Looking Up
Exciting events in astronomy by Donna Vanzetti from the Gingin Observatory.
17/11/2008
During the month of November, there are some extra special astronomy objects to look out for, starting with the Taurids meteor shower.
The shower can be seen throughout November with peak activity early in the month. The best time to look for these bright streaks is after midnight.
Jupiter and Venus shine as the brightest planets we can.... more »
2/10/2008
With Americans set to return to the moon, this time for much longer expeditions, the pressure is on to make the jour¬neys safer and more affordable.
That is the mission of NASA’s robotic scout, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO. Scheduled for launch in late 2008 or early 2009, LRO is NASA’s first step to returning humans to the moon by 2020. That is only 12.... more »
19/09/2008
NASA’s boldest and most challenging mission is so far proving a spectacular success.
The Phoenix Mars Lander was launched on August 4, 2007, and travelled 220 million kilometres before making a near-perfect touchdown on the red planet on May 25.
The landing site in the North Polar Region was chosen carefully so the robotic arm on Phoenix could collect soil samples.... more »