Amateur Astronomy

“Small asteroid will fly by Earth tonight
When it makes pass, space rock will be just inside moon’s orbit

A small asteroid will buzz the Earth late Friday EDT, flying just inside the orbit of the moon. It should pass safely by our home planet, according to a crack team of NASA space rock trackers.

The space rock, named 2009 TM8, was just discovered Thursday by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona. It will get within 216,000 miles of Earth when it zooms by at a speed of about 18,163 mph.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33346941/ns/technology_and_science-space/”

“yikes”

“TILTY???/How did you miss informing us of this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20091020/sc_space/getoutorionidmeteorshowerpeaksovernight

Robert Roy Britt
Editorial Director
SPACE.com Robert Roy Britt
editorial Director
space.com – 2 hrs 55 mins ago
The Orionid meteor shower is expected to put on a good show tonight into the predawn hours Wednesday, weather permitting.


This annual meteor shower is created when Earth passes through trails of comet debris left in space long ago by Halley's Comet. The "shooting stars" develop when bits typically no larger than a pea , and mostly sand-grain-sized, vaporize in Earth's upper atmosphere.


"Flakes of comet dust hitting the atmosphere should give us dozens of meteors per hour," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.


People in cities and suburbs will see far fewer meteors, because all but the brightest of them will be overpowered by light pollution. The best view will be from rural areas (the moon will not be a factor, so dark skies will make for ideal viewing).


When and how to watch


The best time to watch will be between 1 a.m. and dawn local time Wednesday morning, regardless of your location. That's when the patch of Earth you are standing on is barreling headlong into space on Earth's orbital track, and meteors get scooped up like bugs on a windshield.


Peak activity, when Earth wades into the densest part of the debris, is expected around 6 a.m. ET (3 a.m. PT).


Some meteors could show up late tonight, too. Late-night viewing typically offers fewer meteors, however, because your patch of Earth is positioned akin to the back window of the speeding car.”

“No more freebees from me, Bltch-boy!

I'm out of the astronomy biz on this shlt site. Updates will continue *elsewhere*.”

“OH sorry so you are concentrating on your favorite subject? The seventh Planet in the solar system?”

“You're REAL popular over on Latta, t*lty. LMAO

You and Q should have a good time!”

“Sorry to hear that Tilt. I'll miss you.”

“I've already posted re: tonight's events..... *elsewhere*....

Hey Tango ---- You might need to scroll back down about 12 hours to see it, though!
(about 10 hrs before your 'Merrills on the treadmill' post)”

“Tilty gets SCOOPED again

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/scitech/2009/10/20/nasa-unveils-brand-new-rocket-ares-x?test=faces

Ares I-X

Oct. 20: As the sun rises over Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket, secured to a mobile launcher platform, prepares to climb the five percent grade of the crawler way to the top of the pad.

The $445 million rocket's rollout comes on the eve of a final report from an independent committee appointed by the White House to review NASA's plans for future human spaceflight.

Not since the April 1981 test flight of NASA's space shuttle Columbia has NASA test launched a new rocket designed to carry astronauts into space.

Like Columbia and its external tank, the towering Ares I-X rocket is painted in all white and gleamed in the glare of blazing xenon spotlights as it emerged from the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building. But unlike that first shuttle flight, Ares I-X will be unmanned.”

“Strong Leonid showing Nov 17th

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33589356/ns/technology_and_science-science/”

“Cool.”

“Thanks, Tango.”

“Skywatching Highlights of 2010

http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ao.auWBSO3yXxuh6VhPsHp1G2vAI;_ylu=X3oDMTFmOW5tYmltBGlpZAM0MjYwMzEyODY5MDY1NDgwOTgwBG5vaAMzBHBvcwMxBHJpZAM4MTMxNTY4/SIG=12ufa7m9v/**http%3A//feeds.space.com/~r/spaceheadlines/~3/dHma7CP-Ns4/100103-night-sky-events-2010.html”

“Thanks, Tango.

And Happy New Year to you.”

“We're dead

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2795981/Supernova-may-wipe-out-the-Earth.html

Oh and yeah...State Run Media will be reporting it as "Women and Minorities to suffer worst."”

“Meteor Shower Created by Halley's Comet Peaks Thursday

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100505/sc_space/meteorshowercreatedbyhalleyscometpeaksthursday”