What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! Ready for spring, yet? You do not have long to wait as the change in seasons astronomically occurs on March 20th at 7:21 p.m. EDT. I say “astronomically” because with the way our weather has been lately who knows what Mother Nature has in store for us. Notice the “EDT”? Yes, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) begins on the 13th at 2 a.m. All of this adds up to more daylight which is why we are now holding our public observing sessions at George Mason University (GMU) Observatory starting at 7:00 p.m., 9 March and then 8:30 p.m. on the 23rd. These sessions are free and open to the public. I have been very happy to see a large number of families attending. I hope to see you there. Read More About It: http://physics.gmu.edu/~hgeller/observing.html Skywatching Highlights The Earth undergoes a change in seasons at the Vernal Equinox as spring occurs in the Northern Hemisphere and it becomes fall in the southern hemisphere. Day and night would be almost equal in length ...

Hey Space Placers! In the hours before dawn on the 28th and 1 March, make sure you view the beautiful sight of the waning crescent Moon and brilliant Venus in the southeastern sky. Unless you are completely cloudy, it is worth taking a look as the two brightest objects in the night sky will be gliding by one another. If you have binoculars use them to look at the Moon as there may be Earthshine present - the illuminating of the dark portion of the Moon by the reflection of sunlight off our planet's clouds and oceans. This is always a pretty sight. In the DC area you can spot them about a fist-width above the horizon at 5:45 a.m. They will get higher in the sky as time goes on but the sky will begin to brighten after 6:15 a.m. You can spot them until it is almost dawn.  Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! You HAVE to check out this website: http://nasatech.net/ Absolutely incredible pictures are posted that make you feel as though you are there on the launch pad. You can scroll any way you want to get the view you want. The pictures are very clear and allow us to see Discovery (and the other shuttles on the page) as you never will. I found myself going through them all and taking my time in doing so. Enjoy the views and take your time.....it is time well spent. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I hope you watched the beautiful lift-off of Space Shuttle Discovery today. It is the last time we will ever see her do so.  Off on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver supplies, a large storage container and a Robonaut, Discovery will link up to the ISS in 2 days. Upon her return to Earth, Discovery will be stripped and sold to a museum somewhere. There are 2 shuttle missions left if NASA can get the funding for the flight this summer. The end of the 30-year era of the Space Shuttle is fast approaching. Follow the mission here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html/ On a personal note I saw Discovery in December on the launch pad and the pictures I took of her will join those I have of Endeavour and Challenger....personal treasures beyond compare. I will be watching for viewing opportunities of the ISS so we can all wave at a million plus pounds of spacecraft, 12 humans and a Robonaut! Sky Guy in V...

Hey Space Placers! We had 45 people show up tonight to look through our Meade 12" -the 32" should be in place in a month or so. We looked at Juipter through the trees and saw all 4 main moons plus the rejuvinated south equatorial belt. We had our crowd spent time "under the dome" and gave them the somewhat unsettling experience of watching the sky turn as the dome moves. We discussed stellar birth as the saw the new-born stars in the stellar nursery of the Orion Nebula. We tried to see the Crab Nebula - a supernova remnant but it couldn't be seen. A real crowd pleaser was looking at brilliant Sirius - the brightest star in the night time sky - got a lot of ohhhs and awwws out of that view. Everyone that was there got a free monthly star chart and sky calendar. We finished up by looking at the winter constellations and showing our skyguests how to pick out some winter favorites like Oprion and Taurus. I hope you will show up in two weeks. Sky Guy ...

Hey Space Placers! Discovery, the oldest space shuttle, is GO for launch on Feb. 24th at 4:50 p.m. EST, on her last scheduled mission. STS-133 will go to the International Space Station (ISS) and deliver supplies, parts and a new ISS crewmember - a non-human one at that (see my earlier blog on Robonaut 2). You can read about the STS-133 mission here: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/514136main_STS133_Fact_Sheet_2-1-11.pdf Hope to see you at GMU Observatory on 2-23-11 at 7 p.m.! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! This Wednesday, 23 February at 7 pm, weather permittng, the Observatory at George Mason University will be open to the public. We will have telescopes and astronomers and yours truly there for enjoying the sky and looking through telescopes at a variety of objects. Check out this link for more information: http://physics.gmu.edu/~hgeller/observing.html Hope to see you there! Sky Guy in VA