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| Image credit: John Chumack |
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| Worldwide Mars Events |
Aug 20, 2003 - As I mentioned in the newsletter a couple of weeks ago, I'm hard at work collecting details about events around the world that will be celebrating the Mars 2003 opposition. I've got a few hundred included so far, with most states in the USA represented as well as a few countries outside that.
Click here to access the worldwide list of Mars 2003 events.
If you're interested in attending, check out the list and see if there's something in your neighbourhood. If not, bookmark the page and then come back as we get closer to August 27, as I'm adding dozens every day. I suspect they're really going to pour in as the word gets out. If you're involved with a group that's planning an event, let me know about it.
But you don't need a big party. If you've got a reasonable telescope, just pick a public place that you think will have a lot of people wandering by and invite them to look at Mars. Let me know the location and I'll incorporate it into the list. This is one of the best ways to share the wonder of astronomy.
Please don't send me an email asking if there's going to be an event in your area. Every event I know about has already been added to the list. If you don't see something, why don't you contact your local planetarium, museum, library, observatory, university, or astronomy club and ask them if they've got something planned? Let them know about this list. Anything you can do to get the word out would be much appreciated. :-)
Finally, Bad Astronomy has a great page that explains the opposition and debunks some of the crazy rumours. Check it out.
Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today
P.S. Thanks to John Chumack for his great picture of Mars. He snapped this on August 1st with an 11" telescope.
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| Image credit: ESA |
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| Sun's Flip is Letting the Dust In |
| Aug 20, 2003 - The European Space Agency's Ulysses spacecraft has confirmed that the Sun's 11-year cycle that causes it to switch magnetic poles allows interstellar dust to enter our Solar System in greater quantities. The Sun normally puts a protective magnetic bubble around the solar system to push dust around us, but during this pole-switch, the bubble disappears for a little while. Astronomers believe this will increase the amount of material that falls on the Earth to 40,000 tonnes of dust a day - it won't really cause a problem; however, we may be able to see some more faint falling stars. |
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| Image credit: NASA |
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| NASA Makes Safety Center a High Priority |
| Aug 20, 2003 - The director of NASA's Langley Research Center, Roy Bridges, says that the new Engineering and Safety Center is on track to be ready for operations on October 1, 2003. This independent centre will perform engineering assessment and testing on various NASA programs, and give employees a way to air their concerns without fear for their jobs. Staff at Langley expressed concerns that falling foam might be a risk to Columbia, but they were assured by the Johnson Space Center that the shuttle was fine - the shuttle was destroyed on re-entry killing all seven astronauts on board. |
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| Image credit: NASA |
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| SIRTF Launch Delayed |
| Aug 20, 2003 - The launch of NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) was pushed back at least two days because high seas in the Indian Ocean are delaying a tracking ship from reaching its assigned position. The last of the Great Observatories, SIRTF will now launch on board a Delta 2 rocket no earlier than Monday, August 25 at 0535 GMT (1:35 a.m. EDT). The tracking ship will monitor the Delta 2's upper stage as it carries SIRTF to a higher orbit after launch. The spacecraft will follow the Earth's orbit and take pictures of some of the oldest, coldest and dust-obscured objects in the Universe. |
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