Space Trucking with the Jules Verne ATV

The Europeans have several new spacecraft making the headlines.

If you are curious but have not kept up with the latest developments, then here is a short summary of one of them, the space truck known as the ATV.

Jules Verne ATV

Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV) are expendable, unmanned supply ships developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). ATVs are to be launched annually to resupply the International Space Station.

The first ATV, Jules Verne, was launched March 9, 2008. It is named in memory of the first science fiction writer of modern times and carries two of Jules Verne's original handwritten manuscripts, to be received by the ISS crew as symbolic tokens of the success of the first flight

ATVs are currently intended as one way tickets. Once their payload is delivered to the ISS the ATV is filled with waste and flown on a steep re-entry path towards earth for controlled destruction above the Pacific Ocean (in other words, it burns up in the atmosphere).

Further information:

ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle - Wikipedia

European Space Agency (ESA) - Jules Verne ATV

Happy Winter Solstice to all Earthlings!

The year is 2007 AD. My calendar reads December 21, the special date called Winter Solstice. Or Summer Solstice south of the equator.

The solstices and the equinoxes each mark the beginning of the four seasons. There is a Summer and a Winter Solstice. And there are two equinoxes as well (Spring and Autumn).

So what is Winter Solstice? It's the day on which Winter season starts in the northern hemisphere (and Summer starts below the equator).

And it's also the shortest day/longest night of the year north of the equator (or the longest day in the southern hemisphere).

Solstice was known as a special moment of the year since Neolithic times, as is confirmed by archaeological sites such as Stonehenge.

Many cultures celebrate the Winter and Summer solstices, the equinoxes, and even the midpoints between them, leading to LOTS and LOTS of holidays!

So many holidays around the world are linked to the winter solstice.

Christmas is the most popular midwinter celebration. The birth of Christ is observed on December 25th, since that was the winter Solstice when the Julian Calendar was created way back in 45 BC.

So why two solstices per year? Because the Earth's axis tilting furthest from or toward the Sun causes the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon.

It must be really amazing to witness the Winter solstice in places way up north in the Arctic Circle, where you see the Sun above the horizon the entire day! They call that the midnight sun (or midsummer-night sun or polar day). And the reverse happens down south in the Antarctic Circle - the Sun never even comes up at all. That is the polar night. And by now you surely guessed that during the Summer solstice the effects on both hemispheres are just the opposite.

Here's something that not everyone knows... the seasons are NOT caused by Earth being cloeser or farther from the Sun. The orbital eccentricity of the Earth's orbit does make a small contribution, but the main reason is because of Earth's tilt!

Oh, did I mention my favorite reason for celebrating Winter Solstice? Simple, the days are getting longer again (here in the northern hemisphere). That's right, for the next six months we get a bit more sunlight every day.

So have a happy Winter Solstice! And even if you are covered in snow and the skies are grey, rest assured the turning point has been reached. Out with the old, in with the new!

AstroNews FALL 2007 | COMET HOLMES SPECIAL

Up This Month
===========
See Comet Holmes Tonight!
-----------------------------
The strangest comet to burst onto the celestial scene in our lifetime is a MUST SEE! And it is easy to see with your bare eyes — even if your sky is fairly light-polluted! You just have to know where to look for this amazing fuzzball. See below for instructions!

Between October 23 and 25, 2007, the comet’s brightness increased from 17th magnitude to 2nd (a smaller number indicates a brighter source) -- a factor of one MILLION. It is now a fuzzy light-yellow ball brighter than most stars you can see with the naked eye. How can this happen? Astronomers actually don't know why!

The tiny, solid nucleus puffed out a huge cloud of dust, and this dust is lit by sunlight. As the dust cloud spread out wider, the comet started to look like a tiny, round disk. The disk has been getting a bit wider every night, as the dust spreads.

The comet has not developed a tail, however, because it is too far from the Sun. As a result, it is difficult to distinguish from a true star. Binoculars or a small telescope reveal a bit of fuzziness around its edges.

Learn more:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/10862521.html



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=======
AstroTip
=======
How To Find Comet Holmes in the Evening Sky
--------------------------------------------------
The following applies to people living in the world’s northern latitudes. If you’re in the tropics or the Southern Hemisphere, use an sky chart such as this one:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/skychart/

Comet Holmes is in the constellation Perseus, the hero. Perseus is high in the northeast in early evening and passes almost directly overhead in the wee hours of the morning.

Conditions couldn't better for seeing Comet Holmes. All you need are clear skies. And try to find whatever binoculars or telescope you can lay your hands on.

A few hours after sunset, find a spot where bright lights don’t glare into your eyes, and face northeast. Give your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness.

Look for Cassiopeia, the W-shaped constellation, which is a landmark of the autumn sky. The W is standing on end and as wide as your fist held at arm’s length.

Look to the lower right of Cassiopeia by about a fist and a half at arm’s length to find Perseus. The brightest star in Perseus is Mirfak (also called Alpha Persei).
Nov. 19th is a good night to look: The comet will glide by Mirfak and appear to swallow it--a sight not to be missed!

If you are not familiar with constellations you can consult a good star chart.

To track Holmes use a finder chart such as the one here:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/10862521.html



===================
DISTANT DISCOVERIES
===================
WHY IS IT CALLED COMET HOLMES?
----------------------------------------------
Comet what?? Comet Holmes!

In case you have not heard, Comet Holmes is a comet that is exciting astronomers around the world.

It was discovered over a hundred years ago by amateur astronomer Edwin Holmes. Back in 1892 it flared up enough for Holmes to find it.

And now, without warning, the distant ball of rock and ice has flared up again. Don't miss it!



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============
FAR OUT FACT
============
COMET HOLMES IS BIGGER THAN THE SUN!
------------------------------------------------------
Our sun used to be the largest object in the Solar System.

Now, Comet Holmes holds that distinction.

A team of Hawaii astronomers measured the diameter of the comet's expanding debris cloud: 1.4 million kilometers, slightly larger than the sun itself. Wow!

Get Stellarium - it is fantastic... and free!

My friend Peter just turned me on to Stellarium!

It is a FREE (open source) planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic 3D sky, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a scope.

It is being used in planetarium projectors. Download it for free and use it on your computer!

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New "Planet X" Is Definitely Larger than Pluto

Good news for textbook publishers! Astronomy textbooks will soon be rewritten following confirmation that a new object discovered at the edge of the solar system is bigger than the ninth planet, Pluto.


"Planet X" was discovered in 2005 by Professor Mike Brown and colleagues at CalTech found UB313 in January 2005 and tentatively named it 2003 UB313. These findings are bolstered by the finding by a group of German astrophysicists.

By measuring its thermal emission, the scientists were able to determine a diameter of about 3000 km, which makes it 700 km larger than Pluto.

This most distant object ever seen in the Solar System is also the largest solar system object found since the discovery of Neptune in 1846.

The findings could mean that either there will now be 10 planets in the solar system or that the status of Pluto will be downgraded and we will be back to having eight planets.

The object, given nicknames such as "Xena", "Santa" and "Rudolph", will almost certainly be named after a Greco-Roman deity who has so far not been used to describe other planets or asteroids.

The International Astronomical Union will meet this year to decide whether UB313 should be considered the 10th planet and, if so, what name it should be given.

Both Pluto and UB313 belong to the Kuiper Belt, a ring of some 100,000 objects on the outskirts of the solar system, beyond Neptune at distances over 4 billion km from the sun, over 30 times the distance between Earth and Sun.

The Kuiper Belt contains debris from the birth of the solar system. Think of it as an archaeological site containing remnants of the solar nebula from which the Sun and the planets formed.

The existence of this ring of small planetary objects was first suggested by the astronomers Kenneth Edgeworth (1880-1972) and Gerard P. Kuiper (1905-1973), but the first discovery of a "Kuiper belt object" was not until 1992.

UB313 is somewhat different from the normal Kuiper belt in that its orbit is highly excentric and 45 degrees inclined to the ecliptic plane of the planets and Kuiper Belt. It is likely that is originated in the Kuiper Belt and was deflected to its inclined orbit by Neptune.

Over 700 Kuiper belt objects have been found, the most popular besides Pluto and it's companion Charon are called Sedna and Quaoar.

New Planet is Larger Than Pluto: Press Release

David Jewitt's Kuiper Belt Page

Spacecraft Takes off for 9 year trip to Pluto

Mark your calendars for July 14, 2015 - the date that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will reach Pluto.

New Horizons was lauched this week, the first probe that will ever study the small distant planet Pluto and the area beyond it known as the Kuiper Belt

Learn more about this nine year trek to explore the mysterious worlds at the edge of our solar system:

Official New Horizons Website

Two More Moons Discovered Orbiting Pluto

Pluto now officially has three moons!

The newfound moons orbit about 27,000 miles (44,000 km) from Pluto, over twice as far as Charon, Pluto's other satellite.

They are 5,000 times dimmer than Charon, and were found using the Hubble Space Telescope.

For now, Pluto is the only Kuiper Belt object known to have satellites.

Read the whole article:
Two More Moons Discovered Orbiting Pluto

Amazing video of Martian Dust Devils

NASA's Mars rover Spirit photographed dust devils racing across Mars!

The folks at NASA have compiled these shots into a stunning new movie.

Check out this amazing video here - dial up users note that it's a 5 MB gif animation so give it time to load:

Martian Dust Devil Video

And here's a related CNN article:
Dust Devils race across Mars

New solar system world with Moon beyond Pluto

This week astronomical detective work led to the stunning discovery of a large new world beyond Pluto – and hiding in plain sight.

The object is about 70% Pluto's diameter and it has a moon.

The find suggests more such objects are waiting to be discovered and is likely to reignite the fierce debate about what constitutes a planet.

For now it is called 2003 EL61.

The discovery, coupled with other recent finds such as Sedna and Quaoar, suggests other large objects may lurk in the murky region beyond Neptune.

Learn more here:
New solar system world has a moon

The Red Planet is about to be Spectacular (again!)

Did you get the email about Mars saying it will soon be closer to Earth than ever before in recorded history in the next months?

Did the email say "Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history."

Well sorry to disappoint folks, but this Mars email is from 2003. And like most email warnings it is also a little distorted and exaggerated.

Some of you might still remember that this Mars apparition (when Mars was closest to Earth) actually happened two years ago. In August 2003 Mars came closer to Earth than ever before in recorded history.

Now please don't cry, because Mars is still making a very very good showing in 2005! The closest approach will be just after Halloween. It will almost be as good as in 2003.


The 2005-2006 apparition of Mars will be one of the most favorable of the twenty first century for two reasons:
1) Mars will be almost as close to Earth as it was in 2003,
2) Mars will be higher in our sky above the celestial equator. Astronomy enthusiast know what this means - they will have a better opportunity to see and enjoy Mars!

Why are we getting closer to Mars? Imagine a race track. If one car is closer to the center of the track and traveling faster, it will eventully catch up to and pass the outer car. This is what is happening with Earth and Mars, we are "lapping" Mars.

Read more about this Mars email at KC Hoax:
http://kahl.net/hoax/mars.htm

Read more about the Mars approach of 2005-2006:
http://www.tnni.net/~dustymars/Article_2005.htm