On February 11th 1970, Japan became the fourth space power after launching the satellite Ohsumi into orbit from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan. Launched on a Japanese Lambda 4-S booster at 04:25:00 UTC, the Ohsumi spacecraft…
Polar alignment is the act of aligning the rotational axis of a telescope’s equatorial mount or a sundial’s gnomon with a celestial pole to parallel Earth’s axis. There are a variety of alignment methods and equipment to help amateur astronomers to assist with polar alignment of their…
Established on February 9th, 1870; the organization known today as the National Weather Service was created by a joint Congressional resolution that was later signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant. The organization is a…
February 9th will see a Full Moon but not a supermoon, as the Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully…
Come learn about the basics of asteroid redirection including what are asteroids, why redirect them, and what options are available. Asteroids striking Earth are never a good thing. What is an Asteroid? The classic definition…
2020 was a big year for Mars Missions as Earth and Mars are in good positions relative to each other for landing on Mars. There were 4 Mars planned missions–3 rovers, 2 orbiters, and 1 lander to launch…
With the prospect of NASA sending astronauts soon with the recent success of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Abort mission, it looks like manned spaceflight for the US is right around the corner. But before the…
Although the topic of light pollution and legislation are not typically glamorous topics, nor are they fun topics to discuss, light pollution legislation might be a way to reduce light pollution in a long term…
Investigating and then understanding fundamental processes that impact humanity and the environment are crucial aspects of research for NASA and the scientific community. The data and information collected from these missions, plus the unique vantage…
The SOFIA Telescope is a joint NASA and German Aerospace Center project to construct and maintain an airborne observatory. Designed as the successor to the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, SOFIA’s telescope saw first light on May 26, 2010. It will observe celestial magnetic fields, star-forming regions,…