Aurora
season is beginning. Are you ready? Check out Spaceweather
PHONE.
PLUTO
PETITION:
A strange thing happened on August 24, 2006. After years
of debate, the IAU finally settled the question of Pluto,
declaring it is not a planet. The strange thing
is, people won't
stop debating. Here's your chance to join the fray:
Sign the Pluto
Petition.
LUNAR
ECLIPSE:
Last night, a fraction of Earth's shadow fell onto the
Moon, producing a partial lunar eclipse visible from Europe
to Australia. When the shadowy Moon rose over France,
Laurent Laveder
photographed his friend Sabine holding up a hoop. Why?
(continued below)
See
more of Laveder's Moon pictures
"The
hoop traces the outline of Earth's shadow," explains
Laveder. The "umbra" is the dark core of the
shadow, while the "penumbra" is its pale fringe.
This eclipse is partial because only the tip-top of the
Moon has disappeared into the umbra.
Sept
7th Lunar Eclipse Gallery
SPACE
SHUTTLE:
Tomorrow,
NASA hopes to launch the space shuttle Atlantis on a two-week
mission to the International Space Station (ISS). A few
nights ago, in a moment of "rare timing," photographer
Ben Cooper caught
the ISS soaring over Atlantis as it sat waiting on the
floodlit launch pad at Kennedy Space Center:
When
Atlantis takes off, it will carry a 35,000-lb
truss to the ISS. Spacewalking astronauts will install
the truss, then unfold a new set of solar panels spanning
240 feet from tip to tip. The additions will increase
the surface area of the station and make it easier than
ever to see in the night sky. The trick, of course, is
knowing when
to look.
SPACE WEATHER
SPACE WEATHER
