From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4@msn.com)
Date: Sat Nov 09 2002 - 05:28:09 PST
----- Original Message -----
From: bulletins@SkyandTelescope.com
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 7:47 PM
To: ljk4@msn.com
Subject: S&T's Weekly News Bulletin for November 8th
=========================================================================
* * * SKY & TELESCOPE's WEEKLY NEWS BULLETIN - November 8, 2002 * * *
=========================================================================
Welcome to S&T's Weekly News Bulletin. Images, the full text of stories
abridged here, and other enhancements are available on our Web site,
SkyandTelescope.com, at the URLs provided below. Clear skies!
=========================================================================
HUBBLE SPOOKED BY THE "LITTLE GHOST"
Peering toward the constellation Ophiuchus last February, Hubble's Wide
Field Planetary Camera 2 captured the planetary nebula NGC 6369, often
referred to as the "Little Ghost Nebula."
To capture the scene Hubble combined several images that show the
different degrees of ionization in the nebula. The blue-green ring
represents advanced ionization. Blue is where the oxygen atoms have lost
two electrons, while the green represents hydrogen atoms that have lost a
single electron. The red areas show nitrogen atoms that have lost one
electron....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_788_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST STAR
Details aside, the story is simple. The universe began with the Big Bang.
>From this event came two elements: hydrogen and helium. The first stars
ever -- the so-called Population III stars -- formed from these primordial
gases and shone brightly in the early universe. Those stars eventually
died, some as supernovae, and in the process released elements heavier
than helium. These new elements, known in astronomical circles as
"metals," were incorporated into the second generation of stars, which in
turn lived, exploded, and produced more metals. Some 9 billion years after
the Big Bang our Sun formed, and along with its hydrogen and helium,
inside it are several generations of supernova-produced metals.
A long-sought astronomical Holy Grail is the discovery of any still-living
Population III stars. Their interiors would contain the most pristine Big
Bang material known. While that discovery remains elusive, astronomers
have uncovered the next best thing: the most metal-poor star known -- a
telltale second-generation star....
In this case a team of astronomers led by Norbert Christlieb (University
of Uppsala, Sweden) uncovered a 16th-magnitude giant star in Phoenix known
as HE0107-5240 with a metallicity 1/200,000 of the Sun's. The previous
record holder for giant stars has 20 times more metal content.
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_786_1.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
STARDUST CHECKS OUT ASTEROID ANNEFRANK
The Stardust spacecraft, which will collect particles from Comet Wild 2
and parachute them back to the Earth, just got some target practice. On
November 2nd the spacecraft used a close approach to minor planet 5535
Annefrank for a systems-operations test that included imaging the asteroid
from a distance of 3,300 kilometers. "It turns out to be a tremendous
plus, because you end up having a full dress rehearsal more than a year
ahead of the encounter," says Donald Brownlee, the mission's principal
investigator.
Zooming by at 7 km per second, Stardust looked over Annefrank for a half
hour. The rather distant flyby was intentional, notes Thomas Duxbury,
Stardust's project manager....
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_785_1.asp
=========================================================================
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK'S SKY
* Start planning for the Leonid meteor shower. The show peaks the morning
of November 19th, and despite a bright Moon, the fireworks could be
impressive.
* First-quarter Moon is on Monday, November 11th.
* Saturn is located between constellations Taurus and Gemini at the top of
Orion's Club.
For details, see This Week's Sky at a Glance and Planet Roundup:
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/ataglance/
=========================================================================
DEEP SKIES AND DESERTS (Advertisement)
Arizona -- May 3-10, 2003
Experience the spectacular natural and astronomical wonders of Arizona,
with the desert in bloom around us and the promise of pristine skies
above. Join SKY & TELESCOPE editors as we explore Kitt Peak National
Observatory, Fred L. Whipple Observatory, the Grand Canyon, Barringer
Meteor Crater, Lowell Observatory and the Arizona Science Center. We'll
also be privy to a presentation by Hubble Space Telescope astronomer Jeff
Hester and stargazing with David Levy.
Space is limited -- make your reservation today!
Call toll free 800-830-1998 or visit:
http://www.tq-international.com/ArizonaSky/arizona.htm
=========================================================================
Copyright 2002 Sky Publishing Corp. S&T's Weekly News Bulletin is provided
as a free service to the astronomical community by the editors of SKY &
TELESCOPE magazine. Widespread electronic distribution is encouraged as
long as our copyright notice is included, along with the words "used by
permission." But this bulletin may not be published in any other form
without written permission from Sky Publishing; send e-mail to
permissions@SkyandTelescope.com or call +1 617-864-7360. More astronomy
news is available on our Web site at http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To change your address, unsubscribe from S&T's Weekly News Bulletin, or
subscribe to S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin, which calls attention to
noteworthy celestial events, go to this address:
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/shopatsky/emailsubscribe.asp
========================================================================
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Sat Nov 09 2002 - 05:43:44 PST