PLANETARY SOCIETY, INDIA

Bus-Size Asteroid 2012 BX34 to Give Earth Close Shave 27 Jan 2012

2012-01-27T05:43:00.000+05:30

Asteroid to Miss Earth on 27th Jan 2012 - 9pm IST : a newly discovered Asteroid (space rock) called "Asteroid 2012 BX34" is expected to flyby Earth on 27th Jan and miss Earth by 65,000km approx.However there is no danger of collision.

What is the size of this object ?
This size of this space rock is 14 meters and will be cutting/moving across the area between earth and moon tonight at 8.55pm IST being closest traveling at speed of 9 km/sec .

To Miss Moon :This object will also miss Moon on 28th Jan at 6.15 a.m. being closest...

How much time does this object take to orbit Sun ?
This object revolves/orbits around sun every 242 days.

When was this object first observed ?
However it was first observed only on 25 Jan 2012. More Details/Latest update visit www.ournewplanets.com This info is correct as at 5.13a.m 27 Jan 2012.

Here is animation of the event as seen from object:

Here is another View of the event - Sun centered

CELESTIAL SPLENDOR ON REPUBLIC DAY 2012 - SPOT VENUS WITH JUPITER

2012-01-25T15:47:00.001+05:30

This year on the occasion of Republic Day even the skies too have an event for people to celebrate appreciating science in true spirit of “Promoting Scientific Temperament” as enshrined in our Indian Constitution. On Jan 26th 2012 Moon people can see Planet Venus paired with Moon in the western sky after Sunset i.e. both moon and Venus appear to be near to each other as seen from earth.

This celestial event is astronomically known as Conjunction of Moon with Venus. Providing people an easy opportunity to locate planets using Moon as tool with naked eyes. See Expln. Above for what is Conjunction, How to locate Planets anytime in a year.

Where to see /time: after Sunset till 8.30 pm. If people can look towards West Direction one can see Planet Venus and Moon side by side i.e. On left side of beautiful crescent Moon one can see Venus.

Planet Jupiter: Further on 26th Jan people looking overhead at Sunset people can spot Planet Jupiter and continue to see it till midnight as it moves across the skies to set in West Direction.

Observation with Telescopes – Register & Questions: Further society likes to organize series of sky observations with telescopes across the state. Interested Schools /people can register at www.skylab2012.tk for participation.

Importantly people can also download Poster/Maps from www.skylab2012.tk for assistance and using online forms can get clarification asking questions.

SUN Blasts/Erupts - CME Hurled towards Earth - Geomagnetic Storm Jan 2012 - Biggest in 7 Years

2012-01-24T20:57:00.003+05:30

Latest Update at 25 Jan 9.20 a.m IST: As expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on Jan. 24th at approximately 8.30 p.m. IST (1500 UTC). The impact produced a G1-class geomagnetic storm and bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. The storm is subsiding now.

On Jan. 23rd around 6.a.m. IST (0359 U)T, big sunspot 1402 erupted, producing a long-duration M9-class solar flare. The explosion's M9-ranking puts it on the threshold of being an X-flare, the most powerful kind. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the flare's extreme ultraviolet flash.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft detected a CME rapidly emerging from the blast site: movie.

Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say the leading edge of the CME will reach Earth on Jan. 24 at 14:18UT (+/- 7 hours) i.e. 7.48 pm (+ or - 7 hours). Their animated forecast track shows that Mars is in the line of fire, too; the CME will hit the Red Planet during the late hours of Jan. 25.

This is a relatively substantial and fast-moving (2200 km/s) CME. Spacecraft in geosynchronous, polar and other orbits passing through Earth's ring current and auroral regions could be affected by the cloud's arrival. In addition, strong geomagnetic storms are possible

Further kindly click here to read FAQ'S which were prepared in 2010 .

Click here To another article prepared in 2010 August.

These were the headlines in last 24 hours which are making rounds.

INCOMING! Sun Blasts Another CME at Earth and Mars (Discovery news) Sun hurls strong geomagnetic storm toward Earth (Reuters) Sun erupts with biggest storm in seven years (msnbc)

Here is the animation compiled two years ago explains what will happen on 24 jan

Another Russian Satellite (Cosmos 2176) to Re-enter Earth - after Phobos Grunt

2012-01-16T15:07:00.000+05:30

Latest Update of Re-Entry Various Sources (as on 07.15 p.m 17 Jan 2012): www.skylab2012.tk www.skylab2012.com www.skylab 2012 .com

COSMOS 2176 RE-ENTRY DATA

Data From Organisation	Actual Predicted Time	Least of Predicted time	Maximum of Predicted time	Indian Standard Timings
AEROSPACE	22.55 UTC on 17^th Jan (+/- 4 Hours)	18.55 UTC on 17^th Jan	02.55 UTC on 18^th Jan	Actual:04:25 a.m. on 18th Jan Least :00:25 a.m. on 18 Jan Maximum :08:25 a.m. on 18^th Jan
Joseph Remis	8.21 a.m. UTC on 17^th Jan (+/- 3 Hours)	5.21 a.m. UTC on 17^th Jan	11.21 a.m. UTC on 17^th Jan	Actual :1:51 p.m. Least : 10:51 a.m. Maximum:04:51 p.m.
Space-Track	4.04 UTC on 16^th Jan (+/- 48 Hours)	4.04 UTC on 14^th Jan	4.04 UTC on 18^th Jan	Actual : 09.34 a.m. on 16^th Least : 09.34 a.m. on 14^th Maximum : 09.34 a.m. on 18^th Jan

After Phobos Grunt you might wonder what is in store for us ? or What is Next?

Here is another 2000kg Satellite on its way to earth in next two days.

Cosmos 2176 (also known as 21847) is a Russian (missile early warning) satellite launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome aboard a Molniya rocket. It was part of the Oko constellation of satellites and covered the plane 6 - 119 degree longitude of ascending node

Here are some fact in breif
Type:     Kosmos Satellite
Int'l Designation:     1992 003A
Launched:     24 JAN 1992 @ 01:18 UTC
Mission:     Cosmos 2176

Launch Vehicle: Molniya-M
Launch Site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome LC43/3, Russia
Mass: 1900.0 kg

Here is the Latest map issued (17 Jan) by Center for Orbital and Re-Entry Studies (Click on Image to see larger view)

Legend (what lines in the map indicate):
Yellow Icon - location of object at predicted reentry time
Orange Line - area of visibility at the predicted reentry time for a ground observer
Blue Line - ground track uncertainty prior to predicted reentry time (ticks at 5-minute intervals)
Yellow Line - ground track uncertainty after predicted reentry time (ticks at 5-minute intervals)
White Line - day/night divider at predicted reentry time (Sun location shown by White Icon)
Note: Possible reentry locations lie anywhere along the blue and yellow ground track.

When will it Reenter Earth ?

Asper AEROSPACE -Center for Orbital & Re-entry Studies ( as per 17 JAN 2012 07:43 UTC update) says : the Cosmos 2176 isactually predicted to re-enter at 04:25 a.m. on 18th Jan (22.55 UTC on 17^thJan ). However due to atmosphericand other effects it may re-enter Earth between 00:25 a.m. IST on 18^th Jan (18.55UTC on 17^th Jan)to 08:25 a.m. IST on 18^th Jan (02.55 UTC on 18^th Jan).

Joseph Remis (asper 16 Jan 21.53 update) says : theCosmos 2176 is actually predicted tore-enter at 1:51 p.m (8.21 UTC).

However due to atmospheric and other effects it may re-enter Earthbetween 10.51 a.m. IST (5.21 UTC) to 04:51 p.m. IST (11.21 UTC).

Asper space-track.org ( as per 15^thJan 10.55 UTC update) says : the Cosmos 2176 is actually predicted to re-enter at 09.34a.m. on 16^th (4.04 UTC on 16 Jan ).

However due to atmospheric andother effects it may re-enter Earth between 09.34a.m. IST on 14^th Jan IST (4.04 UTCon 14^th Jan ) to 09.34 a.m.IST (4.04 UTC on 18^th Jan ) on 18^th Jan. www.skylab2012.tk

This satellites is Predicted to Reenter on 17th Jan 2012 at 19.15 UTC . (00:45:00 Wednesday January 18, 2012 in Indian Standard Time) However satellite may re enter earth 15 hours before or Later due to various factors.

Where will it fall or what will happen to it ?
Not much is known about this aspect. Our efforts to trace a source in this regard for Last two days failed.

How/Can you track this Satellite live ?
Here is the Live Tracking Link Click Here
with Data

or

Here is the Live Tracking Link click here

or
This alternative link click here can make good video if you record.

PHOBOS GRUNT - RUSSIAN MARS PROBE TO HIT (RE-ENTER) EARTH ATMOSPHERE 15 JAN

2012-01-15T15:51:00.001+05:30

Latest Update : As per data available to us at (5.00 p.m. ) 5th January 2012, Phobos Grunt completes onerotation around the earth every 87.30 minutes.

Presently it is moving around earth in 125.25 kmby 142Km

It Positioned at 6.2N,120.5W (Check the Map) Re-entry is expected in 5 hours.

Here is the Link to the Document with details of Timings click here
for all important links in this page click here

What is Phobos Grunt Mission ?

Phobos-Grunt was an attempted Russian sample returnmission to Phobos (one of the moons of Mars). Phobos-Grunt also carried theChinese Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1 and the tiny Living Interplanetary FlightExperiment funded by the Planetary Society..
COSPAR ID: 2011-065A is the identification number of this mission.
Here is the powerpoint presentation created by Student Vennela Krishna Click here

What will happen on 15 or 16^thJanuary 2012 ?

Thisprobe will first re-enter earth atmosphere and over 200 kgs of its parts areexpected to survive and fall on earth.

But noone know wether it will fall in ocean or on land and where.

When was this mission launched ? And what happened ?

It was launched on 8 November 2011, 20:16 UTCfrom the Baikonur Cosmodrome, but subsequent rocket burns intended to set thecraft on a course for Mars failed. Which left it stranded in low Earth orbit.

What is the weight of this probe ? Which vehicle was used to Launch ? What was the actual duration of the mission.
13,200 kg with fuel is the weight of the probe. Zenit-2SB Vehicle was used for launch

What kind of Mission was this ?
Mission type Orbiter, lander, sample return

Were there any efforts to recoverthis craft ?

Attemptscontinued for several weeks to try to communicate with the spacecraft in thehope that it could be repurposed, or at least diagnostic telemetry could beobtained, with the European Space Agency aiding the Russian Federal SpaceAgency in tracking the craft.

However,efforts to recover the craft were unsuccessful, and it is now on course to fallback to Earth in an uncontrolled manner, probably on January 15, 2012.

TheRussian news agency RIA Novosti reported on 24 November 2011 that the missionhad been pronounced a failure because the spacecraft could no longer be sent toMars, the final opportunity to do so having passed on 21 November.

Who is creater of Phobos Grunt ?

Fundedby the Russian space agency Roscosmos and developed by NPO Lavochkin and theRussian Space Research Institute, Phobos-Grunt was the first Russian-ledinterplanetary mission since the failed Mars 96. (The last successful Russian interplanetarymissions were Vega 2 in 1985–1986, and the partially successful Phobos 2 in1988–1989.)

What was expected result ofPhobos Grunt mission ?

The returnvehicle, carrying up to 200 g of soil from Phobos, was to have returned toEarth in August 2014.

Phobos-Gruntwas designed to become the first spacecraft to return a macroscopic sample froman extraterrestrial body since Luna 24 in 1976.

Here is the Map of Phobos Grunt with estimated place of Fall (as on 4pm 15 Jan)

Who is Monitoring the Re-Entry of this Mission ?
The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee is an inter-governmental agency whose aim is to co-ordinate efforts to deal with debris in orbit around the Earth founded in 1993. Members
    Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)
    British National Space Centre (BNSC)
    Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
    China National Space Administration (CNSA)
    German Aerospace Center (DLR)
    European Space Agency (ESA)
    Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
    National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU)
    Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
    Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

Here is the animation of youtube click here

Here is view from Ground of the Mission as pictured by amateur astronomers :

If you are interested to know where exactly this Probe is see these links
1. http://www.n2yo.com/?s=37872

2. http://www.satflare.com/track.html?q=phobos#MAP

3. http://www.satview.org/

4. http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/index.html?&target=phobos_grunt

Plantary Society does not know who among these three sites is accurate.

Other questions:

Q.What was the purpose of Phobos Grunt?

PhobosGrunt was sent to study the atmosphere and dust storms, plasma and radiation ofMars from orbit. Its mission also included landing on Phobos and returning a soilsample from Phobos to Earth using a sample return vehicle.

Q.What were the science goals set for Phobos Grunt?

Therewere seven primary goals:

•Deliveryof samples of Phobos soil to Earth for scientific research

•In situand remote studies of Phobos

•Monitoringthe atmospheric behavior of Mars

•Studiesof the vicinity of Mars

•Studyof the origin of the Martian satellites

•Studyof the role played by asteroid impacts in the formation of terrestrial planets

•Searchfor possible past or present life

Q. Whatwas the total budget of Phobos Grunt?

The costof the spacecraft was 1.5 billion rubles or $64.4 million. Project funding forthe timeframe 2009–2012, including post-launch operations is about 2.4 billionrubles.Total cost of the mission is 5 billion rubles or $163 million.

Q.Who were the partners?

TheChinese Mars probe Yinghuo-1 was sent together with Fobos-Grunt.

Q.Where will it fall?

Thereentry zone has not been predicted yet.

Q.What risk does it pose?

Thereare 7.5 tonnes of highly toxic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide on board. Thisis fuel intended for the space craft's upper stage. Scientists say that thefuel might burn out on reentry in the atmosphere and not reach the ground atall. www.skylab2012.tk

Four Planets in the Sky - Use Moon to Spot on 14 & 16 Jan

2012-01-11T18:16:00.001+05:30

Upto May 2012 you can see Four Planets in Morning or Evening skies . Further next 5 days watch out for Moon as it will help us locate Mars (on 14 Jan) and Saturn (on 16 Jan) . Here is poster for your kind consideration click here

1. Jupiter can be spotted after sunset (east) till 1.30 a.m. (west)
2. Venus can be spotted after Sunset in West Direction upto 8pm
3. Mars rises around 11.30pm in East Direction and is visible till 6 a.m or Sunrise.
4. Saturn rises at 2 a.m. and visible until Sunrise in East Direction

Here is the link to my article Indian express http://goo.gl/cqBiR &
DNA INDIA http://goo.gl/nhj8g.

However there is still some more time when Mars, Saturn, Jupiter will be closest to earth this year. Right now two planets among Four are getting ready to be closest in next two months. As they days pass they will become more brighter than the previous night.

So watch out for our updates here on this blog.

Jupiter, Venus, Mars to be seen in the dark sky from tonight thanks for friends in PTI

N.SRI RAGHUNANDAN KUMAR GENERAL SECRETARY PLANETARY SOCIETY INDIA

www.skylab2012.tk, www.skylab2012.com , www.skylab 2012 .com

THREE CELESTIAL EVENTS WELCOME NEW YEAR 2012

2012-01-03T00:47:00.000+05:30

Kindly see the updates of Meteor Shower below with images from across the world including NASA Source.

On 3rd - 5th January three celestial events would occur for people to appreciate. It’s just like a perfect welcome for the New Year 2012 providing an opportunity to people to appreciate science.

1. Spot Jupiter with Naked Eye Using Moon On 3rd Jan – Moon Conjunction with Jupiter: On Jan 3 at 04:44 a.m. IST (23.14pm UTC on 2nd Jan) Moon will be is in conjunction with Planet Jupiter. i.e. both moon and Jupiter appear to be near to each other as seen from earth.

Where to see /time: After Sunset if one looks at East Direction one would see Bright moon and a Non twinkling star like object just above right side of Moon. Which is nothing but planet Jupiter.

2. Quadrantids Meteor Shower (Dec 28th-12th Jan): annual event of Quadrantids Meteor Shower is actively visible from 28th Dec to 12th Jan. On 4th January this meteor shower will be at Peak. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) expects maximum of 120 Meteors per hour. It however based on past data it says the number of meteors should vary from 60 to 200 Meteors per hour. Where to look/time: Away from city light at 4.a.m. up till 12th January if one looks at the area between East and North East directions one can see shooting stars. In other words one can see bright streaks of light zipping across the sky and would seem as if they are emanating from the constellation of Bootes. This shower is called “Quadrantids Meteor Shower” because the radiant of this meteor shower lies in Bootes constellation. The name of the constellation comes from Quadrans Muralis, an obsolete constellation which is now part of Boötes.

3. Earth at Perihelion: On 5rd January 2012 Planet Earth will be at closest point to sun in its elliptical orbit around Sun at 0.983 AU (147 million km) from Sun. Astronomically this is phenomena is known as “Perihelion”. Whereas on 5th July 2012 Earth will be at Aphelion at 1.017 AU (152 Million km approx) from Sun i.e. it will be at farthest point from Sun.

Jupiter, Moon to converge in conjunction thanks to friends in PTI for being voice of planets so that people can read, hear and see this celestial event has a gift for new year 2012.

Updates as on 5th January 2012: See this slide show of images of meteor from across the world.

When to welcome new Year? 3.30 p.m (today) or 10.02 pm. or 4.30p.m (on Sunday)

2011-12-31T12:14:00.002+05:30

Today (31st Dec,2011) Kiribati, Samoa & Tokelau would be first three countries to welcome New year 2012 at 3.30p.m (as calculated in our local time) . Whereas American Samoa & others would be last at 4.30p.m (on Sunday) to welcome. So all those planning for 12.00 welcome...

Give a thought when to welcome the newyear?????? With Earth ? bcos Kirbati (Caroline Island) is also first place on earth to see first ray of Sunlight of new year...i.e. around 10.02pm IST our local time in Kiribati Sun Rise occurs at 6.32 a.m. Here is image with details of different countries and when they celebrate (in IST).

Ofcourse many of you send SMS can save money as well.

Click on this image to list of Countries and when they will welcome new year.

Longest and Best Lunar Eclipse (Total) till 2018 on 10 Dec 2011 India - FAQ's

2011-12-09T13:18:00.001+05:30

What will happen on10 December 2011 ? What are its timingsastronomically?

A Lunar Eclipseoccurs when earth in course of its orbit around sun, comes between moon and sunsuch a way that moon his hidden in the shadow cast by earth. This can occuronly when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned in a straight line, Hence lunareclipse occurs only when there is full moon.

So on 10th Dec, 2011 Total Lunar Eclipse will occur. Eclipse in variousphases begins at 5.02 p.m. and Ends at 11.02 p.m. on 10^thDecember, 2011. The noticeable Umbra phase begins at 6.15 p.m. and Ends at 9.48p.m. wherein Total Phase begins at7.36p.m. and ends at 8.28 p.m.

Astrologers arereporting 6 p.m. to 9.48p.m. Why do you say eclipse is upto 11 p.m ?

Though astronomically speaking Eclipse begins at 5.02 p.m. with moonentering lighter Shadow of Earth. Peoplecan noticeably witness darkening ( or leaving) of Moon’s disk between 6.15 p.m. to 9.48p.m.

This can be further explained by explaining what is Penumbra and Umbra

Earth’s shadow has two partsPenumbra (outer lighter part) and Umbra (darker part). All Lunar Eclipse beginwith moon first entering penumbra at one end passing through umbral phase andending with leaving the penumbra on other end. Generally only the Umbral phase is commonly considered as actualeclipse by general public to follow various rituals and traditions leavingPenumbra passage of moon. Whereas all Lunar eclipse begin and end with moonentering and leaving the penumbra (lighter outer shadow of earth).

What is this totality phase?

Importantly moon will be completely immersed (for 52 mins long) in thedark shadow of earth from 7.36p.m.to 8.28 p.m. during Totality Phase. Whereas from 8.29p.m. Onwards one can noticemoon slowly coming out of the shadow of earth returning to brightness.

You said 52 Minutes totalityPhase is Longest till 2018 ? Why ?

Yes If Totality Duration data isseen Total Lunar Eclipse on 10 Dec, 2011 is longest (52 mins), compared to 8Oct, 2014 (29 mins) where only 6 minute of partial phase is only visible inIndia, 4 April, 2015 (5 mins), 31 Jan, 2018 (76 mins) , 27 July, 2018 (103mins). Conclusion: so Eclipse on 10Dec 2011 is longest till year 2018 27 July.

When is the next Visible eclipse from our country ?

Next opportunity to see a Eclipsewill occur on 25 April, 2013 whichis Lunar Eclipse but its is Partial Lunar Eclipse..But tosee Total Lunar Eclipse one needs towait till 2018.

What is other unique point ofthis Eclipse ? You said 2018 what doesthat mean ?

So 2018 July 27is the only time when people can see entire umbral phase including whole ofTotal phases just like in case of 10 Dec 2011.

Can you explain this again?

In simple words a person from India and neighboring country if misses tosee Eclipse on 10 December, 2011. Hehas to wait till 27 July 2018 for seeing eclipse in various visible phasestotally.

Which if we can see here

Though there is Total LunarEclipse on 8 Oct, 2014 people inIndia & around can see only a part of moon covered that to 6 minutes onlytowards end of eclipse due to moon which rises at 5.58 p.m. On 4 April, 2015 due to late rising moon(at 6.28 p.m) the total phase is already over at 5.28 p.m to 5.33 p.m. On 28Sept 2015 eclipse occurs after sunrise hence we can’t see. Whereas in 2018 on 31 Jan again due to delayedmoon rise people can start seeing eclipse few minutes before total phase wheremost of moon is engulfed in Earth Shadow.

Is it correct to say thatLunar eclipse will affect Pregnant Women? It will lead to Natural disasters?

Scientifically speaking there is no evidence to prove this or we can saythat this misconception never pass the test of “Scientific Method”.

Which are the places acrossthe world this Eclipse is Visible ?

The eclipse will be visible in the region covering Africa, Europe, theMiddle East, Asia, Australia, North America, Greenland, and the Indian,Pacific, and Arctic Ocean.

You said India is best placeto see Eclipse on 10 December, 2011 ? Why ? Can you explain in detail . How theeclipse would be visible from different countries ?

India is one of the best places to see this eclipse totally because the eclipse in its various phases (start to end) isvisible. Wherein people would witness moon entering shadow of earth and leavingas the moon’s disk gradually darkens and returns slowly to its full brightness.Similar opportunity to witness a TotalLunar Eclipse from start to end (in various phases) will only come on 27/28^th July, 2018 forpeople in and around India.

Across the world people living in parts of Mexico, eastern U.S.A.,eastern Canada and Greenland can only witness this event on 10 Dec partially close to horizon when moon begins to darken but setsafter few minutes from these locations.

Whereas people inEurope, Africa and some regions of Southern Ocean can witness eclipse partially with moon already engulfed inearth’s dark shadow and returning tobrightness i.e. during end part of umbraphase while moon is rising above horizon.

Is it correct to say people belonging tocertain Zodiac signs will be effected ?

Yes theastrological Interpretation of eclipse is most popular than the science part ofit. Wherein it is claimed Eclipse occurs in background of various zodiacsigns/Nakshatras and this eclipse willaffect people with that sign. Theyshould not see the eclipse. Society requests people not to fall for such nonscientific interpretation.

Constellation Taurus: Whereas astronomically speaking People can witness this entire celestialhide & Seek in the background of Pattern of stars called Taurus the bull. This constellationknown since ages is one of the 88constellations recognized by International Astronomical Union.

In movies it is oftenshown about Black Magic/ Tantric pujas ? What is your opinion ?

Yes in the name of Lunar Eclipse and in guise of solvingproblems of people some illegal practitioners of Black magic are committingvarious heinous crimes like sacrificing animals or even people.

Police authorities particularly people should be alert aboutsuch incident and bring to notice of authorities and stop it.

Total Lunar Eclipse on 10 December 2011 - India - Longest till 2018

2011-12-06T14:45:00.001+05:30

On 10th Dec, 2011 TotalLunar Eclipse will occur. The eclipse will be visible in the region coveringAfrica, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, North America, Greenland, andthe Indian, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean. This Eclipse is visible from India.

Eclipse in various phases begins at 5.02 p.m. and Ends at 11.02 p.m. on 10^th December, 2011. The noticeable Umbra phase begins at 6.15 p.m. and Ends at 9.48 p.m. wherein Total Phase begins at 7.36p.m.and ends at 8.28 p.m.

Note for Media : Kindly download click here Media kit and check SMS we send.

Please return to this website on 9 Dec 2011 for :
1. For When is best next Opportunity to see Total Lunar Eclipse ?
2. Why the Timings of eclipse indicate the duration of Eclipse (from 5.02 to 11.02p.m) so Lengthy ?
3. Why this Eclipse is unique ? And why one cannot afford to miss ?

VENUS MOON TOGETHER 27 NOV 2011

2011-11-27T12:47:00.001+05:30

Watch today 27 Nov 6 p.m West Direction you can see Moon and Venus together in the sky. Due to astronomical phenomena called Venus conjunction with Moon. Also see the Pic to know what happens on 6 Dec 2011.

Watch position of Moon everyday starting 27th Nov,2011to 6Dec 2011. You Can see Moon with Venus on 27 Nov.Then you cansee its moving away travelling across evening sky as days pass by only to bewith Jupiter on 6 Dec. Astronomy: Moon generally is approx 400000 km away fromus. Whereas Venus & Jupiter are millions of Kms away. Due to astronomicalevent of Conjunction these objects appear near to each other in our skies. www.skylab2012.tk www.skylab2012.com www.skylab 2012 .com

25 Nov 2011 Largest partial solar eclipse - Not Visible In India

2011-11-24T13:29:00.001+05:30

On 25^th November, 2011 last Solar Eclipse of Year 2011 which is Partial Solar Eclipse will occur. The eclipse is visible from the region covering southern tip of Africa, Antarctica, Tasmania and New Zealand. This Partial eclipse is not visible in India

Timings of the Eclipse: As per Indian Standard time the eclipse begins at 9.53 a.m. and Eclipse Ends at 1.47 p.m. The maximum phase of eclipse will be at 11.50 a.m. when 90% of Sun Disk would be covered by Moon. Total duration of Eclipse is nearly 4 hours.

This eclipse on 25^th Nov 2011 can be said to largest Solar Eclipse for year 2011 because Moon covers Sun approx : 90 % on 25^th Nov, 85% on 4^th Jan , 9% 1^st July, 60% on 1 June of Sun Disk.

The last Solar Eclipse visible from India occurred on 4^th Jan, 2011 which was however visible in few western states of Northern India.

No Opportunity to see a Solar Eclipse (till 2016 or 2019) covering Major parts of India : The next best opportunity to see a SOLAR ECLIPSE from Major parts of the India including Andhra Pradesh is on 2019 Dec 26^th.

The solar eclipse in 2016 though visible in major parts India (including Andhra Pradesh) begins and lasts only for few minutes close to horizon in early hours of March 9 2016. Wherein again only few states in the country where sun rises early can appreciate this solar eclipse of 2016

Importance of Eclipses in 2011: Totally Six Eclipses were reported to occur in 2011. Out of Which Four are Solar and Two are lunar. i.e. 4:2 Ratio. This 4:2 combination of solar and lunar eclipses in a single year is rather rare with only six cases during the 21st Century (2011, 2029, 2047, 2065, 2076 and 2094).

Dates of Eclipses in 2011: (1). January 4 2011: Partial eclipse of the SUN occurred it was visible in few northern parts of India (2). June 1 2011: Partial eclipse of the SUN was not visible in India (3). JUNE 15 2011: Total eclipse of the MOON occurred was visible in India (4). July 1 2011: Partial eclipse of the SUN occurred was not visible in India (5). November 25 2011: Partial eclipse of the SUN will occur is not visible in India (6)December 10 2011: Total eclipse of the MOON will occur is visible from India.

54^th Solar Eclipse for American Astronomer : Prof. Jay Pasachoff, Chair of the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Eclipses, will be viewing his 54th solar eclipse on 25^th Nov, 2011.

Next Eclipse on 10 December, 2011: Last eclipse of the year 2011 which is lunar eclipse will occur on 10 December, 2011. This eclipse is Total Lunar Eclipse and is visible from India.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 Passby Earth on 9 Nov, 2011

2011-11-09T03:11:00.000+05:30

An Huge space rock (400 meters wide) named "ASTEROID 2005 YU55" will passby from area between the orbit of Earth and Moon tomorrow. Its expected to passby at 4.58 a.m. on 9th Nov, 2011.

At its closest approach it will be at 3,24,928 km. According to NASA this object is a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid", but is not any danger to earth

ROSAT REENTERED EARTH - May Have fallen in CHINA - Alert Response/support required

2011-10-23T10:00:00.000+05:30

Here is the gist of updated i wrote on Facebook:

Latest Update (at 9.47 a.m) may have fallen in China/Myanmar : here is the image of ROSAT... During the Entry time frame, the satellite passed over the Indian Ocean and parts of Asia (Myanmar and China). USSTRATCOM predictions had estimated re-entry to occur after the perigee at ~2:00 UTC for a crash just south of Chongqing, China - the largest city in the world

Raghunandan Kumar N. Sri
Latest Update (at 8.55 a.m) Satellite (ROSAT): DLR-German AeroSpace Center confirmed that ROSAT Re-entered earth atmosphere between 7.15a.m to 7.45 a.m. But they are not sure if it debris reached earth's Surface ...Here is the statement "ROSAT has re-entered Earth's atmosphere. There is currently no confirmation if pieces of debris have reached Earth's surface."..Interestingly CBC News (wrote a ar...ticle 15 mins ago http://bit.ly/pEc29j Fox News http://bit.ly/oSoyTL Even one half hour event (nw 9.12 a.m)..they still expect rosat to fall.....Two minutes ago yahoo wrote (after 1 Half hr of the event http://yhoo.it/mZ3hmW). Local/National there is no news at all.as if nothing happened...Whereas there is no alert/info on any indian govt sites..whereas DLR says rosat entered..but reach earth or not (even after 1 half hour)...is surprising to me...All above questions only one thing.How alert are we...for such dangers?

German Satellite to Hit Earth Atmosphere 22-23 Oct - India - FAQ - Latest Updates

2011-10-21T01:42:00.005+05:30

Latest Update (9.54 a.m) 21 Oct, 2011: Presently ROSAT is orbiting earth at 174.2 x 179.1 km Position . Expected time of reentry is said to be 31 hours from now. It takes 88 minutes for ROSAT to complete one orbit around earth. Scientists are still unsure about exact time/date of satellite's fall to earth .

Here is projected map of the path of ROSAT (Click to see large)

Update (5.47 p.m) 21 Oct, 2011: Presently ROSAT is orbiting earth at 184.3 x 190.5 km Position . Expected time of reentry is said to be 46 hours from now. It takes 88.29 minutes for ROSAT to complete one orbit around earth. Scientists are still unsure about exact time/date of satellite's fall to earth.

Here is the animation updated as on 20th Oct 2011 :

Yesterday Night Update (1.31 am 21 Oct) : As of now scientists are not sure where and when this satellites will exactly fall ..As per latest update (1.17a.m 21 OCT) available to me this satellite is presently orbiting earth at distance of 196.8 x 201.7 km it takes 88mins for this satel...lite to ...complete one revolution of earth. Like the Americam satellite UARS last month ... 2,400 kg ROSAT satellite is unlikely to burn up entirely while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere bcos most of its parts are made of HEAT RESISTANT ceramics and glass. According to German Space Center " up to 30 individual debris items with a total mass of up to 1.6 tons might reach the surface of the Earth"

About Rosat Satellite : ROSAT, the Röntgen Satellite, was an X-ray observatory developed through a cooperative program between Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The satellite was proposed by the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) and designed, built and operated in Germany. It was launched by the United States on June 1, 1990. The mission ended after almost nine years, on February 12, 1999.

Here is Questions/Answers Source : Gernman Aerospace Center Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V (DLR)

Why was the ROSAT mission discontinued?

The ROSAT mission was designed to last for 18 months. However, it proved to be such a great success in terms of the scientific benefits it provided that the mission was extended for as long as was technically feasible. For a long time, it proved possible to offset the effects of age-related deterioration in ROSAT’s onboard systems. For example, in 1993, following the failure of gyros that control the orientation of the satellite in space, a new kind of control system was implemented. This system used the direction of the Sun and the Earth's magnetic field to determine the spacecraft orientation. Then, in 1994, the gas supply required for the measurements conducted by the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) ran out, after which observations were performed using only the High Resolution Imager (HRI), an instrument that required no consumables. Finally, in 1998, the mission came to an end. The failure of a star tracker caused the remaining HRI detector to point directly at the Sun, causing irreversible damage. Since no further scientific use could be made of the satellite, it was shut down on 12 February 1999, more than eight and a half years after its launch.
What scientific tasks were performed by ROSAT?
Extremely hot and energetic processes taking place throughout the Universe produce X-rays. These processes often involve extreme states of matter such as black holes or neutron stars. To understand these processes, the origin, spectral composition and energy distribution of the X-ray radiation has to be determined. Since Earth's atmosphere absorbs X-ray radiation, preventing it from being observed from the ground, the ROSAT satellite, which was equipped with an X-ray telescope, was needed to do this. It discovered that almost all astronomical objects emit X-ray radiation, including some objects where this had not been expected. The observed objects included the Moon, comets, stars, X-ray binary stars, neutron stars, supernovae and supernova remnants, the interstellar medium, galaxies, active galactic nuclei, black holes, nebulae and the cosmic X-ray background. The results have been documented in many publications. Observations at other wavelengths (visible light, radio, infrared and gamma radiation) supplement the information relating to these astronomical objects.

What were the most important scientific results of the ROSAT mission?
Over the course of its eight-year service life, ROSAT greatly exceeded the original expectations of the scientific community, performing a large number of excellent scientific observations. It is only possible to very briefly list here the objects observed and the discoveries made: the first ever full-sky survey with an imaging X-ray telescope, the resolution of the cosmic X-ray background into individual sources, observation and analysis of the hot gas that fills the gravitational potential of galactic clusters, the observation of supernova remnants, the discovering of 'super-soft sources' in the Large Magellanic Cloud and, finally, the surprising discovery that comets also emit X-ray radiation. The ROSAT catalogue of pointed Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) observations, revised in 2001, includes the positions and count rates of more than 100,000 X-ray sources.

How did the ROSAT X-ray telescope work?
The optics for an X-ray telescope are completely different to those familiar from visible light or infrared telescopes. A normal lens or a mirror would simply absorb X-ray radiation. X-ray radiation is only reflected if its strikes a highly polished surface at a very shallow angle. Based on these findings, Hans Wolter, a physicist who lived and worked in Kiel, Germany, developed a tubular X-ray optical system in 1951, in which X-ray radiation is focussed by grazing-incidence reflection, a technique now known now as the ‘Wolter mirror’. Since only the radiation from a narrow, annular region contributes towards the effective area, ROSAT used four different sizes of Wolter mirror, nested concentrically inside one another. At the focal point, located 2.4 metres behind the mirrors, three detectors were arranged on a carousel, allowing them to be moved into the incoming beam path one at a time. The three detectors were two identical Position Sensitive Proportional Counters (PSPC) and one channel plate detector, the High Resolution Imager (HRI). The two types of detector complemented one another in the tasks they performed. The PSPC, developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, had a large field of view, an energy resolution that made it possible to distinguish four energy bands, or ‘colours’, and high sensitivity but a lower spatial resolution than the HRI. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, developed the HRI, which was supplied by NASA. The HRI had a higher spatial resolution, but a smaller field of view than the PSPC, and no energy resolution capability. The PSPC therefore took X-ray ‘colour photographs’, whereas the HRI delivered sharper 'monochrome' imagery.

What specific benefits do the scientific results that were obtained with ROSAT have?
The scientific objective of ROSAT was in the domain of basic research, that is, it was never intended to deliver immediate practical benefits. Instead, its aim was to improve our understanding of the origin, structure and evolution of the Universe. In the long term, basic research can also have significant economic impact. The economic strength of Germany is based to an extent on developments from quantum physics (for example, the laser), and the theory of gravitation (for example, navigation systems), neither of which were foreseen when these two disciplines emerged in the early part of the 20th century. In addition, the money for space missions of this kind is spent here on Earth. This creates work for highly skilled individuals, it serves to train new scientific talent and it also encourages the development of new technologies and methods, because projects of this kind always work at the limit of what is technologically feasible during their implementation.

Will the re-entry of ROSAT be controlled in any way?
ROSAT has no propulsion system on board that could be used to alter its orbit or re-entry trajectory; this means that the re-entry of ROSAT cannot be controlled. Also, since its mission ended back in 1999, ROSAT is no longer able to communicate with DLR's control centre in Oberpfaffenhofen. After more than eight years of operation, many components on the satellite had been operated well beyond their expected service lives. Alongside the loss of the X-ray sensors and the malfunctioning of the gyros mentioned in earlier answers, many other components such as the batteries that provided the satellite with power had become so old that they were either working only to a limited extent, or had ceased to function altogether. It is therefore no longer possible to establish contact with the spacecraft.

Will ROSAT burn up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere?
When spacecraft and space debris leave their orbits and enter Earth’s atmosphere, they are travelling at speeds in excess of 27,500 kilometres per hour. In less than 10 minutes, they are slowed down to subsonic speeds by the friction of re-entry. The air resistance experienced during re-entry generates a massive amount of heat. Without special equipment, such as the heat shields fitted to the American space shuttle, re-entering objects burn up – to a very large extent or even completely. Heat and aerodynamic stresses cause satellites to break apart during this process. DLR has analysed the re-entry and destruction of ROSAT. Based on the latest studies, it is thought possible that up to 30 individual debris items with a total mass of up to 1.6 tons might reach the surface of the Earth. The X-ray optical system, with its mirrors and a mechanical support structure made of carbon-fibre reinforced composite – or at least a part of it – could be the heaviest single component to reach the ground. In the event of fragments reaching the surface of Earth, they could be travelling at speeds of up to 450 kilometres per hour.

Where exactly will ROSAT return to Earth?
It is not possible to predict the precise time of re-entry or the exact location. Experience with other satellites shows that, six months before re-entry, the timing of the event can only be predicted to within a 10-week period. The closer the time of re-entry approaches, the more accurately the timing can be predicted. However, even just one week in advance, the timing of re-entry can only be predicted to within a 3-day window. Given that the satellite orbits Earth once every 90 minutes, it could complete more than 40 full orbits of Earth during this three-day period. Even just one day before the spacecraft leaves orbit, the timing can only be predicted to within ±5 hours, or 6.5 orbits of Earth. Since the Earth rotates below the orbit of the satellite, the area on the Earth’s surface (referred to as the 'ground track' of the satellite) that might be affected by falling debris following re-entry changes from one orbit to the next. From this information, it is clear that no statement can be made about the precise location of re-entry or any potential ground impact. Just a few hours before the predicted re-entry time, it may be possible to specify the ground track of the orbit during which re-entry is probably going to occur. If fragments do reach the surface of the Earth, they will spread out and come down along this ground track across a swathe up to 80 kilometres wide. At this time, it will also become clear precisely which parts of the Earth’s surface are not going to be affected by re-entry debris. For example, if during this period ROSAT is not going to be overflying Central Europe, then it follows that re-entry is not going to affect that region.

Might Germany be affected by re-entry?
Yes, there is a chance that Germany might be affected. The orbit of the satellite means that ROSAT overflies regions up to a maximum northerly latitude of 53 degrees. Allowing for some degree of scattering of possible fragments, this means that regions in Germany might be affected up to about 53.4 degrees, that is, up to 40 kilometres above the 53rd parallel. Specifically, this means that the northern part of Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and the vast majority of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern cannot be affected. It will only be possible a few days prior to re-entry to determine whether or not the calculated ground track for the re-entry of ROSAT might actually cross Germany. However, even in this unlikely event, the probability of re-entry actually taking place above Germany is very low.

How likely is it that people might be injured by the re-entry of this satellite?
The likelihood of a person getting injured as a result of the re-entry is extremely low. Taking account of the projected total surface area over which damage might be caused by the fragments that – theoretically – might survive re-entry, the orbital path of the satellite and the distribution of human populations on Earth, it is possible to calculate that the probability of someone somewhere on Earth getting injured is about 1 in 2,000; that is, one person is predicted to be injured for every 2000 de-orbit events of this kind. The probability of someone in Germany being harmed is much lower: about one injury for every 700,000 de-orbit events.

Will it be possible to observe the re-entry from Earth?
It is relatively unlikely that anyone will be able to observe the actual re-entry of ROSAT. Most objects from space that enter Earth's atmosphere come down over the sea or over uninhabited regions where there are no human observers and no radar stations. In all cases though, active and inactive satellites as well as other large items of space debris are monitored by an American radar space monitoring system as they orbit around Earth. The monitoring data is available to German scientists and will be used during the months leading up to the re-entry of ROSAT to track the decay of its orbit and its slow descent towards Earth’s atmosphere. As the time of re-entry draws closer, the braking effect of the atmosphere will become progressively more intense, and the orbital altitude of ROSAT will start to decay more rapidly. To calculate its orbit more precisely at this time, more radar stations will become involved, including the large Tracking And Imaging Radar (TIRA) facility at Wachtberg, near Bonn, Germany, belonging to the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques. In addition, re-entry will be tracked through an international cooperative effort, working together to define the re-entry time and potential debris track as precisely as possible. This involves the international partners who make up the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) contributing their own measurements to supplement the TIRA data. With the help of these measurements, international specialists, each with their own computer programs, will be lending their best efforts to the Germany experts working on behalf of DLR and the European Space Agency (ESA) to calculate the expected re-entry time. All of this information will be collected and evaluated in the European Satellite Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, then forwarded to DLR.

Why will ROSAT not be intercepted and brought back to Earth under controlled conditions?
The technologies for capturing satellites and de-orbiting them under controlled conditions are still at the development stage. It will be a several years, at the earliest, before the first demonstration missions can be launched with the aim of proving the technological feasibility of this kind of operation. However, even once these technologies become available, only a few objects will be selected for controlled re-entry, not the majority of satellites and upper stages of launchers.

Are other satellite re-entries to be expected?
Satellite re-entries are cannot be avoided; space debris re-enters Earth's atmosphere on an almost weekly basis. Over the last few years, the total mass of this debris has amounted to about 60 to 80 tons per year. This total includes small items of debris as well as spent upper stages of launchers and satellites of every shape and size. Items of debris have been found on the ground only in very rare cases. The total mass of natural objects reaching the Earth's surface (meteorites) far exceeds that of debris from man-made objects or fragments resulting from activities in space.

Are preparations being made in Germany for this re-entry?
Despite the fact that the probability of ROSAT coming down over an inhabited area – or even over Germany – is extremely low, ROSAT's orbit has been under continuous observation since the end of its mission. The responsible public-sector bodies at various levels are kept continuously informed of developments. With the participation of scientific experts, the Inter-ministerial Coordination Group of the German Federal Government and state governments determined by consensus in November 2010 that even in the most unlikely expected event, debris impact in Germany, the available emergency personnel, contingency plans and other means at Germany’s disposal will be able to cope.

Fragments of 2012 Doomsday "Comet Elenin" & Asteroid TM8 Closest Approach to Earth today

2011-10-17T12:56:00.001+05:30

Friends here is an excellent opportunity to you ...You can attempt to answer these questions and mail us at planetarysociety.india@gmail.com ... Also see article published in Eenadu pg.3 today 17 Oct, 2011.

Brief Note: Today at 1.21 a.m. Comet Elenin fragment were at its closest approach to earth and are reported to passby without any harm to us. Further a Asteroid called "2009 TM8" will pass from area between Earth and Moon at 4.38 pm. There is No harm to humans from any of these two objects ..

1.    Is it true the fragments of Comet Elenin will pass by earth today …are at this moment from earth ?

2.    What is comet Elenin ?

3.    Who Discovered it? When was it discovered?

4.    What is the size of this comet?

5.    You said 2,00,000 km …don’t you think this comet will eclipse the sun ? particularly when it is between earth and sun ?

6.    We heard about Comet Halley which returns every 77 years ? Can you give us overview of some prominent comets ?

7.    Sir when will this comet return to our solar system again ?

8.    Can we see this Comet with binocular?

9.    Can a Comet be visible to naked eye ? In the past anyone seen them ?

10.    Can you tell what exactly a Comet is?

11.    What is Asteroid?

12.    Today asteroid (size of bus) is expected to miss earth ? Can you give some details of it .

13.    You said this asteroid will pass between earth and moon? Will it hit us or moon ?

14.    People talk about shooting stars ….How Comets are Different from Shooting Stars ?

15.    2012 Doomsday theorists are warning that this comet is nothing but Planet Nibru ? Which has come close to earth to destroy us ? What do you say ?

16.    Is it true that Earth will plunge into darkness?

17.    It is true that it will cause earth quakes ?

18.    Are these particles going to fall on earth?

19.    Will these material eclipse the sun?

20.    When will the pieces of this comet return to earth?

21.    What it the size of the present size of the fragments?

22.    Is there any comet discovered by a Indian? When was it ?

23.    Is there any comet named after a Indian ?

24.    What are the famous comets ?

25.    Is it indication or beginning of our end ….as it predicted by 2012 theorists ?

26.    It is said that a comet is Bad Omen….In the history there are many incidents to prove this ? Even in a recent movie “Maghadeera” it is shown that a King looses Kingdom ? or Enemy attacks ?

27.    Don’t you think the present situation in our state and country is due to this comet elenin ?

ISRO's PSLV C18 to Launch Megha-Tropiques & Three Satellites

2011-10-12T04:01:00.000+05:30

ISRO is launching 4 Satellites today 12 OCT at 11.a.m. Let us Wish All the best to ISRO... Further You can see N.Sri Raghunandan Kumar General Secretary on Tv9 & Ntv Telugu - LIVE analysis /Discussion from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. Details of launch :PSLV C18 will put four satellites in the orbit: 1.Megha-Tropiques, built by India and France to understand global tropical weather and climate; 2. SRM Sat, built by the students of SRM University, near Chennai; 3. Jugnu, a satellite integrated by students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur; and 4. VesselSat from Luxembourg. visit later www.ournewplanets.com for details powerpoint, videos, posters for schools, Sky observation etc...

Draconid Meteor Shower 8th Oct to 10 Oct 2011 - India

2011-10-08T00:45:00.004+05:30

Away from city lights on 8th Oct – 10th Oct, 2011 people can witness annual spectacle of Draconids Meteor Shower from clear skies looking North West Direction. This shower which occurs annually this year is at peak on 8th Oct 2011 with stronger activity and greater number of meteors predicted.

Not heard much about "Draconids Meteor Shower"? Why it is gaining sudden importance ?
As observed in previous years this meteor shower is generally insignificant with few meteors ZHR per hour. However this year greater activity is expected as earth in its orbit will encounter several trails of dust produced by comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner in the late 19th and early 20th century particles/debris of which would enter earth’s atmosphere.

Where to Look – North West Direction- No Telescopes Required: The best time to observe is starting 8.00 pm – 10.30 p.m. after which this constellation is will set and would be below horizon. All one has to do is to look towards North West Direction to observe Constellation (pattern of stars) called Draco. This celestial spectacle can be seen without any aids

How will they appear?
One would see the streaks of light zipping across the North Western sky and it would seem as if they are emanating from pattern of stars in Draco Constellation which contains a point in the sky called "the Draconids radiant”.

How many Meteors Per Hour are expected to be visible ?
According to Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office in NASA 4th Oct Release "We're predicting as many as 750 meteors per hour”.

According to International Meteorological Organization (IMO) “observers are likely to see only 1 meteor per minute or less. However, the event is of great interest to scientists because it will help them understand how meteor showers form and evolve.

According to Paul Wiegert* of the University of Western Ontario, says “the meteor rate could go as high as 1000 per hour the definition of a meteor storm. It wouldn't be the first time. Close encounters with dusty filaments produced storms of more than 10,000 Draconids per hour in 1933 and 1946 and lesser outbursts in 1985, 1998, and 2005”. Moon light Hindrance: Moon on 8th October is expected to be hindrance outshining most of fainter meteors when they zip across the skies.

IN DETAIL :
What is Meteor ?
A meteor is a shooting star (layman’s Language), space dust about the size of a grain of sand. The dust hits the earth’s atmosphere and burns up in a blaze of light.

Where does space dust come from? Comets and asteroids pass through our solar system. During such pass comets leave dust behind them. When earth crosses through these dust clouds we see a meteor shower. When a speck of this dust hits Earth's atmosphere traveling at greater speed it disintegrates in a bright flash of light—a meteor!

Why 8-10 October Meteor shower is called "Draconids Meteor Shower" ?

Draconids meteor shower gets the name "Draco" pattern of stars because it appears to radiate from the constellation called Draco. This meteor shower occurs annually starting 8 October to 10 October.

What is responsible for Draconids Meteor Shower ? What is the name of Parent body of Draconids Meteor Shower ?
Draconids Meteor Showers have their origin from debris left by the Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which swings through the inner solar system every 6.6 years. With each visit, it lays down a narrow filament of dust, over time forming a network of filaments that Earth encounters every year in early October. Most years, we pass through gaps between filaments.

Each year in October, when Earth passes through a cloud of this comet's debris. These bits of ice and dust burn up in the Earth's atmosphere to create meteor showers. On 8 October 2011, Earth will encounter several trails of dust produced by comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Latest Update : Falling Upper Atmoshpehre Research Satellite ( UARS ) - India Safe

2011-09-24T09:26:00.004+05:30

UARS Latest Update (as at 5 pm. 24 Sept) : UARS fell back to Earth between 8.53 a.m to 10.39 a.m. Indian Standard Time The Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California said the satellite penetrated the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. The precise re-entry time and location are not yet known with certainty. www.ournewplanets.com

As per the latest update available (at 9.30 a.m. when this post was written):
The UARS will fall to earth between is 8.40 a.m to 12.40 noon. Presently (as per 4 hours ago data) the satellite is still orbiting earth at 142.9 km x 147.9 km. And is taking 84.71 minutes to complete one revolution of earth. Scientists now say just few more orbits are left for this satellite after which it will enter atmosphere. Earlier in the night scientists reported that the UARS was delayed due to tumbling...Importantly activity of Sun is not to speed up.

This picture shows the possible places where UARS may fall and also the path of the satellite.It evident that the UARS travelling on skies of Americas will fall in ocean..

Guide Understand above image:
Yellow Icon - location of object at predicted reentry time
Orange Line - area of visibility at the predicted reentry time for a ground observer
Blue Line - ground track uncertainty prior to predicted reentry time (ticks at 5-minute intervals)
Yellow Line - ground track uncertainty after predicted reentry time (ticks at 5-minute intervals)
White Line - day/night divider at predicted reentry time (Sun location shown by White Icon)
Note: Possible reentry locations lie anywhere along the blue and yellow ground track.
Source: Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies

Here is the NOTICE FOR PILOTS : Fedral Aviation Administration (FDC 1/2720) which says :
SPECIAL NOTICE .. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL
1109252359 UTC. AIRCRAFT ARE ADVISED THAT A POTENTIAL HAZARD MAY
OCCUR DUE TO REENTRY OF SATELLITE UARS INTO THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
FAA IS WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND NASA TO ENSURE THE
MOST CURRENT RE-ENTRY INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO OPERATORS AS QUICKLY
AS POSSIBLE. FURTHER NOTAMS WILL BE ISSUED IF SPECIFIC INFORMATION
BECOMES AVAILABLE INDICATING A UNITED STATES AIRSPACE IMPACT. IN THE
INTEREST OF FLIGHT SAFETY, IT IS CRITICAL THAT ALL PILOTS/FLIGHT CREW
MEMBERS REPORT ANY OBSERVED FALLING SPACE DEBRIS TO THE APPROPRIATE
ATC FACILITY AND INCLUDE POSITION, ALTITUDE, TIME, AND DIRECTION OF
DEBRIS OBSERVED. THE DOMESTIC EVENTS NETWORK /DEN/ TELEPHONE
202-493-5107, IS THE FAA COORDINATION FACILITY. WIE UNTIL UFN. CREATED: 23 SEP
18:33 2011

Planetary Society India concern is how much prepared are flights starting from India ? Are we prepared? Is anybody working on this object ? What about the so called organisations in india which claim promotion of Space Sciences ? What is there role ?

Here is the simulation of the UARS published 2 days ago.

Return of SkyLab - UARS (Upper Atmoshpere Research Satellite) RE-ENTRY ON 23/24 September, 2011

2011-09-23T09:02:00.001+05:30

Freinds more detailed artcile will be published here ..

As you are aware NASA UARS satellite is re-entry earth on 23/24 Sept...as of now nobody knows where it will exactly fall or the exact time when it will fall. UARS Predicted Reentry Time is on 23 SEP 2011 22:07 UTC ± 9 hours . Which in standard time is 03:37:43 a.m. on 24th September, 2011. However the update says it could be 9 hours early or late which makes the time to be:
If UARS Enters before 9 Hours time would be 18:37:43 pm on 23rd September, 2011
If UARS Enters earth 9 hours late than predicted time it would be 10:37:43 a.m. on 24th September, 2011 www.skylab2012.tk
Note: This information was issued by NASA 11 hours ago (at 22 SEP 11:06UT). The prediction time can change..More details visit NASA SITE http://umpgal.gsfc.nasa.gov/ or visit www.ournewplanets.com for latest updates

Here is expected path (map of ) of UARS .

Here is the video of UARS as taken by an Amateur Astronomer

www.skylab2012.tk, www.skylab2012.com , www.skylab 2012 .com

Spot Jupiter using Moon (16th Sept - 18th Sept )

2011-09-16T20:44:00.000+05:30

Spot Jupiter with Help of Moon from 16-18 Sept: Today look towards east direction at 10-11 p.m. You can see jupiter on right side of Moon. You can see them together even uptill morning. In this album you can see how sky will appear on 17th Sept & 18 Sept...Click on image to see...Today celestial phenomena called Jupiter conjunction with moon is occurring.

Importantly you dont require telescope to spot planets...telescope is needed only when you want to see finest features of Jupiter.

Conjunction means as seen from some place (usually the Earth), two celestial bodies appear near one another in the sky. Though they appear to be near each other actually both these objects are separated by enormous distance. so

Why do they appear close to each other ? Moon as observed from earth appears at a new location in the night sky every subsequent night i.e. moon can be found at new place often near to a star/planet. This happens because of moon’s revolves around earth.www.skylab2012.tk

so friends it you time to SMS/Mail or inform your friends and check if i am really correct...

COMET ELENIN IS COMING - unk"NO"wn Danger - Ghost of Nibru 2012

2011-08-17T11:02:00.001+05:30

What is a Comet ?
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body which, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma (a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere) and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei range from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers across and are composed of loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles.

History of Comets ? Is Comet Elenin going to hit earth ? Is it Nibru (which according to 2012 mongers will hit earth) in 2012 ?
Comets have been observed since ancient times and have traditionally been considered bad omens.
Often, comets are portrayed as harbingers of gloom and doom in movies and on television, but most pose no threat to Earth. Comet Elenin, the latest comet to visit our inner solar system, is no exception. Elenin will pass about 22 million miles (35 million kilometers) from Earth during its closest approach on Oct. 16, 2011.

When was Comet Elenin Discovered ?
Also known by its astronomical name C/2010 X1, the comet was first detected on Dec. 10, 2010 by Leonid Elenin, an observer in Lyubertsy, Russia, who made the discovery "remotely" using an observatory in New Mexico. At that time, Elenin was about 401 million miles (647 million kilometers) from Earth. Since its discovery, Comet Elenin has – as all comets do – closed the distance to Earth's vicinity as it makes its way closer to perihelion, its closest point to the sun.

NASA Efforts to to answer questions ?
NASA scientists have taken time over the last several months to answer your questions. Compiled below are the some of the most popular questions, with answers from Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and David Morrison of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

When will Comet Elenin come closest to the Earth and appear the brightest?
Comet Elenin should be at its brightest shortly before the time of its closest approach to Earth on Oct. 16, 2011. At its closest point, it will be 22 million miles (35 million kilometers) from us.
Will Comet Elenin come close to the Earth or between the Earth and the moon?
Comet Elenin will not come closer to Earth than 22 million miles (35 million kilometers). That's more than 90 times the distance to the moon.

Can this comet influence us from where it is, or where it will be in the future? Can this celestial object cause shifting of the tides or even tectonic plates here on Earth?
There have been incorrect speculations on the Internet that alignments of comet Elenin with other celestial bodies could cause consequences for Earth and external forces could cause comet Elenin to come closer. "Any approximate alignments of comet Elenin with other celestial bodies are meaningless, and the comet will not encounter any dark bodies that could perturb its orbit, nor will it influence us in any way here on Earth," said Don Yeomans, a scientist at NASA JPL.

"Comet Elenin will not only be far away, it is also on the small side for comets," said Yeomans. "And comets are not the most densely-packed objects out there. They usually have the density of something akin to loosely packed icy dirt.

"So you've got a modest-sized icy dirtball that is getting no closer than 35 million kilometers [about 22 million miles)," said Yeomans. "It will have an immeasurably miniscule influence on our planet. By comparison, my subcompact automobile exerts a greater influence on the ocean's tides than comet Elenin ever will."
I've heard about three days of darkness because of Comet Elenin. Will Elenin block out the sun for three days?

As seen from the Earth, comet Elenin will not cross the sun's face," says Yeomans.

But even if it could cross the sun, which it can't, astrobiologist David Morrison notes that comet Elenin is about 2-3 miles (3-5 kilometers) wide, while the sun is roughly 865,000 miles (1,392,082 kilometers) across. How could such a small object block the sun, which is such a large object?

Let's think about an eclipse of the sun, which happens when the moon appears between the Earth and the sun. The moon is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) in diameter, and has the same apparent size as the sun when it is about 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away -- roughly 100 times its own diameter. For a comet with a diameter of about 2-3 miles (3-5 kilometers) to cover the sun it would have to be within 250 miles (400 kilometers), roughly the orbital altitude of the International Space Station. However, as stated above, this comet will come no closer to Earth than 22 million miles.

I've heard there is a "brown dwarf" theory about Comet Elenin. Would its mass be enough to pull Comet Honda's trajectory a significant amount? Could this be used to determine the mass of Elenin?

Morrison says that there is no 'brown dwarf theory' of this comet. "A comet is nothing like a brown dwarf. You are correct that the way astronomers measure the mass of one object is by its gravitational effect on another, but comets are far too small to have a measureable influence on anything."

If we had a black or brown dwarf in our outer solar system, I guess no one could see it, right?

"No, that's not correct," says Morrison. "If we had a brown dwarf star in the outer solar system, we could see it, detect its infrared energy and measure its perturbing effect on other objects. There is no brown dwarf in the solar system, otherwise we would have detected it. And there is no such thing as a black dwarf."

Will Comet Elenin be visible to the naked eye when it's closer to us? I missed Hale-Bopp's passing, so I want to know if we'll actually be able to see something in the sky when Elenin passes.

We don't know yet if Comet Elenin will be visible to the naked eye. Morrison says, "At the rate it is going, seeing the comet at its best in early October will require binoculars and a very dark sky. Unfortunately, Elenin is no substitute for seeing comet Hale-Bopp, which was the brightest comet of the past several decades."

"This comet may not put on a great show. Just as certainly, it will not cause any disruptions here on Earth. But, there is a cause to marvel," said Yeomans. "This intrepid little traveler will offer astronomers a chance to study a relatively young comet that came here from well beyond our solar system's planetary region. After a short while, it will be headed back out again, and we will not see or hear from Elenin for thousands of years. That's pretty cool." www.skylab2012.tk

This comet has been called 'wimpy' by NASA scientists. Why?

"We're talking about how a comet looks as it safely flies past us," said Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office. "Some cometary visitors arriving from beyond the planetary region – like Hale-Bopp in 1997 -- have really lit up the night sky where you can see them easily with the naked eye as they safely transit the inner-solar system. But Elenin is trending toward the other end of the spectrum. You'll probably need a good pair of binoculars, clear skies and a dark, secluded location to see it even on its brightest night."
Why aren't you talking more about Comet Elenin? If these things are small and nothing to worry about, why has there been no public info on Comet Elenin?

Comet Elenin hasn't received much press precisely because it is small and faint. Several new comets are discovered each year, and you don't normally hear about them either. The truth is that Elenin has received much more attention than it deserves due to a variety of Internet postings that are untrue. The information NASA has on Elenin is readily available on the Internet.

I've heard NASA has observed Elenin many times more than other comets. Is this true, and is NASA playing this comet down?

NASA regularly detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing relatively close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them and predicts their paths to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.

Source:NASA

Perseids Meteor Shower 2011

2011-08-12T17:50:00.000+05:30

Away from city lights on 12th/13th August, 2011 people can witness annual spectacle of Perseids Meteor Shower from pollution free dark and clear skies. This shower which occurs annually this year is active between 17th July to 24th August due to particle debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle entering earth’s atmosphere.

According International Meteorological Organization (IMO) this meteor shower will be at peak on the night of 12th\13th August, 2011 with max. 100 ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) i.e. People can witness a maximum of 100 meteors per hour at peak.

Two Decades Data: In the last two decades Perseids surprised observers with 150 to 400+ meteors/hour due to the Earth passing through regions of higher density in the dust stream (e.g., ZHR ~200 per hour in 2009).

Moon light Hindrance: However full moon on 13th August is expected to be hindrance outshining most of fainter meteors when they zip across the skies. As per latest reports observers across the world noted 12 to 60 Meteors per hour as per their local conditions.

Where to Look – North East Direction- No Telescopes Required - What to expect: People can witness this celestial spectacle till 24th August, 2011 looking at northeast direction after Midnight patiently.

The best time to observe is starting 2 am when this constellation is sufficiently above horizon. All one has to do is to look towards North East Direction to observe Constellation (pattern of stars) called Perseus.

Telescopes/binoculars are not required – What can be expected? This celestial spectacle can be seen without any aids with just naked eye and patience. One would see the bright streaks of light zipping across the sky and it would seem as if they are emanating from stars of Perseus Constellation in north east direction which contains a point in the sky called "the Perseids radiant”.

SKY MAPS:

NASA JUNO MISSION LAUNCED - to Reach Jupiter in 2016

2011-08-05T22:43:00.000+05:30

NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft lifted
off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 12:25 p.m. EDT Friday to
begin a five-year journey to Jupiter.

Juno's detailed study of the largest planet in our solar system will
help reveal Jupiter's origin and evolution. As the archetype of giant
gas planets, Jupiter can help scientists understand the origin of our
solar system and learn more about planetary systems around other
stars.

"Today, with the launch of the Juno spacecraft, NASA began a journey
to yet another new frontier," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
"The future of exploration includes cutting-edge science like this to
help us better understand our solar system and an ever-increasing
array of challenging destinations."

Juno will cover the distance from Earth to the moon (about 250,000
miles or 402,236 kilometers) in less than one day's time. It will
take another five years and 1,740 million miles (2,800 million
kilometers) to complete the journey to Jupiter. The spacecraft will
orbit the planet's poles 33 times and use its collection of eight
science instruments to probe beneath the gas giant's obscuring cloud
cover to learn more about its origins, structure, atmosphere, and
magnetosphere, and look for a potential solid planetary core.

With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms its own
miniature solar system. Its composition resembles a star's, and if it
had been about 80 times more massive, the planet could have become a
star instead.

"Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system," said Scott Bolton,
Juno's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute
in San Antonio. "It is by far the oldest planet, contains more
material than all the other planets, asteroids and comets combined
and carries deep inside it the story of not only the solar system but
of us. Juno is going there as our emissary -- to interpret what
Jupiter has to say."

Juno's name comes from Greek and Roman mythology. The god Jupiter drew
a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief, and his wife,
the goddess Juno, was able to peer through the clouds and reveal
Jupiter's true nature.

The NASA Deep Space Network, or DSN, is an international network of
antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio
and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar
system and the universe. The network also supports selected
Earth-orbiting missions.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno
mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest
Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the
New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the
spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility
of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida.

PSLV-C17/GSAT-12 Mission launch 15th July, 2011

2011-07-14T23:50:00.005+05:30

Friends more material is being added...with video

VIDEO CUM PowerPoint for educational use :
To Download the Video click here or right click here save as. The size of this file is 92 MB which may take 15 mins. to 2 hours depending on the internet connection you have.

POWERPOINT : WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY
PowerPoint (10 Mb) will be available shortly in PDF form Click here or right click save as here.

Download Poster NASA Dawn Mission to Asteroid Vesta :
Poster on NASA's Mission to Asteroid Vesta Click here or right click here and save as. (for password of this file SMS me with your name).

Here is the video you can play it and see. Click on it see in full screen. or Copy this http://youtu.be/sFtRtHsnQII and paste/enter in your browser to see or share with your freinds.

The Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) for PSLV-C17/GSAT-12 mission, which met on July 12, 2011 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SHAR, Sriharikota has cleared the launch of PSLV-C17 at 16:48 hrs (IST) on Friday, July 15, 2011.

The 53 hour countdown commenced at 11:48 hours on July 13, 2011. During the Countdown, propellant-filling operations of the liquid propellant second stage (PS2) and fourth stage (PS4) of the launch vehicle will be carried out. Mandatory checks on the launch vehicle and spacecraft including charging of batteries and pressurization of propellant tanks will be performed. Readiness of various ground systems such as tracking radar systems and communication networks will also be checked.

PSLV-C17 launched GSAT-12 satellite into a sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit of 284 km perigee and an apogee of 21,000 km. GSAT-12 communication satellite weighing 1410 kg with 12 Ext-C Band transponders will augment the communication services in the country.

TEACHERS ASTRONOMY WORKSHOP ON 12th July, 2011

2011-07-08T16:06:00.003+05:30

FREE ASTRONOMY WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS
ON 12th July, 2011
All Saints High School, Hyderabad 10.00 A.M.

Ref: Times of India Pg.4 & Indian Express - City Express dt.8th July, 2011
Click here to read online

On 12th July, 2011 Planet Venus would complete one revolution of Sun ever since it was first discovered on 23rd September, 1846 by Johnann Galle. With a view to create awareness among teachers about Planet Neptune and this celestial phenomena Planetary Society India is organizing first in series of One Day Workshop for teachers on 12th July, 2011 at 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 a.m. at All Saints High School, Abids, Hyderabad.

Date of Workshop: 12th July, 2011 Time: 10.00 a.m to 12.30 a.m.
Venue: All Saints High School, Abids, Hyderabad.

Invitation for School Teachers: One teacher (Preferably Science/Social) per school can attend freely on (first cum first serve basis). Schools can confirm participation by sending an SMS to 9290444058 with details of (Name of Teacher, School Name & Area, and Cell Phone Number).

Further Click here to download invitation and other details. Zip File. Password would be sent after receiving your confirmation by sms.

Asteroid 2011 MD - to Miss Earth -by 12000 Km on 27 June

2011-06-24T01:22:00.011+05:30

Its 12.40 a.m. (24th June, 2011) just received a alert from one of the friends about a Space Rock (ASTEROID 2011 MD) .

When was this Asteroid Discovered ?
A newly discovered (on 22nd June 2011) asteroid (space rock) called "ASTEROID 2011
MD" will pass by earth at a distance of 12000 km (it was 17,700 km at time of discovery as first reported).

What is the size of this asteroid ?
Size of asteroid is 6.3 to 14 meters. It will pass by earth on 27th June, 2011 at 10.31 p.m.

Is there any danger to earth ?
There is no danger to earth.

At what speed this asteroid is moving ?
Approximately 6.69 km/sec.

What will happen if this asteroid enters earth's atmosphere ?
Asteroid this size would burn up if it tries to enter in earth atmosphere.

What is Interesting ?
What is more interesting is this was discovered just two days ago though this asteroid existed for long time now.

Are there any similar events reported this year ?
Search in our blog with term "Asteroid" to read about all similar events in the past ...particularly this year itself.

Here is the simulation of the asteroid
Click here to see in youtube - Also available in HD.

Updated Video on 27th June, 2011
Click here to see the video on youtube site.

View of Asteroid pass by from Space and from Asteroid point of view :

View of Asteroid pass by from Space and from Asteroid point of view - as it passes from geosynchronous Satellite zone :

Triple eclipses in a Month - One Visible and Two Not Visible in India - Partial Solar Eclipse 2nd June 2011

2011-06-01T06:33:00.000+05:30

On 2nd June, 2011 Partial Solar Eclipse will occur. This Eclipse is visible from the region covering eastern Asia (except southern Japan), Norway, North Korea, Faeroe Islands, Svalbard, northern Alaska, northern Canada, the northern tip of Scandinavia, Greenland and Iceland. This Eclipse is not visible from India.

Timings of Eclipse in Indian standard Time & Date:
The Eclipse Begins at 00.55 a.m. on 2nd June, 2011 and the Eclipse ends at 4.37 a.m. The Greatest Phase (when the eclipse is maximum at 60%) occurs at 2.46 a.m. Nearly 60% of Sun disk will be obscured by Moon.

Total Lunar Eclipse on 15th June, 2011: The first Lunar Eclipse of the Year 2011 will occur on 15th June, 2011 which is visible from India. This eclipse in various phases begins at 10.53 p.m. and Ends at 4.32 a.m. on 16th June, 2011. The noticeable Umbra phase begins at 11.53 p.m. and Ends at 3.32 a.m.

Whereas Moons Entire Disk is completely covered under earth’s shadow (or enters totality) at 00.52 a.m. and leaves totality at 2.33 a.m.

The next and last Lunar Eclipse of the year will occur on 10th December 2011. Even this is also visible in India.

Partial Solar Eclipse on 1st July 2011: This eclipse is visible from the region covering Southern Ocean between Antarctica and southern Africa. This Eclipse is not visible from India. The Partial Solar Eclipse on 25th November is last solar eclipse of the Year. Which is again is not visible from India.

GSAT 8 Successful Launch from French Guiana - ISRO

2011-05-21T20:46:00.000+05:30

Today India's advanced communication satellite, GSAT-8, was successfully launched at 02:08 hrs IST today (May 21, 2011) by the Ariane-V launch vehicle of Arianespace from Kourou. French Guiana.

Ariane V placed GSAT-8 into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) of 35,861 km apogee and 258 km perigee, with an orbital inclination of 2.503 deg with respect to equator.

ISRO's Facility takes control of the Satellite :
ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the signals from GSAT-8 satellite immediately after the injection. Initial checks on the satellite have indicated normal health of the satellite. The satellite was captured in three-axis stabilisation mode.

What Next ?
Preparations are underway for the firing of 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) during the third orbit of the satellite on May 22, 2011 at 03:58 hrs IST as a first step towards taking the satellite to its geostationary orbital home

Basically there are two main payload in this mission:
1. Communication Payload:
24 Ku-band transponders each with 36 MHz usable bandwidth employing 140 WTWTAs in order to cover entire Indian mainland including Andaman Nicobar has been placed.

2. Navigation Payload :
Two-channel GAGAN payload operating in LI and L5 bands provides Satellite-based Navigation services with accuracy and integrity required for civil aviation applicationsover Indian Air Space

COSMIC FIREWORKS OF ETA AQUARIDS METEOR SHOWER 2011

2011-05-06T01:19:00.001+05:30

Away from city lights people can witness Annual Meteor Shower called Eta Aquarids (April 19-May 28) from pollution free dark skies across the country. This year it peaks on 6th May at 6.30 p.m and one can best see the shower from 6th to 12th May, 2011 Shower can be spotted until May 28, 2011.

As per the report of International Meteor Organization (IMO) on 6th May, 2011 when the Meteor shower will be at peak nearly 70 Meteors per hour are expected to be seen from dark skies. Further based on past data IMO expects the number of meteors to be variable between 40 to 85 in number per hour at peak. Importantly absence of moon encourages view, as moonlight will not obscure the streaks of light.

Enthusiast across the world are eager as these meteors have their origin in flakes of dust left over by Comet Halley during its 1986 visit to inner solar system. The velocity of particles entering earth would be 66 km/sec as the zip across the sky. The fast and often bright meteors make the view spectacular leave glowing persistent trails.

Where to Look – Constellation of Aquarius above East Direction: starting 4.30 a.m. One has to look above towards East Direction to spot the constellation of Aquarius then one would find bright streaks of light zipping across the sky and it would seem as if they are emanating from the star Eta Aquarii above east.

OTHER INFORMATION :
Meteor Shower: A meteor is a shooting star (layman’s Language) Ulka Patham (telugu) ULKA VRUSTI Or Thoot tha Tara ki Barsat (hindi), space dust about the size of a grain of sand. The dust hits the earth’s atmosphere and burns up in a blaze of light.

Where does space dust come from? Comets and asteroids pass through our solar system. During such pass comets leave dust behind them. When earth crosses through these dust clouds we see a meteor shower. When a speck of this dust hits Earth's atmosphere, it disintegrates in a bright flash of light—a meteor. The parent body causing Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower is Comet Halley.

About Comet Halley : Halley's Comet or Comet Halley (officially designated 1P/Halley) is the most famous of the periodic comets and can currently be seen every 75–76 years during the course of its journey when its return to inner solar system orbiting around sun . Halley is the only short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye (once in 75-76 years), and thus, the only naked-eye comet certain to return within a human lifetime.

This Comet has been observed by astronomers ever since at least 240 BC when it returns to the inner solar system, but it was not recognized as a periodic comet until the eighteenth century when its orbit was computed by Edmond Halley, after whom the comet is now named. Halley's Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System in 1986, and will next appear in mid-2061.

About Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower : Eta Aquarids Meteor shower are caused by flakes of dust left over by Comet Halley, which last visited Earth in 1986. Although the comet is now far away, beyond the orbit of Uranus, it left behind a stream of dust. Earth passes through the stream twice a year in May and October. In May we have the eta Aquarid meteor shower, in October the Orionids. Both are caused by Halley's Comet when its debris enters earth atmosphere zipping across the sky while it disintegrates.

The shower is named after a star called Eta Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius. The star has nothing to do with the meteor shower except that, coincidentally, meteors appear to emerge from a point nearby.
N.Sri Raghunandan Kumar General Secretary Planetary Society, India

PSLV C16 - LAUNCH 20th April, 2011 at 10.12 a.m. - Video

2011-04-20T04:35:00.002+05:30

Dear friends here is some of the information we compiled for you. Let us all convey our best wishes to ISRO for success of PSLV C16 Launch.

About PSLV - C16:
PSLV-CI6 is the eighteenth flight of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV
In this flight, the standard version of PSLV with six solid strap-on motors is used.
PSLV-CI6 will place three satellites with a total payload mass of 1404 kg –
i. RESOURCESAT-2 weighing 1206 kg,
ii. the Indo-Russian YOUTHSAT weighing 92 kg and
iii.Singapore's X-SAT weighing 106 kg - into an 822 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

PSLV-CI6 will be launched from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

Here is the Video cum powerpoint which can give your overview of PSLV C16 and what going to happen today.

Note: Click here if you like to see this video in HD.

History and Present of PSLV
In 1993 – 900 kg / 900 Km SSO:
PSLV was initially designed for launching 900 kg Indian Remote Sensing Satellites into a 900 km polar SSO. Since the first launch in 1993, PSLV has been successively improved to attain its present capability.

Changes in PSLV over period of time :
The major changes made in PSLV since its first launch include changes in strap-on motors ignition sequence, increase in the propellant loading of
the first stage and strap-on solid propellant motors as well as the second and fourth stage liquid propellant motors, improvement in the performance of the third stage motor by optimising motor case and enhanced propellant loading and employing a carbon composite payload adapter.

PRESENT : A VERSATILE VEHICLE
PSLV has also become a more versatile vehicle for launching multiple satellites in polar SSOs as well as Low Earth Orbits (LEO) and Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). With sixteen successful launches, PSLV has emerged as the workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO and is offered for launching satellites for international customers also.

44 Satellites in last 16 Years :
During 1994-2010 period, PSLV has launched a total of 44 satellites, of which 25 satellites are from abroad and 19 are Indian satellites.

Eighteenth Flight
PSLV C-16 is Eighteenth Flight. So Far there have been two Failures (one in 1993 and 1997 Partial Failure).

Details of THREE SATELLITES which will be launched
1. RESOURCESAT 2
2. YOUTHSAT
3. X SAT

1. RESOURCESAT- 2
RESOURCESAT-2 is the eighteenth Remote Sensing satellite built by ISRO. RESOURCESAT-2 is a follow on mission to RESOURCESAT-I, launched in 2003. RESOURCESAT-2 is intended to continue the remote sensing data services to global users provided by RESOURCESAT-I that has far outlived its designed mission life. Also, it provides data with enhanced multispectral and spatial coverage as well.
RESOURCESAT-2 carries three cameras which are similar to those of RESOURCESAT-I. They are: a high resolution Linear Imaging Self Scanner (LISS-4) operating in three spectral bands in the Visible and Near Infrared Region (VNIR) with 5.8 m spatial resolution and steerable up to ± 26 deg across track to achieve a five day revisit capability; a medium resolution LISS-3 operating in three-spectral bands in VNIR and one in Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) band with 23.5 metre spatial resolution; and a coarse resolution Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) operating in three spectral bands in VNIR and one band in SWIR with 56 metre spatial resolution.

Important changes in RESOURCESAT-2 compared to RESOURCESAT-1 are: Enhancement of LISS-4 multispectral swath from 23 km to 70 km and improved Radiometric accuracy from 7 bits to 10 bits for LISS-3 and LISS-4 and 10 bits to 12 bits for AWIFS. Besides, suitable changes, including miniaturisation in payload electronics, have been made in RESOURCESAT-2.

Additional Payload - AIS : RESOURCESAT-2 also carries an additional payload known as AIS (Automatic Identification System) from COMDEV, Canada as an experimental payload for ship surveillance in VHF band to derive position, speed and other information about ships.

200 GB SOLID STATE RECORDERS : RESOURCESAT-2 carries two Solid State Recorders with a capacity of 200 Giga Bytes each to store the images taken by its cameras which can be read out later to ground stations.

2. YOUTHSAT
The project of the Russian-Indian sceintific-educational satellite YouthSat is developed on the basis of an Agreement between the Federal Space Agency and the Indian Organization of Space Research dated d.d. January 25, 2007.

YouthSat was initially proposed by Dr. ABJ Kalam during his visit to Russia during 2005.

The micro satellite bus is planned and designed to carry different kinds of payloads like earth imaging, atmospheric applications, weather monitoring, stellar observations, scientific experiments etc. It will carry 3 payloads, one designed by Russian students and two by Indian students.

Youthsat 3 Payloads:

1. SolRad
SolRad, Solar Radiation, is the name of equipment being developed by Moscow state university. The experimental equipment SolRad is intended for registration of hard X-ray radiation within the energy ranges of 10-100 keV, measurements of gamma- radiation within the energy ranges 0.02-5.0 MeV and charged particles: electrons with energy of 0.3-3.0 MeV and protons with energy of 3-100 MeV.

2. RaBIT and LVHS
The payloads provided by ISRO are RaBIT (Radio beacon for Ionospheric Tomography) which will be meant for two-dimensional mapping of ionospheric structures- both top and bottom side along the satellite path. And, Limb Viewing Hyper Spectral Imager (Visible) for the altitude profile of neutral and ionized species of the upper atmosphere. Not much information is available on the Indian institutes workingn on these payloads.

YouthSat is planned to be launched as auxiliary satellite along with ResourceSat-2

3. XSAT MICRO-SATELLITE
This is a developmental project undertaken by CREST (Centre For Research in Satellite Technologies) with partners such as CRISP (Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, NUS), and overseas collaborators (SaTReCi, ISRO, DLR, DTU etc.).

Objectives
The XSAT project objectives are: (1) To develop a low cost micro-satellite bus capable of performing remote sensing operation in near real-time scenarios (2) To build-up in country capability (resources and facilities) in satellite engineering (3) To promote academic interest for R&D in this area

Satun Closest, Brightest, Biggest for 2011 - India Campaign - Visible Naked Eye

2011-04-04T01:23:00.000+05:30

Saturn Opposition: A planet is at opposition when it is directly opposite the Sun from our viewpoint on Earth. So on 4th April, 2011 Sun-Earth- Saturn would be opposite to each other from our view on earth. The result is that the object is fully illuminated by the sun and appears disk-like.

We see a great example of an opposition every month. Whenever there is a full moon, the moon is on one side of Earth and the sun is on the opposite side. Importantly during opposition the planet in question would be at its closest approach and thus would appear more big and brighter than usual.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN FROM 4TH APRIL, 2011:
On 4th April, 2011 05:26:00 a.m Indian Standard Time (23h 56 3rd April UTC) Saturn Opposition will occur. Because of this phenomena Saturn will be as brightest, biggest and closest it can get to Earth in this entire Year. Which means that Saturn is at its viewing best for the next few weeks. Importantly Saturn can be spotted in the evening skies for many months to come with naked eye.

DECREASING BRIGHTNESS – AS THE DAYS PASS BY : As Earth is revolving around sun at a faster rate than Saturn and as the days pass by the brightness will decrease gradually. Presently it is at 0.8 Mag and it will be so until 13th May. From 14th May to 12th June the brightness will decrease slightly to 0.9.

SATURN OPPOSITION – PAST/ FUTURE : Saturn oppositions occur every one year and two weeks (378.1 days). Last Year it occurred on 22nd March, 2010. Next Satun Opposition will be on 15 April, 2012.

SATURN FULL NIGHT & MORNING/EVENING OBJECT: Because of Planet Saturn being at opposition one can notice that as sun sets in west Saturn rises in the east and visible all through the night (as it climbs highest in the sky at midnight) whereas by the time it is morning Saturn would set in the western sky when sun is rising in the east.

Spot Saturn with Naked Eye – How To Locate/Timings/Directions: General Public can spot the Planet with naked eye after sunset in the evening skies up to last week of September 2011. As of now for few weeks one has to look in exactly Opposite direction of Sun Set in the evening skies.

Timing/Direction: In the Evening after 7.00 p.m one has to look towards direction between East and South East Direction. Whereas during Midnight facing South One can Spot Saturn close to Zenith above one’s Head. Early morning one can spot Saturn towards direction between West and North West.

How does it look Naked eye - Telescope – opportunity upto September 2011 End: Saturn would appear as star like object for naked eye. However if one can see through telescope one can appreciate its finest features along with magnificent rings. After September 2011 Saturn will disappear from evening skies and will start appearing in early morning skies before Sun Rise for rest of year.

How to spot Saturn using Moon: On 17th April, 2011 one can see Saturn towards Left of Moon after Sunset towards East Direction. Whereas Saturn can be seen towards Right of Moon in Early Morning hours towards West Direction on 18th April, 2011.

ARRANGEMENTS AND REQUESTS BY SOCIETY – Saturn Observation Campaign 2011 :
1. Sky Maps : Further people can visit www.ournewplanets.com for sky map assistance etc.. to observe planet Saturn.

2. Observation Astronomical Telescopes: continuing its efforts society is happy to announce SATURN OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN INDIA 2011 which aims to Create organize series of Sky Observations with Astronomical telescopes of Saturn.

3. Seminars/Workshops Saturn : Awareness Sessions on NASA’s Cassini Huygen’s Mission and Planet Saturn would be conducted for School Students.

If interested in Sky Observation through astronomical Telescopes. Individuals can email at planetarysociety.india@gmail.com with Phone and Complete Address. Society invites schools, Summer Camp Organisers and other organizations to write on their letter head (in case of group participation ) to
Planetary Society, India P.O.Box. No. 1361, Hyderabad – 28, India

Super Moon - Japan Earth Quake - Science Communicators Needed ?

2011-03-12T11:38:00.004+05:30

In past two days we received number of queries about Super Moon followed by tragic earth quake in Japan. Here is our take on this whole issue.

Our Response in Short: Moon is not responsible for what happened in Japan. Because factors responsible for Earthquake or volcanoes are different. Yes the Moon on 19th March will be closest it would be 30% Bright and 15% Larger than normal full moon.This is due to Moon being at Perigee (monthly event for moon) i.e. the closest if one take last 18years data into consideration.

What is Super Moon? What will Happen on 19th March ?

At first i suggest you understand what is Perigee or Apogee.

It is know fact that moon revolves around earth. As Earth revolves around Sun. It is also known that the orbit of the these objects is ellipse. So during course of it journey around earth moon at one point of time every month will be closer (known as perigee ) or farthest point (apogee). This is a natural event which occurs every month.

so what is unique about 19th March is that it would be closest if one takes last 18 years of perigee distance of moon into consideration.

Here is what NASA Scientist Dr. Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has to say:
‘Supermoon’ is a situation when the moon is slightly closer to Earth in its orbit than on average, and this effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon. So, the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times.

It is called a supermoon because this is a very noticeable alignment that at first glance would seem to have an effect. The ‘super’ in supermoon is really just the appearance of being closer, but unless we were measuring the Earth-Moon distance by laser rangefinders (as we do to track the LRO [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter] spacecraft in low lunar orbit and to watch the Earth-Moon distance over years), there is really no difference. The supermoon really attests to the wonderful new wealth of data NASA’s LRO mission has returned for the Moon, making several key science questions about our nearest neighbor all the more important.

Are there any adverse effects on Earth because of the close proximity of the moon?
According to Dr. Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center "The effects on Earth from a supermoon are minor, and according to the most detailed studies by terrestrial seismologists and volcanologists, the combination of the moon being at its closest to Earth in its orbit, and being in its ‘full moon’ configuration (relative to the Earth and sun), should not affect the internal energy balance of the Earth since there are lunar tides every day. The Earth has stored a tremendous amount of internal energy within its thin outer shell or crust, and the small differences in the tidal forces exerted by the moon (and sun) are not enough to fundamentally overcome the much larger forces within the planet due to convection (and other aspects of the internal energy balance that drives plate tectonics). Nonetheless, these supermoon times remind us of the effect of our ‘Africa-sized’ nearest neighbor on our lives, affecting ocean tides and contributing to many cultural aspects of our lives (as a visible aspect of how our planet is part of the solar system and space)."

How Close will Moon be to earth on 19th March ? Is it very uncommon ?
Usually during the monthly event of Perigee moon will be at 364,397 kilometers (226,425 miles) Distance.

On March 19, 2011 the Moon will be at a distance of 356,577 kilometers (221,567 miles) which is the least (closest) distance in last 18 years. Which is few thousand Kilometers close.

Is moon responsible for Earth quake in Japan ?
For this i advice you to see this click here article we wrote in 2010 March/April. Also see the 10 Min Video we compiled.

We will update this article in next few hours with additional questions and detailed information.

Asteroid Aphosis - Student Project

2011-02-16T16:44:00.001+05:30

Dear visitors thanks for your call/visit kindly please visit www.tinyurl.com/nasa18 for details of ONE DAY WORKSHOP.

We request and prefer the school principal/correspondent may contact us or in special case information provided by us may be forwarded to school for your child's participation.

KINLDY CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE PROJECTS.

Also College students and general public can join the society and work to volunteer in society activities and other exciting projects to announced shortly.

If you want to read about Apophis see our earlier article click here

You can read all our articles on Asteroid click here

Here is the video interview of 2009

NASAStardust Mission - Encounter with Comet Tempel 1 - Live India

2011-02-15T13:58:00.001+05:30

Dear Freinds in addition to series of articles below here is information about Spacecraft, target objects etc... along with live video stream of NASA.

Spacecraft : The Stardust spacecraft will have logged more than 5,673,464,575 kilometers (3,525,327,446 miles) and over a dozen years traveling in deep space by the time the Tempel 1 encounter is complete. Back when it launched in 1999, Stardust carried onboard some of the most innovative, state-of-the-art technologies pioneered by other recent missions. It combined this state-of-the-art technology with a combination of off- the-shelf spacecraft components and, in some cases, spare parts and instrumentation left over from previous successful space missions. The Stardust spacecraft is derived from a rectangular deep-space bus called SpaceProbe developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. The main bus is 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) high, 0.66 meter (2.16 feet) wide and 0.66 meter (2.16 feet) deep, about the size of an average office desk. Panels are made of a core of aluminum honeycomb, with outer layers of graphite fibers and polycyanate face sheets. With its two parallel solar panels deployed, the spacecraft takes on the shape of a letter H. There are three dedicated science packages on Stardust -- the two-sided Dust Collector, the Comet and Interstellar Dust Analyzer, and the Dust Flux Monitor. Science data are also being obtained without dedicated hardware. The navigation camera, for example, provides images of its cometary target for both targeting accuracy and scientific analysis.

Dimensions: Main structure 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) high, 0.66 meters (2.16 feet) wide, 0.66 meters (2.16 feet) deep; length of solar arrays 4.8 meters (15.9 feet) tip to tip Weight: 385 kilograms (848 pounds) total at launch, consisting of 254-kilogram (560-pound) spacecraft and 46-kilogram (101-pound) return capsule, and 85 kilograms (187 pounds) of fuel Weight total as of Feb. 3, 2011: 256.6 kg (565.7 lbs) total, consisting of 254-kilogram (560-pound) spacecraft and 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of fuel. Power: Solar panels providing from 170 to 800 watts, depending on distance from the sun.

TARGET :
Comet Tempel 1 Official designation: 9P/Tempel. It is a periodic comet discovered by Wilhelm Tempel on April 3, 1867. Tempel 1's orbit lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The comet orbits the sun every 5.5 years. The comet's orbital period has varied in the past and will do so in the future because of close approaches with the planet Jupiter. Nucleus shape: Elongated, irregular. Nucleus size: 7.6 and 4.9 kilometers (4.7 and 3 miles) with an equivalent radius of about 3 kilometers. Nucleus mass: approximately 40 trillion kilograms (88.2 billion tons). Nucleus rotation period: about 41.9 hours.

Tempel 1 was previously visited by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft on July 4, 2005.

Stardust-NExT mission
Total distance traveled from Earth (since drop off of sample return capsule in 2006) to comet Tempel 1: 1.04 billion kilometers (646 million miles). Total distance Stardust spacecraft has traveled since 1999 launch (Earth to comet Wild 2 to Earth to comet Tempel 1): about 5.7 billion kilometers (3.5 billion miles). Spacecraft speed relative to comet Tempel 1 at time of closest approach: 10.9 kilometers per second (6.77 miles per second/24,300 miles per hour). Distance of spacecraft (and comet) from Earth at time of encounter: 336 million kilometers (209 million miles).

Program : Stardust-NExT (extended mission) costs: $29 million (FY 2010), for operations from 2007 to end of project at the end of fiscal year 2011.

Science Comet Tempel 1 – A History
Even before the Deep Impact and Stardust-NExT mission, comet Tempel 1 was already one of the most analyzed of the Jupiter-family comets. A Jupiter-family comet is one whose orbit has been modified by close passages to Jupiter and has an orbital period less than 20 years. With the completion of the Stardust-NExT flyby, comet Tempel 1 will be by far the most-scrutinized comet in history. Tempel 1's orbit lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The comet orbits the sun every 5.5 years. The comet's orbital period has varied in the past and will do so in the future because of its close approaches with the planet Jupiter. Tempel 1 is remarkably homogeneous in albedo, or reflectivity, and color. The surface is very dark, reflecting less than five percent of the sunlight that falls on it. Deep Impact identified very few places where water ice is exposed. The comet is oblate and irregular in shape. The nucleus size is 7.6 and 4.9 kilometers (4.7 and 3 miles) with an equivalent radius of about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles). The comet’s period of rotation is about 41.85 hours. Tempel 1 was first seen close up on July 4, 2005, when NASA's Deep Impact mission performed its encounter. The Deep Impact mission consisted of functionally two spacecraft: an impacting spacecraft, and a flyby spacecraft for observing the impact and relaying data from the impactor back to Earth. In reality the mission's impactor was "run over" by the comet at a closing speed of 37,100 kilometers per hour (23,000 miles per hour). Deep Impact's impactor struck the nucleus obliquely and excavated a crater predicted to be in the range of 100 to 300 meters (328 to 984 feet) across. The crater was not directly observed by Deep Impact due to the large amount of fine dust ejected by the impact. The obscuring ejecta were dominated by particles in the diameter range from 1 to 100 micrometers (a single strand of hair usually has a diameter of 20 to 180 micrometers). The resulting ejecta cone appeared to remain attached to the comet’s surface, indicating that formation of the crater was controlled by gravity rather than by material strength. Deep Impact high-resolution images cover about 30 percent of the nucleus at less than 10 meters per pixel (about 33 feet per pixel). A region about 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) across was imaged at slightly better resolution by the impactor camera shortly before it impacted there. The nucleus images reveal several regions of distinct morphology, suggesting considerable variation in exposed materials, geologic processes and ages. Two different areas display several dozen apparently circular features, ranging from 40 to 400 meters (131 to 1,312 feet) in diameter. Although the size distribution of these features is consistent with that of an impact crater population, whether these features are indeed impact craters or sublimation pits remains uncertain.

Two regions of smooth surface were revealed by Deep Impact images. Both smooth areas are in gravitational lows. The smoothness is reminiscent of the plateau seen on comet Borrelly, but the surroundings are different. There is circumstantial evidence that the smooth deposits may be associated with either recent or currently active regions on the nucleus.

Stardust-NExT Science Objectives The purpose of the Stardust-NExT mission is to expand the knowledge of comets by flying a spacecraft through the coma of comet Tempel 1 and imaging its nucleus. It is a low-cost mission that will expand the investigation of comet Tempel 1 initiated by Deep Impact in 2005, and, for the first time, assess the changes in the surface of a comet between two successive orbits around the sun. Stardust-NExT will also provide important new information on how Jupiter-family comets evolve and how they were put together. Stardust-NExT also provides NASA with a unique opportunity to study two entirely different comets with the same instrument. By doing this, scientists will be able to more accurately compare its existing data set.

On February 14, 2011, at a projected distance of 200 kilometers (124 miles), the Stardust-NExT spacecraft will obtain high-resolution images of the coma and nucleus, as well as measurements of the composition, size distribution and density of dust emitted into the coma. Additionally, Stardust-NExT will update the data gathered in 2005 by the Deep Impact mission on the rotational phase of the comet.

The official primary science objectives of the mission are as follows:
• To extend our understanding of the processes that affect the surfaces of comet nuclei by documenting the changes that have occurred on comet Tempel 1 between two successive perihelion passages, or orbits around the sun.
• To extend the geologic mapping of the nucleus of Tempel 1 to elucidate the extent and nature of layering, and help refine models of the formation and structure of comet nuclei.
• To extend the study of smooth flow deposits, active areas and known exposure of water ice.

Other Science Objectives:

• If possible, to characterize the crater produced by Deep Impact in July 2005, to better understand the structure and mechanical properties of cometary nuclei and elucidate crater formation processes on them.
• Measure the density and mass distribution of dust particles within the coma using the Dust Flux Monitor Instrument instrument.
• Analyze the composition of dust particles within the coma using the Comet and Interstellar Dust Analyzer instrument.

The main objective of the experiment is to obtain high-resolution images to address mission goals. At the nominal flyby distance of 200 kilometers (124 miles), high-resolution imaging of the nucleus at scales as fine as 12 meters (39 feet) per pixel will be obtained. Coma and jet imaging may also be obtained on departure.

Many features of interest seen in the Deep Impact images, such as layers, flows, active areas and exposed ice, have details of interest at spatial scales that are equal to or smaller than 200 meters (660 feet) across.

Imaging the Deep Impact Generated Crater
A secondary science objective of the mission is to image, if possible, the Deep Impact crater with sufficient spatial resolution to determine its size, shape, degree of layering and ejecta pattern. Such an achievement would be an added bonus to the huge amount of data that mission scientists expect to obtain. Imaging the crater generated by Deep Impact requires that the comet's face, which includes the crater, be in sunshine and facing the spacecraft during encounter. If this occurs, and the crater is imaged, the observation would be the first ever of a crater created by a human-made impact on a cometary surface.

Imagery obtained of the Deep Impact crater could provide scientists with a better characterization of the surface material that composes comet Tempel 1. The morphology of the crater may provide evidence of surface layering. The form, extent and visibility of the impact ejecta blanket could provide a benchmark for identifying impact craters and ejecta blankets on cometary surfaces, and improve understanding of their material properties. Observations of the crater ejecta would also show what relatively fresh, excavated sub- surface material looks like compared to older surfaces on the comet. To image the Deep Impact-generated crater requires comet Tempel 1 to put its best face forward during time of closest approach. Conversely, if the imagery from the flyby reveals a different face of Tempel 1 -- the side that does not include the crater generated during the Deep Impact mission -- scientists will be able to further extend the geologic mapping of the comet's nucleus and obtain a better understanding of the formation and structure of comet nuclei surface features.

Journey with Star Dust Mission - Comets Wild 2 (2006) & Tempel 1 (2011) - Importance Our Campaign

2011-02-15T13:41:00.001+05:30

Comets - Key to Understand Ourselves - Comet Missions

2011-02-15T13:31:00.000+05:30

Mystery of Comets : Comets remain one of the most elusive bodies within our Solar System. Though scientists have speculated about their evolution and composition, there has been little conclusive data to definitively suggest or support any particular theories. Recently, scientists have begun to aggressively investigate comets, resulting in several NASA missions aimed at collecting data from various comets orbiting within our Solar System. By continuing the investigation of comets and other small bodies, we can explore the mystery of life and the wonders of the universe.

An Overview :
Though frequently beautiful, comets historically have stricken terror as often as they have generated wonder as they arc across the sky during their passages around the sun. Astrologers interpreted the sudden appearances of the glowing visitors as ill omens presaging famine, flood or the death of kings. Even as recently as the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet, entrepreneurs did a brisk business selling gas masks to people who feared Earth's passage through the comet's tail. In the 4th century B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle concluded that comets were some kind of emission from Earth that rose into the sky. The heavens, he maintained, were perfect and orderly; a phenomenon as unexpected and erratic as a comet surely could not be part of the celestial vault. In 1577, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe carefully examined the positions of a comet and the moon against the star background using observations of the comet made at the same time from two different locations, Tycho noted that both observers saw the comet nearly in the same location with respect to the background stars. If the comet was closer than the moon, this would not have been the case. This so-called parallax effect can be demonstrated if you hold up a finger and look at it while closing one eye and then the other. Tycho concluded that the comet was at least six times farther away than the moon. A hundred years later, the English physicist Isaac Newton established that a comet appearing in 1680 followed a nearly parabolic orbit. The English astronomer Edmond Halley used Newton's method to study the orbits of two dozen documented cometary visits. The orbits of three comets seen in 1531, 1607 and 1682 were so similar that he concluded they in fact were appearances of a single comet wheeling around the sun in a closed ellipse every 75 years or so. He successfully predicted the next visit in 1758-9, and the comet thereafter bore his name. Since then, astronomers have concluded that some comets return relatively frequently, in intervals ranging from 3 to 200 years; these are called "short-period" comets. Others have enormous orbits that bring them back only once in hundreds of millennia. In the mid-1800s, scientists also began to turn their attention to the question of comets' composition. Astronomers noted that several major meteor showers took place when Earth passed through the known orbits of comets, leading them to conclude that the objects are clumps of dust or sand. By the early 20th century, astronomers studied comets using the technique of spectroscopy, breaking down the color spectrum of light given off by an object to reveal the chemical makeup of the object. They concluded that comets also emitted gases and molecular ions in addition to the grains of dust. In 1950, the American astronomer Fred L. Whipple (1906-2004) authored a major paper proposing what became known as the "dirty snowball" model of the cometary nucleus. This model pictures the nucleus as a mixture of dark organic material, rocky grains and water ice. ("Organic" means that the compound is based on carbon and hydrogen, but is not necessarily biological in origin.) Most nuclei of comets range in size from about 1 to 10 kilometers (1/2 to 6 miles) in diameter.

If comets contain icy material, they must originate and reside somewhere much colder than the relatively warm inner solar system. In 1950, the Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort (1900-1992) used indirect reasoning from observations to predict the existence of a vast cloud of comets orbiting many billions of miles from the sun -- perhaps 50,000 astronomical units (AU) away (one AU is the distance from Earth to the sun), or nearly halfway to the next nearest star. This region has since become known as the Oort Cloud. A year later, the Dutch-born American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905-1973) pointed out that there should be comet-like objects remaining in the outer planetary region after the solar system formation process was complete. He suggested the existence of a belt of dormant comets lying just outside the orbits of the planets at perhaps 30 to 100 AU from the sun; this has become known as the Kuiper Belt. (Other astronomers such as Frederick Leonard and Kenneth Edgeworth also speculated about the existence of such a belt in the 1930s and 1940s, and so the region is sometimes referred to as the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, the Leonard-Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, and so on.) The Kuiper Belt is now known to be the source of those comets with relatively short orbital periods about the sun. Close encounters with other dormant comets sometimes change their orbits so that they venture in toward the sun and fall under the influence of the gravities of the giant outer planets -- first Neptune, then Uranus, then Saturn and finally Jupiter. The Oort Cloud, by contrast, would be the home of long-period comets. They are periodically nudged from their orbits by any one of several influences -- perhaps the gravitational pull of a passing star or giant molecular cloud, or tidal forces of the Milky Way Galaxy. In addition to the length of time between their visits, another feature distinguishes short- and long-period comets. The orbits of short-period comets are all fairly close to the ecliptic plane, the plane in which Earth and most other planets orbit the sun. Long-period comets, by contrast, dive inwards toward the sun from virtually any part of the sky. This suggests that the Kuiper Belt is a relatively flat belt, whereas the Oort Cloud is a three-dimensional sphere surrounding the solar system. Where did the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt come from? Most astronomers now believe that the vast majority of material that became comets condensed in the outer solar system around the orbits of Uranus and Neptune and beyond. Gravitational effects from those giant planets flung some of the comets outward to the Oort cloud, while the comets in the Kuiper Belt may have remained there. Residing at the farthest reaches of the sun's influence, comets did not undergo the same heating as the rest of the objects in the solar system, so they retain, largely unchanged, the original composition of solar system materials. As the preserved building blocks of the outer solar system, comets offer clues to the chemical mixture from which the planets formed some 4.6 billion years ago. The geologic record of the planets shows that, about 3.9 billion years ago, a period of heavy cometary and asteroidal bombardment tapered off. The earliest evidence of life on Earth dates somewhere between 3.5 and 3.9 billion years ago, just after the end of this heavy bombardment. The constant barrage of debris had vaporized any water on Earth, leaving the planet too hot for the survival of the fragile carbon-based molecules upon which life is based. Scientists therefore wonder: How could life form so quickly when there was so little liquid water or carbon- based molecules on Earth's surface? The answer may be that comets, which are abundant in both water and carbon-based molecules, delivered essential ingredients for life to begin. Comets are also at least partially responsible for the replenishment of Earth's oceans after the vaporization of an early ocean during the late heavy bombardment. While Earth has long been regarded as the "water planet," it and the other terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars) are actually poor in the percentage of water ice and in carbon-based molecules they contain when compared to objects that reside in the outer solar system at Jupiter's orbit or beyond. Comets are about 50 percent water by weight and about 10 to 20 percent carbon by weight. It has long been suspected that what little carbon and water there is on Earth was delivered here by objects such as comets that came from a more water-rich part of the solar system. While comets are a likely source for life's building blocks, they have also played a devastating role in altering life on our planet. A comet or asteroid is credited as the likely source of the impact that changed Earth's climate, wiped out the dinosaurs and gave rise to the age of mammals 65 million years ago. Comet dust is not considered to be a threat because it is a natural component of our environment. More than 30,000 tons of comet dust falls to Earth every year. In a single day, the land area of the state of California theoretically collects a billion times as many 10-micron cometary particles as the Stardust mission returned. This flux of outer solar system material has occurred for billions of years and may have even played a role in the evolution of life on our planet by bringing necessary organic compounds to Earth.
Here is the list of Missions to Comets : Current and Past Missions

* New Horizons - NASA Pluto and Kuiper Belt mission
* Deep Impact/EPOXI - NASA Flyby of Comets P/Tempel 1 and Hartley 2 (2005)
* Rosetta - ESA Mission to Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (2004)
* CONTOUR - NASA Mission to fly by three comet nuclei (2002)
* Genesis - NASA Discovery Solar Wind Sample Return Mission (2001)
* Stardust - NASA Discovery Mission to collect samples from Comet P/Wild 2 (1999)
* Deep Space 1 - NASA Flyby Mission to comet Borrelly and asteroid Braille (1998)
* Galileo - NASA Mission to Jupiter, imaged Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Impact (1989)
* Giotto - ESA mission to Comets Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup
* ICE (ISEE-3) - NASA Mission to Comet Giacobini-Zinner
* Sakigake - Japanese ISAS mission to Comet Halley
* Suisei - Japanese ISAS mission to Comet Halley
* Vega 1 - Soviet mission to Venus and Comet Halley
* Vega 2 - Soviet mission to Venus and Comet Halley

Future Missions

* Champollion/Deep Space 4 - [Cancelled] NASA Orbiter and Lander to comet Tempel 1 (2003)

Asteroid 2011 CA7 Earth Flyby 9th/10th February 2011

2011-02-10T03:44:00.000+05:30

Newly-discovered asteroid 2011 CA7 is flying past Earth today only 63,000 miles away, or 1/4th the distance to the Moon. At closest approach around 1930 UT on Feb. 9th, the VW-Bug-sized space rock will zip through the constellation Orion glowing like a 17th magnitude star.

Here is the Simulation of the Asteroid as it passes by Earth.

Asteroid 2011 CQ1 Missed Earth - Flyby at 11,855 km

2011-02-05T05:05:00.002+05:30

On 4th February a Asteroid 2011 CQ1 pass by earth at ~~11, 855 Km~~ 5,480 km.

When this article was written at 2.00 a.m. 5th Feb the asteroid was expected to pass by 11, 855 km. But latest information available by authorities say it missed us by 5,480 km only. The size of the object is 1 meter. Not only that many other interesting aspects have come forward as a replicate below:

Asteroid 2011 CQ1 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on February 4 and made a record close Earth approach 14 hours later on February 4 at 19:39 UT (14:39 EST). It passed to within 0.85 Earth radii (5480 km) of the Earth's surface over a region in the mid-Pacific.

This object, only about one meter in diameter, is the closest non-impacting object in our asteroid catalog to date. Prior to the Earth close approach, this object was in a so-called Apollo-class orbit that was mostly outside the Earth's orbit. Following the close approach, the Earth's gravitational attraction modified the object's orbit to an Aten-class orbit where the asteroid spends almost all of its time inside the Earth's orbit.

As is evident from the diagram, the close Earth approach changed the asteroid's flight path by about 60 degrees. Because of their small size, object's of this size are difficult to discover but there is likely to be nearly a billion objects of this size and larger in near-Earth space and one would expect one to strike Earth's atmosphere every few weeks on average. Upon striking the atmosphere, small objects of this size create visually impressive fireball events but only rarely do even a few small fragments reach the ground.

Here is the Video of Animation of the Asteroid :

The object, officially designated 2011 CQ1, is about 2-3 meters (6.5 -10 ft) wide, and at closest approach it came within 11,855 km (7,366 miles) or about 0.03 lunar distances (LD), or 0.00008 astronomical units (AU).

PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 4 JAN 2011 - INDIA

2011-01-03T18:32:00.002+05:30

Live Streaming Images and Video of Eclipse

1. Click here to see . Loads Very slow but one of the best we could get for you.

Here is the USTEAM VERSION OF THE SAME

On 4^th January, 2011 first Eclipse of Year 2011 which is Partial Solar Eclipse will occur. This Partial eclipse is visible in northern western states of the country. Around world this Eclipse is visible in more than 50 countries. This eclipse though negligibly visible in India is best opportunity till year 2019 Dec 26^th.

Timings of the Eclipse: In Indian Standard time the eclipse begins at 12.10 a.m. and Eclipse Ends at 4.31 p.m. whereas the maximum phase of eclipse will be at 2.21p.m.

World Wide – Visibility : The eclipse is visible from the region covering most of the Europe, the northern half of Africa, the Middle East, western Asia, north-west China, and western Mongolia.

World Wide – Percentage of Coverage of Sun – by Moon 85 % - During Maximum phase: Across the world depending upon shadow path of Moon and the location of observer the percentage of coverage of Sun’s Disk by moon varies. The maximum the Sun’s disk is covered by Moon during this Partial Eclipse is 85 % as would be seen by people of Finland.

Places in India - Maximum percentage (0% to 18 %) & Begin – End timings : Srinagar - 18% (2.38 p.m – 4.18 p.m.), Jalandhar - 11% (2.48 p.m.- 4.09p.m), Simla - 8% (2.57 p.m – 4.06 p.m) Amritswar - 12% (2.45- 4.11 p.m.) , Chandigarh - 8% (2.57 p.m. – 4.05 p.m.) , Dehradun - 5% (3.05 p.m.- 4.00 p.m), Haridwar - 4 % (3.08-3.58 p.m.), Delhi - 3 % (3.12 p.m. – 3.52p.m.), Ajmer - 1 % (3.13 p.m. -3.43 p.m.), Nainital - 1%(3.22 p.m.- 3.47 p.m.), Dwarka - 0.6 % (3.07 p.m. – 3.28 p.m). People in North West states would see a small part of Sun’s disk is obscured by moon.

Next Best Opportunity to see a Solar Eclipse covering Major parts of India : The next best opportunity to see a Solar Eclipse from Major parts of the India including Andhra Pradesh is in 2019 Dec 26^th.

Because the solar eclipse in 2016 though visible in major parts India (including Andhra Pradesh) begins and lasts only for few minutes close to horizon in early hours of March 9. Wherein again few states in the country where sun rises early can appreciate this solar eclipse of 2016.

Uniqueness of Eclipses in 2011: Totally Six Eclipses would occur in 2011. Out of Which Four are Solar and Two are lunar. i.e. 4:2 Ratio. This 4:2 combination of solar and lunar eclipses in a single year is rather rare with only six cases during the 21st Century (2011, 2029, 2047, 2065, 2076 and 2094).

Society’s Initiatives:

Space Simulator Project – Simulated Animations by Students: Further as part of its Partial Solar Eclipse 2011 campaign society organized Student Space Simulator Project 2011. Under which School students from over 20 Schools across Andhra Pradesh simulated the conditions of eclipse and recorded the same for publication on the Web. (For List of Schools www.simulator-psi.posterous.com).

Importantly these simulated animations are being sent to 50 different countries through respective embassies.

For Media Kit Click here Password check the release or our SMS.

Celeberate New Year with Earth a Inspiration - Auckland first - India

2010-12-31T21:57:00.002+05:30

Dear Readers

Here is the first post of the new year. You may ask at 10.p.m. IST (When i am writing this article) Why do I Wish you 2 hours ahead ?

Anyways I am happy to begin the new year with a scientific discussion.

so coming to point when the clocks in India read 16:30 p.m today in india according to Indian Standard Time the clocks in Auckland (New Zealand)   ticked in to new year and said it is Saturday, 1 January 2011, 00:00:00
in other words
New Delhi (India - Delhi)    Friday, 31 December 2010, 16:30:00    UTC+5:30 hours IST is equal to

Auckland (New Zealand)    Saturday, 1 January 2011, 00:00:00    UTC+13 hours NZDT

That means Earth entered the new year on our time scale at 4.30 p.m in indian standard time.

Why ?
This is because Auckland (Newland) is one of the cities which is on the west of the International Date Line

Republic of Kiribati to see first Sun Rise of 2011 and Gisborne :
However Gisborne is 496.3 kilometres (308.4 mi) west of the International Date Line and thus is the first major city to see the beginning of the new year, however it is Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati that is the first "city" in the world to see the first sun rise for the year.

A story Different - Inspiration : Lesson of Goal Setting and Determination !
Many of you often make lots of Resolutions of new year. Also we do set goals in our life. At this breif moment i would like to stop you to think for a moment.

If you can personify Planet Earth and assume it would set a Resolution for year 2011. What would be it Resolution ?

RESOLUTION OF EARTH : TO GO AROUND SUN IN ANOTHER 365.256363004 days. For this It has to rotate on its axis 23^h 56^m 4 also take care of its tilt its orbit.To do this it will not wait or postpone to implement.

so i wish if we can really learn Goal Setting, Determination from Planet Earth during course of its journey around sun and day to day life.

Space Simulator Project 2010

2010-12-19T14:56:00.005+05:30

Dear parents and schools who have seen our release today in various news papers kindly mail us the details to planetarysociety.india@gmail.com
1. For Individual(Name, School, Residential Address, Phone)
2. For Schools (School Name,Principal Name, In charge Teacher , School Phone, Fax if available)

Below is the Video of 2010 Jan Project in Telugu

Details of the Project : Its a International Outreach Project involving students where we like to show student can contribute to the world. And their work will impact/inspire and create awareness among students in India & World wide.

Various Stages of the Project:
1. Training Programme (to be completed before 30 December 2010)
2. Simulating conditions of Eclipse & recording the same by students.
3. Publishing of the Data and Work recorded by students online.
4. Conveying the work of students to various countries across the world.

So schools should nominate the students for the project assuring participation of students in all the above stages of project.

Participation Fee: though this is expected to bit high is being still being worked out.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

For Interested individuals we kindly request you to bring the info about this project (with newsapers clip dt.19th Dec, 2010 published in Hindu & Times of India both Pg.4 & video on this site) for kind reference of the school management. Or Ask them to visit www.tinyurl.com/eclipse4jan (driect link to this article)

Total Lunar Eclipse on 21 December 2010 - Not Visible In India - Timings

2010-12-17T16:47:00.000+05:30

TWO CELESTIAL EVENTS ON 21 DECEMBER

(Total Lunar Eclipse – Not Visible In India & Winter Solstice - Shortest Day of the year)

On 21st December 2010 last eclipse of the year which is Total Lunar Eclipse would occur. The eclipse will be visible in the region covering Europe, West Africa, the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, eastern Australia, the Philippines and eastern and northern Asia. Whereas this eclipse is not visible in India.

TIMINGS As Per Indian Standard Time (IST): Broadly speaking the Eclipse begins at 10.58 a.m. IST passing through various phases and ends at 4. 36 p.m. IST.

However the Umbral phase is generally considered as actual eclipse for various ceremonies by general public. i.e. Moon enters the Umbra (dark part of earth shadow ) at 12.02 p.m IST and leaves umbra at 3.32 p.m IST. Importantly Moon enters totality phase at 1.10 p.m noon and ends at 2.24 p.m.

Next Eclipse: The next Eclipse which is Partial Solar Eclipse will occur on 4th January 2011 and would be visible in few northern states of India whereas rest of the country cannot see this eclipse. Importantly the next Lunar Eclipse visible from India would occur on 15 June 2011 which is Total Lunar Eclipse.

Winter Solstice – Shortest Day Longest Night: another event Winter Solstice will occur on 21st Dec, 2010 (11:38p.m UTC) due to which people (in northern hemisphere countries) can experience the day to be short and night to be longest. This occurs because Earth’s axial tilt (on 21 Dec 2010) is farthest away from the sun.

Explanation/Notes :
Brief about Lunar Eclipse: A Lunar Eclipse occurs when earth in course of its orbit around sun, comes between moon and sun such a way that moon his hidden in the shadow cast by earth. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned in a straight line, Hence lunar eclipse occurs only when there is full moon.

Penumbra (pratchaya) and Umbra (chaya) : Earth’s shadow has two parts Penumbra (outer lighter part) and Umbra (darker part). All Lunar Eclipse begin with moon first entering penumbra at one end passing through umbral phase and ending with leaving the penumbra on other end. Generally only the Umbral phase (Beginning & Ending) is commonly considered as actual eclipse by general public to follow various rituals and traditions leaving Penumbra passage of moon.

Earth Tilted on its Axis: The Earth during course of its journey around sun rotates on its axis with a tilt of about 23.4°. This phenomenon is the main cause which regulates seasons on earth. Importantly the hemisphere which currently tilted toward the Sun experiences more hours of sunlight each day and the hemisphere facing away from sun will receive less hours of sunlight.

Geminid Meteor Shower 2010

2010-12-13T13:17:00.002+05:30

Away from city lights from 7th December, 2010 to 17^th December, 2010 people can witness annual celestial spectacle of Geminid Meteor Showers (ulka patham in Telugu/उल्का स्नान) from pollution free dark clear skies.

As per the International Meteor Organization (IMO) based on two decades of observation data peak is expected from 12:10 a.m. IST on Dec 14 (i.e.18.40 hrs UTC on 13 Dec) to 9:30 p.m IST on Dec 14 (i.e. 16.00 hrs UTC).

Where to Look/What to expect– No Telescopes Required - Twin Stars of Gemini Const: Though meteor shower is at peak up to 14^th Dec at 9.30 pm. Depending on observers location and skies above, many tens of meteors per hour will be visible with highest rates reaching up to a max of 120 ZHR (Meteors Per Hour) as per IMO.

Where to Look: After midnight observers have to look above their head to observe bright streaks of light zipping across the skies. The best time to look above head will be around 1 a.m. when crescent moon sets and the radiant reaches its highest altitude in the sky.

Sky at 9.30 p.m. : Click on image to see larger picture

Telescopes/binoculars are not required. One can see bright streaks of light zipping across the sky with naked eye and would seem as if they are emanating from star called castor from Gemini constellation where the radiant of this meteor shower lies.

Sky at 5.30 a.m. : Click on image to see larger picture

Observation from 14 to 17 Dec During Midnight, Evening/Morning - Follow Twin Stars of Gemini: Though peak is on 14^th Dec. People can witness this celestial spectacle until 17^th of Dec. All one has to do is to spot Twin Stars of Gemini constellation. Evening: People can observe the meteors by looking towards sky above between North East and East Direction from 10.00 p.m onwards, while they are visible near to mid of sky by the time it is midnight whereas Morning walkers can see meteors in the western sky in the morning.

Here is the Animation of Geminid as it would appear in the sky :

However Moon light being a hindrance to observe the streaks of light produced during the shower, people should wait till the moon sets for splendid view from clear dark skies.

LIVE NASA VIDEO CONFERENCE ON 7th December 2010

2010-12-06T17:14:00.004+05:30

The Video conference will be available from 10.30PM. LIVE from NASA JPL STUDIO'S.

Update at 10.45 p.m. : Freinds thanks for visiting our website for Videoconference. As of now even we are anxious why the Video Conference is delayed.
I am going to contact the authorities and will get back to you in 10 min. Thanks

Update at 11.20 p.m: As per information videoconference is delayed for 1 hour. And will start at 11.30 p.m.

What is Cassini-Huygens Mission ?
Cassini–Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI robotic spacecraft mission currently studying the planet Saturn and its moons. It was launched on October 15, 1997 and entered into orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004. It is the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn and the fourth to visit Saturn.

What is NASA Cassini Scientist for a Day Activity ?
Being organized worldwide - is an opportunity for students in grades 5- 7 and 8-10 to learn about Saturn and the Cassini - Huygens mission and participate through scientific report (in essay format) as student mission scientist. Selected winner would be called “NASA’S Cassini Scientist For a Day” India and would win a opportunity to interact with scientists of NASA.

2009 Edition Winners from India – Designated as “Cassini Scientist For a Day (CSFAD)” by US Consulate Office, Hyderabad on behalf of NASA – were Invited for the Videoconference to ask questions in the Video Conference on 7th Dec: As part of 2009 CSFAD Eleven students from India were selected who were on 25th Feb, 2010 designated as “Cassini Scientist for a Day” by Pamela Pointus representing US Consulate Office, Hyderabad.

Do you like to be designated as "Cassini Scientist for a Day" in 2010 Edition ? And Win a Opportunity to interact with NASA Scientists ?
Then the Ninth Edition of "Cassini Scientist for a Day" welcomes you. For this Students through school managements are requested to contact us through mail planetarysociety.india@gmail.com

There are many such opportunities involving school students. Hence initiate and start "Young Vyomonaut Clubs" in your school.

What should i do ? In case my school doesnt encourage participation ?
Do write to us to and we would see what can be done.

Will it cost to participate in the CSFAD activity ?
No, But attending orientation programmes and Material

VENUS BRIGHTEST DECEMBER 4 2011 - GREATEST ILLUMINATION EXTENT

2010-12-03T19:28:00.005+05:30

On 4^th December 2010 Planet Venus would reach “Venus Greatest Illumination Extent” in the morning skies. Because of which Planet would appear very brighter than it would be in months to come as Venus gets away from us in its orbit. People can spot Planet Venus towards East direction which would rise 3 hours before Sunrise. Venus can be spotted in morning skies until end of July 2011.

What is Greatest Illumination Extent ?
Greatest Illumination Extent occurs when after inferior conjunction with sun, the size of Venus’s Disk appears big and Venus although illuminated less than 27% by sunlight as seen from earth covers more square area on the sky’s dome than at a fuller or thinner phase. Hence this event provides observer’s with very bright Planet Venus in many months to come.

SPOT VENUS – MORNING – Before Sunrise in the East – Before Sun rise one has to look towards East Direction. One would spot bright star like object which doesn’t twinkle compared to stars in its background i.e. Planet Venus. It can be spotted sufficiently above horizon in east from as early as 4 a.m. before sunrise.

Was Venus Visible in year 2010 ?

Since beginning of Year 2010 to 2^nd Week of October Venus was visible in Evening skies (West Direction). After that due it journey (in its orbit) around sun it became close to sun from our view and disappeared from evening skies only to appear in morning from 4^th Nov. Presently Venus visible in the morning skies and morning walkers can see Venus until end of July 2011 looking east in the morning before sunrise.

How to locate Planet Saturn and Spica (Bright star of Chitra Nakshthra) ?
After locating Venus in the Eastern Skies. If one looks just above Venus, one can spot a small dot like non twinkling star like object which is Planet Saturn.

Whereas the twinkling object which is visible between Venus and Saturn is star Spica. In India it is known as Chitra Nakshatra. Spica is now in similar in brightness compared to Saturn.

This Article is published online with title: Venus to be brighter in morning sky tomorrow at (Yahoo India News) http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20101203/1416/tnl-venus-to-be-brighter-in-morning-sky.html
Also at (Indiareport) http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/953340/National/1/20/1
(ChennaiOnline.com) http://news.chennaionline.com/national/Venus-to-be-brighter-in-morning-sky-tomorrow/07af4853-c341-4922-9bdc-f6941748c3e3.col

Planet Jupiter Article In Newspaper - Thanks with Explanation

2010-11-16T11:22:00.002+05:30

Special Note for Readers of Sakshi : if you typed www.ourplanets.com to visit Planetary Society, India (kindly click here or visit www.ournewplanets.com) to know more. This is in reference to N.Sri Raghunandan Kumar ఎన్. శ్రీ రఘునందన్ కుమార్, ఖగోళ పరిశోధకులు, ప్లానె టరీ సొసైటీ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా వ్యవస్థాపక కార్యదర్శి Article in Sakshi Newspaper titled "చుక్కల్లో చిల్డ్రన్" published on 12th January 2011 . To read online click here. You can also find Astronomy Club india hyderabad andhra pradesh information. Importantly find info of Planetarium, Hyderabad under guidance of Dr.B.G.Siddarth, Birla Science Center (famously known as Birla Planetarium Hyderabad) who has been making efforts to serve people of Andhra pradesh and inspiring many students like Mr.Raghunandan since over three decades.

Today our article click here was published in Hindu Young World. We are very thankful to Hindu as since its inception number articles, releases were published in the Hindu with strengthened our efforts to communicate astronomy to public. However there are certain issues in the present article which is published after two months of Jupiter Opposition event which occurred in 2010.

“Stand outside in the evening, immediately after sunset, in the west you can see Venus and in the east you can see Jupiter, ” says Raghunandan Kumar, the General Secretary of the Planetry Society of India. Seeing the planets with the naked eye is not difficult.

Our Explanation : Jupiter was at opposition on 21^st September , 2010. Statement in para above could be true until 1^st week of October for an observer. (Click here to read about What is Opposition/Jupiter Opposition).
Venus : So as of now you cannot see venus in the evening skies, since 2^nd week of November Venus is Visible in the morning skies.
Jupiter : Jupiter is rising atleast hour early in the evening skies. (Whereas it was rising when sun was setting in October). Which means by the time its evening Jupiter can be spotted sufficiently above horizon towards East direction.

No twinkling

“The stars that do not twinkle are planets,” continues Mr Raghunandan, “planets do not have light of their own and since they reflect sunlight, they cannot twinkle.”

Explanation : I have referred to Jupiter as “star like” not exactly the word “star”. Because general public due to ignorance would mistake it to be a “star”. Whereas it’s not true.

In 1963, Jupiter, which takes 11 years and eight months to revolve around the sun, came very close to earth. This year again Jupiter has come very close to Earth. The next time this phenomenon will occur is in 2022.

Explanation : every year Jupiter Opposition occurs and it very close to earth during a week before or after compared to any part of the year. In the recent past in year 1963 Jupiter was at its closest 47 years ago. Whereas again this year its at it closest which will be matched only in 2022.

“Since the planets do not have a perfectly circular orbit, around the Sun, at some point they come closer to one another. The maximum distance between Jupiter and the Earth is approximately 967 million km, however, presently, the distance between these two planets is approximately 594 million km”, says Mr Raghunandan. “Due to the proximity of Jupiter, one can easily see this planet clearly. Jupiter will be seen till March 2011, though the size and brightness will slowly decrease”.

Explanation : even the data mentioned in this part of the article is correct as on 21^st September , 2010.

Mr. Raghunandan Kumar is the Founder Secretary of the Planetary Society, which he started along with his friends in 1998. He has been interested in Astronomy since his childhood and hopes to help more people develop an interest in this branch of science.

Explanation: Mr. Raghunandan Kumar is the Founder Secretary of the Planetary Society, India where as “The Planetary Society” was founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Also known as a ‘failed star' it has 63 natural satellites of its own. “To a large extent we owe our survival on Earth to this big, gaseous planet,” says Mr. Raghunandan.

Explanation : Planet Jupiter with similar composition as our own sun ball of hydrogen gas. However its not huge enough to begin the fusion process and other required factors to shine like our sun.
Location of Planet Jupiter is very unique if one can note what happened in 1994 impact of Comet Shoemaker Levy with Jupiter one can say “Jupiter is big brother of solar system” because it protects us from the dangers of space.

“As planets revolve around the sun, very often they are in a position called opposition where the Sun and that particular planet are directly opposite one another and the Earth is in between them. Every 13 months, Jupiter oppositions take place. Which means that the Sun-Earth- Jupiter are in a straight line. This happened in September and again in October this year.

Explanation : Jupiter Opposition occurs every 13 months which happened this year on 21 September, 2010. whereas what we informed public in our press release is that “major part of October 2010 Jupiter would shine with similar brightness as it is during opposition (in september)”. Thereafter brightness would decrease gradually as earth moves away from Jupiter in it course of its orbit around sun.

The Planetary Society plans to introduce the Jupiter Observation Campaign India 2010-11 till March 2011. This is being introduced in schools. The society will help train teachers and interested individuals who can assist students and the general public in the locality, to observe Jupiter during this period. There are special CD's and posters which are available with the society. The Planetary Society plans to set up Young Vyomanaut Clubs (YVCs) in schools. They intend training teachers, who will in the future help the children run the clubs.

Explanation: Schools are invited to call us for Young Vyomanaut Clubs even now whereas right now we are focused on two NASA related projects primarily involving schools.

For more information on the clubs as well as the society contact Mr. Raghunandan Kumar at planetarysocietyindia@gmail.com or contact him on 9295352988.Website www.ournewplanets.com

Indian Flag on Moon - Remembering MIP (Chadrayaan I) 2nd Anniversary - Children's Day

2010-11-14T18:02:00.006+05:30

Children's Day 14th November :
14th November every year in India is celebrated as "Children's Day" commemorating birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

He was the first Prime Minister of India after independence. His concern for the welfare of children was such that he was popularly known as "Chacha Nehru" (Uncle Nehru) among his little admirers.

Historic Day - Concern : On this great occassion while remembering this day which marked a new beginning in the understanding of our solar system and cosmos. Importantly today is the day when Indian Flag was planted on the surface of moon for first time in Indian History. It is unfortunate that not many remember the lost science soldier (Chandrayaan I) of the country or its historic probe which found first direct evidence of water on moon.

Moon Impact Probe (Chandrayaan I) - Landing on Moon with Indian Flag Embedded:
Yes today is the day when in year 2008 The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) a lunar probe developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was released by ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 lunar remote sensing orbiter on to the surface of moon.

Message of Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam:

The Moon Impact Probe separated from the moon-orbiting Chandrayaan-1 on 14 November 2008, 20:06 and crashed, as planned, into the lunar south pole after a controlled descent. The MIP struck the Shackleton Crater at 20:31 on 14 November 2008 releasing underground debris that could be analyzed by the orbiter for presence of water/ice.

Detailed Animation :

Interestingly MIP carried Indian Flag etched onto it to the surface of moon. Further the MIP release on 14th Nov was an attempt by ISRO to inspire future scientists of the country.

KINDLY CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR ARTICLE WITH FIRST IMAGES OF MIP - NOVEMBER 2009.

One among Five nations to reach lunar surface : With this mission, India became the fifth entity to reach the lunar surface. Other entities to have done so are the former Soviet Union, the United States, the European Space Agency (currently owned by 18 member nations) and Japan.

Asteroid 2010 TG19 Earth Flyby - Comet Diving Into Sun

2010-10-22T18:45:00.004+05:30

A Asteroid name 2010 TG19 is flying past the Earth-Moon system today, Oct. 22nd, only 4,28,468 km beyond the orbit of the Moon.

70 Meter - No Danger : The 70-meter space rock is about twice the size of the asteroid or comet that flattened a forest in Siberia in 1908. In this case, however, there is no danger of a collision.

Here is the Animation of the approach :

This Asteroid is travelling at the speed of 10 km/sec. It revolves around sun every 2.9 years. Whereas it was first observed 7th October, 2010

Time and Location :It will have close pass by earth around 15:04 UTC.(20.32 hours IST) and will travel from beyond Moon.

COMET DIVING INTO SUN :
Further A Comet was photographed when it was diving into Sun . It was First observed on 19th October, 2010.

Image of The Comet as on 20th October, 2010

Latest Image of the Comet as on 21 October, 2010 the last time we can see it.

Comet Hartley 2 - Closest Approach to Earth - Visibility in India - NASA EPOXI Mission (Deep Impact)

2010-10-19T15:14:00.004+05:30

A Periodic comet named Comet Hartley 2 (103P/Hartley) discovered in 1986 would make close pass by Earth on 20^th October, 2010 at 17.7 million kilometers while giving us an opportunity of the best view in decades. The visit comes a few weeks before a NASA probe named EPOXI Mission (Deep Impact Space Craft) is due to fly by (at 700 km on 4^th Nov,2010) the icy celestial body to understand origin of comets. Comet Hartley 2 is estimated to come back close to sun at perihelion in April 20, 2017.Whereas it would be close to earth in 24^th Sept, 2023.

Before we go any Further let us try to understand following questions ?

What are Comets?
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma (a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere) and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei are themselves are loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles, ranging from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers across. Comets have been observed since ancient times and have historically been considered bad omens.

What Happens to Comet when they come close to sun ?
The closer the comet gets to the Sun, the brighter it becomes. The Sun's heat vaporizes the comet's ice, and the solar wind blows the vaporized gas and dust into tails than can be more than 100 km in length. Comets have 2 tails - one gas, one dust. The gas tail is straight and points directly away from the Sun, while the dust tail can be curved. The gas tail is usually longer. Comets lose up to 1 % of their ice on each trip around the Sun. If the Earth's orbit passes through this comet debris, a meteor shower takes place. It is always an exciting surprise when a new bright comet is discovered.

What are Periodic/Non Periodic Comets ?
Periodic comets are comets having orbital periods of less than 200 years (also known as "short-period comets") or which have been observed during more than a single perihelion passage).
Non-periodic comets are that who have an orbital period of 200 years or more, including single-apparition comets that pass through the Inner Solar System only once. They are usually on near-parabolic orbits that will not return to the vicinity of the Sun for thousands of years – if ever. The term non-periodic comet to often referred to comets that will never return to the vicinity of the Sun Note that "periodic comet" is also sometimes used to mean any comet with a periodic orbit, even if greater than 200 years.

Questions about Comet Hartley :

What is Comet Hartley 2?
Officially designated 103P/Hartley, is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of 6.46 years i.e. returns again and again near our sun and Earth every 6.46 years.

When was it Discovered ?

It was discovered by Malcolm Hartley in 1986 at the Schmidt Telescope Unit in Siding Spring, Australia. Its diameter is estimated to be 1.2 to 1.6 km. It is approaching Earth for an 11-million-mile close encounter on Oct. 20th.

What is the composition of Comet Hartley ?

It is a large ball of ice primarily containing water, methane, ammonia or carbon dioxide and rock..

History of Its Path – Role of Jupiter : Comet Hartley 2 was discovered only recently because, before 1986, the comet had not been on an orbital path that brings it near Earth. Three close encounters with Jupiter in 1947, 1971, and 1982 shifted the comet's orbit, making it finally visible. Until now, however, gravitational interactions with Jupiter kept shifting the comet's path, sending it closer to the sun and thus farther from Earth during each subsequent return. After the 2010 perihelion passage, not accounting for nongravitational forces, Hartley 2 is estimated to come back to perihelion around April 20, 2017

Why the Colour of this comet is Green ?

Hartley 2's green color comes from the gases that make up its Jupiter-sized atmosphere. Jets spewing from the comet's nucleus contain cyanogen (CN: a poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C₂). Both substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight in the near-vacuum of space.

How to Observe – Early Morning: this comet can be spotted from Pollution free moon less clear skies. Few hours before Sunrise using binocular facing towards north direction if one looks above his head he/she can find this green Colour Comet.

Using stars of Auriga/Gemini Constellation : Presently it can be found using the Bright Star Capella in Constellation of Auriga. Whereas towards end of month it can be found in the background of the stars of constellation Gemini.

How it would look : it should look like a smudge of light against the dark sky background. It would look like a faint, fuzzy patch of light Or may even exhibit a discernible tail. Towards End of October it can be seen as early as 11:30 p.m. but is best just before dawn.

Brightness –Moon a Hindrance – First Week November : On 28^th October this comet would be closest it can get to sun (perihelion). Hence as it nears sun it would become brighter and brighter. However with Moon returning evening sky it would outshine and brighten the dark skies. That means one may have to wait till after moonset for a good view of the comet.

5 Magnitude till Nov 1^st Week – Changes May Brighten – Growing Distance: Presently Comet Hartley 2 is shining around 5 magnitude and would continue to be so up till End of First week of November. Whereas on 22^nd October it would be brightest it may get at 4.43 Mag there after as the comet goes farther from earth it brightness would decrease. However as the comet nears sun it warms up after from its cold, deep space sojourn. The ices in its nucleus will be vaporizing furiously – spitting dust and spouting gaseous jets. Hence changes may occur on the comet leading to increase in brightness.

NASA – Deep Impact Spacecraft – EPOXI Mission on 4^th Nov, 2010 : NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft (its current mission is called EPOXI) will fly by this comet on 4^th November, 2010 at 700 km approach in order to image this comet’s nucleus and take other measurements.

“These flybys help us figure out what happened 4 1/2 billion years ago, We need to study more comets to learn how they differ and how they are the same. Researchers study these pristine specimens of the primal solar system to learn something about how it formed, and how comets have birthed a life-bearing planet like Earth” NASA

Moon Conjunction With Jupiter on 20^th October : further in another celestial spectacle Jupiter which was it its closest approach to earth last month can be spotted towards right side of Moon.

OTHER ASPECTS :

Magnitude: Astronomy. The degree of brightness of a celestial body designated on a numerical scale, with the scale rule such that a decrease of one unit represents an increase in apparent brightness by a factor of 2.512. Also called apparent magnitude. Brightest star has magnitude −1.4 and the faintest visible star has magnitude 6.

Human Eye: The human eye, without the aid of a telescope, can see stars as faint as 6th or 7th magnitude. Like magnitudes ranging between -1.4 (Sirius, the brightest) and around 6 or 7 (the limit for the "naked eye", without binoculars or a telescope). If some of the planets are out, you might be treated to bright Venus (magnitude -4.4 at its brightest) or red Mars (which can be as brilliant as magnitude -2.8). If the Full Moon is out, you can gaze upon an object with a magnitude of -12.6. Once the Sun rises, don't look directly at it; at magnitude -26.8 you'll damage your eyes if you do!

Pluto has a magnitude around 14, so you'll need a pretty big telescope to spot it; it is much, much dimmer than the 6th magnitude stars you can barely make out with your eyes. The world's largest ground-based telescopes can detect stars in the magnitude 25 to 27 range. The Hubble Space Telescope has been able to image stars with magnitudes around 30.

Alcor (Arundhati Nakshatra) of Ursa Major/Big Dipper (Saptharishi Mandal): Alcor is of magnitude 3.99. In Indian marriages observing alcor is part of marriage ceremony. In ancient time to test eyesight of the groom was tested using alcor. Whereas Comet Hartley 2 would be around Magnitude 5.

Asteroid 2010 TD54 TO MISS EARTH, MOON & VENUS

2010-10-12T18:57:00.002+05:30

A small asteroid will fly past Earth early Tuesday October 12 2010 within the Earth-moon system.

Here is the animation showing the flyby of the asteroid.

At What Distcance will this asteroid Miss Earth ?

The asteroid, 2010 TD54, will have its closest approach to Earth's surface at an altitude of about 45,000 kilometers (27,960 miles) at 10:50 a.m UTC (4.20 pm in India) 6:50 EDT a.m. (3:50 a.m. PDT).

At 10.50 a.m. UTC where will this asteroid could be above earth ?

At that time, the asteroid will be over southeastern Asia in the vicinity of Singapore.

Are there any chances of this asteroid hitting Earth ?

During its flyby, Asteroid 2010 TD54 has zero probability of impacting Earth.

When was it Discovered ?

A telescope of the NASA-sponsored Catalina Sky Survey north of Tucson, Arizona discovered 2010 TD54 on Oct. 9 at during routine monitoring of the skies.

What is the Size of this Asteroid ?

It is estimated to be 7 meters in Size

At What Speed is this Asteroid traveling or Velocity ?

It is travel ling at Speed of 17.8 Km/sec

Will it Hit Moon ?

No, It will not. At around 6pm IST this asteroid could be closest it can get to moon.

Will it Hit Venus ?

No, it will not hit Venus. It will be closest to earth's sister planet on 9th November, 2010. ]

Spot Closest, Brightest, Biggest Planet Jupiter Using Moon - Also Venus and Mercury

2010-09-22T21:11:00.000+05:30

On 23^rd September 2010 Conjunction of Planet Jupiter with Moon would occur. Conjunction in astronomy means appearance of two celestial bodies near to one another as seen from Earth. Hence after Sunset Looking East Direction people can spot Jupiter using Moon as tool. Which travels across the sky all through the night and will set in the west. Hence people can see Jupiter early morning on 24^th September looking west. .

Importantly “Venus Great Illumination Extent” would also occur involving Planet Venus on 23^rd Sept. Because of which it is very bright. People can spot Planet Venus towards West for 1 ½ hour after Sunset and until Second Week of October. Also looking East before Sun rise on 24^th Sept Planet Mercury can be spotted. Mercury is far away from Sun due to occurrence of Greatest Western Elongation on 19^th Sept.

HOW TO OBSERVE WITH NAKED EYE – INSTRUCTIONS:

JUPITER USING MOON ON 23^RD SEPTEMBER 2010 : Due to Jupiter Opposition since yesterday it can be seen all through the night.

Evening : After Sunset it can be spotted on the Right Side of Jupiter. Midnight: As the night passes towards Midnight 12.30 a.m Jupiter can be found below Moon high above facing south direction near to zenith. Morning: Whereas by Morning 24^th Sept Jupiter can be spotted below moon towards Left side.

Note: For Details of how to spot Jupiter till March, 2011 – How Close it is Now etc.. See Page 2.

SPOT VENUS IN THE EVENING UPTO 1 ½ HOUR - after sunset in west – opportunity until second week of October 2010: After Sun Set one has to look towards West Direction to spot bright star like object which doesn’t twinkle compared to stars as it is a Planet i.e. Venus. It can be spotted up to 1 ½ Hour after Sunset. On 23^rd Sept it will very bright because of the event called “Venus Great Illumination Extent”.

Since beginning of Year 2010 it is shining in Evening skies (West Direction). It will do so until Second week of October after that becoming close to sun it will disappear from evening skies and begin visible in the morning skies only (East Direction) from 1^st Week of November comfortably before Sunrise.

How is that Jupiter and Moon will look Close to Each Other ? Since Past two Day we are seeing it near Moon ? What is the Reason ?

The Answer in one word is "MOON" and it movement across the earth skies. Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. Moon as observed from earth appears at a new location in the night sky every subsequent night i.e. moon can be found at new place often near to a star/planet. This happens because of moon’s revolves around earth.

Have Jupiter and Moon come closer to each Other ? I heard Jupiter came close to earth on 21st September ? Is it True.

Actually on 23rd September Jupiter will be in conjunction with Moon. Before you go any further one must understand what is Conjunction.

Conjunction is a term used in positional astronomy It means that, as seen from some place (usually the Earth), two celestial bodies appear near one another in the sky. Though they appear to be near each other actually both these objects are separated by enormous distance.

Yes Jupiter is close to earth as of now for details of how close the distance, how to see it until March 2011 click here.

N.Sri Raghunandan Kumar

PLANET JUPITER CLOSEST TO EARTH UNTILL 2022 - Jupiter Opposition on 21st September 2010

2010-09-20T21:09:00.004+05:30

SPOT PLANET JUPITER UNTIL MARCH 2011 – DUE TO OPPOSITION ON 21 SEPT

Planet Jupiter at its closest in Last 47 Years, brightest, biggest - next such opportunity only in 2022

Beginning 21/22 September - Spot Jupiter - naked eye – Opposite Sun in East (Evening)/West (Morning)

On 21st September, 2010 at 05:06 p.m. Planet Jupiter (Bruhaspati/Guru in Hindi/Telugu) would be at opposition and Closest to earth. Due to this phenomenon of opposition Sun- Earth- Jupiter would in one straight line and opposite to each other. Because of which an observer would note as the Sun sets in west Jupiter rises (east) in the evening, whereas as Sun rises in the Morning, Jupiter sets in the west. Importantly Planet Jupiter would be at the closest it can get to earth till year 2022. Jupiter would be shining, with similar brightness (-2.9 Magnitude) till third week of October 2010 appearing bigger and brighter than usual.

Importantly Jupiter can be spotted in evening skies until March 2011 after sunset with decreasing brightness as earth races farther way from Jupiter starting 21/22 Sept every day in its orbit.

20^th /21^st September 2010 - Closest Distance until 2022: Generally the minimum distance of Jupiter from earth is 588 Million kilometers approx. Whereas the Maximum distance is 967 Million km approx. On the night of 20^th/21^st September Jupiter would reach closest approach i.e. would at 594 million km which is very close to its minimum distance from earth and the closest in last 47 years. Jupiter was this close in 1963 and again would be this close only in 2022.

Biggest – Brighter: because of its closeness to earth Planet Jupiter would appear big and very bright shining at -2.9 Magnitude up to 24^th October, 2010. Later on the brightness would reduce gradually as earth races away from Jupiter in its orbit shining at -2.8 (up to 10^th Nov), -2.7 (up to 25^th Nov) and finally - 2.1 up to end of March 2011.

Directions to Spot Jupiter until March 2011: rising 4 minutes early than the previous day Jupiter can be spotted up till end of March 2011 after sunset. From Mid of Oct 10 to Mid of Nov it can be found in Direction between East and South East. In Dec 10 – Jan 2011 it can be seen high above south direction. Feb 2011 - March 2011 it can be found between south west and West direction with naked eye.

DIRECTIONS TO SPOT – JUPITER – WITH SIMILAR BRIGHTNESS AS OF NOW UNTIL - MID OCTOER 2010 – TIMINGS : Evening: After an Hour after Sunset if one can look towards East direction quite opposite to direction of sunset one would see Jupiter rising. It will be visible all through the night, at Midnight one can spot it high above southern direction.

Morning Walkers: if one wants look at this big brother of our solar system during morning they can do so one hour before Sunrise towards West Direction quite opposite to where Sun would rise.

Uranus at Opposition on 21^st Sept – Spot Mercury : Planet Uranus will also be at opposition on Sept. 21st. Being almost three times smaller and five times farther away than Jupiter, Uranus is barely visible to the naked eye. Further Due to greatest Western Elongation Planet Mercury (always hidden in Sun’s Glare) is far away from sun from our view on earth. Hence can be spotted for next few days in Morning hours in the eastern sky before sunrise.

What exactly is opposition ?

A planet (during course of its journey around sun) is said to be at opposition when it is directly opposite the Sun from our viewpoint on Earth. The result is that the planet is fully illuminated by the sun and appears disk-like. Importantly during opposition the planet in question would be at its closest approach and thus would appear more big and brighter than usual. At this point Sun-Earth- Planet would be in a straight line opposite to each other. Though planet is at opposition for only one day, nevertheless for visual purposes it is almost as good for viewing for a couple of weeks before and after opposition. Jupiter oppositions occur every 13 months. The last opposition of Jupiter was 14^th August, 2009 and after this one, the next will be 29 October 2011.

Do we really require telescopes to observe Jupiter ? How to recognize planets in the sky in part of the year ? Do one needs to wait for Astronomers to confirm visibility of planets ?

Telescopes are required only if one wants to appreciate finer details of this planet. To Spot planets (in any part of year with naked eye) one has to remember/differentiate that as seen from earth though planets shine, they don’t twinkle/blink unlike stars. This is because planets merely reflect the sunlight whereas Stars radiate the light they produce.

18th National Children's Science Congress - Land Resources

2010-09-19T05:49:00.003+05:30

This article is posted in response to teacher's training programme conducted yesterday along with "International Moon Observation Night".

One of the important national event encouraging Child Scientist's across the country has entered in its 18th Version.

The Focal theme is LAND RESOURCES : USE FOR PROSPERITY, SAVE FOR POSTERITY.

We will write in detail in later part of Day.

For Download of Powerpoint Presentations :

Here is the Link kindly "Click Here" or right click to save as. Then you will download 20 MB Zipped File containing 7 Powerpoints.

After download when you try to open the Zip folder it will ask for Password. For Password Details Call Mr.Prahakar or check your mobile phone for the SMS. Then you can view all the seven powerpoints.

Shortly video version of the above powerpoints will also be available. Efforts are being made to generate more helpful content keeping in view the need of students as well as teachers for the projects.

TWO ASTEROIDS (SPACE ROCKS) to Pass by Earth 8th Sept, 2010

2010-09-08T16:38:00.001+05:30

On 8th September, 2010 two asteroids Asteroid 2010 RF12 and Asteroid 2010 RX30 will passby us moving between Earth's and Moon's Orbit. These two asteroids which are in several meters in diameter moving in unrelated orbits, will pass within the Moon's distance of Earth today Wednesday, September 8th

When were they discovered ? And by Whom ?

These two Asteroids (Space Rocks) Asteroid 2010 RF12 and Asteroid 2010 RX30 were discovered 3 days ago on September 5th, 2010 by Andrea Boattini using the 1.5 metre reflector telescope at Mount Lemmon in Arizona as part of the Mount Lemmon Survey.

Is there any Danger to Us because of these two asteroids ?

No there is no Danger to us as they are not expected to impact earth.

How Close will be they ?

Asteroid 2010 RF12 will be passing 77,000 km (0.2 LD) being the closest distance it can get near to Earth Inside the Orbit of Moon.
Asteroid 2010 RX30 will be passing 231,000 km (0.6 LD) being the closest distance it can get near to Earth Inside the Orbit of Moon.

Can we see these asteroids from Earth ? Are they Bright enough ?

According to NASA Both of these asteroids should be observable with moderate-sized amateur telescopes.

Here are the videos of the asteroid and their expected orbit according to Data of NASA.

Asteroid 2010 RF12 Earth Flyby - Inside Moon's Orbit

Asteroid 2010 RX30 Earth Flyby - Inside Moon's Orbit

Reported Explosion/Fire in Nallamala - Remembering Tunguska Event Or Something Else ?

2010-08-25T00:53:00.007+05:30

At this late night (its 11.53 p.m when im writing this post) responding to various news reports pertaining to news of explosion/plane crash etc...in nalamalla here is various points to note.

Here it the news reported half hour ago at 1.00 a.m. in TIMES OF INDIA

KURNOOL: Even as heavy rains have been lashing Kurnool district in the last four days, rumours of a massive explosion in the dense Nallamala forest spread all through the night on Tuesday. A deafening noise followed by thick plumes of smoke ripped through Chagalamarri area, villagers and Chenchus claimed. So much so, the `explosion' even triggered rumours that a chopper or a passenger flight might have crashed due to the inclement weather.

The sound that occurred at Moodurallapalli thanda in Chagalamarri mandal around 7.45 pm was so loud that it was heard in villages in Allagadda mandal as far as 30 km from the spot. Suspicions that a massive thunder accompanied by lightning might have struck the area leading to the deafening sound.

No Plane Crash : First of all its clear now from the reports of ATC Authorities in Hyderabad and Chennai that there is no plane missing or possibility of crash of plane or helicopter.

Based on our experience while having watch on various celestial/terrestrial events. I like to explore following events could be responsible for the explosion or fires in forest.

1. Was it because an asteroid exploded in the skies of Nallamalla ?
2. Was it because of Meteroid/Perseid Meteor Shower ?
3. Was it because of Lightning?
4. Was it because a explosion in Naxal Dump ?

1. Was it because of Asteroid Explosion ?
I think this to be more appropriate based on what i have heard/seen on television channels. Importantly the version of Kurnool Collector Mr.Naik reported version over phone to TV5 supports my view of asteroid.

Further events in last two years starting with what happened in

SUDAN EVENT
i. Sudan (Click Here for more details) in october 2008
ii. Later space rock of this event found in 2009 begining ( click here for more details)

FIREBALL EVENTS
1. Canada Click here for more details 2009

2. USA (Click here for more details) 2010

TUNGUKA EVENT:

or I may like to imagine for what happened in Tunguska.
(Click here for more details) to read our article written on occasion 100 years of tunguska event here is the image.

INDONESIA EVENT :
i come to this conclusion for tunguska event based what happened in 2009 october in Indonesia ?
Click here for more details

2. Was it Meteoroid or Perseid Meteor ?
As per television reports it seems people have seen a fireball (associated with Meteor Showers). Today is the last day of Persied Meteor Showers.

However if one sees the explanation given for reasons of what causes Meteor Shower or incoming debris. It will be clear that the particles rarely reach the ground but burn up in the sky.

3. Was it because of Lightning ?
By seeing the experiences in the western countries i guess lightning could be one of the reasons for this forest fire.

Lightning starts by a Thunder storm. Thunderstorms always come with a lot of wind. The wind starts to rub the surface of the ground and buildings. This action brings the electrons to the clouds. The ground becomes positively charged and the bottom of the cloud becomes negative and upper part becomes positive. Since clouds are better conductors than air, the clouds start to build up charges. This causes the lightning. Once lightning hits a tree, or another object, not just the ground, then the current moves through the tree and continues to spread horizontally.

A Single stroke of lightning can reach a temperature of 30,500^oC, or five times hotter than the Sun's surface. If lightning strikes dry vegetation, this heat energy can start bushfires. To say this correct or not kindly visit the following link for detailed statistics.

Following is the report of Number of fires caused due to different reasons in AUSTRALIA

Fire Cause	Average number of fires each year	Percentage of total fires
Lightning	149	26%
Deliberate	145	25%
Agricultural	96	16%
Campfires	59	10%
Cigarettes/ Matches	41	7%
Miscellaneous	26	5%
Machinery/ Exhausts	15	3%
Planned Burn Escapes *	9	2%
Public Utilities	7	1%
Cause Unknown	37	6%

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenfoe.nsf/childdocs/-44688EB30B57BF124A2567CB000DB2EF-BDFD9C1B8EF2DDC5CA256BE600287703-15D8B3C67813A6D94A25679300155AE1?Open&Layout=DSE~PrinterFriendly

Also read this report Click here expereiences in United States.

A eucalyptus tree that was struck by lightning but 2 pine trees next to the tree are untouched, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Further here is the video which i compiled from web. It was found here. It shows how forest fire begun due to lightning.

4. Was it because of Explosion in Naxalite Dump ?
For me even this seems unlikely as the police or cofident that such a dump in that area couldnt have gone unnoticed by them. if at all such a dump of explosives were beleived to be there.

Further reports on television reporting eyewiteness account of something in the skies do support our earlier views of asteroid etc...Lets see in the morning what exactly is this.

Bit Regret:
Now its 12.42 a.m. tomorrow i will be busy because delegates from 10 districts are coming to attend "Cluster Level Training Programme" of 18th National Children's Science Congress. Venue: is Jeevan Jyothi Retreat House, Inside Lane Opposite Stopper's Stop Begumpet. I will be there for two days (25-26th August).

So may be bit of disappointment (or may not be so) for our media freinds like (for Sun Tsuanmi news on 4th August) i couldnt speak much though knew. At that time our society was organising three day workshop on Climate Change from 7th august to 9th August.Kindly visit www.tinyurl.com/apsa2010 Where we also organised "Andhra Pradesh Scientist Awards 2010" supplementing the efforts of Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology (APCOST) and NCSTC, DST, Govt of India.

APSA2010
Click on this image to visit our album of photos on our recent workshop

India's 64th Independence Day and Isro's 41st Anniversary - President's Message

2010-08-15T17:12:00.002+05:30

Today indians around the world celebrate 64th Independence Day. Importantly today is the day when ISRO was established in year 41 Years ago.

On this great day we like to rededicate the message and vision of Gurudev Rabindranath tagore for our country.

Mind Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up

into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason

has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action---

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Maybe this could act as measure for were we reached regard to what was envisioned by the great men who fought in freedom struggle of the country. Click here for detailed article on my impressions.

ABOUT ISRO Kindly click on these links to know more about ISRO and its establishement.

Historical 40th Anninversary of ISRO - Outreach
Indian Space Research Organisation's 40th Anniversary

Further here are the message from President of India, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the ocassion of Indian Independence Day.

Honb'le President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil Message to Nation :Click here

Statement by the Hon'ble President of United States of America on India's Independence Day Celebrations :
"On behalf of my administration and the American people, I wish to congratulate all who will celebrate the 63rd anniversary of India’s independence. Indians around the world can not only look back on their history with pride, but can also look ahead to a future filled with hope and further progress. Ever since August 15, 1947, India’s non-violent struggle for freedom, its rejection of terrorism and extremism, and its belief in democracy, tolerance, and the rule of law have been an inspiration and beacon of hope for people around the world. India’s example has had a profound effect on many countries, including the United States. Leaders of our civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about the debt they owed to Mahatma Gandhi. Ties between our two peoples have never been stronger. The over two million members of the Indian American community are living examples of the bonds that bind our nations together and their accomplishments have become well-known and admired in both countries. The strategic partnership between our countries will continue to grow, and I am looking forward to my November visit to India. Our goal is to make this one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. Once again, congratulations and best wishes for a happy and safe Independence Day."
Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

Further here is Hon'ble Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers a message on India's Independence Day in Washington, DC August 4, 2010.

Spot Mars, Venus and Saturn using Crescent Moon to Welcome the Begining of Holy Month

2010-08-12T22:52:00.002+05:30

Sighting of Crescent moon on Wednesday marked the begining of Holy Month of Ramadan for our Muslim brethren. Importantly it was the day when Sravan Mas begin for Hindus with mark month long special pooja's. Respecting the beliefs/traditions of people of land, is and will be unique mark of our society. Saying so it always tried to promote scientific temperament, while working for eradication of superstition etc..

Further here is exciting news THREE PLANETS which are tuned to welcome the holy month of devotion. Ant to assist you moon is positioned at right place at right time during course of its journey around earth.

Conjunction of Moon with Mars, Venus and Saturn :
On 13^th August, 2010 Conjunction of Moon with three planets Mars, Venus and Saturn will occur. i.e. One would see these three planets close to each other and near to moon as seen from earth. Importantly on 13^th August - 14^th August people in

India

can spot Planet Mars, Venus and Saturn using Crescent Moon as a tool.

HOW TO SPOT/OBSERVE THESE PLANETS ?

SKY AS WOULD BE SEEN ON 13th AUGUST, 2010 7.30pm

Directions/Time - On 13th August 2010: After sunset at 7pm one should look towards west direction to find Bright thin Crescent Moon. Just towards right side of Moon one can find three Bright Non-twinkling objects which are Mars, Venus and Saturn.

SKY AS WOULD BE SEEN ON 14 th AUGUST, 2010 7.30pm

Directions/Time - On 14th August, 2010 : After Sunset one should look towards West Direction to find Moon and far below towards right side of Moon one can find Mars, Venus and Saturn.

Note : These planets would be visible maximum of One and Half hour after Sunset and set in the west.

No need of Telescopes: people can directly observe Mars, Venus and Saturn using Moon with their own eyes. Telescopes are required only appreciating finest features of the planet.

Further do not miss the Perseids Meteor Shower read the post on Perseids for full details.

Perseids Meteor Shower Visible from Clear and Dark Skies - August 2010

2010-08-11T23:29:00.011+05:30

Special Note for Readers of Sakshi : if you typed www.ourplanets.com to visit Planetary Society, India (kindly click here or visit www.ournewplanets.com) to know more. This is in reference to N.Sri Raghunandan Kumar ఎన్. శ్రీ రఘునందన్ కుమార్, ఖగోళ పరిశోధకులు, ప్లానె టరీ సొసైటీ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా వ్యవస్థాపక కార్యదర్శి Article in Sakshi Newspaper titled "చుక్కల్లో చిల్డ్రన్" published on 12th January 2011 . To read online click here. You can also find Astronomy Club india hyderabad andhra pradesh information. Importantly find info of Planetarium, Hyderabad under guidance of Dr.B.G.Siddarth, Birla Science Center (famously known as Birla Planetarium Hyderabad) who has been making efforts to serve people of Andhra pradesh and inspiring many students like Mr.Raghunandan since over three decades.

Away from city lights on 12th/13th August, 2010 people can witness annual spectacle of Perseids Meteor Shower from pollution free dark and clear skies. This shower occurs annually between 23rd July to 24th August due to debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle entering earth’s atmosphere.

How many Meteors are expected to be seen ? What does previous year records speak about this ?
According International Meteorological Organization (IMO) on the night of 12th\13th August, 2010 people can witness Perseids Meteor Shower with a maximum "normal" peak of 100 meteors per hour (between August 12, 23h30m UT to August 13, 02h00m UT). In the last two decades Perseids surprised observers with 150 to 400+ meteors/hour due to the Earth passing through regions of higher density in the dust stream (e.g., ZHR ~200 last year).

Bright Perseid flying over the ruins of St. Andrew church 8th Aug 2010

Nièvre, France Aug. 8, 2010

Where to Look – North East Direction- No Telescopes Required - What to expect: People can witness this celestial spectacle till 24th August, 2010. New Moon on August 10 creates perfect conditions to observe the shower. Though meteor shower is at peak on 12th/13th August. This Shower is actively visible up to 24th August, 2010.

All one has to do is to look towards North East Direction to observe Constellation (pattern of stars) called Perseus.

When is the best time to observe the meteors ?
The best time to observe is starting 2 a.m when this constellation is sufficiently above horizon. Importantly IMO expects highest rates of Meteors towards early morning hours when the radiant reaches its highest point.

Do We need telescopes to see this celeastial event ?
Telescopes/binoculars are not required. One can see bright streaks of light zipping across the sky and it would seem as if they are emanating from Perseus Constellation which contains a point in the sky called "the Perseids radiant”.

What exactly is a Meteor shower ?
A meteor is a shooting star (layman’s Language), space dust about the size of a grain of sand. The dust hits the earth’s atmosphere and burns up in a blaze of light. This meteor shower gets the name "Perseids" because it appears to radiate from the constellation (pattern of Stars) called Perseus. This meteor shower occurs annually starting Mid of July to Mid of August.

Where does space dust come from?
Comets and asteroids pass through our solar system. During such pass comets leave dust behind them. When earth crosses through these dust clouds we see a meteor shower. When a speck of this dust hits Earth's atmosphere traveling at greater speed it disintegrates in a bright flash of light—a meteor!

What is the Parent body causing Perseids Meteor Showers ?
Perseids Meteor Showers have their origin from debris left by the comet 109P/Swift Tuttle , which orbits the sun once every 133 years . Simulations by Jeremie Vaubaillon and Mikhail Maslov indicate that we may again encounter 'dust trails' this year, left behind when the parent comet passed the Sun in the years 441, 1479 and 1862.

Perseids Meteor Shower – Parent Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle: The Perseids have been observed for at least 2,000 years. Each year in August, the Earth passes through a cloud of this comet's debris. These bits of ice and dust -- most over 1,000 years old -- burn up in the Earth's atmosphere to create one of the best meteor showers of the year. However Geminids Meteor Shower are one of the popular annual meteor showers occurring visible from India apart from Leonids Meteor Shower which occurs in November.

Why Perseids was known as "Tears of St.Lawrence" or “The Night Of St. Lawrence's Tears"?
The event of Perseids Meteor Showers is also known as "The Tears of St. Lawrence." Over 1700 years ago on August 10th 258 a.d. a young Christian deacon of Rome was martyred by the Emperor Valerian by being roasted alive on a gridiron. And that night as his mourners carried his body away dozens of streaks of light fell from the sky, which prompted his followers to believe that even the heavens were weeping for their dear friend. And every year since almost to the date the skies weep again on what many call the night of St. Lawrence's Tears.

raghunandan

Stephen Hawking's Warning to Mankind - Extinction

2010-08-11T23:09:00.000+05:30

Friends we did it again here is "Stephen Hawking's " talk on bigthink. Presently every one around the world is discussing.

There is lot to talk about this. Importantly about our stand . i would write about this in a day or two.

Sun Spitting Solar Particles - Reached Earth 11pm 3rd August

2010-08-04T04:07:00.000+05:30

Yes Members what you heard is true ?
Its true that Two Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from sun is traveling towards earth. It is estimated to hit earth's magnetic feild on 3/4th August.

Latest Update :
The first of possibly two incoming CMEs hit Earth's magnetic field at approximately 1730 UT (11 p.m. Indian Standard Time).

Before you go any further kindly see our earlier posts to know what exactly the people/news/experts are talking about.

1. Sun Spitting Solar Particles - Will it Reach earth was written in April 2010.

2. Will the World End in 2013 ? Geo Magentic Storm - Sun and Recent NASA Report

Members, I have lot to talk on this but need time to write. Here are some exepreience and faq for you.

My experiences - Journey of Sunspot 1092 so far :
I was personally fascinated by this sunspot 1092 when it first appeared on eastern limb of sun while 1089 was exiting on other part of Sun's limb from our view

then 3days ago there was another news that this sunspot 1092 is as big as our earth. And was visible to naked eye during early morning sun rise.

Then on 1st August there was alert on auroras observers due to this CME which was expected to come towards earth.

And on 3rd August with NASA release entire world, t.v.'s were beaming breaking news on Two CME'S reaching earth in 24-48 hours.

What Exactly happened ?
On August 1, 2010 around 0855 UT, Earth orbiting satellites detected a C3-class solar flare. The origin of the blast was sunspot 1092. At about the same time, an enormous magnetic filament stretching across the sun's northern hemisphere erupted. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the action.

On August 1st around 0855 UT, Earth orbiting satellites detected a C3-class solar flare. The origin of the blast was Earth-facing sunspot 1092. C-class solar flares are small (when compared to X and M-class flares) and usually have few noticeable consequences here on Earth besides aurorae. This one has spawned a coronal mass ejection heading in Earth's direction.

What exactly is a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)?
Coronal mass ejections (or CMEs) are large clouds of charged particles that are ejected from the Sun over the course of several hours and can carry up to ten billion tons (1016 grams) of plasma. They expand away from the Sun at speeds as high as a million miles an hour. A CME can make the 93-million-mile journey to Earth in just three to four days.

What exactly happens when CME's reaches Earth ?
When a coronal mass ejection reaches Earth, it interacts with our planet’s magnetic field, potentially creating a geomagnetic storm. Solar particles stream down the field lines toward Earth’s poles and collide with atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere, resulting in spectacular auroral displays. On the evening of August 3rd/4th, skywatchers in the northern U.S. and other countries can look toward the north for the rippling dancing “curtains” of green and red light.

What exactly is happening on Sun ?
The Sun goes through a regular activity cycle about 11 years long. The last solar maximum occurred in 2001 and its recent extreme solar minimum was particularly weak and long lasting. These kinds of eruptions are one of the first signs that the Sun is waking up and heading toward another solar maximum expected in the 2013 time frame.

Return of Mars Hoax Story - Two Moons Story 27th August Kerala

2010-07-27T11:15:00.002+05:30

So freinds the Hoax Story of Mars has returned in the nearest theaters (sorry skies above your head) to you. However the difference is the spammers used another hoax story "Two Suns in the Sky" and changed the title to "Two Moons on 27th August ...27th August the world is waiting for ....." .

Interestingly there is no description of so called two moons in the body of hoax story. They just copied various parts of original hoax story of 2003 and pasted it underneath the heading. Whats funny is the timing of this hoax story on two moons i.e. today is 27th July,2010 exactly one month from the day the hoax story title says two moons in the sky visible.

TRUTH :
As you already guessed it right this story is hoax there is nothing of such sort is going to happen.

Read click here our 2008 article on this story.

Why we are talking about it Now ?
Today morning Society received queries from people in kerala. Importantly it contained link to MALAYALAM SUPER STAR MAMMOOTTY twitter update at http://twitter.com/mammukka (which is still being retweeted over the web). The update of the actors proposed account on twitter reportedly stated on 27th August two moons will be visible etc....
our members have made attempt to contact the concerned and requested to stop the spread of hoax.

We however appreciate the interest of actor in astronomy and many others who with good intention wanted many people to know about a spectacle in the skies. However they tweeted/retweeted the update in ignorance of the facts succumbing to tactics of spammers.

Good news :
Further 10 minutes before this article was being written at 11 a.m. there was another update on actors twitter saying it is hoax.

however the retweet of the actors original tweet are spreading like fire. as they say "Lie goes around the world, even before truth has chance to wear its pants".

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON 11th /12th JULY 2010 - Not Visible In India

2010-07-10T18:57:00.004+05:30

On 11th/12th July 2010 last Solar Eclipse of the Year “Total Solar Eclipse” will occur. This Eclipse is visible totally from the Cook Island, French Polynesia, the south-eastern Pacific Ocean and the southern most parts of Chile and Argentina. Whereas it is visible partially from southern parts of South America and the South Pacific Ocean. However this Solar Eclipse is not visible in India.
Timings in Indian Standard Time (IST): The Various phases of Eclipse begins at 10.39pm on 11th July, 2010 and Ends at 3.27 a.m. next day i.e. 12th July 2010. Wherein the central Phase begins at 11.47 pm on 11th July and ends at 02.20 a.m. on 12th July.

Greatest Eclipse/Duration of Eclipse at totality: The greatest phase of eclipse will occur at 1.03 a.m. on 12th July when the Sun’s Disk is obscured by moon totally for 5 minutes and 25 Seconds.

Previous and Next Solar Eclipse: The Last Solar Eclipse Visible from India occurred on 15th January, 2010. Whereas the Next Solar Eclipse would occur on 4th January, 2011 which is visible from few northern states in the country. Astronomically speaking the year 2010 ends with a Total Lunar Eclipse which will occur on 21st December, 2010 which again is not visible in India

Partial Lunar Eclipse on 26th June, 2010(Saturday) - Visible In India

2010-06-23T22:20:00.005+05:30

On 26th June 2010 Partial Lunar Eclipse would occur. People in North Eastern states of the country can see (umbral phase) ending of Eclipse when the small part (on upper side) of Moon’s Disk is immersed in earth’s dark shadow and slowly leaving. Importantly rest of the India would experience the eclipse with moon in light tinge of earth’s lighter shadow (during penumbral phase). This Eclipse is the last in the year 2010 for India.

World Wide Area: The eclipse will be visible in the region covering eastern Asia, Australia, and Antarctica, parts of America and the Indian and the Pacific Ocean.

Timings In Indian Standard Time: Various phases of eclipse begin at 2.25pm and Ends at 7.51 p.m whereas umbral phase begins at 3.46 p.m. and ends at 6.30 pm.

Here in this video view of this eclipse as seen from Sun and Moon is presented :

In other words eclipse begins with moon entering penumbral phase at 2.25pm continuing to pass with moon entering Umbra from 3.46 p.m. to 6.30 pm and leaving penumbra at 7.51 p.m. Umbral Phase is the time when people would actually notice the darkening of moon’s disk. .

The maximum covering of moon would take place at 5.08 p.m when nearly 54 percent of moon’s disk is covered by dark shadow (umbra) of earth. Whereas during Penumbral Phase of this eclipse whole disk of moon is immersed in earth’s lighter shadow.

Watch with Naked Eye – Where to See – What can be expected: No Filters are required to watch this spectacle. One can spot the moon in the east direction after Sunset. One would see upper part of moon’s disk is already darkened and slowly clearing off. Whereas people in rest of India may find moon in tinge of lighter shadow of earth.

Next Lunar Eclipse: The next Lunar Eclipse of the Year Total eclipse of the MOON will occur on 21 December 2010 which is not visible in India.

Here is the Video of Eclipse as seen from Hyderabad - Various Views:

Why only Penumbral Phase for rest of India is noticeable and Umbral Phase for few states in North East? Moon leaves noticeable umbra at 6.30 p.m.. Compared to major part of the country during this part of the year in the north eastern states, the sunset occurs as early as by around 6.10 p.m. (6.54 p.m in Hyd) and Moon Rises around 6.10 p.m. (6.55 pm. In hyd). Hence ending of the eclipse is visible from the north-eastern parts of India (Aizwal, Dimpur, Kohima, Nowgong etc..) when the moon is rising in the eastern horizon. Whereas rest of the country would see the Moon engulfed in Penumbra (lighter shadow of earth – difficultly noticeable) until 7.51 p.m.

N S RAGHUNANDAN KUMAR PLANETARY SOCIETY
Above is published (not in detail) in the web with title " India to witness partial lunar eclipse June 26" google to find.