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Living with a big cat...
This week's review winner is all about the back-straining Bubba of SCT's. Celestron's monster field scope; the venerable, the drooled over, the big scope with the tiny name: C14
Iron Spectra from Supermassive Black Holes: Chandra Measures Iron in the Fire.
Using Chandra spectra obtained from more than 300 supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies, a team of astronomers has been able to determine the amount of iron near the black holes (see light blue in illustration). <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Naked carbon/oxygen stars linked to gamma-ray bursts
BERKELEY – Observations by two of the world's largest telescopes provide strong evidence that a peculiar type of exploding star may be the origin of elusive gamma-ray bursts that have puzzled scientists for more than 30 years. Article by Robert Sanders, Media Relations, UC Berkeley.
NASA's Chandra Finds Saturn Reflects X-Rays from Sun
When it comes to mysterious X-rays from Saturn, the ringed planet may act as a mirror, reflecting explosive activity from the sun, according to scientists using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Odd Spot on Titan Baffles Scientists
Saturn's moon Titan shows an unusual bright spot that has scientists mystified. The spot, approximately the size and shape of West Virginia, is just southeast of the bright region called Xanadu and is visible to multiple instruments on the Cassini spacecraft. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Refractor Rapture Captures This Week's Prize
The Meade 152ED sports a nice price for the specs but how does it perform in the field? This weeks review winner gives one amateur's viewpoint - in detail.
It's Over Your Head
Every region has their favorite local astro-resources. Here in the northwest corner of the U.S., we are fortunate to have a local astronomical radio show called "It's Over Your Head" broadcast through KSER 90.7 FM. The rest of the world can still enjoy the programs via their extensive audio and script-text archive.
One Mars Orbiter Takes First Photos of Other Orbiters
Photographs from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft released today are the first pictures ever taken of a spacecraft orbiting a foreign planet by another spacecraft orbiting that planet. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
A Hefty Starhopper Review Hops Into The Winner's Circle
AstroMarter Larry Carlino takes on the Celestron 12" Starhopper Dob and likes a lot of what he sees in this week's review contest winner...
Designer Plants for Mars.
Take the cold tolerance of bacteria that thrive in arctic ice, add the ultraviolet resistance of tomato plants growing high in the Andes mountains, and combine with an ordinary plant. What do you get? A tough plant "pioneer" that can grow in Martian soil. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Robotic Telescope Penetrates Heart of Universe's Most Powerful Explosion.
Cambridge, MA - Reporting in the May 12th issue of Nature, astronomers announced that they have penetrated the heart of the universe's most powerful explosion - a gamma-ray burst (GRB). <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Planetary Protection: X-ray Super-Flares Aid Formation of "Solar Systems"
This Chandra image shows the Orion Nebula Cluster, a rich cluster of young stars observed almost continuously for 13 days. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Reviewer sheds light on solar scope
An illuminating review of the little solar powerhouse from Coronado nabs this week's prize...
Earth lightens up.
After 30 years of dimming, the planet's surface is brightening, an international collaboration concludes this week in Science magazine. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
Earth and Moon through Rosetta’s eyes.
ESA’s comet chaser mission Rosetta took these infrared and visible images of Earth and the Moon, during the Earth fly-by of 4/5 March 2005 while on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. <b>NOTE: French, German, Italian, and Spanish translations follow...</b>
