A pale green interloper among the stars of Cassiopeia, Comet Hartley 2 shines in this four-minute exposure taken on the night of Sept. 28, 2010, by NASA astronomer Bill Cooke:Still too faint to be seen with the unaided eye, the comet was 18 million miles away from Earth at the time. Cooke took this image …
Marshall Space Flight Center PAO Steve Roy was out jogging early Friday morning with his dogs, Lilly and Scout, when he couldn’t help but notice this bright meteor low in the eastern sky. Also seen by NASA’s all sky meteor cameras at MSFC and in Chickamauga, GA, the meteor was located above the Atlanta area, …
Lots of questions coming in, so I thought I would deal with them here. I live in xxx… Can I see Perseids? Check out the map below. Unless you live in the red shaded area, you will be able to see the shower. EVERYONE in the United States and Europe with clear weather will be …
I am asked this question over and over again, and it’s a good one. Everyone knows that you have to be in the right place to observe solar eclipses and other astronomical goings-on, so why should meteor showers be any different?You do have to be in the right part of the planet to view meteor …
Real-life meteor showers are not like what you see in movies — there are no flaming rocks barreling out of the sky blasting holes in buildings, or sending cars hurling many yards through the air. Most meteor showers are caused by debris left behind by comets, icy particles mixed with dust and organics that stand no …
Onlookers participate in LCROSS pre-impact activities at NASA’s AmesResearch Center. Credit: NASA The crowd at NASA Ames was poised and ready for impact as the LCROSS camera started sending back stunning images of the moon’s south pole. At impact, a flash or large plume wasn’t visible with the LCROSS camera, but even though we didn’t …
Scientist and engineers are adjusting LRO’s orbit to have it fly its closest approach to the Cabeus target site just 90 seconds after the Centaur impacts the lunar surface. Artist Concept of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter with Apollo missionimagery in the background. Credit: NASA The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, better known as LRO, was a sister …
We have yet to uncover the full wealth of scientific information the moon holds. It at the cornerstone of understanding the birth and evolution of Earth and other planets, therefore we need to explore it. The moon looks very unchanging and calm in the night sky and is rarely thought of as an active planetary …
It’s almost time! It’s been over three months since the Atlas V soared from Cape Canaveral, Fla. into space carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (“LCROSS” for short). Now it’s finally time for LCROSS to do its things and get up close and personal with the moon. …
As a 30 year-old research assistant at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, I have a unique perspective of the Apollo missions. I was not alive when humans last walked on the moon; the Apollo missions were part of my parents’ generation. With live televised coverage from the lunar surface and glossy photo spreads in magazines, …
