Reserve the Date! International Observe the Moon Night, October 12, 2013

The 2013 International Observe the Moon Night will be on October 12, 2013.  Planetariums, libraries, local astronomy groups are gathering on this night to showcase and spotlight some of the great things about our moon.  Check out their website below for events and locations in your area!

International Observe the Moon Night:
http://observethemoonnight.org/

IRIS Spacecraft Launch Scheduled for June 27, 2013

NASA's newest solar observatory IRIS is scheduled to launch June 27, 2013.  IRIS, which stands for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph will use its telescope to observe the region of the sun between the surface and the corona, or the sun's outer atmosphere.

The launch will start from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California where a modified L-1011 airliner will carry the IRIS spacecraft attached to a Pegasus rocket.  The Pegasus rocket has been used to launch 18 successful missions for NASA.

The IRIS spacecraft joins the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Hinode missions to study how the sun's solar atmosphere affects the earth.

Source: NASA
Photo courtesy of: NASA

Win with Astronomy.com's 2013 Summer Sweepstakes!

Astronomy.com is currently promoting its 2013 Summer Sweepstakes with the Grand Prize winner getting a super cool Celestron SkyProdigyTM 6 Computerized Telescope!  Check out the other great prizes below:

Grand prize: Celestron SkyProdigyTM 6 Computerized Telescope
1st prize: Celestron AstroMasterTM 70AZ Telescope
2nd prize: Celestron AstroMaster 15 x 70 Binoculars
3rd prize: Celestron FirstScope with accessory kit
4th prize: One year subscription to Astronomy magazine

Check out their website for more details!  Sweepstakes ends September 17, 2013.

In the Sky Tonight - Asteroid 1 Ceres

Take your last chance tonight to see asteroid 1 Ceres, a magnitude 8.8 object in the night sky!  You'll need a telescope to spot this near the Constellation Cancer.  It will pass 1 degree south of the star Chi Cancri in the northwest horizon.  The best time to catch the asteroid with your telescope will be near the end of twilight tonight.

Source: Astronomy.com
Photo Source: Wikipedia.com

Bright Comet ISON to Make its Appearance Later This Year (2013)

Comet ISON (as named by Russian astronomers in 2012) has the potential to be the brightest comet to be seen in decades according to a recent report by NASA.  Around October 1st of this year (2013), this comet will pass within 6.7 million miles of Mars on its fall towards the sun.

This comet will make a close approach to the sun around November 28th, passing within 750,000 miles of the sun's visible surface and may be visible in the sky as its ice sublimates from the sun's heat.  Although some or most of the comet may erode, Comet ISON will likely continue its journey outward from the sun, passing by Earth in December.  It will continue to be visible at twilight throughout the month of December, 2013.

Source: NASA.com

Photo Courtesy of:  NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Axel Mellinger

Photo Courtesy of: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Axel Mellinger

Next Major Meteor Shower - Lyrids - April 22, 2013

Even though we're in a quiet period for shooting stars, it's never too early to get the next meteor shower on your calendar.  On April 22, 2013, we'll get to enjoy the Lyrid meteor shower!  This amazing show features beautiful bright meteors with tails.

You will usually see 10-20 meteors per hour at the peak, but Lyrid showers are sometimes known for unusual surges in the rate up to 100 per hour.  These surges are somewhat unpredictable though.

Best time to watch: After moonset or before dawn on April 22.

Source:  EarthSky.org

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

SpaceX Launch Scheduled for March 1st

According to the NASA website, NASA and its worldwide partners will be launching a resupply flight to the International Space Station (SpaceX) on March 1st.  This mission will be bringing 1,200 pounds of supplies for the crew and for the onboard laboratory.  The return trip will be returning 2,300 pounds of equipment and lab samples back to Earth.

Launch Time: 10:10am EST from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Photo: Courtesy of NASA.gov