Sky Watch: Searching for Star Clusters

In this week's Skywatch, search for the Little Beehive Cluster or the astreism known as Kids. Read about it in the Tulsa World.

Big Bang, Books and Music

Last night's episode of The Big Bang Theory mentioned one of my favorite books, Flatland by Edwin Abbot. Isaac Asimov described it as "the best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." It's a really interesting read and I highly recommend it.

And speaking of Big Bang Theory, I received a great CD for Christmas. My daughter gave me Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants. It's the third album in the children's series by TMBG (who also wrote the theme song for Big Bang Theory) and covers some aspects of chemistry, astronomy and biology remarkably well in some very catchy tunes -- which won't drive adults nuts. It's a great learning tool for kids.

Skywatch: Spot five planets

In this week's Skywatch, spot five planets, plus four of Jupiter's moons. Read about it in the Tulsa World.

Kepler discovers five exoplanets

NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered its first five new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system.

According to NASA, "These observations contribute to our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve from the gas and dust disks that give rise to both the stars and their planets," said William Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Borucki is the mission's science principal investigator. "The discoveries also show that our science instrument is working well. Indications are that Kepler will meet all its science goals."

Meteor shower peaks today

Grab your gloves and head outside. The Quadrantids meteor shower peaks today. Read about the shower and other things you'll see in the sky in this week's Sky Watch.

More info on Moon water

According to NASA, the water discoverd on the Moon "could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected."

"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Read the full report here.

Water on the Moon

This is from Space.com:

"Since man first touched the moon and brought pieces of it back to Earth, scientists have thought that the lunar surface was bone dry. But new observations from three different spacecraft have put this notion to rest with what has been called 'unambiguous evidence' of water across the surface of the moon."

Read the full story here.

Shuttle completes successful mission

Space shuttle Atlantis landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base this morning.

According to NASA:

"Atlantis’ astronauts repaired and upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope, conducting five spacewalks during their mission to extend the life of the orbiting observatory. They successfully installed two new instruments and repaired two others, bringing them back to life, replaced gyroscopes and batteries, and added new thermal insulation panels to protect the orbiting observatory. The result is six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond what was available and an extended operational lifespan until at least 2014.

With the newly installed Wide Field Camera, Hubble will be able to observe in ultraviolet and infrared spectrums as well as visible light, peer deep onto the cosmic frontier in search of the earliest star systems and study planets in the solar system. The telescope’s new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph will allow it to study the grand-scale structure of the universe, including the star-driven chemical evolution that produce carbon and the other elements necessary for life."

Final mission to Hubble Space Telescope

Astronauts aboard Atlantis are on their way on the final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. This is the 126th space shuttle flight.

Neil Armstrong at the Planetarium

We were lucky enough to host Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon. After his speech he took questions from the audience. My wife asked him to give her a message to take to the children of the library. He said, "Working with children? First, I am sure what you are doing is important, so thank you. Tell them I said never cease, never stop, in your quest to learn more and in your quest to be more."

Romance Under the Stars

Love, romance and seduction - the constellations of the night sky have them all.

Join us on Valentine's Day for Romance Under the Stars: dinner, drinks and a special romantic planetarium presentation.

Thursday, February 14th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

at

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium.

3624 N. 74th E Ave
Tulsa, OK
(across from the Tulsa Zoo)

The ticket price includes dinner for two, wine or champagne and the show. Regular seating: $100 per couple, Star seating: $125 per couple. Evening is for patrons over 21.

Seating is limited. Call (918) 834-9900 x123 for reservations.

RSVP by February 11, 2008.

Image courtesy the European Organisation for Astronomical Research

Thanks!

A big thanks to all of you who helped make Saturday's Aviator Ball at TASM a success! I hope you all had a great time and enjoyed the screening of our upcoming planetarium show, Astronaut.

Thank you for all your hard work and effort.

Sky Watch: See Saturn's Moons

The diverse and interesting moons of Jupiter get a lot of attention from science enthusiasts, but this week you can get a view of a few of Saturn's moons as well. To find out where to look, click here.

Sky Watch: Star Clusters and a Meteor Shower

The last chance to see a few star clusters before they set is quickly approaching. Click here to read this week's Sky Watch.

Seeing (Sun) Spots

This is from the Associated Press:

"The peak of the next sunspot cycle is expected in late 2011 or mid-2012 -- potentially affecting airline flights, communications satellites and electrical transmissions....

During an active solar period, violent eruptions occur more often on the sun, the agency said. Solar flares and vast explosions, known as coronal mass ejections, shoot highly charged matter toward Earth."

To read more about it, click here.

Earth-like Planet Discovered

An Earth-like planet, possibly capable of sustaining life, has been discovered around the red dwarf star Gilese 581 C. The star is about 20.5 light years away from Earth. You can read more about it here.

NASA recently demonstrated a method of detecting Earth-like planets. You can find out more about that here.

Sky Watch: April 22 - 28

The planet Venus is increasing in brightness. Learn how to find this and other jewels in the sky by reading this week's Sky Watch in the Tulsa World.

Shuttle Launch Schedule

In what-we're-sending-into space news, NASA has updated the shuttle launch schedule. As of today, Atlantis is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 8.

Sky Watch: April 15 - 21

Stargazers are in for a treat this week: the Lyrid meteor shower. Read about this and find out what else you can see in the current night sky in The Tulsa World.

Sky Watch: April 8 - 14

With a pair of binoculars, you can spot a comet this week. Read about this and other amazing objects in the current night sky in The Tulsa World.