Eclipse 2006 umbra from Space

As the New (total eclipse-less) 2007 Year approach, I send this last message to SEML for 2006
Spaceweather.com (Dec31, 2006) (other days check in archives)

TOTAL ECLIPSE: The moon's dark shadow touched Earth today, tracing a path from Brazil to central Asia, cutting across Africa and Turkey, and finally returning to space west of Mongolia. Wherever the shadow fell, people witnessed a spectacular eclipse of the sun:
2006 eclipse umbra on Earth from Space
http://spaceweather.com/index.cgi?view=1&day=29&month=03&year=2006

photo gallery.
2006 eclipse photo Gallery
http://spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_29mar06.htm

High above Earth, the GOES-East weather satellite photographed the moon's shadow approaching the west coast of Africa:



Happy New 2007 Year!! And may we all see many eclipses to come.

Dr. Eric Flescher

Red Razin:Skepticism greets claim of possible alien microbes

just found this one
Skepticism greets claim of possible alien microbes
Jan. 5, 2006
Special to World Science
The red rain phenomenon first started in Kerala after a meteor airburst event, which occurred on 25th July 2001 near Changanacherry in [the] Kottayam district. This meteor airburst is evidenced by the sonic boom experienced by several people during early morning of that day.
http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060104_specksfrm1.htm

There is more to comet dust then thought

Surprises in comet dust. There is more to comet dust then thought. Scientists are learning much about our universe through the dust from comets. Here is the latest.

Dust gathered from a comet and brought to Earth tells a tale of a so‐Therelar sys‐tem that par‐tial‐ly turned itself in‐side out, re‐search‐ers say.
Dec. 14, 2006
Special to World Science
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/061214_stardust.htm
Updated Dec. 15

Happy New Year

Dr. Eric Flescher

History Channel "(Meteors) Fire in the Sky" &"Comets: Prophecy of Doom"

I know it is History Channel and it has some shows that are historical but in this case they are mostly science, astronomy, geology and more, in my way of thinking. Well the two shows "(Meteors) Fire in the Sky" and "Comets: Prophecy of Doom" snuck up on us late 12/28 when my wife noticed it on the HC. It had played earlier that evening so I hope some of you saw it or may see it.
(Meteors) Fire in the Sky included meteorite harvesting in Antarctica, finding ancient meteor craters in Europe, the comet discovery and hit by Comet Shoemaker- Levy on Jupiter, Near Earth Objects (NEOs) and demise of the dinosaurs.

"Comets: Prophecy of Doom" showed information about the history of Comet appearances in the sky and impact with the Earth. It starts off the simulation/ scenario in which pieces of a approaching unseen comet flake off the start to hit Los Angeles. Includes differences and likeness of meteors, meteorites, comets and asteroids.

Both are well done and include real and simulated footage, footage by scientists, astronomers including David Levy, Carolyn Shoemaker and others.

Hope you can catch. I am not sure when it first came out but it seems up to date about many discoveries, ideas, theories etc

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: Member #2572 IMCA (International Meteorite Collectors Association) : E.O.A.S. (Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere and Space) Blog -

Eros Asteroid and comet news semi-new and old

Photos, news and information about asteroids and comets are still of interest. Here's more of the latest, semi new and old news that is still good.

Asteroid's mystery 'blue ponds'
The Eros asteroid continues to excite scientists
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1565564.stm

Tuesday, 25 September, 2001, 17:43 GMT 18:43 UK 'Stupendous' comet pictures revealed
The images are of a far better quality than was expected
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
The Deep Space 1 (DS1) probe has returned the best images yet taken of the nucleus of a comet.
I's mind-boggling and stupendous
Astronomers are already saying that the pictures of the 10-kilometre- (6-mile-) wide core of Comet Borrelly will revolutionise our understanding of these frozen wanderers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1563427.stm


Giotto and comet Halley in 1986
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/giotto.html

Eros Asteroid and comet news semi-new and old

Photos, news and information about asteroids and comets are still of interest. Here's more of the latest, semi new and old news that is still good.

Asteroid's mystery 'blue ponds'
The Eros asteroid continues to excite scientists
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1565564.stm

Tuesday, 25 September, 2001, 17:43 GMT 18:43 UK 'Stupendous' comet pictures revealed
The images are of a far better quality than was expected
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
The Deep Space 1 (DS1) probe has returned the best images yet taken of the nucleus of a comet.
I's mind-boggling and stupendous
Astronomers are already saying that the pictures of the 10-kilometre- (6-mile-) wide core of Comet Borrelly will revolutionise our understanding of these frozen wanderers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1563427.stm


Giotto and comet Halley in 1986
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/giotto.html

Tornadoes Damage Hundreds of Florida Homes

December is not usually a day for tornadoes but anything can happen where there is warm weather .

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Dec. 26) - Four Christmas Day tornadoes damaged hundreds of Florida homes, with one flipping airplanes at a flight school and tearing the roofs off three apartment buildings, officials confirmed Tuesday.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/tornadoes-damage-hundreds-of-florida/20061225142209990001

" The sky appears blue" because and more misconceptions..

There are many misconceptions astronomical science and more out there that people either believe until they actual reasons etc are know or understood. Part education, part thinking , part reasoning and more.

The sky appears blue because while sunlight contains blue that is bounced around by air molecules .
The Oceans are blue, it is not the reflection of the sky, because water absorbs sunlight's red wavelength which leaves more of the blue to reflect off the sea.

Meanwhile the atmosphere on Mars is pinkish colored. Why? Because the soil and rocks on Mars are red and the resulting dust is lofted into the thin air of the planet.


red about other science and astronomical misconceptions at

More at
www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html

More at Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy website
www.badastronomy.com/


Other astronomy urban legends

Top 10 Space Urban Legends - Myths & Bad Astronomy

http://space.about.com/cs/funandfunny/tp/tpspacemyths.htm

Meteorite Blaze

I have been working with youTube and soon there will be an EOAS to view tornadoes, fireballs and video collection of those who have found and place videos on Youtub. There are some interesting videos.
This one has an interesting video of a fireball in Mexico.
The link below is a nice article about Meteorite Hunters.

Meteorite Blaze
Meteorite blaze over Guadalajara Mexico.
MilkandCookies.com: Latest Links -
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8mbA606ZRWI


Wired News - USA
... were discovered by members of an elite clique of globe-trotting meteorite hunters, adventurers ... and art gallery owners, who have come to see meteorites as high ...
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/meteor.html

Simulation bio-earth-space game Spore coming

Simulation game spore is coming. Look at links below.
I have never tried the game Sims but I love SimCity, SimFarm, SimEarth, SimLife and used them in my computer camps with Rocky's Boots and Robot Odysey and more. I have not done much with them since the internet really started ramping up.

Says it will come out for Windows (first?).
Boy this Spore sim better come out for mac otherwise I will have to get a new mac or have to play the intel side when Sue gets her new one :)


Hopefully kids will try their hand at this great program then on the drivel many spend their time (with their cheat codes of course!!).

The creator Will Wright says that this "game" uses "procedural" content development. which I liken to my "structured flexiblity thinking."

Will Wright Presents Spore... and a New Way to Think About Games
The legendary game designer presents an alternate way to develop games, and the awesome product of this way of thinking."This isn't so much a game preview as it is a look at new thoughts on game design in full effect."
By Dave 'Fargo' Kosak | March 14, 2005
Will Wright, creator of SimCity and The Sims, says YES. And more than that, he believes he's found a way to make gaming a much more personal experience for everyone it touches. And it won't take hordes of content developers: it'll just take a little savvy and use of what's called

"procedural" content development.
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/595/595975p1.html


Spore (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[15] At E3 2006, Spore was awarded the following Game Critics Awards: Best PC Game, ... Will Wright Presents Spore... and a New Way to Think About Games. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_(video_game)<



Computer Game
Spore for PC - GameSpot offers reviews, previews cheats and more. Count on us for all of the latest on the Spore Computer Game.
www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spore/index.htm

Will Wright wows GDC with new Sim - PC News at GameSpot
GameSpot provides in-depth news about Spore and hundreds of other games, including game ... Will Wright gives a sneak preview of his upcoming game Spore, ...
www.gamespot.com/news/2005/03/11/news_6120274.html


Spore Gameplay Video - Google Video
Will Wright talking at the 2005 Game Developer's Conference about 'Spore', which looks like it could possibly be the best video game ever. ...
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8372603330420559198

GameSpy: Will Wright Presents Spore... and a New Way to Think ...
Will Wright Presents Spore... and a New Way to Think About Games The legendary game designer presents an alternate way to develop games, and the awesome ...
www.gamespy.com/articles/595/595975p1.htm

SimmingWorld.com / Games / Spore - 6:10pm
First shown to the public at the Game Developers Conference 2005 in San Jose, CA by Will Wright, Spore is a brand new franchise -- it's not SimCity, ...
www.games.simmingworld.com/pc/spore/


3D Gamers :: Game Listing :: Spore Info
Spore downloads, Spore demos, Spore maps, Spore patches, Spore screenshots, Spore images, Spore pics, Spore wallpaper, Spore trailers.
www.3dgamers.com/games/spore/

Slashdot | Will Wright's Next Game: Spore
Will Wright's Next Game: Spore -- article related to Games.
games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/s.slashdot.or&from=rss

fogo archive: Re: amazing video game: Spore by Gerald Oskoboiny ...
Gerald Oskoboiny [2006-03-03 02:51-0800] >I just watched a video demo of a game (Spore) to be released >this fall, ...
impressive.net/archives/fogo/impressive.net/archives/fogo/20060725090

eclipse sighting TUTULEMMA unique image spaceweather 12/24/2006

eclipse sighting TUTULEMMA unique image spaceweather 12/24/2006

This is one spectacular picture
spaceweather.com
(not on 12/24/06 go to archives)

TUTULEMMA: If you took a picture of the sun at the same time each day, would it remain in the same position? The answer is no, and the figure-8 shape traced out by the sun over the course of a year is called an analemma

"I call it a tutulemma," says Tezel. "I invented this word myself. It's a combination of analemma and tutulma (pronounced to-tool-ma), the Turkish word for eclipse."
The eclipse in question is the total eclipse of March 29, 2006: gallery. The path of totality cut through Antalya, Turkey, about 500 km south of Tezel's home in Bursa. Combining images taken from Bursa and Antalya to create a true analemma--and the wo.
Renowned astrophotographer Tunc Tezel and his brother Cenk took dozens of pictures of the sun throughout 2006 and made the analemma, below. Look carefully. One of the suns in the analemma is eclipsed:

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: Member #2572 IMCA (International Meteorite Collectors Association) : E.O.A.S. (Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere and Space) Blog - :State of Kansas Solar System Ambassador: Comet Observers Coordinator- Astronomy League/ Astronomical Society of Kansas, KC, MO-Louisburg,KS: http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/comet/comet.htm: CometObserversAwardALsubscribe@yahoogroups.com - Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: State of Kansas Solar System Ambassador:Eric's Black Sun Eclipse newsletter
: Subscribe to (send your email to)< blacksuneclipse-subscribe@egroups.com>:Website- http://members.aol.com/kcstarguy/blacksun/eclipse.htm: Satori Astronomy Website- http://members.aol.com/kcstarguy/satoriastronomy/satoriastronomy.htm

10 top photos from National Geographic & more

10 top photos from National Geographic included below

http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061219-top-photos.html

"Lost World" of New Species Found in Indonesia


(February 7)
See some of the previously unknown species that scientists discovered in a remote mountain range on the island of New Guinea.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0207_020607_lost_world.html<

Photo in the News: Giant Jellyfish Invade Japan
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0119_060119_jellyfish.html>Photo

in the News: Rare "Rainbow" Spotted Over Idaho
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060619-rainbow-fire.html

Start-Ups Try to Plot A Complete Picture

I heard about Google Maps and started to find out about these maps.
First you have to preload the Google Maps software (for mac or pc) on to your computer.
Then you have to find a map file. For example the first good ones I found out about are eclipse maps that show the path of Total solar eclipses.
You find the website with the link, upload it to your desktop computer.
Then it is loaded into your computer.
If there are map layers you can click on and off and show different map layers.
I also found volcano maps, meteorite crater maps, meteorite falls and their location and many others.
You can zoom into the maps also which is neat and go all around.
I will post more google maps stuff as I found it and and links .
If you find something interesting, email me
Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS(dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Meanwhile read the article above for more on how maps are being used.



Start-Ups Try to Plot A Complete Picture: 'Mash-Ups' Add Data to Online Maps (By Kim Hart)

Start-Ups Try to Plot A Complete Picture
'Mash-Ups' Add Data to Online Maps
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/26/AR2006112600794.html?referrer=email&referrer=email&referrer=email

By Kim Hart

Washington Post Staff Writer

2006 best science news

I always like to see and read about the best of the year discoveries, inventions, news highlights and more.

Here is the latest

Latest Meteorite information and more below

Study Finds that a Single Impact Killed the Dinosaurs
http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=21370<>


Turkish scientists Looking for oldest meteorite

A group of Turkish scientists are looking for the traces of a meteorite which they believe to be th...
KeralaNext: Science News -
http://www.keralanext.com<

Campo del Cielo
By Mark SubbaRao
Together with Peter Coppin, they are designing an interactice experience exploring the Campo del Cielo meteorite field in Argentina. The stewn field consists of about a dozen craters, and the fall is believed to have taken place about ...
-
http://adlercyberspace.blogspot.com >

Rugged bacteria may be sign of Martian life -- on Earth

Rugged bacteria may be sign of Martian life -- on Earth
Ottawa Citizen - Ontario, Canada
... There are about 30 known Mars meteorites on Earth (and certainly more that haven ... of attention that is being given to the environment of a meteorite that would

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=739e321d-fec5-46c2-b4bb-422fc97af972&k=24357

Rugged bacteria may be sign of Martian life -- on Earth

Rugged bacteria may be sign of Martian life -- on Earth
Ottawa Citizen - Ontario, Canada
... There are about 30 known Mars meteorites on Earth (and certainly more that haven ... of attention that is being given to the environment of a meteorite that would

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=739e321d-fec5-46c2-b4bb-422fc97af972&k=24357

Geminids Meteor Shower, Aurora and Sun

December 14 early evening

I came in from 40 minutes away back to Olathe. I looked outside and it was clear but I did not see the aurora in the Northwest down near the horizon. I did not check my home phone where an astronomy pal from my club had left a message about it. She also sent a message on my mobile phone but I left it in the car!!! Otherwise I would have seen it. It only lasted 15 minutes but it was a beaut!!!The reports of impending storms from the Sun only reported 35% when I checked the night before but things obviously changed. A great photographer from our club, Vic Winter. took this photo.



Thursday morning,I missed Geminids meteor maximum time to see them. When I went to bed to take a few hours of sleep , I woke up at 2AM and it was cloudy. But I tried Friday morning and eventhough it was after the maximum, I went out for an hour before I had to get up and teach.

I only saw 5 ( 3 Geminids) but the weather was not too cloud and the transparency of the sky well I could see to 5.5 magnitude.I am more interested in seeing the bright ones when I do see faint ones I record on my paper as I have done since I was a newbie astronomer in the 1960's in Rhode Island.

The highlight was a Yellow ZERO-magnitude Geminid at 4:07 CT that started high in the South heading out from Gemini (the radiant for this shower). It started faintly but gradually sparkling as it travled 25 degrees to the South and peaked at zero magnitude (this is about 100 times brighter then the faintest stars you can see with your eyes for most people ). It wasn't a fireball but it lasted 0.75 seconds and then flashed out leaving a 0.75 smoke like train.Oh yeahhhhhh.

But now it was Friday morning and I was heading South to teach and Paola High School , Paola, KS.I headed down the road the Sun was just coming up. Sometimes there are some nice sunrises and this one was a nice one.
I could see one of those filtered sunspikes coming through the clouds and the Sun was not up yet. It was a nice pink red as it rose high up from the Eastern horizon. I stopped by the side of the road , got out my camera and took some photos.

more different weather phenomenon at this nice website
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/

So it was interesting week before my teaching gets out for Wednesday.

seen in Dodge City, KS newspaper

seen in Doge City, KS newspaper
Beeson Elementary students learn about meteorites

By Ashley Nietfeld
Dodge City Daily Globe

Michael Schweitzer/Daily Globe Dr. Don Stimpson of Haviland shines a light through a piece of a meteorite to demonstrate that some meteorites can produce a stained glass effect when exposed to light. He showed the meteorite to students Friday morning at Beeson Elementary School.


(photo) Students at Beeson Elementary sat riveted as they listened to Dr. Don Stimpson talk about meteorites during school on Friday.

Stimpson, along with Paul Ross, discovered one of the largest meteorites in the United States on Ross' land in Kiowa County this summer. He spent all day giving presentations to each of the classes.
The meteorite, which students learned is a piece of an asteroid that has broken off and fallen to the Earth, consists of five main segments ranging in weight from 150 to 520 pounds. The meteorite is part of the Brenham meteorites that landed on Earth about 20,000 years ago.


Michael Schweitzer/Daily Globe Students at Beeson Elementary School were able to get a hands-on feel of a 300- pound meteorite that was found near Haviland.


When Stimpson told students the combined weight of the segments was 1,500 pounds, gasps of "whoa" could be heard around the room. Stimpson, equally excited, said, "Yeah, it was pretty amazing."
Brenham is a stony-iron meteorite. Stimpson explained there are three types of meteoroids – the term for a meteorite while it's still in space – stony, stony-iron and iron.
Stimpson brought samples of the different meteorites, including one that weighed 300 pounds and had to be pulled in on a wagon.

Geminid meteor shower best tonight to morning

Tonight and tomorrow (THursday morning) is the Gemind meteori shower and the best chance to see it. I have been watching meteor showers since I was a little kid and tonight is one of the best ones to watch.

The meteors will stream out in all directions from the top of the constellation Gemini which is the North of Orion further South.

You may be able to see starting 9pm Earthgrazers. At that time the constellation and the radiant (location in the sky where the meteors seem to stream out of) is low. Sometime meteors streak through the outer parts of the atmosphere and skip through. From the ground they are usually bright, colorful and very long . I saw one a could years ago and it came up from East and looked like an orange sparking firecraker. It was great.

The meteors are usually bright, colorful and sometimes leave dusty trails called "trains."

It is one of the best meteor showers but because it usually in cold weather people don't go out to look as much as in August when the Perseids take place. But the Orionids in October (which I did not try to watch) was unexpectedly good and observers saw many more meteors then average.The Leonids in November that I watched two nights, were not impressive in numbers but I saw one real imressive yellow fireball that sticks in my mind. Others eventhough many were faint , some had trains.

What is interesting is this strong meteor shower was not seen until 1862 which is very unusual. Astronomers searching for a related comet found an object which was called 3200 Phaethon. It's characteristcs appear more like an asteroid as there is no tail like a comet. This object gets close to the Sun so maybe that produced some of the larger particles which produce these many bright meteors as they burn up. Another theory is that this object collided with some asteroid and is trailing many rocky bigger particles

While information on the internet , CNN etc says you might see 1 or 2 per minute , that is during the earlier morning hours and you need to be in a dark sky place. You can't see the fainter ones in the light polluted skies of the cities and bigger towns. Plus you need unobstructed view of the constellation Gemini as it rises from the East after 9 pm. Many meteors, if you there are trees where live, may go behind the trees . Also this does not include the fainter meteors that you can't see if you are just looking near your house and not in a dark sky location.

The bright ones are the ones to remember but sometimes even the fainter ones will leave those trains that will linger and sometime twist in the upper atmospheric winds.

Good luck and let me know if you see any.
The weather will be clear and relatively warm tonight and tomorrow morning (here in Kansas) so try it.

More information at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/12dec_geminids.htm

http://www.earthsky.org/article/50807/look-ahead-to-geminid-meteors-on-december-13


Dr.Eric Flescher

Astronaut Don Pettit has just landed in the meteorite-rich ice fieldhttp://beta.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifs

I collect meteorites but from ebay and watch meteor showers. But collecting meteorites in Antarctica when they are in pristine condition well that would be something else indeed.

Follow along as Don shares his experience

Dr. Eric Flescher
**


NASA Science News for December 11, 2006

Astronaut Don Pettit has just landed in the meteorite-rich ice fields of Antarctica where he plans to launch a series of edgy and entertaining science experiments to be shared with the general public. Call them "Saturday Morning Science--on Ice."

FULL STORY at



Check out our RSS feed at

http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml!">http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Comet Findings Raise Fiery Mystery

Comets are called "glittering tourists of the solar system. " But are these "snowballs of ice and gravel "only that or is there more to these mysterious objects? New finds raise some interesting ideas .

Comet Findings Raise Fiery Mystery

by Howard Berkes
"But scientists studying comet dust from the Stardust probe found minerals formed by intense heat, suggesting the minerals came from the neighborhood of the sun itself. That's the earliest discovery in what's expected to be decades of study."
and
"How did hot minerals from the blistering core get to the frigid outer reaches? Or did the minerals come from other stars? And maybe comets aren't quite what we thought, if those icy bodies contain minerals forged by fire."
more at the following website including a picture of the Wild 2 comet in space (very cool)
Wild 2, Portrait of a Comet by Meagan White (on the same website)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5260829

more at Stardust mission Home webpage

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stardust/main/index.html

Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS(dreric1kansas@aol.com)

Planetary Conjunction now Geminids coming up

Astronomy : Planetary Conjunction and the Geminid Meteor shower

Many of the reports fail to say that this conjunction (Dec 8-11) is real difficult to observe in the East. The planetary conjunction of Mercury, Mars and Jupiter (see spaceweather.com) is difficult to see and it is before sunrise. I would not bother unless you look right before sunrise and have binoculars ( reports fail to say thistoo but you have to be careful with the Sun coming up). Still you might want to try. I went out to early eventhough I knew where to look and had good horizon but could not see any of them. I might try ....?

The November Leonids were a bust to most. Many did not see what was supposed to be many meteors that were to fall. However it was the weekend but cold. I was out two nights and while I did not see many, there was one -3 yellow nice fireball that made the wait worthwhile. Most others were faint but some has trains ( dusty trails that sometimes twist in the upper atmosphere winds) that persisted for usually 0.5 second.
The Geminids are usually a real good meteor shower with bright meteors that last at least 0.5 seconds and sometime have trains. I have had better luck with this shower compared to the famous Perseids in August.

But this time it is in week time. However Gemini rise in the evening instead of the morning so you can possibly spot some earthgrazers earlier in the evening (see more below). You can watch the Geminids all night but mid morning is the best to sunrise.

And remember to dress warmly out there if you go


Week-Long Meteor Shower to Dazzle

By Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
posted: 08 December 2006

Such meteors are so distinctive because they follow long paths nearly parallel to our atmosphere. By around 9 p.m., Gemini will have climbed more than one-third of the way up from the horizon. Meteor sightings should begin to increase noticeably thereafter. By around 2 a.m., Gemini will stand high overhead.

Geminids stand apart from the other meteor showers in that they seem to have been spawned not by a comet
but by 3200 Phaeton, an Earth-crossing asteroid. Then again, the Geminids may be comet debris after all, for some astronomers consider Phaeton to really be the dead nucleus of a burned-out comet that somehow got trapped into an unusually tight orbit.
more
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/061208_night_sky.html

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: Member #2572 IMCA (International Meteorite Collectors Association) : E.O.A.S. (Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere and Space) Blog -
<http://eoas-dreric1kansas.blogspot.com/
:State of Kansas Solar System Ambassador: Comet Observers Coordinator- Astronomy League/ Astronomical Society of Kansas, KC, MO-Louisburg,KS: http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/comet/comet.htm: CometObserversAwardALsubscribe@yahoogroups.com - Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: State of Kansas Solar System Ambassador:Eric's Black Sun Eclipse newsletter
: Subscribe to (send your email to)< blacksuneclipse-subscribe@egroups.com>:Website- http://members.aol.com/kcstarguy/blacksun/eclipse.htm: Satori Astronomy Website- http://members.aol.com/kcstarguy/satoriastronomy/satoriastronomy.htm

Life-long interest in meteorites

Sue and I joke (well I joke she does not think it is such a joke) about when we were in Casco Canyon , (Utah I forget?). It was after the Sun set and it was getting darker by the minute. I urged her that we should get going as I did not want to get stuck here in the dark. She insists on keeping on looking for arrowhead stones. While she is doing her thing, I take a picture of her bending over trying to find one (I love this picture :) ) . She insists to this day that it is a genuine arrowhead as it looks like ones we saw at a shop later that night or the morning. We can debate about her stone but finally someone ends the debate about a stone a lady found years ago.
read below with more.
“I first picked it up because I noticed the unusual shape like an arrowhead, but when I held it I felt how dense it was,” Johnson said. “When I was a little girl of about eight in The Netherlands, I remember my father telling me that you will always know a meteorite because it is heavy for its size. I always kept it and showed it to people, saying that I had found something unusual.”

Life-long interest in meteorites
pays off for B.C. woman
31 July 2006
http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/PMSearch/PMSearch_johnson.html


The Pararie Meteor Search
http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/PMSearch/
Includes information below
July 31, 2006 - BC woman finds iron meteorite near Prince Rupert
http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/PMSearch/PMSearch_johnson.html
December 15, 2005: A record year for meteorite recovery in Canada
September 19, 2005: Alberta’s Centennial meteorite discovered near Edmonton
July 14, 2005: Manitoba meteorite hunter scores again
June 10, 2004: Alberta farmer finds Canada’s newest meteorite: Belly River Buttes
April 20, 2004: Bernic Lake - another new meteorite from Manitoba

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

Evidence of water resurface on Mars

NASA. Evidence of water resurface on Mars
USAToday 12/7/06

Mysterious gullies could be recent flow
by Dan Vegano USA Today

This article has insightly information about the mysterious gullies and evidence that water flowed on Mars very recently.There are still a lot of naysayers but these observations are pretty interesting. They show new crater in the last few years and water like deposits.

(1) New satellite iages show that new gullies (bright patches carved into flowing shapes in the Martian dust) have appeared within two craters
(2) Ken Edgett speaking at NASA with information in the journal Science. In January 2004 image he spotted a crater that hadn't appeared in earlier images (started taking in 1999).
(3) 20 new crarters were spotted in all . This establisged the an estimated rate of about 12 small comet or meteors impact a year on Mars.
(4) The search also found the newer dried out gullies in two craters , both located in middle latitude, between the frozen poles and dry equater (that had higher temperatures).
(5) The gullies likely carried "5 to 10 swimming pools worth of brinywater " down the 20 -30 degree slopes of the craters , Edgett said.
(6) This has changed the thinking about Mars says PLanetary scientist Phil Christensen of Arizona State U .
(7) He added vthat planetary scientists are adebating whether water hides in aquifers , frozen ice or show packs on Mars.
(8) Edgett suggests that the gullies result from groundwater percolating through cracks in the Martian rock around the craters.
(9) Stephen Clifford of the LUnar PLanetary Institutediagresses and says the cold , dry terrain makes it difficult to understand how water could possibly exist close to the surface, hje says.
(10) More spacecraft observation might yield more definitive data.
(11) The team's cratering estimates are in doubt too.Would these be hazardous to future space missions? Probably yes it was said.


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