Category Archives: Space

Today’s pretty picture

Posted on March 15, 2008 | Comments Off on Today’s pretty picture

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The Sombrero Galaxy, a mere 28 million light years away, via the Hubble Space Telescope. Another weekend jaunt in the making, someday, when warp drive is perfected. 

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Looking back

Posted on March 4, 2008 | Comments Off on Looking back

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The home planet and the moon from 88 million miles, taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 

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Today’s pretty picture

Posted on February 23, 2008 | Comments Off on Today’s pretty picture

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Ring of Dark Matter: You know, that unexplained stuff astrophysicists believe fills the gaps in the whole universe. Discovery by the Hubble Space Telescope in May, 2007, of this ghostly ring, formed long ago from the collision of two galaxy clusters, was the best evidence yet that dark matter actually exists.

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Bullseye

Posted on February 21, 2008 | Comments Off on Bullseye

Funny how exercised the Chinese communists (who did it in secrecy), ex-communist Russians (who’ve never done it at all) and the usual assortment of American critics (who can’t do a day without whining about something) get over a little out-of-this-world target practice. The Navy’s hitting the satellite on the first try, when it was 150 miles high, looked like nice work from here. With the side benefit of warning Iran, Syria, North Korea, etc., that their nuclear missiles won’t be immune.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, The War

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The crowded sky

Posted on February 20, 2008 | Comments Off on The crowded sky

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The moon’s sky, that is, where robot surveyors from Japan (above shot) and China already are in orbit with India, Russia and the U.S, soon to follow. Something to think about during tonight’s lunar eclipse (see below).

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Lunacy

Posted on February 20, 2008 | Comments Off on Lunacy

See the moon turn red tonight, maybe even a bit turquoise. And, if you’re near Hawaii, you may get to see the Navy shoot down a satellite at the same time. Eclipse Central is at space weather dot com.

UPDATE: Austin is famous for unviewable sky events due to cloud cover, and tonight, alas, is no exception. Fortunately there are Web cam views at the second link, if clouds are in your way, as well. 

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Not all water is fit to drink

Posted on February 17, 2008 | Comments Off on Not all water is fit to drink

Nor all water suitable for microbial life. So seems to be the early conclusions of Spirit and Opportunity’s explorations on Mars. But they’re not definitive, and more work by more rovers is yet to come. The great thing is that it’s all been done by robots, and relatively inexpensively. Someday, when humans do set foot on the Red Planet, they’ll land at spots that have been thoroughly investigated and found to be the best candidates for habitation.

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