Current Happenings In Astronomy
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. This coolant tank was thrown over board because it became too volatile to keep on board. It broke up on reentry to chunks no larger than 15 pounds, and it was expected that most of those chunks would land in water. Although possible Ammonia residue would likely wash a lot of windows, this isn’t recommended as a mass cleaning method. Paul Hogan, the famous actor who played Crocodile Dundee, was unharmed. Unfortunately, according to the Daily Mail in the UK, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, remained deceased after this 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. Youtube video showed the festivities before the launch took place. It wasn’t a hoax. It was just a case of overzealous PR people.
Also from China, a huge telescope has been commissioned for construction near Beijing, site of the 2008 summer Olympics. This new telescope is unique because instead of the whole telescope moving to find and follow objects in the sky, only two mirrors move. The resulting look is something of a curiosity. It’s not a dome but rather something like a an uneven arch or pi symbol. Leave it to the Chinese to come up with something out of the ordinary.
November 2008 also saw the launch of a satellite, in Kazakhstan. It’s a communications satellite called Astra-1M. It was launched on a carrier called Proton-M. Kazakhstan commissioned the satellite from European companies.
For computer users who enjoy astronomy, Worldwide Telescope is a must have program. The software comes from Microsoft. It works in windows to call images from all over the world, delivered to the user. It’s like an observatory on a desktop. Don’t expect any new discoveries, because this is all pre-existing data.
That’s it for current happenings in astronomy.
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