Star Walk, an Astronomy guide, just released an update that includes over 8,000 manmade objects including navigation, weather, and “special interest” satellites. That means for $2.99 ($4.99 for iPad) I can finally follow the FBI satellites as they track my every move while beaming messages directly into my skull. → Read More
Tonight’s moon will be a super perigee moon (a close approaching full moon). The moon is predicted to appear 15% bigger and 30% brighter than normal, according to NASA. Also, it is expected to be a rare event — the biggest in almost 20 years; next in 2029. That whole “once in a blue moon” thing only happens every two-and-a-half years. The best time to view the moon will be near sunset. A low-hanging moon looks larger just over the horizon due to an optical illusion (e.g. when behind trees and buildings). It’s no wonder things have felt slightly off lately. What do you think? → Read More
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12292912&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1 Awesome video is awesome? Yes, yes it is. Something smashed into Jupiter a few hours ago, and an amateur astronomer caught the event on video. A similar event happened almost a year ago to the day. → Read More
Major toymaker Bandai yesterday announced the Hyper Telescope [JP], which is being marketed as a “science toy” for kids. It’s the ideal gadget if you want your kid to become an astronomer, as it allows users to observe the sky and view relevant information on connected displays or within the device itself. All that needs to be done is to specify one’s location on earth and the current time. → Read More
The world’s largest array of radio telescopes are joining together for 24 hours in order to observe some quasars. → Read More
What geek doesn’t enjoy some great high-res astronomy pics? One of the best photography blogs out there, The Big Picture, has 21 stunning Sun photos up for your enjoyment. Dial-up users be warned; click the link and run to the store ’cause these massive pics are going to take some time to load. → Read More
Came across this unique watch on BoingBoing. Only 99 of these watches were made and are named after 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler. He’s the dude who came up with the formulas for the Laws of Planetary Motion. Big stuff. Johannes’ timepiece doesn’t come cheap though. It’s more than $100,000 per watch, but the design is magnificent. Check out how the watch works: A flexible spring bends from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn to reveal the part of the Earth lit by the Sun and to indicate the time and place of sunrise and sunset. The moon rotates around the Earth. The dragon hand indicates the eclipses of the sun and the moon. The perpetual calendar completes one turn each year. Kepler $100k wristwatch [BoingBoing] → Read More
