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. GENESIS II: Bigelow Aerospace has launched another inflatable satellite: Genesis II. Believe it or not, the 4.4-meter wide balloon is a prototype module for a space hotel. On July 1st, satellite observer Kevin Fetter photographed Genesis II gliding past the bright star Vega: video. "Genesis was about as bright as a 3rd magnitude star--easily visible to the unaided eye," says Fetter. SATURN-FINDER: If you've ever wanted to see the rings of Saturn, tonight is a good night to look. Venus shows the way. The two planets are side-by-side and they pop out of the twilight together at sunset: Photo details: Canon EOS 400D, EF-S 18-55mm lens Amateur astronomer Mohammad Javad Fahimi took this picture last night from Kerman, Iran. The telescope in the foreground, no fancier than what you might find on the shelf at a department store, is big enough to reveal not only the rings of Saturn but also the crescent shape of Venus. Got a telescope? Point it here. X-RAY OBSERVATORY: "It was too cloudy to see Venus and Saturn last night," reports Colleen Gino of Socorro, New Mexico. "So we decided to take a picture of our telescope instead." Photo details: Nikon D80, Sigma 10mm lens, ISO 1250, f/4.5, 35s. "The telescope is one of many at the Etscorn Observatory on the campus of New Mexico Tech. This 'x-ray' image was created by rotating the dome with the slit open and a red light on inside." "Thanks to Dan Klinglesmith for his help in taking the shot!" says Gino. more images: from Chris Schur of Happy Jack, Arizona; from Konstantinos Christodoulopoulos of Korinthos, Greece; from Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre of Concord, Massachusetts; from Bill Dickinson of Glen Allen, Virginia; from Ricky Jones of Racine, Wisconsin; from Wah! and Doucats at the Astrofarm in Hong Kong; from Helmut Groell of Moers, Germany; from Marcelo Domingues of Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil; from Miguel De La Torre of Playas de Tijuana, Tijuana B.C. Mexico; from Sorin Hotea of Alba Iulia, Romania; from Marcelo Bissaro of Campinas, Brazil; from David Lee of Victoria, BC, Canada; from Michel Renaud of Boisbriand, Québec, Canada; from Richard McCoy of Mead, Colorado; from Ginger Mayfield of Divide, Colorado; from Wade Howlett of Bullsbrook, Western Australia. June 2007 Noctilucent Cloud Gallery ["Noctilucent Cloud"--the song] [Night-Sky Cameras] |