Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Post your pictures of the comet here!
Have you seen Comet Pan-STARRS yet? You still have time to catch a glimpse of the comet tonight, Wednesday, March 13. Here are three photos of the comet captured by local resident Chuck Rann off Hwy. 120 in Roswell, Tuesday, March 12. Rann said he had a compass heading of 293 degrees, looking west-northwest. Have you caught any clear pictures of Pan-STARRS? Post them to this article! Experts say Pan-STARRS will emerge in the western sunset sky not far from the crescent moon. The comet's tail will probably require binoculars or a small telescope to see, though the gaseous coma around the head of the comet should be visible to the naked eye. It is expected to be visible in the west just after sunset for up to an hour. The opportunity to see …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Comet visible after sunset throughout March.
Roswell residents' best opportunity to see Comet PANSTARRS may well be tonight, reports NASA - but when the month is out, you're probably not getting a second chance. The opportunity to see PANSTARRS only comes along every 100 million years, according to space.com. PANSTARRS will be be visible in the Northern Hemisphere for about 15 minutes after sunset until the end of March. To see PANSTARRS, look to the west after right after the sun goes down. To have the best chance of viewing night sky objects, you'll need to get as far away from local light pollution as possible. Locally, there's the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area or several city parks along Riverside Road and Azalea Drive, including Riverside Park and Azalea Park. Trails …
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Comet Pan-STARRS is expected to be visible in the western sky just above the horizon.
Step outside just a little bit after sunset for the next week and you might get to see a comet with the naked eye. Comet Pan-STARRS is expected to be visible in the west just after sunset for up to an hour Most experts expect it to become a naked-eye object about as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper, according to NASA.gov. On March 9 and 10, Astronomy Magazine's Richard Talcott says the comet will pass within 28 million miles of the Sun and will stand some 7 degrees high in the west 30 minutes after sunset. Those are the brightest nights expected as well. Talcott says the crescent Moon can guide you to the comet March 12 and 13. On the 12th, PANSTARRS stands to the upper left of our satellite; the next evening, the comet lies to the …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The first meteor shower of 2013 is taking place this week.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show began overnight Jan. 1, into Jan. 2. But the heavenly show peaks in the wee hours Friday, Jan. 4, amid a Roswell sky that should be clearing after partly cloudy conditions through much of Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's anything less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us the Quadrantid meteor shower …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Dana Point and Laguna Niguel skywatchers: A NASA astronomer says ISON's fiery tail may be visible to those watching the night sky through January 2014.
Forget the Hunter's Moon in 2013. Local skywatchers might get to see a spectacular Hunter's Comet — the newly discovered comet ISON. A NASA astronomer says ISON's fiery tail may be visible to those watching the night sky from October 2013 through January 2014. And the comet may hove into view without the help of a telescope. It all depends on whether the sun's heat vaporizes ices in the comet's body, scientists say in an article posted in the Huffington Post. Comet ISON will fly within 1.2 million miles from the sun's center on Nov. 28, 2013, astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif, told the San Jose Mercury News. If the comet makes it through the sun's heat …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, is on its way – make plans to enjoy the light show in Roswell.
The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 until dawn on Dec. 14. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this show. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sightings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at some spectacular photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids peak might be around 2 a.m. on Dec. 13, because that’s when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky as seen around …
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Leonid Meteor Showers are fast and bright and will appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion in the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 17.
As you begin hanging holiday lights, cast your gaze upon the universe's natural fireworks, as well. Astronomers anticipate several meteor showers to take place over the next month. Nov. 17: Leonid Meteor Shower Dec. 13: Geminid Meteor Shower Be sure to schedule a night this season to bundle up with some blankets, hot chocolate, and enjoy the light show in the sky. Don't have access to a telescope? The North Georgia College & State University’s Coleman Planetarium in Dahlonega invites you and your family for star gazing. Check out the fall schedule featuring "Public Education Nights" on most Fridays at 8 p.m.
