Universe Today - November 2, 2001
A note from Fraser... Watch the Leonid Meteor Storm, November 18th!
I want to give you some advanced warning, because if you miss this year's Leonid Meteor Shower, you'll probably want to kick yourself. During the week before and after November 18, the Earth will pass through the trail of comet Tempel-Tuttle and be pelted with hail of sand-sized material. As the particles burn up in the atmosphere, we see streaks of light in the sky called meteors.
This year is supposed to be special, with astronomers predicting anywhere from 800 (North America) - 8,000 (Australia) meteors visible per hour at the storm's peak - on November 18th. I don't know if you've ever seen 8,000 meteors an hour, but I sure haven't.
Astronomers have made inaccurate predictions about meteor storms in the past, and it's entirely possible that this one could be a dud, but just to be safe, make sure you include some time outside in your plans for Sunday, November 18.
SPACE.com has put together a handy chart listing meteor shower predictions - take them with a grain of salt, though.
Fraser Cain, Publisher - Universe Today
 NASA |
Odyssey's First Images Released
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has delivered its first image of the Planet Mars. The picture is a thermal infrared image of the martian southern hemisphere that captures the south polar carbon dioxide ice cap at a temperature of about -120 C. The spacecraft was approximately 22,000 km away from Mars' south pole, so future pictures (when the spacecraft is in a tight orbit) will show a much higher resolution.
Original Source:
NASA News Release
Other Coverage: BBC News - CNN Space - Cosmiverse - MSNBC Similar Stories: Mars Odyssey Related Sites: Mars Related Books: Mars |
 Hubble |
Hubble Reveals Ultraviolet Galactic Ring
A new photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows how a galaxy can look completely different when viewed in ultraviolet light. This image of barred spiral galaxy NGC 6782, reveals a ring of hot stars around the centre of the galaxy. Astronomers believe this hot-star area is created when gas and dust bunches up around in the middle of the galaxy, creating stellar nursaries.
Original Source:
Hubble News Release
Other Coverage: Cosmiverse - MSNBC - SPACE.com - Spaceflight Now Similar Stories: Hubble Space Telescope Related Sites: Astronomy Related Books: Astronomy |