The science of astronomy goes back as far as man does. Once tied closely to astrology, today it has become a serious science and hobby for millions of people. Let’s take a look at some of the current happenings in astronomy.
In early November of 2008 NASA nearly bombed Australia with a 1400LB Ammonia tank jettisoned from the International 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. Paul Hogan, the famous actor who played Crocodile Dundee, was unharmed. 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. Unfortunately for China it was revealed that “live video” of the successful launch and flight into orbit had actually been released before the craft left the ground. It wasn’t a hoax. The video had been produced for maximum PR effect.
Near Beijing, a large telescope is being built. Revolutionary is the way this telescope tracks the sky – with two moving mirrors. This gives the telescope a unique look. Forget the dome, this telescope is a crooked pi symbol. Leave it to the Chinese to come up with something out of the ordinary.
In Kazakhstan of all places a new satellite was launched in early November of 2008. Astra-1M as it’s called is set to help with telecommunications. It was launched on a carrier called Proton-M. Kazakhstan commissioned the satellite from European companies.
Worldwide Telescope is a fantastic piece of astronomy software. It’s a Microsoft product. 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.