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| Friday, Aug., 12, 2005
Look towards west to southwest after sunset
If you have a clear and unobstructed view, look towards that horizon, where many bright objects are visible. Total domination of western sky. Venus hanging low in the horizon. About 20 degrees upper left is Jupiter. (Jupiter and Venus are moving closwer together at the rate of about one degree per day.) 9 degrees to the left of Jupiter is not a planet, but the star Spica from the constellation Virgo the Maiden. High above Jupiter is a glowing orange star Arcturus, the brightest star of the constellation Bootes the Herdsman. Following southwest along the ecliptic, or the path that the sun and moon follow in our sky, your gaze will meet the moon. Tonight, Moon passes into first quarter phase, which means that it is forming a 90 degree angle to the east of the sun. From the moon, also view a bright red object about 20 degrees to the left of it and you'll be viewing Antares, which happens to be the alpha star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.
Today's DOME | | |
| Wed. Aug 3, 2005
Look South One-Two Hours After sunset
Look for a bright star Altair (Alpha Aquilae). Magnitude (.77) in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. Standing facing due south around 10:00 P.M.. In a dark location, you'll see that Altair is located on the edge of the bright summer Milky Way, indicated in blue highlight. The name Altair means "Flying Eagle". This star is the 12th brightest in the sky, located 16 Lightyears from Earth. Altair is known to spin on its axis. It completes a single spin in only 6 and 1/2 hours, in contrast to our sun's 25 days spin.
DOME
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| Saturday, July 23, 2005
Looking North northeast 1hour after sunset
The constellation Cepheus is faint, but its distinctive shape makes it easy to locate. In the case of Cepheus, the tip of the roof (Gamma Cephei, or Er Rai) points generally northward. In the sky, "northward" always means "towards the sky's north pole," or towards Polaris. The roof of the house in Cepheus is ponting mostly north, even though -- in tonight's sky -- that means it's pointing sideways and downward. In Greek mythology, Cepheus represents a King of Ethiopia. To find Cepheus, you might want to locate Cassiopeia the Queen.
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| 07/06/05
Comet Tempel 1 picture taken 67 seconds after the impact. Image was taken by the high-resolution camera on the mission's flyby craft.
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| Sunday, July 3, 2005
Looking West-Southwest around 11:00 P.M.
NASA's ambitious project, "Deep Impact", will attempt to gain knowledge about the true composition of comets by the deployment of a small "impactor" at a projected speed of 23,000 miles per hour that will smash into the nucleus of the Comet Tempel 1. The first-ever look into the inside of a comet is set to occur evening at approximately 10:52 P.M. PDT, or 1:52 A.M. EDT.After nightfall, find a dark location and look southwestern skyto find bright Jupiter. Jupiter will be easy to spot, as it is the brightest object in the southwestern sky. If you look to the left of Jupiter, the next brightest object you'll encounter is the alpha star Spica from the constellation Viro the madien. Impact will occur a couple of degrees above this star. There is some speculation that Comet Tempel 1 will stay brighter magnitude of a short time after the crash. (Center Spica in your lowest power eyepiece, then let the sky drift by (turn off the scop's tracking motor if has one))Wait exactly 20 min. and Comet Tempel 1 should be in the fied of view.
Mission Events: (in EDT)
July 3, 2:07 A.M.: Impactor released into comet's path
July4, 12:22 A.M.: 1st impactor targeting maneuver
July4, 1:17 A.M.: 2nd impactor targeting maneuver
July4, 1:39 A.M.: 3rd impactor targeting maneuver
July4, 1:52 A.M.: (+ or - 3 Minute): Impact with Tempel 1
July4, 2:05 A.M.: Flyby goes into sheild mode
July4, 2:06 A.M.: Flyby's closest approach to Tempel 1
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