Archives : 2012 January

Challenger

Categories: Spaceflight
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Published on: January 28, 2012

In Memoriam Twenty six years ago I was on my way to class when I decided to watch the the Challenger launch at the Student Lounge in the Science Building at the University of Texas at San Antonio.  Little did I know that the two dozen students in the lounge [...]

Apollo 1

Categories: Spaceflight
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Published on: January 27, 2012

In Memoriam It was 44 years ago today that a fire in the cabin during a launch pad test  at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members – Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee – and destroyed the Command [...]

An Active Sun

CME IMPACT: As predicted by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, a CME hit Earth’s magnetic field on 24 January at ~1500 UT (9 am CST).  A geomagnetic storm is brewing in the aftermath of the impact, but as this alert is being written it is too soon to [...]

Viewing the “Pup”

Categories: Observing
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Published on: January 19, 2012

One of the more prominent stars in the night sky and the brightest is α Canis Majoris, better known as Sirius or the “Dog Star. At a distance of 8.6 lightyears, Sirius is the fifth closest known star. It is a slightly bluish, white main sequence dwarf star of spectral [...]

SOPA and PIPA

Categories: Censorship
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Published on: January 18, 2012

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January Sky Challenges

Astronomers and Star Gazers need a challenge when observing. Novices can be easily overwhelmed by long lists of challenging objects. Expert observers can be so focused on their projects, they easily can ignore the challenge provided by observing with different instruments. By presenting three objects in each of several different [...]

Welcome , today is Wednesday, February 22, 2012