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Learn about the International Space Station with Buzz Lightyear

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

Last Friday, NASA and Disney Parks officially welcomed space ranger Buzz Lightyear back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) with a ticker-tape parade at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando (and, no, I’m not joking). The 12-inch action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the ISS, returning to Earth September 11. In addition to that celebration, NASA and Disney Parks are collaborating again to launch new efforts to help young students develop an interest in science, technology, e...

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Images and videos from PATS 2009

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

The Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) was a great success for many manufacturers and exhibitors that I talked to while there. I also thought it was a fun and rewarding trip. Take a look at some of the photographs and videos I made while at PATS. You might see someone you know, at least by name in Astronomy magazine.At right, Astronomy Contributing Editor Mike Reynolds, Scott Roberts, president of Explore Scientific, and Astronomy Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara pose for a pic...

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Division of Planetary Sciences meeting, Monday recap

Posted 15 years ago by Liz Kruesi

Monday was my first day at the 2009 Division of Planetary Sciences meeting in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, I was off to a late start because of one of the worst migraines of my life. But I did get to the afternoon science sessions.Editor's note: Liz is posting updates regularly from DPS09 to Twitter.com/AstronomyMag. I spent the early afternoon at the Titan science session. Nine scientists talked about the saturnian satellite’s atmosphere and geological features. William Smythe of the Jet Pro...

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New video: Observe the Moon with a small telescope

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

What's the best time to look at the Moon? What equipment do you need? What features should you target? Astronomy magazine's latest video about observing the Moon with a small telescope answers those questions and more. Along the way, you also will learn a few techniques that will help you become a better lunar observer.This video is available to magazine subscribers. ...

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On the road: The 2009 Division of Planetary Sciences meeting

Posted 15 years ago by Liz Kruesi

This week I’m in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, at the Division of Planetary Sciences meeting. I’ll be blogging daily and posting updates regularly to our Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace pages. Then on Saturday I’ll have the opportunity to tour Arecibo Observatory, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It should be a good week, filled with lots of news, science updates, and humid temperatures. ...

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The best astroimagers will gather in California

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

During Halloween weekend, when most people are worrying about ghosts, goblins, and what candy to give away, some 300 avid astroimagers from around the world will meet in San Jose, California, for the 2009 Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC). And, guess what? I’ll be there, too.AIC’s board of directors once again invited me to the conference because Astronomy is important to astroimagers. Our magazine represents the largest audience available to photographers who target celestial objects.So who wil...

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Hawaii Alt-Az Conferences looking up

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

As the wind picks up and the skies cloud over (at least here in Wisconsin), it can be hard to remember that nice, balmy weather will someday return. That’s why Russell Genet’s work is so important. As the facilitator of the Alt-Az Initiative and co-chair of its Hawaii conferences, he works not just to promote development of and scientific research on smaller telescopes, but to keep astronomy buffs warm in the cold months too. Mostly, though, it’s the former, with a focus on “matching instruments...

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Stephen James O'Meara blogs from PATS 2009

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

Astronomy magazine columnist Stephen James O’Meara’s sent us two blogs from the 2009 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show.Many thanks to Steve for sending these reports!Day OneArrived in Pasadena Saturday morning and immediately immersed myself in the telescope fever at the Pacific Astronomy Telescope Show (PATS), organized by the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference. This is not a telescope-making convention. It's a telescope expo with more than 60 vendors catering to an expected crowd of ...

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Carl Sagan sings with Stephen Hawking!

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

While it’s important to be professional and keep an adult attitude toward science and its popularization, we can all agree that it’s awesome to hear Carl Sagan sing about the cosmos in this tribute video on YouTube.Sounding like a cross between Auto-Tune-abusing T-Pain and The Matrix’s Agent Smith, Sagan describes the natural beauty of the universe in a song called “A Glorious Dawn.” Seeing as how Sagan probably was the most successful science popularizer of all time, this song seems in keeping ...

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On the road: Day 1 at PATS 2009 is a success

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

What do you get when you combine more than 50 innovative telescope, camera, and accessory dealers with 1,000 eager amateur astronomers? The answer is the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS), which is happening this weekend in Pasadena, California.As the Astronomy editor who mainly works with the hobby and equipment aspects of our science, I’m always eager to see new products from manufacturers. Well, the first day of PATS did not disappoint. I saw new products by Celestron, Howie Glatter...

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On the road: Al Nagler shares scoop on new Tele Vue product

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

I’m at the 2009 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) that runs Saturday and Sunday. Early Friday, I ducked into several sessions of the Riverside Astroimaging Workshop (RAW). Organizers of RAW this year found speakers to present sessions on “affordable” and “advanced” imaging. Don Goldman from Astrodon Filters gave more seasoned astrophotographers a 2-hour talk on narrowband imaging. Don contributes fabulous deep-sky images to Astronomy, and his talk had lots of details astroimagers...

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An evening with author Dava Sobel

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

Last night our homeland at Astronomy magazine had the good fortune to receive a visit from a friend of the magazine, Dava Sobel. Dava is an award-winning science writer whose books, Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter, and The Planets, have graced the New York Times bestseller lists. She has contributed to the magazine in the past and has traveled with several editors on trips around the globe in the past to see solar eclipses. Last night, September 24, she gave a talk and introduced a wonderful new p...

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On the road: 2009 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

This weekend, thousands of avid amateur astronomers and interested hobbyists are converging on Pasadena, California, for the 2009 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). And, guess what? I’m here, too.Astronomy magazine represents the largest audience available to manufacturers developing new telescopes, cameras, eyepieces, and a wide array of accessories. I’m looking forward to seeing them all this weekend. It’s get-togethers like this where we choose many of the products we’ll review in t...

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Take a virtual tour of a Wisconsin observatory

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

Here’s something of a shout-out to some of our Wisconsin neighbors: Ray Setzer has created virtual tours of the grounds of the Modine-Benstead Observatory in Union Grove. Part of the surprisingly sophisticated Racine Astronomical Society, the observatory features a 16-inch Newtonian Cassegrain reflecting telescope and a 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, both domed.Editor's note: When visiting WIVirtual.com to see the virtual tours, scroll down to the "Racine Astronomical S...

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All you need to know about a roll-off roof observatory

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

I just finished reading John Hicks’ new book, Building a Roll-Off Roof Observatory — A Complete Guide for Design and Construction (Springer, 2009). This is the latest entry in British astronomy popularizer Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series. Hicks is a Canadian amateur astronomer and a professional Senior landscape architect who has designed and built observatories for himself and others.If you’re in the process of or thinking about building an observatory, stop. That’s right, stop. Stop...

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Catch the Desert RATS

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

NASA’s Desert RATS — or Research and Technology Studies — has concluded two weeks of technology development tests on two of the agency's prototype lunar rovers from the Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona. The studies allow NASA to analyze and refine technologies and procedures in extreme environments on Earth. The annual studies featured a simulated 14-day mission. Two crew members, an astronaut and a geologist, lived for more than 300 hours inside NASA's prototype Lunar Electric Rover (LE...

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Deep-sky observing at Rancho Hidalgo

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

Following the dedication of Astronomy magazine’s observatory, and of Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh’s telescope at Rancho Hidalgo, New Mexico, desert adventure awaited us. Astronomy’s publisher Kevin Keefe had joined me to trek out to visit developer Gene Turner and Loy Guzman, our hosts at Rancho Hidalgo. With the many guests from the night before now departed, we set about exploring nearby attractions surrounding the Hidalgo site — Portal, Arizona, with its Cave Creek Canyon and delightf...

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Behold: the Andromeda Galaxy

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the best-ever ultraviolet picture (at right) of our galactic neighbor, M31, aka the Andromeda Galaxy.Taken by NASA’s Swift satellite, which normally scans the skies for far-off gamma-ray bursts, this picture represents a total exposure time of just 24 hours, taken during late spring 2008. It merges 330 images taken by the satellite, showing a region 200,000 light-years wide by 100,000 light-years high (or 100 arcminutes by 50 arcminutes).The galaxy’s cen...

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Editors dedicate Astronomy magazine’s new observatory

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

On Thursday night, September 17, at Rancho Hidalgo near Animas, New Mexico, Astronomy magazine editors joined a group of some 50 people to dedicate the magazine’s new observatory facility and to dedicate Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh’s personal telescope in its new location. Now called Pluto Park, the area of the ranch has been set aside for astronomy education goals by Rancho Hidalgo developer Gene Turner, in conjunction with his large and enthusiastic team of partners, notably builder Tim Mc...

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In Texas: A funded plan will keep one area dark for astronomy

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

On September 15, the City of Alpine, Texas, approved a proclamation that designated October as “Dark Sky Month.” This announcement came as citizens worked towards having Alpine recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) under its Dark Sky Community designation.   Gil Bartee, vice president of development for Sierra la Rana, a development near Alpine, said, “Our plan is to use the James T. Walker Dark Sky Fund to retrofit existing non-dark-sky-friendly lighting with dark-sky-frien...

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Haumea’s newly discovered spot

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

Dwarf planet Haumea, out in the Kuiper Belt past Pluto and Eris, just got its big break. The formerly little-known object hit the big time Wednesday at the European Planetary Science Congress when Pedro Lacerda announced a dark red spot on its surface. And, not to copycat Jupiter and Neptune, Haumea’s big spot (pictured in the computer model still at right) probably isn’t a giant storm. While the extreme distance between the object and us makes any conclusions uncertain, the current interpretati...

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University of Wisconsin-Madison reopens Washburn Observatory

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

I just got word that Washburn Observatory, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will soon reopen after 2 years of renovations. Finally! Not that 2 years is a long time, but it is the entirety of my time in Madison. Now that my alma mater has reopened the observatory, originally opened in 1881, it’ll be available to the general public twice a month once again, so I finally get to check it out. That openness has been a tradition since the observatory’s completion, when the public would just kno...

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Tell us about International Year of Astronomy’s impact

Posted 15 years ago by Liz Kruesi

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m working on Astronomy’s article ranking the top 10 space stories of the past year. One of those stories is that 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. The year has had so many events marking this celebration that it’s hard to narrow down what I should write about. So what events did you find the most impressive? 100 Hours of Astronomy, which occurred back in April? The Earth to the Universe exhibit that could be seen at various non-traditional locations t...

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LRO snaps Apollo sites

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

Now, I know the main science objectives of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) — currently in orbit around the Moon — are to help NASA identify safe landing sites for future explorers, locate potential resources, describe the Moon's radiation environment, and demonstrate new technologies. Still, I admit I was most excited about seeing the LRO's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images of the Apollo landing sites.And I wasn’t disappointed.This image to the right shows the spac...

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NASA offers olive branch for Colbert-Stewart feud

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

Just in time for a lazy 3-day weekend, we learn the folks at NASA have their lighter side, too. In the Day 6 execute packages for current shuttle mission STS-128, NASA sneaked in a “(Fake News) Press Release” relating to the treadmill named for Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert. The release explained how Jon Stewart, a fellow host on Comedy Central, was “apparently miffed” about not getting anything named after him. “While the decision pleased Colbert,” the release said, “an irate ...

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Milky Way probably not doomed

Posted 15 years ago by Bill Andrews

If you need some good news in your day, consider the recent findings that our Milky Way galaxy most likely won’t suffer a grisly fate. At least, not a specific kind of grisly fate. Probably. For years, scientists have wondered whether collisions between the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies might someday tear apart the Milky Way. Luckily, Stelios Kazantzidis and his colleagues recently published a paper in the Astrophysical Journal that puts such fears to rest. They performed simulations of s...

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The Astronomical League honors Alan Traino

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

The Astronomical League, a group of more than 20,000 members that represents most of the astronomy clubs in the United States, has honored Alan Traino with its most prestigious honor, the Astronomical League Award. League President Terry Mann presented Traino the award (image at right) during the Astronomical League Convention and Exposition held August 7-8 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.Mann announced the award during the closing ceremonies dinner event, which featured Astronomy C...

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What music do you listen to while observing?

Posted 15 years ago by David Eicher

What CDs do you like to spin when you’re out under a dark sky enjoying a long evening of observing? As for me, I’ll pull one out from the old days — Pink Floyd’s epic Dark Side of the Moon. The classic album that sold 45 million copies was a stalwart on the bestselling lists for years after its debut in 1973 and did much of the heavy lifting at planetarium laser shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Engineered at Abbey Road Studios by Alan Parsons and featuring the classic, post-Syd Barrett line...

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A terrific Saturn animation

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Lunar and planetary imager Alan Friedman of Buffalo, New York, just sent me a terrific animation he made of Saturn. And it took him a while to do it. Friedman combined 6 years of Saturn observations to create the animation. It shows how the plane of the planet’s ring system has changed during that time as viewed from Earth.The animation’s final frame is not an image Friedman captured at the telescope. He assembled that frame from earlier 2009 observations to display how the planet will appear Se...

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Jupiter moons disappear for 2 hours tonight

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Just after midnight September 3 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) or just before midnight September 2 for the rest of the United States, a Jupiter event begins that any amateur astronomer with a telescope and a clear sky overhead can see. The king of planets will appear without a visible satellite for nearly 2 hours. You won’t be able to see such a sight again for a decade.The last of Jupiter’s four major satellites to disappear, Ganymede, begins to transit (move in front of Jupiter’s disk) at 12:43 a...

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