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PHONE. WEIRD ASTEROID:
Today, NASA radars are trained on a tiny asteroid named 6R10DB9
making a close (270,000 km) approach to Earth. Only 4 meters wide,
6R10DB9 is currently orbiting our planet as a temporary satellite.
The object is so small that solar radiation pressure is perturbing
its motion, and it should return to solar orbit later in the summer.
The origin of this object is unknown; it may be a piece of the Moon
itself broken off by an lunar asteroid impact. [more]
ISS FLARES: Assembly of the
International Space Station continues apace in Earth orbit, and
with each new flat surface added to the station, the odds improve
that you might see an "ISS Flare." Dave
Storey of the Isle of Man, UK, photographed this one on June
11th:
"A hole in the cloud cover developed this evening
and I was able to have a go at chasing the ISS with my 6-inch refractor,"
says Storey. "As I tracked the station through the finder scope,
the station flared when sunlight glinted off a flat surface."
The space station in the night sky ordinarily rivals
Jupiter or Venus. When it flares, it can double in brightness--or
more. That's something to see; the trick is knowing when
to look.
more images: from
Mike Tyrrell of England; from
Martin Wagner of Sonnenbuehl-Genkingen, Germany; from
Ralf Vandebergh of the Netherlands; from
Martin Popek of Nýdek, Czech Republic.
BIG SUNDOG: "The placement
of this sundog right next to Auckland's Sky Tower made a lovely
sight as I was walking home this afternoon!" says Yvette
Cendes of Auckland, New Zealand, who snapped a picture using
her Canon
PowerShot:
Sundogs resemble rainbows, but they have nothing to
do with rain. Ice is responsible for this phenomenon. Sundogs are
caused by tiny plate-shaped
ice crystals that flutter down from high clouds like leaves
with flat faces almost horizontal. The crystals catch the rays of
the sun and transform them into a vivid rainbow-colored splash of
light.
Because high clouds are always freezing, sundogs may
appear in any season or latitude. Look
for them!
2007
Noctilucent Photo Gallery
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