BBC - Virtual telescope opens night sky
Tue, 13 May 2008 07:59:50 -0700 (PDT)
Twirling galaxies, exotic nebulae and exploding stars are now just a
mouse click away for amateur astronomers.
Microsoft has launched WorldWide Telescope, a free tool that stitches
together images from some of the best ground- and space-based
telescopes.
Collections include pictures from the Hubble and Spitzer ...
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Volunteers asked to help find dead spacecraft on Mars
Mon, 12 May 2008 14:17:33 -0700 (PDT)
Scientists have invited the public to trawl high-resolution images for
signs of NASA's Mars Polar Lander, which went silent on arrival at
Mars in 1999. Finding the wreckage might explain why the mission
failed.
"If we can find the Mars Polar Lander and be convinced we understand
what we're looking at, it might ...
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Astronomy and music
Sun, 11 May 2008 09:44:32 -0700 (PDT)
I have written often of the common ground between musical creativity
and astronomical thinking -
"I carry my thoughts about with me for a long time... before writing
them down... once I have grasped a theme. I shall not forget it even
years later. I change many things, discard others, and try again and
again un ...
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Test
Sat, 10 May 2008 08:56:03 +0100
Bye for now,
George Dingwall
Invergordon, Scotland
http://www.georgedingwall.co.uk ...
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Luminosity and Apparent Magnitude
Fri, 9 May 2008 14:51:17 -0400
Ok, so the brightness of a star is supposed to be proportional to the
luminosity / distance squared.
If a star's luminosity suddenly increases by 600 then the apparent magnitude
should be +600 (since the distance is unchanged), right?
Yet apparently the correct answer is that the apparent magnitude decreases ...
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Is there a hidden order to the Northern Lights?
Thu, 8 May 2008 14:00:22 -0700 (PDT)
The shifting, shimmering Northern Lights might be more ordered than
anyone realised. New observations suggest that, contrary to
expectations, some of the colourful light shows appear to be
polarised, with their electromagnetic waves lined up in a common
orientation.
If confirmed, the discovery will provide a po ...
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New Moon
Thu, 8 May 2008 16:51:22 +0200
Hi all,
a picture of the Moon at its first day.
This is a mosa?c of 14 frames, taken with a Toucam Pro at the prime focus of
my C8, with an IR-cut filter.
The picture is here : http://images.ciel.free.fr/Eversion/Moon/Moon1d.html
And also a picture of Earthshine at the same night, with some extra clouds
:) ...
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Did Anyone See...
Tue, 6 May 2008 23:28:17 +0100
23.15 - Rural SE Wales - I was walking with my dog when we were lit by
the lights of an oncoming car, or so I thought. But it wasn't. I
looked up to see the trail of the brightest meteorite I have ever seen
in my 61 years.
It appeared to come from the region of Cassiopeia and disappear in Leo.
Amazing!
...
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Nice images of the Green (and blue) flash
Tue, 6 May 2008 11:17:00 +0100
A recent press release from Cerro Paranal (home of the VLT) where local
staff have been photographing the Green Flash (last refracted rays of the
setting sun, or first rays of the rising sun):
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-12-08.html
Some nice pics, and possibly the best one I hav ...
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Astronomers Discover New Type of Pulsating White Dwarf Star
Mon, 5 May 2008 07:11:03 -0700 (PDT)
University of Texas (Austin) astronomers Michael H. Montgomery and
Kurtis A. Williams, along with Steven DeGennaro, have predicted and
confirmed the existence of a new type of variable star, with the help
of the 2.1-m Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory.
http://www.thefreereporter.net/newspr/2020203.ht ...
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