Lunar Libration . Articles | ... Actually, a slight rocking motion, called libration,* makes about 59% of the Moon's surface visible from our planet Earth -- though only 50% at any one time. ... Add to that, the approximate 1.5 degree tilt of the Moon's equator to the ecliptic, and you have the inclination of the Moon's equator to the plane of its orbit around Earth at some 6.5 degrees (5 + 1.5 = 6.5). ... Re-published on Astronomy Net with permission of the author. ... www.astronomy.net . ...

... Aurora from Space . ... Magnetic Storms . ... Solar fast Particles . ... Currently more than 200 communication satellites circle the Earth in synchronous orbit . ... Another effect of magnetic storms (and to lesser extent, of substorms) is a greater intensity of the electric currents circulating between Earth and distant space. ... One spacecraft would orbit near Earth, the other would be stationed elsewhere in the Earth's orbit around the Sun, capturing a sideways view of solar eruptions. ...

... But there also exists a practical angle: in a world increasingly dependent on electricity and electronics, the "space weather" outside the atmosphere can have serious effects, in particular on human communications. Currently more than 200 communication satellites circle the Earth in synchronous orbit . ... For a view of NOAA's "space weather report," click here ; another such report, from the University of Michigan, is linked here . ... Another such event occured April 7-11, 1997 . ...

For Cycle 9 the Science Program Selection Office (SPSO) has changed the selection process to ensure that HST will continue to perform the best possible science with the best return for the astronomical community. This report summarizes the changes to the selection process and offers suggestions on writing an effective proposal that accounts for these changes. ... Fewer panels: With more orbits to allocate, each panel will have more flexibility, especially to approve the somewhat larger proposals. ...

... Bad Astronomy . ... The Fox News website got a little befuddled reporting about the massive outburst termed the Bastille Day Event, since it happened on July 14 of 2000. ... In the article on their website , they say: ``Once this powerful storm reached Earth, astrological cameras were fried, [and] satellites were knocked out of their orbits...'' [emphasis mine]. Note added January 5, 2001 : the article at the Fox website has corrected the wording, replacing ``astrological'' with ``astronomical''. ...

... К вопросу возможной модификации двигателя Шкадова и ее перспективах для решения некоторых задач SETI . ... А.Л.Зайцев . ... КОНЕЦ СОЦИУМА И ПРОБЛЕМА SETI . Л.М.Гиндилис . ... ОБОСНОВАНИЕ METI . ... Борис Николаевич Пановкин о познаваемости мира и о возможности связи с внеземными цивилизациями (к 80-летию со дня рождения) . ... Alexander Zaitsev . ... КНИГА ОБ ЭВОЛЮЦИИ И ВНЕЗЕМНЫХ ЦИВИЛИЗАЦИЯХ (Рецензия на книгу А.Д.Панова Универсальная эволюция и проблема поиска внеземного разума (SETI) . ...

Астрономия и Космос Небесные тела Планеты и их спутники . Видимым парадом планет называется планетная конфигурация, когда пять ярких планет Солнечной системы (Меркурий, Венера, Марс, Юпитер и Сатурн) в своем движении по небосводу подходят друг к другу на близкое расстояние и становятся видны в одно время в небольшом секторе (10 - 40 градусов) неба. ... Из выше описанного видно, что парад планет можно наблюдать, либо вечером, либо утром. ... Не пропустите ОСЕННИЙ ПАРАД планет 2002 года! ...

Astronotes Armagh Planetarium's Stellar Blog! ... Concept Spacecraft . ... Monthly Sky Notes . ... October . ... By admin September 30, 2011 Posted in: Human Exploration . Gemini Spacecraft: The red and gold spheres in the Equipment Module are propellant tanks and the red cylinder in the nose is the parachute pack. ... Image credit: NASA) . ... Amazingly in 2011, an outfit called Space Operations Inc proposed launching updated Geminis (rebadged as Eclipse spacecraft) for commercial clients! ...

Scale-heights of the Galactic disk subsytems with different ages and metallicities . V.Marsakov & Yu. ... It is based on the fact, that all stars cross the disk plane several times during their Galactic orbital period. ... We have used our representative sample of nearby disk F2-G2 stars Marsakov & Shevelev (1995) in which fundamental stellar parameters was determined on the basis of published date on uvby-photometry, proper motion and radial velocities. ... Marsakov V.A., Shevelev Yu.G. Bull. ...

Astronomy Picture of the Day . Satellites Collide in Low Earth Orbit . ... Explanation: How often do satellites collide? Although minuscule space debris may strike any satellite on occasion, the first known collision between time two full satellites occurred only last week. ... The collision occurred in low Earth orbit only 750 kilometers up, a height shared by many satellites but significantly higher than the 350-km high human-occupied International Space Station . ... The First Explorer . ...

... 2009 February 18 . Satellites Collide in Low Earth Orbit . ... Explanation: How often do satellites collide? Although minuscule space debris may strike any satellite on occasion, the first known collision between time two full satellites occurred only last week. ... The collision occurred in low Earth orbit only 750 kilometers up, a height shared by many satellites but significantly higher than the 350-km high human-occupied International Space Station . ... About APOD | ...

... Every year, more and more journals are switching from mailing paper copies to subscribers to putting material on the Internet either for free or via password-protected access. The primary driving force behind this is simple economics: the cost of publishing material online is a minuscule fraction of the expense of printing articles in a paper journal and mailing it. The majority of people over 40 greeted the advent of online journals with much sadness and even some derision. ...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration . ... NORMAN E. THAGARD (M.D.) . NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER) . PERSONAL DATA: Born July 3, 1943, in Marianna, Florida, but considers Jacksonville, Florida, to be his hometown. ... Dr. Thagard first flew on the crew of STS-7, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 8, 1983. ... Dr. Thagard then flew on STS 51-B, the Spacelab-3 science mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 29, 1985, aboard the Challenger. ...

Orbit . ... The orbit of the RadioAstron provides four types of study: . rough images of radio sources with ultra-high angular resolution, using all baselines up to the radius of the apogee, that is much larger than Earth diameter; . ... high quality imaging of radio sources, with moderate resolution, by observing either with small projected base lines Earth-spacecraft, i.e. close to the orbital plane, or near the perigee. ... high accuracy orbit determination. ... Space Radio Telescope . ...

... Tonight's Sky . ... Venus . ... Astronomy for Kids . ... Venus Climate Orbiter Akatsuki inserted into Venusт?? orbit . After missing on their first attempt in 2010, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully inserted the Venus Climate Orbiter Akatsuki into orbit around Venus. ... The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully inserted the Venus Climate Orbiter Akatsuki into orbit around Venus. ... Only registered members of Astronomy.com are allowed to comment on this article. ...

IRREGULAR SATELLITES . ... Planetary satellites in the solar system are divided into two types: Regular satellites orbit in circular, equatorial orbits close to the planet. ... Irregular satellites orbit the planet much further out. ... Examples of irregular satellite orbits . ... Unlike the regular satellites which formed with the planet, irregulars originally formed in heliocentric space (eg the asteroid belt) and were later captured in a closed orbit around the planet. ... Nature, 2004). ...

... Hubble 15th Anniversary: Book, DVD etc. and YouTube video . ... Hubble Talk: "Hubble in Orbit: Two Decades and Counting", LJMU, June 2011 . ... Colour Beyond the Sky: the Chromatic Revolution in Astronomy", 2013, with Tim Otto Roth, in Amsterdam University Press . ... Using a Spectrometer , R Fosbury, 2013, Journal of the Fluorescent Mineral Society, Volume 33, pp5 - 17 . Reflection nebular spectra and the rise of the Savanna 30Ma ago , Bob Fosbury, ESO Science Day contribution, 2013. ...

... oal (oal-3.115) [xmmsas_20070708_1801-7.1.0] . Meta Index / Home Page / User-visible functionality / Environment variables There can be two types of orbit data in an ODF, viz. predicted and reconstructed ones. ... Allowed values for SAS_ORBIT are P (predicted) and R (reconstructed). If SAS_ORBIT is not set to either of the above values (or unset) the orbit access routines in the oal will first look for reconstructed orbit data in the ODF and, if none are found, for predicted ones. ...

... ISC Kosmotras . ... Dnepr launch record 17 August 2011. ... Having been launched at 11:15 Moscow time from Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Dnepr LV (a converted SS-18 ICBM) successfully injected 5 RapidEye spacecraft into orbit. ... Dr. Vladimir A. Andreev, Director General of ISC Kosmotras, speaking on behalf of the Company, extended his congratulations on the successful launch to the launch customers, namely British SSTL, Canadian MDA and German RapidEye AG. ... Dnepr LV Performance . ... Launch Sites . ...