What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! Get out those calendars and mark them for May 20th, 2012 - the date of an annular eclipse of the Sun. In an annular eclipse the New Moon cannot completely cover the Sun so a "ring of fire" - actually just the Sun's surface that is not eclipsed - is seen. The viewing area for the eclipse is primarily the western U.S. and all of the details can be seen here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/27jan_annulareclipse/ . I travelled to Michigan from VA and back the SAME DAY - about 20 hours total, to see my first ever eclipse back in 1994. It was pretty impressive and I had to find a hole in the clouds as my first site was great until clouds started moving in less than an hour to go. I took down all of my equipment and searched for a spot free of clouds. I got set up just as the eclipse began. I have slides of that eclipse. I haven't decided if I am going to drive for this one....may wait for the total solar eclipse that occu...

Hey Space Placers! The dommsdayers and the 2012'ers are trying to use Comet Elenin as the comet of doom. Relax......the comet will pass 22 million miles from us at closest approach this October. Won't be able to hang the end of the world on this interloper from space. Read More ABout It: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-255 Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Several MAJOR news outlets are picking up a news article that says Earth will have two suns in 2012. Well I gotta' tell you I was amazed to read these articles and dreaded the effect it would have on people reading them. The story centers on the red giant star Betelgeuse going supernova - exploding - in 2012 and becoming bright enough "so that there are 24 hours of sunlight", hence the 2 suns. Well, couple that with the doomsday poppycock of 2012 and there you have it - a story to go viral on the 'net just like the Mars hoax that blossoms EVERY year in August. The Mars hoax dates back to August 2003 and said that Mars will be as big as the Full Moon. I get questions about it every year...... Betelgeuse WILL go supernova some day and become very bright but will NOT become a second sun - no way, no how. It MAY become bright enough for a few weeks to a month to be visible during daylight hours right after it explodes as it is about 600 light year...