March, 2005

Thursday, March 31st, 2005
Galactic Collisions

Astronomers from the European Space Agency have used infrared data to conclude that shockwaves from galaxy collisions are key to triggering massive bursts of star formation. Checkout SpaceDaily.com for more details.

Wednesday, March 30th, 2005
Solar Minimum Is Near

Sunspot activity has dropped to its lowest level since 1997... as sure sign that solar minimum is rapidly approaching. If activity follows the expected path, solar minimum will occur next year... followed by a rapid jump in activity towards solar maximum in 2010. Checkout Science@NASA for more details.

Tuesday, March 29th, 2005
Censorship of IMAX Films Threatens Integrity of Science, Leader Says

The leader of the world's largest organization of scientists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said the suppression of some IMAX films because they run counter to religion threatens the integrity of science and public education. Check out LiveScience for the full story.

Monday, March 28th, 2005
Janus Rides The Ring

The orbiting Cassini spacecraft snapped this exquisite shot of Saturn's moon Janus seemingly riding along one of its faint rings. The shot was taken on Feb. 18, 2005 from a distance of just over 500,000 miles. Checkout the NASA's Planetary Photojournal for more details.

Saturday, March 26th, 2005
Full Moon & Jupiter

The Moon posed alongside the planet Jupiter last night... pulling to just over 1.25° as the night progressed. That's less than 3 moon diameters... falling well within the field of view of a typical pair of binoculars or a wide angle telescope. Click here to view previous conjunctions.

The pair can be seen setting behind a nearby mountain shortly after the previous image was taken.

Friday, March 25th, 2005
Local Super Star Cluster Discovered

Astronomers at the European Space Agency have detected a Super Star Cluster right here in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Super Star Clusters are incredibly dense collections of young, hyper-giant stars. Previously thought to exist only in other galaxies, the team found a local cluster hiding behind a dense cloud of gas and dust. Checkout the ESO Press Release for more details.

Spring's First Full Moon

The first full moon of spring will rise this evening. Checkout Space.com's Full Moon Viewer's Guide to learn about all that can seen on Earth's nearest celestial neighbor.

Thursday, March 24th, 2005
Cassini Returns Striking Image of Saturn

The Cassini orbiter continues to return stunning imagery from the Saturnian system.  This recent image shows the 10s-of-meters-thin icy rings edge on, while moons orbit and the shadows of the rings drape gently over the planet. SpaceFlight Now has more info...

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005
Spitzer Telescope Images Extrasolar Planets

The Spitzer Space Telescope has recorded the light of two planets orbiting a star outside our solar system. This first ever event is being heralded as "the beginning of a new age of planetary science". Checkout The Spitzer Press Release for more details.

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005
Final Push To Save Hubble Space Telescope

Congressional leaders will be meeting with NASA officials over the next several weeks to decide the ultimate fate of the Hubble Space Telescope. Its contributions to science simply can not be overstated. If you value this most famous orbiting observatory... now is the time to act. Contact your Senators, your Representatives and The President and tell them to Save The Hubble.

Monday, March 21st, 2005
Spring has Sprung

The Vernal Equinox occurred yesterday morning. This marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. Those living south of the equator are getting ready for the approach of winter.

Friday, March 18th, 2005
Expansion of the Universe Explained

An international team of cosmologists has come up with a theory to explain the observed expanding universe without resorting to exotic theories like dark energy and dark matter. By making use of inflationary theory, they were able to reconcile the observed with the theoretical. Checkout SpaceDaily.com for all the details.

Thursday, March 17th, 2005
"Significant" Atmosphere on Enceladus

Observations of Saturn's moon Enceladus by the orbiting Cassini Spacecraft have revealed a "significant" atmosphere. This may be attributed to volcanic or other internal activities. Cassini has already made two close passes of the moon. Checkout the Cassini Press Release for more details.

Wednesday, March 16th, 2005
Backside Solar Explosion

The Sun has been quite for some time now. That all ended yesterday when a huge backside explosion occurred. Astronomers aren't quite sure what caused the event, but.. .they got a good view of the results. Checkout this sweet image by Gary Honis of Conyngham, Pennsylvania. Checkout Spaceweather.com for more details... and stay tuned for more activity.

Tuesday, March 15th, 2005
The Moon and The Clusters

Tonight's crescent moon will sit  just to the north and east of two of the night sky's most beautiful objects, The Pleiades Star Cluster and The Hyades Star Cluster. Look for the trio to make a nearly perfect equilateral triangle as the night progresses. Look for the gathering as soon as it gets dark.. high and towards the west.

Saturn Seen With Largest Moons

The orbiting Cassini Spacecraft snapped this sweet shot of Saturn along with its largest moons (Titan, lower left, Rhea, upper right). Saturn is currently rising around 1pm. It and its brightest moons are an easy target for backyard astronomers. Of course, you can view those beautiful rings as an added bonus. Saturn is currently cruising among the stars of Gemini.

Monday, March 14th, 2005
Earthshine

This past weekend offered up some of the best views of Earthshine seen in quite some time. Earthshine is sunlight reflecting off of Earth onto the non-sunlit portion of the Moon. This sweet shot was taken by Utah Skies member Brian Jolley this past weekend from an observing site on Gooseberry Mesa in southern Utah.

Sunday, March 13th, 2005
Ashen Moon & Mercury

A beautiful ashen Moon hung quietly in the western sky shortly after sunset on Friday evening. To its lower right was the innermost planet Mercury just a few degrees away. What a sweet sight! For more such images and a calendar of upcoming events, be sure to checkout our Conjunctions Page.

Friday, March 11th, 2005
Moon & Mercury

The Moon and Mercury will be 3.6° apart tonight (Friday 3/11) That's about 1 moon diameter closer than the two appeared in this image taken in September of 2003. On Saturday night, 3/12 Mercury will reach its greatest elongation (distance from the Sun) when it appears 18° from our star. For more such images and a calendar of upcoming events, be sure to checkout our Conjunctions Page.

Thursday, March 10th, 2005
Jupiter Rising/Setting Early

The planet Jupiter is now rising around 8:30pm...giving us plenty of time to observe this astronomical wonder. Jupiter reveals an incredible amount of detail in even the most modest of telescopes. In fact, even a typical pair of binoculars can see its brightest moons. Jupiter is setting (at least in Park City) around 6:00am. Those of you with lower western horizons will be able to follow it a while longer.

Wednesday, March 9th, 2005
Jupiter Mirrors The Sun

Astronomers using the European Space Agency's orbiting XMM-Newton Telescope have linked aurora on Jupiter to activity on the Sun. Using some new techniques, astronomers will be able to observe Jupiter to monitor the Sun. Read all about the linkage on SpaceDaily.com.

Tuesday, March 8th, 2005
Starbirth

Astronomers using the European Space Agency's orbiting XMM-Newton Telescope have spied what they're describing as a Class 0 Protostar... a gas cloud at the earliest stage of stellar formation. The discovery is similar to viewing a fetus in the first trimester. Checkout SpaceDaily.com for more information.

Monday, March 7th, 2005
Moonrise

A tiny waning crescent Moon rose above the foothills east of Park City this morning. The 9% illuminated disk was displaying a bit of Earthshine when this shot was taken around 6:00am. Look for Earthshine to become more pronounced as we get closer to Thursday's new moon and as we into spring, since that's the best time to view Earthshine.

Sunday, March 6th, 2005
X-Ray Aurora on Jupiter

Astronomers using the orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory have imaged intense X-Ray emissions from Jupiter at its poles. Checkout the Chandra Press Release for more information.

Sunday Crescents and Croissants

Sunday mornings are arguably better with flakey french croissants and a fine crescent moon.  This morning the moon rose 20% illuminated, on its way to new Thursday morning, the 10th.

Saturday, March 5th, 2005
Cassini Views An Eclipse

The Cassini Spacecraft witnessed an eclipse involving two of Saturn's moons. Rhea briefly drifted in front of its larger, but more distant sibleng, Dione. Click here to view the entire event.

Friday, March 4th, 2005
Smallest Known Star Found

The smallest known star was recently discovered by a team of astronomers. Measuring a mere 15% larger than Jupiter... and smaller than some planets orbiting other stars, this planet is less than 1/10 the mass of our Sun. This discovery is helping to place a lower limit on the size of stars. Checkout Space.com for all the details.

Thursday, March 3rd, 2005
Moon & Mars This Weekend

The Moon will pass within 5° of the red planet Mars this weekend. Known as a conjunction, this type of event has been studied throughout history. Look for the pair low in the southeast before sunrise. Checkout our Conjunctions Page for images of previous events.

Tuesday, March 1st, 2005
Japan Plans Lunar Base

After the successful launch of its H-2A rocket, Japan's Space Agency announced ambitious plans which included manned space flights and the creation of a research base on the Moon. Checkout Space-Travel.com for more details.