S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for December2011
Venus lurks low in the western twilight after sunset. But after it gets good and dark, swing around to the east to see dazzling Jupiter, the King of Planets, amid a tower of brilliant early-winter stars that extends from the horizon to overhead.
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S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for November 2011
With the return to Standard Time for North America and Europe, stargazers there can catch some of the evening’s offerings before dinnertime. Venus and Jupiter are planetary bookends at sunset, with Venus lurking low in the western twilight just as the King of Planets rises in the east.
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This weekend only: Enjoy a free tour of Astronomy.com!
From noon CDT, Friday, October 14, through 8 a.m. CDT, Monday, October 17, all the great Astronomy.com features available only to registered users or Astronomy magazine subscribers will be offered to everyone — for free!
Find out what you've been missing! Check out these exclusive benefits:
- StarDome Plus — Locate specific objects like planets, comets, galaxies, nebulae, and more in your night sky with the expanded version of Astronomy.com’s interactive star chart.
- Equipment review archive — Astronomy.com’s equipment review database includes every review, roundup, and buyers guide that has appeared in Astronomy magazine in the past few years — more than 300 products overall and growing!
- Columnist archive — Read the complete collections of Bob Berman’s Strange Universe, Glenn Chaple’s Observing Basics, David H. Levy’s Evening Stars, Stephen James O’Meara’s Secret Sky, and Tony Hallas’ Imaging the Cosmos.
- Desktop wallpaper — Bring the beauty of astronomy to your computer desktop.
- Picture of the Day archive — Look back at some of the most beautiful amateur astroimages around.
- Weekly observing podcast — Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich’s weekly series helps you find three notable objects or events you can see from a dark-sky site.
- “Tour the solar system” video series — The editors of Astronomy cover interesting facts and fascinating finds from all eight planets, Pluto, the Sun, our Moon, asteroids, and comets — what telescopes and space probes have discovered and what scientists still hope to learn through future missions and research.
- And more!
If you like what you see, come back October 17* and register on Astronomy.com for free or subscribe to Astronomy magazine right now.
*During the times mentioned above, you will not be able to register for a new account or log in to Astronomy.com with an existing account. Reader forum users will be able to post, and Reader Photo Gallery users will be able to upload images as long as they've logged in and have a cookie set prior to the times mentioned above. Registered users will be able to post on articles and comments only if they’ve logged in and have a cookie set prior to the times mentioned above, as well. The site will return to normal and open for new registrations at 8 a.m. CDT Monday, October 17. Learn more.
S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for October 2011
This is a month of transition: you can spot the Summer Triangle overhead as darkness falls and the winter mix of Orion, his dogs, and Taurus in the hours before sunrise. Jupiter peaks in brightness this month, and it dominates the sky from dusk until dawn.
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S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for August 2011
This is your last chance to spot Saturn before it sinks into the evening twilight. But there are many other celestial attractions to look for on August evenings.
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S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for July 2011
Look low in the west at sunset to spy fleet Mercury, toward southwest for Saturn, and in the south for red-hued Antares, the “rival of Mars.”
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Guest blog: Tour of Kennedy Space Center buildings
While waiting in Titusville, Florida, for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour, Astronomy’s volunteer launch representative, Brenda Culbertson, was able to explore all Kennedy Space Center had to offer.
NASA's "crawler" is used to transport the shuttle assembly to the launch pad. Gravel is used for the roadway because it will crush into a powder under the massive weight, but asphalt would stick and stop the crawler. Twenty people are in place when the crawler is in operation. // All photos by Brenda CulbertsonOn May 14, NASA offered a tour of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to members of the media. I, of course, took advantage of the opportunity to see more of the KSC area, the buildings, and the visible history that was in place.
Our guide for the tour was Greg Hale, a retired NASA employee who volunteers as a docent at KSC. His vast knowledge was on display as he told us about the various buildings, landmarks, and areas around the launch pads. Hale also gave strict instructions about what is and is not allowed for visitors to do. I much appreciated his humor as well as his historic knowledge during the trip. I would like to sit and visit with him one-on-one sometime before I leave to hear some of the stories that don’t make it to the public very often.
Space shuttle Endeavour stands ready for launch at at PAd 39A.We stayed on the bus while we toured the facility, but we went as close as we could to Launch Pad 39A with Endeavour standing ready. We also went by Pad 39B, which is currently being demolished. Hale informed us that NASA started a Pad 39C when a fleet of shuttles was in the plans, but it did not get past being a concrete pad on the ground. The dream of a fleet of shuttles did not come to be.
Buildings where things were made, designed, disassembled, loaded, unloaded, and otherwise utilized for the development of a successful space program dotted the area. Structures of all sizes stood alongside the buildings, and Hale explained their uses, past and present.
Even the jungle-like vegetation around the pads held secrets and purposes that Hale barely touched upon. He did mention some of the animal life that thrived in the trees, and it was not just birds living there. Alligators, tortoises, snakes, and panthers were listed along with other creatures.
Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39B is currently being demolished. NASA no longer has use for it with the current programs at KSC.The tour lasted a bit over an hour as we were transported back in time by Hale’s tales and then brought back to the present as we returned to the media building. Not everyone has the chance to take a trip like we did today.
More STS-134 blogs by Brenda Culbertson
STS-134 nears launch date (again)
Witnessing an Atlas V launch
STS-134 — the last mission of space shuttle Endeavour
S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for May 2011
Look to the east before dawn for the tightest grouping of four bright planets in decades!
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S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for April 2011
Look out! Jupiter is no longer ruling the evening sky, and sky critters are on the march in the north, east, and south.
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S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for March 2011
This will be a month of transition, celestially speaking: spring and daylight-saving time arrive for northern skywatchers, Jupiter makes an exit, and Saturn is waiting in the wings.
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S&T’s Audio Sky Tour for February 2011
February brings into view Orion and his faithful hunting dogs, a set of constellations that sparkle with bright, colorful stars.
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Early in November, smallS&T’s Audio Sky Tour for December 2010
As bright Jupiter looks on, one of the grand tales of celestial mythology is playing out overhead during December evenings. Host: S&T’s Kelly Beatty.
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