Feeds2Read: RSS FEED .: NJ Night Sky :. NJ Night Sky Astronomy News, RSS Feeds Aggregator and RSS Directory

NJ Night Sky Astronomy News

Photon addiction is a pathological state. The disorder is characterized by the progression of acute telescope use to the development of photon-seeking behavior. Previously rewarding naked eye stimuli is no longer sufficient. Treatment is difficult, relapse is common.

In past decades, photon addiction was seen in isolated cases. With the increased availability of astronomy books, software and affordable quality equipment, it is fast becoming an epidemic. If you think a friend or loved one is suffering from photon addiction and needs intervention, please consult our handy symptom finder.

.::NEAF 2008::.

NEAF aka the Northeast Astronomy Forum will be held on April 26 & 27, 2008 at the Rockland Community College in Suffern, NY. Astronomers from all over go to the event each year to see and buy the lastest equipment.

AMERICA'S PREMIER ASTRONOMY EXPO Only 30 minutes away from New York City at Rockland Community College, Suffern, NY

.::Year's first lunar eclipse will have a special guest Feb 20, 2008::.

Star watchers get a double treat this month with both the moon and Saturn putting on special shows.

The moon begins moving into Earth's shadow at 7:43 p.m. Feb. 20. Totality begins 78 minutes later at 9:01 p.m. and lasts for 51 minutes.

Saturn also puts in an appearance. Look for the ringed planet four degrees to the lower left of the eclipsed moon.

Although Earth is blocking the sun's light, the eclipsed moon is not totally dark. Earth's atmosphere acts like a lens, bending light into the shadow.

.::Female Figure on Mars Just a Rock ::.

The idea that there may be life on Mars has been around for centuries, but the theory got a dubious boost from recently released photos of the surface of Mars (taken by the NASA robot Spirit) apparently showing a human-like figure. Several Internet sites have glommed onto the image and suggested the figure could be alive.

But what is it? Just a rock, astronomers say.

It's hard enough to accurately recognize figures and faces across the room. Mars, depending on when you measure it, is about 35 million miles away. The best telescopes aren't of much help in determining surface features, and that's why NASA sent robots with cameras to Mars.

.::Asteroid Threatens to Hit Mars ::.

Astronomers funded by NASA are monitoring the trajectory of an asteroid named 2007 WD5 that is expected to cross the orbital path of Mars early next year. Calculations by NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicate that the 164-ft wide asteroid may pass within 30,000 miles of Mars at about 6 a.m. EST on Jan. 30, 2008.

.::It's Official: 2009 Is the Year of Astronomy::.

In a triumph for everyone who looks up in wonder at the starry sky, the United Nations' General Assembly has formally proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. IAUIYA 2009 celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's introduction of the telescope to astronomy. The UN's declaration culminates nearly five years of effort by the government of Italy (where Galileo lived and worked in the late 16th and early 17th centuries), the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

.::Geminid meteor shower Dec 14, 2007::.

Mark your calendar: The best meteor shower of 2007 peaks on Friday, December 14th.

"It's the Geminid meteor shower," says NASA astronomer Bill Cooke of the Marshall Space Flight Center. "Start watching on Thursday evening, Dec. 13th, around 10 pm local time," he advises. "At first you might not see very many meteorsbut be patient. The show really heats up after midnight and by dawn on Friday, Dec. 14th, there could be dozens of bright meteors per hour streaking across the sky.

.::Comet 17P/Holmes::.

Comet 17P/Holmes remains a striking target for binoculars, small telescopes, and even the unaided eye. Take the time to see this unusual visitor, which leapt from obscurity to celebrity last week.

For reasons astronomers don't entirely understand, the cosmic iceball flared in brightness by a million times in just 2 days. This outburst propelled the comet from a faint-fuzzy best viewed in a large amateur telescope to a star-like object observers throughout the Northern Hemisphere could easily see in a moonlit sky.

.::Leonid Meteor Shower Nov 18 2007::.

The Moon's absence makes this a good year for Leonid meteors. The shower peaks the morning of November 18, and the First Quarter Moon sets when the radiant rises, around midnight local time. Under a dark sky, meteor rates should range from 20 to 40 per hour once Leo climbs reasonably high after 3 A.M.

Although astronomers don't expect a major outburst, East Coast observers may see heightened activity before midnight November 17, when Earth crosses the orbital node of the Leonids' parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

.::Hi Def movies from Japanese Lunar Orbiter::.

Worlds First Image Taking of the Moon by HDTV

November 7, 2007 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have successfully performed the world's first high-definition image taking by the lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE,) which was injected into a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 km on October 18, 2007, (Japan Standard Time. Following times and dates are all JST.)

The image shooting was carried out by the onboard high definition television (HDTV) of the KAGUYA, and it is the world's first high definition image data acquisition of the Moon from an altitude about 100 kilometers away from the Moon.

The image taking was performed twice on October 31. Both were eight-fold speed intermittent shooting (eight minutes is converged to one minute.) The first shooting covered from the northern area of the "Oceanus Procellarum" toward the center of the North Pole, then the second one was from the south to the north on the western side of the "Oceanus Procellarum." The moving image data acquired by the KAGUYA was received at the JAXA Usuda Deep Space Center, and processed by NHK.

The satellite was confirmed to be in good health through telemetry data received at the Usuda station.