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Monthly Archives: May 2011
How to listen to the aurora borealis
I wasn’t just watching this weekend’s aurora display but listening to it, too. No, I didn’t hear the ‘swishing’ or ‘crackling’ reported by some. Despite seeing hundreds of displays ranging from meek to wild, I’ve yet to actually hear any … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, dawn chorus, lightning, radio, sferics, tweeks, VLF
6 Comments
Join me for a roller coaster ride aboard Endeavour
Don’t miss the Double Flyby! Late last night, after the space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), pilot Greg Johnson flew the craft in a circle around the station so the astronauts could take still and video … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, Capella, Endeavour, ISS, shuttle, space station
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Sleep deprivation by northern lights
As long as you don’t have too many commitments the next day, losing sleep over the aurora is hardly a painful thing to do. If you know you’ll need to function at a high level the following morning, you waste … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, aurora, northern lights
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Astronomy apps for iPhones and iPads
** Aurora alert: The northern lights were seen last night from high latitudes, and there’s a good possibility they’ll return tonight. If you live in the northern U.S. and Canada, keep a lookout to the north after nightfall for activity. … Continue reading
Endeavour and ISS join the moon and Jupiter at dawn
Morning sky watchers, do we have something for you. The International Space Station (ISS) with space shuttle Endeavour in tow is once again making passes over North America at dawn. Since the shuttle will return to Earth during the early … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, ISS, Jupiter, moon, shuttle, space station
2 Comments
Warm nights coax out Scorpius the scorpion
If I had to pick one constellation indelibly associated with the month of May it would be Scorpius the Scorpion. We could have chosen Virgo or Bootes, which stand high in the south and call for our attention with both … Continue reading
Tagged Antares, Astro Bob, OSIRIS-REx, Scorpius, Soyuz, space station
2 Comments
Spring’s newest ‘double-double’ star
We’ve got a new double star in the spring sky! OK, it’s only a made-up one and temporary at that, but Saturn and the star Gamma Virginis, also known as Porrima, make one of the most realistic close pairs of … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, Gamma Virginis, Porrima, Saturn
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Alien planets for May nights
I’ve been reading a great new book about the history of discovery of exoplanets – planets revolving around stars beyond the sun – called Strange New Worlds – The Search for Alien Planets by Ray Jayawardhana. The three primary ways … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, exoplanets, hot Jupiter, planets
2 Comments
Unique shuttle-space station photo planned tonight
I worked for many years with photographer Chuck Curtis at the Duluth News Tribune. He’s since passed away. Besides the daily run of photo assignments, Chuck would come up with occasional photo ideas of his own that he’d carefully plan … Continue reading
Tagged Astro Bob, Jupiter, shuttle, space station
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Bootes – the constellation nobody can say right
Some constellation names are easy to pronounce at first sight like Leo, Hydra and Cygnus but then there’s Bootes. On first encountering the word as a young teen, I still remember calling it ‘booties’. That’s what it looks like after … Continue reading
Tagged Arcturus, Astro Bob, Bootes, globular cluster, M3, open cluster
5 Comments
