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Category Archives: Astronomy
Our Homeworld
This beautiful image of Earth was recently taken by NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite. Just think: that’s our home. It’s also the only one we have! Image Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
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“New Horizons Becomes Closest Spacecraft to Approach Pluto”
New Horizons is now closer to Pluto than any spacecraft has ever been. The old record was held by Voyager 1, which came within 983 million miles (1.58 billion kilometers) of Pluto on 29 Jan. 1986. New Horizons is still … Continue reading
Mars Science Laboratory
The Mars Science Laboratory (“MSL”) is scheduled to launch 26 November at 9:02 AM CST. It will be carrying the Curiosity rover, and this rover is a beast: It is 10 ft (3.0 m) in length and weighs 1,984 lbs. … Continue reading
More Vesta: Part 3
Don’t forget about Dawn, which is still sending us awesome images of Vesta. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Where’s Pluto right now?
Go outside around 9:00 PM tonight and look due south. Look for the constellation Sagittarius, which should be easy to spot because of it’s teapot shape. If you look above Sagittarius, you’ll be looking towards Pluto. Pluto’s exact location is … Continue reading
Happy Pluto Demoted Day!
On 24 August 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) passed Resolution 5A which officially defined the term planet, and, in doing so, Pluto was “demoted” from planet to dwarf planet. As I said before, I don’t like using the term … Continue reading
Juno is on its way to Jupiter!
After a short delay, the Atlas V rocket carrying Juno lifted off at 11:25 PM CDT and is now on its way to Jupiter! Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Less than an hour to go!
I hope you’re watching the live coverage of the Juno launch on NASA TV! Also, happy National Underwear Day and happy International Beer Day! I’m so excited I don’t know what to do with myself. Woo! Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Perseid Meteor Shower
Woo, I’m full of astronomy-related stuff this month. If you have been seeing a lot shooting stars lately, it’s due to the Pereids. This meteor shower is called the Perseids since the meteors appear to come from the area of … Continue reading
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Juno Is Ready for Launch
The Altlas V rocket that will carry Juno into space is now on the launchpad. The scheduled liftoff time is tomorrow at 11:34 AM EDT (10:34 AM CDT). The launch will be shown live on NASA TV, so be sure … Continue reading
More Vesta: Part 2
Dawn just keeps sending home awesome images of Vesta, like the following one taken on 24 July: You can clearly see Vesta’s odd shape, which prevents it from being listed as a dwarf planet. It’s still an awesome little world. … Continue reading
Why Pluto Isn’t a Planet Anymore
This morning a friend texted me and asked why isn’t Pluto a planet. Up until recently, the term planet was not really defined. We more or less assumed what a planet was: It was this thing that orbited the Sun. … Continue reading