July, 2004

Saturday, July 31st, 2004
Blue Moon Tonight

You've heard the expression... "once in a blue moon". Well, tonight we'll be under one. A blue moon is the second full moon of the month. Will it actually be blue? We'll just have to wait and see.

Friday, July 30th, 2004
Messenger To Launch Monday

NASA's Messenger Spacecraft is set for a Monday morning launch bound for the innermost planet, Mercury. Mercury... a land of extremes with 1100° temperature swings... between a blistering 800° during daylight hours and a frigid -300° at night. Messenger will take 7 years to reach Mercury... and then spend a year orbiting the tiny, rocky world. Checkout the Messenger Website for more information.

Thursday, July 29th, 2004
Aurora Watch

We are under an aurora watch once again. A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) launched from Sunspot #652 should reach Earth either tonight or tomorrow (7/29 or 7/30). Skywatchers should remain alert.

Monday, July 26th, 2004
Saturn's Rings In Natural Color

Just 9 days before entering orbit around Saturn, The Cassini Spacecraft snapped this beautiful, natural color image of Saturn's Rings.

Sunday, July 25th, 2004
Park City Aurora

Aurora appeared above the northern horizon on several occasions during last nights Utah Skies Star Party. Aurora are possible this evening as well. Keep an eye on the sky.

Saturday, July 24th, 2004
Active Sun

Giant sunspot #652 is putting on quite a show lately. It has launched several solar flares... including two that sent Coronal Mass Ejections towards Earth. An aurora watch continues throughout the weekend. Remember, if you're going to look at the Sun.. please protect your eyes... use Safe Viewing Techniques.

Friday, July 23rd, 2004
First Lunar Landing's 35th Anniversary

35 years ago this week, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the surface of the moon. Now, NASA is working on plans to pay a return visit. Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more info.

Thursday, July 22nd, 2004
Massive Sunspot

A huge sunspot is crossing the face of Our Star. Currently as large as the planet Jupiter, sunspot #652 contains energy for powerful X-Class Solar Flares which often trigger aurora. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Interested in seeing this for yourself? Checkout these Safe Viewing Techniques.

Wednesday, July 21st, 2004
Differences Between Jupiter and Saturn

Considerable differences exist between the interiors of Jupiter and Saturn... the solar systems two largest planets. What could have caused such a disparity? Checkout Space.com to find out.

Tuesday, July 20th, 2004
Mission To Mercury Announced

After a 30 year hiatus, NASA officials announced plans to return to the innermost planet, Mercury. The Messenger Spacecraft will take 7 years to complete its journey. Checkout The Messenger Website for more info.

Monday, July 19th, 2004
Saturn's Two-Faced Moon

Iapetus, one of Saturn's 31 moons is a perplexing object. It's northern and southern hemispheres are very different. Here we see one dark hemisphere... and one bright one. This difference is real... not caused by shadows. Scientists hope that Cassini will provide them with data to unravel this mystery. Checkout The Cassini-Huygens Website for more info.

Friday, July 16th, 2004
Aurora Watch

A series of X-Class solar flares have erupted from giant sunspot #649. At least one of these was Earth-directed. Skywatchers should be alert for Northern Lights all weekend. Keep an eye on Spaceweather.com for the latest developments.

Thursday, July 15th, 2004
Is Information Preserved in Black Holes?

It just might be, according to work recently published by world famous physicist, Steven Hawking. Hawking's most recent work answers questions left unanswered by his earlier ground-breaking studies. Besides teaching at Cambridge, Hawking is the author of numerous books... including the multi-million selling "A Brief History of Time"

Wednesday, July 14th, 2004
NASA Urged to Study Hubble Repair Options

A panel of experts recently have asked NASA to look into using space shuttle crews to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Given the instruments incredible contributions to science, we wholeheartedly support this suggestion.

Tuesday, July 13th, 2004

Scaled Composites to Fly in September

Scaled Composites, which recently made history by launching the first private manned spacecraft, is planning to launch a series of flights starting in September and claim a $10 million X-Prize. SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvill told MSNBC that detailed announcement will be made shortly. 

Tuesday, July 13th, 2004

The Moon & Venus in Taurus

The Moon & Venus posed along with The Pleiades Star Cluster in the constellation Taurus this morning. The two will pull even closer tomorrow morning as the moon shrinks to about a 6% illuminated crescent phase. You can find them in the eastern sky before sunrise. Check it out if skies in your area permit.

Monday, July 12th, 2004

Cassini Images The Cassini Division

Shortly after successfully entering orbit around Saturn, The Cassini Spacecraft took this shot of a region of Saturn's rings known as The Cassini Division. Checkout the Cassini website for the latest.

Sunday, July 4th, 2004

Cassini Reveals Titan

The Cassini Spacecraft took this shot of Saturn's moon Titan on its final approach to the ringed planet. Checkout the Cassini website for the latest.

Saturday, July 3rd, 2004

Cassini Orbits Saturn

The Cassini Spacecraft is now orbiting Saturn. It is already returning scientific data. Checkout the Cassini website for the latest.