Ring in the New (School) Year...

Hello all! As the summer comes to a close and you get your backpacks, pencils, pens, and folders ready to go to school, just remember that you are going to have a great school year! I am so excited for science this year, and have a lot of new, fun ideas planned for you! One thing, which I will talk to you guys about once school starts, is the Astronomy Club! I am SO excited to share all kinds of fun and interesting aspects of the world of astronomy with you all (maybe we can even have a star party or two...). Not going to join the club, but still love space? No worries...we will, again, be keeping track of upcoming NASA missions, updates, and of course shuttle launches!

Speaking of shuttle launches...the STS-128 mission (space shuttle Discovery) is slated to launch at 1:36 am on Tuesday. I know it is early (or late...depending on how you look at it), but if you are, by chance up, make sure to check it out! Discovery will be taking its crew of 7 astronauts to the International Space Station. We will keep an eye on this launch...hopefully there will be clear skies in Florida!


Unfortunately, I was away and did not get a chance to tell you about the Perseids meteor shower. I hope you knew about it, or stumbled upon it, and were able to see it. I heard it was a bit cloudy, but it was still a wonderful sight! Some people, myself included, even saw a fireball! What a great thing to see! Remember meteor showers occur when the Earth travels through a spot where an object (usually a comet) has left many particles behind. When these particles enter the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up due to friction. They look like streaks, or "shooting stars", but what you are actually seeing is burning pieces of dust and debris left over from an celestial object. In case you missed it, here are a few pictures, although they cannot do the Perseids justice!




*all information on STS-128 was taken from www.nasa.gov
*the photo of the STS-128 crew was taken from www.nasa.gov
*the photos of the Perseid Meteor shower were both taken from www.spaceweather.com

Keep checking back here...who knows what you will find....


See you in school,
Ms. T