Archives for July 2005
Posted by Davin Flateau on 1 Jul 2005 at 10:38 am.
4 Comments. Filed under Astronomy.
On June 28, German amateur astronomer Wolfgang Kloehr reported discovering an exploded star in the famous Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. The British Astronomical Association reports that the supernova has brightened to magnitude 13.5 - putting it in reach of astrophotography and CCD imaging. If you have the means, it would be a great time […]
Read ‘New Supernova in Whirlpool Galaxy’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 1 Jul 2005 at 2:28 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy, Exploration Place.
The summer is off to a hot start in Kansas with the temperature climbing to almost 100 F just about every day. If you’d like to personally “thank” the big ball of gas that’s responsible, make sure to come to Exploration Place on Saturdays between 10:30am and 12:30pm for live solar viewing! […]
Read ‘Solar Observing in Wichita on Saturdays’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 1 Jul 2005 at 2:54 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Exploration Place Director of Theater and Media Services and Astronomy Magazine Contributing Editor Martin Ratcliffe shares this image of the Eagle Nebula, M16, taken a few nights ago from the grounds of Lake Afton Observatory near Wichita. Martin writes:
On Wednesday evening, Chad Hanson and I spent all night adjacent to Lake Afton Public Observatory […]
Read ‘Eagle Nebula from Lake Afton’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 1 Jul 2005 at 10:17 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy, Exploration Place.
Welcome to the Stars Over Kansas Deep Impact Guide to Comet Crash Happiness brought to you by… the good folks at Newton’s Third Law: “Equal and opposite reactions for 14 billion years”… and Mathematics: “See? It’s Good for Something!”
The Deep Impact spacecraft is headed for a cosmic collision with a comet on […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 2 Jul 2005 at 12:00 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
July 2 - Solar Observing at Exploration Place (Wichita, Kansas) 10:30am to 12:30pm. See sunspots and solar prominences in visible and hydrogen-alpha light through Exploration Place telescopes.
Read ‘Exploration Place Solar Observing 7/2 10:30am’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 2 Jul 2005 at 12:00 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
July 2 - Observing at Powell Observatory, Louisburg Kansas, 8:30pm. Program: “It Came From Outer Space”
Read ‘Astro Society of KC - Observing 7/2 8:30pm’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 3 Jul 2005 at 9:31 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Deep Impact successfully released its Impactor spacecraft - the 820-pound probe that will smash into Comet Tempel 1 tonight. Spaceflight Now reports:
“It went great. Went like clockwork. Very good, we’re very excited,” Rick Grammier, Deep Impact project manager, says of this evening’s events.
“It looked just like one of our simulations,” added Keyur Patel, […]
Read ‘Deep Impact Fires Bullet’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 4 Jul 2005 at 1:47 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
A CCD image is worth a thousand words.
Taken from the flyby spacecraft moments after impact. The ejecta plume is far brighter than most scientists were expecting.
One of the final images the Impactor spacecraft took as it hurdled toward its death at 23,000 mph toward Tempel 1’s surface.
More images here.
Read ‘Deep Impact: The Grand Finale’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 4 Jul 2005 at 11:00 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
NASA sums up the spectacular event like this: “After 172 days and 431 million kilometers (268 million miles) of deep space stalking, Deep Impact successfully reached out and touched comet Tempel 1.”
Comet Tempel 1 at 12:52 pm, just 13 seconds after impact.
Comet Tempel 1, 16 seconds after impact.
The Hubble Space Telescope sees the results of […]
Read ‘Deep Impact: Rocket’s Red Glare’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 5 Jul 2005 at 12:00 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event, Exploration Place.
Join us in one of the world’s most advanced digital planetariums, the CyberDome Theater at Exploration Place, as we present a special edition of Stars Over Kansas highlighting the results from Deep Impact. Director of Theaters and Astronomy Magazine Contributing Editor Martin Ratcliffe will present the latest spectacular images and science results on the […]
