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How time flies (part 2)

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

Last week, I blogged about my one-year anniversary. In that article, I began listing my favorite celestial objects in several categories. Following are the categories I didn't get to. Planetary nebula — The Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) in Hydra. This bright planetary shows lots of detail through 8-inch telescopes, but in large instruments it's amazing. My wife first saw the Ghost through a 20-inch Newtonian reflector at 650x. She turned to me and said, "When can we get a scope like ...

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The Dutch Youth Association for Astronomy celebrates 40 years of service

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

Amateur astronomers in the United States are familiar with organizations like the Astronomical League and Astronomical Society of the Pacific. These groups help educate the public about the sky and decipher the universe's mysteries. Several groups like this exist around the world, including the Netherlands' Dutch Youth Association for Astronomy (JWG, in Dutch). This organization is celebrating its 40th year of serving skywatchers. Some of the JWG's activities include introductory cl...

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Women in space

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

The commanders of both space shuttle Discovery (STS-120) and the International Space Station (ISS), the two crewed spacecraft now in orbit, are women. So, this week in the interstellar media, headlines gush with a milestone in the annals of gender. "Women set to take charge of space," said IEEE Spectum Online. "A great leap for womankind," notes Yahoo! News. You get the idea. This raises a complicated question. Is this kind of media coverage harmful or helpful to women? O...

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How time flies (part 1)

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

This blog marks my one-year anniversary yakking about any astronomical subject that caught my fancy. Blogs were new at Astronomy in 2006, but blogging seemed like a great vehicle for covering lots of topics in a somewhat random manner. Now, many of our editors blog on a weekly basis. I will use this momentous occasion to give you an insight into who I am as an observer. Through the years, many of you have shared with me your favorite objects, observing sites, and more. Here are some of my favor...

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A golden anniversary

Posted 16 years ago by Rich Talcott

This month brings the 50th anniversary of two events that changed the world. The first, of course, needs little explanation: On October 4, 1957, the Space Age began with the Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik 1 spacecraft. I want to talk about the event you probably aren't aware of. The October 1957 issue of Reviews of Modern Physics contains the article "Synthesis of the Elements in Stars" by Margaret Burbidge, Geoffrey Burbidge, William Fowler, and Fred Hoyle. The authors,...

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So long, Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. Don't forget to turn out the lights.

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

At the veterinarian, they do it with an injection. When astronomers want to "put to sleep" one of their pets, they use a mouse click. Yesterday, astronomers at Johns Hopkins University shut down the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite after 8 years of service. The craft operated 5 years past its planned mission, but repeated and worsening malfunctions in its pointing system rendered FUSE inoperable. In several decades, its orbit will decay and send the 3,000-pound ...

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Going once, going twice ...

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

The other week I wrote about an auction for those with celestial tastes. I've come across another space-themed auction. On October 28, Boston auctioneer Skinner will host a sale that includes several lots of NASA memorabilia. This auction features a Mercury 7 astronaut's test glove with pen inscriptions "Glenn" and "Schirra," a Project Gemini spaceflight capsule flotation ball referred to as "Unsinkable Molly Brown," and a NASA final Apollo 11 flight plan s...

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Use your scope (almost) forever

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

For the past 2 days, I've been rearranging the storage areas here at Astronomy magazine. It was lots of work and lots of fun at the same time. And, it got me thinking. Why do some telescopes last 5 years while others last 50? The answer, it turns out, boils down to one word: dust. If you can protect your telescope from dust, it will last a lifetime. Now, I'm not considering killing forces like water damage and blunt-force trauma. Those can end the useful lives of any type of equipment. ...

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Shout outs

Posted 16 years ago by Francis Reddy

Some blogs are fun, some blogs are intellectual, and some provide a handy way to find links. (Okay, mine's an exception.) But here, in no particular order, are a few blogs I try to read regularly.Cosmic Log: Since 2002, MSNBC science editor Alan Boyle has provided his take on a veritable smorgasbord of research news.Cosmic Variance: Five physicists and astrophysicists co-write this weblog. Come for the fun, such as this instructive post outlining how to choose your archnemesis; stay for live...

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Mars: How wet and warm?

Posted 16 years ago by Rich Talcott

Sinuous valley networks like these imaged by Viking 1 led many planetary scientists to think Mars’ climate once was warm and wet, but some researchers aren’t so sure. NASA/JPL Today marked the 114th consecutive day in Orlando in which the temperature never dipped below 70°. I'm currently sweating in Orlando, attending the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS). Florida's warm, humid weather serves as a per...

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NASA Night at the DPS

Posted 16 years ago by Rich Talcott

I'm in Orlando, Florida, attending the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences. This is where the world's planetary scientists report their latest findings. One of the meeting's traditions is "NASA Night," where the space agency's top planetary science administrators answer questions from the assembled scientists. Occasionally, you don't feel a lot of love at these exchanges - not surprising when you consider the vas...

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Arecibo Telescope fights for the right to hunt killer asteroids

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

The Arecibo Telescope uses radio and radar energy to explore the universe. Its massive dish, built in a natural depression in the jungles of Puerto Rico, measures 1,000 feet (305 meters) across and 167 feet (51m) deep. Its 40,000 perforated aluminum panels cover some 20 acres. Suspended 450 feet (137m) above the reflector is the 900-ton receiver platform. NAIC/NSF/Arecibo Observatory/David Parker/Science Photo LibraryWhat do radio astronomy, Medicare, and Voice of America radi...

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Does physics matter to you?

Posted 16 years ago by Francis Reddy

It does if you like smaller, higher-capacity hard drives. But the road from landmark paper to an iPod often is longer than we like to think. Such is the case of Albert Fert (Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France) and Peter Grünberg (Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany), who just won the 2007 Nobel Prize in physics for a discovery that makes micro hard drives possible. In 1988 — when 60,000 computers comprised the Internet, and the World Wide Web lay 7 years away — the ...

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Of baseballs and meteors

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

I love baseball, and I love observing. Unfortunately, you won't find any constellations honoring the boys of summer; at least, no traditional constellations. During October, as the fall classic decides baseball's champion, go out one clear night and find the Baseball Diamond in the sky. To form the Baseball Diamond, find the Great Square of Pegasus, which lies high in the sky during mid-fall. The Great Square's northwestern star (Beta [β] Pegasi) is the Baseball Diamond's home p...

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Astrologer hits a homer ... sort of

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

Before last night, I always thought astrological predictions were made of the stinky stuff you use to fertilize flower beds. I suppose I've been naïve, thinking one's actions and fate have more to do with conscious choices and free will, rather than celestial bodies' positions at particular times. However, thanks to his soothsaying ability, Chicagoland astrologer Grant Wylie may have converted me to the dark side.In a Chicago Sun-Times article, Wylie went out on a limb, predicti...

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Asteroid named for George Takei

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

George Takei, Star Trek's Hikaru Sulu and Heroes' Kaito Nakamura, has the honor of having a star named for him, albeit on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Now the actor and civil rights activist has a real celestial object named for him: 7307 Takei. Discovered by two Japanese astronomers in 1994, the asteroid is located between Mars and Jupiter. Many noteworthy people have asteroids named for them, from physicist Isaac Newton to painter Jackson Pollock to novelist Kurt Vonnegut. Astronomy...

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Waiting for Chang'e-1 to launch. And waiting. And waiting.

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

The Chang’e-1 lunar probe will explore the Moon from orbit. The mission includes mapping lunar topography, surveying the distribution of chemical elements, and gathering high-resolution photos of the lunar surface in preparation for future surface exploration. China National Space Administration I don't know about you, but I just can't wait for China to launch its lunar orbiter, Chang'e-1. Not because I'm a big fan of the Chinese space program, although I ho...

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One of my favorite subjects

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

Springer If you've followed my blogging, you know I love the constellations. It follows, therefore, that I also love star maps — old, new, it doesn't matter. And along with the maps themselves, I like their stories and those of the men who created them. Lucky me. I just received Star Maps: History, Artistry, and Cartography by Nick Kanas (Springer, 2007). This is one thorough and highly illustrated book! Kanas begins with a short chapter about constellation and cosmological m...

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The War comes to America

Posted 16 years ago by Rich Talcott

The Andromeda Galaxy, like all spirals, shows a population of older, redder stars near its center (lower right) and younger, bluer stars in its surrounding spiral arms. Walter Baade discovered the different populations through observations made during World War II. NOAO/AURA/NSFIf you've been watching Ken Burns' World War II documentary, The War, this week, you've seen the key role science played during that global conflagration. But there was more science involved in the effo...

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The real Andromeda Strain? Space Shuttle scientists breed virulent Salmonella strain in space and inadvertently strengthen the case for the International Space Station

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

There I go again, nattering on about the dangers of spaceflight. Laugh if you will, but this is pretty interesting: Salmonella bacteria grown aboard the space shuttle turned out to be more harmful to its hosts — "virulent," for all the microbiology geeks out there. Salmonella is a leading cause of food poisoning in humans. Stock up on surgical masks. SARS and Swine Flu, stand aside. The REAL Andromeda Strain is here. In Michael Crichton's 1971 science-fiction thriller, The Androm...

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Your chance to buy a piece of the rock

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

The specimen extracted from the Willamette meteorite. Bonhams If you ask any visitor who has ever wandered the halls of New York's American Museum of Natural History what his or her favorite piece is, you'll get a variety of answers. Some have fond memories of the 94-foot-long blue whale model, suspended from the ceiling. Others will celebrate the dioramas showcasing Earth-bound creatures. Overall, I'd wager most visitors, especially those with cosmic tastes, hold great r...

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Hunting Herschel's best objects

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

Springer The definitive work on a famous list of deep-sky objects is now in print: The Herschel Objects, and how to observe them by James Mullaney (Springer, 2007). Why definitive? Because, in 1976, Mullaney was the first to propose an observing list based on Herschel's catalog. Mullaney packs an incredible amount of information into this 166-page book. He gives us a brief history of English astronomer Sir William Herschel (1738–1822), a list of the telescopes Herschel used, and t...

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How low can the Moon go?

Posted 16 years ago by Rich Talcott

If you've been watching the Moon after sunset this week, you may have noticed it lies lower in the sky than usual (at least if you live at mid-northern latitudes). It's not your imagination — the Moon is figuratively scraping the treetops this week. Although this is no great mystery, it never hurts to remind yourself about the Moon's monthly and yearly cycles. The Moon's maximum altitude from any given location depends on its declination — how far north or south of the celestial...

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Griffin cedes new race to the Moon

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

When asked about the importance of beating the Soviet Union to the Moon, then Vice President Lyndon Johnson replied, "What American wants to go to bed by the light of a Communist Moon?" Of course, unless you are a conspiracy nut, you know the United States landed a dozen men on the Moon, including the first ever. No other nation has stepped foot on our satellite. Winning this race must have placed a Texas-sized smile on Johnson's face. Today, LBJ must be doing cartwheels in his g...

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Seeing clearly

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

One thing's for sure about being a reporter: You can go out of your mind trying to get to the heart of the most complex issue and, in the end, trip over the simplest facts. Eyepiece pioneer Al Nagler, CEO of Tele Vue Optics, Inc., pointed that out to me today. My article about the pros and cons of laser eye surgery appears in the November issue of Astronomy. I enjoy medical reporting, and jumped at the chance to combine astronomy and medical science. I hope I put this complex issue in persp...

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The excitement of observing, part 2

Posted 16 years ago by Michael Bakich

Last week, I shared the first part of a short essay by one of my astronomy friends, Susan Carroll. Susan observes through an 18-inch Starmaster Dobsonian-mounted reflector. To read the first installment, click here. NIGHTFALL (part 2)by Susan S. Carroll, Bradenton, Florida Finally, the first stars in my deep southern object peek above the horizon; it won't be long now. I stare at them, hoping that I can raise them higher with my own eagerness. This doesn't happen, and I content myself ...

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Those magnificent roving machines

Posted 16 years ago by Dick McNally

On September 11, 2007, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity entered Victoria Crater on the rover's 1,291st martian day, or sol. NASA/JPL-Caltech Note to carmakers: Find out who the people were who built those fantastic rovers on Mars and hire them. They know how to make electric vehicles. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity have now been operating 40 months beyond their initial 3-month planned missions. Admittedly, NASA probably set the endurance goals for the ma...

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Five favorite deep-sky objects

Posted 16 years ago by David Eicher

Here's something I'll strive to do with this blog every once in a while: provide you with suggestions for deep-sky observing. I'd like to suggest viewing some of my favorite objects, some of which are a little off-the-beaten-path. If you observe these objects, image them, or sketch them at the eyepiece, be sure to send us your material and we'll publish as much of it as we can in Astronomy or on our web page. Feel free to contact me at editor@astronomy.com. Autumn deep-sky...

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Fair and balanced space exploration

Posted 16 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Astronomers meet this week in Washington to discuss the future of Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the largest radio telescope in the world. The leading item on the agenda is how to prevent the telescope — 1,000 feet wide (300 meters) — from going to the scrap yard. In November 2006, the National Science Foundation (NSF) advised cuts of 20 to 25 percent in Arecibo's funding to free up money for new NSF initiatives. The National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, which runs Arecibo, needs ...

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A worthy cause

Posted 16 years ago by Anonymous

If you've ever spent time behind an eyepiece, it's a good bet that you've held a copy of Burnham's Celestial Handbook in your hands. First published in 1978 by Dover Publications as a three-volume series, the book represents the meticulous work of astronomer Robert Burnham, Jr. The author committed himself to writing this book while working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tony Ortega best summarized Burnham's influence in a 1997 story in the Phoenix New Times: &q...

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