ASSA Comet, Asteroid and Meteor Section

 CAMnote s2010 No.2

1)Review of 2010 year to date

2)Comet prospects for the coming months

3)Asteroids in need of observation

4) Meteor showers for October-December 2010

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Wish John Dobson a happy 95 - One for all the dobi users!

John Dobson

John Dobson is arguably one the most influential personalities in amateur astronomy in the last couple of decades. He has almost single-handedly revolutionized backyard astronomy by bringing it out to the street, making it possible for everyone to enjoy the beauty of the Universe!

On September 14 2010, John is turning 95 and here's your chance to send birthday wishes to him!

• Go to this page and send him the best of wishes.  

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• John L Dobson - Official Page

Dark adaption 3

The perfect astrotorch puts out a pure red beam that is dim enough not to harm dark adaptation.

A too-bright red light can be nearly as harmful to night vision as a white light.

Get one with a strap, a dimmer control, and a sturdy housing

Source: Getting the Most from Your Schmidt Cassegrain or Any Catadioptric Telescope - Rod Mollise

How to become a backyard Astronomer in 10 Easy steps

Backyard Observing

1. DON’T BUY A TELESCOPE — YET Cost: $0 2. BEFRIEND A BOOK - Cost: $0 to $40

3. BEFRIEND THE SKY - Cost: Your timev

4. TRY SOME SOFTWARE - Cost: $0 to $75

5. BUY BINOCULARS - Cost: $150 to $200

6. FIND FELLOW ENTHUSIASTS - Cost: Your time

7. CRASH A PARTY - Cost: Gas money

8. LEARN THE JARGON - Cost: Time and patience

9. OK, NOW BUY A TELESCOPE - Cost: $300 to $600

10. AVOID ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY! - Cost: Nothing—you save hundreds of dollars and hours!

Read thge complete article here!

Source: SkyNews.ca

How the 'LHC in space' lost its British 'engine'

The mythical beast has been sighted. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) has finally arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final checks before being launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in February.

The AMSThe AMS has variously been described as the "LHC in space" and the "world's most expensive space experiment", besides a few other derogatory labels that have played on its $1.5bn price tag. 

Visit the source BBC News for more information.

Secret X-37B Space Plane Has Changed Orbit

By Leonard David
SPACE.com's Space Insider Columnistposted: 24 August 2010
12:57 am ET

The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit Aug. 9, according to reports from seasoned satellite trackers around the world, SPACE.com has learned.

Visit Source for more information: www.space.com

Solar System May Be 2 Million Years Older Than Thought

The solar system may be up to two million years older than previously thought, a new study has found.

Researchers studying bits of a meteorite discovered that the space rock was 4.5682 billion years old, predating previous estimates of the solar system's age by up to 1.9 million years. This adjustment, though ever so slight, should help astronomers better understand how the sun and planets formed.

"We believe that, right now, this is the most precise and accurate date for the age of the solar system," said study co-author Meenakshi Wadhwa of Arizona State University.

 Visit Source: Space.com

First light from the new solar telescope:

Sunspot 1084 (Click on image to enlarge)

This is a first light adaptive optics image from the New Solar Telescope (NST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory in California. "With a 1.6-meter primary mirror, the NST is the largest solar telescope in the world," says Nicolas Gorceix of the observatory staff. "It has realtime correction for atmospheric distortion (adaptive optics), so we can see things in very high resolution--as small as 65 km wide on the sun."

• Visit the Spaceweather website for more information
  
  
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  The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO)

Gaan Mars ons vannag, as ons slaap, insluk?

"No wonder... You're looking at ............"  (Fill in the town or city where you are staying).

Miskien moet ons liewer nie vannag gaan slaap nie. Sê nou net!

Hier is my teorie oor die twak wat via e-posse versprei word.

27 Augustus het gekom en gegaan!

Hier sit ons nog.  Ok die dag het nog `n paadjie om te loop.

Loer op die blog vir die absolute waarheid: Klik hier

My eie conspiracy theory! 

Hierdie twak wat rondgestuur word werk soos volg: Iemand - (wat die eerste boodskap uitstuur) begin om die e-pos aan `n paar ongelowiges te stuur. Dit word dan van een ongelowige tot die volgende ongelowige gestuur. Soos `n kettingbrief.

Die adresse word meer en meer. Later is daar duisende adresse. Die ou wat die brief begin rondstuur het lag al die pad. Hy oes al die adresse en stuur aan almal `n boodskap dat hulle bankbesonderhede foutief is.

"Klik op hierdie skakel en gee vir my al jou bankbesonderhede want ek wil jou van jou geld verlos!"  Of jy het $30 000 in die US-lotto gewen (Lees eintlik Ponde en in die UK, maar ek kry nie die pondteken nie). Of jy kan geld bydra vir `n arme kind wat verkrag is (wat nie bestaan nie) se kos en klere en hele skoolloopbaan.

Daar is baie van die skelmstreke!

(Vul jou dorp/stad  se naam in onder die foto, as jy dié twak glo!)

Terloops. Kliek op die boonste skakel. Ons hou van baie besoekers op die blog. Stuur die adres aan nog duisende mense sodat hulle presies kan weet wat aangaan. Stuur dan al die e-posadresse vir my. Ek kan dit baie goed gebruik. Ha! Ha! Ha!
(The devil made me do it!   ;-)

Om te bevestig dat Mars in `n verskriklike moeilike bui is: Klik hier 

Klik op die  O . As niks gebeur nie sal Mars nie so groot soos die maan word nie!
- Doen dit op jou eie risiko. 

Terloops. Die maan was Woensdag, 25 Augustus net na volmaan op sy verste punt van die aarde in die eliptiese baan waarin dit beweeg. Dit word apogee genoem. Dit was `n hele 406 388 km van die aarde af. Lees gerus jou Skyguide vir 2010 - Bladsy 30). 

- 17 Januarie 2010 was die maan ook in apogee. Verste weg van aarde (406 343 km)

- 20 Mei 2010, 10:30,  Maan in perigee. Naaste aan die aarde (369 733km)
- 25 Augustus 2010, 0730. Maan in apogee  (406 388 km vanaf aarde)
- 25 Desember 2010, Maan in perigee, (368 465 km vanaf aarde).

Apogee en Perigee: So lyk dit 
 
(Dis feite en nie versinsels nie).

Groete

Hannes Pieterse

Jupiter loop weer deur! Amateur sien dit.

Rare flash of light seen on Jupiter in astral collision

A flash of light believed to be caused by astral matter colliding with Jupiter has been captured on camera by an amateur astronomer in Japan. 

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  Watch the video

   Dankie vir die wenk,  Thinus