Tag: NASA

Space Events Not To Be Missed In 2017

(Yahoo News UK) – With a solar eclipse due on 26 February, there are plenty of celestial treats to keep stargazers happy in 2017.

Last year was packed with astronomical action including supermoons, Tim Peake’s history-making spacewalk and the arrival of NASA’s Juno probe at Jupiter and this year is set to be big just as big for space botherers. From meteor showers to solar eclipses, here are the space events you don’t want to miss in 2017…

  1. Annular solar eclipse – 26 February 2017
    At the end of February, the moon will pass in front of the sun, creating a bizarre halo effect. Unfortunately, this year’s eclipse will only be visible over South and West Africa and some of South America. 
  2. Jupiter at opposition – 7 April 2017
    The largest planet in our solar system will reach ‘opposition’ in April, meaning that it will slide into view as Earth moves into position between the sun and Jupiter. The massive planet’s face will be illuminated by the sun and will be visible through binoculars or a telescope. 
  3. Saturn at opposition – 15 June 2017
    In summer, Saturn will move into its closest position to Earth, giving us the best view possible. A telescope will be needed to see the huge planet’s famous rings while Saturn is fully lit up by the sun. 
  4. Perseid meteor shower – 12/13 August 2017
    One of the brighter meteor showers of the year, the Perseids happens annually between 17 July and 24 August, this year peaking 12-13 August. The best time to view the shooting stars is between midnight and dawn. 
  5. ‘Great American’ total solar eclipse – 21 August 2017
    For around two minutes, a 70-mile stretch between Oregon and South Carolina will be plunged into total darkness in a rare total eclipse as the sun will totally disappear behind the full moon. Stargazers elsewhere in the US will get a partial view of the stunning eclipse. 
  6. Cassini probe will crash into Saturn – 15 September 2017
    Launched in 1997, NASA’s probe finally made it to Saturn in 2004 and has been beaming back vital data to Earth ever since. The probe will be destroyed when it plunges through Jupiter’s atmosphere but not before sending back never-seen-before images. 
  7. Leonid meteor shower – 17/18 November 2017
    The Leonids meteors will be visible in the night sky throughout November, peaking between 17 and 18 November. The glowing pieces of comet debris will be visible to the naked eye. 
  8. Supermoon – 3 December 2017
    While 2016 saw stargazers treated to several supermoons, 2017 will see just one. December’s full moon, also known as the Full Cold Moon, will appear slightly bigger and brighter than normal. The best time to watch will be around sunset when the distinctive orange moon will appear.
  9. Geminid meteor shower – 13/14 December 2017
    Unlike most meteor showers, the Geminids are associated with an asteroid, rather than a comet. The glowing fireballs should be visible to the naked eye between December 7 and 16, but the best time to catch a glimpse is between 13 and 14 December. 

Photos: 2013 Supermoon, When Moon At Closest Point To Earth

JER03. Har El (Israel), 23/06/2013.- A full moon in the 'Perigee' phase rises over the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har El, 23 June 2013. The moon on 23 June evening will be at its closest distance to Earth, a constellation also known as 'supermoon,' in which the earth's trabant appears between 12 to 14 per cent larger and according to scientific sources also about 30 percent brighter than the normal full moon. EFE/EPA/JIM HOLLANDER
JER03. Har El (Israel), 23/06/2013.- A full moon in the ‘Perigee’ phase rises over the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har El, 23 June 2013. The moon on 23 June evening will be at its closest distance to Earth, a constellation also known as ‘supermoon,’ in which the earth’s trabant appears between 12 to 14 per cent larger and according to scientific sources also about 30 percent brighter than the normal full moon. EFE/EPA/JIM HOLLANDER

Supermoon happens when the moon on its elliptical orbit is at its closest point to Earth.

So, we will see it bigger than usual.

The moon can appears to be up to 14%  larger and 30% brighter than when the moon is at its farthest point, or apogee.

Please click here for more images

Awesome Video Of Australian 2012 Total Solar Eclipse By Panasonic, NASA

Related post:

  1. Photos Of 2012 Australian Total Solar Eclipse

  2. Northern Australian Total Solar Eclipse – The Last Until 2015

  3. The Sun

  4. Videos Of May, 2012 Spectacular Annular Solar Eclipse

  5. Photos – Rare Solar Eclipse In North America(May 20, 2012)

  6. Photos – Rare “Ring Of Fire” Solar Eclipse In Asia(May 21, 2012)

  7. Solar Eclipse July 2009

  8. My Picture In The Newspapers

NASA’s Latest Amazing Photos Of Mars

A handout of the European Space Agency ESA shows a visualisation of Mars, created from spacecraft imagery. ESA’s first mission to the Red Planet is Mars Express. It comprises an orbiter carrying seven scientific instruments to probe the planet’s atmosphere, structure and geology, including a search for evidence of hidden water. The main spacecraft will also release the UK’s small Beagle 2 lander to gather and test rock and soil samples on the surface. British space probe Beagle 2 failed to broadcast a signal on December 25, 2003, to confirm it had landed on Mars, but scientists said they were waiting for a second contact opportunity later on Thursday. REUTERS/Ho/European Space Agency ESA

NASA has released amazing photos of Mars from its Rover named Opportunity.

From the photos we can see the panorama of Mars where Opportunity spent four-month of Martian winter.

A full-circle scene combining 817 images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)
Images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)

 Images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)
Images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)
Images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)
Images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)
Images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The US space agency NASA is calling it the “next best thing to being” on the Red Planet. (AFP Photo/)

Here are more amazing photos of Mars.

A TextureCam analysis of a Mars image is able to distinguish rocks from soil.
A close-up of the sunset on Sol 24 as seen by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder was released by the Jet Propulsion Labratory August 27. The red sky in the background and the blue around the Sun are approximately as they would appear to the human eye but the color of the Sun itself is not correct — the Sun was overexposed in each of the 3 color images that were used to make the picture. The true color of the Sun itself may be near white or slightly bluish.
This magnified look at the martian soil near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity’s landing site, Meridiani Planum, shows coarse grains sprinkled over a fine layer of sand, in this image released by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, February 4, 2004. The image was captured on the 10th day of the rover’s mission by its microscopic imager and roughly approximates the color a human eye would see. Opportunity, NASA’s second of two roving Mars probes, rolled ten feet off its lander onto Mars on January 31.

NASA’s Special And Rare Video Of The Transit Of Venus (June 5, 2012)

This is a very special Transit Of Venus video from NASA.

The video was captured from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory or SDO.

According to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center,  SDO is the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun, and it provides images with a resolution eight times better than high-definition television.

To view pictures of the Transit of Venus, please click:

  1. Photos – Transit Of Venus June 5, 2012

  2. ANGKASA’s Photos: Transit Of Venus (Malaysia) June 6, 2012

  3. The Transit Of Venus June 6, 2012

Photos Of Discovery’s Final Landing

The space shuttle Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, March 9, 2011. The space shuttle Discovery capped a successful 13-day spaceflight with a smooth landing in Florida on Wednesday, ending a 27-year flying career for NASA's most-traveled spaceship as the agency prepares for an uncertain future. REUTERS/Stan Honda/Pool

This is space shuttle Discovery’s final landing.

It is NASA’s most traveled spaceship.

Since 1984, Discovery flew 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited Earth 5,830 times and traveled 148,221,675 miles.

Discovery’s first flight was from August 30, 1984 to September 5, 1984.

It’s final flight was from February 24, 2011 to March 9, 2011.

The space shuttle Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, March 9, 2011. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
Space shuttle Discovery is towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility after landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, March 9, 2011.o(AP Phot/John Raoux)
The space shuttle Discovery is towed from the runway after it landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, March 9, 2011. REUTERS/Pierre Ducharme
The space shuttle Discovery is towed from the runway after it landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida March 9, 2011. REUTERS/Pierre Ducharme
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