ORION IS COMING IN HOT: NASA's Orion spacecraft is hurtling toward Earth for a nail-biting grand finale to its maiden 25-day space voyage. On Sunday, Dec. 11th, Orion will skip across the top of the atmosphere like a pebble on the surface of a pond, bleeding away some of its kinetic energy before it plunges toward the Pacific Ocean like a 5,000 degree Fahrenheit meteor. Will Orion's experimental heat shield work? Tune into NASA TV on Dec. 11th for live coverage.
PHOTOS OF THE LUNAR OCCULTATION: On Dec. 7-8, the full Moon passed directly in front of Mars, producing a rare lunar occultation visible across North America and Europe. Photographer Gwenael Blanck watched the Red Planet disappear from Paris, France:
"I was really excited when the clouds over Paris parted just as Mars was approaching the edge of the Moon," says Blanck. "Perfect timing!"
The occultation was rare in part because it occurred within a week of Mars's closest approach to Earth. The disk of the Red Planet was unusually wide, and it shone with a brightness greater than any star in the sky. During the occultation, Mars was twice as bright as Sirius, allowing people to see and photograph the planet even when it was very close to the edge of the full Moon.
Amateur astronomer Vince Clements of Galt, California, used an 8-inch telescope and his iPhone to record this video of the entire occultation:
Photos of the event are pouring into the gallery. Check them out!Realtime Mars Photo Gallery
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RED PLANET, RED LAVA: In Hawaii, the sky show happened the night before the occultation. Mike Mezeul recorded the scene from Mauna Kea on Dec. 6th:
"What a view!" says Mezeul. "Standing under the stars on Mauna Kea I could see lava glowing in the distance from the erupting Mauna Loa volcano 30 miles away. The almost-full Moon was surrounded by an ice halo and, inside the halo, there was Mars."
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GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is coming. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.
These unique gifts have floated above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out. Don't forget to enter coupon code "SPACESANTA" at checkout for a 10% holiday discount.
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