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A friend of mine, Larry MacDude, pointed me to a new (to me) website called Galaxy Zoo.
The concept is to test your skills at identifying galaxies.
It's a cool website with lots of images of galaxies and is worth taking a look just for that reason.
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Time to throw out all your astronomy books as the International Astronomical Union has decided that Pluto is no longer a planet.
Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.
For those of us who have always viewed the solar system as having nine planets, this will take some adjustment. Of course, with the state of the public school system, there’s a lot of people out there who think Pluto is a Disney character and don’t know how many planets are in the solar system to begin with.
An additional side-effect is that every school in the country will have to buy new science books that describe Pluto as a "dwarf-planet" as opposed to the full planet status it hashad since its discovery in 1930.
Other objects classified as dwarf-planets include the asteroid Ceres and the recently discovered 2003 UB313 (nicknamed Xena).
On the positive side, having an agreed upon definition of what is and is not a planet will be helpful for the astronomical community for centuries. This is the first time that a definition has been developed to determine planetary status.
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Although I have had a lot to say lately, I have had very little time in which to write. However, sometimes, it is necessary to find the time to write, especially on an occasion when something spectacular happens. Tonight is such a time.
Every evening, before bed, I take the puppy-girls out for a final "patrol" of the day. This evening, as we walked down the driveway to the road, I marvelled once again, as I frequently do, at the marvelous night sky I am so blessed to enjoy. Tonight, however, something different happened.
At approximately 9:45 PM CST, I saw the tell-tale sign of a metorite streaking across the sky and breaking up. It looked to be a blue ball shining against the velvety night sky, and was north-west of my position, placing out towards Farmington, Minnesota.
I realized, after watching this bright display that is nearly time for the Leonids meteor shower. I wonder if this is a prelude of things to come, and if anyone else saw.
What a treat, and, once again, no camera at the ready to record it
I have been wanting to write about this since the launch, however, something called "a life" has been in the way.
As the whole world knows, Discovery has lifted off and is now carrying out its mission, sporting new equipment, including a special boom to aid in inspecting the shuttle for damage that may have occured during launch, and a heat tile repair kit.
STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins had this to say in her signoff message for day 1:
Collins continued, "As our crew looks back at our beautiful planet and then outwards toward the unknown of space, we feel the importance, today more than any time, of space exploration to all those who are living on Earth. Our flight is the next flight of many in the human exploration of the universe.""And finally," she concluded, "we reflect on the last shuttle mission, the great ship Columbia and her crew -- Rick, Willie, Mike, K.C., Dave, Laurel and Ilan. We miss them, and we are continuing their mission. God bless them tonight, and God bless their families. Good night."
A fine tribute to the crew of the Columbia, which exploded on re-entry two and a half years ago. And a reminder that space travel is far from safe.
Using date and images collected by the inspections made today, engineers on the gorund continue to evaluate the nature of any damage that Discovery may have suffered during its launch. I hope and pray that it is insignicant at worst.
Discovery is scheudled to dock with the International Space Station at 7:18 a.m. EDT.
NASA will be posting updates on their website.
It was 36 years ago today that the Apollo 11 crew, made the historic first lunar landing, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the Eagle, the lunar exploration module, while Michael collins orbited above in the command module.
On this day, it is always good to reflect and remember what it was like to watch this historic event as it was televised.
I was just a kid then, and had watched nearly every launch since the Gemini program, and this day was no different in that I was glued in front of the TV set, watching teh events as they unfolded. No different, except that this was the first time man would walk on the suface of the moon. Wild horses couldn't get me away from that TV set. Not even dinner, which was Chinesse food from a restaurantcalled Loy-Loy.
NASA has a wonderful site with loads of info, including articles on Apollo 11.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong put his left foot on the rocky Moon. It was the first human footprint on the Moon. They had taken TV cameras with them.So, people all over the world watched when it happened. More people watched this Moon landing than any other show on TV.
It truly was a spectacular event to have watched, and I can only imagine what it was like to have lived it, However, it set off dreams, and although my dreams changed over the years, those early dreams are still cherished to this day. Dreams that meybe one day I could also walk on the moon, or some distant world.
And the memories of the first Lunar Landing will always be with me, and maybe by sharing them, even a little at a time, someone will be inspired to pursue the life of space exploration and lead a return to the moon, or maybe a mission to Mars. And maybe, just maybe, I may still be able to go, even if only for a short while.
Over on Space.com, a remarkable article on how Solar Storms have been smacking comets around and disrupting thier tails. It's not a permanent effect, however, it is certainly an interesting phenomenon, and is helpful in understanding how solar storms interact with the inner cosmos.
Over at the University of Queensland Laser Diagnostics Department, they have a report on how well the U.S.S. Enterprise holds up in a wind tunnel up to mach 5, including what happens when space debris impacts the hull.
Spirit has made its touchdown on Mars lastnight. For news and info on the Mars Rover Project, head over to JPL and check out all the neat stuff there.
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