University of Mississippi - Summer/Fall 1999 Astronomy News

Summer/Fall 1999 Astronomy News

Sources: NASA; Astronomy Now; Sky & Telescope; Astronomy magazine; ABCnews; BBC; CNN. See also the resource pages;
Note: InfoBeat links usually are good only for a month; the others should last much longer.

Telescopes, Spacecraft and Planetary Missions

12/27: HST: The Hubble Telescope is released, after successful maintenance spacewalks (ABC, BBC)
12/23: Earth Missions: Main computer shuts down on Terra satellite (ABC)
12/22: Mars Missions: Global Surveyor is still looking for the Polar Lander (ABC)
12/21: Earth Missions: Terra satellite is launched to gather information on the planet (BBC, CNN)
12/21: HST: Space shuttle Discovery finally meets with the space telescope (ABC, BBC); spacewalk tomorrow (CNN)
12/13: Mars Missions: Mars Global Surveyor will use its camera to look for the Polar Lander (ABC, BBC, CNN)
12/12: HST: New launch for Discovery's repair mission set for December 16 (AstronomyNow, BBC, ABC)
12/10: X-ray Telescopes: The XMM telescope is successfully launched by ESA's Ariane rocket (BBC)
12/09: NASA: 1999 was a bad year for the space agency (ABC); President Clinton defends it (ABC); Prospects (BBC)
12/09: Mars Missions: Likely loss of Mars Polar Lander: What went wrong? (ABC)
12/08: Mars Missions: Despite the likely loss of the Polar Lander, exploration will go on (ABC), maybe (BBC)
12/07: Mars Missions: Possible loss of Mars Polar Lander: Consequences (InfoBeat)
12/07: HST: Launch of Discovery's repair mission is now set for Saturday, Dec 11th (InfoBeat), or later (ABC)
12/06: Mars Missions: The fate of Mars Polar Lander still uncertain after three days: Updates (AstronomyNow)
12/04: HST: Date of Space Shuttle Discovery's repair mission is still uncertain (AstronomyNow)
12/01: Solar Missions: SOHO spacrefat goes into safe mode again (AstronomyNow)
12/01: X-ray Telescopes: The most sensitive X-ray telescope yet is to be launched on Dec 10 (BBC)
11/30: Mars Missions: Polar lander to arrive on Friday (AstronomyNow, ABC, CNN), with a microphone (ABC)
11/28: Mars Missions: Two probes to crash onto Mars' surface in search for water (ABC, InfoBeat)
11/27: Jupiter Missions: Galileo makes closest Io flyby so far, 300 km from it (AstronomyNow, ABC; update)
11/24: HST: Further delays in launch of space shuttle Discovery for repair mission (AstronomyNow, InfoBeat, ABC)
11/22: NASA: Official outlines next phase of space exploration, involving longer trips (ABC)
11/20: New Technologies: Update on scapecraft Deep Space 1, now on its extended mission (AstronomyNow)
11/15: HST: Another gyro fails, telescope work suspended until repaired in December (AstronomyNow)
11/12: Mars Missions: ESA's British-built Beagle-2 mission is approved, to land in 2006 (AstronomyNow)
11/12: Moon Missions: ESA's mission Smart-1 is approved for launch in 2002 (BBC, AstronomyNow)
11/11: Gravitational Wave Telescopes: LIGO facility to be dedicated in Louisiana (ABC)
11/10: Mars Missions: Investigation board issues report on loss of Mars Climate Orbiter (AstronomyNow, ABC)
11/09: HST: Repair mission still on schedule for Dec 6th, despite new glitches in the preparation (ABC, BBC, CNN)
11/08: Mars Missions: Engineers work on a potential problem with the Polar Lander (AstronomyNow)
11/03: IR Telescopes: The airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) (AstronomyNow)
11/01: Mars Missions: Polar Lander adjusts course (InfoBeat, AstronomyNow), will listen for Mars sounds (CNN)
10/26: Space Junk: Space Station changes orbit to stay clear of orbiting junk (InfoBeat)
10/21: NASA: New missions selected, for astrometry and gamma ray bursts (AstronomyNow)
10/12: Jupiter Missions: The Galileo probe flies within only 380 miles of Io (InfoBeat, ABC, AstronomyNow)
10/11: Astronauts: China plans manned space flight (InfoBeat)
10/08: Mars Missions: The Polar Lander does not have a unit problem (CNN); course correction? (AstronomyNow)
10/05: Mars Missions: Comments on the loss of Climate Orbiter (ABC, ABC) and updates (AstronomyNow)
09/30: Mars Missions: Climate Orbiter was lost because of controller mix-up (AstronomyNow, ABC, BBC, CNN)
09/25: Mars Missions: The Climate Orbiter is lost upon reaching Mars orbit (ABC, BBC, CNN)
09/20: Mars Missions: The first Mars weather satellite will reach its orbit on Thursday (BBC, CNN)
09/14: Neutrino Telescopes: New telescope Antares being installed deep inside the sea (ABC, BBC, AstronomyNow)
08/25: Mars Missions: NASA chooses site for Mars Polar Lander's landing on Dec 3 (ABC, BBC)
08/18: New Spacecraft: Magnetic bubbles can give the fastest spacecraft yet (ABC, CNN, BBC)
08/04: IR Telescopes: WIRE satellite, once declared a loss, is put to new fuitful use (CNN, ABC)
08/03: X-ray Telescopes: Chandra orbiting lower than planned but will be able to work (BBC); update (BBC)
08/02: Mars Missions: The UK's Beagle 2 probe to land in 2003 in search of life (BBC, CNN)
07/30: NASA: House GOP would cut NASA's budget 10% (CNN); Astronomers react (ABC)
07/23: X-ray Telescopes: Chandra X-ray Observatory launched (ABC, BBC); X-ray astronomy (ABC, CNN)
07/20: Sun Missions: Genesis mission to collect solar wind samples (CNN)
07/09: Mercury Missions: Messenger spacecraft planned for trip to Mercury (BBC)
07/09: Comet Missions: Deep Impact spacecraft to be launched toward Tempel 1 in 2004 (ABC, BBC)
06/28: Asteroid Missions: Nanorover developed for future missions to asteroids (CNN)
06/28: Comet Missions: NASA scraps mission planned for 2003 to land on comet (ABC)
06/25: Optical Telescopes: Gemini North in Hawaii gives best land-based pictures yet (BBC, CNN)
06/18: Space Junk: The Space Station narrowly misses piece of debris (ABC)
06/10: Moon Missions: Japanese lunar probe Lunar-A launch delayed until 2002 (ABC)
06/09: UV Telescopes: FUSE spacecraft to be launched soon (ABC, CNN)
06/09: MIR: Russian space station may come down next year (ABC) unless funding is found (ABC)
06/03: Moon Missions: Lunar Prospector to crash on the Moon next month in search for water (ABC, update)
05/20: HST: New gyros, new computer in October Hubble repair mission (CNN; 09/10 update)

Planet Earth and Space

12/26: Mars Missions: Mars Arctic research station to open during the coming year (BBC)
12/21: The Moon: Last full Moon of the millennium on the 22nd will be the brightest in 133 years (BBC, CNN)
12/15: The Sun: Two days of solar wind calm in May of this year, a rare occurrence (InfoBeat, CNN)
12/14: Meteor Showers: The Geminid shower is peaking these days (BBC)
12/10: Meteorites: Golf-ball sized meteorite falls in Australia, causing some damage (summary, CNN)
11/29: Meteor Strikes: The UK government appoints panel to assess the danger (BBC)
11/27: Mercury: Images from last week's Mercury transit in front of the Sun (AstronomyNow)
11/26: The Moon: Did the Moon cause intense volcanic activity hundreds of millions of years ago? (BBC)
11/18: Meteor Showers: Reports about this year's Leonid shower (AstronomyNow, ABC, BBC)
11/15: Meteor Showers: Predictions for this year's Leonid shower (BBC, InfoBeat)
11/10: Neutron Stars: Some of the conditions inside neutrons stars recreated on Earth (BBC)
11/10: Asteroids: Recreating asteroid impacts in a bucket, to learn about how craters form (ABC)
11/10: The Sun: A new scale to measure potential dangers of solar activity near its maximum (ABC, BBC)
11/08: Meteor Showers: Possible new Linearid meteor shower on November 11 (BBC)
10/30: Meteor Showers: The meteors could damage satellites (ABC)
10/04: The Sky: Great show of the Moon, Venus and Regulus early Tuesday if weather is good (InfoBeat)
09/30: Earth's Interior: The Earth's core may be at a temperature of 9930 F (ABC)
09/17: Comet/Meteorite Impacts: The danger of small comets hitting Earth (BBC)
09/15: Black holes: Can we make black holes here on Earth? (ABC)
09/13: Diamonds: The seeds from which diamonds grew may have come from space on meteorites (ABC)
09/08: The Earth: Some scientists say leaking water to the interior could leave surface dry (BBC)
09/07: Meteorites: More ancient water in another meteorite, one that fell in Morocco (InfoBeat, CNN update)
09/01: The Sun: Could a sudden superflare or maximum of solar activity "sterilize" the Earth? (CNN, BBC)
08/26: Meteorites: 4.5 billion yr old water in meteorite that fell in Monahans, TX last year (ABC, BBC, CNN)
08/18: Antimatter: NASA's Bess project is a big balloon looking for antimatter in space (BBC)
08/18: Spacecraft: Cassini probe makes it safely past the Earth (ABC, BBC, CNN)
08/12: Life on Earth: Evidence of life from 2.7 billion years ago found (InfoBeat)
08/11: Solar Eclipse: Millions watch this century's last total solar eclipse (CNN)
08/10: Meteor Showers: This year's Perseid shower on August 12 should be good (BBC)
08/03: The Sun: Solar flare alert! (BBC)
07/27: Asteroids: Up to 1000 of them may cause planet-wide destruction in case of impact (BBC)
07/23: Asteroids: Water discovered in asteroid 1998 KY26 that passed nearby last year (ABC)
07/09: Moon Exploration: Moon walker "Pete" Conrad died in bike accident (BBC)
07/07: Meteors: A meteor explodes in the sky above New Zealand (ABC)
06/28: Comet/Meteorite Impacts: Scientists will revisit the Tunguska region (BBC)
06/07: The Sun: We are not the target of the Sun's latest coronal mass ejection (BBC)
06/07: Light Pollution: How night lights affect astronomical observations (ABC)
05/20: Asteroids: A close encounter with one in 2027? (BBC)

The Solar System

12/30: Charon: Observations show that Pluto's moon had been warmer in the past (space.com)
12/22: The Sun: New spongelike structures seen near the Sun's surface in UV and X-rays (abstract)
12/18: Jupiter's Moons: Close-up of large volcanic activity and lava flow on Io photographed (ABC, BBC)
12/17: Jupiter's Moons: Climate on Europa seems conducive to microorganism life (CNN)
12/12: Mars: Data from Mars Global Surveyor now seem to indicate ancient shorelines (ABC, CNN)
12/08: Uranus and Neptune: Studies suggest they formed much closer to the Sun than they are now (ABC, BBC)
11/23: Meteor Shower: Leonid meteor seen as it hits the Moon (BBC)
11/19: Jupiter's Moons: More pictures from Io show conditions similar to early Earth history (ABC, BBC)
11/18: Jovian Planets: Data from Galileo probe question theories of planet formation (AstronomyNow, ABC, BBC)
11/11: Asteroids: Information on asteroid Mathilde helps understand planet formation (InfoBeat)
11/09: Kuiper Belt: The most distant solar system object so far discovered (BBC)
11/08: Mars: Mars Global Surveyor looks into a deep impact crater (AstronomyNow)
11/05: Jupiter's Moons: Volcano photographed on Io resembles Hawaii volcano (ABC)
11/03: Mars' Moons: A camera on Mars Global Surveyor sees Phobos' shadow on Mars (AstronomyNow, BBC)
10/22: The Moon: Further evidence that there is occasional, weak geological activity (BBC)
10/14: The Moon: No water found analyzing data from Lunar Prospector crash (InfoBeat)
10/07: More Solar Planets? Hints from motion of comets of a new large object beyond Pluto (ABC, BBC)
10/06: Asteroids: Asteroid Eugenia is the second one found to have its own moon (ABC, BBC, CNN)
10/02: Mars: No evidence of ancient shorelines on the surface (AstronomyNow)
10/01: Jupiter's Moons: Europa seems to have a lot of sulphuric acid (AstronomyNow, CNN)
10/01: Jovian Planets: Uranus and Neptune may be huge diamond and oil producers (AstronomyNow, ABC)
09/28: Kuiper Belt: Pioneer 10, lunched in 1972, seems to have discovered a new object (BBC)
09/28: Mars: New pictures of the large volcano Arsia Mons taken by Mars Global Surveyor (BBC)
09/21: Uranus' Moons: 3 new ones discovered; the total is now 21, more than any other planet (ABC)
09/17: Jupiter's Moons: Tides in a deep ocean may explain Europa's corrugated surface (InfoBeat, ABC, BBC)
09/10: Solar System Formation: A new theory links it to gamma ray bursts (CNN)
08/31: Jupiter's Moons: Io's surface is constantly being changed by volcanoes (BBC)
08/11: Mars: NASA finds tree-shaped frost, dust devils, icy sand dunes on the planet (InfoBeat, ABC)
08/05: Jupiter's Moons: Io's atmosphere produces dazzling light show (BBC, CNN)
08/04: Asteroids: Was asteroid Braille part of Vesta? (ABC, BBC)
08/02: The Moon: Lunar Prospector hits the surface, but no dust seen (ABC, BBC, CNN)
07/31: Saturn's Moons: Telescope may have found oceans of liquid water on Titan (CNN)
07/30: Asteroids: Deep Space 1 probe meets with asteroid Braille, its camera misses it (ABC, BBC, CNN)
07/22: The Moon: The most detailed map of the Moon yet, from Clementine data (BBC)
07/22: Asteroids: New images and information about minerals on Eros from NEAR (BBC)
07/20: Mars: Implications of new images from Mars Global Surveyor debated (ABC, CNN)
07/02: More Solar Planets? One theory says some early planets were ejected from the solar system
06/22: The Sun: Instruments on SOHO can see the far side of the Sun and comets' shadows (ABC, BBC, CNN)
06/21: Mars: New interesting feature seen on the surface (BBC, CNN)
06/09: Jupiter: A dust cloud surrounds the moon Ganymede (BBC)
05/19: Mars: Astronomers spot a cyclone four times the size of Texas (ABC, BBC, CNN)
05/19: Uranus: 18th moon of the planet is discovered (ABC, BBC, CNN)
05/12: Jupiter: Winds near the polar regions reach supersonic speeds of thousands of km/h (BBC)

Our Galaxy

12/16: Extrasolar Planets: First evidence of starlight reflected from an extrasolar planet (InfoBeat, CNN)
11/30: Extrasolar Planets: Six more found, for a total of 28 (InfoBeat, AstronomyNow, ABC)
11/25: Extrasolar Planets: Another team confirms observation of eclipsing planet (BBC)
11/25: High Speed Clouds: Gas clouds of unknown origin are moving toward our galaxy (AstronomyNow)
11/22: Extrasolar Planets: First direct observation of light reflected from an extrasolar planet (BBC)
11/15: Extrasolar Planets: First evidence of an extrasolar planet eclipsing a star (BBC, AstronomyNow)
11/11: New Stars: ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile images stellar nursery (AstronomyNow)
11/10: New Stars: Hubble Space Telescope sees how stars affect each other's life in Trifid Nebula (BBC, CNN)
11/05: Extrasolar Planets: More news about the planet orbiting two stars (ABC, AstronomyNow)
11/03: Galaxy Collisions: The Milky Way has engulfed other, dwarf galaxies (ABC, AstronomyNow)
10/29: Stars/Planets: Evidence from star HR4796A suggests planets form from rings (AstronomyNow)
10/20: Nebulas: The "rotten egg" nebula photographed by the HST is a star becoming a planetary nebula (CNN)
09/30: Stars/Planets: Most stars seem to shed their debris disks at the same age (InfoBeat, ABC)
09/29: Gamma Ray Bursts: The may originate in the final explosions of very massiva stars (AstronomyNow)
09/28: Pulsars: Chandra sees ring of X-rays seen around Crab Nebula (AstronomyNow, ABC, BBC)
09/28: Extrasolar Planets: Upsilon Andromedae is the first star seen to wobble from a planet's pull (BBC)
09/22: Supernovas: The Chandra X-ray Observatory shows new details of old explosions (BBC)
09/17: Star Clusters: The Hubble telescope sees two of the brightest clusters in our galaxy (BBC, CNN)
09/14: Extrasolar Planets: First planet about the same size size as Earth seen (BBC)
09/08: Black Holes: Best evidence yet that black holes are formed in star explosions (InfoBeat, ABC, CNN)
09/02: Stars: The first starquakes seen in a star other than the Sun, by WIRE's sighting telescope (BBC)
08/26: Pulsars: The slowest spinning pulsar yet, at one pulse every 8.5 sec, is difficult to explain (Explorezone)
08/26: X-Ray Astronomy: Chandra produces X-ray images of Supernova Cassiopeia A (ABC, BBC, CNN)
08/18: Extrasolar Planets: First planet orbiting two stars seen from microlensing (BBC)
08/18: Red Giant Stars: Strange behavior explained, some stars eat their planets (ABC)
07/31: Extrasolar Planets: New planet iota Hor b discovered 56 ly away, the most Earth-like so far (BBC)
06/14: LMC: Nebula seen in Large Magellanic Cloud (CNN)

The Universe

12/14: Galaxy Clusters: X ray picture shows activity at the center of Hydra A (AstronomyNow, CNN)
12/09: The Universe: New measurements confirm that the expansion is accelerating (PhysNews)
11/23: Gamma Ray Bursts: Method proposed to use GRB's to find distances to farthest objects (AstronomyNow)
11/22: Galaxy Collisions: Hubble Space Telescope sees several cases of multiple collisions (AstronomyNow)
11/18: Distant Galaxies: Giant galaxy cluster 3C295 emits large amounts of X-rays (AstronomyNow)
11/03: Galaxy Collisions: Hubble Space Telescope takes photograph of a grazing encounter (AstronomyNow)
10/29: Black Holes: Radio interferometer gives best image yet of a large black hole (AstronomyNow)
10/26: Nearby Galaxies: Hubble Telescope sees young star in old galaxy M32 (AstronomyNow)
10/26: Nearby Galaxies: Chandra Telescope sees extended X-ray jets in active galaxy Centaurus A (AstronomyNow)
10/25: Gamma Ray Bursts: GRB's seem to be the farthest objects we can see in the universe (AstronomyNow)
10/06: Galaxies: The Hubble Telescope gives new information on spiral galaxies (InfoBeat, CNN)
10/06: Dark Matter: Is most of it made of MACHOS or WIMPS? (ABC, BBC)
09/23: The Universe: The universe may be younger and expanding faster than we thought (InfoBeat, ABC)
09/16: Early Universe: Study shows collisions and mergers resulted in the present galaxies (BBC)
09/10: Black Holes: Black holes may be a major source of energy in the universe (ABC, CNN)
08/18: Black Holes: Matter found falling on black hole at the core of galaxy NGC 3516 (ABC, BBC)
08/18: Unexplained Object: Celestial object in the Northern sky remains unidentified (ABC, CNN); not anymore!
06/07: Distant Galaxies: The most distant one so far is radio galaxy TN J0924-2201 in Hydra (BBC, CNN)

Life, the Universe, and Everything

12/20: Christian Traditions: What was the "Christmas Star"? (ABC)
12/20: Life on Earth: What is time? (ABC)
12/14: Life on Earth: Living bacteria found in antarctic ice 12,000 ft below the surface (InfoBeat, BBC, CNN)
12/13: Astrobiology: UK launches forum on possible forms of life (ABC)
12/08: SETI: How does the search at the Arecibo radio telescope work? (ABC: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)
12/01: Ancient Astronomy: Seahenge dated to spring 2050 BC (BBC)
11/18: Life on Earth: A new, fiery twist to the impact theory of dinosaur extinction (BBC)
11/16: SETI: 25th anniversary of our only message broadcast to space so far (AstronomyNow)
11/09: Ancient Astronomy: More faces might be carved in stones of ancient sites (BBC)
10/22: Space Exploration: Should we plan to build settlements on Mars? (ABC)
10/15: Ancient Astronomy: Is the face of Stonehenge's creator carved in the stone? (BBC)
10/15: Astronomers: Honoring Carl Sagan three years after his death (BBC)
10/04: Life on Mars: Meteorite from Mars analyzed for traces of life is 3.9 billions yr old (AstronomyNow)
09/25: Space Tourism: Should private companies build orbiting hotels? (InfoBeat, ABC, BBC, CNN)
09/21: Life on Earth: Possible new forms of ancient (ABC) and present (ABC, BBC) life in extreme places
09/03: Life and Mars: 3.5 billion year-old fossils on Earth will offer clues on what to look for (CNN)
09/02: Space Food: Future space travelers may be eating crunchy, nutricious bugs (ABC)
08/31: Ancient Astronomy: "Woodhenge" discovered near Stonehenge (BBC)
08/27: Life on Mars: New claims based on evidence from meteorite (BBC)
07/24: Apollo Missions: 30th anniversary of Apollo 11 (ABC, CNN)
07/23: UFO Sightings: What do they have to do with eclipses? (BBC)
07/21: Mercury Missions: Space capsule recovered after 38 years (ABC, CNN)
07/08: Ancienty Astronomy: "Seahenge" timber circle from 2000 BC discovered (BBC)
06/29: Ancient Astronomy: The oldest telescope lens? (BBC)
06/23: Space Tourism: A conference discusses the possibilities (ABC, CNN)
06/10: Interstellar Travel: New calculations on the possibility of warp drive (BBC)
05/20: SETI@home: Download a screensaver that searches for extraterrestrial life! (BBC)
05/19: Astrobiology: NASA names head of new Astrobiology Institute (ABC, CNN)

Other Semesters

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Meteorite blamed for reservoir mess

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An object that crashed into an Australian reservoir was most likely a meteorite the size of a golf ball, officials said Friday. After signs something fell into a reservoir, officials shut off the water supply to the nearby Guyra, 235 miles north of Sydney. Police set up barricades and scientists were called in to investigate. The mystery made national news Thursday and triggered calls to radio talk shows from explanations ranging from a Martian landing to a hoax by mischievous townsfolk. A worker raised the alarm late Wednesday after noticing a path 50 feet long and several feet wide gouged through reeds growing next to the reservoir's dam, police said. Police divers recovered sediment Friday from the reservoir that geologists believe was stirred up by a small meteorite. Police said the meteorite was embedded about 14 feet into soft rock and could not be quickly removed. Officials said radiation levels were normal and the water was not contaminated. Guyra's water supply was later turned back on.

Spongelike structures near the Sun's surface

Newly observed by the TRACE satellite (at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths) and the SOHO satellite (in x rays), these structures lie between the 10,000-K chromosphere and the corona at a temperature of several million K. These filamentary structures (dubbed "solar moss" by Lockheed scientists reporting at the AGU meeting) are typically 6000-12,000 miles in size and about 1000-1500 miles above the photosphere, occur at various places around the sun's surface, usually near the footprint of huge coronal loops. The moss blobs seem to be stable for hours but can also change brightness over periods as short as 30 seconds. Thomas Berger of Lockheed said that the new structures may provide information on how the corona gets so hot, an issue that remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of solar physics.