Astro event: A Close Planetary Conjunction.

 
   The dusk planetary action continues this week with a close conjunction of the planets Mars and Venus. Our two nearest planetary neighbors in space have been playing a game of apparent cat and mouse in the dusk skies, approaching each other within two degrees of arc July 31st, receding, and then approaching again. Closest [...]

Astro-Challenge: See Saturn’s Moons in 1 to 7 Order.

 
    This week’s challenge may also give you a unique photographic opportunity. On the evening of July 31st (my birthday!) Saturn’s moons will be in 1 to 7 order. This will occur from 6:45 to 11:15 Universal Time, and favor viewers in Australia and the Far East. Later in the evening over North America, only speedy [...]

Review: Microsoft’s World Wide Telescope.

 
The market for astronomical online software has really exploded in the past few years, and amateur astronomers and educators have reaped the benefit. What was offered by many companies for prices sometimes over 100$ a pop now can be had for free. Programs such as HNSky, Stellarium, and Google Earth all offer Planetarium-style software that [...]

25.06.10- MRO and the Case of the Martian Spirals.

 
 
   Scientists may have solved the formation of one of the more curious features on Mars; the formation of its polar ice spirals. First spotted by NASA’s Mariner 9 spacecraft in 1972, these strange swirling patterns etched in the polar ice caps have remained a mystery. For example, the ice formation actually tends to form [...]

Book Review: Ares Express

Ares Express is Ian McDonald’s marvelous and long awaited sequel to Desolation Road.  Mars is still the setting, but a Mars far in the future from that in Desolation Road. The railroad is still key, but the story line is fresh. It revolves around the person of  Sweetness Octave Glorious Honeybun Asiim 12th, her (mis)adventures, [...]

Review: Solis by A.A. Antanasio

A classic by A.A. Antanasio!

 

 
   Every once in a while, we come across a book that sat on our shelves for years unread, only to later wonder how we could have by-passed such a gem for so long. Such a find is a book is Solis, by A.A. Attanasio the topic of this week’s retro review. Mr. [...]

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