Archive for May, 2010

Possible Aurora Alert for May 27th

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 12:23 pm  
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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 …

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Phoenix Mars Lander Is Damaged

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 12:35 am  
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Two images of the Phoenix Mars lander taken from Martian orbit in 2008 and 2010. The 2008 lander image shows two relatively blue spots on either side corresponding to the spacecraft’s clean circular solar panels. In the 2010 image scientists see a dark shadow that could be the lander body

Copernicus to Be Reburied

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 pm  
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Nicolaus Copernicus, the 16th-century astronomer whose work was condemned by the Catholic Church as heretical, will be reburied by Polish priests as a hero on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010, nearly 500 years after he was laid to rest in an unmarked grave.

His burial in a tomb in the cathedral …

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Mars500 Experiment

Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 6:14 pm  
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The purpose of the Mars500 study is to gather data, knowledge and experience to help prepare for a real mission to Mars. Obviously there will be no effect of weightlessness, but the study will help to determine key psychological and physiological effects on people in such an enclosed environment for …

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Herschel Telescope Finds a Hole in Space

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 7:23 pm  
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11 May, 2010: ESA’s Herschel infrared space telescope has made an unexpected discovery: a hole in space. The hole has provided astronomers with a surprising glimpse into the end of the star-forming process.


NGC 1999 is the green tinged cloud towards the top of the image. The dark spot to …

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AAVSO Alert Notice 421: Nova in Scorpius (V1311 Sco = N Sco 2010 No. 2)

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 8:01 pm  
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AAVSO Alert Notice 421:
Nova in Scorpius (V1311 Sco = N Sco 2010 No. 2)
May 5, 2010

Event: Nova in Scorpius (V1311 Sco = Nova Sco 2010 No. 2)

Discovered Idependently By:
- Koichi Nishiyama, Kurume, Japan, and Fujio Kabashima, Miyaki, Japan
- Hideo Nishimura, Miyawaki, Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken, Japan …

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New Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth

Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 7:52 pm  
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A high-speed solar wind stream hit Earth’s magnetic field last night (May 2-3), sparking a geomagnetic storm that lasted more than 15 hours. In Scandinavia, the Northern Lights were so bright they could be seen through the glow of the midnight sun. Red auroras spilled across the Canadian border and …

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The LVI Smartguider Arrived!

Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 2:21 am  
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It took 4 days for the LVI Smartguider to make its way from Germany to me in Ireland (it arrived on Apr. 29, 2010). All the components are packed into a carry-case that’s not much bigger than an A5 sheet of paper. Here’s what’s in the box:

As luck would …

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