Bright Explosion on the Moon - NASA Science

Bright Explosion on the Moon - NASA Science

UFS101’s Annual Astronomy Fair - 27 April 2013

(Click to enlarge image)

Members of ASSA Bloemfontein  assisting with the UFS101 where First Year students learn more about Science. Students are looking at the moon through telescopes.

It is that time again for UFS101’s Annual Astronomy Fair on University of the Free State Campus. This will be held on Bloemfontein Campus in the Callie Human on 27 April 2013 from 9:30 -13:00.

You are invited to:

• Observe the sun through a specially equipped telescope;
• Witness the launching of Demo Rockets;
• Attend a presentation inside of an inflatable planetarium (limited space)
• Hear the latest news about SKA-South Africa and astronomy developments in Bloemfontein
• Take a 552m walk on campus to see a Scale Model of our Solar System
• Explore the latest astronomy applications for your iPhone/ iPad
• and much more…

The entrance is free and you are welcome to bring the whole family. No booking is necessary. There will be tuckshop facilities available as well as products from exhibitors to be bought.

PROGRAMME FOR 27 April 2013 (Bloemfontein)

Time Activity Venue - Badminton Hall (Next to Callie Human Centre)
09:45 -10:15
Presentation: ‘The Universe: The 5% we know of and the "missing" 95%’ by Prof. Matie Hoffman

 Astrofair in Callie Human Centre
10:00 - 13:00 Expo,
12:45  Launching of Rockets

Rosette Nebula in Moneceros and Carina Nebula in Carina

Click to Enlarge
Photographer: Herman Bonnet, ASSA Bloemfontein

NGC 2237 in Moneceros 
Rosette Nebula

Kamera -Canon 400D.

Mount -CGE PRO

Teleskoop-Skywatcher equinox 120 mm refraktor

Guiding-Nexguide kamera

11 x 2 min exposures

10 flats

10 darks

10 bias

Click to Enlarge

Photographer: Herman Bonnet, ASSA Bloemfontein

NGC 3372 in Carina
Carina Nebula

Kamera -Canon 400D.

Mount -CGE PRO

Teleskoop-Skywatcher equinox 120 mm refraktor

Guiding-Nexguide kamera

12 X 4MIN exposures

20 flats

20 darks

20 bias

LIVE streaming video and commentary begins now for today's Antares test flight http://www.spaceflightnow.com/antares/demo/status.html

LIVE streaming video and commentary begins now for today's Antares test flight http://www.spaceflightnow.com/antares/demo/status.html

Spaceflight Now - live streaming video powered by Livestream

Spaceflight Now - live streaming video powered by Livestream

The Blue Marble - The most viewed image in history

The Blue Marble is a famous photograph of the Earth, taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, at a distance of about 45,000 kilometres (28,000 mi).

Read more...

Chelyabinsk Meteor Flash

Chelyabinsk Meteor Flash
Image Credit & Copyright: Marat Ahmetvaleev  

• More stunning images

  Explanation: A meteoroid fell to Earth on February 15, streaking some 20 to 30 kilometers above the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia at 9:20am local time. Initially traveling at about 20 kilometers per second, its explosive deceleration after impact with the lower atmosphere created a flash brighter than the Sun. This picture of the brilliant bolide (and others of its persistent trail) was captured by photographer Marat Ametvaleev, surprised during his morning sunrise session creating panoramic images of the nearby frosty landscape. An estimated 500 kilotons of energy was released by the explosion of the 17 meter wide space rock with a mass of 7,000 to 10,000 tons. Actually expected to occur on average once every 100 years, the magnitude of the Chelyabinsk event is the largest known since the Tunguska impact in 1908.

Chebarkul meteorite

Links to Chebarkul meteorite

• Meteorite in Russia: all videos in one place

• Chebarkul

• Chebarkul meteorite

• 2013 Russian meteor event

• Russian meteor was the biggest in over 100 years, says NASA

 

 

Asteroid 2012 DA14 Passes the Earth

Asteroid 2012 DA14 Passes the Earth
Video Credit & Copyright: Daniel López (El Cielo de Canarias) Explanation: There it goes. That small spot moving in front of background stars in the above video is a potentially dangerous asteroid passing above the Earth's atmosphere. This past Friday, the 50-meter wide asteroid 2012 DA14 just missed the Earth, passing not only inside the orbit of the Moon, which is unusually close for an asteroid of this size, but also inside the orbit of geosynchronous satellites. Unfortunately, asteroids this big or bigger strike the Earth every 1000 years or so. Were 2012 DA14 to have hit the Earth, it could have devastated a city-sized landscape, or stuck an ocean and raised dangerous tsunamis. Although finding and tracking potentially dangerous asteroids is a primary concern of modern astronomy, these small bodies or ice and rock are typically so dim that only a few percent of them have been found, so far. Even smaller chunks of ice and rock, like the (unrelated) spectacular meteors that streaked over Russia and California over the past few days, are even harder to find -- but pose less danger.

Nog `n Komeet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS)

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Vir die ouens wat vroeg opstaan of glad nie gaan slaap nie.

Komeet Lemon is sterk op koers na Octans en nou is C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) vroegoggend in die Suid-Ooste sigbaar. Nee ek het hom nog nie gesien nie. Te laag vir my. Sal dalk die naweek probeer en op die dak klim.

Maart se Sky and Telescope sê ons kan die komeet by skypub.com/panstarrs volg. Die voorspelling is klaar daar dat dit nie so helder gaan wees as wat voorspel is nie.

Laat weet ons as jy die komeet sien. (assabfn@gmnail.com)

Skytools 3 gee hierdie voorspelling vir vannag.

On this night C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) is best visible between 03:29 and 04:46, with the optimum view at 04:27. Look for it in Telescopium, low in the southeastern sky during morning twilight. It is obvious visually in the Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dob. Use the Ultima 42mm for optimum visual detection. It is magnitude 5.5 with a diameter of 4.5'.