Current Happenings In Astronomy For Newbies

The science of astronomy goes back as far as man does.  Today it is a applied science based on carefully gathering and analyzing data, but there was a time it was little more than charlatan magic.  Let’s take a look at some of the current happenings in astronomy.

NASA dropped a bomb shell, nearly literally on Australia in late 2008 when a fourteen hundred pound tank of Ammonia was dumped off a space station.  Because it was too volatile to be carried on a re-entry craft, it was simply thrown into orbit.  By good luck most of the pieces, no larger than fifteen pounds, were expected to fall harmlessly into the ocean.  Australians were told that ammonia vapor could make their windows cleaner, but advised them to remove the residue with newspapers and some elbow grease.  Crocodile Dundee, aka Paul Hogan, suffered no ill effects.  The Crocodile Hunter, however, was considered deceased after the incident.  He was also deceased before the incident.

In September of 2008 China sent up its third successful manned space mission that included the first space walk by Chinese astronauts in history.  Somehow the live video from the launch, including in ship video of the astronauts, was released on Youtube prior to the event.  The flight did take place.  It was just a case of overzealous PR people.

Still in China, a gigantic telescope is being erected near the site of the 2008 Olympic games.  The whole telescope doesn’t rotate to track through the sky.  Instead that’s left up to a pair of rotating mirrors.  As a result this telescope doesn’t look like others.  Forget the dome, this telescope is a crooked pi symbol.  The Chinese have a knack for making the simple complex.

In Kazakhstan of all places a new satellite was launched in early November of 2008.  Satellite Astra-1M will be used for telecommunications.  It was launched on a carrier called Proton-M.  Kazakhstan commissioned the satellite from European companies.

Astronomy hobbyists will love Worldwide Telescope.  It was designed by Microsoft.  It’s a windows application that interfaces servers all over the world to deliver stunning images of the universe.  It’s like an observatory on a desktop.  Don’t expect any new discoveries, because this is all pre-existing data.

Now you know some of the current happenings in astronomy.

—
College & Career, Techskills, Career Advice and More - Educdata.com

Related posts:

  1. List of Astronomy Magazines For Newbies
  2. Star Astronomy For Newbies
  3. Cool Astronomy Picture Of The Day
  4. Astronomy Software For Beginners
  5. Astronomy For Kids
  6. Astronomy News For Hobbyists
  7. Astronomy Fun Facts For Beginners

January 14, 2009 | Filed Under Careers, College Admissions and Ranking, Colleges, Degrees, Education, Financial Aid, Guest Writers Speak, Job Opportunities, Popular School Locations, Scholarships, School Related Items, School Social Dynamics, Schools, Schools & Colleges, Student Loan Information, Student Loans & Financial Aid, Teacher and Student Dynamics, Teaching, Top Schools, Training

 

Comments

Comments are closed.