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October 28, 2009

Asteroid Explodes Over Indonesia

INDONESIAN ASTEROID:  Earlier this month, with no warning, a ~10-meter
wide asteroid hit Earth's atmosphere above Indonesia and exploded. The
break-up was so powerful, it triggered nuclear test ban sensors
thousands of kilometers away. A just-released analysis of infrasound
data shows that the asteroid detonated with an energy equivalent of
about 50 kton of TNT, similar to a small atomic bomb.  This
significant impact has received relatively little attention in Western
press.

http://astronomy-for-beginners.blogspot.com/

Filed under  //   Astronomy for beginners  

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October 25, 2009

Big Sunspot

BIG SUNSPOT: The sun is showing signs of life. Sunspot 1029 emerged
over the weekend, and it is crackling with B- and C-class solar
flares.  The active region's magnetic polarity identifies it as a
member of new Solar Cycle 24. If its growth continues apace, sunspot
1029 could soon become the biggest sunspot of 2009.  MONDAY NIGHT SKY
SHOW: When the sun sets on Monday, Oct. 26th, go outside and look
south. Jupiter and the Moon are converging for a beautiful
conjunction. The bright pair can been seen even through thinly-clouded
skies and city lights. Don't miss it!

Filed under  //   Astronomy for beginners  

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February 22, 2009

Comet Lulin and Saturn Coincidence - Feb. 24, 2009

COINCIDENCE of the cosmos.
 
The odds are staggering. On Tuesday, February 24th, Saturn and Comet
Lulin converge in the constellation Leo only 2 degrees apart. At the
same time, Comet Lulin will be making its closest approach to Earth,
showing itself at its best as four of Saturn's moons transit the disk
of the ringed planet in view of backyard telescopes for Amateur Astronomers.
Oh, and the Moon will be new, providing dark skies for anyone who
wishes to see the show.
 
The best time to look is around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning (your local
time) when the planet-comet combo ascend high in the southern sky. To
the unaided eye, Comet Lulin looks like a faint patch of gas floating
next to golden Saturn. Point your backyard telescope at that patch and
you will see a lovely green comet with a double tail.
 
Geographic Notes: Comet Lulin is visible from all parts of the
globe--all longitudes and both hemispheres. Directions are reversed in
the southern hemisphere; there the comet is located in the northern
sky around 1 am. Saturn is globally visible, too, but the special
quadruple transit of Saturn's moons starting around 3 a.m. PST on Feb.
24th is visible only to observers around the Pacific Rim.

Filed under  //   Amateur Astronomy   Astronomy for beginners   Comet Lulin   Saturn  

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