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BIG SUNSPOT: "I was making a webcam movie of giant sunspot 649," says amateur astronomer Hugh Gemmell of Sheffield, UK, "when an aircraft flew straight through the field of view. One in a million!" Click to play. Sunspot 649 is indeed enormous, and easy to see. But don't stare at the blinding sun. Try these safe solar observing techniques.
Above: L.A. Sunrise: sizzling sunspot 649 shines through some trees on August 14th. Credit: Gary Palmer of Los Angeles, CA. more images: from Riccardo Di Nasso of Pisa, Italy; from Peter J. Garbett of Sharnbrook U.K.; from Wah! of Yuen Long, Hong Kong; from Peter Paice of Belfast, Northern Ireland; from Masa Nakamura of Otawara, Tochigi-Pref. Japan; |
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 See the Sun right now!Live cam shows current solar activity |
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| Today on SPACE.com -- Wednesday, August 11, 2004 -- http://www.space.com/ /------------------------------------- Advertisement: What's your IQ? Take the most thorough and scientifically accurate IQ Test on the Web. It's FREE, it's private and it's developed by PhDs. Click here: http://web.tickle.com/forward?sid=1661&supp=newsletter_120x600_emodeiq_3b_blu&test=uiqogt -------------------------------------/ In today's issue: Science/Astronomy: * Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Overnight * NASA Chief: 'Let's Go Save the Hubble' * Top 10 Facts: Perseid Meteor Shower * NASA Scientist Sees Possible Mat of Martian Microbes * Viewer's Guide: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Aug. 11-12 * Image of the Day: Dying Embers Spaceflight: * Canadian Robot Top Choice for Hubble Servicing Mission * Redesigning Rockets: NASA Space Propulsion Finds a New Home * Armadillo Aerospace's X Prize Prototype Crashes * Astronotes: Japan Launches Solar Sails * Washington State-Based Ansari X Prize Contestant's Spacecraft Explodes * New NASA Supercomputer to Aid Theorists and Shuttle Engineers * Nominations: 100 People who made a difference in Space * NEW! Daily Space Trivia NEW! Cool Stuff: * New! Search for Your Next Hi-Tech Job Opportunity Now! * New Zoomview: Athens Sports Complex * New Wallpaper: Exploring Our Solar System * New Gallery - Six Months of Mars: The Best of Mars Rovers * Zoomview - Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Alex * Image Gallery: Exploring Mercury * Image Gallery: da Vinci Project's Wild Fire * Mars Rover Wallpaper Entertainment: A Special Section created in partnership with Cinescape Magazine! * REVIEW: The Village * Review: I, Robot * SPOTLIGHT: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR Trailer Now Online * Review: Spider-Man 2 * How Close Is Real Science To Doc Ock-Style Superlimbs? Recent Headlines: * SPACE NEWS: Intelsat Stops Loral Satellite Fleet's Revenue Decline * Hubble Trouble: One of Four Instruments Stops Working * NASA's Pluto Mission to be Delayed or Cut Back * Cassini Hears Puzzling Lightning at Saturn * The Race is On: Second Private Team Sets Launch Date for Human Spaceflight * Universities Plan World's Largest Telescope * Weak Version of Most Powerful Explosions Found * Brazil's Amazonas Satellite Reaches Space * The Next Great Space Race: SpaceShipOne and Wild Fire to Go For the Gold * Cassini's Journeys: Headquarters for mission news, Saturn, and more... Plus... * Uplink, SPACE.com TV and NightSky * Starry Night, TeamSETI ----------------------------------- Science/Astronomy: * Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Overnight http://www.space.com/spacewatch/perseid_news_040811.html A fine display of shooting stars is underway and peaks overnight Wednesday into early Thursday morning. Astronomers expect the 2004 Perseid meteor shower to be one of the best versions of the annual event in several years. * NASA Chief: 'Let's Go Save the Hubble' http://www.space.com/news/hubble_mission_040810.html Amid uncertainty over the fate of the Hubble Space Telescope and with a key instrument not working, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe gave the go-ahead Monday for planning a robotic servicing mission. * Top 10 Facts: Perseid Meteor Shower http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/perseid_facts_040810-1.html This week, the skies above the Northern Hemisphere will be peppered with little bits of space debris that create the annual Perseid meteor shower. It could be the best display in several years, peaking Wednesday night and Thursday morning. * NASA Scientist Sees Possible Mat of Martian Microbes http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_040809.html A future astronaut traipsing across the landing sites of the Mars Exploration Rovers - Spirit and Opportunity - might be squishing into a welcome mat of microbes, according to one NASA scientist. * Viewer's Guide: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Aug. 11-12 http://www.space.com/spacewatch/040806_perseid_guide.html Every August, when many people are vacationing in the country where skies are dark, the best-known meteor shower makes its appearance. The annual Perseid meteor shower, as it is called, promised to put on an above average display this year. * Image of the Day: Dying Embers http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/image_of_day_040811.html A new look at an old star reveals a surprising ring amid the fiery look of death. ----------------------------------- Spaceflight: * Canadian Robot Top Choice for Hubble Servicing Mission http://www.space.com/news/dextre_hubble_040811.html A two-armed android launched from Cape Canaveral and operated by an astronaut in Houston is emerging as the leading candidate for a robotic mission to save NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, agency officials said Tuesday. * Redesigning Rockets: NASA Space Propulsion Finds a New Home http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/propulsion_techwed_040811.html While the exploration of the Moon and other planets in our solar system is exciting, the first task for astronauts and robots alike is to actually get to those destinations. * Armadillo Aerospace's X Prize Prototype Crashes http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/armadillo_crash_040810.html Armadillo Aerospace of Mesquite, Texas has reported a crash last weekend of their prototype X Prize rocket. * Astronotes: Japan Launches Solar Sails http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html A piece of science fiction became fact this week as Japanese researchers launched not one, but two large solar sails, successfully deploying the gossamer-thin sheets in space during a brief rocket flight. * Washington State-Based Ansari X Prize Contestant's Spacecraft Explodes http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/spacetransport_crash_040809.html A team taking a low-budget stab at the $10 million Ansari X Prize for private manned spaceflight suffered a setback Sunday, when their rocket malfunctioned and exploded after shooting less than 1,000 feet in the air. * New NASA Supercomputer to Aid Theorists and Shuttle Engineers http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/nasa_supercomputer_040809.html NASA researchers have teamed up with a pair of Silicon Valley firms to build a supercomputer that ranks alongside the world's largest Linux-based systems. * Nominations: 100 People who made a difference in Space http://www.space.com/php/spacenews/top100/ As part of the celebration of its 15th Anniversary this year, Space News will publish a special issue Aug. 23 with a lengthy Special Report about the 100 people who had the greatest impact on the space community from 1989 to 2004. We invite readers to nominate their favorite candidates and also nominate anyone they believe will make a big difference in the next 15 years. * NEW! Daily Space Trivia http://www.space.com/php/trivia/ One of Today's 5 New Questions: Who is the only person allowed to communicate directly with astronauts to discuss operational issues? ---------------------------------- NEW! Cool Stuff: * New! Search for Your Next Hi-Tech Job Opportunity Now! http://www.space.com/jobs/ Imaginova and CareerBuilder.com have partnered to bring you the best in job searching, resume posting, and online recruiting. * New Zoomview: Athens Sports Complex http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/zoomviewer/index.php?display_img=athens_sports_complex Zoom in and View Athens Sports Complex, which includes Olympic Stadium, where the Opening and Closing ceremonies are held, along with a host of sporting events during the Summer Olympics of 2004. * New Wallpaper: Exploring Our Solar System http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/downloads/wallpapers/collection.php?collection=solarsystem Take a tour of the solar system with this new collection of Planetary Wallpapers! * New Gallery - Six Months of Mars: The Best of Mars Rovers http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagegallery/archive.php?category=se The Best of the Mars Rovers -- so far! * Zoomview - Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Alex http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/zoomviewer/index.php?display_img=hurricane_alex Zoom in and view the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which is expected to greatly affect the entire Atlantic shoreline. * New Image Gallery: Exploring Mercury http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagegallery/archive.php?category=ss Explore the Sun's closest planetary neighbor with this new gallery. The MESSENGER spacecraft recently launched a 7-year journey to Mercury. * Image Gallery: da Vinci Project's Wild Fire http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagegallery/archive.php?category=se Not familiar with the newest 'contender' for the X PRIZE? Check out what the da Vinci team has been up to recently! * Mars Rover Wallpaper http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/downloads/wallpapers/collection.php?collection=rovers Download wallpaper of the Mars Rovers Opportunity and Spirit, as they explore the Red Planet in search of clues about the history of Mars. ---------------------------------- Entertainment: http://www.space.com/entertainment/ * REVIEW: The Village http://www.space.com/entertainment/village_review.html Anybody watching the first two-thirds of the film might wonder how the film could engender such extreme complaints - okay, the dialogue is on the stilted side and the pace is a bit leisurely, but there is plenty of atmosphere and tension. Once the first of the story's big secrets is revealed, however, doubts will arise in most viewers' minds, and when an even bigger twist is revealed, few will be willing to go along with it. * SPOTLIGHT: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR Trailer Now Online http://www.space.com/entertainment/spotlight.html If you need a new dose of duelling extraterrestrials, then you should be informed that Apple is hosting the exclusive internet trailer for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. * Review: I, Robot http://www.space.com/entertainment/irobot_review.html The puzzle aspect of I, ROBOT is its most compelling feature. The structure is strong and we genuinely do not guess exactly what is going on right away, although the clues are laid out for us fairly. Another bonus is Smith's performance, which is intelligent and charismatic enough to carry us along even over the rough patches. * Review: Spider-Man 2 http://www.space.com/entertainment/spiderman2_review.html One of the catchphrases of the SPIDER-MAN universe is "With great power comes great responsibility." The financial success of the first film gave Raimi and Co. great power - here they use it to fulfill their responsibilities to both their material and their audience wonderfully well. * How Close Is Real Science To Doc Ock-Style Superlimbs? http://www.space.com/entertainment/science_spiderman2.html How close are we really to fusing together man and machine? Could robot tentacles, arms or legs really be wielded with a thought? The control is the real science fiction. ---------------------------------- Recent Headlines: * SPACE NEWS: Intelsat Stops Loral Satellite Fleet's Revenue Decline http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_040809.html * Hubble Trouble: One of Four Instruments Stops Working http://www.space.com/news/hubble_glitch_040807.html * NASA's Pluto Mission to be Delayed or Cut Back http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/pluto_mission_040806.html * Cassini Hears Puzzling Lightning at Saturn http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/cassini_lightning_040805.html * The Race is On: Second Private Team Sets Launch Date for Human Spaceflight http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/davinci_xprizeupdate_040805.html * Universities Plan World's Largest Telescope http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/largest_telescope_040805.html * Weak Version of Most Powerful Explosions Found http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/gamma_ray_040805.html * Brazil's Amazonas Satellite Reaches Space http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/proton_launch_040805.html * The Next Great Space Race: SpaceShipOne and Wild Fire to Go For the Gold http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/xprize_spacerace_archive.html * Cassini's Journeys: Headquarters for mission news, Saturn, and more... http://www.space.com/cassini/ ----------------------------- * SpaceTV: http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/spacetv/ * NightSky: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/ * Uplink: Share your opinion! http://uplink.space.com/ ------------------------------------- Sign up to become part of the greatest search in history! Join TeamSETI: http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_science_page.html Be a desktop astronomer! Starry Night is the world's leading astronomy software -- choose between Beginner, Backyard, or Pro! http://www.starrynight.com/space ------------------------------------- |
LINKS |
| What Neil & Buzz Left on the Moon (07-20-04) |
| Voyager 1, Prepare for Action (07-14-04) |
| The Missing Moon of Sedna (04-14-04) |
| Venus and the Pleiades 04-01-04) |
| A Gathering of Planets (03-19-04) |
| Mysterious Sedna (03-18-04) |
| Cold Peril: The Continuing Adventures of Ulysses (03-17-04) |
| A Close Encounter with Jupiter (03-03-04) |
| Interplanetary Hole in One (01-26-04) |
| Destination: Meridiani Planum (01-22-04) |
| Stardust Surprise (01-16-04) |
| Click here to download the first colour image of Mars taken by Spirit. (156 KB) |
| Destination: Gusev Crater 12-30-03 |
| Mars Express status report (12-24-03) |
| Christmas Day Mars Landing 12-19-03) |
| Saturn Rings in the New Year (12-13-03) |
| Mars Express Has Nearly Arrived (12-11-03) |
| Christmas Sunset (12-10-03) |
| NASA relies on thrusters to steer space station after malfunction (12-07-03) |
| NASA Asks Pentagon to Examine Space Station for Damage (12-04-03) |
| Hubble Tour - very good! (11-24-03) |
| Houston, we have a solution (11-10-03) |
| Next Stop: Mars (09-29-03) |
| The Human Advantage (09-23-03) |
| Solar Flares on Steroids (09-13-03) |
| Spending The Summer In Space (09-10-03) |
| http://spacewander.com/USA/english.html (09-10-03)l |
| The Planet that Won't Go Away (09-09-03) |
| Space Station Music (09-04-03) |
| Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) final report (08-30-03) |
| Dramatic view from space of Brazilian launch pad disaster (08-28-03) |
| Close Encounters with Mars (08-26-03) |
| Fred Leslie--Catching A Ride To Space (07-15-03) |
| Mars Dust (07-09-03) |
| Re-Creating History (06-24-03) |
| Night Clouds (06-21-03) |
| Orbital Space Plane--Commuting To Space (06-17-03) |
| ISS Robotic Arm (06-11-03) |
| Moon Illusion (06-07-03) |
| Soyuz Data Recorders Indicate Human Error Not to Blame (06-06-03) |
| SHUTTLE EXHAUST CREATES NIGHT-SHINING CLOUDS (06-06-03) |
| Star City (06-03-03) |
| SpaceRef.com |
| Space station maneuvers to avoid close call (05-30-03) |
| VASIMR-powered spacecraft (05-27-03) |
| Pictures of Earth...from Mars (05-23-03) |
| Super Spaceships (05-14-03) |
| U.S. Eyes International Locations for Space Surveillance Radar (05-13-03) |
| Explaining Thirty Years Of Fudge (05-06-03) |
| ISS CREW Homeward Bound (05-02-03) |
| Space Scents (04-29-03) |
| Space Station Moon Movie (04-28-03) |
| Galaxy Evolution Explorer Launches (04-28-03) |
| Space station trip reflects new reality (04-22-03) |
| Squashed Moon (04-17-03) |
| Aurora Blues (04-09-03) |
| Cures for Space Travelers (04-09-03) |
| To Sleep or Not to Sleep (04-08-03) |
| Getting Ready for a Space Walk (04-08-03) |
| Project Pluto (03-29-03) |
| ISS Picture of the Day |
| Space Station Astrophotography (03-25-03) |
| A gamma-ray burst bonanza (03-24-03) |
| A Quirky El Ni�o (03-16-03) |
| Ancient Astronomy Calendars, Navigation, Predictions (03-13-03) |
| The Cosmos is the Classroom (03-04-03) |
| Cures for Space Travelers (03-03-03) |
| Snow Gullies on Mars (02-19-03) |
| STS-107 Page |
| NASA's investigation (02-02-03) |
| Candlestick Rocket Ship (01-30-03) |
| Look at that Spaceship (01-28-03) |
| Near-Earth Supernovas (01-07-03) |
| Deep Space 1: (12-20-02) |
| Earthgazing (11-20-02) |
| A Super Galactic Discovery (11-20-02) |
| The Leonids TV Show (11-17-02) |
| Leonid Observing Tips (11-14-02) |
| Dark Rings (11-09-02) |
| The Roar of Innovation (11-07-02) |
| Halloween Asteroid (10-31-02) |
| Earth rocks on the Moon (10-18-02) |
| Meteor Storm Forecast (10-10-02) |
| Out Beyond Pluto, Astronomers Find Something (10-08-02) |
| A Cold New World (10-07-02) |
| Space Medicine (09-30-02) |
| An Extraordinary Movie (09-26-02) |
| Mystery Object Orbits Earth (09-21-02) |
| A Shocking Space Movie (09--21-02) |
| The Right Stuff for Super Spaceships (09-16-02) |
| Were the lunar landings faked? (09-14-02) |
| The Real Lord of the Rings (09-03-02) |
| Space Power (09-03-02) |
| Space Station Supernova (08-29-02) |
| Contact Lost With CONTOUR Spacecraft (08-15-02) |
| International Space Station (08-06-02) |
| Look at that Asteroid (07-30-02) |
| Asteroid 2002 NT7: Potential Earth Impact In 2019 Ruled Out (07-29-02) |
| Caveat Impactor (07-26-02) |
| Watch the skies for August asteroid (07-25-02) |
| Summer Meteor Shower (07-20-02) |
| Auroras Underfoot (07-08-02) |
| Found it! Ice on Mars (05-29-02) |
| Stormy weather bodes ill for Endeavour launch (05-29-02) |
| Dazzling Duo (05-24-02) |
| NEAR Resurrection: Bringing Back the Dead Spacecraft (05-23-02) |
| 8 Feared Dead in Cosmodrome Mishap (05-13-02) |
| SOHO comet spotting competition (05-10-02) |
| Venus Pillars and Dogs (05-06-02) |
| First Photos from Hubble's New Camera Released (04-30-02) |
| The Planets Line Up (04-29-02) |
| Starshine 2 Return (04-25-02) |
| Space Tourism (04-24-02) |
| Relax, it's only April (04-24-02) |
| Great Intergalactic Cobwebs (04-20-02) |
| Building the Space Station (04-20-02) |
| Five most visible plants lined up in rare array (04-18-02) |
| Moon Joins the Great Planet Alignment (04-15-02) |
| Spectacular planet show promised (04-03-02) |
| New Details Of Shenzhou And Its Launcher Revealed (04-01-02) |
| Stars of Spring: How to Find Leo the Lion (03-22-02) |
| Asteroid Buzzes Earth, Highlighting Cosmic Blind Spot (03-20-02) |
| Asteroid Visible Today, Crossing Saturn (03-19-02) |
| Viewer's Guide to New Comet Ikeya-Zhang (03-08-02) |
| Puzzling X-rays from Jupiter (03-07-02) |
| Mystery in the Milky Way (03-05-02) |
| Big Moonshine (02-26-02) |
| A Galactic Center Mystery (02-21-02) |
| Vanishing Saturn (02-20-02) |
| The Real Lord of the Rings (02-12-02) |
| The First Starlight (02-08-02) |
| The Biggest Explosions in the Solar System (02-06-02) |
| NASA To Go Nuclear (02-05-02) |
| Space: A Dusty Place (02-05-02) |
| Spacewalkers Aim to Pair Construction Booms Outside Station (01-14-02) |
| In Search of E.T.'s Breath (01-11-02) |
| The Edge of Sunshine (01-08-02) |
| It's A Snap: First Satellite Images of Earth From QuickBird (01-07-02) |
| Solar Eruption Among Most Complex Ever Recorded (01-04-02) |
ISS (ZARYA) 1 25544U 98067A 04210.10033383 .00033847 00000-0 27532-3 0 3157 2 25544 51.6317 116.9888 0006281 55.8224 84.8212 15.70325601324744 SOYUZ-TMA 4 1 28228U 04013A 04208.82228903 .00030872 00000-0 25268-3 0 816 2 28228 51.6307 123.5149 0006148 50.4537 60.5100 15.70226157 15468 PROGRESS-M 49 1 28261U 04019A 04208.82228903 .00030872 00000-0 25268-3 0 808 2 28261 51.6307 123.5149 0006148 50.4537 60.5100 15.70226157 9783 |
| STS-107 STS-107 Page Launch Occurred: 2003-JAN-16 1539:00.075 UTC |
| Extended
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