Monthly Archives: January 2011

Saturn moon pops its cork

Posted on January 31, 2011 by astrobob

Darkness is slipping away at the rate of almost 3 minutes a day as January gives way to the month of candy hearts. That’s how an astronomer might look at the progress of the seasons. The flip side is that … Continue reading →

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Of rabbits, rivers and squashed stars

Posted on January 30, 2011 by astrobob

Surely the clouds will part and allow a little starlight in. That other variety of stars, the cold, crystalline type, has been falling every day and night the past week. I love snow, but I’m ready for night’s twinkly points … Continue reading →

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Fresh Swiss cheese from Mars; NanoSail-D photo contest

Posted on January 29, 2011 by astrobob

Every so often I come across a photo that’s just so otherworldly, I have to share it with all my friends. You’re looking at a pit in the “Swiss cheese” terrain near the south polar cap of Mars released this … Continue reading →

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Duluth, Minneapolis and aurora from orbit

Posted on January 28, 2011 by astrobob

Last night I was assigned to photograph NASA astronaut Jeff Williams speaking at the Duluth Civil Air Patrol awards banquet here in Duluth. Williams was born in Superior, Wis. just over the bridge from Duluth, but Winter, Wis. is now … Continue reading →

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What’s outside Leona’s window?

Posted on January 27, 2011 by astrobob

I got an e-mail the other day from an elderly woman named Leona. From her apartment’s west window she watched a “satellite” travel to the north night after night before she went to bed around 9:30-10 o’clock. Sometimes it was … Continue reading →

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Be part of history, send your name to Mars

Posted on January 26, 2011 by astrobob

Feel like going to Mars? The good folks at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory invite you to send your name on a microchip that will fly to the planet later this year aboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. As of … Continue reading →

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Jellyfish, crab and spaghetti are on the menu tonight

Posted on January 25, 2011 by astrobob

Supernovae are the grandest of nature’s fireworks. Picture yourself watching a typical 4th of July or end of year fireworks display. If you’re observant, you might see the burning fuse as the shell ascends. Moments later, the fuse burns into … Continue reading →

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New bright supernova flares up in galaxy near the Little Dipper

Posted on January 24, 2011 by astrobob

It seems like it wasn’t all that long ago that to see the planet Saturn, you had to get up just before dawn. Now it rises in the southeastern sky before midnight – 11:15 p.m. to be exact. Tonight it … Continue reading →

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Invitation from the Milky Way

Posted on January 23, 2011 by astrobob

I felt the true meaning of cold last night when there wasn’t enough strength in my fingers to turn a thumbscrew while trying to disassemble the telescope. I shook my arms like crazy until a meager bit of warmth returned, … Continue reading →

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Will we see NASA’s giant orbiting kite?

Posted on January 22, 2011 by astrobob

NanoSail-D, the experimental solar sail shot into Earth orbit late last year aboard the FASTSAT satellite, unfurled yesterday and began sending data packets back to Earth. The sail is an experiment in the use of sunlight pressure instead of the … Continue reading →

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