Saturday, July 9th, 2005

Supernova in M51

 A supernova was recently discovered in one of the spiral arms of The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. Interestingly, it was discovered by an amateur astronomer, Wolfgang Kloehr of Schweinfurt Germany.  The mag14 supernova can be seen in the accompanying image at the intersection of the two arrows. M51, a favorite of backyard astronomers can be found high overhead shortly after dark. Click here to view a before & after shot... then checkout Sky & Telescope for all the details.

Friday, July 8th, 2005

Solar System Lineup

 Inner solar system residents Mercury, Venus & The Moon will join together nicely in the western sky shortly after dark tonight. Utah Skies member, John Berkenpas captured this preview of the event last night. Click here to view some previous conjunctions.

Thursday, July 7th, 2005

Aurora Watch Continues!

 A pair of coronal mass ejections erupted off the sun recently and are heading towards Earth. Skywatchers (especially at more northern latitudes) should be alert for aurora after dark this weekend.

Wednesday, July 6th, 2005

Close-up Of A Comet
 
This sweet image was captured by the impactor just moments before it slammed into Comet Tempel 1 at speeds in excess of 23,000 mph. Look at all the detail in this incredible image. It shows us a comet like we've never seen before. Checkout the Deep Impact Mission Pages for more details.

Tuesday, July 5th, 2005

Scientists and Instruments Focus on Comet Tempel 1

Move your mouse over the above image. These are before and after images of Comet P9/Tempel 1 striking encounter with Deep Impact's 800 pound, 23000 miles-per-hour projectile as imaged by the FORS2 multi-mode instrument on the 8.2 meter ESO telescope, Antu, in La Silla, Chile. This and many other studies are currently underway. Thanks to Bill Ricker for his ever-vigilant science eye...

Solar Activity Rising
 
A number of large and active sunspots has appeared on the face of our star recently. NOAA forecasters are calling for a 5% chance of a powerful X-Class Solar Flare during the next 24 hours. Such an event could trigger widespread aurora. Keep an eye on our Geomagnetic Monitor. It'll go strongly red if aurora are likely.

Monday, July 4th, 2005

Bulls Eye!
 
NASA's Deep Impact Spacecraft scored a bulls-eye early this morning as the impactor it released hours earlier slammed right into approaching Comet Tempel 1 (as planned :). NASA scientists are busy analyzing the data recorded from the event. It is hoped that since comets are believed to have formed in the earliest moments of our solar system, that they will be able to examine some materials that have not seen the light of day since that time. Expect to hear quite a bit about this in the coming days. Checkout NASA News for all the details!

Sunday, July 3rd, 2005

Comet Tempel 1: Dead Ahead
 
Later tonight (or early tomorrow morning depending on your location) NASA's Deep Impact Spacecraft will make contact with Comet Tempel 1... literally. At 12:07am (MDT), The Deep Impact Spacecraft released a probe that will crash directly into the comet. At the moment of impact (July 3rd at 11:52 p.m. MDT, July 4th at 0552 UT) the comet might brighten so much that sky watchers on Earth can see it through binoculars or even with the unaided eye from dark-sky sites. Checkout NASA's Deep Impact Website for more details.. This incredible illustration comes courtesy of NASA/JPL/UMD with artwork by Pat Rawlings

Saturday, July 2nd, 2005

Planets Align
 
The innermost planets, Mercury & Venus are still easy targets in the western sky shortly after sunset. Saturn, is another matter all together. It's setting shortly after the sun, making it a tough catch. The accompanying shot, taken on Friday, captured all three only because of an excellent western horizon. Click here to go to our Conjunctions Page.

Southern Summer Sky

Rich and vast, the southern summer sky contains the familiar constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius, as well as a plethora of clusters and nebulae.  Too, our galaxy's Galactic Center lies in this general direction...

Friday, July 1st, 2005

Get Ready For Some Serious Fireworks!
 
NASA is planning a very special July 4th event this year. Its Deep Impact Spacecraft is set to release a probe which will smash in Comet Tempel 1 at speeds in excess of 23,000 mph. The event will occur just before midnight on July 3rd for us here in Park City.... East coast viewers will see it early on the 4th. Checkout Science@NASA for all the details.. as well as observing times & tips. This incredible illustration comes courtesy of NASA/JPL/UMD with artwork by Pat Rawlings