full Moon. Visit http://www.plainsconservationcenter.org for more information and directions.
Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part of the JPL Solar System Ambassador / NASA Outreach program. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/index.html
In This Newsletter...
The Month At-A-Glance 3
The Moon 3
The Planets & Dwarf Planets 4
Astronomical Events 6
Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions 8
Mars Missions 12
Links and Other Space News 17
Acknowledgments and References 20
Subscription Information 20
Keep looking UP! 20
The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.
The Moon
Phases:
* Last Quarter Moon occurs on the 4th.
* New Moon occurs on the 11th.
* First Quarter Moon occurs on the 19th.
* Full Moon occurs on the 27th.
* The Moon is at Perigee on the 5th, 229,881 miles from Earth.
The Moon is at Apogee on the 18th, 251,196 miles from Earth.
* The Moon is at Perigee on the 30th, 228,356 miles from Earth.
Moon/Planet Pairs:
The Moon passes 0.1° south of Spica on the 1st.
The Moon passes 3° south of Saturn on the 2nd.
The Moon passes 6° north of Neptune on the 10th.
The Moon passes 1.5° south of Jupiter on the 17th.
Mars passes 0.01° north of Uranus on the 22nd.
Jupiter passes 5° north of Aldebaran on the 24th.
The Moon passes 0.005° north of Spica on the 28th.
The Moon passes 3° south of Saturn on the 29th.
For reference: The Full Moon subtends an angle of 0.5°.
The Planets & Dwarf Planets
Planetary Reports are generated by "TheSky" software. (http://www.ki0ar.com/planrpts.html) These reports provide predicted data for the planets on the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month are also included in the reports. These reports have been optimized for the Denver, Colorado location, however, the times will be approximate for other locations on Earth.
(All times are local unless otherwise noted.)
* Planetary Highlights for February
- Jupiter and Saturn are the dominant planets this month. The other visible planets are either disappearing from view or too dim to see without binoculars or telescopes. Observers will need binoculars or a small telescope to be spotted low in the west soon after sunset. Venus, Mars and Mercury have disappeared. Ceres, though well placed for evening viewing will need dark skies and a large telescope. However, the real highlight for March is the appearance of Comet C/2011/L4 PANSTARRS. Look for Comet PANSTARRS after the 12th low in the west after sunset.
* Mercury
- Is in inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 4th. Mercury is stationary on the 16th. Mercury is not visible at the beginning of the month but returns to the morning sky mid month. Mercury is at greatest western elongation (28° above the eastern horizon) on the 31st. Mercury rises at 6:18 a.m. on the 15th and about 4:47 a.m. by month's end. Look for mercury low on the eastern horizon during the last half of the month when it will be well out of the twilight glow. Mercury moves from the constellation of Pisces into Aquarius shining at magnitude 0.2 on the 31st.
* Venus
- Is lost in the twilight glow during the first part of the month, then disappears behind the Sun when it reaches superior conjunction with the Sun on the 28th. Venus will return to the evening sky sometime in May. Venus moves from the constellation of Aquarius into Pisces this month.
* Earth
- Reaches the Vernal equinox on the 20th at 7:02 a.m. EDT.
* Mars
- Is lost in the evening twilight glow this month and is nearly impossible to spot. Mars moves from the constellation of Aquarius into Pisces this month.
* Jupiter
- Dominates the evening sky all month. Jupiter sets at 1:05 a.m. on the 1st and about 11:20 p.m. by month's end. Jupiter is nearly vertical by the time the Sun sets. Jupiter is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude -2.2.
Saturn
- Has returned to the evening sky this month. Saturn rises at 10:39 p.m. on the 1st and about 8:30 p.m. by month's end. Look to the east to spot Saturn in the late evening. Saturn is in the constellation of Libra shining at magnitude 0.3.
Uranus
- Sets at 7:56 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:03 p.m. by month's end. Uranus is visible in the southwest soon after the Sun sets with binoculars or a small telescope during the first week of the month. After that, Uranus joins Mars on the 22nd but is also lost in the Sun's glare. Uranus reaches conjunction with the Sun on the 28th. Uranus moves from the constellation of Cetus into Pisces shining at magnitude 5.9.
Neptune
- Has returned to the morning this month rising at 6:17 a.m. on the first and about 4:18 a.m. by month's end. Neptune is lost in the morning twilight glow until the latter half of the month. Neptune is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 8.0.
Dwarf Planets
Ceres
- Is stationary on the 4th. Ceres sets at 2:23 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:08 a.m. by month's end. Look for Ceres high overhead and to the west in the evening after the Sun sets trailing Jupiter by a couple of hours. Ceres moves through the constellation of Taurus into Auriga shining at magnitude 8.4.
Pluto
- Is visible in the morning sky this month. Pluto rises at 3:14 a.m. on the 1st and about 1:14 a.m. by month's end. Pluto is in the constellation of Sagittarius shining at magnitude 14.1.
As always, good luck at spotting these two, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed.
Astronomical Events
Meteor Showers
* There are a some minor meteor showers but none that produce rates much higher than 2-5 per hour, except the Gamma Normids that extend over the period of March 11 to 21, with the maximum occurring on March 16. The maximum rate reaches about 5-9 meteors per hour.
* For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's Meteor Showers Online web page at http://meteorshowersonline.com/.
Comets
Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS will round the Sun reaching perihelion on the 9th, then becoming visible to northern observers after the 12th when it will be out of the Sun's glare. Look for Comet PANSTARRS about a half hour after sunset. Hopefully, Comet PANSTARRS will glow around 1st or 2nd magnitude, dimming to about 4th magnitude the the end of the month.
Comet PANSTARRS set to shine after sunset in March
* For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets visit the Observable Comets page from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/index.html).
* For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's Cometography.com web page at http://cometography.com/.
Eclipses
* No eclipse activity this month.
Observational Opportunities
* Jupiter dominates the evening sky all month.
* Saturn is prominent in the morning sky before sunrise.
* Mars and Mercury can be spotted in the west after sunset.
Asteroids
(From west to east)
* Vesta is in the constellation of Taurus.
Metis is in the constellation of Gemini.
Amphitrite is at opposition on the 12th in the constellation of Virgo.
Eunomia is at opposition on the 16th in the constellation of Crater.
Irene is at opposition on the 19th in the constellation of Virgo.
* Information about the Minor Planets can be found at http://www.minorplanetobserver.com the Minor Planet Observer web site.
Occultations
* Information on various occultations can be found at http://lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm , the International Occultation Timing Association's (IOTA) web site.
Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions
(Excerpts from recent mission updates)
* Cassini - January 31, 2013
Northern Storm in Full Force
Full-Res: PIA16720
"This mosaic of images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the trail of a great northern storm on Saturn raging in full force. The contrast in the images has been enhanced to make the turbulent parts of the storm (in white) stand out without losing the details of the surrounding regions.
The head of the storm is the set of bright clouds near the left of the image. A clockwise-spinning vortex spawned by the storm shortly after it erupted in early December 2010 can be seen in the middle. The head of the storm moved very swiftly westward, while the vortex drifted more slowly westward.
Cassini's imaging camera obtained the images that went into this mosaic on March 6, 2011. The image is centered at about 0 degrees longitude and 35 degrees latitude.
A version of this image with a latitude and longitude grid is also available.
In this image, scientists assigned red, green and blue channels to those visible-light colors. However, this view is not what a human eye would see at Saturn -- in enhancing the contrast, the natural color balance was not preserved. To human eyes, storm would have appeared more like a bright feature against a yellow background with less color variation, as is seen in PIA16724. In this color scheme, the brightness generally corresponds to the altitude of the cloud features. Bright white indicates highest cloud tops in the troposphere, and dark places indicate holes in the cloud layer. The subtle colors that become apparent in this enhanced-contrast view are probably produced by variation in the composition of clouds. However, the coloring agents responsible for producing these subtle hues remain unidentified."
Raw images are available at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/index.cfm.
Cassini Imaging Team's website - http://ciclops.org.
For the latest mission status reports, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. The speed and location of the spacecraft can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page.
* New Horizons - JFebruary 28, 2013
Pluto Moons: The Votes Are In
"The public has spoken, choosing candidate names for Pluto’s newest and smallest moons. “Vulcan” and “Cerberus” topped the list after more than 450,000 total votes were cast.
Read More.
Find New Horizons in the iTunes App Store here. (http://itunes.com/apps/newhorizonsanasavoyagetopluto)
New Horizons gallery http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/.
For more information on the New Horizons mission - the first mission to the ninth planet - visit the New Horizons home page: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/.
* Dawn - January 03, 2013
Picture This: Vesta's Dark Materials in Dawn's View
Full image and caption
"A new study of images from NASA's Dawn mission examines remarkable, dark-as-coal material that speckles the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. Scientists are using the images, taken by Dawn's framing camera, to understand the impact environment early in Vesta's evolution.
In the most comprehensive analysis of the dark material to date, Dawn scientists describe how this carbon-rich material tends to appear around the edges of two giant impact basins in Vesta's southern hemisphere. The analysis suggests that the dark material was most likely delivered by the object that created the older of the two basins, known as Veneneia, about 2 to 3 billion years ago. Some of those materials were later covered up by the impact that created the younger basin, Rheasilvia."
Dawn's Virtual Flight over Vesta
A gallery of images can be found online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/multimedia/gallery-index.html.
For more information on the Dawn mission, visit the Dawn home page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html.
* MESSENGER - January 04, 2013
MESSENGER's Discoveries Tapped as among Top Space Stories of 2012
"In 2012, the MESSENGER mission to Mercury completed its primary mission, embarked on an extended mission, saw its images and maps featured on a highly rated television show, sponsored the release of a dedicated app, and celebrated the 8th anniversary of its launch, all the while continuing to produce new findings about the planet closest to the Sun.
These accomplishments captured the attention of many media outlets, several of which designated MESSENGER's endeavors as a "top story" of 2012.
"In late November, scientists discovered water on a planet beginning with the letter M -- just not the one we were expecting," wrote Eric Olson of Scientific American, which listed MESSENGER as one of the top 5 space stories of 2012. "As the data keeps pouring in we can probably expect more news on Mercury in 2013," he predicted.
MESSENGER's confirmation of ice at Mercury's poles also prompted editors at The Huffington Post to include the mission in its Year in Science: Inspiring Discoveries & Important Events.
The International Business Times -- referring to the spacecraft as "plucky" -- deemed MESSENGER's confirmation of ice on Mercury one of the biggest space stories of 2012.
NASA SpaceFlight.com offered a yearlong review of MESSENGER's accomplishments, declaring that it "offered one of the most exciting missions of the 2012 year."
"We learned a great deal about Mercury over the past year," adds MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon, of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "The team published three dozen scientific and technical papers and delivered more than 150 presentations at national and international meetings. New measurements continue to stream back from our spacecraft, and we can look forward with excitement to many additional discoveries in 2013."
The MESSENGER app is available for download at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/messenger-nasas-mission-to/id510144229?ls=1&mt=8.
For more information on the MESSENGER mission, visit the MESSENGER home page: http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/.
* Pack Your Backpack
Calling all explorers! Tour JPL with our new Virtual Field Trip site. Stops include Mission Control and the Rover Lab. Your guided tour starts when you select a "face" that will be yours throughout the visit. Cool space images and souvenirs are all included in your visit.
+ http://virtualfieldtrip.jpl.nasa.gov/
* Past, Present, Future and Proposed JPL Missions - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions.
* For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador web site at http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/index.html.
Mars Missions
Be A Martian
* JMARS - https://jmars.mars.asu.edu/
JMARS is an acronym that stands for Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing. It is a geospatial information system (GIS) developed by ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility to provide mission planning and data-analysis tools to NASA's orbiters, instrument team members, students of all ages, and the general public.
* Mars Science Laboratory - Curiosity - February 25, 2013
Lab Instruments Inside Curiosity Eat Mars Rock Powder
"PASADENA, Calif. - Two compact laboratories inside NASA's Mars rover Curiosity have ingested portions of the first sample of rock powder ever collected from the interior of a rock on Mars.
Curiosity science team members will use the laboratories to analyze the rock powder in the coming days and weeks.
The rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) and Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instruments received portions of the sample on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23, respectively, and began inspecting the powder.
"Data from the instruments have confirmed the deliveries," said Curiosity Mission Manager Jennifer Trosper of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
The powder comes from Curiosity drilling into rock target "John Klein" on Feb. 8. One or more additional portions from the same initial sample may be delivered to the instruments as analysis proceeds.
During a two-year prime mission, researchers are using Curiosity's 10 science instruments to assess whether the study area in Gale Crater on Mars ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life."
To follow the Mars Curiosity rover and NASA on Foursquare, visit: http://www.foursquare.com/MarsCuriosity and http://www.foursquare.com/NASA
For information about NASA's partnership with Foursquare, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect/foursquare.html."
Mars Rover Landing - Free for the Xbox (requires Kinect)
Visit the Mars Science Laboratory page at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.
* Mars Exploration Rover Mission (Spirit and Opportunity) - February 20, 2013
SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Remains Silent at Troy - sols 2621-2627, May 18-24, 2011:
"No communication has been received from Spirit since Sol 2210 (March 22, 2010).
More than 1,300 commands were radiated to Spirit as part of the recovery effort in an attempt to elicit a response from the rover. No communication has been received from Spirit since Sol 2210 (March 22, 2010). The project concluded the Spirit recovery efforts on May 25, 2011. The remaining, pre-sequenced ultra-high frequency (UHF) relay passes scheduled for Spirit on board the Odyssey orbiter will complete on June 8, 2011.
Total odometry is unchanged at 7,730.50 meters (4.80 miles)."
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: 'Big Nickel' Rock Target Ahead - sols 3220-3227, Feb. 13, 2013-Feb. 20, 2013:
"Opportunity is conducting the post-walkabout in-situ (contact) science campaign at different locations around the inboard edge of 'Cape York' on the rim of Endeavour Crater.
On Sol 3221 (Feb. 14, 2013), it was planned to have the rover perform a very small turn to position the robotic arm for an acceptable surface target, but a Deep Space Network issue prevented the command sequences from reaching the rover. With imagery subsequently returned from Opportunity, an acceptable target was found within reach of the arm, negating the need for a turn.
On Sol 3224 (Feb. 17, 2013), Opportunity used the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) to brush the surface target 'Maley,' which was then followed by a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic and a placement of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) for an overnight integration. With work complete at this location, on Sol 3227 (Feb. 20, 2013), the rover drove approximately 120 feet (36.5 meters) to the southeast towards the rock target 'Big Nickel' to begin an in-situ investigation there. No 'amnesia' events with the Flash file system have occurred since Sol 3183 (Jan. 6, 2013), and the rover is otherwise in good health.
As of Sol 3226 (Feb. 19, 2013), the solar array energy production was 521 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.829 and an estimated solar array dust factor of 0.618.
Total odometry is 22.11 miles (35576.09 meters)."
Landing sites link - http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/
Visit the Mars Exploration Rover page at
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html.
* Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission - January 24, 2013
Orbiter Spies Where Rover's Cruise Stage Hit Mars
Full image and caption
"PASADENA, Calif. -- Researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter see seasonal changes on far-northern Martian sand dunes caused by warming of a winter blanket of frozen carbon dioxide.
Earth has no naturally frozen carbon dioxide, though pieces of manufactured carbon-dioxide ice, called "dry ice," sublime directly from solid to gas on Earth, just as the vast blankets of dry ice do on Mars. A driving factor in the springtime changes where seasonal coverings of dry ice form on Mars is that thawing occurs at the underside of the ice sheet, where it is in contact with dark ground being warmed by early-spring sunshine through translucent ice. The trapped gas builds up pressure and breaks out in various ways.
Transient grooves form on dunes when gas trapped under the ice blanket finds an escape point and whooshes out, carrying out sand with it. The expelled sand forms dark fans or streaks on top of the ice layer at first, but this evidence disappears with the seasonal ice, and summer winds erase most of the grooves in the dunes before the next winter. The grooves are smaller features than the gullies that earlier research linked to carbon-dioxide sublimation on steeper dune slopes.
Similar activity has been documented and explained previously where seasonal sheets of frozen carbon dioxide form and thaw near Mars' south pole. Details of the different northern seasonal changes are newly reported in a set of three papers for the journal Icarus. A video showing some of the changes is online at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=158896871 .
The findings reinforce growing appreciation that Mars today, however different from its former self, is still a dynamic world, and however similar to Earth in some respects, displays some quite unearthly processes."
MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES
All of the HiRISE images are archived here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/.
More information about the MRO mission is available online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro.
* Mars Odyssey Orbiter - February 21, 2013
NASA Student Mars Project Wins Education Award
"PASADENA, Calif. - A NASA project that allows students to use a camera on a spacecraft orbiting Mars for research has received a new education prize from the journal Science.
NASA's Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP), a component of NASA's Science Mission Directorate education and outreach activities, enables students from fifth grade through college to take an image of the Red Planet's surface with a camera aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey. Students study the image to answer their research questions. After the image comes back to Earth, the students are some of the first people to see the picture and make their own discoveries.
Established in 2012, the journal's Science Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction encourages innovation and excellence in education by recognizing outstanding, inquiry-based science and design-based engineering education modules. A panel of scientists and teachers selected MSIP as one of 12 education projects from fields such as biology, chemistry, physics and Earth sciences.
Designed to fit within existing science curricula, MSIP targets required science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) objectives and standards for easy integration into classrooms. Authentic research is at the core of the award-winning project.
"At a time when the U.S. critically needs to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers, such student-led discoveries speak to the power of engaging students in authentic research in their classrooms today," said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Not only is the chance to explore Mars motivating, it shows students they are fully capable of entering challenging and exciting STEM fields."
Since MSIP began in 2002, more than 35,000 students across America have participated from public, private, urban, suburban and rural schools of all sizes, grade levels and student abilities. In 2010, a seventh-grade MSIP class in rural California discovered a previously unknown cave on Mars. A student presented their results at a major planetary science conference.
"The Mars Student Imaging Project is a perfect example of how NASA can use its missions and programs to inspire the next generation of explorers," said Leland Melvin, NASA associate administrator for education in Washington. "If we want our students to become tomorrow's scientists and engineers, we need to give them opportunities to do real-world -- or in this case, out-of-this-world -- scientific research, using all of the tools of 21st century learning."
MISP is a key component of NASA's Mars Public Engagement Program. The Mars Education Program at Arizona State University in Tempe, under the direction of Sheri Klug Boonstra, leads MSIP. Philip Christensen, principal investigator for the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) visible and infrared camera aboard Odyssey, is MSIP's mentor.
Orbiting Mars since 2001, Odyssey has operated longer than any spacecraft ever sent to Mars. The mission's longevity enables continued science from instruments on the orbiter, including the monitoring of seasonal changes on Mars from year to year. Odyssey also functions as a communication-relay service for NASA's Mars rovers."
Global Martian Map: http://www.mars.asu.edu/maps/?layer=thm_dayir_100m_v11.
"A simulated fly-through using the newly assembled imagery is available online at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/missions/odyssey/20060313.html.
The fly-through plus tools for wandering across and zooming into the large image are at http://themis.asu.edu/."
DAILY MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) web site: (http://themis.asu.edu/gallery)
The Odyssey data are available through a new online access system established by the Planetary Data System at: http://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/pds/
Visit the Mars Odyssey Mission page at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/index.html.
* Mars Missions Status - New Mars missions are being planned to include several new rover and sample collection missions. Check out the Mars Missions web page: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/ and the Mars Exploration page: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/.
Links and Other Space News
(If you have a link you would like to recommend to our readers, please feel free to submit it.)
* A Kid's Guide to Astronomy - http://www.jmacsupply.com/astronomy-guide-for-kids-a/316.htm - A great site with other links to learn about stars and astronomy for kids of all ages.
* "TheSky" Software - http://www.bisque.com - Astronomy software by Software Bisque.
* A Short Guide to Celestial Navigation - http://www.celnav.de/ - Celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects − sun, moon, planets, or stars.
* Astrogirl Homepage - http://www.astrogirl.org - Family-friendly educational astronomy website.
* Astronomical Lexicon - http://www.ki0ar.com/astrolex.html - Many of the astronomical terms used in this newsletter are defined here.
* Astronomy Picture of the Day - http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html - A different picture of the cosmos every day.
* Astronomy 2009 - http://www.surveillance-video.com/astronomy-sept-2009.html - This site has some good links a young, interested student wishes to share.
* Black Hole Encyclopedia - http://blackholes.stardate.org/ - Excellent site from StarDate - University of Texas McDonald Observatory (http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/)
* Celestron Telescopes - http://www.celestron.com/ - Celestron telescopes.
* Clear Skies Observing Guides - http://www.clearskies.eu - CSOG, short for Clear Skies Observing Guides is a new concept in visual amateur astronomy. It is a digital publication that will enable observers to target all deepsky objects and carbon stars within reach of their equipment.
* Cloudbait Observatory, Guffey Colorado - http://www.cloudbait.com - Submit your fireball reports here. Interesting, knowledgeable site.
* Colorado Springs Astronomical Society - http://csastro.org
* The Constellations and Their Stars - http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations.html - Good site for finding out more about the 88 constellations and their associated stars.
* Denver Astronomical Society - http://www.denverastrosociety.org - Promotes the enjoyment and understanding of astronomical phenomena, history and lore by providing educational and observing opportunities for our members, general public, and outreach activities at the University of Denver's historic Chamberlin Observatory, schools, and nature centers.
* Distant Suns - http://www.distantsuns.com/ - Desktop Astronomy package for PCs.
* EarthSky - http://earthsky.org - Astronomy news.
* Green Laser - http://www.greenlaser.com - If you're looking for a reasonably priced laser pointer that is great for astronomy work, visit this site.
* Groovy Adventures - http://www.groovyadventures.com - Unique adventures and vacations including astronomy related vacations.
* Heavens Above - http://www.heavens-above.com - As the name implies - What's up in the heavens, particularly satellite passes.
* The International Dark-Sky Association - http://www.darksky.org - To preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies.
* iTelescope.net - http://www.itelescope.net - iTelescope.Net is the world’s premier network of Internet connected telescopes, allowing members to take astronomical images of the night sky for the purposes of education, scientific research and astrophotography.
* JPL Solar System Ambassador Program - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/front.html - "Volunteers Bringing the Solar System to the Public"
* JPL Solar System - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar_system/ - Jet Propulsion Laboratory information on our solar system.
* Kids Space Center - Telescopes and Astronomy - http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/kids-space-center-telescopes-and-astronomy/ - Another site suggested by a young student - Great info about telescopes.
* Meade Advanced Products Users Group - http://www.mapug-astronomy.net/ - Mapug-Astronomy Topical Archive & information resource, containing a massive 335 page archive of discussions about Meade equipment, and much more: observatories, observing lists, permanent piers, equatorial wedges, remote operations, software, eyepieces, etc.
* My Stars Live - http://www.mystarslive.com/ - Interactive Star Chart
* NASA Science News - http://science.nasa.gov/ - NASA missions, updates, astronomy news, excellent resource.
* Northern Colorado Astronomical Society - http://ncastro.org/ - The purpose of our organization is to encourage the understanding & interest in the science & hobby of astronomy.
* Rocky Mountain Star Stare - http://www.rmss.org - The Premier Star Part in The Rocky Mountains
* Sangre Stargazers - http://sangrestargazers.skymtn.com/ - New astronomy club in the Wet Mountain Valley of Custer County (about 45 miles due west of Pueblo, CO).
* Skymaps.com - http://www.skymaps.com - Free sky maps each month.
* Skywatch Sightings from NASA - http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ - This site gives you the best times to watch the ISS pass over or near your location.
* Southern Colorado Astronomical Society - http://www.scasastronomy.info/ - Site under construction.
* Space.com - http://space.com - Interesting space and astronomy articles.
* Spaceflight Now - http://spaceflightnow.com/ - Launches and satellite news.
* SpaceLinks/Space Careers - http://www.spacelinks.com/SpaceCareers/ - SPACELINKS is a specialist staffing consultancy sourcing and supplying high caliber professionals for a wide range of world class organizations in the Space and Defense industry.
* "SpaceRef.com" - http://www.spaceref.com/ - SpaceRef's 21 news and reference web sites are designed to allow both the novice and specialist alike to explore outer space and Earth observation.
* Space Weather - http://www.spaceweather.com - Check out what the Sun is doing as seen from space.
* Stellarium - http://www.stellarium.org - Free, downloadable planetarium/astronomy software.
* Universe Today - http://www.universetoday.com - Short, interesting articles about space and related topics.
* Wikisky - http://www.wikisky.org - WIKISKY is a non-commercial project. The main purpose of WIKISKY is to consolidate astronomical, astrophysical and other information about different space objects and astrophysical facts.
Acknowledgments and References
Much of the information in this newsletter is from "Astronomy Magazine" (Kalmbach Publishing), JPL mission status reports, "Meteor Showers - A Descriptive Catalog" by Gary W. Kronk and other astronomical sources that I have stashed on my book shelves.
The author will accept any suggestions, constructive criticisms, and corrections. Please feel free to send me any new links or articles to share as well. I will try to accommodate any reasonable requests. Please feel free to send questions, comments, criticisms, or donations to the email address listed below. Enjoy!
Subscription Information
- Email Newsletter archives -
http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/
- Full documentation of the online administration system is available at http://ki0ar.com/mailman/listinfo/astronews_ki0ar.com.
- The latest version of the newsletter is accessible from http://www.ki0ar.com/astro.html.
Keep looking UP!
73 from KI0AR
Created by Burness F. Ansell, III
ki0ar at ki0ar.com
COO, Director of Aerospace Technologies, IAAS
JPL Solar System Ambassador, Colorado
Last modified: March 01, 2013
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 34554 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_1.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 83663 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0001.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0002.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_2.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 42335 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0002.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0003.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_3.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 38529 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0003.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0004.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_4.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 43679 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0004.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0005.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_5.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 19988 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0005.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0006.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_6.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 1199031 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0006.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0007.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_7.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 36365 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0007.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0008.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_8.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 37703 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0008.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0009.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_9.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 277990 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0009.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0010.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_10.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 34194 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0010.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0011.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_11.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 389304 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0011.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0012.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_12.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 228327 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0012.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0013.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_13.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 112037 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0013.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0014.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_14.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 20400 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0014.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0015.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_15.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 49190 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0015.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0016.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_16.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 21383 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0016.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0017.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_17.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 22134 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0017.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0018.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_18.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 14215 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0018.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0019.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_19.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 279817 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0019.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0020.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_20.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 20738 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0020.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0021.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pastedGraphic_21.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 26529 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0021.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ki0ar.com/pipermail/astronews_ki0ar.com/attachments/20130301/dfa611e2/attachment-0022.htm>
More information about the Astronews
mailing list