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. TINY
SUNSPOT: Don't be fooled by sunspot's 966 diminutive imprint
on the sun. Amateur astronomers report that the sunspot is a micro-hive
of activity with a spiral filament emerging from one of its two
dark cores. If you have a solar
telescope, take a look.
Images: from
Malcolm Park of London, United Kingdom; from
Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany; from
Alcaria Rego of Almada, Portugal; from
S. Johansen and J. Stetson of South Portland, Maine.
PERSEID FIREBALL: The Perseid
meteor shower is underway. Don't panic, the
peak doesn't occur until August 12th and 13th, but already 10+
shooting stars per hour may be seen during the dark hours before
dawn. Last night in Colorado, physics professor Jimmy
Westlake caught this Perseid during a 4 minute guided exposure:
Photo details: Fuji
Finepix S2, 35 mm wide angle lens, f3.3, ISO400, 4 minutes.
"This brilliant Perseid meteor made two bright flashes before
ending with a terminal burst of magnitude -5 against the stars of
Capricornus," says Westlake.
2007
Perseid Meteor Gallery
[observing
tips] [sky
map]
THE VIEW FROM ABOVE:
Astronauts onboard the ISS and shuttle Endeavour will watch the
Perseid meteor shower from above. What will that be like? In 2001,
space shuttle Discovery (STS-105) orbited Earth during a Perseid
shower, and the crew recorded this
NASA video of a Perseid hitting Earth's atmosphere. Astronauts
onboard the ISS have also enjoyed Leonid meteor storms from orbit:
full
story.
LIFTOFF! Space shuttle Endeavour
blasted off from Cape Canaveral last night at 6:36 pm EDT carrying
a new truss
segment and 5,800 pounds of supplies to the International Space
Station. "Every aspect of the launch was perfect," says
photographer Mike Theiss
who was on hand for the thunderous liftoff:
There was a lot to see and Theiss recorded it all:
astronauts in formation,
the shuttle's exhaust casting
shadows and glowing
in the evening sky, and the shuttle itself ripping
through the atmosphere. The two-week construction mission commences
in earnest on Friday when the shuttle reaches the ISS. Bon voyage,
Endeavour!
more images: from
Jim Burchfield of St Cloud, Florida; from
Dan Gore of Cocoa Beach, Florida.
.2007
Noctilucent Cloud Gallery
[Night-Sky
Cameras] ["Noctilucent
Cloud"--the song]
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