What’s happening on the surface of Saturn’s moon Helene?

The moon was imaged in
unprecedented detail last week as the
robotic
Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn
swooped to within
two Earth diameters of the diminutive moon.

Although conventional craters and hills appear, the above raw and unprocessed image also
shows terrain that appears unusually smooth and
streaked.

Planetary astronomers will be inspecting these detailed images of
Helene to glean clues about the origin and evolution of the 30-km across floating iceberg.

Helene is also unusual because it circles Saturn just ahead of the large moon
Dione, making it one of only four known moons to occupy a gravitational well known as a stable
Lagrange point.

The science of astronomy goes back as far as man does. Today it is an applied science based on carefully gathering and analyzing data, but there was a time it was little more than charlatan magic. Astronomy is something too many people ignore, but those who keep their eyes on current happenings in astronomy find a wealth of interesting information.

Australians were urged to look up and maybe duck in November when a 1400 LB Ammonia tank threatened to fall on them. It was tossed into space when it was deemed too dangerous to carry down to Earth on a shuttle. By good luck most of the pieces, no larger than fifteen pounds, were expected to fall harmlessly into the ocean. Although possible Ammonia residue would likely wash a lot of windows, this isn’t recommended as a mass cleaning method. Paul Hogan, the famous actor who played Crocodile Dundee, was unharmed. Unfortunately, according to the Daily Mail in the UK, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, remained deceased after this incident.

New line China, September 2008, a 3rd manned space mission launches. It will include the first space walk for Chinese astronauts. Unfortunately for China it was revealed that “live video” of the successful launch and flight into orbit had actually been released before the craft left the ground. It wasn’t a hoax. China simply thought the event so important that they carefully staged a video log as public relations.

Also from China, a huge telescope has been commissioned for construction near Beijing, site of the 2008 summer Olympics. Revolutionary is the way this telescope tracks the sky – with two moving mirrors. The resulting look is something of a curiosity. This one is shaped like a leaning arch. That’s the Chinese, making art from science.

In Kazakhstan of all places a new satellite was launched in early November of 2008. Satellite Astra-1M will be used for telecommunications. The launch vehicle was called Proton-M.

Astronomy hobbyists will love Worldwide Telescope which is of Microsoft and  works in windows to call images from all over the world, delivered to the user. It’s like an observatory on a desktop. The only downfall is that no new discoveries can be made, because it’s all pre-compiled astrological data and images.

Product Description
Key Benefit:

Key Topics:

Charting the Heavens : The Foundations of Astronomy, The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science, Light and Matter: The Inner Workings of the Cosmos, Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy, The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets, Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard, The Terrestrial Planets: A Study in Contrasts, The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System, Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants, The Sun: Our Parent Star, Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence, The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way,  Stellar Evolution: The Lives and Deaths of Stars, Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter, The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space,

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe, Hubble’s Law and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos, Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe, Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

Market: Intended for those interested in learning the basics of astronomy

Astronomy: A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe with MasteringAstronomy

The two galaxies on the far left were unknown until 1968.

Although they would have appeared as two of the brighter galaxies on the night sky, the opaque dust of the
central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy had
obscured them from being seen in visible light.

The above image in
infrared light taken by the recently launched
Wide-Field
Infrared Survey Explorer
(WISE),
however, finds these galaxies in
great detail
far behind — but seemingly next to — the
photogenic Heart nebula (IC 1805).

The spiral galaxy
near the top is the easiest to spot and is known as
Maffei 2.

Just below and to its right is fuzzy-looking
Maffei 1,
the closest giant
elliptical galaxy to Earth.

The above
false-colored image spans three
full moons from top to bottom.

The Maffei galaxies each span about 15,000 light years across and lie about 10 million
light years away toward the
constellation of the Queen of
Ethiopia (Cassiopeia).

On the image right, stars, gaseous filaments, and warm
dust highlight a detailed
infrared view
of the Heart nebula.

What’s that bright object in the sky?

A common question with
answers that vary by time and season, the quick answer
just after sunset in middle of last month, from the norther hemisphere, was Mars.

The above picturesque panorama, taken during a ski trip from the
Alps in
Switzerland,
shows not only
Mars, but much more.

Pine trees line the foreground,
while numerous slopes leading up to the snow covered
Allalinhorn mountain are
visible in the distance.

Stars dot the background, with the
Beehive star cluster (M44) visible just below and to the left of Mars, while stars
Castor and
Pollux
peak through the tree tops to the Mars’ upper right.

Mars will remain bright and in the
constellation of the Crab (Cancer) until mid-May.

• Martha Stewart Collection
• 8′6 x 11′6
• Latest color style is easy to work with any décor
• Ships directly from manufacturer
• Background color of Poseidon with Teal accents.

Product Description
The simple yet striking pattern of Astronomy explores the geometric sunburst motif so popular in mid 20th century textiles and wall coverings. Updated in 100 percent cotton for today’s interiors, this design is achieved with a slight tonal shift of a single color. Made in China, this rug is especially beautiful for a bedroom or modern interior. Features a background color of Poseidon with Teal accents.

Martha Stewart Astronomy Poseidon Rug 8′6 x 11′6

Photo slideshow of the lunar eclipse as seen near hiking area* atop Skyline Drive; Oakland/Ringwood border, northern New Jersey, USA. This slideshow captures the second half of the eclipse: starting just after sunset, from when the moon was entirely in the earth’s shadow, til the shadow passed and the full moon became visible. Info about Lunar Eclipses: en.wikipedia.org Photos courtesy of Dennis Reulbach and daughter, Beth. For a more full-spectrum time-lapse animation of photos, see the .gif at this link (give it time to load, it’s over 50 pictures): img.photobucket.com Thanks, Dennis and Beth, for taking the time to make these beautiful pictures! oxo * = by the roadside “Ent”. ;p

Path of the total solar eclipse on Jul/22/2009 and animation of totality for Shanghai/China. I’ll fly from Munich to Shanghai to see the eclipse. I stay in Suzhou. Credit: Maps by F. Espenak/nasa’s GSFC & J. Anderson

• Portable refractor telescope for aspiring astronomers
• 300x maximum power with 70mm objective lens
• Eyepieces with 3x Barlow lens
• Includes pan-head tripod and carrying case
• Includes tripod and carrying case

Product Description
Max power: 300x, Focal Length (mm) 400, Finder scope: 5×24, Draw Tube (inch): 1.25, Eyepiece#1:SR4, Eyepiece #2: K20, Diagonal: 45°, .Amazon.com Product Description
The Barska 40070 Starwatcher Compact Refractor Telescope with Table Top Tripod and Carrying Case is an ideal telescope for the aspiring amateur astronomer. Ideal for students or those interested in learning more about the night sky, the 70mm objective lens can zoom up to 300x power. Use one of the interchangeable eyepieces with a 3x power Barlow lens for increased viewing capability. A pan-head mount and tripod is included with the telescope along with a handy carrying case. Take this portable telescope outdoors at night and the stars will open up before your eyes.

BARSKA 40070 Starwatcher Compact Refractor Telescope with Table Top Tripod And Carrying Case

Is it art?

If so, the paintbrush was the
Spirit robotic rover,
the canvas was the
soil on Mars,
and the artists were the
scientists and engineers
of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission.

This panoramic picture, created in 2004 and shown above compressed horizontally, was mostly unintentional — the
MERS
team was primarily instructing Spirit to investigate rocks in and around
Hank’s Hollow in a location called
Engineering Flats on Mars.

After creating the ground display with its treads, the
Spirit rover was instructed to
photograph the area along with itself in
shadow.

In 2010 as winter approaches in northern Mars, Spirit, still
mired in sand,
has been
placed in an energy saving “hibernating” mode until
spring arrives and more direct sunlight might be used to
power the robotic explorer.