September, 2003
Sunday, September 27th, 2003
As Mars Recedes...
...so does the summer, and the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District/Utah Skies Summer Star Party Series. Last night, Saturday, September 27th, was the third and last of the summer's public astronomy gatherings co-sponsored by the District and Utah Skies; with close to a hundred attendees, it was another wild success. Utah Skies wishes to thank Basin Recreation for their support and encouragement, for without their generosity in providing a venue at Trailside Park, and advertising and promoting of the events, the Series would not have enjoyed the successes it has -- thank you, Bonnie, Chris, and all at the Rec District for all you do!
Wednesday, September 24th, 2003
Conjunction Junction
The Moon, Jupiter and Mercury aligned in a beautiful triangle this morning. Jupiter rose first, followed by a tiny 3% illuminated crescent Moon. The Moon was simply spectacular... displaying an incredible amount of Earthshine. Finally, Mercury joined the duo. For more images, checkout our Conjunctions Page.
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2003
Celestial Alignment
The Moon, Jupiter and Mercury lined up this morning on their way to an even tighter alignment on Wednesday morning. Head out about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning and look towards the east. The 3 will form a beautiful triangle in the eastern sky.
Monday, September 22nd, 2003
Bye Bye Galileo
NASA pulled the plug on the orbiting Galileo Spacecraft. On Sunday, the aging explorer plunged into Jupiter's crushing atmosphere bringing to an end one of the most productive scientific missions of all time. For more information, checkout CNN.com/SPACE
Wednesday, September 17th, 2003
Aurora Watch
Earth's magnetic field tilted south... a condition which favors geomagnetic activity. Skywatchers should be alert for aurora on September 18th & 19th. Keep an eye on the sky and on this site for updates.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2003
Hurricane Isabel Bears Down on the East Coast
One of the prominent features of our planet is our dynamic weather. With sustained winds upwards of 150 mph, giant Hurricane Isabel is about as dynamic as things get. For more info, checkout CNN.com/WEATHER
Monday, September 15th, 2003
NASA to Crash Galileo into Jupiter
It's the end of the line for the orbiting Galileo spacecraft. Launched in 1989 to study the giant planet, Galileo has far exceeded its original mission goals. Now, with it's fuel depleted, it's time for one final closeup shot as it dives right into Jupiter. For more info, checkout CNN.com/SPACE
Current Time:
The Moon and Mars
The Moon and Mars posed together nicely in this image by Utah Skies own Anthony Arrigo... by Sunrise, the two were less than 1/2° apart.
Monday, September 8th, 2003
Rolling Rock
Captured by the 400-inch (10-meter) Keck II telescope in Hawaii last December, this animation of asteroid (511) Davida is comprised of images that are among the most detailed ground-based observations ever made of an object in the asteroid belt, thanks to a system of adaptive optics to correct for blurring caused by Earth's ever-unstable atmosphere. Check out the Keck site for more info...
Thursday, September 4th, 2003
First Light for Orbiting
Telescope
NASA's newest orbiting observatory, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), recently captured this (it's first) deep sky image. For more information, checkout SIRTF On-Line
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2003
Giant Asteroid Could Hit Earth
in 2014 (Not!)
Astronomers at the Lincoln
Near Earth Asteroid Research Program in New Mexico are monitoring a
giant space rock that was originally thought to have the potential to strike Earth on March 21,
2014. No need to worry it seems. While their original odds were set at
an astronomical 1
in 909,000... further observations of the asteroid's orbit have
essentially reduced the chances to zero.
For more information, checkout Space.com
