Archive for August, 2010

AAVSO Alert Notice 423:
Request for observations of V455 AND in support of HST observations
August 30, 2010

Dr. Paula Szkody (U. Washington) has requested the help of AAVSO observers in monitoring the WZ Sge-type cataclysmic variable V455 And in support of Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectroscopic observations scheduled for …

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NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered the first confirmed planetary system with more than one planet crossing in front of, or transiting, the same star.

The transit signatures of two distinct planets were seen in the data for the sun-like star designated Kepler-9. The planets were named Kepler-9b and 9c. The …

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“Star Gazer” Jack Horkheimer Dies Aged 72

The host of Public Television’s “Star Gazer” show, Jack Horkheimer aged 72, died on August 20, 2010,  of a respiratory ailment, according to a spokesman for the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetariums.

Horkheimer was best known as the creator, writer and host of public television’s “Star Gazer,” …

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Perseid Meteor Shower, 2010

Astronomers are predicting a dazzling display of shooting stars on the night of August 12/13 as the Perseid meteor shower reaches a peak in activity.

The show begins at sunset when Venus, Saturn, Mars and the crescent Moon pop out of the western twilight in tight conjunction. All four heavenly …

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Coronal Mass Ejection May Hit Earth – Aurora Alert

The solar eruption of August 7th might affect Earth after all. Newly-arriving data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) show a CME heading our way with a significant Earth-directed component. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the cloud arrives on August 10th. A movie of the …

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During the early hours of August 1st, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a complex global disturbance on the Earth-facing side of the sun.

Most of the sun’s northern hemisphere was involved in the event, which included a long-duration C3-class solar flare, a “solar tsunami, ” and a massive …

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Spirit Mars Rover May Never Phone Home Again

Last year, Spirit became stuck in loose sand. This prevented the rover from driving to a sun-facing slope for the winter

NASA mission controllers have not heard from Mars rover Spirit since March 22 as the rover faces its toughest challenge yet – trying to survive the harsh Martian …

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