Hydrogen dominates the structure of Saturn’s atmosphere, but small quantities of helium and methane have also been identified. If life support on Saturn came into discussion, we’d have to agree that the conditions are very different from those on Earth. Saturn has a lower density than water; thus, were there a lake or ocean, Saturn would be vanished in it. The possibility to sustain life has not been excluded in reference to Saturn’s satellites, though, but studies are in progress, and until we have more conclusive data, all remains pure speculation.

Another planetary feature that attracts one’s attention on Saturn is the high wind; imagine wind blowing at about 1,100 miles per hour in the equator area. But apparently, nothing seems as spectacular on Saturn as the ring system that surrounds the planet. Three different sectors have been identified in the rings: we can actually consider them three rings in fact, with two brighter and one fainter. The spacecrafts that have studied Saturn and its orbiting celestial bodies indicate that there are thinner rings in the structures we perceive as large, and they are not continuous at all.

The very source of the rings of Saturn remains a mystery for the moment; what makes them so unique is that many of them are icebergs of different sizes, having a significant water quantity trapped in their structure. Other ring areas consist of dust mainly that present characteristics of electrostatic charging, thus allowing for the formation of spokes. They are made of very fine dust particles, which are usually short-lived as the spokes merely dissipate. Then, there is a close relation between some of the rings and smaller Saturn satellites that seem to influence the dust presence in certain areas. Moreover, the revelations science had with the discovery of Saturn’s moons are neither the first nor the last, who knows what will show up next?

Who discovered Saturn? Was this planet known to the ancients or is it modern science that brought it to our attention? The truth is that in the antiquity people had a far better knowledge of the sky map than we have today, and it is possible that they were familiar with Saturn by means of primitive telescopes. Most often, Galileo is recognized as the scientist who discovered Saturn in 1610, as in his notes he even wrote a theory about the rings. According to his words, there were some little ears on each side of the planet, and he assumed they were globes. Yet, later on, the white rings were discovered and have hold their position as the most spectacular scape in the solar system.

The analysis of the globes given by Galileo started from a confusion he didn’t know how to explain. He was the person who discovered Saturn, but the thing is that he considered to have seen three planets instead of one. The mystery of the rings was clarified in 1655 when Christiaan Huygens realized that what Galileo called globes were actually rings, butnobody could tell what they were made of until some twenty years later Domenico Cassini had a revelation. He was the one to launch the theory that Saturn’s rings were broken or discontinuous, consisting of small individual parts.

Presently we know that the rings consist of ice, rocks and other interplanetary remains, which only proves that the early theories were right. Who discovered Saturn then? In conclusion, we have to admit that the discovery of the solar system has been in progress since we’ve started looking at the stars, and we are far from getting to the bottom. Every year seems to get something new for us to explore: and even if more than forty satellites have been discovered around Saturn, more remain hidden to our eyes for now. Thus the question is not about who discovered Saturn, but what is there more to discover?

The tribute paid to Galileo as the person who discovered Saturn is obvious, but he was not the only one. The spacecraft which sent the the close image of Saturn for the first time was called Cassini after the scientist who understood and theorized the pattern of the rings around this planet. Yet, there are many other people who are currently taking part to space exploration projects; maybe their names are not written in history, but their effort is just as great and relevant. With every space conquest, there is one other step in the direction of learning more about the universe.

Galileo was a 16th and 17th century astronomer born in Pisa, Italy. He eventually became a mathematics teacher despite having no degree, and it was here that his famous future was first hinted. It was as a math teacher that he first showed students that Aristotle was incorrect in his claim that a heavier object would fall faster than a lighter one. He wasn’t invited back to teach, and so moved to a position at the University of Padua. It was here that his astronomy career began.

While teaching in Padua he developed the compass and began to delve into the subject of physics. He developed formula for the path projectiles took, and for falling bodies. These became very important in astronomy, later. However except for an allegiance to the work of Copernicus over Ptolemy and Aristotle, Galileo claimed to be disinterested in astronomy. It was Copernicus who first described a solar system in which planets orbit the sun. However most people held that Aristotle and Ptolemy were correct in their theory that all the planets, even the sun, orbited the Earth. As time went by Copernicus, and Galileo, were proven correct.

When the spyglass was invented in Holland, Galileo learned of it and made his own telescope which he turned to the sky. With a magnification of 20, this telescope helped Galileo discover mountains and craters on the moon. He also learned that the milky way was made up of individual stars. Next he found the four largest moons of Jupiter. After publishing this information, he was named the royal mathematician in the court at Florence. Now he could devote full time to his studies. In only 9 months he determined that other planets had phases. This was another nail in the coffin for Ptolemy’s and Aristotle’s ideas about the solar system.

Galileo most disagreed with Aristotle. Many scientists agreed with Galileo, and so published his findings. But the powerful church was inclined to believe Aristotle’s theories which placed man at the center of creation. A Florence priest denounced Galileo Galilei astronomy in 1614. Galileo responded by writing a letter proclaiming the bible irrelevant to science. In 1616 Galileo was ordered to stop teaching that the Earth revolves around the sun. Galileo continued with other studies but in regard to the solar system, obeyed the order. Galileo signed a document proclaiming his agreement with the Earth centered solar system, one in which the Earth doesn’t move. But he had one more thing to say on the subject. “I would say here something that was heard from an ecclesiastic of the most eminent degree; “And yet … it moves.”

The liquid found on Saturn’s satellite, Titan represents one of the most exciting and challenging discoveries in a hundred years, since besides Earth, this is the second solar body with liquid on the surface in the planetary system. The lake-like formations contain liquid hydrocarbons, most probably ethane according to NASA press release. Cassini spacecraft was the probe to send hundreds of pictures of Saturn and its satellites in its forty close flybys in the area. According to theories there could be real oceans of methane, ethane and various other hydrocarbons; the dark color of the liquid found on Saturn’s moon could only point to these components of crude oil. Nevertheless, the liquid form was not confirmed until a probe reached the surface of Titan in January 2005.

The size of these pools or lakes of liquid discovered on Saturn’s satellite could run as deep as some hundred feet. Infrared scanning by Cassini spacecraft allowed an approximation of the features. Yet, the main question remains as whether this planet can support life or not. Liquid found on Saturn’s other moon, Enceladus, seems to be water springing from high pressure geysers fueled by reservoirs just below the cold planet surface. Could such discoveries begin a new era in the planetary exploration programs? Though life remains difficult to imagine in the cold conditions of this icy world, right beneath the surface of Enceladus, all the discoveries indicate that life is more than possible.

This is the reason why the liquid found on Saturn’s Enceladus triggered a whole set of new investigations for life in the solar system. Plus, the other prerequisite for life existence on Enceladus, organic materials, is also met: there is methane, ethane, carbon dioxide and several others. Last but not least, in the hot areas closer to core, deep down in Saturn’s center, the temperature could also generate a favorable background for the evolution of life forms.

The liquid found on Saturn’s moons represents probably the best space knowledge achievement in a quarter of a century, since the moment when volcanic activity was revealed on one of Jupiter’s satellites. Though the source of the water geysers could not be spotted by the camera of the spacecraft the water and ice sprays were very visible in the sunlight, in the polar region of Enceladus. An identical alternation of hot and icy patterns specific to commets is present in this Enceladus combination of hot water and icy particles. Then, there must be liquid water under the surface!

A lot of people like Astronomy. Some are serious scientists who study it for a living, or who even teach it. Others are regular people who enjoy it as a hobby. Some of these hobbyists have even made important discoveries at times. It used to be that astronomy required a telescope or at least binoculars. But now thanks to astronomy software, everyone with a computer can take part in this interesting and at times exciting endeavor. Here are some of the programs available.

SETI@Home home is very popular. Launched in May of 1999 this was a project to create a virtual supercomputer, made up of large numbers of Internet connected home computers. SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, scanned through space with a radio telescope seeking intelligent patterns. the data were analyzed with supercomputers. But now it’s all being done during the spare cycles on people’s computers at home and the office. People at home won’t be having discussions with aliens when they’re found. But people can take pride in being involved in the search for intelligence outside our home planet.

3-D screen savers are a more basic type of astronomy software. These programs kick in when a PC is idle, and show various space objects rendered in spectacular 3D computer graphics. This can be as simple as an image or an actual 3D representation you can navigate. A search engine like Google can help you locate one of these programs.

Not many people know what F.I.T.S is. It’s a data standard called flexible image transport system that delivers spatial data and multidimensional arrays. Many programs use this standard. there’s freeware such as FITSview and professional programs like AstroArt. A wide selection of FITS viewers can be found with a simple Internet search. Try Duke University’s website.

Software such as Aberrator allows an amateur astronomer to view images of stars through various telescopes with aberrations in the lens. The software displays images that help the hobbyist adjust the telescope.

There is a lot more astronomy software out there in the world. Install some today.

Recent astronomy articles appear all over the Internet and in magazines dedicated to the science and the hobby. People write when new images are taken. When space agencies announce missions, people write. Discussion abounds about everything. Here’s just some of the most recent astronomy articles.

There were many recent astronomy articles on space dust that was bumpy. Why so much interest?  Scientists know that hydrogen is the universe’s basic building block. But it takes the bonding of hydrogen to create larger molecules. But a special medium is required in the cold of space.  Scientists now realize that bumpy molecules may fit that bill. Nobody thinks of dust being bumpy when they vacuum.

One of Saturn’s moons is called the Death Star. It looks like the Star Wars space station, with a huge crater on one side. In August 2008 it became a subject of many recent astronomy articles when the Cassini spacecraft passed near the moon, Mimas. New photos and information were gathered. It was a popular story. One hope scientists have is that this new data will reveal information about the number of crater creating objects fly through the Saturn system. We’ll learn a lot about how planets like Saturn clean debris from the solar system.

Dark matter is something scientists have known about for years. It’s not well understood how it helps the universe expand. Dark matter was a popular headline in recent astronomy articles. There was a plan to study distant supernovae to learn about dark matter. 70% of the universe’s matter is dark matter so this is important work.

A proto-sun is the name given to our sun before it officially became a star. Emissions of heat and light as well as solar winds from this proto-sun have long been a matter of contention. The answer is yes according to recent astronomy articles. Better technology has shown that the proto-sun did send out solar winds as well as a great deal of heat and light. These emissions helped form life on Earth even before the sun was a sun.

The Internet is a great source for learning about recent astronomy articles.

How many astronomy facts can you think of? Realize that the universe contains one times 10 to the 22nd stars, that’s a one followed by a string of 22 zeros. Now realize that many of those stars are surrounded by plants. Then consider the moons that surround the planets, the asteroids, the nebula, the galaxies, and all the other stuff the universe contains. It’s a lot to consider. Not every piece of information can be presented here. But these are interesting facts.

How about the brightest stars as seen from Earth? Those are good astronomy facts. Let’s ignore the sun, it’s too close. It’s so bright as seen from Earth that it washes out all the other stars in the sky during a phenomenon called daylight.In a the brightness scale we’ll use, lower numbers are brighter. The son is approximately 26.73, with the full moon weighing in at -12.6. With that in mind, here are the top 5.

#5 is Vega, which means eagle or vulture in Arabic. As seen from Earth its magnitude is .03. Just because a star looks brighter from Earth doesn’t mean it’s really brighter. The sun is only a moderately bright star, but because of its proximity to the Earth it appears to be so bright.

#4 is the Arabic foot of the centaur, Rigel Kentaurus. It scores a magnitude of -.01, and is only 4 light-years from Earth.

At #3, by the known astronomy facts is Arcturus. The name means guardian of the bear in Greek. Arcturus is 37 light-years from Earth.

#2 is Canopus. In reality it’s the brightest of all of these top five stars. However, it’s 313 light-years away from Earth, so it looks second brightest as seen from this planet. -.62 is its magnitude is seen from the planet Earth.

#1 is the Greek word for scorching, Sirius. Sirius is also known as the Dog Star because it’s the brightest star in the constellation of Big Dog. It’s only 9 light years from Earth. That’s second closest of these top five. It’s appears to be the brightest star in the sky, with a magnitude of -1.44.

This information doesn’t even scratch the surface of astronomy facts. But consider it next time you see the stars in the night sky.

Astronomy, like the universe, is a vast subject. Limiting to star astronomy still leaves a lot of things to cover. There are ample phenomenon and objects in just our own solar system to keep someone bust for an entire life time. Some people, then, decide to become experts on the stars.

The closest star we know is our sun, about 94,000,000 miles away from Earth. Consider what the sun feels like on a hot day, imagine how hot it is up close. 98% of the stuff in our solar system is in the sun. That’s compared to all the planets, moons, space rocks and other material. If someone wanted to they could fit 105 Earths across the face of the sun, and over 1.3 million earths inside the Sun. The nuclear reaction at the Sun’s core comes from pressure 340 billion times that at sea level on earth and temperatures of over 27,000,000°F. That would burn a pizza in a second.

Since it’s so close to Earth, relatively compared to other suns, the Sun is the most thoroughly studied star. It’s about 250,000 times closer to Earth than the next known star. But the interesting part of star astronomy is there’s so much to work with beyond our own solar system. From Earth a person with good eyes can see 5000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Using telescope, a person can see far more of the 1×10^22 stars estimated in the universe. By the way, that’s a 1 followed by 22 zeros. Even a small amateur telescope brings hundreds of thousands of stars to a person’s view. That is amazing! Larger telescopes can see other galaxies that contain an estimated total of over 200 billion stars. It would take many lifetimes just to count that high.

Star astronomy experts have now proven that many other stars have planets. Planets cause stars to wobble, and that can be measured. In 2008, for the first time, astronomers took visible light photographs of planets orbiting distant suns. We are ever closer to finding intelligent life.

Will we have a run-in with Romulans next month? Not likely. But star astronomy will keep on going. Maybe it also continues somewhere on another planet Maybe someone on one of those other planets is watching us We might be under observation from one of those distant planets!

Astronomy is a serious science and a popular hobby all over the world. As do other interests astronomy generates millions of words of information every month. all of this is compiled on a regular basis in an astronomy magazine. Many of these magazines now also publish their information online.

A top astronomy magazine in the UK is Astronomy Now. It’s a magazine for everyone that’s been in publication since the late 1980s. A typical issue has dozens of features and even focus articles that delve more deeply into specific subjects. Standard in every issue are star charts, book reviews and reader images. Not only does the website include much of the same information, but the star charts there are in an even more useful format. The sky can be shown for any month, period of the month (early or late,) time and at various magnifications. It’s a real help to anyone with a telescope.

Another useful astronomy magazine is Sky and Telescope. It describes itself as having an astronomy expert at your side. Imagine if Carl Sagan could help you in your nightly gazing. The magazine also presents stunning images each and every month. For example Sky and Telescope showed an image of a planet orbiting another star in November of 2008. It’s historic, because for the first time a planet has been seen orbiting a distant Sun.

One of the first websites people find when searching for astronomy magazines is the website for Astronomy. The latest information presented by this publication, online via its web site, is truly stunning. It includes the first images ever taken of another solar system. Also posted is an audio tour, in the form of a podcast, of the constellation Cassiopeia. Astronomy also features guides for kids getting into astronomy, first time astronomers and people who want to see the night sky from a city setting. It’s a great magazine to have, and a great web site to visit.

Admitting to being cheap, the author admits to sticking to web sites instead of purchasing any astronomy magazine. But print or web this is good information.

Astronomy is a fun science filled with many astronomy fun facts. This includes information about the size of stars and the distance of our earth from the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. All of this information can be recalled to entertain and enlighten people.

There are many astronomy fun facts about this sun. Measurements show it between 91 and 94.5 million miles from Earth. Scientists are not lazy. It’s that the Earth orbits the sun in an elliptical, uneven, orbit. The distance fluctuates throughout that orbit.

Astronomy fun facts about our average sized sun’s size. As average as it is it accounts for about 98% of all the matter in the solar system. Everything else, counting the earth and all the planets, is a tiny 2%. It would take about 100 Earths to make it across this average sun. An AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The solar winds extend 50 AU’s from the sun.

Are all astronomy fun facts about the sun? How about the moon? It’s the only non-Earth object upon which man has walked. One fellow went there and stayed. Dr. Eugene Shoemaker was rejected as an astronaut. In 1999, after his death of course, his ashes were spread onto the moon.

There are more astronomy fun facts about the moon. In a famous nursery rhyme a cow jumped over the moon. Believe it or not, as of 1988, 13% of people still believed the moon is made of green cheese. The spacesuits worn by the moon astronauts weighed a whopping 180 pounds on earth, but only 30 pounds on the moon. That is a big difference.

Far away objects have astronomy fun facts too. The stars we see are a gateway to the past. We’re so far away that the light from the stars may take a million years to reach our eyes. It could be that some of those stars blinked out long ago. The number of stars in the sky is expressed by a one with 22 zeros following it. That is huge.

Astronomy fun facts can go on forever. But this article can’t. So get out there and learn about astronomy.

Stonehenge, the English circle of stones, is well known to people as many things an altar, an astronomy tool and in some stories even a gateway to other times and worlds. But although famous, Stonehenge isn’t unique. There are other such stone circles all over the world, many containing one astronomy henge stone or even an entire grouping of them. As a matter of interest, the name Stonehenge comes from Henge, Old English for the structure it describes. Henge means hang, not circle or stone as some people believe. Stonehenge was created by placing, or hanging, large stones on top of crude vertical pillars. The name eventually came to denote a variety of similar sites, generally populated by some sort of stone formation within an earthen circle. However the term henge necessitates an earthen circle. If there’s no earthen circle there’s no henge. It’s just a stone circle.

While they did serve as altars and cemeteries, all of these stone henges, including the well known Stonehenge, had some link to celestial objects and phenomenon. It’s sometimes argued whether or not these stone formations were built for astronomy first, but there’s no doubt of building skill and scientific know how that went into erecting them. Many of these stones followed phases of the moons or marked the sunrise and sunset at certain key times of year. There were even tiny openings that would direct the sunlight on key areas at the right time of the year. Stonehenge has an amazing array of astronomical measures built into the circle. It’s not important if they were the design for the site or an afterthought. They’re still amazing.

Less famous but no less amazing is Wiltshire’s Avebury Henge. It encloses an entire town, Avebury, and is surrounded by a host of smaller stone circles. Because so many of the now downed stones were in precise locations, it’s well known the henge was used for astronomy. In addition there were elements of ancestry and gender concerns in the design, because it had male and female looking stones. Some experts claim stone selection was purely for aesthetic purposes, however.

Don’t even think about grabbing an astronomy henge stone for your personal use. Not only would you never be able to lift them, they aren’t really important when taken away from their setting. Make a replica instead.

Astronomy is a serious science. Many people get involved with it when they are very young. Astronomy for kids is a thought provoking pursuit that can teach them about the sciences in general. Kids naturally gravitate to many aspects of astronomy. These include the moon, the stars and far distant galaxies.

The moon is Earth’s only satellite. It takes about 27 days to orbit the Earth. Being so near, it has hosted the only human footsteps on a space object other than the Earth. Gravity between the moon and Earth causes the tides. Because it’s close enough to see clearly with the naked eye, kids are often drawn to astronomy by it.

Let’s move to the sun. The gap between our home and the sun is very large. We are between 91 and 94 million miles from the sun. That’s because Earth’s orbit around the sun isn’t a circle, it’s an ellipse. Life on Earth is only possible because of the sun. Our light and heat comes from the sun. Most people don’t realize that the sun accounts for around 98% of all the mass in the solar system. What a hog.

We live in the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s full of space stuff. Most of the area in a galaxy is filled with nothing, just empty space. That means most of 3,000 light years high by 100,000 light years wide, the size of our galaxy, is empty. The center of our galaxy is about 30,000 light years from Earth. The Milky Way contains something like 100 billion stars. In fact the galaxy takes its name from the appearance of the band of stars that shine from the main section of the galaxy. People thought it looked like a stream of milk, so called it the Milky Way. Our galaxy is called a spiral galaxy as opposed to the other three main types which are elliptical, lenticular and irregular.

Astronomy for kids is well covered online. In fact there are so many star charts, charting programs, images, videos, and other resources that a kid would be a senior citizen before seeing all of it.

Astronomy is a study of outer space. Some people do it for a living, others just to pass the time. So people tend to flock to an astronomy picture of the day. They’re all over the place.

NASA of course is a primary source for an astronomy picture of the day. This site NASA.gov shows a new image each and every day. The multimedia section shows both images and videos. This could be an excellent source for images and videos for your own daily updated site. Saturn’s moon Enceladus was featured on November 5, 2008. The photo was taken by a passing spacecraft. The image is crisp enough to see a small bus, if there were one on the moon. the ice on this moon is pretty unique it reflects 99% of the light that strikes it. Wear sunglasses. Cassini is scheduled for more flybys during its mission.

NASA maintains an archive of all the astronomy photos of the day dating all the way back to June 16 of 1995. It was a representation of the earth as if it were as dense as a neutron star. Of course the image is a computer simulation. The most interesting feature is that the constellation Orion is visible twice. That’s because a neutron star is dense enough to bend light from behind it to the front of it. This causes some double vision.

NASA’s COBY satellite took a very interesting image of the center of the Milky Way galaxy on September 8, 1995. This area is normally invisible because of the dust obscuring it. But COBE scans in infrared, so produced the amazing image of our very symmetrical galaxy.

January 1 in 2000 and 2001 had the very same astronomy picture of the day. It’s due to the fact that many people think of the year 2000 as the first day of the third millennium. But in reality the new millennium started on January 1, 2001. NASA figured it was better to just go with both. the picture now online at http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html is an indication of the universe as it is progressed in the mind of man.

NASA has a lot more days with their own astronomy picture of the day. Visit the web site, NASA.gov, to see them.

Astronomy is as vast as the universe it seeks to study. It’s due to the fact that astronomy is all about the universe. So it’s no surprise that astronomy news is so popular. Here are some recent, tantalizing tidbits of space information.

Astronomy magazine is a great source of astronomy news. IBEX the Interstellar Boundary Explorer from NASA was in the news. Just as weatherman study winds in fronts, IBEX studies outer space fronts. To be exact it is the solar wind and how it interacts with space beyond the reach of the sun. IBEX will also accurately map the boundaries of the sun’s solar system.

Astronomy news has also covered the discovery of a unique aurora on Saturn. Charged particles interact with the planet’s magnetic field to form an aurora. The solar winds create the auroras on earth. Jupiter’s aurorae come from interactions within Jupiter’s own magnetic field. Saturn’s aurora is unique because it covers a large area. That’s why scientists believe there is a lot to learn.

Universe today is another source of astronomy news. It carried some good news in November of 2008 when contact was reestablished with the Mars rover. The culprit was a big dust storm. But Spirit recovered from this low-power dilemma. Its solar panels couldn’t get sun in the dust storm, and scientists feared it would go into a low power coma-like mode from which it would not wake. However, the rover woke up so it’s business as usual.

Contact with intelligent life may be a matter of less than 15 years thanks to the Allen telescope array, at least that’s what’s in astronomy news. The array is set to grow up from its current 42 antennas to over 350. It’s only a matter of a short time before it hears signals from deep enough in space that intelligence is sure to be found.

If that intelligent life is contacted, that will be some big astronomy news.

Sometimes astronomy is like sports. It’s fun to watch what’s going on day after day, reading the magazines and web sites for all the current events in astronomy. Interesting stories hit the news each day. Maybe new planets are found, new galaxies, or even just new information about already discovered objects.

A good place to find out about a lot of this is on NASA’s website. NASA stays on top of all the latest events, and even makes a lot of the news itself. Here are just some of the current events shown in mid November of 2008.

The shuttle Endeavor launched in November, which was an important one of the many current events in astronomy. It setout on a mission to refuel the International Space Station. There were a number of spacewalks for routine maintenance outside the station. Space walks not only accomplish a purpose, they teach NASA a lot for the future. Space station work includes a lot of astronomy work.

And amazing discovery by the Hubble telescope is another one of the current events in astronomy. For the first time, a planet was seen orbiting another star in the visible light spectrum. Back in the early 1980s an infrared telescope called IRAS saw dust around the star. Fat was a tipoff that there might be planets.

This one, still one of the current events in astronomy, is all about the past. The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project is set to restore images taken of the moon by Lunar Orbiter spacecraft in 1966 and 1967. This data was taken from tape drives. NASA has already shown off some of these images.

Astronomy, like the Universe, is huge. Current events in astronomy go on forever. Always looked to the sky!

Astronomy is a study of outer space. Some people do it for a living, others just to pass the time. So people tend to flock to an astronomy picture of the day. They’re all over the place.

The first place to look for and astronomy picture of the day is NASA’s website. There’s a new image there every day. There’s also another section that shows videos and images. These could be great sources for a person to create their own site that offers a new image each day. Saturn’s moon Enceladus was featured on November 5, 2008. It was taken by the Cassini space craft as it passed about 1,700 kilometers from the surface. The image is crisp enough to see a small bus, if there were one on the moon. The ice on this moon reflects nearly 100% of all the light that hits it. Wear sunglasses. Cassini is scheduled for more flybys during its mission.

June 16, 1995 the first astronomy photo of the day NASA has online. It was a representation of the earth as if it were as dense as a neutron star. Of course the image is a computer simulation. The most interesting feature is that the constellation Orion is visible twice. That’s because a neutron star is dense enough to bend light from behind it to the front of it. This causes some double vision.

NASA’s COBY satellite took a very interesting image of the center of the Milky Way galaxy on September 8, 1995. This image would normally not be visible because the dust in the galaxy obscures it in the visible spectrum. But COBE scans in infrared, so produced the amazing image of our very symmetrical galaxy.

The astronomy picture of the day was the same on January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2001. That’s because most people believe the year 2000 was the first year of the new millennium. However the third millennium actually began on January 1, 2001. NASA figured it was better to just go with both. the picture now online at http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html is an indication of the universe as it is progressed in the mind of man.

NASA has a lot more days with their own astronomy picture of the day. You’ll find them on NASA’s website.

A long time ago astronomy wasn’t a science as much as it was an art and type of mysterious magic. But stalwart men of science continued to look up into the night sky and consider the universe beyond the world upon which they stood. These were men such as Ptolemy who imagined the solar system way back in 100AD, as well as Galileo who was the first to turn a telescope to the heavens. The universe is infinite, which means astronomy is infinite. Thus an enthusiast has to decide the limits of their interest in the subject. This article will zero in on Pisces constellation astronomy.

How can there be a whole discussion of a constellation and its astronomy? Constellations are more than just imaginary images in the sky. There’s a lot of space stuff contained within each constellation. Pisces is the home of one of the most interesting galaxies we can see. M74, also known as galaxy NGC 628, is a face on spiral galaxy. We see all of it’s arms extending out from its center. It looks like a spiral to observers from Earth, in other words. That doesn’t mean we can view it unaided. It’s just a splotch as seen through most amateur telescopes. If the telescope is 12 inches or more aperture, suddenly its seen as a spiral.

Over time Pisces has also taken on a significant place in the sky. The first point of Aries is the point where the sun crosses the equator on its way North. This happens at the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring for the Northern hemisphere of the planet. Aries’ first point was some distance from Pisces when it was first drawn. But it has moved into Pisces over time. This is an example precession, the movement of stars and objects in relation to Earth. All the objects in the universe, including our home planet, move. Our sun and its home, the Milky Way galaxy move rapidly through the universe. For instance our sun and solar system move at about 220 kilometers per second around the center of the Milky Way. That’s about 1/250th of the way around in all of recorded history. Not only is the solar system moving, but so is the galaxy itself as well as every object in the night sky. The constellations have changed over time. The movement of Aries relative to Pisces reminds us of this fact.

See how interesting Pisces constellation astronomy can be?

Astronomy is a science that goes back thousands of years. Once tied closely to astrology, today it has become a serious science and hobby for millions of people. The current happenings in astronomy can be more entertaining than any Hollywood film.

Australians were urged to look up and maybe duck in November when a 1400 LB Ammonia tank threatened to fall on them. It was tossed into space when it was deemed too dangerous to carry down to Earth on a shuttle. By good luck most of the pieces, no larger than fifteen pounds, were expected to fall harmlessly into the ocean. On the plus side the Ammonia vapor that might result would clean people’s windows. Paul Hogan, the famous actor who played Crocodile Dundee, was unharmed. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, remains dead and was thus not available to comment.

New line China, September 2008, a 3rd manned space mission launches. It will include the first space walk for Chinese astronauts. Youtube video showed the festivities before the launch took place. No, the launch wasn’t faked. It was just a case of overzealous PR people.

Still in China, a gigantic telescope is being erected near the site of the 2008 Olympic games. Revolutionary is the way this telescope tracks the sky with two moving mirrors. As a result this telescope doesn’t look like others. This one is shaped like a leaning arch. Leave it to the Chinese to come up with something out of the ordinary.

In Kazakhstan of all places a new satellite was launched in early November of 2008. It’s a communications satellite called Astra-1M. Proton-M launched it into space. The satellite was designed and built in Europe.

Astronomy hobbyists will love Worldwide Telescope. It was designed by Microsoft. It’s a windows application that interfaces servers all over the world to deliver stunning images of the universe. It brings an observatory and the universe right to the desktop. Don’t expect any new discoveries, because this is all pre-existing data.

Now you know some of the current happenings in astronomy.

Scientists study it like never before and many people enjoy astronomy today. Every day something new happens in the world of astronomy to gather the attention of millions of fans worldwide.  And it’s fun. Let’s get right to the newest in astronomy.

Astronomy today on any given day might have news of meteors.  The last half of 2008 was no different as meteors were certainly on the menu. Meteor swarms such as the Taurids in Leonids were quite active in November. Into was a full moon in December washing out the Gemenids.  No need to worry. Whereas the peak only happens for a short time meteor showers continue for as much as two weeks before and two weeks after the peak. People won’t miss these showers.

Astronomy today in 2008 was often a matter of discussing a return to the moon by 2015. Many countries would participate in this exciting undertaking. It may even result in a moon colony. Think of it. The old science-fiction show Space 1999 may soon come to life.

2008 was a year of a lot of astronomy news. For much of the year many astronomy today columns were filled with news of some space garbage a colling ammonia tank from the space station. It had been discarded into space where it orbited for many months. But eventually its orbit decayed. Some people were concerned that pieces might fall into populated areas. The good news is that it all fell into the ocean.

Hubble was probably the biggest news in astronomy today in 2008. Bear was the saga of damage which took a month to repair. Then the Hubble took the first ever visible light image of a planet orbiting another star. Hubble telescope sure had a full year.

Astrology today is more vibrant than ever. Keep up with everything on the Internet.