In Memoriam Nine years ago today, February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was returning from a routine research mission to study microgravity and Earth science with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during its 16 days in orbit, when it disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana. Although the [...]
In Memoriam Twenty six years ago I was on my way to class when I decided to watch the the Challenger launch at the Student Lounge in the Science Building at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Little did I know that the two dozen students in the lounge [...]
In Memoriam It was 44 years ago today that a fire in the cabin during a launch pad test at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members – Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee – and destroyed the Command [...]
CME IMPACT: As predicted by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, a CME hit Earth’s magnetic field on 24 January at ~1500 UT (9 am CST). A geomagnetic storm is brewing in the aftermath of the impact, but as this alert is being written it is too soon to [...]
One of the more prominent stars in the night sky and the brightest is α Canis Majoris, better known as Sirius or the “Dog Star. At a distance of 8.6 lightyears, Sirius is the fifth closest known star. It is a slightly bluish, white main sequence dwarf star of spectral [...]
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Astronomers and Star Gazers need a challenge when observing. Novices can be easily overwhelmed by long lists of challenging objects. Expert observers can be so focused on their projects, they easily can ignore the challenge provided by observing with different instruments. By presenting three objects in each of several different [...]
One the questions often posed to and by astronomers this time of year is “What was the Star of Bethlehem?” Was the Star of Bethlehem a real astronomical event? Was it a myth created by the early church? Or could it have been something else? The Star of Bethlehem is [...]
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Last Saturday morning NASA successfully launched the Mars Science Laboratory, called Curiosity, towards Mars. If you missed the launch itself here is your chance to watch it: There’s also a video taken a few minutes later, at a crucial moment in the mission, showing the view from the Centaur rocket [...]
Astronomers and Star Gazers need a challenge when observing. Novices can be easily overwhelmed by long lists of challenging objects. Expert observers can be so focused on their projects, they easily can ignore the challenge provided by observing with different instruments. By presenting three objects in each of several different [...]Astronomers and Star Gazers need a challenge when observing. Novices can be easily overwhelmed by long lists of challenging objects. Expert observers can be so focused on their projects, they easily can ignore the challenge provided by observing with different instruments. By presenting three objects in each of several different [...]Dihydrogen Monoxide: A Global Threat Sat Mar 31, 8:35 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of dihydrogen monoxide, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. [...]As the brightest object in the sky during the few hours after sunset, it outshines everything else, but did you know that it is possible to see it during the day? Today, March 26th, Venus can be seen during the afternoon, if you know where an when to look. How [...]We really didn’t expect to see the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter last week as we are experiencing one of the cloudiest and wettest winters in recent memory, but much to our surprise the clouds broke last Wednesday night to glimpse the conjunction. [Click on the image to enlarge] [Translate]Astronomers and Star Gazers need a challenge when observing. Novices can be easily overwhelmed by long lists of challenging objects. Expert observers can be so focused on their projects, they easily can ignore the challenge provided by observing with different instruments. By presenting three objects in each of several different [...]On March 3rd several members of the San Antonio Astronomical Association and the Austin Astronomical Society gathered together at the Lozano Observatory near Blanco, Texas to attempt to “Flash” the International Space Station with man-made light. This had been attempted before, but had never been successful. That did not stop [...] Mercury (☿) is the closest planet to the Sun but not the hottest. That distinction goes to Venus. The planet was named after the Roman messenger of the gods because it moves quickly through the sky. Mercury is a small, grayish planet that is often said to resemble the [...]The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are not a common sight in South Central Texas. An aurora is caused by the collision of charged particles from a coronal mass ejection (CME) with the Earth’s magnetic field. As a result of natural mechanism, energy releases in the atmosphere are made visible [...]Astronomers and Star Gazers need a challenge when observing. Novices can be easily overwhelmed by long lists of challenging objects. Expert observers can be so focused on their projects, they easily can ignore the challenge provided by observing with different instruments. By presenting three objects in each of several different [...]
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