29MAR2010

Space Weather News for March 29, 2010
by
http://spaceweather.com

"RADIO-ACTIVE" SUNSPOT: Over the weekend, big sunspot 1057 emitted a series of radio bursts that caused roaring sounds to issue from the loudspeakers of shortwave receivers. Visit today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

to hear a sample "roar" and to find out how you can build your own solar radio burst monitor.

FIRST FULL MOON OF NORTHERN SPRING: According to folklore, tonight's full Moon has a special name--the Worm Moon. It signals the coming of northern spring, a thawing of the soil, and the first stirrings of earthworms in long-dormant gardens. Step outside tonight and behold the wakening landscape. "Worm moonlight" is prettier than it sounds.

SHUTTLE SIGHTINGS: Space shuttle Discovery is set to launch to the International Space Station on April 5th. During the 13-day mission, the two spaceships will make a series of bright flybys over North America. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker for viewing opportunities: http://spaceweather.com/flybys

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And don't forget, there's an application for that, too: http://simpleflybys.com

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Meteor/Meteorite News: LEONID METEOR SHOWER by SpaceWeather.com 16NOV09

LEONID METEOR SHOWER
by Space Weather News, Nov. 16, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

The Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, Nov. 17th, with a new Moon providing ideally-dark viewing conditions. Forecasters expect a relatively mild display (20 to 30 meteors per hour) over North America followed by a much stronger outburst (100 to 300 per hour) over Asia.
No matter where you live, the best time to look is during the dark hours before sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Visit http://spaceweather.com

for full coverage of the Leonids, including live audio from a meteor radar, a live chat with a NASA meteor scientist, sky maps, photos and more.

You may sign up for free space weather alerts at http://spaceweather.com/services/

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Meteor/Meteorite New- Latest Space Weather News Site 13AUG09

Space Weather News for August 12, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

If it's dark where you live, go outside and look for meteors. Earth is still inside the debris stream of Comet Swift-Tuttle and, as a result, the Perseid meteor shower is still active. Worldwide meteor counts raise the possibility that the show could be better tonight, Aug. 12th, than it was last night, Aug. 11th. Be alert for meteors after sunset.

Photos and updates are available at http://spaceweather.com

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Japanese Spacecraft Set to Impact the Moon 10JUN09

Image by JAXA 2009 Projected Selene Impact Site

Japan's Kaguya (Selene) will crash into the Moon on Wednesday, June 10th, around 1830 UT. The timing favors observers in Asia and Australia, who might be able to see a flash of light or a plume of debris rising from the Moon's southeastern limb. The spacecraft masses 2,600 kg and it will slam into the lunar surface at 6,000 km/hr. No one knows, however, how bright the flash might be or whether it will be visible even through large telescopes. Images of the crash, if any are captured, will be posted on http://spaceweather.com

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA) launched "KAGUYA (SELENE)" using the H-IIA Launch Vehicle at 10:31:01 a.m. on September 14, 2007 (JST) from Tanegashima Space Center.
The major objectives of the "KAGUYA" mission were to obtain scientific data of the lunar origin and evolution and to develop the technology for the future lunar exploration.
"KAGUYA" consisted of a main orbiting satellite at about 100km altitude and two small satellites (Relay Satellite and VRAD Satellite) in polar orbit. The orbiters carried instruments for scientific investigation of the Moon, on the Moon, and from the Moon.
http://www.kaguya.jaxa.jp/index_e.htm

East Coast Event NOT A ROCKET 31MAR09

NOT A ROCKET
by Dr. Tony Phillips
SpaceWeather.com 31MAR09

News reports that a Russian rocket fell over the US mid-Atlantic coast on Sunday evening, March 29th, are probably incorrect. A spent Russian rocket booster did reenter Earth's atmosphere on March 29th, but apparently not over the USA. According to data published by US Strategic Command, the reentry occurred near Taiwan (24° N, 125° E) at 11:57 p.m. EDT. So what were those lights in the sky over Maryland and Virginia two hours earlier? Eyewitness accounts of the Atlantic Coast fireball are consistent with a meteoritic bolide--a random asteroid hitting Earth's atmosphere and exploding in flight.
http://www.spaceweather.com/

Near Earth Asteroid to Fly By Earth 2MAR09

Space Weather News for March 2, 2009
http://spaceweather.com
ASTEROID FLYBY:
There's no danger of a collision, but newly-discovered asteroid 2009 DD45 will come close enough today when it flies by our planet 72,000 km (0.00048 AU) away. That's only twice the height of a geostationary communications satellite. The asteroid measures 30 to 40 meters across, similar in size to the Tunguska impactor of 1908. Closest approach occurs at approximately 1340 UT (5:40 am PST) on March 2nd. Experienced amateur astronomers may be able to photograph the space rock shining like an 11th magnitude star as it races through the constellations Hydra and Virgo. The timing favors observers in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and east Asia.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates and ephemerides.