Where's Saturn? Is that a UFO--or the ISS? What's the name of that
star? Get the answers from mySKY--a
fun new astronomy helper from Meade. LIFTOFF!
In spite of threatening weather, space shuttle Discovery launched
this morning from the Kennedy Space Center on a two-week mission
to the International Space Station. Mission control reports that
Discovery has safely reached orbit: updates.
photos: from
Ron Netzley of Palm Bay, Florida, 50 miles south of Kennedy
Space Center.
BIG FULL MOON: This
week's full Moon is the biggest full Moon of 2007. It's no
illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and
Thursday night's will be a whopper. Why? Read the answer below.
Left: A big, bright perigee Moon.
RIght: A lesser apogee Moon.
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 30,000 miles closer
to Earth than the other. The full Moon of Oct. 25-26 is located
on the near side, making it appear as much as 14% bigger and 30%
brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2007.
In the language of astronomy, the two ends of the Moon's orbit
are called "apogee"
and "perigee."
Apogee is the farthest point, perigee the nearest: diagram.
This week's full Moon is a "perigee Moon" with extra-high
"perigean
tides."
The Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference?
It's not so easy. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure
lunar diameters. A fun experiment: Take a friend outside Thursday
night and ask if they notice anything unusual about the Moon. Explain
perigee after they answer.
FALL COLORS: "Fall
foliage is peaking here in South Portland, Maine, and I decided
to photograph the
colors in an unusual way," says John
Stetson. "Here they are reflected in the 6-inch hand-ground
mirror of my next solar telescope."
"This mirror is use in a solar telescope designed by John
Dobson," he explains. "The polished and figured mirror
will remain unsilvered." The sun is so bright, ordinary polished
glass is reflective enough. "Also, without a reflective coating
this mirror will be able to gather more than enough light to view
the full moon this Thursday." Stay tuned for moonshots!
October
2007 Aurora Gallery
[September
Gallery] [Aurora Alerts]
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