Spacebook

SATELLITE RE-ENTRY: The ROSAT X-ray Observatory

2011-10-16T23:29:00.001+08:00

SATELLITE RE-ENTRY: The ROSAT X-ray observatory, launched in 1990 by NASA and managed for years by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), will return to Earth within the next two weeks. Current best estimates place the re-entry between Oct. 22nd and 24th over an unknown part of Earth. Although ROSAT is smaller and less massive than UARS, which grabbed headlines when it re-entered on Sept. 24th, more of ROSAT could reach the planet's surface. This is because the observatory is made of heat-tolerant materials.

According to a DLR study, as many as 30 individual pieces could survive the fires of re-entry. The largest single fragment would likely be the telescope's mirror, which is very heat resistant and may weigh as much as 1.7 tons.

ROSAT is coming, but it's not here yet. On Oct. 13th, Marco Langbroek photographed the observatory still in orbit over Leiden, the Netherlands:

Photo details: 5 second exposure, Canon EOS 450D, ISO 400

"I observed ROSAT this evening in deep twilight," says Langbroek. "It was bright, magnitude +1, and an easy naked-eye object zipping across the sky where the first stars just had become visible."

Update: Scott Tilley of Roberts Creek, British Columbia, made a video of ROSATon Oct. 15th: "It did get pretty bright, at least 1st magnitude, as it passed overhead after sunset."

ROSAT will become even brighter in the nights ahead as it descends toward Earth. Local flyby times may be found on the web or on your smartphone.

Also, check the German ROSAT re-entry page for updates.

The role of space weather: Solar activity has strongly affected ROSAT's decay. Only a few months ago, experts expected the satellite to re-enter in December. However, they did not anticipate the recent increase in sunspot count.

Extreme ultraviolet radiation from sunspots has heated and "puffed up" Earth's atmosphere, accelerating the rate of orbital decay. The massive observatory now has a date with its home planet in October.

NASA Mars Rover Arrives at New Site on Martian Surface

2011-08-17T14:30:00.000+08:00

NASA Mars Rover Arrives at New Site on Martian Surface

08.10.11

West Rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU
› Full image and caption

West Rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars (False Color)
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU
› Full image and caption

Arrival at 'Spirit Point' by Mars Rover Opportunity
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU
› Full image and caption

Small 'Odyssey' Crater on Rim of Huge 'Endeavour' Crater
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU
› Full image and captionAfter a journey of almost three years, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the Red Planet’s Endeavour crater to study rocks never seen before.

On Aug. 9, the golf cart-sized rover relayed its arrival at a location named Spirit Point on the crater’s rim. Opportunity drove approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) after climbing out of the Victoria crater.

“NASA is continuing to write remarkable chapters in our nation’s story of exploration with discoveries on Mars and trips to an array of challenging new destinations,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “Opportunity’s findings and data from the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory will play a key role in making possible future human missions to Mars and other places where humans have not yet been.”

Endeavour crater, which is more than 25 times wider than Victoria crater, is 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. At Endeavour, scientists expect to see much older rocks and terrains than those examined by Opportunity during its first seven years on Mars. Endeavour became a tantalizing destination after NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter detected clay minerals that may have formed in an early warmer and wetter period.

“We're soon going to get the opportunity to sample a rock type the rovers haven't seen yet,” said Matthew Golombek, Mars Exploration Rover science team member, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. “Clay minerals form in wet conditions so we may learn about a potentially habitable environment that appears to have been very different from those responsible for the rocks comprising the plains.”

The name Spirit Point informally commemorates Opportunity’s twin rover, which stopped communicating in March 2010. Spirit's mission officially concluded in May.

“Our arrival at this destination is a reminder that these rovers have continued far beyond the original three-month mission,” said John Callas, Mars Exploration Rover project manager at JPL.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched Aug. 12, 2005, is searching for evidence that water persisted on the Martian surface for a long period of time. Other Mars missions have shown water flowed across the surface in the planet's history, but scientists have not determined if water remained long enough to provide a habitat for life.

NASA launched the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity in the summer of 2003. Both completed their three-month prime missions in April 2004 and continued years of extended operations. They made important discoveries about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for supporting microbial life.   

JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Priscilla Vega/Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-1357/-6278
priscilla.r.vega@jpl.nasa.gov/guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

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UFO files: RAF tornado crew spotted UFO over North Sea

2011-03-03T17:14:00.000+08:00

Without warning the UFO - as big as a C130 Hercules plane - appeared and they had 'never seen anything like it' Photo: GETTY

6:00AM GMT 03 Mar 2011

Comment

The crew were returning from a ''low level'' mission in the UK to RAF Laarbruch in Germany when they were flying through Dutch airspace over the North Sea.

Without warning the UFO - as big as a C130 Hercules plane - appeared and they had ''never seen anything like it''.

In written answers about the incident the pilot said: ''I did not lock the UFO on radar. My navigator and I were so surprised we did not think to do so.

''Indeed, for the majority of the sighting, the UFO was out to one side of my aircraft which would have required me to manoeuvre the aircraft to place within the radar field of view.

''Of more interest, despite repeated radio calls to Dutch Military Radar, the controller insisted that he could not see the UFO.

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The UFO files
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''After landing, our Dutch exchange officer, on my squadron, called Dutch Military to discuss the event.

''The controller insisted that no other radar contact was made at the time in the vicinity.''

The spooked pilot said the UFO looked nothing like any plane he knew was in any service.

Though he described the plane as being as big as a Hercules it had a smaller wingspan and the engine exhaust had ''a light blue afterburner-type flame which was steady but changing in intensity''.

Two other RAF fighter jets flying out from Laarbruch nearly collided head-on with the UFO and saw it at the same time, the pilot said.

''These aircraft would have been close to being head-on to the UFO, while from our Tornado, the UFO came down our right-hand side at a great speed (ie, coming from the direction of the UK).

''We were doing 0.8 Mach and it readily overtook us.''

He went on: ''This was definitely not a Russian satellite - I am 100% certain of that.

''This was a large 'aircraft' and I could see the detail of the lights and the engine area.

''I have never seen anything like it.''

UFO di Sabak Bernam?

2011-03-03T17:11:00.000+08:00

TIGA pergerakan objek bercahaya yang berjaya dirakam di kawasan kem askar Sabak Bernam, Selangor baru-baru ini.

SHAH ALAM – Seorang kakitangan awam mendakwa berjaya merakam satu cahaya objek terbang yang tidak dikenali (UFO) melintas di kawasan sebuah kem askar di Sabak Bernam ketika bertugas pada Jumaat lalu.

Asri Harun Abd. Rahman, 42, yang membuat rondaan ketika itu terkejut setelah melihat sebuah objek bercahaya yang terang seperti lampu limpah menerangi langit kira-kira pukul 5.30 pagi.

Dakwanya, selama bertugas di situ sejak 11 tahun lalu, perkara seumpama itu tidak pernah berlaku dan menyifatkan ia merupakan perkara pelik pernah dialami.

“Cahaya objek itu bulat, sangat terang dan tidak bergerak ke mana-mana.

“Kebetulan, pada waktu itu tiada satu bintang kelihatan dan cahaya itu tidak berkelip-kelip seperti bintang,” katanya ketika dihubungi Kosmo! semalam.

UFO berlegar di bandar Brazil

2011-03-03T17:08:00.000+08:00

OBJEK terbang tidak dikenali (dalam bulatan) berlegar-legar dekat bandar Agudos, Brazil.

SAO PAOLO - Seorang pengguna jalan raya berjaya merakamkan gambar sebuah objek terbang yang tidak dikenali (UFO) berlegar-legar dekat bandar Agudos, Brazil lapor lamanFox News kelmarin.

Laman itu memetik laporan stesen televisyen G1 di Brazil yang menyiarkan rakaman UFO tersebut yang berlegar dalam ketinggian yang rendah.

Namun, UFO itu hilang buat seketika di celah awan sebelum satu cahaya yang terang muncul dan hilang di tepi awan.

Dua bebola cahaya misteri kemudian muncul dan ia bergerak turun ke kawasan belukar.

Kemunculan dua bebola cahaya misteri itu hampir sama dengan satu cahaya yang berlegar-legar di atas Kubah Emas di pekarangan Masjid Al-Aqsa di Baitulmuqaddis pada Januari lalu.

Imej UFO itu boleh dilihat di laman YouTube. - Agensi

Discovery's Final Flight Carries Special Meaning for Shuttle Astronauts

2011-02-28T07:58:00.003+08:00

HOUSTON – Amid the flurry of settling in to life onboard the International Space Station, astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery's mission have taken time to contemplate the significance of this shuttle's historic final flight.

Discovery arrived at the space station yesterday (Feb. 26) for one last visit before the shuttle is retired from service at the end of this mission. The six astronauts who are flying the orbiter on its final flight are veteran spaceflyers, including several astronauts who have completed long duration stays at the massive orbiting laboratory.

So, while Discovery's trip to space station is the orbiter's swan song, it is also something of a homecoming for some of the shuttle's astronauts.

"I spent six and a half months here in 2009, and I loved it up here – I didn't want to leave," mission specialist Michael Barratt told reporters today in a press briefing from the station. "For me, the mission has a lot of meaning. It's a return."

On its 11-day mission, Discovery is also delivering spare parts, an outdoor storage pallet, a humanoid robot assistant, and a much-needed storage module to the station. This storage module, akin to a big space closet, will be the final U.S. addition to the fully constructed station.

Milestone mission

In its 27-year spaceflying career, Discovery has docked to the space station 13 times. This stay will be its last. The significance of the milestone is not lost on the shuttle's crewmembers, but for now, they remain focused on the mission, STS-133 commander Steve Lindsey said.

"The truth is, once we get close to the launch countdown, we're not thinking about Discovery's last flight, we're thinking about doing out jobs," Lindsey said today. "But it's a real privilege to be on the last flight of Discovery. I've flown her three times now, and she's a great vehicle still."

Just before Discovery linked up with the space station, Lindsey and pilot Eric Boe maneuvered the spacecraft through a slow 360-degree back flip, 600 feet (183 meters) beneath the station. This flip is done to allow astronauts on the space station to take high-resolution pictures of the shuttle's tile-covered backside. The images are used to closely inspect the shuttle's heat shield for any damage it may have incurred during launch, ascent and the time spent in orbit.

Discovery was the first shuttle to perform this maneuver, on its STS-114 mission in 2005. NASA made the backflip a mandatory part of all shuttle missions following the 2003 loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew due after that orbiter's heat shield was damaged, causing the shuttle to break apart upon reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

Mission managers have not yet fully analyzed the photos of Discovery's heat shield from this mission, but based on preliminary data, officials say the orbiter looks like it's in good shape. The mission timeline allows for a follow-up inspection later on during the mission to gather more photos from potential problem areas, but officials said today that another inspection would not be necessary.

Amazing views

As Discovery turned nose cap over tail for the final time yesterday, Boe reflected on the incredible views of the completed station from the windows of his spacecraft.

"You get some really good views from the space shuttle," Boe said. "It's truly a sight to see, and when you add in the effect that you have the Earth going on underneath you, it's really amazing."

At the conclusion of the STS-133 mission, NASA will retire Discovery, the agency's oldest and most-flown spacecraft. The remaining two shuttles in the fleet, Endeavour and Atlantis, are each scheduled to fly their final missions later this year – Endeavour in April, and Atlantis in June.

NASA is ending its space shuttle program to focus on exploration missions that extend farther out into the solar system, with objectives that include visiting an asteroid and eventually Mars. But, the retirement of the space shuttles will likely be a bittersweet end of an era.

"I think the unique thing about the shuttle is its ability to carry large payloads and people into space and back," Lindsey said. "It's been a workhorse for nearly 30 years now. It can do everything you can think of in space, and it lands on a runway. The class of spacecraft we'll see in the future – it'll be a long, long time before we see something that can lift and do everything the shuttle can."

You can follow SPACE.com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow as she covers Discovery's final space voyage from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Visit SPACE.com for complete coverage of Discovery's final mission STS-133.

Gerhana Bulan Dan Matahari Untuk 2011 : NASA

2011-02-25T22:13:00.002+08:00

Four partial solar and two total lunar eclipses take place in 2011. This 4:2 combination of solar and lunar eclipses in a single year is rather rare with only six cases during the 21st Century (2011, 2029, 2047, 2065, 2076 and 2094). The first and last eclipses always occur in January and December.

The dates and types of eclipses during 2011 are as follows.

2011 Jan 04: Partial Solar Eclipse
2011 Jun 01: Partial Solar Eclipse
2011 Jun 15: Total Lunar Eclipse
2011 Jul 01: Partial Solar Eclipse
2011 Nov 25: Partial Solar Eclipse
2011 Dec 10: Total Lunar Eclipse

2011 Jan 04: Partial Solar Eclipse

2011 Jun 01: Partial Solar Eclipse

2011 Jun 15: Total Lunar Eclipse

2011 Jul 01: Partial Solar Eclipse

2011 Nov 25: Partial Solar Eclipse

2011 Dec 10: Total Lunar Eclipse

Predictions for the eclipses are summarized in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. World maps show the regions of visibility for each eclipse. The lunar eclipse diagrams also include the path of the Moon through Earth's shadows. Contact times for each principal phase are tabulated along with the magnitudes and geocentric coordinates of the Sun and Moon at greatest eclipse.

All times and dates used in this publication are in Universal Time or UT. This astronomically derived time system is colloquially referred to as Greenwich Mean Time or GMT. To learn more about UT and how to convert UT to your own local time, see Time Zones and Universal Time.

Partial Solar Eclipse of January 04

The first solar eclipse of 2011 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in eastern Sagittarius. A partial eclipse will be visible from much of Europe, North Africa and central Asia (Figure 1).

The penumbral shadow first touches Earth's surface in northern Algeria at 06:40:11 UT. As the shadow travels east, Western Europe will be treated to a partial eclipse at sunrise. The eclipse magnitude [1] from European cities like Madrid (0.576), Paris (0.732), London (0.747), and Copenhagen (0.826) will give early morning risers an excellent opportunity to photograph the sunrise eclipse with interesting foreground scenery.

Greatest eclipse [2] occurs at 08:50:35 UT in northern Sweden where the eclipse in the horizon will have a magnitude of 0.858. At that time, the axis of the Moon's shadow will pass a mere 510 km above Earth's surface. Most of northern Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia also lie in the penumbra's path. The citizens of Cairo (0.551), Jerusalem (0.574), Istanbul (0.713), and Tehran (0.507) all witness a large magnitude partial eclipse.

A sunset eclipse will be visible from central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China. The partial eclipse ends when the penumbra leaves Earth at 11:00:54 UT.

Local circumstances and eclipse times for a number of cities in the penumbral path are listed in Table 1. All times are in Universal Time. The Sun's altitude and azimuth, the eclipse magnitude and eclipse obscuration [3] are all given at the instant of maximum eclipse. When the eclipse is in progress at sunrise or sunset, this information is indicated by a '-'.

The NASA JavaScript Solar Eclipse Explorer is an interactive web page that can quickly calculate the local circumstances of the eclipse from any geographic location not included in Table 1:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JSEX/JSEX-index.html

This is the 14th eclipse of Saros 151 [4] (Espenak and Meeus, 2006). The family begins with a series of 18 partial eclipses from 1776 to 2083. Complete details for the entire series of 72 eclipses (in the order: 18 partial, 6 annular, 1 hybrid, 39 total and 8 partial) spanning 1280 years can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros151.html

Partial Solar Eclipse of June 01

The next partial solar eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node in Taurus. The event is visible from high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere (Figure 2).

The eclipse begins at sunrise in Siberia and northern China where the penumbral shadow first touches Earth at 19:25:18 UT. Two hours later, greatest eclipse occurs at 21:16:11 UT. At that time, an eclipse of magnitude 0.601 will be visible from the Arctic coast of western Siberia as the midnight Sun skirts the northern horizon. Although most of Alaska and northern Canada will witness the partial eclipse, the southern limit of the penumbra falls along a curve from south of Fairbanks to central New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Reykjavik, Iceland receives a 0.462 magnitude eclipse just before sunset. Northern most Norway, Sweden and Finland also get a midnight Sun eclipse with the event hanging above the northern horizon. The partial eclipse ends at 23:06:56 UT when the penumbra leaves Earth just north of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean.

Eclipse times and local circumstances for major cities in North America, Europe and Asia are given in Table 2. The Sun's altitude, azimuth, the eclipse magnitude and obscuration are given at the instant of maximum eclipse.

This is the 68th eclipse of Saros 118. The family began with a group of 8 partial eclipses from the years 803 to 929. The Saros ends with a small partial eclipse in 2083. Complete details for the entire series of 72 eclipses (in the order: 8 partial, 40 total, 2 hybrid, 15 annular and 7 partial) spanning 1280 years can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros118.html

Total Lunar Eclipse of June 15

The first lunar eclipse of 2011 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in southern Ophiuchus about 7° west of the Lagoon Nebula (M8). The Moon passes deeply through Earth's umbral shadow during this rather long event. The total phase itself lasts 100 minutes. The last eclipse to exceed this duration was in July 2000. The Moon's contact times with Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows are listed below.

   Penumbral Eclipse Begins:  17:24:34 UT    Partial Eclipse Begins:    18:22:56 UT    Total Eclipse Begins:      19:22:30 UT    Greatest Eclipse:          20:12:37 UT    Total Eclipse Ends:        21:02:42 UT    Partial Eclipse Ends:      22:02:15 UT    Penumbral Eclipse Ends:    23:00:45 UT

At the instant of greatest eclipse [5] the umbral eclipse magnitude [6] will reach 1.6998 as the Moon's centre passes within 5.3 arc-minutes of the shadow axis. The Moon's southern limb will lay 54.2 arc-minutes from the edge of the umbra while the northern limb will lay 22.3 arc-minutes from the umbra's edge. Thus, the northern regions of the Moon will probably appear brighter than the southern regions that lie deeper in the shadow. Since the Moon samples a large range of umbral depths during totality, its appearance will change dramatically with time. It is difficult to predict the exact brightness distribution in the umbra so observers are encouraged to estimate the Danjon value at different times during totality (see Danjon Scale of Lunar Eclipse Brightness). Note that it may also be necessary to assign different Danjon values to different portions of the Moon (i.e. - north vs. south).

Nearly 30 years ago (1982 Jul 06), the author watched another total lunar eclipse with the Moon in the same part of the sky. I was amazed at how brilliantly the summer Milky Way glowed since it was all but invisible during the partial phases. Observers will have a similar opportunity during June's eclipse. In this case, the totally eclipsed Moon will lie in southern Ophiuchus just 8° northwest of the brightest Sagittarian star clouds. The summer constellations are well placed for viewing so a number of bright stars can be used for magnitude comparisons with the totally eclipsed Moon.

Antares (mv = +0.92v) is 15° to the west, Shaula (mv = +1.63) is 14° south, Epsilon Sgr (mv = +1.85) is 15° southeast, Arcturus (mv = -0.05) stands 55° to the northwest, and Altair (mv = +0.77) is 46° northeast of the Moon.

Figure 3 shows the path of the Moon through the penumbra and umbra as well as a map of Earth showing the regions of eclipse visibility. The entire event will be seen from the eastern half of Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and western Australia. Observers throughout Europe will miss the early stages of the eclipse because they occur before moonrise. Fortunately, totality will be seen throughout the continent except for northern Scotland and northern Scandinavia. Eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and New Zealand will miss the last stages of eclipse because they occur after moonset. Again, the total phase will be seen from most of these regions. Even observers in eastern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina will witness totality. However, none of the eclipse will be visible from North America. At mid-eclipse, the Moon is near the zenith for observers from Reunion and Mauritius.

Table 3 lists predicted umbral immersion and emersion times for 20 well-defined lunar craters. The timing of craters is useful in determining the atmospheric enlargement of Earth's shadow (see Crater Timings During Lunar Eclipses).

The June 15 total lunar eclipse is the 34th member of Saros 130, a series of 71 eclipses occurring in the following order: 8 penumbral, 20 partial, 14 total, 22 partial, and 7 penumbral lunar eclipses (Espenak and Meeus, 2009a) spanning 1262 years. Complete details for Saros 130 can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros130.html

Partial Solar Eclipse of July 01

Just one lunation after the previous one, the third solar eclipse of the year takes place at the Moon's descending node in western Gemini. This Southern Hemisphere event is visible from a D-shaped region in the Antarctic Ocean south of Africa (Figure 4). Such a remote and isolated path means that it may very well turn out to be the solar eclipse that nobody sees. At greatest eclipse (08:38:23 UT), the magnitude is just 0.097.

This event is the first eclipse of Saros 156. The family will produce 8 partial eclipses, followed by 52 annular eclipses and ending with 9 more partials. Complete details for the entire series of 69 eclipses spanning the years 2011 through 3237 can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros156.html

Partial Solar Eclipse of November 25

The fourth and final solar eclipse of the year occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western Scorpius. The event is visible from high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere and includes southern South Africa, Antarctica, Tasmania and most of New Zealand (Figure 5).

At the instant of greatest eclipse (06:20:17 UT) the eclipse magnitude is 0.905, making it the largest partial eclipse of the year. At that time, the lunar shadow axis will pass just 330 km above Earth's surface near the coast of Antarctica.

This is the 53rd eclipse of Saros 123. The family began with 6 partial eclipses from the years 1074 to 1164. By the time the series ends in 2318, it will have produced 70 eclipses in the following order: 6 partial, 27 annular, 3 hybrid, 14 total, and 20 partial eclipses. Complete details for Saros 123 can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros123.html

Total Lunar Eclipse of December 10

The last eclipse of 2011 is a total lunar eclipse that takes place at the Moon's descending node in eastern Taurus, four days after apogee.

The Moon's orbital trajectory takes it through the southern half of Earth's umbral shadow. Although the eclipse is not central, the total phase still lasts 51 minutes. The Moon's path through Earth's shadows as well as a map illustrating worldwide visibility of the event are shown in Figure 6. The timings of the major eclipse phases are listed below.

   Penumbral Eclipse Begins:   11:33:32 UT    Partial Eclipse Begins:     12:45:42 UT    Total Eclipse Begins:       14:06:16 UT    Greatest Eclipse:           14:31:49 UT    Total Eclipse Ends:         14:57:24 UT    Partial Eclipse Ends:       16:17:58 UT    Penumbral Eclipse Ends:     17:30:00 UT

At the instant of greatest eclipse (14:32 UT) the Moon lies at the zenith in the Pacific Ocean near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The umbral eclipse magnitude peaks at 1.1061 as the Moon's centre passes 21.4 arc-minutes south of the shadow axis. The Moon's northern limb is then 6.4 arc-minutes south of the shadows axis and 33.3 arc-minutes from the umbra's edge. In contrast, the Moon's southern limb lays 36.5 arc-minutes from the shadow centre and 3.2 arc-minutes from the southern edge of the umbra. Thus, the northern half of the Moon will appear much darker than the southern half because it lies deeper in the umbra.

Since the Moon samples a large range of umbral depths during totality, its appearance will change dramatically with time. It is difficult to predict the brightness distribution in the umbra, so observers are encouraged to estimate the Danjon value at different times during totality (see Danjon Scale of Lunar Eclipse Brightness). Note that it may also be necessary to assign different Danjon values to different portions of the Moon (i.e., north vs. south).

During totality, the winter constellations are well placed for viewing so a number of bright stars can be used for magnitude comparisons. Aldebaran (mv = +0.87) is 9° to the southwest of the eclipsed Moon, while Betelgeuse (mv = +0.45) is 19° to the southeast, Pollux (mv = +1.16) is 37° east, and Capella (mv = +0.08) is 24° north.

The entire event is visible from Asia and Australia. For North Americans, the eclipse is in progress as the Moon sets with western observers favored by a larger fraction of the eclipse before moonset. Observers throughout Europe and Africa will miss the early eclipse phases because they occur before moonrise. None of the eclipse can be seen from South America or Antarctica. The NASAJavaScript Lunar Eclipse Explorer is an interactive web page that can quickly calculate the altitude of the Moon during each phase of the eclipse from any geographic location:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-index.html

Table 6 lists predicted umbral immersion and emersion times for 20 well-defined lunar craters. The timing of craters is useful in determining the atmospheric enlargement of Earth's shadow (see Crater Timings During Lunar Eclipses).

The December 10 total lunar eclipse is the 23rd member of Saros 135, a series of 71 eclipses occurring in the following order: 9 penumbral, 10 partial, 23 total, 7 partial, and 22 penumbral lunar eclipses. Complete details for Saros 135 can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros135.html

5 Jam Gerhana Bulan Separa Pada 22 Mei 1453 Lemahkan Semangat Byzantium ?

2011-02-25T22:11:00.000+08:00

6 April 1453 Al-Fateh memulakan kepungan ke atas Konstantinople. 18 April serangan pertama dilancarkan. 21-22 April 70 buah kapal dipindahkan melalui jalan darat. 6-12 Mei serangan seterusnya digandakan untuk menembusi dinding. 29 Mei Al-Fateh berjaya memasuki Konstantinople dari pintu Topkapi. Ini adalah angka-angka tarikh penting dari Profesor Mehmet Maksudoglu, pengkaji sejarah Usmaniah dari sumber asal Usmaniah itu sendiri (Osmanli History 1289-1922 Based on Osmanli Sources, page 72-73).

NASA pula mengesahkan 22 Mei 1453 berlakunya kejadian gerhana bulan separa. Saya menulis diread1453.blogspot.com dengan meninggalkan persoalan kepada pembaca :

"Petanda buruk dari gerhana bulan adalah suatu kepercayaan tahyul rakyat dan pemerintah Byzantium. Maharaja Konstantinople 11, Paleologos diriwayatkan pernah mengatakan bahawa Kontantinople tidak akan jatuh selagi matahari dan bulan wujud. Demikian besarnya kepercayaan nujum mereka bersandarkan fenomena alam pada bulan dan matahari tersebut.

Adakah Muhammad Al-Fateh sengaja memilih sekitar April hingga Mei 1453 - tidak tahun mahupun bulan lain - sebagai masa paling strategik kempen pengepungan Konstantinople dilancarkan ? Kita sedia maklum Usmaniah pakar dalam taktik pengepungan, mereka sangat arif mengenai kekuatan dan kelemahan mereka, tempoh masa yang mereka perlukan berdasarkan sejarah apabila sesuatu taktik pengepungan dilakukan sebagai 'tempoh bertenang' kepada musuh untuk menyerah secara aman. Kita juga sedia maklum bahawa Al-Fateh arif benar dengan segala post-mortem kegagalan percubaan ayahnya, datuk-datuknya serta pimpinan Islam sejak 11 kali percubaan dilakukan menemui kebuntuan bertubi-tubi.

Al-Fateh juga tahu benar penting aspek moral dan motivasi dalam mempengaruhi kejayaannya dan kelemahan musuh-musuhnya. Kerana moral, beliau menghadirkan pemidato dan pasukan gendang serta para ulama dalam saf para tenteranya. Sudah pasti Al-Fateh sangat pintar untuk turut sama mengenalpasti apa yang boleh meruntuhkan moral musuh-musuhnya, supaya dia mampu melemah dan menumpaskan lawan sebolehnya secara "al-fatah" yakni tanpa pertempuran dan pertumpahan darah, bak kata Sun Zu.

Adakah kejadian gerhana bulan separa telah melemahkan moral Byzantium sekaligus membenarkan mimpi buruk mereka bahawa 1100 tahun empayar mereka akan berakhir?

Adakah pemilihan tarikh kempen sekitar April-Mei 1453, kesemua ini hasil didikan kental ilmu-ilmu SUNNATULLAH khususnya ilmu FALAK, GEOGRAFI serta KAJIAN KEPERCAYAAN (AQIDAH) mengenai Byzantium oleh para ulama terbaik Usmaniah pada beliau ketika kecil ?

Adakah ini siri seterusnya kepintaran taktik, pemikiran strategik dan kegeniusan pimpinan perang yang dipuji oleh Rasulullah S.A.W ?

"There are a number of famous historical events associated with lunar eclipses. On 29 May 1453, a rising Full Moon was eclipsed over Constantinople, then under siege by the Turk army. It is reported that this created such a dip in morale that in a few days Constantinople was defeated, leading to the end of the Roman Empire of Orient after 1130 years." - European Space Agency

"At this time, the fighting morale of the defenders was of major importance. Their fighting spirit was maintained by an old prophecy that Constantinople could never fall while the moon was waxing. Then on May 22, the full moon rose in eclipse, crushing their morale. Some reports say the eclipse darkness lasted for three hours; however, this is considered impossible because the partial phase ended 75 minutes after moonrise. - Thomas Fuller

Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events for Calendar Year 2011

2011-02-25T22:09:00.001+08:00

January 3, 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on January 3 & 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 - 5. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes.

January 4 - New Moon. The Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun and is not visible. This phase occurs at 09:03 UTC.

January 4 - Partial Solar Eclipse. The partial eclipse will be visible in most parts of northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

January 19 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 21:21 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Wolf Moon because this was the time of year when hungry wolf packs howled outside their camps. This moon has also been know as the Old Moon and the Moon After Yule.

February 3 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 02:31 UTC.

February 18 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 08:36 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Snow Moon because the heaviest snows usually fell during this time of the year. Since hunting is difficult, this moon has also been known by some tribes as the Full Hunger Moon.

March 4 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 20:46 UTC.

March 19 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:10 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, and the Full Sap Moon. This will also be the largest full moon of the year because it will be near perigee, its closest point to the Earth.

March 20 - March Equinox. The March Equinox occurs at 23:21 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.

April 3 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 14:32 UTC.

April 3 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.

April 18 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 02:44 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This year, it is also known as the Paschal Full Moon because it is the first full moon of the spring season.

April 21, 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower usually peaks on April 21 & 22, although some meteors can be visible from April 16 - 25. This year, the gibbous moon will hide most of the fainter meteors in its glare. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight, and be sure to find a dark viewing location far from city lights.

May 3 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 06:51 UTC.

May 5, 6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 - 7. A thin, crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what could be an good show. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight, far from city lights.

May 7 - Astronomy Day Part 1. Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is "Bringing Astronomy to the People," and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events. You can find out about special local events by contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium. You can also find more about Astronomy Day by checking the Web site for theAstronomical League.

May 11 - Conjunction of Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. The three planets will form a 2-degree long vertical line in the early morning sky. The planet Mars will also be visible nearby. Look to the east near sunrise.

May 17 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:09 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.

June 1 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 21:03 UTC.

June 1 - Partial Solar Eclipse. The partial eclipse will be visible in most parts eastern Asia, Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

June 15 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

June 21 - June Solstice. The June solstice occurs at 17:16 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

July 1 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 08:54 UTC.

July 1 - Partial Solar Eclipse. This partial eclipse will only be visible off the coast of Antarctica.
(NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

July 15 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 06:40 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Buck Moon because the male buck deer would begin to grow their new antlers at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Full Thunder Moon and the Full Hay Moon.

July 28, 29 - Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on July 28 & 29, but some meteors can also be seen from July 18 - August 18. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. This year the thin, crescent moon will be hanging around for the show, but it shouldn’t cause too many problems. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.

July 30 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:40 UTC.

August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on August 13 & 14, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. The full moon will definitely be a problem this year, hiding the fainter meteors with its glare. But with up to 60 meteors per hour possible, it could still be a great show. Find a location far from city lights and look to the northeast after midnight.

August 13 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:57 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Sturgeon Moon because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.

August 11 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Neptune. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

August 29 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 03:04 UTC.

September 12 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 09:27 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.

September 23 - September Equinox. The September equinox occurs at 09:05 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.

September 25 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

September 27 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:09 UTC.

October 1 - Astronomy Day Part 2. Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is "Bringing Astronomy to the People," and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events. You can find out about special local events by contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium. You can also find more about Astronomy Day by checking the Web site for theAstronomical League.

October 12 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 02:06 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This will also be the smallest full moon of the year because it will be near apogee, its farthest point from the Earth.

October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 - 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. The nearly last quarter moon may hide some of the faintest meteors this year. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight. Be sure to find a dark location far from city lights.

October 26 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 19:56 UTC.

October 29 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. The giant planet will be a big and bright as it gets in the night sky. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.

November 10 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 20:16 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon.

November 17, 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The shower usually peaks on November 17 & 18, but you may see some meteors from November 13 - 20. The nearly last quarter moon may hide some of the faintest meteors this year, but this should still be an excellent show. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.

November 25 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 06:10 UTC.

November 25 - Partial Solar Eclipse. This partial eclipse will only be visible over Antarctica and parts of South Africa and Tasmania. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

December 10 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 14:36 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long and dark. This moon has also been known as the Moon Before Yule and the Full Long Nights Moon.

December 10 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the North America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. The gibbous moon will definitely interfere this year by hiding the faintest meteors, but with up to 60 meteors per hour possible, this should still be an excellent show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.

December 22 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs 05:30 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

December 24 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:06 UTC.

Jadual Gerhana Bulan Dan Matahari Untuk 2011 Mengikut Waktu Malaysia

2011-02-25T11:35:00.001+08:00

Tahun 2011 bakal menyaksikan 6 peristiwa gerhana akan berlaku. 4 darinya ialah gerhana matahari separa dan 2 darinya ialah gerhana bulan penuh.

Untuk kita di Malaysia, hanya gerhana bulan sahaja yang dapat diikuti di sini iaitu pada 16 Jun pada jam 4.13 pagi dan 10 Disember pada jam 10.33 malam. Gerhana matahari tidak kelihatan kerana kawasan liputan gerhana matahari adalah sangat kecil berbanding gerhana bulan.

Waktu berikut adalah waktu di Malaysia.

Jan 04 Selasa 16:52 Gerhana Matahari Separa (tidak kelihatan di Malaysia)

Jun 02 Khamis 05:17 Gerhana Matahari Separa (tidak kelihatan di Malaysia)

16 Khamis 04:13 Gerhana Bulan Penuh

Jul 01 Jumaat 16:39 Gerhana Matahari Separa (tidak kelihatan di Malaysia)

Nov 25 Jumaat 14:22 Gerhana Matahari Separa (tidak kelihatan di Malaysia)

Dis 10 Sabtu 22:33 Gerhana Bulan Penuh

Astronomi Di Benua Islam

2011-02-25T11:32:00.000+08:00

Diantara zaman Ptolemy dan zaman Copernicus, dalam satu jangkamasa melebihi seribu tahun, perkembangan astronomi adalah tidak menggalakkan di benua Eropah. Sebaliknya, di tanah Islam pula, banyak progres yang penting telah berlaku di antara kurun ke-9 dan kurun ke-11 didalam bidang peralatan matematik astronomi dan cerapan langit.

Maka bermulalah zaman kegemilangan astronomi Islam dibawah pentadbiran Khalifah Al-Rashid dan anaknya Al-Mamun. Kedua-duanya menggalakkan usaha saintifik dan budaya dalam pentadbiran empayarnya. Dalam masa pentadbirannya di Bagdad, antara tahun 813 dan 833, Khalifah Al-Mamun telah menapakkan satu perpustakaan yang terbesar sejak zaman Alexandria, yang dipanggil "The House of Wisdom". Dia juga telah mengasaskan satu balai cerap tetap yang pertama di dunia.

Satu tokoh yang terkemuka dalam kurun ke-9 ialah seorang intelektual berbangsa Farsi yang dipanggil Al-Khawarizmi. Dia telah menulis sebuah buku pertama mengenai Algebra yang dipanggil "Hisab al-jabr w'al-muqabala", sambil memperkenalkan disiplin ini. Dia memperkenalkan dan menyebarkan penggunaan nombor yang kita gunakan sekarang ini. Sumbangan utamanya terhadap astronomi adalah dalam bentuk buku Sindhind zij yang berdasarkan astronomi India, dimana terdapat jadual kedudukan Matahari, Bulan dan planet-planet. Dia juga telah mengkaji berbagai aspek, dari gerhana sehingga fasa-fasa bulan.

Hampir pada zaman yang sama, pakar astronomi berbangsa Farsi bernama Al-Farghani telah menulis sebuah buku unsur-unsur astronomi yang dipanggil "Kitab fi al-Harakat al-Samawiya wa Jawami Ilm al-Nujum". Ia merupakan satu usaha berdasarkan astronomi Ptolemy. Dia juga memperkenalkan beberapa pandangan baru termasuk precession yang melibatkan kedudukan nyata, bukan saja planet-planet, malahan bintang-bintang juga. Usaha ini memainkan peranan penting di Eropah Barat apabila ia diterjemahkan kedalam bahasa Latin dalam kurun ke-12.

Satu kuadran astrolabe (Damas, Siria, 1333-34). Kredit : British Museum

Dipenghujung kurun ke-9, tokoh yang terpengaruh ialah seorang pakar astronomi Arab yang bernama Al-Battani. Ia mencerap langit dari Syria dan telah membuat beberapa ukuran pada kepersisan amat tinggi buat zaman tersebut. Dia juga telah menentukan jangkamasa satu tahun solar, ukuran precession ekuinoks dan kecondongan dataran ecliptik. Dia juga mengambil kesempatan untuk mengasaskan satu katalog mengandungi 489 bintang-bintang. Dari pandangan yang lebih teoritikal pula, usaha utamanya yang ditulis di dalam Kitab al-Zij, adalah amat penting sebab ia memperkenalkan buat pertama kali trigonometri didalam penyelidikan langit. Pendekatan cara baru ini terbukti lebih berkuasa dari kaedah geometri Ptolemy. Buku ini telah diterjemahkan kedalam bahasa Latin didalam kurun ke-12. Ia telah mempengaruhi tokoh-tokoh utama dari Eropah dalam kurun ke-16 hingga ke-17.

Dalam tahun 994, pakar astronomi Al-Khujandi, yang berasal dari Tadjikistan (nama sekarang), telah mencipta satu sextant dinding yang amat besar di Balai Cerap Ray berhampiran dengan Tehran. Ia merupakan satu alat yang pertama yang membolehkan sudut diukur dengan lebih persis. Alat ini digunakannya terutamanya untuk mengukur kecondongan dataran ekliptik dengan lebih persis.

Hampir pada masa yang sama, muncul seorang cendekiawan bernama Al-Biruni, berasal dari kawasan lautan Aral. Seperti tokoh-tokoh sebelumnya, dia berminat dalam beberapa bidang termasuk matematik dan geografi. Dalam astronomi, dia terkenal bukan saja disebabkan usaha cerapan bulan dan gerhana, malahan juga pendekatan secara moden dalam kaedah eksperimennya terutamanya dalam analisis kiraan ralatnya dan juga kiraan Al-Khujandi.

Satu astrolabe yang dibuat daripada tembaga kuning (Ispahan, Iran, 1712). Kredit : British Museum

Dalam kurun ke-11, seorang tokoh berbangsa Farsi bernama Omar Khayyam, yang pada masa tersebut terkenal didalam bidang sajak, juga berminat dalam beberapa bidang lain, terutamanya bidang algebra dan astronomi. Dia telah mencipta jadual astronomi baru yang istimewa disebabkan ukuran tahun solar pada tahap kepersisan yang tertinggi buat masa itu.

Zaman kegemilangan astronomi di tanah Islam ini berakhir dalam kurun ke-12. Hasil usaha zaman gemilang ini, sedikit demi sedikit telah diterjemahkan kedalam bahasa Latin, terutamanya di Toledo Sepanyol, lalu tersebar di seluruh benua Eropah. Melalui terjemahan tersebutlah tokoh-tokoh intelektual Eropah, dipenghujung zaman pertengahan, mengkaji semula teori Ptolemy dan mempelajari perkembangan astronomi hasil sumbangan dunia muslim.

With seconds to spare, Discovery rockets into space

2011-02-25T11:24:00.000+08:00

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--After a last-minute Air Force computer glitch threatened to derail launch, the shuttle Discovery, carrying an all-veteran crew of six, critical supplies, and a final U.S. module for the International Space Station, blasted off with seconds to spare and vaulted into orbit Thursday to begin its 39th and final flight.

Several relatively large pieces of foam insulation fell away from the shuttle's repaired external tank during the climb to space, including some that hit the ship's heat shield. But the observed impacts occurred well after Discovery was out of the dense lower atmosphere where debris impacts pose the greatest threat. No obvious heat shield damage could be seen, but engineers will carry out a detailed analysis over the next several days to make sure.

The shuttle Discovery climbs away from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to kick off its 39th and final mission.

(Credit: NASA TV)

Discovery's crew, running three-and-a-half months behind schedule because of cracks in the external tank, strapped in just after 1:03 p.m. EST to await liftoff at 4:50:27 p.m., roughly the moment Earth's rotation carried the launch pad into the plane of the space station's orbit.

But trouble with an Air Force range safety system computer put the launch in doubt as the countdown ticked into its final minutes. With the end of Discovery's short 3-minute launch window approaching, Launch Director Mike Leinbach ordered engineers to pick up the countdown at the T-minus-9-minute mark and to press ahead in hopes the Air Force would be ready in time.

The problem was not immediately resolved and the countdown entered an unplanned "hold" at the T-minus-5-minute mark. Finally, with time running out, the glitch was resolved, the countdown resumed, and Discovery blasted off at 4:53:24 p.m., just 3 seconds before the end of the available launch window.

"Well, it was kind of an exciting last few minutes of this countdown," Leinbach told reporters later. "Several of us have been around for many, many countdowns, and this was one for the record books.

"This was Discovery's last (launch), a great way to go out," he said. "She gave us a little bit of a fit today, but it's a great way to get (Commander) Steve Lindsey and his crew on orbit. I'm very, very proud of my launch team and all the rest of the people who worked so hard on Discovery."

Because of the tank repairs and extensive re-application of protective foam insulation, flight controllers were on the lookout for any signs of foam debris falling away from the tank during the first few minutes of flight, when the dense lower atmosphere can cause debris to hit the shuttle with a high relative velocity.

Live television views from a camera mounted on the side of the tank showed several relatively large pieces of debris separating and falling away roughly four minutes after launch.

The most aerodynamically dangerous period from a debris impact standpoint is the first 2 minutes and 15 seconds of flight. While several pieces appeared to hit Discovery's heat shield, no obvious signs of impact damage could be seen.

Pieces of foam insulation can be seen falling from the shuttle Discovery's external tank about four minutes into flight. A relatively large piece is framed by the bipod struts holding the shuttle's nose to the tank.(Credit: NASA TV)

"We did see some foam losses," astronaut Charles Hobaugh radioed the crew later from mission control in Houston. Given the timing of the releases, he added, "we have no concerns for the vehicle or success. We'll find out more, of course, as we go through the ascent video with a finer-tooth comb and also after we do the surveys. So we're looking forward to all that."

Joining Lindsey on the shuttle's flight deck for the climb to space were pilot Eric Boe, Ascent Flight Engineer Al Drew, and astronaut Nicole Stott, a space station veteran. Physician-astronaut Michael Barratt, another station veteran, and Stephen Bowen, a former Navy submariner, were strapped in on the shuttle's lower deck.

A veteran of two previous shuttle flights, Bowen joined Discovery's crew in January after Timothy Kopra, the mission's original flight engineer and lead spacewalker, was injured in a bicycle mishap near his home in Houston.

The primary goals of the 133rd shuttle mission are to deliver critical spare parts, supplies, and a U.S. storage module to the International Space Station as NASA completes the lab's assembly more than 12 years after construction began in 1998.

Only two more shuttle flights are planned, one by Endeavour in April and a final mission by Atlantis in late June, before all three of NASA's orbiters are decommissioned and turned into museum displays. A decision on where the shuttles will end up is expected later this year.

Large crowds gathered along area roads and beaches to witness Discovery's final launching and the shuttle did not disappoint, putting on a dramatic show as it climbed away through a mostly clear sky atop a torrent of fiery exhaust.

For Leinbach, the end of the line for Discovery will come on the Kennedy Space Center runway when the craft rolls to a stop after its 13th and final mission to the space station.

"Landing day's going to be tough," he said. "Landing day of Discovery, and then Endeavour and especially Atlantis, the last mission, you'll see a lot of people on the runway who will probably choke up some. Because it's the end of a 30-year program that not only have we worked in and made our livelihoods in but we've grown to love and appreciate and feel like we're doing something special for the country and, really, the world."

He said Discovery is "a great ship. This is her 39th mission, we'd have quite a few left in her had the program been extended. But it wasn't, and so it's kind of bittersweet to get the last flight out of her. But she's going to perform perfectly fine on orbit and bring the crew home safely."

Lindsey and Boe plan to oversee a two-day rendezvous with the space station. The crew will carry out a now-routine heat-shield inspection Friday before guiding the shuttle to a docking at the station's forward port around 2:20 p.m. Saturday.

Waiting to welcome the shuttle astronauts aboard will be Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly, Alexander Kaleri, Oleg Skripochka, Catherine Coleman, Dmitry Kondratyev, and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli.

Discovery is scheduled to spend seven days docked to the space station, departing on March 5 and landing back at the Kennedy Space Center two days later.

But U.S. and Russian space managers are considering a one-day mission extension for an out-of-this-world photo opportunity.

The idea is to insert a new flight day 10 in the crew's timeline--March 5--so Kelly, Kaleri, and Skripochka can undock in the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft and photograph the space station with the shuttle and a full complement of European, Japanese, and Russian cargo ships and crew capsules attached.

Discovery's mission is the last time all of the international spacecraft will be docked at the station at the same time before the shuttle fleet is retired later this summer.

Assuming the fly-around is approved--and no decisions are expected until after Discovery reaches the space station--Discovery would undock on March 6 and land in Florida around midday on March 8.

Throngs view space shuttle Discovery's last launch

2011-02-25T09:54:00.002+08:00

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time Thursday, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

The six astronauts on board, all experienced space fliers, were thrilled to be on their way after a delay of nearly four months for fuel tank repairs. But it puts Discovery on the cusp of retirement when it returns in 11 days and eventually heads to a museum.

Discovery is the oldest of NASA's three surviving space shuttles and the first to be decommissioned this year. Two missions remain, first by Atlantis and then Endeavour, to end the 30-year program.

It was Discovery's 39th launch and the 133rd shuttle mission overall.

"Enjoy the ride," the test conductor radioed just before liftoff. Commander Steven Lindsey thanked everyone for the work in getting Discovery ready to go: "And for those watching, get ready to witness the majesty and the power of Discovery as she lifts off one final time."

Emotions ran high as Discovery rocketed off its seaside pad into a late afternoon clear blue sky, and arced out over the Atlantic on its farewell flight. There were a tense few minutes before liftoff when an Air Force computer problem popped up. The issue was resolved and Discovery took off about three minutes late, with just a few seconds remaining in the countdown.

Discovery will reach the space station Saturday, delivering a small chamber full of supplies and an experimental humanoid robot. "Look forward to having company here on ISS in a couple days," station commander Scott Kelly said in a Twitter message.

The orbiting lab was soaring over the South Pacific when Discovery blasted off.

"Discovery now making one last reach for the stars," the Mission Control commentator said once the shuttle cleared the launch tower.

On-board TV cameras showed some pieces of foam insulation breaking off the external fuel tank four minutes into the flight, but shouldn't pose any safety concerns because it was late enough after liftoff.

NASA is under presidential direction to retire the shuttle fleet this summer, let private companies take over trips to orbit and focus on getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars.

An estimated 40,000 guests gathered at Kennedy Space Center to witness history in the making, including a small delegation from Congress and Florida's new Gov. Rick Scott. Discovery frenzy took over not only the launch site, but neighboring towns.

Roads leading to the launching site were jammed with cars parked two and three deep; recreational vehicles snagged prime viewing spots along the Banana River well before dawn. Businesses and governments joined in, their signs offering words of encouragement. "The heavens await Discovery," a Cocoa Beach church proclaimed. Groceries stocked up on extra red, white and blue cakes with shuttle pictures. Stores ran out of camera batteries.

The launch team also got into the act. A competition was held to craft the departing salutation from Launch Control: "The final liftoff of Discovery, a tribute to the dedication, hard work and pride of America's space shuttle team." Kennedy's public affairs office normally comes up with the parting line. Souvenir photos of Discovery were set aside for controllers in the firing room. Many posed for group shots.

Lindsey and his crew paused to take in the significance of it all, before boarding Discovery. They embraced in a group hug at the base of the launch pad.

Unlike the first try back in November, no hydrogen gas leaked during Thursday's fueling.

NASA also was confident no cracks would develop in the external fuel tank; nothing serious was spotted during the final checks at the pad. Both problems cropped up during the initial countdown in early November, and the repairs took almost four months. The cracks in the midsection of the tank, which holds instruments but no fuel, could have been dangerous.

The lengthy postponement kept one of the original crew from flying.

Astronaut Timothy Kopra, the lead spacewalker, was hurt when he wrecked his bicycle last month. Experienced spacewalker Stephen Bowen stepped in and became the first astronaut to fly back-to-back shuttle missions.

Packed aboard Discovery is Robonaut 2, or R2, set to become the first humanoid robot in space. The experimental machine — looking human from the waist up — will remain boxed until after Discovery departs. Its twin was at the launch site, perched atop a rover, waving goodbye.

"I'm in space! HELLO UNIVERSE!!!" R2 announced in a tweet sent by a human still on Earth.

Discovery already has 143 million miles to its credit, beginning with its first flight in 1984. By the time this mission ends, the shuttle will have tacked on another 4.5 million miles. And it will have spent 363 days in space and circled Earth 5,800 times when it returns March 7.

No other spacecraft has been launched so many times.

Discovery's list of achievements include delivering the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit, carrying the first Russian cosmonaut to launch on a U.S. spaceship, performing the first rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir with the first female shuttle pilot in the cockpit, returning Mercury astronaut John Glenn to orbit, and bringing shuttle flights back to life after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Discovery is expected to be eventually put on display by the Smithsonian Institution.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Meteorites Illuminate Mystery of Chromium in Earth’s Core

2011-02-25T09:46:00.000+08:00

by ANNE MINARD on FEBRUARY 24, 2011

It’s generally assumed that the Earth’s overall composition is similar to that of chondritic meteorites, the primitive, undifferentiated building blocks of the solar system. But a new study in ScienceExpress led by Frederic Moynier, of the University of California at Davis, seems to suggest that Earth is a bit of an oddball.

Thin section of a chondritic meteorite. Credit: NASA

Moynier and his colleagues analyzed the isotope signature of chromium in a variety of meteorites, and found that it differed from chromium’s signature in the mantle.

“We show through high-precision measurements of Cr stable isotopes in a range of meteorites, which deviate by up to ~0.4‰ from the bulk silicate Earth, that Cr depletion resulted from its partitioning into Earth’s core with a preferential enrichment in light isotopes,” the authors write. “Ab-initio calculations suggest that the isotopic signature was established at mid-mantle magma ocean depth as Earth accreted planetary embryos and progressively became more oxidized.”

Chromium’s origins. New evidence suggests that, in the early solar nebula (A), chromium isotopes were divided into two components, one containing light isotopes, the other heavy isotopes. In the early Earth (B), these components formed a homogeneous mixture. During core partitioning (C), the core became enriched with lighter chromium isotopes, and the mantle with heavier isotopes. Courtesy of Science/AAAS

The results point to a process known as “core partitioning,” rather than an alternative process involving the volatilization of certain chromium isotopes so that they would have escaped from the Earth’s mantle. Core partitioning took place early on Earth at high temperatures, when the core separated from the silicate earth, leaving the core with a distinct composition that is enriched with lighter chromium isotopes, notes William McDonough, from the University of Maryland at College Park, in an accompanying Perspective piece.

McDonough writes that chromium, Earth’s 10th most abundant element, is named for the Greek word for color and “adds green to emeralds, red to rubies, brilliance to plated metals, and corrosion-proof quality to stainless steels.” It is distributed roughly equally throughout the planet.

He says the new result “adds another investigative tool for understanding and documenting past and present planetary processes. For the cosmochemistry and meteoritics communities, the findings further bolster the view that the solar nebula was a heterogeneous mixture of different components.”

Source: Science. The McDonough paper will be published online today by the journal Science, at the Science Express website.

Discovery Thunders into Space to Begin Final Flight

2011-02-25T09:42:00.001+08:00

Space shuttle Discovery rode a brilliant trail of fire and smoke Thursday afternoon as it soared into orbit for an important mission to the International Space Station. The launch came after a last-minute technical glitch with the Air Force's Eastern Range that left only four seconds in the launch window and a practical limit of two seconds because of draining requirements with the external fuel tank.

"It was one more second than Mike Leinbach (shuttle launch director) needed to get the job done, so there was plenty of margin," said Mike Moses, chairman of the Mission Management Team. Still, he joked, "I could use a little less heart palpitations in the final seconds of the countdown."

Leinbach said launch simulations have conditioned the team of controllers to handle the pressures of last-second "go" decisions without jeopardizing a mission.

"This was one for the record books," Leinbach said. "It may have seemed a little rushed to people on the outside. It's a testament to the team that we have practiced for this."

The launch of the shuttle was not the only thing to happen in space exploration on launch day. Just as Discovery's tank finished being fueled, a cargo-carrying Automated Transfer Vehicle from the Eurpoean Space Agency docked to the station. The spacecraft, which carried no people, launched from South America last week on an Ariane V.

"This is a pretty tremendous day in spaceflight for us," said Bll Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations. "For us to be sitting here today with both of these events occurring as they did is pretty amazing."

Comet and Earth to have rare close encounter

2010-10-02T18:51:00.001+08:00

Typically during the course of a year about a dozen comets will come within the range of amateur telescopes. Most quietly come and go with little fanfare, but during the upcoming weeks one rather small comet will be making an unusually close approach to the Earth.

On Oct. 20, Comet Hartley 2 will pass just over 11 million miles from Earth. During October it should be easily visible in small telescopes, binoculars and from sites with dark enough skies even with the naked eye.

This video sky map shows how to spot the comet.

Comets are composed of rock, dust, water ice and frozen gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia. [ Best Comet Appearances of All Time ]

Because of their low mass, comet nuclei do not become spherical under their own gravity as larger bodies in space do, and thus have irregular shapes. They are often popularly described as "dirty snowballs," though recent observations have revealed dry dusty or rocky surfaces, suggesting that the ices are hidden beneath the crust.

In addition to its close pass of Earth, Comet Hartley 2 will be visited in early November by the Deep Impact spacecraft, which already had a previous encounter with Comet Tempel 1 in 2005.

Hartley's discovery

Back on March 15, 1986, astronomer Malcolm Hartley discovered a new comet on photographic images taken at the U.K. Schmidt Telescope Unit at Siding Spring, Australia.

This was Hartleys second discovery of a comet and so was designated as Comet Hartley 2. Orbital calculations by Brian Marsden of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., indicated that Hartley 2 had already made its closest approach to the sun nine months earlier and that at that time it was too close to the sun's glare to have been detected.At the time Hartley discovered it, the newfound comet was an exceedingly faint object, with just a hint of a tail; it was about 25,000 times dimmer than the faintest stars that can be seen with the naked eye. After further images were obtained over the next several days, Hartley announced his discovery to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams in Cambridge, Mass.

Marsden also calculated that the comet made a close approach to Jupiter during 1982. The comet takes roughly 6-1/2 years to circle the sun and it has since been observed again in 1991, 1997 and 2004.

Rare close encounter

This fall, Comet Hartley 2 will again be passing through the inner solar system, reaching its closest point to the sun (called perihelion) on Oct. 28 at a distance of 98.4 million miles.

And while en route to the sun, it will also make a very close approach to the Earth. In fact, at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 20, the comet will be at its closest point to our planet at a distance of 11.2 million miles.

It's quite unusual for any comet to approach this close to Earth. Such an event only happens on average perhaps three or four times a century.

If this comet were reasonably large, it would likely put on a very spectacular show around the time of its closest approach.

Halley's Comet passed a similar distance from Earth in the year 1066 and was described in ancient records as appearing "like a moon" as well as being depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, a long embroidered piece of cloth that depicts the Norman conquest of England.

A small, faint comet

Unfortunately, Hartley 2 is a very small and intrinsically faint comet. Observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope in August 2008 showed that the comet's nucleus has a diameter of just 0.7 miles. Its nucleus is only about one tenth the size of Halley's Comet and perhaps only one thirtieth that of Comet Hale-Bopp.

Nonetheless, Hartley 2 will come close enough to us to become dimly visible to the unaided eye during early to mid October.

Astronomers use magnitude to define the brightness of sky objects; the lower the magnitude, the brighter the object. The brightest stars are zero or first magnitude, while the faintest stars are sixth magnitude.

Current expectation is that the comet will reach a peak magnitude of perhaps 4.4 at the time of its closest approach. However, around that time the comet will probably appear very large in overall apparent size, perhaps similar to the apparent size of the full moon.

Binoculars or a small low-power telescope will provide a somewhat more pleasing view: a dim, circular, grayish-blue ball of light with a star-like condensation (the nucleus) at the center. As a result, much of the comet's brightness will be "spread out" over that area of the sky. So visually to the eye under a dark sky it will appear not as a sharp star-like image, but more like a dim, circular patch of light.

If the comet develops a tail of any kind, it likely will be of the gaseous variety very thin, faint and narrow, giving the comet the appearance of what comet expert John Bortle likens to "an apple on a stick."

Where to find it

As October begins, Comet Hartley 2 will be in the constellation of Cassiopeia, which at dusk will be positioned halfway up in the northeast sky; through Oct. 5 it will be passing below and to the right of the famous "W"-shaped formation composed of five bright stars.

The comet then moves into the constellation of Perseus on Oct. 6 and before dawn on the morning of Oct. 8, it will be situated only 0.7 degrees below and to the right of the famous Double Star Cluster. The cluster supposedly marks the sword handle of Perseus and is often touted as one of the most impressive star clusters in the entire sky.

On the morning of Oct. 10, the comet will appear to almost touch the 4th-magnitude star, Eta Persei. On Oct. 17, it will enter the boundaries of the constellation Auriga, and on the morning of Oct. 18, Hartley 2 will be about 1.2 degrees above and to the right of the star Epsilon Aurigae and 3 degrees below and to the right of

1.4-Gigapixel Telescope Spots Its First Dangerous Asteroid, Hurtling Toward Earth

2010-09-29T23:03:00.001+08:00

By Julie BeckPosted 09.29.2010 at 9:52 am2 Comments

2010 ST3 As Seen By Pan-STARRS PS1SC

The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS, is stationed on top of Mount Haleakala in Hawaii, turning its 1.4 gigapixel camera on the skies in search of potentially hazardous objects. Now, just three months after its PS1 telescope went online, it’sfound one.

Designated 2010 ST3, this asteroid will come within four million miles of Earth in October and there’s a very slight chance that it will hit us in 2098. Were that to come to pass, at 150 feet across, the impact would have the effect of a 20 megaton bomb. However, the impact is highly unlikely. The Earth and 2010 ST3 occupy the same potential volume of space in 2098, but that volume is huge. As time goes on and projections get more precise, it’s likely that we'll find that the Earth will end up outside of the asteroid’s path.

What’s amazing is that Pan-STARRS located it this early. On September 16, when the asteroid was first spotted, it was still 20 million miles away. No other existing asteroid survey could have found it. That bodes well for the identification of any future threatening objects. Pan-STARRS predicts that they will be able to locate tens of thousands of new asteroids each year and any that may come close to Earth will be labeled “potentially hazardous” and be closely watched.

[University of Hawaii]

Potentially hazardous '2010 ST3' asteroid 'will miss earth'

2010-09-29T22:56:00.000+08:00

Telescopic image of Hale Bopp Comet (REUTERS)

The institute for Astronomy at the university stated that the '2010 ST3 asteroid has a diameter of roughly 150ft.

The asteroid is the first object picked up by the STARRS PS1 telescope that could pose a potential hazard to life on Earth.

Thankfully Robert Jedick of the PS1 Scientific Consortium, told the Star Tribune that the asteroid 'will not hit our planet' in the immediate future.

2010 ST3 was only discovered a matter of weeks ago and was believed to be 20 million miles away from earth at the time.

No doubt the discovery will have a few people looking skywards next month.

Asteroids such as Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997, the notorious 1986 appearance of Halley's Comet and Comet McNaught in 2006 have all had amateur astrologers training their instruments on the night sky in recent years.

Bandar Angkasawan Di Bernam Jaya,Selangor ?

2010-09-29T10:18:00.001+08:00

SHAH ALAM, 29 SEPT- Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri Selangor (PKNS) merancang mewujudkan sebuah “Bandar Angkasawan” di Bernam Jaya, Selangor, kata Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya Omar Othman.

Menurut laporan Bernama semalam, Omar berkata projek ini masih lagi di peringkat awal sehingga kini tiada yang muktamad berkenaan perkara ini.

Ujar Omar, PKNS akan menganjurkan “Kongres Angkasawan” yang akan diadakan di Pusat Konvensyen Shah Alam pada 8 Oktober.

“Kami cuba menjadualkan lawatan oleh para angkasawan ke Pusat Sains Selangor yang juga merupakan Bandar Solar/Suria untuk bertukar-tukar pendapat,” kata beliau selepas lawatan oleh angkasawan negara Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor ke petak pameran PKNS di Persidangan Kewangan Global di sini.

Bertemakan, “Dawn of the New Decade: Alternative Investments in Asia”, persidangan anjuran International Herald Tribune dan London Speakers Bureau, berakhir semalam.

PKNS, cabang pelaburan kepada Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, merupakan satu-satu peserta pameran yang mengetengahkan hartanah berprofil tinggi bernilai berbilion ringgit bagi menarik para pelabur berpotensi antarabangsa.

Bandar Solar pertama Malaysia, terletak di Taman Sains Selangor 2, ialah pembangunan semula bandar berintegrasi dan bercampur dengan perindustrian berteknologi tinggi, kediaman komersil dan komponen rekreasi.

Sementara itu, Sheikh Muszaphar melahirkan rasa kagum dengan infrastruktur bertaraf dunia yang PKNS telah tempatkan di bandar Solar.

“Kami akan membawa 100 angkasawan dari seluruh dunia untuk melawat Bandar Solar seperti dari Amerika Syarikat, Iran dan India.

“Mungkin, kami boleh mempromosikan sains angkasa kerana Bandar Solar mempunyai banyak peluang dan potensi,” tambah beliau.

Ex-Air Force Personnel: UFOs Deactivated Nukes

2010-09-29T08:59:00.001+08:00

(CBS) Whatever the mysterious lights in the sky were, they seemed to have an interest in our nukes.

One of the more out-of-the-ordinary press conferences held in Washington this week consisted of former Air Force personnel testifying to the existence of UFOs and their ability to neutralize American and Russian nuclear missiles.

UFO researcher Robert Hastings of Albuquerque, N.M., who organized the National Press Club briefing, said more than 120 former service members had told him they'd seen unidentified flying objects near nuclear weapon storage and testing grounds.

Star & Stripes quoted former Air Force Capt. Robert Salas, who was at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana in 1967 when 10 ICMs he was overseeing suddenly became inoperative - at the same time base security informed him of a mysterious red glowing object in the sky.

Robert Jamison, a retired USAF nuclear missile targeting officer, told of several occasions having to go out and "re-start" missiles that had been deactivated, after UFOs were sighted nearby.

Similar sightings at nuclear sites in the former Soviet Union and in Britain were related.

CBS Affiliate KSWT describes "Britain's Roswell," a case of unidentified phenomena in December 1980 incident near two Royal Air Force Bases in Suffolk, England.

Several U.S. Air Force personnel reported seeing a strange metallic object hovering in Rendlesham Forest near RAF Woodbridge, and found three depressions in the ground.

Speaking at Monday's press briefing, retired USAF Col. Charles Halt said that in December 1980, when he was deputy base commander at RAF Bentwaters, strange lights in the forest were investigated by three patrolmen.

Halt said they reported approaching a triangular craft, "approximately three meters on a side, dark metallic in appearance with strange markings. They were observing it for a period of time, and then it very quickly and silently vanished at high speed."

Two nights later, Halt investigated another sighting near the base when he was told by the base commander, "It's back."

Halt found indentations in the ground, broken branches, and low-level background radiation. He and his team also witnessed various lights moving silently in the sky, of one which was "shedding something like molten metal." Another shined a beam of light down towards them.

The incidents were never officially explained.

Several of the ex-servicemembers speaking Monday said when they'd brought their concern of such appearances to superiors, they'd been told it was "top secret" or that it "didn't happen."

Hastings suggested the presence of such phenomena meant that aliens were monitoring our weapons, and perhaps warning us - "a sign to Washington and Moscow that we are playing with fire," as he was quoted in theTelegraph.

Hastings predicted a "paradigm shift" in the mindset of humanity owing to the existence of alien life.

"Traditional institutions such as religions, governments, other social institutions may be threatened by what is coming. That is just the logical consequence of what is about to occur."

The U.S. Air Force ended its 22-year-long "Project Blue Book" investigation of UFO sightings after investigating 12,618 sightings; all but 701 were explained, and the reminder categorized as "unidentified" due to sketchy

reports, a Pentagon spokesman said in 1997.

"We cannot substantiate the existence of UFOs, and we are not harboring the remains of UFOs," said Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth Bacon in 1997. "I can't be more clear about it than that."

Tracking UFOs

2010-09-29T08:43:00.003+08:00

Recently, reports of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) have been occurring frequently in China. On July 7 this year, more than 20 flights were postponed at Xiaoshan International Airport in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, because of a sighting. Whenever such reported sightings occur, Wang Sichao, a research fellow at the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is much busier than usual.

In addition to studying the sightings, Wang, who started work on UFOs nearly 40 years ago, has to check and reply to mail about UFOs from all across China. Lately, Wang predicted "great events" concerning UFOs were going to come out in China in the next two years. In an interview with Beijing Review, he shared his views and stories with reporter Tang Yuankai. Edited excerpts follow:

Beijing Review: Why did you make such a prediction? What's your basis?

Wang Sichao: First, I'd like to say something about the conception of "great events about UFOs." It does not mean large numbers of UFOs but refers to events of credible facts backed by observation. But these facts cannot yet be explained by existing scientific knowledge or natural phenomena. Through 39 years' investigation and research, I found that in years ending with the numbers 1, 2 or 7—such as 1971, 1981, 1991, 1982, 1992, 2002, 1977, 1987, 2007—great UFO events would happen. So, I think 2011 and 2012 will be another two active years.

In recent years, what kinds of UFO phenomena have happened in China? In which areas of China? Was there ever anything like the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind?

Many kinds of UFOs have appeared in China in recent years, in appearances such as bolide, light spot, spiral, fan, bright star, flying rod, ball lightning and V-shaped. UFO events occurred more often in the north of the Yangtze River. But there were exceptions. For instance, a V-shaped UFO appeared over Nanjing on January 10, 2006.

During the last century, there was also something like Close Encounters of the Third Kind in China. But it was similar to what happened in other countries and lacked reliable evidence.

In your opinion, why, for decades, has there been no significant progress in UFO studies domestically and overseas?

UFOs are a worldwide mystery of over a century. In 2007, Nick Pope, former head of the British Government's UFO Project, said over the last 60 years, the British Ministry of Defense had been working on the mystery all the time, but no answer could be found. Governments and military departments of the United States and France have also had difficulty progressing in UFO exploration.

Why, for 60 years, was there no progress in UFO studies? The reason is that a UFO only appears randomly and often disappears rapidly in a few minutes. By the time large professional telescopes are started up, it has already disappeared. So, we can only rely on information from occasional sightings or encounters by observers. For decades, domestic and international practice has shown it is difficult for military departments alone to study UFOs.

Like ghosts in the air, UFOs are mysterious and varied. There have been discussions and controversies for decades about the existence of UFOs. Some scholars assert a UFO is an optical illusion, while others think UFOs do exist as objects. So, exploring UFO phenomena is really an interesting matter.

What stage is China at in the study of UFOs? Is there any cooperation with international colleagues?

China is already walking in the forefront of international UFO research and exploration. At present, with plenty of credible, verifiable observation reports, China has entered a quantitative analysis stage of study. We also carried out academic exchanges with colleagues all over the world.

How do you conduct UFO research and what tools and methods do you employ? Can you tell us something about your research achievements?

In order to overcome the difficulties in UFO study, I introduced quantitative analysis methods into the field. In the last 39 years, based on my work at the PMO and my personal observation experiences, I have made quantitative analysis of some of the great UFO events by employing spherical astronomy and physics.

In the past decades, a large number of experienced astronomy amateurs have appeared in China. They are scattered throughout the country, and form an efficient observation network. Once a UFO event occurs, the PMO where I have been working will receive huge amounts of observational data from amateurs.

As for me, with years of field observation experience and six years of study in astrophysics at Peking University, I can figure out flying height, direction, and speed and the position of substellar point (the point on the earth at which the star is in the zenith at a specified time) by employing spherical astronomy methods based on several high quality sighting reports about a UFO event from different locations with sufficient distance, and analyze the mechanism of the event by physical methods.

Since 1971, I have been engaged in conducting in-depth investigations and quantitative and semi-quantitative scientific analysis to at least 20 spiral, fan and light-like UFO events. I found many strange flying objects appeared at a speed much lower than first cosmic velocity in the space between 130 km to 1,500 km from the Earth's surface. Some even flew at a speed as low as 0.29 km a second, 4 percent of the first cosmic velocity at the flying height, and flew at the height of around 1,460 km for 25 minutes. The facts show those UFOs may possess anti-gravity ability, or they would have fallen to the Earth.

I classified the more than 100 typical UFO events that occurred in the last 39 years into 10 or so types. I paid more attention to UFO events observed at the same time but from more than two different locations. I found seven types of these events could be explained through existing natural phenomena and knowledge, including objects that look like bolides, light spots, bright constellations, flying point clusters, bright stars, or flying sticks. Eight types still cannot be explained from existing knowledge, including spiral-, fan-, spindle-, ball-, or V-shaped objects, or those that look like balls of lightning, strange vehicles or flying saucers, of which spiral-, fan-, light ball- or flying saucer-shaped objects may be related to extraterrestrial craft.

What do you think we should do to further the exploration for UFOs?

Designing and manufacturing a new type of special telescope is very necessary. As a UFO is only met by chance and disappears rapidly, a special telescope with a small aperture may be better for observations. More such telescopes should be made and installed in different observation stations, so as to form an observation network. Once a UFO appears, immediate and networked observations would be carried out, thereby achieving a leap in observation accuracy, depth and quality. At the same time, more accurate quantitative analysis should be employed on the basis of observation.

For human beings, what is the significance of UFO studies?

First, we hope to explore extraterrestrial civilizations. If we find solid evidence about alien spacecraft visiting the Earth through further observation and analysis, it would be as significant as Columbus Christopher's discovering the New World. Second, we need to explore unknown natural phenomenon and laws. Third, it would be of great significance to national defense and economic development. Fourth, finding out the truth about UFOs would also be helpful for dispelling the public's superstitions and misconceptions.

At present, scientists do not have any concrete evidence about aliens. But many scientists believe aliens exist. Does this mean the question is not whether there are aliens, but when they will contact us?

Yes. Astronomers all over the world are now intensifying their efforts to explore extraterrestrial life and civilization. As long as we have open minds about scientific exploration of the unknown and employ multiple methods, the contact between humans and extraterrestrial life will hopefully come this century.

'Duta makhluk asing' nafi dilantik PBB

2010-09-28T18:07:00.001+08:00

Setelah 48 jam dinobatkan sebagai duta bumi pertama untuk berkomunikasi dengan makhluk asing, Prof Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman akhirnya menafikan diberikan mandat oleh Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu (PBB) bagi tujuan itu.

"Ia kedengaran menarik, tetapi saya harus nafikannya," kata Dr Mazlan melalui e-mel kepada The Guardian.

Kelmarin, bekas ketua pengarah Agensi Angkasa Negara (Angkasa) itu menjadi tajuk berita utama di peringkat antarabangsa apabila dilapor dicadang sebagai individu pertama berkomunikasi dengan makhluk asing jika kehadiran entiti berkenaan berjaya disahkan secara saintifik.

Langkah memberi tanggungjawab itu kepada Mazlan, 58, dilaporkan selaras dengan kedudukannya sebagai Pengarah di Pejabat Hal Ehwal Angkasa Lepas Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (UNOOSA) yang beribu pejabat di Vienna, Austria.

Mazlan bagaimanapun hari ini berkata beliau akan terus bercakap tentang "objek yang hampir dengan bumi" dalam persidangan berkaitan daripada bertemu dengan makhluk hijau seperti manusia itu.

PBB juga hari ini dilapor turut menafikan rancangan melantik duta bagi tujuan itu kerana "kerja itu tidak wujud sama sekali", lapor BBC

Meteor crater found on Google Earth could help prepare for future impacts

2010-09-27T14:27:00.001+08:00

The Kamil crater is one of the best preserved sites ever found Photo: GOOGLE EARTH

The Kamil crater, which is 16 metres deep and 45 metres wide, is deep within the Egyptian desert, and was unknown until it was found using the search engine's satellite images.

Caused by a ten ton mass of iron travelling at more than 12,000kph, it is one of the best preserved sites ever found.

The impact would have generated a fireball seen more than 1,000 kilometres away, and scientists believe it is relatively young – potentially less than a few thousand years old.

This means it is likely to have been seen by early humans.

The crater was spotted in the border region between Egypt, Sudan and Libya in 2008 by mineralogist Vincenzo De Michele, then with the Civico Museo di Storia Naturale in Milan, Italy.

He was searching for natural features when he chanced on the image on his PC screen

He contacted astrophysicist Dr Mario Di Martino, at the INAF (National Institute for Astrophysics) observatory in Turin, who, along with Dr Luigi Folco, organised an expedition to the site in February this year.

The two week expedition took more than a year to plan, and involved 40 people driving for three days in 40 degree heat to find the site.

They collected fragments and carried out tests, and found that it was in remarkably pristine condition.

Dr Detlef Koschny said: "This demonstrates that metallic meteorites having a mass on the order of 10 tonnes do not break up in the atmosphere, and instead explode when they reach the ground and produce a crater,"

Dr Falco added: "We are still determining the geochronology of the impact site, but the crater is certainly less than ten thousand years old and potentially less than a few thousand.

"The impact may even have been observed by humans, and archaeological investigations at nearby ancient settlements may help fix the date,"

The European Space Agency, which helped fund the expedition, said: "The data gathered during the expedition will be very useful to ESA's Space Situational Awareness programme's activities for risk assessment of small asteroids with orbits that approach Earth, a category to which the Kamil impactor originally belonged.

America's X Files: Top U.S. airmen to accuse Air Force of cover-up as they claim UFOs have been deactivating nuclear missiles since 1948

2010-09-27T09:26:00.000+08:00

By DANIEL BATES

Last updated at 1:23 AM on 27th September 2010

It may sound like a Spielberg movie plot, but if senior U.S. airmen are to be believed, this scenario is not science fiction.

They claim that since 1948, aliens have been hovering over UK and U.S. nuclear missile sites and deactivating the weapons– once even landing in a British base.

Furthermore, they warn, our governments are hushing the activity up.

Captain Robert Salas, who, along with six others is to break his silence on the subject, said: ‘We’re talking about unidentified flying objects, as simple as that.

‘They’re often known as UFOs, you could call them that.

Disruption: The group of veterans will claim on Monday that several nuclear missiles malfunctioned as UFOs hovered overhead

‘The U.S. Air Force is lying about the national security implications of unidentified aerial objects at nuclear bases and we can prove it,’ he said.

The former officer said he witnessed such an event first-hand on March 16, 1967, at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

‘I was on duty when an object came over and hovered directly over the site.

‘The missiles shut down – ten Minuteman [nuclear] missiles. And the same thing happened at another site a week later. There’s a strong interest in our missiles by these objects, wherever they come from. I personally think they’re not from planet Earth.’

Colonel Charles Halt claims to have seen a UFO at RAF Bentwaters, near Ipswich, one of the few bases in the UK to hold nuclear weapons.

The sighting is said to have taken place 30 years ago. First he saw the object firing beams of light into the base then heard on the military radio that aliens had landed inside the nuclear storage area, he said.

Real or fake? The veterans claim the U.S. and UK governments covered up the UFOs incidents

Controversial: At the event in Washington on Monday the men will release declassified U.S. government documents which they say back up their claims

‘I believe that the security services of both the United States and the United Kingdom have attempted – both then and now – to subvert the significance of what occurred at RAF Bentwaters by the use of well-practised methods of disinformation.’

The six former U.S. Air Force officers and one former enlisted man, are to present declassified information which they claim backs up their findings. They have witness testimony from 120 former or retired military personnel which points to alien intervention at nuclear sites in the U.S. as recently as 2003.

They will urge the authorities to confirm that alien beings have long been visiting Earth.

A press conference today in Washington will also highlight testimony from retired U.S. Air Force Captain Bruce Fenstermacher, whose security team saw a cigar-shaped UFO hovering above FE Warren nuclear base in Wyoming in 1976.

Researcher Robert Hastings, who has written on the subject, explained that so far the aliens appeared interested in ‘mere surveillance’ but warned they seemed to have gone further in some instances.

‘At long last, all of these witnesses are coming forward to say that, as unbelievable as it may seem to some, UFOs have long monitored and sometimes tampered with our nukes,’ he added.

The truth is out there: Author and veteran Robert Hastings will host the press conference tomorrow

Chinese Media To U.S. Regarding UFO Coverage: Grow A Pair

2010-09-26T15:16:00.003+08:00

China's People's Daily Online, the official news agency of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in China (CPC), is reporting that two students photographed a UFO above the city of Pingyao September 22 while taking nightscape photos during the 10th Pingyao International Photography Festival.

Over a 40-minute period, the students snapped roughly 200 pictures of the UFO, which they described as "a sphere with two flickering columns on its two sides," but which could not be seen with the naked eye.

The only published image, shown here, does not impress. Grainy and indistinct, it's typical of the vast majority of UFO photos.

But the real story here isn't the photo. It's People's Daily's persistent willingness to report UFO sightings without flip comment, specious hypothesis, de rigueur debunker counterpoint, or meteorological speculation.

The People's Daily headline is straightforward: "UFO photographed over ancient Chinese city. " Not "Purported UFO..." Not even "Suspected UFO..."

There's no reference to Little Green Men and no evidence of any invitation extended to air traffic controllers, military spokespeople or government officials to make official non-statements.

It's just so ... so ... Un-American.

If two students attending a photography festival in the United States were to tell the local media that they'd photographed a UFO, it's a virtual certainty that they'd be either ignored or made a laughing stock. Substance abuse, at a minimum, would be assumed and implied.

So why does China handle the topic so differently?

And why don't we?

Maybe it's because, when you get right down to it, we really do know everything worth knowing.

Previous China UFO coverage at Technorati

Third UFO-Related Airport Shutdown In China This Year (September 21, 2010) - Baotou Airport reroutes flights for almost an hour after UFO detected in vicinity More UFO Love For China, This Time In Zhejiang Province (September 6, 2010) - Haining City television reporters capture distant UFO on camera

Chinese astronomer claims some UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin (August 27, 2010) - Respected member of Chinese scientific community makes no bones about the existence of UFOs
Time magazine debunks China UFOs, ignores obvious questions (August 23, 2010) - Time explains China UFOs as private airplanes flying without flight plans
China's second mass UFO sighting in two weeks (July 21, 2010) - Lantern-like objects hover over Chongqing's Shaping Park
UFOs cause flight delays in China (July 12, 2010) - Xiaoshan Airport in Zeijiang Province shut down for several hours

UFOs Visited Nuclear Weapons Sites, Former Air Force Officers Say

2010-09-26T15:08:00.002+08:00

By Lee Spiegel for AOL News

(Sept. 21) — UFOs have monitored and possibly tampered with American nuclear weapons, according to a group of former Air Force officers who will make their claims public next week at a Washington, D.C., news conference.

”While most of the incidents apparently involved mere surveillance, in a few cases, a significant number of nuclear missiles suddenly and simultaneously malfunctioned, just as USAF security policemen reported seeing disc-shaped craft hovering nearby,” says Robert Hastings, author of “UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites.”

On Monday, at the National Press Club, Hastings will present six former Air Force personnel who will break their silence and disclose dramatic first-hand experiences with UFOs at nuclear weapons sites.

In a statement, Hastings said, “At long last, all of these witnesses are coming forward to say that, as unbelievable as it may seem to some, UFOs have long monitored and sometimes tampered with our nukes.” Hastings’ co-host for the news conference, ICBM launch officer Capt. Robert Salas, was witness to a UFO incident in 1967 that, he says, caused a missile disruption at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, and he was ordered to keep quiet about it. “The Air Force is lying about the national security implications of unidentified aerial objects at nuclear bases, and we can prove it,” Salas said.

Another officer scheduled to appear at Monday’s conference, Col. Charles Halt, witnessed a disc-shaped object shooting beams of light onto the joint Anglo/American RAF Bentwaters airbase in England in 1980. The lights were reportedly near the base’s nuclear weapons storage area. “I believe that the security services of both the United States and the United Kingdom have attempted — both then and now — to subvert the significance of what occurred at RAF Bentwaters by the use of well-practiced methods of disinformation.”

Along with the other officers who will be on hand to support this remarkable UFO agenda, Hastings says that he and the auspicious military group will discuss the national security implications of these and other UFO incidents, and they will urge the government to come clean about the subject.

In addition to declassified U.S. government documents that will be offered at the event, the group plans to address the following questions:

Why do UFOs continue to appear at nuclear weapons sites, decade after decade?
What might these incursions indicate about the intentions and goals of those who presumably pilot these craft?
Why has the U.S. government chosen to keep the American public, and people everywhere, in the dark about these dramatic developments?

Consider it the second barrel of the double-barreled shotgun, or the “two” of the proverbial “one-two punch”; the first being Leslie Kean’s new book, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record and now the upcoming press conference being co-hosted by researcher Robert Hastings and former missleer (Minuteman I launch officer – Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander) Bob Salas. Hastings writes: “Declassified U.S. government documents and the testimony of more than 120 former or retired military personnel have established, beyond doubt, the reality of ongoing UFO incursions at American nuclear weapons sites.”

While most of the incidents apparently involved mere surveillance, in a few cases a significant number of nuclear missiles suddenly and simultaneously malfunctioned, just as USAF Security Policemen reported seeing disc-shaped craft hovering nearby. On September 27th, during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. , six former U.S. Air Force officers and one former enlisted man will reveal their own dramatic experiences involving UFOs at nuclear weapons sites.

One of them, former Minuteman missile launch officer Robert Salas, is co-hosting the event with me. We hope to draw worldwide media attention to this vital issue by presenting the testimony of highly-credible individuals who witnessed extraordinary encounters which have officially been kept secret for decades. Five of these veterans were rigorously screened by the Air Force and authorized to launch or otherwise work with Weapons of Mass Destruction. Of the remaining two, one headed-up a USAF communications center where he learned of UFO activity at ICBM sites; the other witnessed a UFO directing laser-like beams of light down into a major military base—including the nuclear weapons depot, according to the radio chatter he overheard. At long last, all of these witnesses are coming forward to say that, as unbelievable as it may seem to some, UFOs have long monitored and sometimes tampered with our nukes. If ever there were a front page story, this is it.

At the press conference, Mr. Salas and I will be asking simple questions: Why do UFOs continue to appear at nuclear weapons sites, decade after decade? What might these incursions indicate about the intentions and goals of those who presumably pilot these craft? Why has the U.S. government chosen to keep the American public, and people everywhere, in the dark about these dramatic developments? Hasn´t the time come to speak the truth?

The purpose of this short article is to introduce, in alphabetical order, the individuals who will participate in the upcoming event:

Dwynne Arneson, retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel, was the Officer-in-Charge at the Malmstrom AFB, Montana, Communications Center in 1967, when he read a classified message concerning the sighting of a UFO hovering over one of the base´s Minuteman I Launch Facilities (silos), just as several missiles mysteriously malfunctioned. Although Arneson can not recall the designation of the missile “flight” mentioned, researchers now know that two UFO-related full-flight shutdowns—involving 10 missiles each—took place at Malmstrom in March of that year, at Echo and Oscar Flights.

Bruce Fenstermacher, retired USAF Captain, was a Minuteman III missile launch officer (Missile Combat Crew Commander) stationed at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming in 1976. His Security Alert Team reported a cigar-shaped UFO hovering low over his launch capsule, then ignored a direct order to pursue the object after it raced away and began moving from missile to missile in his flight. Fenstermacher´s squadron´s missile crews were briefed about the incident and told never to discuss it with anyone. Charles Halt, retired USAF Colonel, was the Deputy Base Commander at a joint Anglo/American airbase, RAF Bentwaters, in 1980. Among other events, Halt observed a disc-shaped UFO directing beams of light down into the base, at one point near the nuclear Weapons Storage Area (WSA), according to several Security Policemen on duty there.

Robert Jamison, former USAF Captain, was a Minuteman I missile targeting officer (Combat Targeting Team Commander) at Malmstrom AFB in 1967. He helped re-start the stricken missiles at Oscar Flight, where Bob Salas was on alert duty at the time of the full-flight shutdown. Jamison says that his team was explicitly briefed about a UFO-connection with the incident before going into the field, thereby corroborating Salas´ report of a UFO being sighted as it hovered over the Oscar Launch Control Facility at the time of the malfunctions.

Patrick McDonough, retired U.S. Navy Intelligence Command Master Chief, was a U.S. Air Force geodetic surveyor at Malmstrom AFB in 1966. A disc-shaped UFO briefly hovered some 300-ft. above his team as they worked at a newly-constructed missile silo. They fled the scene, rolling their truck in the process. A Montana State Policeman responding to the accident told the team that some 20 UFO reports had been made that night by civilians living in the area.

Jerry Nelson, former USAF 1st Lieutenant, was an Atlas-F missile launch officer (Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander) at Walker AFB, New Mexico in 1964. His security guards reported a UFO silently hovering over the Site 9 launch capsule on half-a-dozen occasions over the period of a month or so. The object directed a spotlight onto the missile, frightening the guards. Nelson´s reports to the base command post were seemingly ignored at the time, however, evidence has come to light suggesting that the incidents were classified Top Secret.

Bob Salas, former USAF Captain, was a Minuteman I launch officer (Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander) at Malmstrom´s Oscar Flight, on March 24, 1967, when all of his missiles dropped-off alert status—malfunctioned—just as one of his guards reported a UFO hovering over the Launch Control Facility´s security fence gate. Salas and his missile commander, now-retired Col. Fred Meiwald, were debriefed about the incident and asked to signed non-disclosure statements by an agent from the Office of Special Investigations (OSI). Meiwald has confirmed that, shortly after the malfunctions occurred, a two-man Security Alert Team was sent out to one of the flight´s missile silos to investigate a tripped alarm there. Upon approaching the site, the team saw a second (or the same) UFO hovering near it, whereupon they became frightened and quickly returned to the Launch Control Facility.”

“To present their information in the most credible manner possible, Mr. Salas and I have asked each of the press conference participants to sign legal affidavits attesting to their experiences. Those will be posted at this website following the event.”

Bercakap dengan makhluk asing ?

2010-09-26T14:46:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR 26 Sept. - Bekas Ketua Pengarah Agensi Angkasa Negara (Angkasa), Prof. Datuk Dr. Mazlan Othman akan menjadi individu pertama yang akan berkomunikasi dengan makhluk asing jika kehadiran entiti itu berjaya disahkan secara saintifik.

Langkah memberikan tanggungjawab itu kepada Mazlan, 58, oleh Pertubuhan Bangsa Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) adalah selaras dengan kedudukannya sebagai Pengarah di Pejabat Hal Ehwal Angkasa Lepas PBB (UNOOSA) yang beribu pejabat di Vienna, Austria.

Menurut laman web berita utama Australia, www.news.com.au, Mazlan akan menjelaskan peranan terbarunya ketika menyampaikan ceramah pada satu persidangan saintifik minggu depan.

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"THE United Nations was set today to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as Earth’s first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.

Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), is to describe her potential new role next week at a scientific conference at the Royal Society’s Kavli conference centre in Buckinghamshire."

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THE United Nations was set today to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as Earth’s first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.

Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), is to describe her potential new role next week at a scientific conference at the Royal Society’s Kavli conference centre in Buckinghamshire.

She is scheduled to tell delegates that the recent discovery of hundreds of planets around other stars has made the detection of extraterrestrial life more likely than ever before - and that means the UN must be ready to coordinate humanity’s response to any “first contact”.

During a talk Othman gave recently to fellow scientists, she said: “The continued search for extraterrestrial communication, by several entities, sustains the hope that some day humankind will receive signals from extraterrestrials.

"When we do, we should have in place a coordinated response that takes into account all the sensitivities related to the subject. The UN is a ready-made mechanism for such coordination.”

Professor Richard Crowther, an expert in space law and governance at the UK Space Agency and who leads British delegations to the UN on such matters, said: “Othman is absolutely the nearest thing we have to a ‘take me to your leader’ person.”

However, he thinks humanity’s first encounter with any intelligent aliens is more likely to be via radio or light signals from a distant planet than by beings arriving on Earth. And, he suggests, even if we do encounter aliens in the flesh, they are more likely to be microbes than anything intelligent.

Encounters with Comet Hartley 2

2010-09-26T12:20:00.000+08:00

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

by Greg Bryant

An icy visitor is positioning itself for easier viewing in the coming weeks. Periodic Comet 103P/Hartley 2 won't have the pizzazz of Comet Hale-Bopp or the unexpected spectacle of Comet Holmes. But it will be high in the evening sky when at its best, glowing at perhaps 5th magnitude. It should be dimly visible to the unaided eye from very dark locations, and visible in binoculars and telescopes from almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. (Most of you in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to observe it from mid-October onward.)

Hartley 2's brightness, and its unusually fast slide across the constellations, both result from how closely it will approach Earth: by just 0.12 astronomical unit (11 million miles; 18 million km) on October 20th. This will be its closest approach since its 1986 discovery and one of the closest approaches of any comet in the last few centuries.

Comet Hartley 2 spends September gaining speed in Lacerta and Andromeda southwest of Cassiopeia. In October it races high across the northern sky from Cassiopeia to Capella. Click here for a large version suitable for field use.

S&T diagram

The waxing Moon brightens the evening sky from about September 15th to 26th. On the 22nd Hartley 2 should be 7th or 8th magnitude and within a few degrees of Lambda (λ) Andromedae, as shown on our map here (click for large version).

October 1st finds the comet passing 1.5° south of 2.2-magnitude Alpha (α) Cassiopeiae, high in the northeast during moonless evenings. Perhaps 6th magnitude by then, it should remain at least this bright for the next nine weeks. But it's important to note that, with the comet now just 0.18 a.u. from Earth and closing, its light is no longer concentrated into a small dot but instead is more spread out. So even if you can sight a 6th-magnitude star with the unaided eye, Hartley 2 will be tougher. It's closest to Earth on October 20th at a distance of just 0.121 a.u.

On the night of October 7th in the Americas, when the comet should be 5th or 6th magnitude, it creeps less than 1° south of the Double Cluster in Perseus, magnitudes 4.3 and 4.4. This will make for a wonderful wide-field sight and a great astrophoto opportunity — particularly since it's again new Moon!

From here on Hartley 2 turns southeast, passing near the head of Perseus. On October 20th the fuzzy visitor passes just south of brilliant Capella. By the end of October the comet should still be around 5th magnitude — but now in Gemini. So it doesn't gain a high altitude until later in the night. Perihelion, 1.06 a.u. from the Sun, comes on the 28th — but that morning the nearly last-quarter Moon is just a few degrees away.

Moonless viewing times return around November 1st. But now, with the comet moving away from both the Sun and Earth, it fades by about a magnitude every two weeks. Besides — by then our attention should surely be turning to the exploits of (and pictures from) NASA's EPOXI spacecraft, which swoops by it on November 4th at a distance of just 600 miles (1,000 km).

Observer Rolando Ligustri remotely photographed 103P/Comet Hartley 2 on September 6th (Universal Time) using a 10-inch f/3.4 Takahashi Epsilon 250 astrographic telescope.

Rolando Ligustri

A Comet's Tale

How could a short-period comet, visible to the unaided eye, go undiscovered until just 24 years ago? Read on.

Malcolm Hartley first spotted it on March 16, 1986, at magnitude 17 or 18 during a sky survey by the 1.2-meter U.K. Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring, Australia. A series of position measurements soon revealed it to be a short-period comet orbiting the Sun about every 6 years. It was the second short-period comet discovered solely by Hartley, hence the "2" in its name. The appellation 103P indicates that it was the 103rd comet with a known orbital period.

A backtrack of Hartley 2's path revealed that it fell into its current orbit only recently. Three close encounters with Jupiter (0.33 a.u. in 1982, 0.09 a.u. in 1971, and 0.23 a.u. in 1947) had shifted the comet's track closer to the Sun. Prior to those encounters, Hartley 2 never came closer than 2 a.u. from the Sun, leaving it beyond visual detection.

Hartley 2's next return came in 1991, when it brightened that September to 8th magnitude. It did so again at its following return in December 1997. The 2004 apparition was a poor one, with the comet far from Earth.

Now it's arriving front and center for its best showing yet. So enjoy it while you can!

Greg Bryant, editor of Australian edition of Sky & Telescope, fondly recalls his first sighting of Comet Hartley 2 in 1991.

Comet Hartley 2 might brighten to binocular object by late September 2010

2010-09-26T12:16:00.000+08:00

You might be able to see Comet Hartley 2 with binoculars by late September 2010. You might see it with the eye alone in October 2010. To find it, first learn the constellation Cassiopeia.

September 5th, 2010 - Astronomy Essentials

Comet Hartley 2 – possibly 2010’s brightest comet – might become bright enough to see with binoculars by late September. It could possibly become faintly visible to the unaided eye in October.

To find the comet, first find the easy-to-spot constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. This comet will sweep next to Cassiopeia in late September and the first week of October 2010. Cassiopeia is a W or M-shaped star pattern that will serve as your guide to what might well become the brightest comet this year.

Bright star in September 2010? Might be the planet Jupiter.

Cassiopeia always appears in the northeastern sky at nightfall on September and October evenings. It swings high in the northern sky (above Polaris, the North Star) in the wee hours after midnight in September and October. Then, as night progresses toward dawn, you’ll find Cassiopeia in the northwestern sky before dawn. Cassiopeia is easy to see. Just look in the locations mentioned above for a W or M-shaped star pattern. Or … use the Big Dipper to find Cassiopeia.

How to find Comet Hartley 2 with binoculars

A typical binocular field covers about 5 degrees of sky. Sometimes the field of view (F.O.V.) is listed right on your binoculars. For handy reference, the distance between the Cassiopeia stars Caph and Schedar measures about 5 degrees. Remember this, as it will serve you well on your hunt for Comet Hartley 2.

Around the night of September 30, look for Comet Hartley 2 near the star Schedar (Alpha Cassiopeiae). It passes within 1.5 degrees of this star on September 30. That means Schedar and the comet will fit within the same binocular field together for several days in a row, centered on September 30.

Around the night of October 7, look for Comet Hartley 2 near the very beautiful Double Cluster in Perseus. (Think photo opportunity!) The comet will travel within one degree of this famous cluster on October 7, but you should also look for Comet Hartley in the cluster’s vicinity on the nights of October 6, 8 and 9. It’s fun to mentally note how the comet changes position relative to the background stars from night to night. How can you find the Double Cluster? Star-hop to it by drawing an imaginary line downward through the stars Navi (Gamma Cassiopeiae) and Ruchbah (Delta Cassiopeiae). Even in moderately light-polluted skies, the Double Cluster is fairly easy to make out with binoculars. It’s faintly visible to the unaided eye on a dark, moonless night.

More about the Double Cluster in Perseus: Two star clusters

After October 10, finding the comet gets tricky, because the moon will be returning to the evening sky. The moon’s glare will make the comet harder to see. It will probably be best to observe Comet Hartley 2 after moonset from October 11 to October 20. In the near future, we will feature another article on how to view Comet Hartley 2 in this part of October.

What will the comet look like?

The brightness and appearance of any comet doesn’t necessarily follow an ironclad forecast, so don’t be too surprised if Comet Hartley exceeds or falls shy of expectation. That’s why the element of suspense always accompanies the return of a comet to Earth’s sky. Comet Hartley 2 may only look like a faint, fuzzy star. Or it may exhibit a discernable tail. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, make friends with Cassiopeia, your tour guide to Comet Hartley 2. The trick to comet hunting is to know right where to look for its place in the starry sky. If all goes well, Comet Hartley 2 will become a binocular object in late September and reach naked-eye visibility in October.

Look for daytime moon after sunrise September 25-28

2010-09-26T12:14:00.000+08:00

September 25, 2010 - Tonight

Sylvia wrote, When is the best time to see the moon in the sky during daylight hours?

Sylvia, it’s easier to see a daytime moon when the moon is fairly far from the sun in the sky. When would that be? It would be around the time of full moon each month. A full moon is always 180 degrees from the sun, on the opposite side of the sky’s dome. Full moon was September 23.

Generally, the full moon sets around sunrise. But the waning gibbous moon sets in the west after sunrise. In the next few mornings, after sunrise, look for the waning gibbous moon to sail over your western horizon during the morning hours. At mid-northern latitudes in North America, the moon will set at roughly 10 a.m. tomorrow, 11 a.m. on Monday and noon Tuesday.

Comet Hartley 2 might brighten to binocular object by late September 2010

By the way, the moon is up during the day half the time. It has to be, since it orbits around the whole Earth once a month. Sometimes the daytime moon is hard to see because it’s so near the sun in the sky. And consider that if the sun is low in the sky, a slim crescent daytime moon might be straight overhead, so that you’d have to crane your neck, looking up, to notice it.

Ordinarily, we don’t look up during the day to see such a thin crescent moon. That’s one reason people are sometimes surprised to learn the moon is out so often during the day.

But as the moon gets farther from the sun in our sky, the portion of its lighted half turned in our direction increases. In other words, the farther the moon is from the sun, the larger the visible phase of the moon … and the easier to see a daytime moon. In this the last week of September 2010, look for the daytime moon in the west after sunrise!

JOM...Tengok Bulan...

2010-09-18T10:35:00.001+08:00

Agak-agaknya bila kali terakhir anda betul-betul meneliti permukaan Bulan menerusi Teleskop? Saya sendiri terpaksa mengakui, terlalu obses dengan mengambil foto-foto Bulan, sehingga terlupa untuk meninjau-ninjau keadaan permukaan kawah-kawah dan gunung-ganang yang menjulang tinggi di Bulan!

Nama-nama kawah seperti Copernicus, Plato sering menjadi sebutan di forum-forum internet serta laman web astrofotografi, tetapi pernahkah anda betul-betul meninjaunya dengan mata sendiri menerusi teleskop?

Kehadiran Bulan di langit juga kadang-kadang diambil endah tak endah atau "take things for granted". Saat paling popular pun ialah ketika mengejar Hilal, Bulan Penuh, atau Bulan Merah di ufuk, ataupun MARIKH SEBESAR BULAN!!

Tapi percaya atau tidak, walaupun di mana kitra berada, tidak kira di bandar besar atau di desa, Bulan begitu cerah sehingga kilauan cahaya yang menenggelamkan bintang, tidak mempunyai kesan terhadap jasad Bulan itu sendiri.

Oleh itu, tidak hairanlah pada 18 September 2010 ini (Sabtu ini), telah diisytiharkan sebagai "International Observer The Moon Night". Ia dianjurkan oleh beberapa unit yang terlibat dengan NASA, seperti dari projek Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, Lunar Science Institute, Lunar dan Planetary Institute, and Lunar Quest.

Selain dari itu, Astronomy Without Borders pun turut menjadi pengajur bersama di dalam aktiviti global ini.

Apa yang akan berlaku pada malam tersebut?

Jika anda mempunyai teleskop sendiri, pacaklah teleskop tersebut di halalah ke Bulan. Ajaklah rakan-rakan, teman sekampung, sedara-mara , Pak Andak, Ah Chong, Ramasamy, Mek Mas dan sesiapa sahaja yang berada berhampiran untuk sama-sama menikmati keindahan Bulan secara dekat!

Jangan lupa bawa sekali peta Bulan dan tunjukkan kawasan permukaan yang boleh menarik perhatian umum.

Aktiviti ini akan berlaku secara serentak seluruh dunia dan berterusan sepanjang tarikh 18 September ini. Bawalah sekali kamera dan rakamlah aktiviti yang dibuat dan kongsilah bersama-sama di sini.

Tunjuklah kepada masyarakat, betapa indah dan hebatnya objek bernama Bulan ini.

Jom Teropong... Bulan!

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