AstroEvent of the Week:29th-September 5th, 2008: Spot Neptune! September 29, 2008
Posted by webmaster in : Astro News & Commentary, Weekly Astro-events , add a commentNow, to spot a planet that was first located mathimatically.
Neptune and Triton as imaged by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. (Credit: NASA/JPL).
Now that the Moon is out of the sky this week, it’s a good time to add the outer most gas giant to your “been there, done that” list! First spotted in 1846 by Johann Galle & Heinrich D’Arrest, Neptune’s position was first deduced by the French Mathematician Le Verrier, who himself hated the “grittiness” of rank and file observational astronomy. (more…)
Astronomical Observing in the Military. September 25, 2008
Posted by webmaster in : Astronomers' Tales, Observational Astronomy , add a comment
F-15s… the Mighty ZZ!
The military has enabled me to observe astronomical phenomena from some unique locales. My interest in astronomy has waxed and waned (pun intended) all of my life. I’ve basically been looking at the sky since I’ve been old enough to look at anything. (more…)
Astro-event for September 22rd-29th, 2008; An Autumnal Equinox. September 22, 2008
Posted by webmaster in : Astro News & Commentary, Weekly Astro-events , add a commentBrace your selves; the Northern Hemisphere is headed towards Fall!
The Autumnal Equinox. (credit: Gordon Garcia).
I know, an equinox may not be the sexiest thing to observe, but its onset has deep significance for those positioned in the northern hemisphere. (more…)