The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) captured this picture of a crater resembling a “Happy Face” on Jan 28, 2008. The unnamed crater is about 3 kilometers across.
A video of ‘Earth Rise’ and ‘Earth Set’ taken by the lunar explorer, Kaguya (Selene), which was launched by the Japanese in September 2007.
The video is about 9 minutes (without audio), might be boring for people that are not interested in astronomy related stuff.
Earth rise, earth set (original video available at JAXA)
Hundreds of people have suffered headaches, nausea, and respiratory problems after a meteorite crashed in southern Peru. The meteorite landed in Carangas, Puno, southern Peru last weekend (Sep 16) and created a crater 65ft wide and 20ft deep.
Jorge Lopez, director of the health department in the southern state of Puno, said at least 200 people had become ill after inhaling “toxic” fumes emanating from the resulting crater; but a team of doctors who reached the isolated site said they found no evidence the meteorite had caused sickness.
Modesto Montoya, a member of the medical team, told El Comercio that fear may have provoked psychosomatic ailments.
“When a meteorite falls, it produces horrid sounds when it makes contact with the atmosphere,” he said. “It is as if a giant rock is being sanded. Those sounds could have frightened them.” [Telegraph]
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries successfully launched the H2A rocket carrying the lunar orbit explorer Kaguya on Friday morning (Sep 14).
The liftoff occurred at Tanegashima Space Center at 10.31am; 45 minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of about 390 kilometers, the satellite separated from the rocket, successfully concluding the launch.
The three-tonne probe is called Selene, the Selenological and Engineering Explorer. It has been nicknamed Kaguya, after a princess in a folk story who ascended to the moon.
Japanese scientists say it is the most complex lunar mission since NASA’s Apollo programme in the 1960s and 70s, when astronauts walked on the moon. Over the course of a year, the orbiter will gather data on the moon’s origin and evolution. [BBC]
Google has launched ‘Sky in Google Earth’, where you can now explore the universe from the comfort of your chair; there are 100 million individual stars and 200 million galaxies waiting to be discovered.
You need to download the latest Google Earth (free) to use the feature.
Astronomers using a NASA space telescope, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, have spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space.
The star, named Mira after the Latin word for “wonderful,” has been a favorite of astronomers for about 400 years, yet this is the first time the tail has been seen.
“Galactic Suite”, the first hotel planned in space, expects to open for business in 2012 and would allow guests to travel around the world in 80 minutes.
Its Barcelona-based architects say the space hotel will be the most expensive in the galaxy, costing $4 million for a three-day stay. [Reuters]
No worries if you can’t afford the $4mil price tag… a decade ago probably nobody has dreamed that a space hotel could become a reality, not so soon. Perhaps another decade later staying in space will become affordable for more people.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured 3 magnificent sections of the Veil Nebula - the shattered remains of a supernova that exploded some 5-10 thousands years ago.
