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| What's Up This Week - October 3 - October 9, 2005 |
Oct 3, 2005 -
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! We hope that the skies were cooperative
for today's annular eclipse. This week we'll explore the "Helix"
nebula, begin tracking a new comet, remember our history, visit the
lunar surface, watch Mars and be treated to two meteor showers. So open
your eyes to the skies, because...
Here's what's up! (Full Story) |
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| October 3rd annular eclipse from Belgium. Image credit: Christophe Bogaert. Click to enlarge. |
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| Artist illustration of the 10th planet and its moon. Image credit: Caltech. Click to enlarge. |
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| 10th Planet has a Moon |
| Oct 3, 2005 - The newly
discovered 10th planet - which the discoverers have dubbed "Xena" -
appears to have a moon of its own. Nicknamed "Gabrielle", this moon is
100 times fainter than Xena, and seems to orbit the planet once every
couple of weeks. It's estimated to be 1/10th the size of Xena, so
approximately 250 km (155 miles) across. The powerful Hubble Space
Telescope will be turning its gaze on the pair in November/December,
and should reveal even more details. (Full Story) |
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| Greg Olsen and the crews of Expedition 11 and 12. Image credit: NASA. Click to enlarge. |
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| Space Tourist and New Crew Arrive at the Space Station |
| Oct 3, 2005 - The Soyuz
spacecraft carrying the crew of Expedition 12 and space tourist Greg
Olsen docked with the International Space Station on Monday. The
visitors were greeted by the crew of Expedition 11, who have been on
board the station for nearly 6 months. Olsen will conduct several
experiments on the station, and then return with the crew of Expedition
11 in about a week. (Full Story) |
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| Black Holes Can't Hide Forever |
| Oct 3, 2005 - The pull
of gravity from a black hole is so strong that nothing, not even light
can escape it. But that doesn't mean they can't be seen indirectly.
Matter can pile up around a black hole and heat up, giving off a
tremendous amount of radiation. Better techniques and instruments
should bring astronomers right to the edge of the monstrous black hole
at the heart of the Milky Way. A continental array of submillimeter
telescopes is in the works that will reveal the shadow cast by a black
hole on its surrounding material. (Full Story) |
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