09.06.10: H2O in the Solar Neighborhood.

 
   Water, water, everywhere… over the past year or so, evidence for water in the solar system has been mounting in some unlikely places. The poles of our Moon. Ice geysers on Enceladus. Now add the denizens of our asteroid belt to the list; earlier this year, scientists at the Johns Hopkins University of Applied [...]

02.06.10: Dawn-A New Way to Explore the Solar System.

 
 
   An asteroid-bound spacecraft is also blazing a trail for technologies of the future. Dawn, NASA’s asteroid rendezvous mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral September 27th, 2007 enroute to explore the asteroids Ceres and Vesta starting next year. But unlike previous solar system missions, Dawn is able to do something that most interplanetary spacecraft can’t; [...]

AstroEvent of the Week: October 27th- November 2nd; A Halloween Asteroid.

Vesta in Cetus. (Credit; Stellarium).
This Halloween brings a chance to spot one of the brightest known asteroids. 4 Vesta  is currently placed in the constellation Cetus, the Whale and will be in opposition on October 29th this year, and thus be visible in moonless skies nearly all night.

The Maine Solar System Model: An Update.

Jupiter. All Photos by Author.
   The Solar System has become a much more complicated place. As reported in this space last year,  The Maine Solar System model (MSSM) in Aroostook County, Maine was constructed starting in 2000 and was renowned as the world largest solar system representation.