KC AstroEvents 1999
November
1999:
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AstroNews |
KC AstroEvents 1999
November
1999:
|
AstroNews |
November
1999
Shooting Stars |
|
 Here
we go again! Just like last year, this could be a killer
year for a LEONIDS meteor storm (not shower, STORM!!). November 18
after 1 AM you need to LOOK UP (night of wed. going on thu.)! Especially
if you are in Europe.
If you remember what happened a year ago then you know that the LEONID meteor shower is hard to predict. There could be a spectacular display of shooting stars in the early hours of Thursday morning, November 18 European time (1-4 AM Wednesday night). The Leonids are what we see when the Earth plunges through the dusty debris left by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. Small fragments no larger than a grain of sand scorch through our atmosphere at 72 km/s (150,000 mph) and burn up. This produces a streak of light in the sky. Presto - a shooting star! The Leonids are so-called because they appear to come out of that part of the sky that includes the constellation Leo (the Lion). Last year the Leonids turned up 16 hours ahead of schedule to the annoyance of skywatchers who missed them. The best displays have featured thousands of shooting stars per hour (!!), as in 1866 and 1966. 1999 could also be another great year. If you venture out in search of Leonids tell us about it! We'll gather your stories in AstroNews. NASA will send a mission to fly under the breaking meteor storm. Fifty scientists on two aircraft packed with equipment will make observations on a journey above the clouds - as described on the Leonid Mac site - see the link below. Preparing for the 1999 Leonids
Best View of the Leonid Shower: Leonid
Mac '99
Leonid Storm
LeonidsLive.com - Science news and live
webcasts
Sky & Telescope's Meteor Page |
May 1999
SETI@home |
SETI
comes to your home! |
 |
| Now
you can search for extraterrestrial life on your own computer at home!
UC Berkeley scientists have developed a program for everyone on the net to join SETI in their Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. |
Check out SETI@home and download the software! The search has begun and your computer can help! We got the software and
hope everyone who wants to be first to discover extraterrestrials does
too! |
| SETI@home is a scientific experiment that harnesses the power of hundreds of thousands of Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data. There's a small but captivating possibility that your computer will detect the faint murmur of a civilization beyond Earth. |
February 1999
Pluto Paradox |
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Hubble
Telescope image of Pluto
On February 11, 1999 Pluto
once again re-gains its status as the most far-out planet in the Solar
System. For the past 20 years, Pluto's oblong orbit has brought it
closer to the Sun than planet Neptune. In other words, whether or not you
knew it, since 1979, the order of the planets from the Sun has been:
Apart from today's lunchtime factoid, the recent rumors that Pluto may NOT be a planet are all true. All news items to the contrary (from scientists and civilians, alike) are motivated by sentimental feelings and not by cogent scientific reasoning. Of a dozen or so arguments against Pluto's planet status, the strongest is that since 1992, dozens of icy objects have been found in the Solar System that more closely resemble Pluto in composition, size, and orbit than either Pluto or these objects resemble the other eight planets. We have always known Pluto was wierd -- especially when you realize that if Pluto were brought to the same distance from the Sun as Earth, it woud grow a tail. One can hardly consider this to be respectable behavior for a planet. So, like the ugly duckling, Pluto turned out to be another species entirely -- a breed of comet that lives in the outer solar system, never venturing near the Sun. On its way past Neptune, blow it a kiss it good bye, and offer it a moment of silence. It served us well all these years. Sincerely,
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