Where's Saturn? Is that a UFO--or the ISS? What's the name of that star? Get the answers from mySKY--a fun new astronomy helper from Meade. ASTEROID SHOWER: The best meteor shower of 2007--an "asteroid shower"--peaks on Friday, December 14th. Sky watchers in rural areas can expect to see dozens to hundreds of shooting stars. Get the full story from Science@NASA. SIGHTINGS: If you live in the United States, this is a good week to see the International Space Station. The giant spacecraft is flying over many US towns and cities during the evening hours of Dec. 3rd-6th. During a typical flyby, the station shines two or three times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, making it a wonderful naked-eye object. The station also looks great through a backyard telescope: "I never thought I would see so much detail," says Scott Adler who took the picture on Nov. 20th using his 10-inch 'scope in Wallsend, Australia. Prominent in the photo are the station's newly-extended P6 solar arrays and a glistening new set thermal radiators: labels. These new additions to the ISS make the station bigger and brighter than ever. Don't miss it! MARS AND MEBSUTA: "Mars is passing by the bright star Mebsuta in the constellation Gemini," reports Günther Strauch. "It looks very nice to the naked eye." Here is the view from his backyard in Borken Germany on Dec. 2nd: Photo details: Canon EOS 20D, 18mm, 30 sec, 800 ASA To see the conjunction, look east a few hours after sunset. Mars is unmistakably red and bright, an easy find, especially with Mebsuta so nearby: sky map. When you've located Mars, note its position in the sky for nightly monitoring. Mars is approaching Earth for a close encounter on Dec. 18th; for the next 2+ weeks the Red Planet will brighten and expand, becoming even more conspicuous and a wonderful target for backyard telescopes. Have a Merry Martian Christmas! Comet 17P/Holmes Photo Gallery [Interactive World Map of Comet Photos] [sky map] [ephemeris] [3D orbit] [Night Sky Cameras] |