Thursday, November 23, 2006

astro news

* Nearby Star Erupts Dramatically
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/061106_star_flare.html

A flare-up on a relatively nearby star is perhaps the most powerful such event ever detected, astronomers said today.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/061120_mm_blackhole_spin.html

X-ray vision has brought astronomers closer than ever to completely characterizing a black hole, a place where strange things happen.
Astronomers measured the spinning speed of three black holes, finding that one rotates at a breakneck 950 times per second, nearing its theoretical rotation limit of 1,150 spins a second. The black hole lies within the constellation Aquila (the Eagle) about 35,000 light-years from Earth.



Brilliant flare seen in II Pegasi
Scientists using NASA's Swift satellite have spotted a stellar flare on a nearby star so powerful that, had it been from our sun, it would have triggered a mass extinction on Earth. The flare was perhaps the most energetic magnetic stellar explosion ever detected ...
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=4656

A Hubble and Spitzer masterpiece
A new image from NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes looks more like an abstract painting than a cosmic snapshot. The masterpiece shows the Orion Nebula in an explosion of infrared, ultraviolet and visible-light colors. It was "painted" by hundreds of baby stars on a canvas of gas and dust, with intense ultraviolet light and strong stellar winds as brushes ...
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=4655

Antarctica Yields New Lunar Meteorite

Antarctica Yields New Lunar Meteorite
http://ctanews.com/blogs/Lunar-meteorite/

the satyrical) Onion about chasing tornadoes

Ever see (the satyrical) Onion
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/53929

well I chase storms and tornadoes and this ditty on it was interesting.

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com): Olathe, KS:

name a star what a bunch of ...

1b. Name a star
Posted by: AR


(please disregard as not eclipse related, and accept
my apology for wasting your bandwidth.)

I just got an email from the universal star council offering me a
deal to name a star for only $39.95.
I hate these people more than department stores selling rickety 60mm
refractors that reach 600 power.

Please get the word out to friends and associates about these crooks.
I always hate it when someone at a public star party wants me to show
them their star, and I don't really like having to tell them they
have been swindled instead of showing them the glory of the night sky.



Thanks
**
Nothing burns me more then when I hear the " name a star " on radio. I immediately turn the channel as I can't stand to listen to these shysters. But people still think they will get a "a good deal" by trying something different. We get notes from people all the times to our astro club whether this is a good idea or not. Leagally we can't say much as I have heard that the the NAS legal department will sue. So it is left up to the public to be a little smart and not waste their time. (How many times is this possible? I mean some people elected Bush twice !!!) . Think. Don't waste the money. Bamble gamble in the casinos at least you have a chance. These shysters will put your name on a piece of paper of a star. For $40 what a deal. Doesn't someone have a better way to spend their hard earned money??? For many guess not.

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS:

cute eclipse sighting sort of

real cute!! so when you line them up it is an eclipse of the Accord.
Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS

personalized license plates
Posted by: "1eclipse" 1eclipse@vtc.net
wrote
Date: Tue Nov 7, 2006 4:59 am (PST)

My largest vehicle (SUV) is 1 SUN
My smallest vehicle (MC) is 2 MOON
My intermediate Accord LE is 3 EARTH

:) So I can have an eclipse whenever I want :)


eclipse March 2006 from Libya on video

thanks for the heads up PBS eclipse video and more
Posted by: "KCStarguy@aol.com" KCStarguy@aol.com kcstarguy2001
Date: Fri Nov 3, 2006 10:07 pm (PST)

Appreciate the heads up about the Eclipse from Libya on PBS and Frontline.
I appreciate the url below as I could not find the info on pbs because it was
under the frontierworld part of the url.

> http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/08/libya_out_of_th.html
> If you go to the website you can also see the feedback from people

I did not quite understand why the journalist was supposedly asking some
dangerous questions to the locals.

The viewing of the uncoming shadow and the eclipse and scenery was really
nice. The more that I see of this one and others that saw the 2006 eclipse
soothe my aching of not being able to go because the schools did not let me . I
still have my videos of 1998, 1999 and 2001 and that and SEML will keep me
going to see 2008, 2009,2010 (which are in the summer so no school stuff and
hindrance).

Thanks again.

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS:

Victoria's Secrets: Mars Rovers Ready for New Duties

Victoria's Secrets: Mars Rovers Ready for New Duties
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061106_mars_update.html

NASA's lively robotic twosome—the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers—are in good shape to soldier onward in their dealings with the red planet.

Comet Plunges into the Sun

Comet Plunges into the Sun
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/061106_comet_sun.html

A comet made a death plunge into the Sun on Friday, disintegrating as its icy chemicals vaporized on the way in.

Mercury’s Transit Captured by Hinode

Mercury’s Transit Captured by Hinode
http://www.universetoday.com/2006/11/17/mercurys-transit-captured-by-hinode/
spectacular photo
Mercury transits in front of the Sun. Image credit: JAXA
The Japanese solar observing spacecraft Hinode captured this photograph of Mercury's transit this week. Hinode, formerly known as Solar B, is currently in its shakedown period, where controllers ensure that each of its scientific instruments are working. But they couldn't pass up this opportunity, so they pointed the spacecraft at the Sun, and watched the entire transit. Hinode should resume its normal science operations next month.

Martian Life Could Have Evaded Detection by Viking Landers

* Martian Life Could Have Evaded Detection by Viking Landers
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/061024_mars_viking.html

A chemical test used by the Mars Viking landers more than 30 years ago was not sensitive enough to detect signs of alien life even if they existed, a new study suggests.