I have wanted to give a shout out to a cool contest that came to our attention a few weeks back, and this weekend seemed as good a time as any. Last month, NanoSail-D2, everyone’s favorite solar sail test-bed in low Earth orbit, stunned the satellite-spotting community with its amazing comeback.
02.02.11: A Russian Satellite Goes Astray.
February 2, 2011 By 2 Comments
The first launch of February sees a payload stuck in an elliptical transfer orbit, and an interesting opportunity for amateur observers. Yesterday, at 14:00 UT/9:00 AM EST, a Russian Rockot launch vehicle carrying GEO-IK2 lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. A military research satellite, GEO-IK2 has the dual role of providing research into plate tectonics and geodesics for both civilian and military applications (re: pinpoint positioning technology and mapping). Lifted aloft by the two-stage ballistic missile, a Breeze KM upper stage was to fire and deploy GEO-IK2 into a 600 mile orbit… and that’s where the finicky fate of rocket science struck.
AstroEvent of the Week: Spotting Iridium Flares.
August 30, 2010 By 1 Comment
Looking up at the dawn or dusk skies, it’s not uncommon to see a satellite brighten, flare up, and the abruptly disappear from view. What you’ve just seen is an Iridium flare, a glint of sunlight off of a refrigerator sized satellite panel. Motorola launched this series of 66 communications satellites in 1997 through 1998 and they are currently owned and operated by Iridium Communications, Inc.
Family Backyard Stargazing
August 7, 2008 By 4 Comments
We here at Astroguyz firmly believe that astronomy begins in the home.
During warm summer nights, simple star gazing can be a fun family event or a fuss free date. Many think that astronomy involves expensive astronomical equipment and Carl Sagan-like knowledge of the stars; [Read more...]
Adventures with CALSky.
A most excellent ISS pass! (Photo by Author).
Pssst. I’m going to let you in on a secret observing tool of the astronomical pros. Ever wonder how the astro-imaging elite gets those impossible-looking pictures, such as the International Space Station transiting a partially eclipsed Sun? Like everything else these days, “there’s a web-site for that,” and if you’re willing to wade into world of astronomical data a little bit, you too can be taking bizarre astrophotos like the pros… trust me, we won’t get too “mathy…” [Read more...]