Posts Made By: Maurice Clark

The Mars Reconnissance Orbiter has concluded its areobraking manouvers, and has now settled into its science orbit.

Not long now until some serious science imaging.

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/mission/orbiter_update.html

Maurice

The SMART-1 lunar probe has returned images of its September 3 impact site.

Maurice

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMRR46LARE_index_1.html

Hi all,

Here is a great animation of the ESA Smart-1 lunar impact taken by the CFHT. In the animation you can see the flash of the impact and the cloud of debris it kicked up.

Quite astounding when you think of what was involved!!!

http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/News/Smart1/

Cheers,

Maurice

Hi all,

Check out this image of the LMC taken by the Spitzer Infra-red Space Telescope!

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2006-17/ssc2006-17b.shtml

If your ISP can handle the volume, download the 10 Mb version, the detail is amazing. The other amazing thing is that the image covers over 7 degrees!!!!! To get an image that size required the mosiacing of some 300,000 individual images!!!! 8O And I complain about mosiacing 3 or 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Maurice

I wonder if this says something about California and its legislators!!!!

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/hr_36_bill_20060824_introduced.html

One of my favourite bits:

WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet renders millions of text books, museum displays, and children's refrigerator art projects obsolete, and represents a substantial unfunded mandate that must be paid by dwindling Proposition 98 education funds, thereby harming California's children and widening its budget deficits;



Cheers

Maurice

Hi all,

Just found out that Xena is no more. 8O 8)

News has just come through that the object nicknamed "Xena" has been officially named.

According to the IAU Committee on Small-Body Nomenclature and the Working Group on Planetary-System Nomenclature, 2003 UB313 will now go by the name Eris. Its moon is now named "Dysnomia".

This is the part that I like!!

"The name is fitting," says Brown. Eris is the Greek goddess of strife and discord. As the story goes, Eris caused wars by creating infighting among others. Given the turmoil within the astronomical community surrounding Eris's classification, its name carries a much deeper, political meaning indeed.

More here:

http://skytonight.com/news/home/3916126.html

Cheers,

Maurice

Hi all,

Not sure if this is permissible or not, but I just saw this on the Sky&Telescope website and thought that some here would be interested.

They are selling the latest edition of "The New Solar System" for just $1. Must be because of the Pluto planet/non-planet decision! 8)

This is an excellent book, and even if it is now outdated since it calls Pluto a planet, it is a great bargin. I just ordered myself a copy.

http://www.shopatsky.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=214

Cheers,

Maurice

Hi all,

Very interesting discussion of what is involved in planning for the New Horizons encounter with Jupiter in January.

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000695/

Cheers,

Maurice

Hi all,

There has been much written here lately about left-wingers and "Libs" distorting the truth and being "corrupt". So I thought I would post this blog concerning the naming of Eris and Dysnomia.

http://www.mikejanitch.com/blog/_archives/2006/9/13/2324696.html

Apparently right-winger Mike Janitch believes the names were chosen as a protest about the war in Iraq! 8O

For example: Just an accident? Or is there really lawlessness, strife, and discord among the astronomical community? Hardly... come on.. admit it... its an antiwar jab... its obvious

If this guy does not know about the strife and discord amongst the astronomical community over the classification of Eris and Pluto, then he must have his head an awful long way somewhere! :S See for example: http://skytonight.com/news/home/3916126.html

In addition, he also claims that the naming was somehow linked to 9/11.

Come on! The only obvious thing is that they were taking a cheap shot at world affairs . Why assume the anti-war vibe? Because of Michael Brown's own statements, coupled with the fact that he is from the California Institute of Technology.. located in far west Moonbat country, the 9/11 timing, and the fact that the name had to be picked by Michael Browns team BEFORE the Pluto planet vote.

This guy is either so totally ignorant, or so totally dishonest, that he tries to make out that the discord has been the result of the decision to reclassify Pluto. This is utterly false! There has been considerable strife and discord over the classification of Pluto and Eris, ever since Eris was discovered in 2003!!! The IAU decision was just the culmination of 3 years debate.

If this is the best and brightest that the right-wing of USA politics can produce, then it explains a considerable amount of right-wing postings here recently.

Regards,

Maurice

Hi all,

Opportunity is getting very near the next gig hole in the ground; Victoria crater. Should be interesting when it finally reaches the rim!!

Cheers,

Maurice