| Where's
Saturn? Is that a UFO--or the ISS? What's the name
of that star? Get the answers from mySKY--a
fun new astronomy helper from Meade. |
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AURORA WATCH:
Sky watchers around the Arctic Circle should remain alert for auroras.
A solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field and causing
high-latitude geomagnetic storms: gallery.
WHAT'S FOLLOWING THE
ISS? Two nights ago the International Space
Station (ISS) flew over the Netherlands. The ISS is very bright
and many people saw it. What few people noticed was a small spaceship
following the space station. Ralf
Vandebergh, however, did. He trained his telescope on the pursuing
craft and took this picture:
What is it? A garbage truck. "It is a Russian Progress cargo
vessel loaded with trash that undocked from the ISS on February
4th," explains Vandebergh. The Progress
P27 (M-62)
will eventually burn up in Earth's atmosphere; until then it trails
the space station at a safe distance. "Catching details of
the Progress through my telescope was a hard job, much harder than
the
ISS. Not only is the Progress much smaller and fainter, but
also its speed seemed higher, indicating that it is set in a lower
orbit"--the better to burn up in.
more images: from
Marco Langbroek of Leiden, the Netherlands
LOWER SUN PILLAR:
A gust of wind on a freezing day can hurl
stinging crystals of ice into the air and right ... at ... you.
Open your eyes! Those painful crystals may be creating a beautiful
display. On such a day last week in Quebec, this sun
pillar appeared in midair before photographer David Swan:
"The temperature was -29C and the air was filled with tiny
ice crystals," says Swan. Plate-shaped crystals
fluttering nearly parallel to the ground reflected the overhead
sun and spread its rays into a luminous column of light. "This
pillar came from crystals that were so close, some of the individual
motes are visible in the photo!"
Now that didn't hurt so much, did it?
more images: from
Mike Conlan skiing down Whistler Mountain, British Columbia,
Canada
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