Perseids Meteor Shower (August 11-12)
On the night of August 13 and 14 the Perseids meteor shower will peak. It is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at the peak, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 to August 22.
Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower (July 28-29)
If you have missed the latest Monthly Stargazing Calendar, then this is a reminder that on the night of July 28 and 29, the Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower will peak. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak.
Monthly Stargazing Calendar for January 2012
On the night of January 3 to 4 the Quadrantids meteor shower will peak. It is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at the peak. The near first quarter moon will interfere with the show a little at first, but it will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what would then be a good show.
Monthly Stargazing Calendar for August 2011
This month on the 12 and 13 the Perseids Meteor Shower will peak. It is one of the best meteor showers to observe because it can produce up to 60 meteors per hour at the peak. You may also be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 to August 22.
Monthly Stargazing Calendar for April 2011
The Lyrids are an average meteor shower with about 20 meteors per hour at their peak on April 21 and 22. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower is most spectacular during the peak on April 21 and 22, but some meteors can still be spotted from April 16 to 25. The meteors will be radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Tether propulsion safety issues
The use of tethers in space poses many challenges and safety issues. This third part to the tether propulsion article will focus on those issues. A lot of the challenges and safety issues of a space tether system are similar to those of a space elevator described in a previous article, but some are unique to the space tether concept.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevator Safety Issues
The space elevator is a gigantic concept and as such it has many safety issues that would have to be resolved before construction begins. A space elevator would present a navigational hazard, both to aircraft and spacecraft.
Astronomy Picture of the Week – Leonid Meteor Shower
Today is the peak of the Leonid meteor shower. It is one of the best meteor showers to watch because it produces an average of 40 meteors per hour during the peak. All meteors seem to come from the Leo constellation, hence it’s name. This picture features a few meteors from the 2001 Leonid meteor shower streaking over Joshua Tree National Park in California, USA. Image credit & copyright: Wally Pacholka (Astropics) & Tony Hallas (Astrophoto) Unfortunately for me the weather is really bad where I live: it is really cloudy with intermittent rain. So I hope some of you had better luck!
Inflatable Space Stations
NASA is considering the use of inflatable modules for the International Space Station (ISS). This idea has been proposed as early as in the 1960s, but it has never been put to use in space until Bigelow Aerospace took over the idea and developed two working prototypes and tested them in space.
Dark Asteroids Discovered, Possible Threat to Earth
Dark asteroids near Earth, hard to spot but potential threats. WISE infrared telescope helps detect them. What's the risk of asteroid impact?
Possibilities for Life on Mars
An article was recently published by Scientific American, a very reputable science magazine, stating that evidence was found that life existed on Mars and was brought to Earth on a meteorite. The meteorite in question is called "Allan Hills 84001". It was blasted from Mars by a huge meteorite impact 16 million years ago and crashed on Earth 13,000 years ago.
