3,2,1, Blast Off!

[Lily Adams]

Are there any astronomers/astronauts/lovers of the night sky or space, experienced or otherwise? Here's the thread to talk about the incredible beauty of space and the night sky and our exploration of it. (Maybe we can have a debate on the exploration part? :D) What's your favorite planet? Star? Galaxy? As for me, I like binary systems. They're neat and interesting to look at. It's been said that we might actually be a binary system, too! Now wouldn't that be somethin'?

What inspired me to start this topic was the launch of the Dawn spacecraft today, which will travel to the asteroid belt and explore.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html

I also adore astronomy, and one of my favorite space missions in history are the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts because they explored so much and they are now so far away! Not to mention they have mesages on them for and being that may encounter them! Voyager 1, which is the farthest man-made craft out in space, has entered the heliosheath and is on it's way to outer, OUTER space. :D And it still is sending transmissions!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program

Oh and has anyone seen the Cosmos series by Carl Sagan? It's a favorite of mine, and I own it. :D

Woo, I'm getting so pumped up. Who shares one of my passions? The film Contact and Carl Sagan's other work (like Cosmos :D) got me all into this stuff when I was around 11 and I've loved it ever since. It'd be neat to actually contact other beings with radio, wouldn't it?

Sorry about my over-enthusiasm, ha ha.

Apologies if there is already a thread on this. :)

[papayahed]

One of my favorite T-Shirts is the Mercury Seven I got at Kennedy Space Center.

I'd say my favorite mission is the Mars Rover, I stayed home and watched most of the day when that thing landed. It was some holiday and I was suppossed to be somewhere but I showed up really late.

[Shalot]

Astronomy was one of things that I always wanted to take an interest in but never found the time. However, I do love StarDate on NPR. It comes on every day at 9 am and they talk about what's visible in the night sky and give you little facts and tidbits about the stars and galaxies.

And I swear, today (while at work)i think I heard a little news blurb about scientists picking up radio waves from a billion light years away. I am trying to find today's programming to see if i can find a link.

Anyway, I am probably not as well-informed as you are but I love to hear science-made-easy facts and tidbits about it.

[Lily Adams]

One of my favorite T-Shirts is the Mercury Seven I got at Kennedy Space Center.

I'd say my favorite mission is the Mars Rover, I stayed home and watched most of the day when that thing landed. It was some holiday and I was suppossed to be somewhere but I showed up really late.

Oh, neato! I need some kind of astronomy geek shirt, I really do.

:lol: Time flies when you become intrigued with something...speaking of Mars, I remember a year ago or so I got really obsessed with the planet Mars, and I remember being really mad that I didn't get into the planet earlier because just a year before that Mars was really close to us and won't be that close in fifty bajillionty years Oh well. :p I like the names of it's moons, Phobos and Deimos...fear and panic...


Astronomy was one of things that I always wanted to take an interest in but never found the time. However, I do love StarDate on NPR. It comes on every day at 9 am and they talk about what's visible in the night sky and give you little facts and tidbits about the stars and galaxies.

I've never heard of that! :0 I should look it up! I do, however, watch the NASA channel every once and a while to see what's going on with them.


And I swear, today (while at work)i think I heard a little news blurb about scientists picking up radio waves from a billion light years away. I am trying to find today's programming to see if i can find a link.

Are you cereal? CEREALLY?! I'll look it up, too...that is great!

EDIT: Found an article about it! :D http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2741800120070927


"We think it has got to be some sort of catastrophic event happening in another galaxy -- like two stars colliding and merging or maybe a black hole. Something kind of exotic," she said.

It is, however, unlikely to be the extraterrestrial equivalent of "I Love Lucy" or other radio or television broadcast.

:( No aliens. Oh well.



Anyway, I am probably not as well-informed as you are but I love to hear science-made-easy facts and tidbits about it.

Don't say that. :) I'm just a kid...I promise you I would have failed my physics class last year if we weren't graded on a curve. And physics is a major part of astronomy.

But you should see the Cosmos series, then, if you haven't. Science (especially physics and astronomy) made easy.

[Shalot]

Okay, I found it (good to know I wasn't dreaming!)

Here's an excerpt;

Strong Extragalactic Radio Burst Poses a Mystery
by Joe Palca

All Things Considered, September 27, 2007 · Sometimes, what seems like a remarkable scientific discovery turns out to be an error in the data. And other times, it leads to a Nobel Prize. A new research paper in the new edition of the journal Science epitomizes that uncertainty.

Astronomers report seeing an extremely bright, extremely powerful radio burst from far outside of our galaxy. They can't recall seeing anything like it before — and they have no idea what caused it.

The story begins in 2001, when astronomers pointed the Parkes radio telescope in Australia at the Small Magellanic Cloud. The cloud is really a galaxy about 200,000 light years away. The astronomers were looking for pulsars, spinning neutron stars that pour out rhythmic bursts of energy.

After the survey was over, Duncan Lorimer of West Virginia University got hold of the data from the telescope. Just for fun, he started analyzing the data a different way, by screening out signals from relative close-in objects like the pulsars in the Magellanic cloud, and focusing instead on objects much farther away — as far as a billion light years away.

Lorimer asked an undergraduate, David Narkevic, to help him. This past winter, on one of their weekly meetings, Narkevic showed him a graph of data collected on August 24, 2001.

"When he showed me this, you know, it looks, it looks quite interesting," Lorimer said. "And I said, 'Yeah, you bet,' it's very interesting, we've never seen anything like this before."

The graph showed an extremely strong radio signal lasting approximately five thousandths of a second.

"So, we got very excited when we saw that," Lorimer said. "It is so bright, it jumps off the page."

Lorimer scoured the data for any other bursts from the same spot, but there were none. He checked to see if any other telescopes spotted something in that part of the sky at the same time as his radio pulse. Again, nothing.

So he is stuck with one remarkable event. But he predicts that a search through previous radio telescope surveys will turn up more.

"There should be a number of them also present in other archival surveys. And we're currently in the process of looking for those events," Lorimer said.

When asked about the case, Lorimer admits to uncertainty. Still, he said he hopes that "when the results are in-house, that it'll get people thinking about new types of phenomena."

And they have started to do just that. Brad Schaefer is an astronomer at Louisiana State University.

"This could be just a version of something we've already thought of," Schaefer said. "Or it could be something completely new that no one has any idea of what it could be, yet."

Schaefer says this is the kind of thing astronomers live for.

"It could be due to a black hole-neutron star collision," he said. "Or perhaps a neutron star-neutron star collision. Or perhaps even a black hole-black hole collision, far off in a distant galaxy. Well, a billion light years away."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14778839


Okay, I think i did that right. The moderators will let me know if I didn't.

[papayahed]

Oh, neato! I need some kind of astronomy geek shirt, I really do.

:lol: Time flies when you become intrigued with something...speaking of Mars, I remember a year ago or so I got really obsessed with the planet Mars, and I remember being really mad that I didn't get into the planet earlier because just a year before that Mars was really close to us and won't be that close in fifty bajillionty years Oh well. :p I like the names of it's moons, Phobos and Deimos...fear and panic...


I went to the planetarium to view Mars. They had ~ 10 telescopes set up it was pretty neat until it got close to my turn and Mars went behind some trees..we had to wait about 20 minutes for it to come out the other side.

Have you seen that Tom Hanks documentary From the earth to the moon? I haven't but I've been meaning too....

[Pensive]

Night sky? In summer nights, whenever I slept outside I would look at the sky and count stars. My favourite planet? Well, I like Earth the most but by the sounds of it Plato looks cool too. I mean come on, extreme cold. And I LOVE cold. Freezing cold. Aha, I wish I could visit Plato for once...

[amalia1985]

I made a high-school project once--many years agooooo-about Space.
My favourite planet has always been Venus-seriously, no laughs-I remember watching the little red spot, next to the setting Sun for the first time, when I was carrying the research for that project...

[TheFifthElement]

Oh I love astronomy! I have a telescope which I don't get to use very often because it's big and heavy and it takes aeons to set up. I love looking at the moon through the telescope, because you can see all the craters, and it's so huge that you have to look at it in quarters.

My favourite planet is, of course, Earth (how could you love any planet more than this one?), but next in line is Saturn. We've looked at both Jupiter and Saturn through the telescope and it's just amazing! Saturn was so beautiful with the rings being clearly visible, and it's a lovely shade of pale yellow. Lovely :)

When my son was born I wanted to give him the name Deimos for his middle name, but my husband wouldn't let me!

Pensive - Pluto isn't considered to be a planet anymore - it was declassified and is now a planetoid. Officially there are only 8 planets now in the Solar system.

[papayahed]

http://www.mentalfloss.com/store/product.php?productid=16194&cat=103&page=1:


http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/5774/74695830se5.png

[Starving Buddha]

What I find most interesting is the mirror reflection of outer space with inner space. Planetary orbits are analogous to electrons orbiting around an atomic nucleus. Above as below, on earth as it is in heaven. One day I had a little mini-epiphany: I saw the act of conception (sperm fertilizing egg) as analogous to a meteor carrying cosmic molecules (componants of life) plunging into the primordial sea of the ovum (earth) as anolgous to the seed that existed before the big bang, which was fertilized by some divine spark... It's all the same

[Lily Adams]

Have you seen that Tom Hanks documentary From the earth to the moon? I haven't but I've been meaning too....

I think I've seen bits and pieces of it, but not the whole thing. :(


When my son was born I wanted to give him the name Deimos for his middle name, but my husband wouldn't let me!

Hey, you're that neat FSM person...what are you called now? FSMians? XD
Okay, to the point, whaaaaa? That is a cool middle name! Why not? :bawling: I'm sorry.


I love that, Papaya. :D



What I find most interesting is the mirror reflection of outer space with inner space. Planetary orbits are analogous to electrons orbiting around an atomic nucleus. Above as below, on earth as it is in heaven. One day I had a little mini-epiphany: I saw the act of conception (sperm fertilizing egg) as analogous to a meteor carrying cosmic molecules (componants of life) plunging into the primordial sea of the ovum (earth) as anolgous to the seed that existed before the big bang, which was fertilized by some divine spark... It's all the same

:D :D :D

There is a theory that atoms are just universes. That's one of the reasons why I love astronomy so much. So many possibilities.

Wow, that is quite an ephiphany! I've never thought of that! :thumbs_up Thanks for sharing that, that's a fantastic thought!

[bluevictim]

Speaking of binary systems, my favorite is good ol' Polaris (aka the North Star), which I just read is actually a trinary system. It's always comforting to be able to (approximately) orient myself just by looking up at the night sky. Naturally, the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are among my favorite constellations (because they are the surest way to find Polaris).




One day I had a little mini-epiphany: I saw the act of conception (sperm fertilizing egg) as analogous to a meteor carrying cosmic molecules (componants of life) plunging into the primordial sea of the ovum (earth) as anolgous to the seed that existed before the big bang, which was fertilized by some divine spark... It's all the sameYou're not alone in finding inspiration in this analogy. A father heaven inseminating a mother earth is a theme common to many mythologies.

[Starving Buddha]

Speaking of binary systems, my favorite is good ol' Polaris (aka the North Star), which I just read is actually a trinary system. It's always comforting to be able to (approximately) orient myself just by looking up at the night sky. Naturally, the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are among my favorite constellations (because they are the surest way to find Polaris).



You're not alone in finding inspiration in this analogy. A father heaven inseminating a mother earth is a theme common to many mythologies.

Years ago I discovered Joseph Campbell... His work above all others inspired me. Mythologies the world over all deal with the same archetypal psymbols. The same psymbols found in dreams. Campbell explained that myths were a collective dream and dreams are a personal myth.

[TheFifthElement]

Hey, you're that neat FSM person...what are you called now? FSMians? XD
Okay, to the point, whaaaaa? That is a cool middle name! Why not? :bawling: I'm sorry.



Ha ha! We are known as Pastafarians.

It certainly would have been a cool name, but it got vetoed. His middle name is now Patrick - not quite the same although it could be argued that we retained the astronomical theme and named him after Patrick Moore!

I'm glad you started this thread LilyAdams, I so love the stars. My favourite constellation is Orion, when he's marching across the sky you know autumn has set in and we're in for a long cold season in which the nights are cold, crisp and dark - perfect sky watching weather.

Did you get to see the comet Hale-Bopp when it was around? The image of Hale-Bopp is probably permanently imprinted in my mind, I looked at it so often.

Then there was the Solar eclipse in 1999 - which was visible from UK. We went to watch it in Devon, and even though it was cloudy it was still the most wonderful experience, though the 3 hours we spent trying to get out of Devon afterwards wasn't much fun!

Wouldn't we get bored without the sky to look at? Everything about it is amazing!

Have you guys seen this?...

http://www.galaxyzoo.org

you can classify galaxies on the net!!!

[papayahed]

My favorite is Orion also, that was the first constellation I was able to identify on my own.

[Starving Buddha]

My favorite is Orion also, that was the first constellation I was able to identify on my own.

The Great Pyramid complex is laid out in accord with the Orion configuration... I am sure there are other correlations to Orion in other cultures as well. Probably the Olmecs, whom I have recently become fascinated with...

[papayahed]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071004/ap_on_re_eu/russia_sputnik_anniversary_1 :


MOSCOW - Russia on Thursday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik, which marked the dawn of the Space Age and sparked the race to land a man on the moon.

http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/physics/high_schools/2006/Space_Exploration/sputnik.jpg

[Lily Adams]

Ha ha! We are known as Pastafarians.

Oh, alrighty. XD I really do love that kind of stuff, you know. I'm a self-declared SubGenii even though I haven't coughed up my $30. The Man keeps taking away my money. :(


I'm glad you started this thread LilyAdams, I so love the stars. My favourite constellation is Orion, when he's marching across the sky you know autumn has set in and we're in for a long cold season in which the nights are cold, crisp and dark - perfect sky watching weather.

You're welcome. :) My favorite is Orion, too, because like Papaya it was the first one pointed out to me that I remember and it stuck with me and I could point it out, too.



Did you get to see the comet Hale-Bopp when it was around? The image of Hale-Bopp is probably permanently imprinted in my mind, I looked at it so often.

I was far too young to know what was going on in the year 1997. :(


Then there was the Solar eclipse in 1999 - which was visible from UK. We went to watch it in Devon, and even though it was cloudy it was still the most wonderful experience, though the 3 hours we spent trying to get out of Devon afterwards wasn't much fun!

I've never seen one of those, either! :( I remember a few month ago there was a lunar eclipse and where I live was supposed to be a really great place to see it, but I missed it! I was so angry! :flare:


Wouldn't we get bored without the sky to look at? Everything about it is amazing!

Indeed!


Have you guys seen this?...

http://www.galaxyzoo.org

you can classify galaxies on the net!!!

Oh, cool! I'm so signing up! That is NEAT. Thanks!



So I went out to a horse ranch a couple weeks ago, and it was in the hills and away from bright lights, and the night sky was GORGEOUS. I saw the Milky Way, which is a rare treat for me. So pretty. @_@

[AdoreroDio]

Lily you prolly never knew this about me but I do indeed love astronomy. In sixth grade I had sworn that I would grow up and become either an astronaut or someone who studied the stars. I miss living in a place other than this crowded city with all its lights because I used to sit on my porch and gaze up at the gorgeous night sky. When I lived in Kentucky I could see thousands of stars and easily pick out constellations. Now I look at the sky and am lucky to be able to see Orion's belt. I love stars but am not so much into the planets (though I really got into planets when the Pluto controversy came up. Poor Pluto. )^: ). I don't actually have a favorite, though without our solar system's star I wouldn't even be able to be typing right now so I would have to say the Sun.

[HoOkEdOnReAdInG]

anyone ever heard of BEST Robotics?
this year, we had to build a robot that could transport things in the most efficient way that could fit in a 2' by 2' by 2' box and weighed less than 24 lbs

[Lily Adams]

Lily you prolly never knew this about me but I do indeed love astronomy. In sixth grade I had sworn that I would grow up and become either an astronaut or someone who studied the stars. I miss living in a place other than this crowded city with all its lights because I used to sit on my porch and gaze up at the gorgeous night sky. When I lived in Kentucky I could see thousands of stars and easily pick out constellations. Now I look at the sky and am lucky to be able to see Orion's belt. I love stars but am not so much into the planets (though I really got into planets when the Pluto controversy came up. Poor Pluto. )^: ). I don't actually have a favorite, though without our solar system's star I wouldn't even be able to be typing right now so I would have to say the Sun.


No, you told me you silly head. :p You and your memory.

Yeah, but look at where we live! I'm sure Kentucky is beautiful, but California is gorgeous, too. I feel so fortunate. I love it here.

Poor Pluto? Like it has feelings? It really wasn't and isn't a planet.

Yeah, you'd be all, "AHHHHH IT'S COLD." and you'd die. :p



anyone ever heard of BEST Robotics?
this year, we had to build a robot that could transport things in the most efficient way that could fit in a 2' by 2' by 2' box and weighed less than 24 lbs

I LOVE robots. I'll have to look them up...

[AdoreroDio]

*rolls eyes* I know the planet doesn't have feelings but there is such thing as personification- it's an attribute to creative writing, you may have heard of it. Also just because one would freeze to death somewhere in space doesn't make it not a planet. You would freeze on any of the outer planets. What is your definition of a planet?

Anyways, California is gorgeous, and I love it but you can't see the stars very well and I hate that.

[TheFifthElement]

Also just because one would freeze to death somewhere in space doesn't make it not a planet. You would freeze on any of the outer planets. What is your definition of a planet?


Pluto was declassified because if, in astronomical terms, Pluto remained a planet then there was a whole lot of other 'planetoids' in the Solar System which would also have to have been classified as planets. Perhaps this would make learning about the Solar System difficult if you had to remember the names of 78 planets?!!




I was far too young to know what was going on in the year 1997. :(



I wish I was too young to know what was going on then too, but then I guess I would have missed hale-bopp and the eclipse so perhaps not. I was pregnant then. I now feel quite old :(




I've never seen one of those, either! :( I remember a few month ago there was a lunar eclipse and where I live was supposed to be a really great place to see it, but I missed it! I was so angry! :flare:



You should definitely watch a lunar eclipse, they are quite frequent. Prepare to be a little disappointed though, I was the first time I saw one perhaps because I was expecting too much. It's brilliant when the moon turns red though (like mhockenberry's avatar!).

[Lily Adams]

Here's a slight offshoot: physics!

Modern-day Carl Sagan: Michio Kaku (" http://www.mkaku.org/).

I like him. We're going to buy his new series, "Time". Soon, I hope.

Oh and Carl Sagan's birthday is coming up soon, too. :D

[TheFifthElement]

Michio Kaku is okay, but he's no Stephen Hawking ;)

Perhaps you could set up a 'vote for your favourite physicist' thread?!!

[papayahed]

Mark your calenders kids!!! This looks like it's gonna be a good one:


http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=6374

[Lily Adams]

Michio Kaku is okay, but he's no Stephen Hawking ;)

Perhaps you could set up a 'vote for your favourite physicist' thread?!!

Good idea! Maybe I shall sometime...

And thanks for the notice, papaya, I'll have to look for the shower on Friday!

[papayahed]

Doh!!!! It was cloudy and rainy the passed two nights - couldn't see a damn thing.

[Nightshade]

I discover recently that no matter how miserable I am seeing Orions belt always cheers me up, I think its classical condition I used to be able to see it all year round above my bedroom window so I see it and I feel calm...

Now I just want to be able to identify other constalations too...Ive also noticed that they change/ move... this far nortth ( not that we really that we really are that far north just a lot further north than Egypt )

[Lily Adams]

Have you guys seen this?...

http://www.galaxyzoo.org

you can classify galaxies on the net!!!

I've been classifying them like crazy today, now that I've finally remember that I have an account on there that I set up a looong time ago. All thanks to you. :D Thanks, Fifth!

I felt really nerdy today at lunch because I spent it on that website in the school library today. :lol:

[papayahed]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_on_sc/saturn_moon

[Lily Adams]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_on_sc/saturn_moon

:eek: AWESOME!!!!

[ClaesGefvenberg]

Are there any astronomers/astronauts/lovers of the night sky or space, experienced or otherwise? Yes! All of the above :thumbs_up How did I ever miss this thread? Ok, I know about it now.

Those who know me will already know that I am quite fond of good Science Fiction, but am also very interested in Science Fact (particularly concerning aviation and Space). People tell me that the sky is the limit, and I keep dreaming about spending time in Zero G, but barring commercial travel I have only made it up to 13.000ft agl (in a glider, after releasing the tow rope at 2.500ft). Oh, well... At least I used to create simulated zero G for a few seconds by putting the glider through a parabole, like in the infamous Vomit Comet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomit_Comet) Properly executed it would allow me to have a map or something floating in thin air, in front of me.

/Claes

[Lily Adams]

Yes! All of the above :thumbs_up How did I ever miss this thread? Ok, I know about it now.

Those who know me will already know that I am quite fond of good Science Fiction, but am also very interested in Science Fact (particularly concerning aviation and Space). People tell me that the sky is the limit, and I keep dreaming about spending time in Zero G, but barring commercial travel I have only made it up to 13.000ft agl (in a glider, after releasing the tow rope at 2.500ft). Oh, well... At least I used to create simulated zero G for a few seconds by putting the glider through a parabole, like in the infamous Vomit Comet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomit_Comet) Properly executed it would allow me to have a map or something floating in thin air, in front of me.

/Claes

:D

That is so cool!

Ha ha, Science Fact. My friend and I were saying that once after discussing the movie Contant. So would it be SciFa? I'd like more of that. But I love SciFi, too. :D :D :D I adore it. Best genre ever.

[papayahed]

Life on Mars:

http://moshie.blogspot.com/mars.bmp

[Lily Adams]

Life on Mars:

http://moshie.blogspot.com/mars.bmp

XD

I think that will be one of the first things to go over there if we ever colonize Mars.

[AdoreroDio]

hahahaha, I'm pretty sure you're right. That and then a Walmart.

[papayahed]

The Space Shuttle is coming! The Space Shuttle is coming!!




I hope. The shuttle is traveling from california to florida and if the weather works out it is supposed to stop at the air force base here! Last time I missed it due to work, fingers crossed this time.

Whoo Hooo!!! The shuttle just left Fort Worth headed this way!!!!!!

[papayahed]

Crap! Empire Strikes Back is on TV!! What's a girl to do.

[papayahed]

Now that was badass.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4180/img0486.jpg

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5135/img0483om.jpg

[Basil]

It's riding piggyback!

I saw the first shuttle launch after the Challenger disaster. Me and some friends ditched school, drove down to Fort Lauderdale, spent the night in some seedy motel, woke up the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Cape Canaveral. As I recall, we were running late and would have missed the whole thing, but luckily the launch was delayed by about an hour or so. It was an amazing sight. One interesting thing: although it seemed like we were fairly close to the pad, we were far enough away that it took more than a few seconds for the sound to reach us. So when the rocket boosters fired up and the whole launching pad seemed like it was engulfed in flame and there's steam and exhaust everywhere, it all happened in silence. Everyone was cheering, momentarily drowning out the countdown that someone was playing on the radio. THEN the sound of the launch hit us, and it was so loud and thunderous you literally couldn't hear the person next to you. Just a complete sonic blast.

[The Atheist]

Are there any astronomers/astronauts/lovers of the night sky or space, experienced or otherwise? Here's the thread to talk about the incredible beauty of space and the night sky and our exploration of it.

Great idea!

We are the astronomical family with a reasonably good telescope. The kids love it!

[papayahed]

I've always wanted to see a shuttle launch. The closest I've gotten was heading north on I-75 and seeing the launch way in the distance out the back window. It was too far to even bother to stop, but we could still see the steam and flames.

I'm hoping to catch the departure tomorrow.

[billl]

It's riding piggyback!

I saw the first shuttle launch after the Challenger disaster. Me and some friends ditched school, drove down to Fort Lauderdale, spent the night in some seedy motel, woke up the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Cape Canaveral. As I recall, we were running late and would have missed the whole thing, but luckily the launch was delayed by about an hour or so. It was an amazing sight. One interesting thing: although it seemed like we were fairly close to the pad, we were far enough away that it took more than a few seconds for the sound to reach us. So when the rocket boosters fired up and the whole launching pad seemed like it was engulfed in flame and there's steam and exhaust everywhere, it all happened in silence. Everyone was cheering, momentarily drowning out the countdown that someone was playing on the radio. THEN the sound of the launch hit us, and it was so loud and thunderous you literally couldn't hear the person next to you. Just a complete sonic blast.

Great story Basil, it is still surprising to me when I see kids hitting a baseball maybe a hundred yards or so away, with the (not so loud) sound of the bat arriving maybe a second late. Waiting a number of seconds and then being deafened, wow.

[papayahed]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/overview/index.html


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33226607/ns/technology_and_science-space/


ack, do you think they'll find brie or camembert??

[The Atheist]

This is an act of war!

Be warned, it will NOT be tolerated!

You pathetic humans shall soon find out what a full moon really means.

[papayahed]

Meteor Shower tonight!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33891078/ns/technology_and_science-space/?GT1=43001

[papayahed]

Big ol' moon tonight.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100129/sc_space/biggestandbrightestfullmoonof2010tonight

[applepie]

Big ol' moon tonight.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100129/sc_space/biggestandbrightestfullmoonof2010tonight

I'm going to have to look. Hopefully the clouds will hold off and not ruin the view. The moon is always somehow prettier in the fall and winter time

[kasie]

Wonderful view of the moon last night, Mars clearly visible as well, high tide in the estuary making a bright 'Dead Man's Candle' - the local name for the path of light from the moon reflected in the water, supposedly presaging a death if you see it, a creepy name for such a beautiful sight. But ten minutes later, the clouds rolled in and later in the evening we had snow - the moonlight over the snowy garden in the small hours was worth getting up to see however.

[papayahed]

doh! Cloud cover.


I'm going to have to look. Hopefully the clouds will hold off and not ruin the view. The moon is always somehow prettier in the fall and winter time

It is isn't it? I think it's a conspiracy that the best time for sky watching is in the coldest part of the year.

[ClaesGefvenberg]

"While we humans carry on with our daily lives down here on Earth, perhaps stuck in traffic or reading blogs, or just enjoying a Springtime stroll, a school-bus-sized spacecraft called Cassini continues to gather data and images for us - 1.4 billion kilometers (870 million miles) away". A friend of mine found this amazing set of pictures, and I just had to share it here:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/checking_in_on_saturn.html

/Claes

[billl]

Love those close-ups of the moons.

[papayahed]

Thanks Claes, those pics are freakin' awesome.

[papayahed]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/sts1/gagarin_anniversary.html

50th anniversary of the first man in space.

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/7154/146084mainyurig516.jpg (http://img251.imageshack.us/i/146084mainyurig516.jpg/)

[papayahed]

Visible from China to Texas:

http://www.space.com/15775-solar-eclipse-ring-fire-visible-today.html


I'm 20 minutes from Texas, I hope I can see a portion.

[JuniperWoolf]

I'm on the right side of the planet, but it might be too cloudy today.

[papayahed]

I caught about two minutes of it until the sun set.

[JuniperWoolf]

:( Is it eclipsing right now? Stupid clouds.

[Calidore]

I'm in the wrong area, but we did get a full-arc rainbow after a brief shower this evening. And you can look directly at rainbows.

[papayahed]

:( Is it eclipsing right now? Stupid clouds.

ya.



s5cr

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

s5cr

The view corridor fizzled out somewhere around Lubbock in west Texas, so no luck here on the eastern side.
10Gbigtex45

[papayahed]

NASA’s latest and greatest Mars rover, known as Curiosity, will attempt to land on Mars early Monday morning (or late Sunday night, depending on where you are on Earth). The landing is scheduled for 05:31 (UTC), which is Monday morning at 1:31am Eastern in the US, or 10:31pm Pacific time Sunday night. Because Mars is quite far from us, there will be a 14-minute delay before transmissions related to the landing will reach us — which will make the viewing party that much more of a nail-biter.

Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/136278#ixzz22igsBNjQ
--brought to you by mental_floss!

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Thanks for the reminder.
This mission almost got by me due to work deadlines.


Another reminder-August is Perseid Meteor shower month.

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

August 11, 12 and 13th are the peak nights.

excerpt
August 11, 12 and 13. The moon will be a waning crescent then, and the meteors should be flying at a rate closer to their peak of 50 or 60 meteors per hour. As an added treat – on August 11, 12 and 13 – the moon will be sweeping past the brightest planets Venus and Jupiter in the eastern predawn sky. You can’t ask for more!

[billl]

NASA’s latest and greatest Mars rover, known as Curiosity, will attempt to land on Mars early Monday morning (or late Sunday night, depending on where you are on Earth). The landing is scheduled for 05:31 (UTC), which is Monday morning at 1:31am Eastern in the US, or 10:31pm Pacific time Sunday night. Because Mars is quite far from us, there will be a 14-minute delay before transmissions related to the landing will reach us — which will make the viewing party that much more of a nail-biter.

Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/136278#ixzz22igsBNjQ
--brought to you by mental_floss!

Now about 40 minutes away from entry. After that, there'll be a delay, due to the need to bounce the info off a NASA satellite orbiting Mars (called Observer Odyssey), and then the data travels for 7 minutes through space to Earth. Various unknown factors could make the whole thing a mystery for as long as a few days, but with luck they'll know tonight, before 2AM EST, I guess...

you can "watch" live here:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/nasatv/

[billl]

Everything went great, and they even got a little photo of the horizon and sun with a rover wheel in the corner before the relay satellite's orbit went over the horizon and lost contact.

http://twitter.com/NASA/status/232350219700932608/photo/1/large

it's a VERY small thumbnail, but it isn't bad if you expand it.

[JuniperWoolf]

:banana: Hahaa, they did it! According to reddit there was only a 30% chance of success. More photos + article here (http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/08/06/mars-curiosity-nasa.html). Now let's see if the rock ever supported life, and conceivably could again. :p

[Charles Darnay]

It was a pretty intense few minutes, and then a wonderful space-nerd-hugfest!

The only downside to this whole thing is that there will probably be a lot of poor, HG Wells did it better without the technology, sci-fi. Hopefully some good ones, but I see a lot of bad ones coming.