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.

The app creates an AR interface that allows you to spin 360 degrees while pointing your phone at the sky. You can then identify stars, planets, and, obviously, one of these man-made objects.

Altogether there are about 24,500 man made objects on the orbit of the Earth. 8000 of them are functioning satellites, all of which are available in Star Walk database. The list of satellites is broken down into categories: Special-Interest, Weather & Earth Resources, Communications, Navigation, Scientific, etc. Not only can you spot the ISS flying over your head, you can also locate any satellite, be it a military or a low-earth-orbit satellite used by most popular satellite phones.

The app maker, Vito Technology, is also holding the Stat Walk Month of Astronomy featuring guides and contest for the wee astronomers in your life.

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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?

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.

Now, does this mean that THE MAYANS WERE RIGHT or some other nonsense? No, of course not. What it does mean is that, now more than ever, amateur astronomers armed with impressively powerful telescopes, and they train these telescopes on individual celestial bodies (like planets, like Jupiter) 24 hours per day. Those giant NASA/ESA telescopes aren’t spending every waking hour trained on one planet or whatever, so they may “miss” when something like an impact occurs.

We’re just more vigilant now.

If you can, try to track down “Wonders of the Solar System.” It’s a pretty great documentary.

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.

Users can then move the telescope around, pointing it to a spot on the star map they want to know more about. The LCD within the device, which features three joints and an accelerometer, will then display the corresponding information on a “virtual” star map (see below for an example). Others can view what is being displayed if the telescope is connected to a TV, for example.

Bandai has built 20 background melodies and data (stats, pictures, etc.) on about 300 stars and similar objects into the Hyper Telescope. Over a thousand of those objects can be identified.

Bandai’s Hyper Telescope weighs 600g, is battery-powered and will carry a price tag of $200 when it will arrive in Japanese stores on May 29. It’s hasn’t been announced for other markets but could find its way outside Japan soon, too.

In the next 24 hours, 35 telescopes on all seven continents will be linked to listen to 243 specific quasars. The point is to establish a baseline for further observations, since the quasars are stationary in the night sky, and provide a good basis for mapping.

The last time this attempted, the total number of 23 telescopes were used. These quasars are also used to set up the GPS system.

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.

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]