LET PAS BE YOUR TICKET TO THE STARS!
Contact me: Events@pasaz.org
Welcome to the PHOENIX ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY BLOG.
Located in Phoenix, Arizona. We welcome everyone to enjoy the night sky with us!
This is YOUR link to what's happening with PAS: PASAZ.ORG. By joining this blog, you will receive info on Astronomy plus updates on PAS events.
If the text is missing from one of the posts, please drag your mouse across it to make it appear. Thanks.
Got this from my good friend, Leah.
Enjoy!
Posted by Terri at 12:09 PM
Space Weather News for June 25, 2010
http://spaceweather.com
SPACE STATION IN CONSTANT SUNLIGHT: For the next few days, the International Space Station (ISS) will be orbiting Earth in constant sunlight. This sets the stage for a remarkable sky show. Because the ISS is constantly illuminated, it shines brightly in the night sky every single time it passes overhead. Some observers can see the space station 3, 4, even 5 times a night. More information and flybys predictions may be found at http://spaceweather.com
ANDROID FLYBYS: Spaceweather's "Simple Flybys" app is now available for Android phones as well as the iPhone and iPad. Details at http://simpleflybys.com
WEEKEND LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Saturday, June 26th, the Moon will pass through Earth's shadow, producing a 54% partial lunar eclipse. The event is visible from most of the Americas, Australia, Japan, east Asia and all of the Pacific Ocean. For readers in the USA, the best time to look is just before sunrise on Saturday morning. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.
Posted by Terri at 1:39 PM
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/07jun_journeytothestars/
Received this awesome link from my good friend, Leah.
Posted by Terri at 8:19 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100607/sc_space/strangediscoveryontitanleadstospeculationofalienlife
Posted by Terri at 8:17 AM
Space Weather News for June 8, 2010
http://spaceweather.com
NEW COMET McNAUGHT: A fresh comet is swinging through the inner solar system, and it is brightening rapidly as it approaches Earth for a 100 million mile close encounter in mid-June. Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) has a vivid green head and a long wispy tail that look great through small telescopes. By the end of the month it could be visible to the naked eye perhaps as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper. Because this is the comet's first visit to the inner solar system, predictions of future brightness are necessarily uncertain; amateur astronomers should be alert for the unexpected. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.
Posted by Terri at 5:19 PM
Space Weather News for May 25, 2010
http://spaceweather.com
X-37B SIGHTINGS: Amateur satellite watchers have spotted a US Air Force space plane similar in appearance to NASA's space shuttle circling Earth in a heretofore secret orbit. Known as the "X-37B," it can be seen in the night sky shining about as brightly as the stars of the Big Dipper. Flyby predictions and more information may be found at http://spaceweather.com .
Would you like to turn your iPhone into an X-37B tracker? There's an app for that: http://simpleflybys.com .
AURORA WATCH: A magnetic filament on the sun erupted yesterday (May 24th), and the blast hurled a coronal mass ejection in the general direction of Earth. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras around May 27th when the advancing cloud is likely to deal a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field.
Posted by Terri at 12:14 PM
Received this from William:
Posted by Terri at 12:27 PM
Received this from my friend Matt,
----------------------------------
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis thundered away on its final voyage to orbit Friday, hoisting an experienced crew of six and a full shipment of space station gear.
Atlantis sped through a perfectly clear afternoon sky, blazing a trail over the Atlantic before huge crowds eager to catch one of the few remaining shuttle launches. More than 40,000 guests — the biggest launch-day crowd in years — packed the Kennedy Space Center.
The shuttle's destination is the International Space Station, which was soaring over the South Pacific at the time of liftoff. The shuttle should catch up with the orbiting complex and its six residents Sunday morning.
A piece of orbiting junk, however, was threatening to come too close to the space station. If necessary, Mission Control will order up a maneuver so the station can dodge the debris the night before Atlantis' arrival. The docking will not be delayed, even if the station has to move out of the way of the unidentified piece, NASA officials said.
"Good luck, godspeed and have a little fun up there," launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts just before liftoff. He said he was speaking on behalf of all those who have worked on Atlantis since construction began in 1980.
"Like you said, there are thousands of folks out there who have taken care of this bird for a long time," replied commander Kenneth Ham. "We're going to take her on her 32nd flight, and if you don't mind, we'll take her out of the barn and make a few more laps around the planet."
The astronauts — all repeat space fliers and all men — couldn't resist a little humor before they got down to business. They showed up for their steak and cheeseburger breakfast wearing blue and black smoking jackets, white shirts and black bow ties.
This 12-day mission is the last one planned for Atlantis, the fourth in NASA's line of space shuttles. Only two flights remain after this one, by Discovery and Endeavour. NASA plans to end the 30-year program by the end of this year.
Atlantis — which rocketed into orbit for the first time in 1985 — is loaded with fresh batteries and a Russian-built compartment for the space station. The 20-foot-long module is crammed with food, laptop computers and other U.S. supplies.
Ham and his men will install the compartment on the space station, and carry out three spacewalks to replace six old batteries and hook up an antenna and other spare parts.
Alexey Krasnov, chief of the Russian Space Agency's piloted program, said it was a miracle that Atlantis took off without any delays.
"It looks like that Atlantis is telling us, `Please use me again. I am capable,' " he said, smiling. "Maybe two-thirds of the launches were postponed by the weather or hardware ... and today it worked exactly as planned."
Only a few small bits of insulating foam were seen coming off the fuel tank during liftoff, nothing significant, officials said.
Launch spectators included Defense Secretary Robert Gates and late-night TV host David Letterman, as well as dozens of Russians. About 150 Twittering guests watched from Kennedy's media complex.
Matt Balan, 29, of Alexandria, Va., lost his network connection right at liftoff as he was trying to tweet. He finally got this message out a few minutes after the fact: "That was spectacular!!!!"
Even off-duty astronauts marveled at the sight of Atlantis rising one last time, snapping pictures with their cell phones. "That was an incredible launch," said Rick Mastracchio, who flew last month on Discovery. Some Apollo astronauts also showed up.
President Barack Obama wants NASA to focus on getting astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and into orbit around Mars by 2035. He canceled the previous administration's plan to return to the moon.
Friday's launch was NASA's fourth shuttle liftoff in six months. Now the pace will slow a bit. Discovery isn't due to fly until September, followed by Endeavour in November — at the earliest.
There's a chance that Atlantis could fly again after it returns to Earth on May 26. The shuttle will be prepped in case a rescue mission is needed for the last flight, by Endeavour. Assuming there's no emergency, Atlantis could be used for another supply run if the White House approves it, and that would close the shuttle program for good. Then the shuttles would head off to museums.
Immediately after watching liftoff, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., told The Associated Press that he's encouraging one more flight for Atlantis and noted: "There's a good chance the president will approve it." He flew Columbia into orbit in 1986.
NASA's space operations chief, Bill Gerstenmaier, said he'd be glad to fly Atlantis in June 2011 with a minimal crew of four, if money is forthcoming. He estimates it would cost between $600 million and $1 billion to keep the shuttle program going beyond January.
Under the Obama plan, NASA astronauts will hitch rides to the space station on Russian Soyuz rockets for the near future.
NASA expects to keep the space station running through 2020.
Posted by Terri at 11:16 AM
Space Weather News for May 14, 2010
http://spaceweather.com
Today's edition of spaceweather.com features a remarkable 3D movie of the International Space Station (ISS) recorded by French astrophotographer Thierry Legault. No special glasses are required to see the ISS pop out of your screen in amazing detail.
The movie will whet your appetite for a weekend of bright spaceships and planets. On Friday, May 14th at 2:20 pm EDT, space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on its final voyage to the ISS. An on-time liftoff would set the stage for an incredible sky show. On Saturday and Sunday, May 15th and 16th, many observers will be able to see Atlantis and the ISS flying past Venus and the crescent Moon in the evening sky. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and more information.
Posted by Terri at 11:20 AM
The Indoor / Outdoor Astro Event for tonight at PVCC is
canceled due to weather. See you at the next awesome, fun,
interesting PAS event!!! Enjoy your evening.
Posted by Terri at 11:53 AM
