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| Holiday Next Week in Indianapolis |
Aug 15, 2005 - Hi folks, I just wanted to give you a warning that Universe Today might be spotty for the next week. I'm attending a convention in Indianapolis called Gencon from Thursday to Sunday, so my regular schedule will be all mixed up. I will be taking my laptop and should be able to update the site, and answer emails, but I can't promise it'll come out on regular days, etc. If you're attending Gencon too, or live in the Indianapolis area and want to have a meetup, drop me an email. I'll try and set something up. Can anyone recommend a venue?
Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today
P.S. Here's a shameless picture of me and the kids having a picnic here in Courtenay. I'm actually happier than I look. :-) (Full Story) |
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| What's Up This Week - August 15 - August 21, 2005 |
Aug 15, 2005 - Greetings fellow SkyWatchers! Let's start the week off colorfully as we view the mighty Albireo. We'll explore lunar features and learn about the Blue Moon. Keep an eye on the dance of the planets and on Cygnus as the Kappa Cygnid meteor shower peaks. We'll learn about M39 and more. So, get your binoculars and telescopes aimed at the sky, because...
Here's what's up! (Full Story) |
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| Faint filaments in Saturn's atmosphere. Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI Click to enlarge |
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| Filaments and Vortices |
| Aug 15, 2005 - In this photograph of Saturn, it's possible to see the faint filaments that circle around major storms on the planet. Scientists still don't know what these filaments are; they might be material connecting two storms together after they've split up. The could also represent wind flow in Saturn's atmosphere. Cassini took this image on July 6, 2005 when it was 2.4 million km (1.5 million miles) away from the planet. (Full Story) |
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| Cosmonaut Will Break the Record for Spaceflight |
| Aug 15, 2005 - Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev is about to break the record for human spaceflight on Tuesday. Currently on board the International Space Station, he will tie the current record holder, Sergei Avdeyev, when reaches 748 days in orbit. Krikalev has been on two long-duration stays on the Mir space station, two flights on the Space Shuttle, and two trips on the Space Station. He was aboard Mir when the Soviet Union collapsed, the first Russian to fly on the Shuttle, and a member of the first crew for the International Space Station. (Full Story) |
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| Mineral Mapper Traveling to Mars |
| Aug 15, 2005 - With Friday's launch, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is now on its way to the Red Planet. One of the instruments on board is CRISM, or the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars. This instrument will search for evidence of past water on the surface of the planet, by locating the residues left by minerals that formed in water. It'll have 20 times the resolution of any previous instrument sent to Mars to do this task. With data gathered by CRISM, researchers should have a wealth of potential targets for future rovers and landers. (Full Story) |
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