What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! With the last day of 2010 just hours away I thought I would reflect with you on what I thought was the "biggest" astronomy-space story of the year. I offer no justification for my selection except that it is a personal opinion. History will record that the direction of the US manned space program changed, for better or worse, in 2010 with the Obama Administration cancelling the Constellation Program - or at least the majority of it.  In 2004 President Bush set in motion the goal that the US return to the Moon to explore and stay this time via robotic and manned missions. Once accomplished this would provide the experience and hardware necessary to try for a manned Mars mission some decades later. Constellation - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html  - was created to accomplish these goals and NASA put it all into motion. The new Administration wanted a comprehensive review done on Constellation and then would decide w...

Hey Space Placers! Asteroids are the left over rocky remnants - and perhaps directly related to comets - that occupy the space between Mars and Jupiter, as well as other areas in the solar system. Asteroids pose a direct and real threat to our existence as an impact from a kilometer sized object would be devastating if it were to occur in a populated area or in the oceans near a population center. The more we learn about them the better we will be able to defend ourselves against them. There are several world-wide patrol efforts ongoing that are looking for these threats every clear night. We have sent numerous missions to asteroids and have actually landed on them. But in 2010 there was a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission that not only landed on an asteroid, but took off to return to Earth with samples in a capsule! JAXA's Hayabusa spacecraft returned microscopic particles of the Itokawa asteroid and scientists have been studying them. The results will be ...

Hey Space Placers! For centuries comets - those cosmic snowballs left over from the formation of the solar system - were hunted and found by dedicated amateur astronomers using telescopes with an occasional photographic find. Want to know who has found the most comets in history? The answer is not a human hunter, but a spacecraft that monitors the Sun! NASA/ESA's Solar and Heliospherical Observatory - SOHO for short - discovered its 2000th comet on December 26th. Citizens monitoring SOHO via the Internet have searched images from the Sun watching spacecraft to find many of these sun grazing comets. Read More About It:  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/soho/comet-2000.html. Maybe you can find one! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Did you get caught in the big east coast storm? Well, check out the big storm on Saturn! This storm is high in the outermost atmosphere of the ringed planet. It has been monitored by amateur astronomers and NASA's Cassini Mission recently captured this wonderful view. I don't think any snow came out of this storm ;-) Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers, Space Shuttle Discovery, which I saw on Pad 39A from about a mile away 2 weeks ago today, was rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Dec. 22 for further tests. The tests consist of x-rays of all 108 aluminum stringers in the External Tank (ET) and will hopefully shed some light on why cracks were discovered in several of the stringers which are located in the ET intertank. The work is supposed to commence today and continue for the next week. Dec. 30th is currently scheduled as being the decision point on whether modifications will be needed on the ET.  Read more about it:  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/discovery_rss_collection_archive_1.html I'll update you as facts become available. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Merry Christmas and good will towards all ~ At the Kennedy Space Center I saw the firing room for all of the Apollo launches to the Moon. I also saw the launch pads, the massive crawler that took the Apollo-Saturn V stack out from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) (which was cool to see as well). I also saw the last pristine Apollo-Saturn V which was amazing. With the Christmas season and the KSC experience, I could not help but remember Apollo 8 - Christmas Eve 1968 - as Borman, Lovell and Anders orbited the Moon and read from Genesis for the entire world to hear and see. Please see http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/apollo_8.html  and see the video. Apollo 8 - Bill Anders took it - also took the first Earthrise picture which became an icon for the ages. When Apollo 8 was in orbit and reading from Genesis I was outside with my brand new 6-inch Newtonian Reflector telescope from Edmund Scientific looking at the crescent Moon while listen...

Hey Space Placers! I'm back from a great 12 day getaway that included a fantastic visit to the Kennedy Space Center and viewing the total lunar eclipse on a ship. I'll have more about it during the coming days. The International Space Station (ISS) is making a series of bright passes during the next few days. Check out this link for your area: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ Also, check out this link for changes in the seasons: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/seasons.cfm?msource=ed20101221&tr=y&auid=7540722 Happy Holidays to all! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I'm off to some places where I may not be able to hit the 'net. I have left blogs and a December skies summary for you to use for the Geminid Meteor Shower on the night of the 13th-14th and the total lunar eclipse on 12-21. We'll get caught up when I surface again, probably on the 23rd. Clear skies for everyone and Happy Holidays! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! History was made today with the successful launch at 10:43 a.m. of Space Exploration Technology Corporation's (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's launch complex 40. After two orbits the Dragon capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean and was recovered. This is the first time in history that a commercial company has recovered a spacecraft from orbit. Only government programs have done this before. This is a huge step forward in the commercial orbiting program that NASA and several companies are pursuing. The goal is to use commercial rockets and spacecraft to ferry cargo and ultimately astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Once the Space Shuttle program is completed - there are only two flights left - the US will have to rely on Russia and its' Soyuz spacecraft to get supplies and astronauts to ISS. For more information on the Falco...

Hey Space Placers! Next Monday, 12-13-10, the Geminid Meteor Shower will take place. The shower starts around 9 p.m. and lasts until dawn. My "December Skies" blog gives you details on how to observe the shower but I hope you will check out this link for more information on the Geminid Meteor Shower: http://science.nasa.gov/ science-news/science-at-nasa/ 2010/06dec_geminids/ This meteor shower does not disappoint those who get out in the cold temps and bundles up for the show.

Hey Space Placers! My oh my! What month of skywatching December brings as the Geminid Meteor Shower and a total lunar eclipse take top billing. But first, join me at George Mason University Observatory on Monday, December 6th (weather permitting) at 6:00 p.m. Make sure you dress warmly. Check here for more details and weather status http://physics.gmu.edu/~hgeller/observing.html . Skywatching Highlights The Geminid Meteor Shower takes place on the night of the 13th-14th. This is a very active and enjoyable event as from a dark sky site observers can see perhaps 60 to 100 meteors an hour. Even from suburban skies it is worth looking as these bits of debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon really are pretty bright. Meteor showers are usually caused by cometary debris so the Geminids are unique. To see the Geminids, start looking to the northeast at around 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The best time to look will be after midnight up to dawn. Find a comfortable spot to put a reclining lawn chair, or j...

Hey Space Placers! Space Shuttle Discovery will remain on the launch pad until at least Feb. 3rd, 2011. NASA announced the move following a mission status meeting on Thursday. Engineers need more time to study the cause and effect of the two cracks found in the U shaped aluminum stringers on the external tank. The cracks have been repaired and the insulation replaced, but it is still not known precisely why this happened. Tests and scanning of the tank will hopefully provide some answers so Discovery can be launched. Space Shuttle Endeavor will now look at an April launch date for the last shuttle flight. Read More About It: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Hey Space Placers! The much anticipated NASA Astrobiology-Extraterrestrial Life related press conference today - 12-2-10 - was about an Earth-bound discovery. I and I am sure a lot of others did not expect the announcement to have to do with Mono Lake in California! A team of NASA backed researchers found a microorganism that can survive and thrive using  arsenic instead of phosphorus for key biological processes. This is the first instance of such a discovery and it basically says that life as we know it has just been expanded. The biology textbooks will have to be rewritten and this discovery begs the question, "What else can life do that we are not aware of?" Here is the link to read more: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/02dec_monolake/ Life as we knew it before today's announcement can exist in extreme environments of heat, cold, pressure, drought, high and low Ph levels. Now we find that life can exist beyond the original six basic c...

Hey Space Placers! Have you heard the buzz on the 'net about NASA's press conference set for Dec.2nd? Some are going so far as to say they think the announcement will be that extraterrestrial life has been discovered! I doubt that!!! The press conference will "discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life." BTW, Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. My good friend Dr. Harold Geller and I were speculating what this announcement may be. Dr. Geller teaches an Astrobiology class with me teaching the associated lab at GMU. Here are some of the possibilities: Exosolar planets - there are now over 500 known and maybe an Earth-like planet discovery has been made Something connected to Mars Something connected to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn that are thought to have oceans under their frozen surfaces A discovery in interstellar space regarding mo...

Hey Space Placers! Space Shuttle Discovery will not launch until Dec. 17th at the earliest. NASA is still looking at issues involving cracks in several aluminum stringers on the external tank and problems with the ground umbilical carrier plate, or GUCP. NASA managers will meet on Dec. 2nd for the next review. Check out this link for the inside story on the Space Shuttle Main Engine: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/ssme.html I'll be in Florida in 2 weeks and will get some pics of the big bird on the pad and share them with you. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! This Monday, 11/29/10, at 6pm, the George Mason Univeristy Observatory will be open to the public. Check out the web site - http://physics.gmu.edu/~hgeller/observing.html for further details. We will have an observing session looking at Jupiter and other celestial objects. Bundle up and come on out and join us. Be sure to check the web site on Monday for weather updates. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Happy Thanksgiving to our US readers! May you & your have a wonderful day. Telescopes worldwide - amateur and professional - are monitoring Jupiter on a nightly basis to watch the return of the Southern Equatorial Belt (SEB). In the past week there have been 3 different "eruptions" in the area where the SEB is located. The SEB is one of two brownish colored belts that are near the equator of Jupiter. For reasons unknown the SEB, and not the North Equatorial Belt (NEB), has been observed to fade and then return 1 to 3 years later. The observed eruptions are thought to be the precursors to the return of a robust SEB. There is a great news release on all of this at: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/11/24_jupiter_stripe.shtml We'll keep monitoring this story as it develops. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! A scant month from now Christmas and other religious holidays will be upon us. If you have someone on your gift list who has interest in the sky I have a few buying suggestions for you. Magazine subscription Giving someone a year long subscription to an astronomy magazine is a GREAT idea as they get a monthly reminder of your thoughtfulness. There are two magazines - Sky & Telescope http://www.skyandtelescope.com/skytel   and Astronomy http://www.astronomy.com/en/Magazine.aspx that cover a wide assortment of topics each month and provide star charts and observing events for the month. You can't go wrong with either one. Astronomical Calendar If you go to either of the web sites of S&T and Astronomy you will find great stocking stuffers in the form of astronomical calendars. They combine great astro pics with daily information. Red Lens Flashlight Hey, this is THE thing to get for your astro pal....a flashlight with red LEDs or a red filter. Th...

Hey Space Placers! Let me apologize up front as to what I am about to do to you - hurt your brain!!!! Hang in there and I think you will be glad you did.... The study of the origin, evolution and destiny of the Universe is what Cosmology is all about. Current popular theory states that the Universe was created 13.7 billion years ago in an event called the "Big Bang". In that singular event time and space itself was created, and has been expanding ever since. Most cosmologists - but not all as you will see - theorize that the very, very young Universe underwent a period of inflation in which space expanded swiftly and significantly. The thinking now is that the Universe will expand forever and eventually will become a dead, sterile and dark entity - devoid of anything except a soup of exotic particles. Two cosmologists have taken exceptions with the prevailing view and think that they have found evidence to indicate that there was a previous existence of another Univer...

Hey Space Placers! Be sure to get out and watch tonight's Full Moon rise at sunset - should be a beautiful sight indeed. This month's Full Moon is known as the Beaver or Snow Moon......no snow and I am sure the beavers are busy~ A great story on the youngest black hole or neutron star ever discovered - a mere 30 years old! - can be seen at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/14nov_babyblackhole/ A black hole or neutron star is the end state for a super-massive star that ends its life as a supernova. Black holes are objects where gravity is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape. Neutron stars are objects the size of a city that pack the mass of our whole Sun in such a small space. Both are fascinating and exotic objects. More observations with NASA's Chandra mission should resolve this question. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers, Well, we lost another giant in the astronomical community - Brian Marsden. This was THE guy that the whole astronomical world turned to when they had spotted a new comet, asteroid, nova or some new discovery in the sky. He served as the long-time director of the International Astronomical Union's Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams (until 2000) and its Minor Planet Center (until 2006), positions that effectively made him and his small staff the worldwide clearinghouse for astronomical discoveries. As busy as he was he always found time to talk to and help amateur astronomers. He was a real treasure. Read More About It: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/109107254.html Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers, The astronomical community lost a true luminary in the history of the science with the passing of Allan Sandage on 11-13-2010. Allan died of pancreatic cancer.  He was very important to the work of Edwin Hubble as he essentially took over all of Hubble's observing programs when he died in 1953. Here is the press release from the CARNEGIE INSTITUTION FOR SCIENCE IN WASHINGTON, DC : Born in Iowa City, Iowa, June 18, 1926, Sandage grew up to define the fields of observational cosmology and extragalactic astronomy. He received his B.A. in 1948 from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1953, where he was the famous astronomer Walter Baade’s Ph.D. student in stellar evolution. During the early 1950s he served as Edwin Hubble’s observing assistant at the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories. Hubble, for whom the space telescope is named, discovered that the universe is larger than the Milky Way an...

Hey Space Placers! Hear about the Mars mission being proposed by some scientists that would be one way? Their idea is that it is far simpler (and faster) to send humans to Mars on a one way trip - leaving Earth never to return using their original spacecraft - and staying on Mars. To go one way cuts down on the complexity and cost and they think the technology exists to do such a mission fairly soon. They do not liken it to a "suicide mission" as the astronauts would be resupplied via regular flights to Mars. We are sending missions to Mars now about every 2+ years. I am sure there are plenty of people who would volunteer for this mission. It has been likened to the earliest ocean voyages of explorers who left their homelands for the unknown far reaches of our planet. NASA has said it does not consider such missions as they want to get their people back. But a mssion funded and launched by a private entity might consider doing so. What do you think? Read More Abou...

Hey Space Placers! Modern telescopes, including those used by amateur astronomers, have shown Jupiter to have 2 main equatorial belts, north and south. These belts are situated within the seething atmosphere of Jupiter and have been seen for centuries. There has also been times when one of them would fade away and disappear. The SEB did just this a few months ago and I must say it was strange to look at a singular belted Jupiter. Observations by amateur and professional astronomers in the past few days have now found evidence for a possible revival of the SEB. With space and ground based telescopes this predicted revival will truly enhance our knowledge and understanding of the king of the planets. Read More About It: http://www.spaceweather.com/ If you have a telescope make sure you tune in for a "good ol' SEB revival" at the eyepiece. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Was up today, 11-10-10,  at about 0550. Went outside to check on the sky as I always do in the a.m. as well as at night before turning in. The sky was crystal clear and Venus was blazing away in the southeast.....brightest object in the sky with a greenish-white tint. I detected the phase of Venus with binoculars. Venus has phases just like the Moon  - all the planets do - because of orbiting the Sun. Make sure you take a peek at the "Morning Star" before it starts getting too light. Venus will be getting higher in the sky as the month goes by. Can you see the Big Dipper standing upright in the northeast? Sky Guy in VA

This frame from a video shot by a news crew in a helicopter flying in southern California has made national news as no one from the U.S. Government can lay claim to what caused the observed phenomena. NASA and DoD denied any kind of a missile launch and the FAA stated that they had not issued any commercial rocket launch clearance. Read More About It: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpps/news/pentagon-calls-mystery-missile-unexplained-dpgonc-20101109-fc_10541776 To me this is an aircraft contrail-optical illusion. High altitude contrails at sunset can take on unusual appearances. This makes more sense than believing that there was a missile lauch that no one knew about! Wanna' see a bigger mystery? Check out my blog on the blue light over Centreville that took place last week.......still scratching my head over that one! SkyGuy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Well, how are you doing adjusting to Standard Time? We officially ended Daylight Savings Time on 11-7-10  at 0200 so it is darker earlier. Of course that means there is more "night" available to look at the sky. We are also losing several minutes of daylight each day as we get closer to the start of winter which occurs on the winter solstice, December 21st. The constellations of summer are fading into the sky glow in the west after sunset and the fall constellations are prominent now as darkness falls.  For you early risers the stars you see in the south before it starts getting light are the beauties of winter. The really bright star you see in Sirius. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Check out this video at WTTG Fox 5: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/virginia/video-blue-colored-ufo-in-centreville-110410 It definitely is an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO). I can tell you with absolute certianty that it is NOT an astronomical object, probably not an airplane or weather related. What does that leave to explain what is een? Not much.... To be seen on a cell phone camera at all it has to be bright and it does move relative to the foreground objects. What gets me is the color - that blue is something else. Leaves out candles on a flying baloon.... Don't know what it is......the true meaning of a UFO. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Today's launch attempt for Discovery was scrubbed due to a hydrogen leak at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP and a detected crack in the foam insulation of the External Tank. The earliest launch attempt will be November 30th. STS-133 is taking spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station. Read More About It: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html Sky Guy In VA

 Deep Impact/EPOXI did it! The 465 mile close approach to Comet Hartley 2 was a complete success. Data was received and is being processed and examined. By all accounts only the 5th close encounter with a comet ever that happened today will provide new insights on these fascinating solar system formation leftovers. Read All About It: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/index.html Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Discovery's launch was postponed for a day with launch for Mission STS-133 to the International Space Station (ISS) now set for Nov. 4th. We also have the rendezvous of the Deep Impact/EPOXI spacecraft with Comet Hartley 2 on the same day. You can details on STS-133 at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/  and on Deep Impact/EPOXI - Hartley 2 at http://epoxi.umd.edu/   We will be monitoring these missions tomorrow and will share thoughts tomorrow night. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! We had a grand time at GMU Observatory last night as 65 star gazers showed up and braved the chilly air to see a variety of objects. We looked at a star cluster, a globular cluster, a spiral galaxy, an Iridium Flare and constellations. We tried to see the International Space Station (ISS) but it was too low in the sky and was blocked by tall trees. ISS  marks its 10th anniversary today and tomorrow Space Shuttle Discovery will launch on mission STS-133 to take supplies and equipment to ISS. ISS will be getting its own robotnaut to help in Station operations and upkeep. Read More About It: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/10years.html Let's hope we get some favorable flyovers so we can see Discovery and ISS in their orbital chase to rendezvous. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Any Saturn lovers out there? Saturn is slowly making her way higher in the pre-dawn sky as the month progresses. Take a look at this link and enjoy the incredible views of the ringed planet courtesy of NASA's Cassini mission; http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/cassini_equinox/cassini_equinox_slideshow.html SkyGuyinVA

November Skies Planets grace the evening and morning sky this month. There are several skywatching events this month that will allow Space Place’ers to get out and enjoy the sky, including one that I will be participating in. Join me at George Mason University Observatory on Monday, November 1st at 7:00 p.m. Check here for more details and weather status http://physics.gmu.edu/~hgeller/observing.html . Tune into NASA for the scheduled last launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on the 3rd and the rendezvous of the Deep Impact/EPOXI spacecraft with Comet Hartley on the 4th. You can follow these missions at http://www.nasa.gov/ . Skywatching Highlights Mercury moves low into the western sky during the first week of November and by the end of the month it is still pretty low to the horizon. Brilliant Venus begins to grace the morning sky in the east before dawn as the month begins. Venus will start out low in the east-southeast early in the month but will climb higher each day. Because...

Hey Space Placers! The past two days have really reminded us of the power of Mother Nature.The planet had a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, causing a tsunami; there was also a volcano blowing its top; the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded in the U.S. occurred yesterday and the weather in the midwest yesterday was the worst in 70 years. I have told my students that we exist on this planet only because the climate and geology of the planet allow it. Change the geological or climatological conditions that exist today and there will be a possible impact on humanity. Civilization really has a pretty narrow band of conditions in which it can survive, let alone thrive. Humans have to realize that we live in a very special place and time on this planet. It can change at any moment - comet/asteroid impact, super volcano eruption, climate change. Some day perhaps humanity will appreciate the gift we have in this planet..... Sky Guy in Beautiful VA

Hey Space Placers! This week will be an excellent one to view the International Space Station (ISS)  if the skies are clear. Check out this website and provide your location to get accurate sighting times: http://www.heavens-above.com/  You can also see when Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Shuttle (when on orbit) pass your way. Another feature to look at is "Iridium Flares". These big comm satellites have huge solar panels which catch the Sun's rays and "flare" into brilliance for a few seconds. They are quite stunning when they occur and can be a 100x brighter than Venus! Be sure to check the site out and set it up for your observing location. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I apologize if this is seemingly too basic, but a number of students and the public were not aware of the following. When we look up at the night sky we see two basic type of objects - stars and solar system objects. The stars we see, just like the Sun, are visible because they are producing light and energy by the process of nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission, which is what powers our reactors and nuclear bombs, makes energy by breaking apart atoms. In nuclear fusion, the temperature and pressure at the core of a star is significant enough to fuse hyrogen atoms (and others) together and thereby make new elements plus energy. All of the solar system objects except for meteors, are visible because they are reflecting sunlight off of their surfaces. Regarding meteors, we do not see the actual meteoroid body but rather the ionized trail in the atmosphere caused by the tremendous heat of entering the Earth's atmopshere. The planets, their moons as well a...

Hey Space Placers! Make sure you get outside tonight and check the Full Moon. Because it is the first Full Moon after the Harvest Moon it is traditionally known as the Hunter's Moon. The name comes from the fields being harvested and therefore bare which would make it easy for hunters by the light of a brilliant Full Moon to hunt game. This was in a time when farmers and others would try to get fresh game for dinner. Also, check out my on air interview with WTOP radio about yesterday's lunar news: http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=92&sid=595567&page=1 I hope to have a pic for you. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Fellow Space Placers! The Moon is my favorite object and place in the Universe. I have been captured by its' beauty and potential utility for the human race for many decades. I grew up during Apollo and participated in several amateur lunar observing projects back in the late 60's. It remains my favorite observing and photography object. In June 2009 I wrote a feature article for Sky and Telescope Magazine on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission that was launched that month to the Moon. This two-for-one mission was unique in that two separate spacecraft were launched with the same launch vehicle, an Atlas V, and were headed for the same destination - the Moon. LCROSS was designed to shepherd the spent Centaur upper stage to the Moon and direct it to slam into a pre-selected lunar crater at one of the lunar poles. The idea was to kick up enough lunar regolith (soil) from deep within the perpetual dar...

Hey Space Placers! Comet Hartley 2 passed Earth today, October 20th, at a distance of 11 million miles. Observer reports indicate that the comet's coma (gaseous envelope) has gotten large but still remains dim. The near full moon interferes with observing the comet but it can be seen with binoculars and telescopes - it all depends on the Moon and local sky conditions of light pollution. If you are familiar with the sky here is a star chart to help you find the comet: http://stardate.org/sites/default/files/mediacenter/comet_hartley_chart_tif_15541.tif It will be tough to see the comet with the Full Moon on Friday, the 22nd. I would recommend trying to look for it when the Moon is out of the sky, and you get a little more time to look before the Moon comes up starting on the 23rd. I will be looking myself if the clouds ever end up clearing out. Let me know if you have any luck. All systems are still GO for the EPOXI-Hartley 2 rendezvous. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! If you see a break in the clouds tonight be sure to look for the almost Full Moon. That big, bright "star"  below it is the planet Jupiter. The two will waltz across the sky and set in the west a few hours before dawn. Enjoy! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Wanna' know how many times I have been "clouded out" from an astronomical gotta' see? TOO MANY TIMES, that's how many!!! But the pursuit of the sky goes with the weather (weax as I call it) unless you happen to be a radio astronomer who can observe day and cloudy night. My relief for such times is to make the most of reading or surfin' the astronomical related 'net. I want to give you a list of my astro-faves that I check on a daily basis. Of course my blog is on this list so you know how to get to it ;-) http://www.nasa.gov/     Main NASA site with science and mission updates http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/   Astronomy Picture of the Day is a mainstay classic http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/   for fellow lunatics like me, all things lunar http://climate.jpl.nasa.gov/    global warming DOES EXIST; check this out and see for yourself http://www.skyandtelescope.com/   the grand-daddy of them all when it comes to astronom...

Hey Space Placers, Asteroids have been in the news lately and now one of their icy relatives, Comet Hartley 2, is making a big splash in the astronomical and spaceflight communities – including our very own University of Maryland (UMD). This comet will not be a crowd pleaser as Comet Hale-Bopp was back in the late ‘90’s as it will be barely visible in the night sky. But that doesn’t mean it will not be of immense historical and scientific importance. Comets are the left over debris, along with asteroids, from the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. These two classes of solar system objects are thought to be related as comets and asteroids can exhibit characteristics indicative of one another. Some asteroids could be "dead" comets in that they have lost all of the volatile and icy material that makes up comets while some comets are covered with significant layers of dust. Just recently two asteroids were found to contain water, a major component of comets...

Hey Fellow Space Placers! If you have any questions or you want to write to me please do so by either leaving a comment or dropping me a line at skyguyinva@gmail.com . I can also make public appearances before school groups or organizations. This Monday, October 18th,  you can join me and George Mason University astronomers at the Observatory at 7:30 p.m. if the sky is clear. Check out this link for more details:  http://today.gmu.edu/53352 . We will have several telescopes available to look at the gibbous Moon, Jupiter and some pretty deep sky objects. GMU expects to have its new 32-inch telescope completed by the end of the year which will be the largest  aperture telescope on a college campus in Virginia and possibly in the U.S. Please join us! Although you don't need a telescope to enjoy the sky, it sure opens up a whole new perspective - literally. It takes time and effort to figure out what type of telescope - if any - you want to buy. But it is a real treas...

Since we have been talking about asteroids the past two days, check this out..... Look at this sci-fi-ish photo: Astronomers think that HST has captured detailed images of what happens when two space rocks (asteroids) collide. The images were taken over a period of time and show the changes occuring within the collision remnant. After some detective work astronomers think the collision occurred early last year and involved a smaller asteroid slamming into a larger one. The discovery photos looked all the world like a comet but HST showed the bizzarre and never before seen "X" pattern which ruled out the object being a comet. The astro-collision took place in the busy solar system byway of the asteroid belt where millions of space rocks orbit the Sun. Such collisions are thought to take place about once a year but this is the first ever photo of such an event. Astronomers will look in on this "X-File" object next year to see how the crash scene is progr...

NASA NEO Graphic showing the path of 2010 TD54 With additional observations the path of today's (Oct 12th) close flyby of mini-asteroid 2010 TD54 was refined. Singapore was the area where closest approach took place at 6:50 a.m. EDT. The space rock passed at a distance of 27, 960 miles above the surface of our planet. 2010 TD54 was discovered on October 9th at 3:55 a.m. EDT) during a routine sky patrol by a telescope of the NASA-sponsored Catalina Sky Survey north of Tucson, Arizona. NASA has several telescopes dedicated to finding Nearth Earth Objects (NEO's) that could pose a threat to our planet.   Although this space rock did not pose a threat to our planet, it still carried quite a punch. If it had entered our atmosphere it would have probably disintegrated into pieces that might have survived to become meteorites. It also could have exploded high in the atmosphere with the force of a small nuclear detonation or the equivalent of tens of thousands of ton...

Hey Space Placers, By the time you probably read this we will have had a close, and I mean CLOSE, flyby of a 10 meter or so asteroid - a space rock. Named 2010 TD54 this chunk of debris left over from the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago will whiz by between 33,000 and 40,000 miles above our planet at 6:14 a.m. EDT, October 12th. 2010 TD54 was discovered by astronomers just a few days ago while on telescopic sky patrol looking for rocks just like this that could pose an impact threat. Fortunately this asteroid will miss us completely. A 10 meter or 33-foot spacerock would probably survive entry into our atmosphere and make a heck of a fireball in the sky. In all likelihood an object that size would breakup into fragments that would impact the Earth as meteorites. Based on whether this was an iron or stone asteroid would determine how big the surviving fragments would be.... and what kind of damage they would cause. This space rock's fragments could possibly c...

Hey Space Placers! The sky will be clear tonight and I am getting my 10-inch Takahashi Mewlon telescope out. I will be observing and hopefully photographing Jupiter, Comet Hartley and a few other items of interest. If any pics turn out I will share. Do you have a telescope? Do you want to get one? Share your telescope and or what you want to get. Sky Guy in Va

A good friend and colleague of mine sent me the following question: "I have always been fascinated with "Space' and questions such as "Where does the Universe begin and where does it end?" Any comment? Here is what I sent back to him and I thought I would share it with you: Yeah, space is something else and it challenges us. Beyond the "big questions" it is so beautiful and peaceful to enjoy. The questions you ask are indeed "big" and I will try to give you a simple answer. Our current best theory is that the Universe is 13.7 billion years old - having been created in an event we call the "Big Bang" - the moment in which all space and time erupted from literally out of nothing. Was there anything before the Big Bang? Some say this is a non-sensical question as the Big Bang created everything from a single event....others pursue the question on a purely mathematical basis. The end of the Universe is a vexing question as we are s...

Hey Space Placers! Want to know "What's Up" for October?????? Check out all the sky and Earth-based happenings for the month at my WTOP column, http://www.wtop.com/?nid=421.

Look up - safely ;-) - to enjoy the night sky. Skywatching in its simplest form is what human beings have been doing since they first stood erect eons ago. They would have huddled together at night for warmth and safety. In a sky free of light pollution thousands of what we know to be stars would have been visible. And our own Miky Way Galaxy would have been quite a sight to them. They didn't know what it was they were seeing but the same astronomical objects we see today, so did they. The sky of then is not significantly different from our sky of now except for light pollution in metrpolitan areas. Did they wonder at night by moonlight? What did they think of when they saw the source of light and warmth disappear and the dark and cool begin to prevail? Solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers, fireballs and bright comets must have been either wondrous or terrifying to our ancestors.  Today we have the luxury of knowledge about the Universe and nigh...

Dear Reader, This is my first post for my very own blog! I am sharing with you, future readers, what I hope I will accomplish - open a link between you and I so we can share the Universe together. You have questions, I will hopefully have the answers. News about NASA missions, things happening in the day and night sky, my own sky pics, will all be here. The Universe is ours to enjoy and explore! Clear Skies! Greg