Labor Day Sale From The Discovery Channel Store

The Discovery Channel Store are having a huge Labor Day Sale with up to 75% off selected products including DVDs, electronics, BBQ gear, summer toys, and telescopes. This sale will continue through September 15th.

Entertainment Earth Summer Sale

This just dropped into my mailbox:

Entertainment Earth is a premier retailer of action figures, toys, gifts and collectibles on the Internet and they ship worldwide. Their huge Summer Blowout Sale has just started. Select toys, figures, games and more are 50-80% off until September 6th. If that's something that's of interest you can find them here:

Select Toys, Figures, Games and More 50-80% off at Entertainment Earth through September 5!

Release of LunarPhase Pro V2.30 Software

V2.30 of LunarPhase Pro has just been released. Full details of the software can be found at: http://www.lunarphasepro.com

LunarPhase Pro (for Win 98/Me/NT/2000/XP) is an observation planninf tool for the Moon as well as an interactive lunar atlas. By using the integrated tools and the general lunar data presented on screen, you'll be able to easily see when and where the moon is, its phase for any date, when it's above the horizon and plan for observing sessions.

The software is very easy to learn and use. Its simple, yet powerful features will provide you with the information you require.

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- LunarPhase Pro V2 CD $39.95
- LunarPhase Pro V2 Download [30Mb] $34.95
- Upgrade Option for Existing LunarPhase (Shareware) users
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A demo version of the software is available from: http://lunarphasepro.nightskyobserver.com/DemoDownload.htm

V2.30 Enhancements:
- Very High Resolution (VHR) Maps have been introduced into this version which show more surface detail when the maps are zoomed in. For a comparison graphic, see: http://lunarphasepro.nightskyobserver.com/mapresdiff.gif
- "Moon in the News" screen lists current news stories relating to the Moon. Needs an internet connection.

Previous V2.xx Enhancements:
- Label only those features along the terminator for easy identification
- The Moon's correct orientation as seen in the sky can now be displayed
- A Meteor Showers screen shows when the Moon interferes with possible observations of those showers.
- A Sun Rise & Set Positions screen shows the compass directions for the rising and setting Sun for the selected date
- A print facility has been added to the Crescent Moon Visibility screen.
- The constellation the Moon is in for the selected time and date is now displayed
- Previous and Next buttons allow navigation through the "Did You Know?" popup screen
- A new Feature Search screen that allows the database of over 9,200 features to be searched, based on different criteria. The results can be printed out.
- The Terminator Features list can be printed out, including any observation notes recorded (or preinstalled) for listed features.
- Find future times and dates for when lunar features are under the same illumination
- Over 9,200 lunar features are now included in the inbuilt database, including the Lunar 100
- Rukl Chart outlines can be overlaid on moon map
- Lists of features for each Rukl Chart can be viewed
- Emulate the view of the moon as seen through your own telescopes and eyepieces
- Record your own observation notes - many features come with preinstalled notes
- Link multiple images to specific lunar features
- Lunar Features are linked to an online lunar photographic atlas
- Different map textures can now be selected - 3 mineral, one gravity and a Clementine Near infra-red map.

Main Features:
- Main screen displays all the information you need at a glance
- View moon information for different times and dates
- Explore the moon's near and far sides using 2D and 3D moon maps
- Lunar maps are fully corrected for libration
- Maps can be panned, zoomed and printed out
- Identify features on maps or from dropdown lists with a simple mouse-click, by clicking on the maps directly or from user-configurable labels that can be displayed on the maps
- Displays a list of terminator features that is updated in real time
- Animate the moon showing libration effects and a traveling terminator
- Monthly Libration diagrams for determining the best limb-features to view
- Moon visibility diagrams show when the moon is visible from your location
- Tells you when First Cresent Visibility occurs (after new moon) and for how long it's visible in the sky
- Displays times of sunrise and sunset at lunar features as seen from your location
- Calculates circumstances of lunar eclipses
- Lists Max. and min. Apogee and Perigee dates and distances for a selected year range
- Monthly phase diagrams - Links to online lunar web resources
- Configure the display to match the view through your telescope/binoculars
- Displays sun rise/set times and twilight times for your location
- Dates of Equinoxes and Solstices and duration of seasons
- Store multiple observing locations
- Print out diagrams, maps and calendars

The 2006 Astronomy Calendars Are Here

The 2006 Astronomy and Space calendars have arrived. You'll find them listed at: 2006 Astronomy Calendars

NASA's Multipurpose Mars Mission Successfully Launched

A seven-month flight to Mars began this morning for NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It will inspect the red planet in fine detail and assist future landers.

An Atlas V launch vehicle, 19 stories tall with the two-ton spacecraft on top, roared away from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:43 a.m. EDT. Its powerful first stage consumed about 200 tons of fuel and oxygen in just over four minutes, then dropped away to let the upper stage finish the job of putting the spacecraft on a path toward Mars. This was the first launch of an interplanetary mission on an Atlas V.

"We have a healthy spacecraft on its way to Mars and a lot of happy people who made this possible," said James Graf, project manager for MRO at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.

MRO established radio contact with controllers 61 minutes after launch and within four minutes of separation from the upper stage. Initial contact came through an antenna at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Uchinoura Space Center in southern Japan.

Health and status information about the orbiter's subsystems were received through Uchinoura and the Goldstone, Calif., antenna station of NASA's Deep Space Network. By 14 minutes after separation, the craft's solar panels finished unfolding, enabling the MRO to start recharging batteries and operate as a fully functional spacecraft.

The orbiter carries six scientific instruments for examining the surface, atmosphere and subsurface of Mars in unprecedented detail from low orbit. For example, its high-resolution camera will reveal features as small as a dishwasher. NASA expects to get several times more data about Mars from MRO than from all previous Martian missions combined.

Researchers will use the instruments to learn more about the history and distribution of Mars' water. That information will improve understanding of planetary climate change and will help guide the quest to answer whether Mars ever supported life. The orbiter will also evaluate potential landing sites for future missions. MRO will use its high-data-rate communications system to relay information between Mars surface missions and Earth.

Mars is 72 million miles from Earth today, but the spacecraft will travel more than four times that distance on its outbound-arc trajectory to intercept the red planet on March 10, 2006. The cruise period will be busy with checkups, calibrations and trajectory adjustments.

On arrival day, the spacecraft will fire its engines and slow itself enough for Martian gravity to capture it into a very elongated orbit. The spacecraft will spend half a year gradually shrinking and shaping its orbit by "aerobraking," a technique using the friction of carefully calculated dips into the upper atmosphere to slow the vehicle. The mission's main science phase is scheduled to begin in November 2006.

The launch was originally scheduled for August 10, but was delayed first due to a gyroscope issue on a different Atlas V, and the next day because of a software glitch.

The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, prime contractor for the project, built both the spacecraft and the launch vehicle.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center is responsible for government engineering oversight of the Atlas V, spacecraft/launch vehicle integration and launch day countdown management.
For more information about MRO on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mro

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For all the latest astronomy and space news, visit the Night Sky Observer News Page

NASA's Mars Orbiter Launch Delayed 24 Hours

The launch of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been postponed. The new launch window is 7:43 to 9:43 a.m. EDT, Friday, August 12.

The delay was called after engineers saw an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. There was insufficient time in the launch window to fully investigate the reading. The Atlas V vehicle is being de-tanked. The rocket will remain on the launch pad, and the MRO spacecraft is secured.

Tomorrow's weather forecast calls for a chance for isolated coastal showers. There is a 20 percent probability of not meeting the launch weather criteria.

On launch day, August 12, the KSC News Center will open at 4:30 a.m. EDT. Foreign national news media should meet at Gate 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5 a.m. to be escorted to the KSC Press Site. NASA TV live coverage of the launch begins at 5:15 a.m. EDT.

For the latest news about Mars, visit the Mars page.

Skynotes Pahe Updated With Perseid Info

A number of resources on the Perseids (audio, video and websites) have been added to the Events for August 2005 section of the Skynotes page. The Perseids shower is now underway.

Mars and the Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid meteor shower is underway. The shower's broad peak extends from August 11th through 13th, with August 12th being best. If you get away from bright city lights and watch the sky between local midnight and dawn on Friday morning, August 12th, you can expect to see dozens to hundreds of meteors.

The planet Mars is out during the Perseid meteor shower, too. It's that bright red "star" high in the eastern sky before dawn. Many Perseid meteors will appear to fly past Mars on Friday morning--a pretty sight.

And speaking of Mars, beware the Mars Hoax. A rumor about the red planet continues to spread via email. The message claims that Mars will come so close to Earth on August 27th that it looks as big as the full Moon. In fact, Mars is approaching Earth for a close encounter in October--not August. October's close approach will indeed be beautiful, but Mars will never rival the Moon.

Articles Page Updated

Some new articles have been added to the Astronomy Articles page.

New Scientific American News Page

I've added a new news page that lists current stories from Scientific American. It can be accessed from the "Today's Astronomy, Space and Science News" menu at the top of each astronomy news page.

New Telescope Store

I've added a new telescope store to the Night Sky Observer website that lists a wide selection of telescopes ranging in objective size from 2.5" to 11". There's a mixture of refractors and reflectors such as dobsonians, schmidt-cassegrains, ritchey-chretien, etc. Manufacturers include Meade, Celestron, Tele-Vue, Vixen, Takahashi and Konus.

Larger telescopes will be added soon along with accessories so stay tuned!

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Visit the Telescope Store

The Persieds Are Coming!

Don't forget, the Perseid meteor shower peaks on Friday morning, August 12th. No matter where you live, the best time to look will be during the hours before local dawn when the constellation Perseus is high in the sky. While August 12th is best, the nights before and after the 12th can be good, too. Even now, sky watchers are seeing occasional bright Perseids before dawn.

Also, you can listen to the shower. Meteor radars are monitoring the skies above the USA; when a Perseid flies overhead, they record an audible "ping." Visit SpaceWeather.com for live audio, plus more information about the Perseids.

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