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Blog Post:
An "unofficial" name for Alpha Centauri Bb
Karri Ferron
Last week, I wrote about the Uwingu "People's Choice" contest that invites people to vote on a popular name for the nearest known exoplanet. Today, I have two updates: 1) Uwingu has extended the contest by one week, and the winning name now won't be decided until Monday, April 22, at midnight EDT...
on
Mon, Apr 15 2013
Blog Post:
Uwingu wants you to name Alpha Centauri Bb!
Karri Ferron
Astronomers aren’t normally known for being the most creative bunch when naming celestial objects. They stick to catalog/mission designations that involve an oftentimes convoluted or boring mixture of letters and numerals. That’s why many common names for our favorite deep-sky targets get...
on
Thu, Apr 11 2013
Blog Post:
The Messier marathon meets March Madness
Karri Ferron
I’ll admit it: March is one of my favorite months. I love March Madness, even if I never win any pool because I always pick the wrong upsets. I enjoy the competition, the great story lines, and an excuse to watch college basketball all day. And after the first round, I tend to root for the Cinderella...
on
Thu, Mar 28 2013
Blog Post:
Guest blog: Leo by night, lions by day
Karri Ferron
Nick Howes, a freelance science writer for the European Space Agency and the pro-am program manager for the Faulkes Telescope, provides a guest blog about a recent “Astro Safari” to the pristine skies of Tanzania. The journey started at the UK 50 Space Conference, an event I only decided...
on
Thu, Mar 21 2013
Blog Post:
Help name Pluto’s two tiny moons
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Solar+system+objects/0871.Pluto_2D00_system.jpg " position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51...
on
Tue, Feb 12 2013
Blog Post:
Telescopes to Tanzania brings science and math to East Africa
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Outreach/6433.Telescopes_2D00_Tanzania_5F00_2012.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00...
on
Tue, Jan 22 2013
Blog Post:
The rewards of being a citizen scientist
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-People/3527.theSkyNet_2D00_contributor.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-People...
on
Tue, Nov 6 2012
Blog Post:
Astronomy becomes art
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Solar+system+objects/2110.Starstruck_2D00_Saturn.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00...
on
Tue, Oct 9 2012
Blog Post:
Lowell Observatory wants your involvement
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Telescopes/0118.Lowell_2D00_Observatory.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Telescopes...
on
Tue, Jul 10 2012
Blog Post:
Hurry! Win funding to run your own space experiment
Karri Ferron
UPDATE: The contest is now accepting submissions until the 14th! Looking for a different way to spend your 4th of July holiday, or perhaps you just need a midweek break to do some science? Why not create your own in-space experiment? Yup, you really could end up, in effect, with your own Earth-orbiting...
on
Tue, Jul 3 2012
Blog Post:
ALCon to honor young astronomy enthusiasts
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Logos/8831.Astronomical_2D00_League.jpeg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Logos/8831...
on
Fri, Jun 29 2012
Blog Post:
The transit of Venus excites scientists, too!
Karri Ferron
[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Solar+system+objects/1184.Trace_2D00_transit.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51...
on
Tue, Jun 5 2012
Blog Post:
Citizen scientists: Target an asteroid!
Karri Ferron
Last week, NASA announced a new outreach program that I’m sure some of you citizen scientists will want to take part in: Target Asteroids! The space agency is asking amateur astronomers to study various near-Earth objects (NEOs) from an initial list of some 74 that are at least 656 feet (200 meters...
on
Tue, Apr 24 2012
Blog Post:
“Overnight America” expands
Karri Ferron
The popular early-morning radio program “ Overnight America ,” hosted by Jon Grayson, which runs from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern time, has recently expanded from five stations to 25. It originally aired on stations in St. Louis, Missouri; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Orlando, Florida; Roanoke...
on
Mon, Mar 5 2012
Blog Post:
2012 Youth Essay Contest deadline fast approaches
Karri Ferron
Attention everyone 17 and under! With less than two weeks until the deadline for Astronomy magazine’s 2012 Youth Essay Contest, I wanted to make sure everyone knows about this great opportunity. It’s your time to tell Astronomy magazine and the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) , one of...
on
Wed, Feb 8 2012
Blog Post:
It’s all in the instrument renaming
Karri Ferron
Back in October, I shared with you two opportunities for the public to contribute to the naming of key scientific instruments . Well, the results are in, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on the new monikers. [caption image="/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components...
on
Tue, Jan 24 2012
Blog Post:
Kids: It’s time to tell us what you love most about astronomy!
Karri Ferron
The time has come for all you “Generation Zers” to share your favorite thing about the cosmos with Astronomy magazine’s 2012 Youth Essay Contest . The winner will receive two round-trip airline tickets and hotel accommodations for up to three nights for the Northeast Astronomy Forum...
on
Tue, Jan 17 2012
Blog Post:
Asteroid Vesta in 3-D
Karri Ferron
It seems like everyone is getting on the 3-D bandwagon these days, including scientists. Last week, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) released a new 3-D video of the giant asteroid Vesta created by Ralf Jaumann of the German Aerospace Center using data from the Dawn spacecraft’s first...
on
Tue, Dec 6 2011
Blog Post:
NASA budget controversy 2012 — the results
Karri Ferron
For months now, professional scientists and astronomy enthusiasts alike have awaited the result of congressional negotiations over NASA’s 2012 fiscal year budget. The big question: Would the troubled James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the space agency’s replacement for Hubble, survive the...
on
Mon, Nov 21 2011
Blog Post:
What’s in an instrument’s name?
Karri Ferron
Recently, I’ve learned about two opportunities for the public to contribute in naming key scientific instruments in the astronomy community. [caption image="/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/astronomy.Telescopes/6355.GRAIL_5F00_300.jpg" targeturl...
on
Tue, Oct 18 2011
Blog Post:
This weekend only: Enjoy a free tour of Astronomy.com!
Karri Ferron
From noon CDT, Friday, October 14, through 8 a.m. CDT, Monday, October 17, all the great Astronomy.com features available only to registered users or Astronomy magazine subscribers will be offered to everyone — for free! Find out what you've been missing! Check out these exclusive benefits...
on
Wed, Oct 12 2011
Blog Post:
American spaceflight’s impact on the “Space Coast”
Karri Ferron
The landing of space shuttle Atlantis July 21, 2011, marked the end of a great achievement in American spaceflight; it also left an uncomfortable feeling of a great unknown. With the cancellation of the Constellation Program — NASA’s next-generation human spaceflight plan — how would...
on
Tue, Sep 20 2011
Blog Post:
Book review: “Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted”
Karri Ferron
If anyone remembers the controversy around 2007’s “ New Seven Wonders of the World ” announcement, you realize that making a top seven list about any of the amazing sites — man-made or natural — found on Earth is going to be contentious and difficult. Now try expanding the...
on
Tue, Aug 16 2011
Blog Post:
Introducing “The week in pictures”
Karri Ferron
While astronomy is frequently considered the most beautiful science, creating fantastic imagery isn’t often the primary goal of the research featured in Astronomy magazine or on Astronomy.com. It’s a fortunate byproduct of the sheer wonder of the cosmos coupled with amazing advancements in...
on
Fri, Jul 29 2011
Blog Post:
Celebrating the space shuttle
Karri Ferron
With space shuttle Atlantis scheduled to launch tomorrow on the final flight of the U.S. shuttle program ( although weather forecasts for Kennedy Space Station in Florida currently don’t look too promising ), I reflected on the truly remarkable feat of engineering that is this fleet of spacecraft...
on
Thu, Jul 7 2011
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