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FLYING SPACE JUNK:
The Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), a refrigerator-sized
piece of space junk thrown
overboard from the International Space Station last year, is
expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in late 2008 or early 2009.
It should make a nice fireball. Meanwhile, you can see the EAS intact
as it zips across the night sky almost as bright as the stars of
the Big Dipper. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker
for flyby times.
SOLAR ECLIPSE: Earlier
today, ordinary sunbeams in Europe and Asia shape-shifted, suddenly
taking the form of crescents. That's what happens during a solar
eclipse. In Esfahan, Iran, the sun was about 20% covered when Mohamad
Soltanolkotabi photographed these crescents decorating the floor
of the Sheikh Lutffullah mosque:
"Sunlight beaming through windows
in the Mosque's dome created these eclipsed suns on the floor,"
he explains.
Meanwhile in Novosibirsk, Russia, the Moon covered the sun 100%,
completely extinguishing all sunbeams. Eclipse chaser Anthony Ayiomamitis
took advantage of the darkness to photograph the sun's corona and
a pair of stunning diamond rings: pictures.
Browse the gallery for more:
UPDATED:
Solar Eclipse
Photo Gallery
[interactive
eclipse map]
WATER ON MARS CONFIRMED:
For the first time, the Phoenix Mars Lander
has "touched and tasted" water on the red planet. The
milestone came just two days ago when Phoenix's robotic arm successfully
dumped a sample of soil into one of the lander's internal ovens.
Heat was applied and water vapor emerged. Voilà! H20.
This chemical evidence confirms visual clues that have been accumulating
since Phoenix landed in May. Put on your 3D
glasses and consider the following:
Click to view the full-sized
anaglyph
The anaglyph was made by Patrick
Vantuyne using images taken by Phoenix's stereo camera. It shows
the same trench 42 martian days apart. The arrow points out a new
shadow where a patch of ground has seemingly disappeared. "The
only explanation is that an exposed layer of ice-rich material is
slowly sublimating, causing the surface to drop a few millimeters,"
says Vantuyne. Other patches of white material in the image have
likewise changed in response to solar heating.
Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer oven confirms that the
changes are genuine signs of martian water. The next step for Phoenix's
chemistry lab: conduct tests for nutrients and minerals that could
support life in moist martian soil. NASA has extended Phoenix's
mission an extra 30 days to allow such tests to be done. Get the
full story from nasa.gov.
2008
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