Monday, April 15, 2013
Shooting stars of the 2013 Lyrids expected peak later this week.
Peachtree Corners astronomers and sky gazers it's time to prepare for another meteor shower The skies have been largely empty of visible meteor showers since the Quadrantids of early January, but the shooting stars of the Lyrids have been a reliable spectacle for some 2,600 years. The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to make its 2013 debut this week. The Lyrids meteor shower peaks in 2013 on April 21 and 22, but some meteors may be visible beginning April 16. You can see what to look for in this video of the Lyrid meteor shower. Or check out photos of the Lyrids. And these charts of the Lyrids may help you locate the shooting stars. The Lyrids tend to be bright and often leave trails and tend to peak at about 10-20 meteors per hour. One of …
Friday, March 15, 2013
The popular comet will be trekking across the skies for the next few days and can be seen by the naked eye says NASA.
Peachtree Corners stargazers there's good news, the Comet 2011 L4, better known as PANSTARRS will be visible for new few days. The coment is a true astrological rarity because it is visible to the naked eye--something that occurs only once every 5 to 10 years, according to NASA. According to Amy Mainzer, the principal investigator of NASA’s NEOWISE mission, “There is a catch to viewing comet PANSTARRS…a relatively unobstructed view to the southwest at twilight and, of course, some good comet-watching weather.” Viewers captured some stunning photos of the comet over the Lincoln Memorial in Washington this week, with its passage coinciding with a crescent moon. NASA says that PANSTARRS should still be visible through the end of the month but…
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Peachtree Corners stargazers can catch a glimpse of the Comet Pan-STARRS which is expected to be visible in the west just after sunset for up to an hour.
For Peachtree Corners astronomers, and even those who just enjoy gazing at the night sky, this month stargazers are in for a treat. Now through March 24, the Comet Pan-STARRS will be passing within view, NASA says. By March, 10, when it passes closest to the sun - says EarthSky.org, which has a Pan-STARRS viewing guide - it will not only get brighter, but may develop the classic comet "dust tail" as the heat vaporizes the ice and dust. To see it, you'll have to look to the western horizon just after sunset, away from streetlights and other sources of light. Coastsiders, you have an advantage here. Depending on the date, it should be visible just after sunset for 45 minutes. It will climb higher and be visible longer later in the month. …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Shooting stars will be flying all week with the best show expected early Saturday morning in Peachtree Corners. The Orionids meteor shower promises to be a show worth watching.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on quite a show in the skies of Peachtree Corners. Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning this week, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower—though you probably won't see much until a bit later. The shower should be at its peak the night of Saturday, Oct. 20, until just before dawn on Oct. 21. This year, the moon will be setting at approximately midnight, which will keep the sky darkened enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see up to 15 meteors per hour. What makes this shower so cool? First of all it's a show of shooting stars. Also, though, there's no question about where to look for this one. Meteor showers get…
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Late summer is good time to do a little star gazing.
Amateur astronomers are reporting seeing a Supernova, - You'll need a telescope to see this somewhat rare occurance. Look for the Pinwheel Galaxy off the Big Dipper's handle according to Sky and Telescope. The best observation time is soon after dark while the Dipper's handle is still high. Tonight (Aug. 30) as soon as the stars come out, you should be able to see the Great Square of Pegasus up in the east. The western stars of the Great Square of Pegasus are almost directly opposite the Pointers of the Big Dipper. If you're still up at midnight on Friday, you'll find Jupiter blazing in the east and Capella, one of the brightest stars in the sky, shining in the northeast. Look for more information on Sky and Telescope's website.
Friday, August 26, 2011
A once-massive star transformed into solid diamond.
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Friday, August 26, 2011
According to a report in Discovery News, astronomers have found a solid diamond in the sky which apparently is the remains a massive star. Scientists say the former star has now transformed into a solid diamond five times bigger than Earth. In her report, science writer Irene Koetz notes that "the object circles a pulsing companion star about 4,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Serpens (The Snake), which lies about one-eighth of the way toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy. "Astronomers noticed that the steady pulses of energy coming from the star, known as J1719-1438, were regularly and minutely disturbed, a phenomenon caused by the gravitational tug of another, smaller circling object," Koetz says in her report. Other …
Monday, June 27, 2011
Asteroid will zip by 7,500 miles above Earth or about the same distance as Peachtree Corners to Afghanistan.
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Monday, June 27, 2011
A team tasked with monitoring the skies for near-Earth objects (NEOs) that threaten the planet has discovered an asteroid that will pass only 7,500 miles above the Earth’s surface today, June 27, at about 9:30 a.m., according to a NASA statement -- a distance roughly the same as between Peachtree Corners and Kabul, Afghanistan. The asteroid, named 2011 MD, was discovered by the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project, a program funded by the United States Air Force and NASA. A statement posted June 23 on NASA’s Near Earth Object Program website indicates the newly discovered asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth in the southern hemisphere over the southern Atlantic Ocean. In those areas, the asteroid should be …
Anthony Socci
11:53 pm on Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Interesting article, Judy. Where did you stand to get the supernova photo? more ›