Follow Orion - News and view on space, physics, and the universe

NGC 7331

Jeremy Perez — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:26:00 -0500

Observation Notes:

I have glanced at and passed over this galaxy a number of times on my way to other nearby sights, such as Stephan's Quintet. On this evening, I finally settled down for a nice, long look at it. Although I would have loved to make this observation from a dark site, I'm taking what I can get these days. So I observed from my back yard. There is increased sky glow from the Flagstaff Mall expansion, and some incidental reflected light to deal with, so conditions weren't ideal. However, for in-town viewing in general it was pretty good. Anyway, those are my excuses. Here's what I saw.

Do Parallel Universes Really Exist? New Evidence..

Marko Pyhajarvi — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:57:00 -0400

The first time I heard about parallel universes was when my friend told me about the M-theory and Ed Witten. That was staggering information because my understanding of “this all” changed rapidly. Actually, I did not really believe in parallel universes because there was no way to prove it. I thought “well, it’s a nice [...]

Locating Alpha Centauri - Tips for Finding Alpha Centauri in Southern Hemisphere

Marko Pyhajarvi — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:41:00 -0400

Alpha Centauri is the nearest star from our Sun and it is located in constellation Centaurus. In fact Alpha Centauri is not one big star, but a formation of three stars located close to each other. The brightest one of those three stars is Rigil Centaurus, many times called just Rigil Cent. Alpha Centauri [...]

My Outer Space: Shuttle Flip, Saturn's Moon, Shakleton Crater, Dextre The Robot

C.C. Long — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:47:28 -0400

The Space Shuttle Endeavor did a controlled flip on the way to the International Space Shuttle. It's similar to watching a trapeze artist doing a death defying somersault from one trapeze bar to the next even though shuttle weighs thousand of tons filled with billions of dollars worth of equipment not to mention seven crew members. You can check it out at: www..metacafe.com/watch/773977/nasa_space_shuttle_back_flip_mission_sts_...
Just don't get motion sickness watching it...
Enceladus, one of the most exciting places in the Solar System and one of Saturn's moon that the Cassini space module took a fly-bye about two years ago. The photo's it took excited the imagination of scientists worldwide when it caught pictures of geysers that were shooting off what appears to be water plumes into space. This week Cassini will pass by again and catch some more film and answer the questions of whether the scientists hopes are justified or are all wet...

Punch Drunk Moon, Asteroid Triplets, Space Craft Wobble, Jules Verne Mission...

C.C. Long — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:14:24 -0500

NASA is sending a two punch space craft to the moon to bombard the South Pole. This ship the Centaur and a Shepherding Ship will deliver the blow in February. Said to be a cost effective, low risk way to find out if there is hidden water ice under the unique craters on the South Pole. First Centaur, with all of its sensing devices will be thrust into the moon by the Shepherding Ship and then when the dust settles the Shepherd will send itself and its equipment in a kamikaze dive to see if there is water. Then some American corporation will bottle the water and sell it for millions as lunar lusciousness (just kidding)...

11 Planets Mnemonic

Ian — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:28:09 -0500

Fourth-grader Maryn Smith at Riverview Elementary School in of Great Falls, Montana wins the contest by National Geographic to come up with a new mnemonic device to remember the eleven planets in what is now considered by astronomers to be in our solar system.

The two ones you probably are not familiar with are Ceres and Eris. Ceres lies between Mars and Jupiter, and Eris, is outside of Pluto.

The Winning Mnemonic: "My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants."

Space Cabbage,Leap Year, The Weather Outside Is Frightful, Scarlet Rain...

C.C. Long — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:07:03 -0500

On April 8th the first South Korean astronaut will be heading towards the International Space Station aboard a Russian spaceship and along with him will be the first space kimchi, the national food of South Korea. Kimchi is a cabbage dish that is fermented by burying it in the ground. It is aromatic and delicious. But it wasn't easy to make it into a space food. It cost millions of dollars to create a variety that would not turn poisonous due to cosmic rays and other forms of radiation and to make it less than pungent for fellow astronauts. It is a study in culinary delights to make their astronaut feel more at home spinning around the planet. And this is not the first of the culinary adventures in space, Charles Simonyi, who was a civilian guest astronaut had a six course meal prepared by four star chef Alain Ducasse with him when he took off on his space adventure...

Satellite Shooting Practice, Mini-Me Solar System, Love Crater, Lunar Eclipse...

C.C. Long — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:03:03 -0500

The spy satellite that has been a failure since day one and is now hurdling toward earth with a payload of deadly gas now is skeet for the United States missile defense and anti-satellite weapons system program. President Bush ordered the satellite, the size of a school bus and weighing over 5000 pounds, to be blown to bits before it crashes into earth. Unfortunately, David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists, is concerned the 100,000 pieces of debris that the satellite will be blown into will effect space travel for years to come.

My Outer Space: Boomerangs In Space, Fishy Space Flight, 14 Native Indian Moons, UFO's Over Texas...

C.C. Long — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:19:57 -0500

A Japanese astronaut is learning to throw a boomerang from world champion Yashiro Togai so that when he goes up to visit the space station in March he can toss it around the station to study aerodynamics of the bent stick that always returns to the thrower and was used by aborigines to hunt. It's only right that an ancient weapon using the principles of flight will now be tested on the most modern inventions of flight...

More strange things being sent up to space and this is quite fishy indeed. It seems German scientists are sending 60 baby fish up into space on a two piece rocket. They will spend six minutes in weightlessness so scientists can study the affects on them. They've tried this before but did not let the fish experience the weightlessness long enough. I just love the idea of fish swimming around in space almost as much as I like the idea of boomerangs being thrown in the space station....

The Native Americans had a real love of space. It was like watching television at night for them. They had a name for every full moon of the year starting with last months Wolf Moon, this month's

Julianne Dalcanton Feed

Julianne Dalcanton — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:06:19 -0500