Entries filed under 'NASA'

Heads Up: Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

One of the year’s 2 biggest meteor displays, the Geminid meteor shower, reaches its peak tonight (Dec. 13) and Friday (Dec. 14). Is it worth stepping outside to view it? A USA Today article quotes Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. “The Geminids are one of the best performers among the meteor showers of the year," he says. ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on December 13, 2012 12:15 PM & Tagged Geminid Meteor Shower, NASA, astronomy, night sky and stargazing | permalink | Comments



Night Moves: NASA Delivers a Fascinating After-Hours Look at Earth from Space

NASA and NOAA have hatched an amazing new satellite view of earth at night, and it's a marvel to observe. The accompanying video offers a composite view of the earth compiled over 9 nights for a cloudless view of the planet. Among the eye-poppers on display: oil rigs at work in the Middle East. ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on December 6, 2012 11:45 AM & Tagged International Dark Sky Association, NASA, dark skies, earth as art and outer space | permalink | Comments



Earth as Art: Gallery Images Taken in Space

Monday (July 23) marked the 40th anniversary of NASA's Landsat satellites, a series of earth observation satellites intended to inform scientists about land use and natural resources. They also capture some impressive images, made even more eye-popping when enhanced with color. For the anniversary, folks at the U.S. Geological Service took 120 images from 40 years of satellite fly-bys, applied a "digital palette" and asked the public to pick their favorites. Below are the top 5, with ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on July 25, 2012 2:09 PM & Tagged Landsat, NASA, earth as art and satellites | permalink | Comments



Mega Moon Puts on a Show on March 19

Super moon update: In case you missed it, REI colleague Todd Kurtz shared a photo he took of the super perigee moon March 19 as it rose above the peaks of the Cascades, with the port of Seattle in the foreground. (See Todd's photo at the bottom of this post.) Skies can be fickle, but we hope lots of people got a chance to enjoy the spectacle in person. The next super perigee moon is due to appear in 2029. Here's our original post on the topic: Prepare to get mooned in a big way Saturday night. ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on March 21, 2011 3:18 PM & Tagged Full Moon, NASA, apogee, moon and perigee | permalink | Comments



Solstice Special: Lunar Eclipse in Review

Clearer skies over North America's eastern regions offered some of the best viewing of Tuesday's early-morning total lunar eclipse, the first lunar eclipse to occur on the winter solstice since 1632. Make plans now for the next total lunar eclipse to be widely viewable in North America on a winter solstice. The date: Dec. 21, 2094. The eclipse was the first total lunar eclipise with the potential to be viewed coast-to-coast in North America since 2007. Cloudy conditions on the west side of the ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on December 28, 2010 11:19 PM & Tagged NASA, eclipse and total lunar eclipse | permalink | Comments