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| Image credit: John Chumack |
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| Did You See an Aurora? |
Oct 29, 2003 - So, did you see an aurora? I got an email from my Dad at 4:00 am PST letting me know that he could see white ribbons of light directly overhead (Southwestern Canada). John Chumack was in Ohio and sent in the picture you see beside this story - they look like a red curtain against the horizon. He saw them twice at 4:30 am and 5:40 am.
The bulk of the storm hit us this morning, but the aurora should be visible for another day or two. So, have another try tonight and see if you can get lucky. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, look towards the north, and if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, look south.
If you did see an aurora, let me know, I want to hear all about it. Send in pictures if you took them. If I get enough letters, I'll put them into a story tomorrow, so be vivid in your description of what you saw. Just reply to this newsletter, or send me an email at info@universetoday.com.
Good luck!
Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today
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| Image credit: NASA |
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| Green Minerals on Mars Say it's Dry |
| Oct 29, 2003 - Astronomers have uncovered a green mineral on Mars called olivine that could indicate that the planet has been completely dry for at least a billion years, since the mineral was exposed to the Martian air. Olivine is found in many rocks on Earth, and it's highly susceptible to chemical weathering. If liquid water was present at any time in the past, the olivine would have altered into other materials - but this hasn't happened. The areas will be further investigated in 2005 by the upcoming Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has 100 times the resolution of the Mars Global Surveyor. |
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| Image credit: NASA |
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| New Space Plane Could Be Put on Hold |
| Oct 29, 2003 - Key members of the United States Congress are asking NASA to postpone further work on the Orbital Space Plane until the government decides what its next steps in space are going to be. Expected to cost $13 billion over the next 5 years, the OSP would provide a new way to transfer crews to and from the International Space Station. Two contractor teams, Boeing and Lockheed Martin/Grumman/Orbital Sciences, are competing to build the OSP - the winning team would be selected by this summer. NASA acknowledged the request, but they haven't said if they're going to comply yet. |
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| Image credit: ESA |
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| SMART-1 Update: One Month in Orbit |
| Oct 29, 2003 - The European Space Agency's SMART-1 spacecraft has been orbiting the Earth for a full month now, and has made 64 complete orbits. Engineers have been wary this week about firing its ion engine with the increased solar activity. There have been a few problems: the engine unexpectedly turned off, but worked fine on the next firing; its star tracker had difficulty orienting the spacecraft but upgrades to the software resolved that. It's still on track to reach the Moon by March 2005. |
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| Image credit: Caltech |
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| Palomar Isn't at Risk From Fire Yet |
| Oct 29, 2003 - The terrible wild fires in Southern California have destroyed thousands of homes, killed more than 16 people and are still out of control in many areas. The Palomar observatory is in the area, but its operators feel that the 200-inch telescope isn't at risk. The observatory was built with two layers of concrete and steel, dead trees and underbrush have been removed from a significant area, and it boasts a large water tank and volunteer fire fighting team. Smoke and ash have put a temporary halt to observations, though. |
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