WHAT'S NEW?

(2011 Archives)

December 24, 2011

We wish a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy Kwanzaa to our friends and colleagues around the planet who celebrate these holidays!

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. The Kreutz sungrazer Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3 has now become a spectacular naked-eye object as seen from the southern hemisphere and from the International Space Station.

December 18, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update includes the latest news of the Kreutz sungrazer Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3 which, in addition to putting on a spectacular show in the LASCO coronagraphs aboard SOHO, survived its perihelion passage and is now emerging into the southern hemisphere's morning sky as a bright object; we are thus listing it as a red print comet.

December 10, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update includes the latest news of the recently-discovered Kreutz sungrazer Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3, which passes perihelion on December 15.

December 9, 2011

A total eclipse of the moon takes place on this coming Saturday, December 10. The eclipse is best viewed from the Pacific Ocean region, including Australia and eastern and central Asia; western North America will see the beginning stages before the moon sets, while eastern Europe and eastern Africa will see the final stages after the moon rises. (From the Earthrise location, the moon will set while still in partial eclipse.) Mid-eclipse is at 14:32 UT (7:32 A.M. MST), and the duration of totality is 51 minutes.

December 2, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update includes the recently-discovered Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3 which apppears to be a Kreutz sungrazer and which is visible only from the southern hemisphere, and also reflects the fact that Comet SWAN C/2011 Q4 has emerged into the morning sky and is still visually detectable. Furthermore, Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has just gone through aphelion and has been removed from the update page, until such time as it experiences another outburst and is again visually detectable; at that point it will receive a new tally number.

November 27, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is now again accessible in the morning sky (although it currently appears to be inactive).

November 17, 2011

Comet 497 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly.

November 6, 2011

The near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 will be making an unusually close approach to Earth -- 0.0022 AU (198,000 miles, or 319,000 km) on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, November 8-9; this is slightly within the orbit of the moon. The asteroid should reach 11th magnitude during this flyby. Ephemerides can be computed via the Minor Planet Center's ephemeris service.

We are pleased to announce that the weekly "In Our Skies" column has now resumed. The e-book available through our Earthrise Store contains all the columns that were published up through the time of its suspension this past July, and we will be issuing a new edition at the end of this year.

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

October 30, 2011

Somewhat surprisingly, a faint dust stream remnant of Comet Elenin C/2010 X1 has been detected in the morning sky, and we have updated its "Countdown to 500 Comets" entry to reflect this. We have also accordingly updated our comet update page to reflect this; this update also includes two additional comets that are only visible from the southern hemisphere.

October 18, 2011

Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale will be attending the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight in Las Cruces, New Mexico on October 19 and 20.

October 12, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. Meanwhile, Comet Elenin C/2010 X1 was supposed to have emerged into the morning sky by now, however nothing has been detected, and it appears likely that the comet has completely disintegrated.

October 3, 2011

Comet 496 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly.

September 29, 2011

Project Icarus, of which Earthrise President Alan Hale is a member, will be presenting several papers and participating in several panels at the 100 Year Starship Study Public Symposium that will be held in Orlando, Florida from September 30 through October 2. Alan Hale will not be attending but did submit a paper.

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that Comet SWAN C/2011 Q4 is now visible only from the southern hemisphere.

September 19, 2011

Comet 495 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This update also reflects the fact that Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova (a red print comet) is now visible in the northern hemisphere's morning sky.

September 9, 2011

We are beginning an Earthrise familiarization campaign via a contest on Facebook entitled "100 Words of Music." Submissions for this contest will be accepted beginning September 10, and it will formally begin on September 15. Contestants may win personally autographed copies of Alan Hale's book "Everybody's Comet" (and, perhaps, other items listed in our Earthrise Store). Details are on Alan Hale's Facebook page, and contestants can join by sending him a "friend" request.

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update includes a recently-discovered comet that, for the time being, is best visible from the southern hemisphere, but which will hopefully be added to "Countdown" within the fairly near future.

August 31, 2011

Comet 494 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This update also reflects the fact that, based upon reports from the southern hemisphere, Comet Elenin C/2010 X1 appears to be in the process of disintegrating, and that there thus might not be anything left to observe when it emerges into the morning sky in early October.

Supernova 2011fe, the recent bright supernova that has appeared in the bright spiral galaxy M101, is now slightly brighter than 11th magnitude, making it the brightest supernova that has appeared in the past two decades.

August 27, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that we have a new red print comet, Comet Elenin C/2010 X1, which at present is visible only from the southern hemisphere. The recent reports from the southern hemisphere are not very encouraging concerning a potential bright display from this comet, unfortunately.

A fairly bright new supernova, designated Supernova 2011fe, has recently appeared in the bright spiral galaxy M101. It is presently about 13th magnitude (and thus visible in moderate to large backyard telescopes), and it may continue to brighten some over the next few days.

August 11, 2011

Comets 491, 492, and 493 have now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This update also reflects the fact that we have a new red print comet, Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, which will be passing only 0.060 AU from Earth on August 15; this event will only be observable from the southern hemisphere.

August 4, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. Comet Elenin C/2010 X1 is currently only 0.05 AU from the STEREO B spacecraft, and that spacecraft has been deliberately rolled to obtain images of the comet.

August 1, 2011

Comet 490 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This comet passes only 0.060 AU from Earth -- one of the closest cometary approaches to Earth in recorded history -- in mid-August, and may reach dim naked-eye brightness around that time.

Because of some publication issues, the writing of the weekly "In Our Skies" column has been temporarily suspended. For the time being the e-book available through our Earthrise Store contains all columns that were published up through the time of its suspension. We are hopeful of being able to resume the column at some point in the not-too-distant future.

July 22, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

July 13, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that we have a new red print comet, Comet Garradd C/2009 P1.

We are saddened to note the passing of astronomer Tom Gehrels, one of the early pioneers of near-Earth asteroid research, and developer of the Spacewatch program based in Arizona. During his research activities he discovered several short-period comets, including one which should be added to "Countdown" within the fairly near future. A nicely-written tribute is available here.

July 4, 2011

Comets 488 and 489 have now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This update also reflects the fact that Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has recently undergone yet additional outburst activity.

The "In Our Skies" e-book available through our Earthrise Store now has columns up through the end of the second quarter of 2011. Among the columns from the past three months are: "A Strange Turn of Events" (April 1), "The Cloud on the Moon" (April 22), "Alphabet Stars" (May 13), and "Son of Deadalus" (June 17).

June 24, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

Supernova 2011dh, the recent bright supernova that has appeared in the bright spiral galaxy M51, has now reached 12th magnitude, making it one of the brightest supernovae that have appeared in the past two decades.

June 13, 2011

We are delighted to include a link to 5 Chime Music, the home page for Earthrise Associate William (Bill) Boublitz. We encourage all friends of Earthrise to check out Bill's latest CD, "Takes On Life."

There is a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, June 15. Totality lasts from 19:22 to 21:03 Universal Time (1:22 P.M. to 3:03 P.M. MDT) -- an unusually long duration due to the fact that the moon crosses almost directly across the center of Earth's umbra. The eclipse will not be visible from North America but will be visible from throughout the eastern hemisphere; the best views will be from the Middle East, central Asia, and eastern and central Africa.

June 9, 2011

Under contract with the New Mexico Museum of Space History, the Earthrise Institute will be conducting astronomy-themed programs and activities as part of the Museum's New Mexico Space Academy Summer Science Camps that begin this week. The Science Camps are for students of all school grades, and run on a weekly basis through early August. A Camp schedule and a registration form are available here.

Comet 487 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This comet, which we've already imaged with our telescope/CCD system, has the potential to be a relatively bright object in a few months.

A fairly bright new supernova, designated Supernova 2011dh, has recently appeared in the bright spiral galaxy M51. It is presently about 14th magnitude and is visible in larger backyard telescopes.

May 19, 2011

Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale will be attending (but probably not speaking at) the third annual Student Rocket Launch that will be held at Spaceport America on Friday morning, May 20.

May 12, 2011

Comets 485 and 486 have now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This update also reflects the fact that Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has recently undergone still another outburst, and that Comet Garradd C/2009 P1 is now accessible from the northern hemisphere; it also includes Comet McNaught C/2009 F4, a faint, distant comet visible only from the southern hemisphere.

New images of Comet Hale-Bopp taken in December 2010 have now been released, as part of a recent research paper authored by three Hungarian astronomers. They have graciously allowed us to post one of these images on our Hale-Bopp images page. At the time these images were taken Hale-Bopp's distance from the sun was 30.7 AU (approximately half an AU beyond the average distance of Neptune's orbit), the largest heliocentric distance at which a comet has ever been observed.

We have now begun a "What's New" archive page for the 2011 entries.

April 26, 2011

Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale will be attending the "Space Tourism Industry + Ten" event that is being sponsored by the Space Tourism Society (an Earthrise Partner organization) on Thursday, April 28, in Los Angeles, California.

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

April 15, 2011

On April 14 the recurrent nova T Pyxidis erupted for the first time since 1966 and as of last night was close to 8th magnitude. At the previous outburst in 1966-67 it reached magnitude 6.5, and thus it could continue to brighten further over the coming days.

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

April 12, 2011

We note that today marks two very notable anniversaries in human spaceflight. Fifty years ago today, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel in space as he completed one orbit around Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. Meanwhile, thirty years ago today, on April 12, 1981, came the maiden launch of the first Space Shuttle, Columbia, carrying astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen on a two-day orbital mission before a successful airplane-style landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is especially appropriate for the occasion, and we also note the worldwide Yuri's Night dance party that is taking place tonight all over our planet.

Incidentally, we also wish a "Happy Birthday" to Tyler Hale, son of Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale.

April 7, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that Comet McNaught C/2011 C1 has continued its dramatic brightening, and that Comets LONEOS C/2006 S3 and Garradd C/2009 P1 have now reappeared in the morning sky; the latter comet is, for the time being, only accessible from the southern hemisphere.

The "In Our Skies" e-book available through our Earthrise Store now has columns up through the end of the first quarter of 2011. Among the columns from the past three months are: "Remembering Challenger" (January 28), "Kepler's Worlds" (February 18), "The View of Home" (March 4), and "Galaxy Spring" (March 25).

Our imaging program has remained relatively dormant for the past few years while we have undergone a relocation and other changes. We hope to begin reviving it, with new equipment, within the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, here is an image we obtained on the night of March 26-27 of Comet Elenin C/2010 X1, which could potentially become a bright object later this year, and which we hope to add to "Countdown" within the next one to two months. (The comet is the dim and diffuse object just to the left of top center.)

March 24, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has recently undergone yet another, and stronger, outburst.

March 16, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that Comet McNaught C/2011 C1 has been undergoing a recent and rapid brightening.

March 10, 2011

Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale has joined the team of Project Icarus, a program to design an interstellar robotic mission to a nearby star utilizing presently available (or at least immediately foreseeable) technology. One of his initial contributions is an article discussing some of the recently announced results of the Kepler mission. We have now listed Project Icarus as a partner organization on our "Partners" page.

Comet 484 has now been added to the "Countdown to 500 Comets" program, and our comet update page has been updated accordingly. This update also reflects the fact that Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has recently undergone another weak outburst.

February 24, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

February 12, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

We wish success to the team of the Stardust mission during its encounter of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 on Tuesday, February 15. Closest approach (200 km, or 125 miles) is scheduled for just before 4:40 UT (9:40 PM MST on February 14). Because the comet is located on the opposite side of the side of the sun as seen from Earth it is not visually detectable and thus is not a part of "Countdown."

February 5, 2011

A very tiny asteroid, 2011 CQ1 (discovered yesterday morning by the Catalina Sky Survey) passed less than one Earth radius above the Earth's surface (in the mid-Pacific Ocean region) yesterday afternoon at 19:39 UT (12:39 P.M. MST); curiously, it transited the sun as seen from a path that crossed the southern Pacific Ocean and South America, although no observations of this event have been reported. This is the closest known approach to Earth by a non-impacting asteroid. (The asteroid itself is only about one meter in diameter and would have disintegrated in the atmosphere before hitting the ground.)

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

January 27, 2011

Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale will be attending the Memorial Tribute and speaking at the "Celebrating the Legacy" family day event at the New Mexico Challenger Learning Center in Albuquerque on January 28 and 29, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy.

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program. This update reflects the fact that Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has recently undergone a weak outburst.

January 15, 2011

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

Earthrise Institute President Alan Hale has now been designated as a "Starchaser Patron" for the British rocket company Starchaser. Starchaser is listed as a partner organization on our "Partners" page.

We congratulate Earthrise Team member Maria Rosa Doti-Escalante for her new employment as a science professor at Universidad Nacional Experimental Politecnica de la Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana (UNEFA) in Venezuela, and for her designation as an UNAWE teacher.

January 4, 2011

The "In Our Skies" e-book available through our Earthrise Store now has columns up through the end of the fourth quarter of 2010. Among the columns from the past three months are: "Spaceflight, For All" (October 22), "Giants" (November 26), "The Meaning of Life" (December 24), and "Time and Time Again" (December 31).

We have posted a new update to our comet update page in our "Countdown to 500 Comets" program.

January 3, 2011

We wish a Happy New Year and a successful and prosperous 2011 to all our friends and colleagues all over the planet!

A partial solar eclipse takes place tomorrow, January 4. It will be visible from northern and eastern Europe, wesern and central Asia and the Middle East, and northeastern Africa. The maximum eclipse, with 86% of the sun's diameter covered by the moon, will be visible from northern Sweden.

The annual Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak tomorrow morning, January 4. The maximum, which is usually very brief, is expected around 1:00 Universal Time (6:00 P.M. MST January 3), which means the prime viewing locations will be in Europe and western and central Asia. The peak rates could exceed 100 meteors per hour.

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