NASA CASSINI IMAGES MAY REVEAL BIRTH OF NEW SATURN MOON

Hey Space Placers!

From NASA:

Text & Images:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-112

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has documented the formation of a small icy object within the rings of Saturn that may be a new moon, and may also provide clues to the formation of the planet’s known moons.

Images taken with Cassini’s narrow angle camera on April 15, 2013, show disturbances at the very edge of Saturn’s A ring -- the outermost of the planet’s large, bright rings. One of these disturbances is an arc about 20 percent brighter than its surroundings, 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) long and 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide. Scientists also found unusual protuberances in the usually smooth profile at the ring’s edge. Scientists believe the arc and protuberances are caused by the gravitational effects of a nearby object. Details of the observations were published online today by the journal Icarus [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2014.03.024].

Will post eclipse pic from sea tomorrow!

Sky Guy Headed to Funchal, Portugal

Sky Guy Viewing Alert: Red Planet, Red Moon

Hey Space Placers!

Read my story on Mars and the Total Lunar Eclipse on Mon-Tues of next week:

http://www.wtop.com/41/3601921/The-Space-Place

Sky Guy in the Atlantic Headed for Funchal, Portugal

NASA’S HUBBLE EXTENDS STELLAR TAPE MEASURE 10 TIMES FARTHER INTO SPACE

Hey Space Placers!

A new and powerful technique for measuring the distance to a key “standard candle” called Cepheid variable stars was just announced:

“Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers now can precisely measure the distance of stars up to 10,000 light-years away -- 10 times farther than previously possible.”

“Astronomers have developed yet another novel way to use the 24-year-old space telescope by employing a technique called spatial scanning, which dramatically improves Hubble’s accuracy for making angular measurements. The technique, when applied to the age-old method for gauging distances called astronomical parallax, extends Hubble’s tape measure 10 times farther into space.”

This capability will help astronomers further refine the rate at which the Universe is expanding. This in turn will help in the search for Dark Energy, the force that is causing the expansion to accelerate.

Read More About It Here:

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/april/nasas-hubble-extends-stellar-tape-measure-10-times-farther-into-space/

Sky Guy Getting Underway From Bermuda

Evidence for HUGE Ancient Impact

Hey Space Placers!

Take a look at this just released info on a HUGE ancient impact.

http://news.agu.org/press-release/scientists-reconstruct-ancient-impact-that-dwarfs-dinosaur-extinction-blast/

SCIENTISTS RECONSTRUCT ANCIENT IMPACT THAT DWARFS DINOSAUR-EXTINCTION BLAST

Sky Guy in Bermuda

Sky Guy VIEWING ALERT!!!! 4-8-14 Mars at Opposition

Hey Space Placers!

Mars is at opposition tonight, 4-8-14. See details at  http://www.wtop.com/904/3597534/The-Space-Place

Get out and see bright Mars in the SE as it gets dark.  The bright blue star Spica keeps the Red Planet company.

Sky Guy in the Bermuda Triangle

Sky Guy Viewing ALERT!!! Moon & Jupiter 4-6-14

Hey Space Placers!

Be sure to check out the Moon and Jupiter tonight.

Mars will be rising in the SE after it gets dark.

Sky Guy In VA

NASA LADEE Mission To End

Hey Space Placers!

NASA's latest mission to the Moon, LADEE - Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer - is coming to an end. See my previous blogs in September 2013 for background on the mission and the actual launch.

NASA has a contest you can enter to try and guess the actual date and time that LADEE will impact the Moon.

The spacecraft will continue to make observations up until impact and will endure 4 hours of cold during the upcoming total lunar eclipse on April 15.

LADEE has been very successful with gathering a wealth of data that should tell us a lot about the Moon's atmosphere and dust environment.

I will be leaving tomorrow on my cruise aboard Oceania Cruises' ms Riviera for 14 days of giving astronomy/space exploration lectures and hosting star parties. I will try my best to blog daily so keep checking.

Sky Guy Heading To Sea