 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Paolo Candy/Ci.A.O. Cimini Astronomical Observatory & Planetarium
|
|
|
Have you seen Comet Lulin?
There’s a comet in the evening sky, and it’s making quite a splash with observers. Astronomy Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich saw it through thin clouds the night of February 23 from his backyard near downtown Milwaukee, so he has great confidence that you can see it, too. Read more.Related blog & video: John Chumack captures Lulin, by Karri Ferron, Copy Editor
|
 |
|
NASA
|
|
|
NASA’s Goddard brings the Moon to Earth
This winter the television production team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, shrank the Moon down to a 6-foot globe and put it on display in the Goddard visitor center. The team made a new, fully spherical short film called “Return to the Moon.” Designed expressly for the Science On a Sphere (SOS) platform, it opens in science museums and elsewhere around the country February 27, 2009. Read more. |
 |
|
ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA
|
|
|
Watching Venus glow in the dark
European Space Agency’s (ESA) Venus Express spacecraft has observed an eerie glow in the nighttime atmosphere of Venus. This infrared light comes from nitric oxide, and it is showing scientists that the atmosphere of Earth’s nearest neighbor is a temperamental place of high winds and turbulence. Read more. |
 |
|
NASA/Swift/Stefan Immler
|
|
|
Fermi Telescope sees most extreme gamma-ray blast yet
NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope saw the first gamma-ray burst in high-resolution — and it’s one for the record books. The blast had the greatest total energy, the fastest motions, and the highest-energy initial emissions ever seen. Read more. |
 |
|
Subaru/NAOJ
|
|
|
Turbulence may promote the birth of massive stars
On long, dark winter nights, the constellation Orion the Hunter dominates the sky. Within the Hunter’s sword, the Orion Nebula (M42) swaddles a cluster of newborn stars called the Trapezium. These stars are young but powerful, each one shining with the brilliance of 100,000 Suns. They are also massive, containing 15 to 30 times as much material as the Sun.
Read more. |
|
More astronomy headlines:
|
|
|
|
| Preview Astronomy’s April 2009 Issue |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| New Online Reader Gallery!! |
|
|
|
|
|
Astronomy.com’s new Online Reader Gallery lets you browse, submit, and comment on spectacular images of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, planets, comets, and more! You can search by subject, image, or even by specific object. A “slide show” option lets you scan a whole subject area with just one click.
New images are posted daily from amateur and professional astrophotographers all over the world. Check it out and submit your images today — Astronomy.com/ReaderGallery.
|
|
The Leo Trio (M66 Group)
Daniel Phillips submitted this image of the Leo Trio of Galaxies to the Online Reader Gallery. He shot this image from Vista, California. Click here to view. |
|
The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)
Andy D’Arienzo captured this image of the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) from East Meadow, New York. It was featured as Astronomy.com’s Picture of the Day February 24, 2009. Click here to view. |
|
Saturn
Neil Thomas shot this image of Saturn from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and submitted it to the Online Reader Gallery. Click here to view. |
If you have images you’d like to share, submit them to Astronomy.com’s Online Reader Gallery at Astronomy.com/ReaderGallery or attach them to an e-mail sent to ReaderGallery@Astronomy.com. Make sure you include in your submission the date, location, equipment, and methods used in taking and processing each image. Submitted images may be used elsewhere on Astronomy.com or in Astronomy magazine. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Catch the last of Comet Lulin
The show is almost over for winter’s delightful Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin). Well placed in the southeast during the evening in early March, Lulin should glow around 7th magnitude. That would bring it within range of binoculars from the suburbs. However, this age-old ball of ice and dust is looping through the solar system in the direction opposite Earth’s motion, so its distance from us increases rapidly. The comet should dim to 9th magnitude by month’s end.
A nice photo opportunity presents itself March 5, when Lulin passes 2° south of the large, bright star cluster known as the Beehive (M44) in Cancer. To maximize the length of the comet’s tail in your images, plan to shoot around 3 a.m. local time. This gives the waxing gibbous Moon time to set.
March offers plenty of great observing opportunities, and Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to the full version of
The Sky this Month at Astronomy.com. Use it to spot asteroids, comets, planets, and more!
To find more observable objects in your sky, visit Astronomy.com’s sky events calendar.
Check out Astronomy.com’s interactive star chart, StarDome, to see an accurate map of your sky. It’ll help you locate some of this week’s key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS.
|
|
|
|
| New astronomy images for your desktop |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Podcast: More observing targets |
|
|
|
|
|
Each week, Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich, a master at explaining how to observe, posts a podcast about three objects or events you can see in the sky.
|
|
Targets for February 27-March 6, 2009
Naked eye: Constellation Columba
Small telescope: Globular cluster NGC 1851
Large telescope: Spiral galaxy NGC 1808
Listen to podcast.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q&A: Kepler mission — not just for planet research
Posted by Liz Kruesi, Associate Editor
|
NASA will launch the Kepler mission March 5. Kepler will be the first mission able to find Earth-mass and smaller planets. Its main goal is to determine how many exoplanets (terrestrial and larger) lie within (or near) the habitable zones of different types of stars. While exoplanet searches are its main goal, Kepler will perform other science studies. Because the satellite will be observing stars to look for orbiting planets, stellar astronomers will be able to use the data as well. Read more. |
|
Exclusive: Q&A with Europa expert Richard Greenberg
Posted by Daniel Pendick, Associate Editor
|
Richard Greenberg, a professor of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, is an expert in celestial mechanics and carries out NASA-sponsored investigations of solar system evolution and planet formation. He is also author of the current book Unmasking Europa. Read more. |
|
Astrophysics — what’s the big deal?
Posted by Liz Kruesi, Associate Editor
|
A few days ago one of my co-workers and I were discussing various branches of science and their importance to society. Biology and medicine help people. These fields are bettering society and the human life. Then, he said something that I just can’t get out of my mind: What about astrophysics? Read more. |
|
|
|
| Join Astronomy’s 2010 eclipse safari |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What are you most looking forward to observing in March?
Saturn with its rings nearly edge-on
Comet Lulin as it recedes from Earth
Venus’ thin crescent disappears by month’s end
Ceres, the largest asteroid, in Leo
A Messier marathon
Other
Vote here.
|
|
|
|
| Great magazines for only $3.95 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 30th, 2010 on 7:16 PM
I’m genuinely glad I discovered this post. I’ve been looking for details on solar energy for awhile.Looking forward to reading more posts about energy.
May 31st, 2010 on 2:36 PM
Wow, that is extremely nice info, cheers.