December, 2003

We're still accepting signatures on our Redstone Streetlight Petition

Wednesday, December 31st, 2003

Saturn Reaches Opposition Tonight

Tonight, the ringed planet Saturn will be closer than its been in almost three decades. If you've got a telescope, point it at Saturn. Even small telescopes will reveal it's beautiful ring system. Checkout Science@NASA... and don't forget to visit our Saturn pages

Tuesday, December 30th, 2003

Mars 'Spirit' Lander Set For January 4th Landing

NASA's Spirit rover spacecraft fired its thrusters on Friday (12/26/03), to make what flight controllers expect will be the final correction in its flight before landing on Mars. Checkout NASA's Mars Rover website for the latest information

Sunday, December 28th, 2003

Moonset

The Moon setting in the snow packed hills west of Park City.

Friday, December 26th, 2003

Beagle 2 Quiet, Mars Express in Orbit

Christmas brought mixed results to European Space Agency efforts to study the planet Mars. The Mars Express Spacecraft successfully entered Martian orbit, while communications with the Beagle 2 Lander have not taken place after is planned Christmas landing. Checkout The Mars Express and The Beagle 2 Lander websites for up to the minute information.

Wednesday, December 24th, 2003

Christmas Conjunction

A tiny 8% illuminated crescent Moon will pose alongside the planet Venus in the western sky shortly after sundown on Christmas Day (12/25/03). Head out about 30-45 minutes after sunset to see this beautiful pairing. If you get a clear shot, take a picture and send us a copy. Checkout Science@NASA for the full story.

Monday, December 22nd, 2003

All Systems Go for Mars Express

Mars Express flight controllers reported all systems go. On Christmas Day, 12/25/03, the Mars Express Spacecraft will be inserted into Martian orbit. On the same day, the Beagle 2 Lander will touch down on the surface of the red planet. Visit the Mars Express Website for up to the minute details.

Sunday, December 21st, 2003

Winter Solstice

The northern winter solstice occurs tomorrow (Dec. 22nd) at 0704 UT. This marks the start of northern winter (and southern summer) and the shortest day of the year. It's also the longest night of the year :-)  Hope skies are clear so you can make the most of it!

Saturday, December 20th, 2003

Weekend Aurora Watch

Earth will soon enter a high speed solar wind flowing from a coronal hole. Skywatchers should stay alert for aurora this weekend... especially Saturday night. With the moon approaching new, it should not give us too much trouble if aurora actually show up. Keep an eye on the northern horizon and keep your fingers crossed..

Thursday, December 18th, 2003

Approaching Mars

With a scheduled Christmas arrival, technicians were testing the camera onboard the approaching Mars Express Spacecraft. This beautiful image was the result of their efforts.

Wednesday, December 17th, 2003

Our Galaxy's Furthest Reaches

Australian astronomers recently announced the discovery of another spiral arm extending out from and around our own Milky Way Galaxy. The finding adds yet another important piece to the puzzle in our quest to understand our universe. Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more info.

Tuesday, December 16th, 2003

Jupiter and the Moon

Jupiter took it's turn alongside the Moon on Tuesday morning (12/16/03). The Moon at last quarter still managed to dwarf the largest of the planets. If you look really closely at the picture, you'll notice that Jupiter is skewed to the right. This is actually the presence of Jupiter's moons.

Friday, December 12th, 2003

Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend

The annual Geminid Meteor Shower peaks in the wee hours on Sunday morning (12/14/03). Highest meteor counts will probably occur a bit earlier though... perhaps just before moonrise Saturday evening. After that, the bright light of the moon will wash out all but the brightest meteors. The Geminids… so named because they seem to emanate from the constellation Gemini  typically produce upwards of 100 meteors per hour. Checkout Gary W. Kronk's Comets & Meteor Showers website for more information.

Thursday, December 11th, 2003

Saturn and the Moon

The Moon posed alongside Saturn Wednesday evening (12/10/03). While not as tight as some of their spectacular meetings in the past, the pair made an interesting contrast in the night sky. The Moon appears much bigger... yet it is in fact much smaller. It is only Saturn's immense distance that makes it appear small.

Wednesday, December 10th, 2003

Jupiter Icy Moon's Orbiter

NASA announced plans to send a spacecraft to study Jupiter's icy moons. Named (creatively) The Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter or JIMO for short, the craft would be far larger and more sophisticated than anything sent to the outer solar system to date. Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more details.

Monday, December 8th, 2003

Aurora Watch Extended Through Tonight

Earth remains in a high speed solar wind. Skywatchers should remain alert for aurora after dark. Aurora were detected last night... and will likely be seen again tonight. Hope you're under clear skies. Checkout Spaceweather.com for more information.

Friday, December 5th, 2003

To the Moon and/or Mars?

Discussions are reported to be underway within NASA about setting up a permanent base camp on the Moon as well as a manned mission to Mars. You can be sure we'll be following this one closely :-) Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more info.

Thursday, December 4th, 2003

The Bay of Rainbows

Sinus Iridum or The Bay of Rainbows sits along the northern edge of Mare Iridum. 
Click here for more lunar images

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2003

Rocky Planets Orbiting Vega?

Astronomers at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh announced the discovery of a solar system believed to be very much like our own. The system, which orbits the bright star Vega, has an irregular shape which fits perfectly with models developed to study our own solar system. Vega resides in the Constellation Lyra which can be seen high and towards the west shortly after sunset. Checkout the BBC for more information.

Monday, December 1st, 2003

Red Sky at Dawn

A colorful 3 layer sunrise greeted Park City this morning.