Pan-STARRS Comet Visible Next Week

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. …

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Meteor Disintegrates over Russian City

The meteor reportedly unleashing a shock wave that smashed windows, collapsed roofs and injured more than 980 people.

The Washington Post reports a meteor that disintegrated Friday morning over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, injuring more than 980 people, has no connection to an asteroid set to come within 17,200 miles of Earth about 2:25 p.m. today.  Check out a photo gallery of images of the site where the meteor hit and the damage it left in its wake, shared by the Washington Post.  The following was posted on NASA's website:  Those here in the United States interested in watching the asteroid can do so online — click here to watch NASA's Ustream.  Subscribe to Peachtree Corners Patch’s newsletters, follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook. 

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Comet ISON Could Make Skywatchers' Year in 2013

The comet was discovered by two amateur astronomers in September.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is on its way for star gazers. Local skywatchers might get to see Hunter's Comet — the newly discovered comet ISON. A NASA astronomer says ISON's fiery tail may be visible to those watching the night sky from October 2013 through January 2014. And the comet may hover into view without the help of a telescope. It all depends on whether the sun's heat vaporizes ices in the comet's body, scientists say in an article posted in the Huffington Post. Comet ISON will fly within 1.2 million miles from the sun's center on Nov. 28, 2013, astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif, told the San Jose Mercury News. If the comet makes it through …

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The End is Near: Will the World Really End on Dec. 21?

The Mayans may or may not have predicted the apocalypse will occur on Dec. 21— do you believe it?

Do you expect the world to end on Dec. 21, 2012? Apocalypse in the house ... and it's just a day away. Is it myth or fantasy? Even NASA is getting in on the action. The agency created a page on its website devoted to debunking the Mayan apocalypse idea—not least because the Mayans never predicted any such thing. The date is simply the end of one time period that simply starts over. Or so they think. “Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” NASA wrote. But maybe they're just fun-haters: there are a number of parties planned for Dec. 20 or 21 this year, just in case the Earth explodes, or zombies run amok. With the "long count" …

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BJ Van Gundy

1:38 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012

LOL. Good Article. Wrong Calendar pictured. It is the Aztec calendar. The good news is that the Patch is not alone. The wrong calendar has been used all over the internet.   more ›

Is December 21, 2012 the End of the World? Scholars, NASA Say No

Find out what the experts are saying about the Dec. 21, 2012, Doomsday prophesies, the end of the Mayan calendar and their potential impact on Bolingbrook.

  Don’t make any rash decisions: Experts say 12/21/12 is going to be just another typical winter solstice. Killer solar flares aren’t expected. Another planet isn’t on a collision course with ours. And the Mayan “long count calendar” ending on this date has no real significance – they had to end it somewhere! What is All the Fuss About? There are a number of theories and predictions that call for earth’s demise on Dec. 21, 2012. They include: What are the Experts Saying? The intrigue created by multiple end-of-the-world predictions has made many scholars and even NASA stand up to make statements debunking the claims. From professors at Tampa Bay’s own New College to the scientific minds at NASA, they’re all saying the same thing: Go ahead …

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News Nearby

Super Soaker, Dustbuster Developed By NASA?

"Space Spinoffs" at Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville highlights some of the good that has come from us visiting the Moon.

Tellus Science Museum is disputing the belief NASA "has done nothing for us here on Earth" by answering the question: "What good has come from us visiting the Moon?" Dozens of technologies—from the critical to the comical—have been developed by NASA throughout the years and with its new exhibit, "Space Spinoffs," the Cartersville museum hopes to show how the world has changed, thanks to NASA. "I think that a lot people think, 'We pour a lot of money into the space program and what good is it? It’s just a bunch of nerds flying around in space, doing experiments for who knows what,'" Curator Julian Gray told The Daily Tribune News. "But there are a number of things we get out of the space program, so we wanted to call attention to that as …

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Announcement Expected Today on Important Discovery by Mars Rover 'Curiosity'

NASA's chief scientist says rover had gathered significant data.

It's not being announced at NASA Goddard's Space Flight Center, but NASA Monday is expected to release what's being called a noteworthy finding by the Curiosity rover now investigating the surface of Mars. Rumors began flying after chief Curiosity scientist John Grotzinger was quoted by NPR as saying that the rover had recently gathered data "for the history books." However, NASA downplayed expectations in a statement Friday. "Rumors and speculation that there are major new findings from the mission at this early stage are incorrect," officials at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote. "At this point in the mission, the instruments on the rover have not detected any definitive evidence of Martian organics." JPL officials added that the …

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Mars Rover 'Curiosity' Shoots Photos, Videos

NASA's roving robot sends shots of itself using its Mars Hand Lens Imager.

In its 34th day on Mars, NASA's Curiosity is snapping pictures while it roams the red planet and sending them back to scientists on Earth. In a self-portrait of sorts, the Mars rover used its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 34th Martian day. The image actually combines two photos, in the distance is Mount Sharp. Another photo shows a U.S. penney which was used to calibrate the camera. A coin is often used by geologists as a scale reference in close-up photos and it also provides a familiar object for viewers to understand the size and scale of an object. NASA's Curiosity shot the photos over the weekend. Visit NASA's Photo Journal Web page for more images. NASA is expected to give an update later today as the rover's second month …

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Judy Putnam

4:47 pm on Thursday, September 13, 2012

If water is discovered on Mars, there will probably be a mad dash to get there.   more ›

Moon and Earth May Be Younger Than Originally Thought

New research shows moon and Earth may be millions of years younger than current estimates.

Here's a release from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California. New research using a technique that measures the isotopes of lead and neodymium in lunar crustal rocks shows that the moon and Earth may be millions of years younger than originally thought. The common estimate of the moon’s age is as old as 4.5 billion years old (roughly the same age as the solar system) as determined by mineralogy and chemical analysis of moon rocks gathered during the Apollo missions. However, California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Lars Borg and international collaborators have analyzed three isotopic systems, including the elements lead, samarium and neodymium found in ancient lunar rocks, and determined that…

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