A live video/audio feed — did you know meteors sing a song of blips, pings, and whistles? — of the Perseid shower is embedded below. Please note that the sky camera is light-activated, so it will become active at dark. Until then, you’ll see a mostly gray box with a green line passing over it. The camera is mounted at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Even before the camera activates, you can still hear the audio of meteors passing through the sky.
How cool is this. Send a picture of yourself into space on one of the last two space shuttle missions. Quick like a Space Cowboy, get out your spacesuit!
P.S. – I think a few people on the Avenue wanted to jettison me out into Space today when I unleased my ‘eTrade’ script on it. Meh! It’s called BETA for a reason people, deal with it.
Still uploading the photos here, and applying liberal amounts of Noxzema for the sunburn. The Klave that never was, is officially done and on the books. Perhaps more video and podcasts of it’s non-existence may surface yet, in due time. Like these photos that made it up to NASA Spaceweather here. Given there was a fire ban up there this year, we got to see a whole lot of dark sky this year.
P.S. – No Grizzly bears were spotted on our side of the Lake. They were on the other side.
I’ve been slowly getting back into Astrophotography again, and have really missed the night sky these past few years. So, I think I will have to remedy that and start an Astronomy Blog soon on (http://lance-taylor.net/) to blog my journey of the night sky again and replace the EOG site that I disbanded. Yeah, my personal domain has been registered for the past 5 years as well but I have not put it to any good use since then (my existing astropages have not been updated since).. so it’s time to add some new eye-candy.
Speaking of, here are a few shots I took last Friday outside the city. Now that I have discovered image stacking, and have been getting my scope’s polar alignment dialed in.. I am really looking forward to taking more pics soon. I took this “better” photo here of Messier 110 and M31 a few years back through a buddy’s scope, but as he no longer has his gear, guessI have to work with what I have (an 8″ LX50 SCT, and Canon 20D) for now.
Note: I have scheduled my blog to post this entry automatically just as the Eagle Landed – exactly 40 years ago today at this very historic moment. Because I will be too busy listening to the Apollo 11 re-broadcast here on http://wechoosethemoon.org/. Which brings to mind, where has Neil been in all the hoopla, and why has he been so reclusive about this all?
On July 20, 1969, the human race accomplished its single greatest technological achievement of all time when a human first set foot on another celestial body.
Six hours after landing at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (with less than 30 seconds of fuel remaining), Neil A. Armstrong took the “Small Step” into our greater future when he stepped off the Lunar Module, named “Eagle,” onto the surface of the Moon, from which he could look up and see Earth in the heavens as no one had done before him.
He was shortly joined by “Buzz” Aldrin, and the two astronauts spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and returned 46 pounds of lunar rocks. After their historic walks on the Moon, they successfully docked with the Command Module “Columbia,” in which Michael Collins was patiently orbiting the cold but no longer lifeless Moon.
Forty years to the day after Apollo 11 astronauts blasted off on the way to their historic first moon landing, NASA [Thursday] previewed restored video of the first moon walk. The enhanced images are a dramatic improvement over the pictures seen by hundreds of millions around the world when they were broadcast live from the moon.
On his way to being the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong opened a door on the lunar landing craft that had a small television camera attached. The camera swung out, giving a worldwide audience its first look at — well, it was actually hard to tell at first.
“The camera worked, but what we saw at that point was rather disturbing, because it was not what we had simulated, and we knew we had a problem,” said Stan Lebar, who helped develop that camera, a three-kilogram marvel of its day. But the signal it transmitted from the moon was lower quality than regular television, so it had to be converted to broadcast standards before it could be seen around the world. — [ More ]
Not including the lightning strikes on Saturday, this is now the 5th scrub of STS-127. Man, I hope she makes it soon.. the timing for Apollo 11th’s 40th anniversary launch (on Thursday) seems almost destined now, but next launch attempt is Wednesday, July 15th @ 18:03:10 EDT.
So.. yeah.. not quite.. ‘My Firstscope‘.. but very cool nonetheless for $49.99. And, actually it is a Celestron product.. my second purchase of their products… and I AM quite impressed with the quality (yeah, I will never buy another Meade product as long as I live.)
Check out London Drugs… before they are all gone. A true quality beginner scope, and a true collectors item for IYA2009.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!
P.S. – Mankind’s first steps were made this week to go back to the Moon with NASA’s LCROSS mission.
Welcome To The Edmonton Observers Group Network Message Forum!
Please ensure that you have enabled cookies on your browser now by adjusting your browsers security settings. Please note that the forums have once again been OPENED to the public. Click on the ‘Forums’ link listed under Modules on the navigation bar to the left to join in the on-line discussions.
This site is also not affiliated in any manner with “The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada”, or it’s local Chapters. That said, members belonging to those or other astronomical organizations are more then welcome to participate here, and in fact many do. Remember, user participation is what makes this site grow!
Currently, the membership consists mainly of folks residing in and around the Edmonton area whom share a passion in observing and photographing the Night Sky. Everyone is encouraged to use it’s services (no matter what your experience level is). Also, there is no fee for usage — so how can you go wrong? All we ask is that you stay on the posted topics, and keep any local club politics off the board. If you do not abide by those terms you will be warned once, and if a violation occurs again, your account will be locked and IP banned.
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Well, after being on the Internests for over five years… I have decided this year NOT to renew the domain name for the site, and will be putting the EOG website to bed effective July 1st at midnight (it’s anniversary date).
Note: I have already closed the forums… which I think had one post this year.. last one back in May.
Again, I am mainly closing shop due to the lack of use, and my interest in maintaining the site… and lack of time at the telescope.
But whom knows, one day… it may return… in some other dark matter form… or another… perhaps in a Galaxy.. far.. far away.
Hey, anyways, thanks for stopping by and your support over the past years… and ALWAYS remember… Share & Enjoy The Night Sky!
Because, in the end that’s all that really matters anyways.
Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters at the ready… hoist… and Cheers Mateys!
Lance (Supernova) Taylor
Site Administrator
Edmonton, AB, Canada
My blog(s) remain for the interim.
