Science Anyone???

Hello all!
First of all, I would like to say that I think I have a very FUN way to start off Astronomy Club this year! Begin looking for details in school this upcoming week!

Ok, let's take a look at what's going on in the world of science...

ISS FLYBYS

I looked up to see if the ISS is flying by this week, and it does not look like it is. However, it appears as though there is a number of other satellites that will be making a pass over the area these next few days. For more information on these flybys, go to Spaceweather.com's satellite tracking tool at www.spaceweather.com/flybys

SUNgazer!

I was searching the internet for some new, cool science/astronomy sites, and I came across Sungazer. This website provides some pretty cool pictures of the sun taken in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as provides resources and information about observing the sun! Check it out at http://www.sungazer.net/

Shuttle Launch

The next Shuttle launch is scheduled for Monday, November 1 at 4:40pm. The STS-133, Space Shuttle Discovery will make its way to the International Space Station. We will be keeping an eye on this, and looking more into it as the launch date (and Space ShuttleDiscovery's final flight) gets closer. Hopefully, you all can view the launch! Watching a launch (if only from the TV) is awesome! One day, I hope to go down to Cape Canaveral, FL and watch a launch in person! How cool would that be!!!???!!!! Anyway, check out this picture (taken from NASA) of Space Shuttle Discovery as it is moved on the launch pad (39A) and getting its payload (cargo) to prepare for the mission. *picture and info are credited to NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)

METEOR SHOWER!!

The next major meteor shower is the Orionids, which peak on Oct. 21. The best viewing time is 2 or 3 am, when the constellation Orion, is high in the sky. However, you should still be able to see some as early as 10 or 11pm This year, on Oct. 21, there will be a full moon, making it difficult to see the 70+ meteors per hour, but you should still be able to see the really bright ones! Going to miss the Orionids? No worries, check out the Leonids peaking on Nov. 17! Another spectacular show!

NEW SPECIES!

Scientists in Papua New Guinea discovered several new species! Do you know where Papua New Guinea is? It is near Indonesia! They discovered some new bugs and a new species of frog! Check out some of what they found! The info on the new species and the below photos were taken from Yahoo! News (http://www.news.yahoo.com/)

OK, well, that's all for now! Keep an eye out on the news for any interesting stories! Fell free to bring them in to school to share with the class!

Keep an eye to the sky!

Ms. T

Welcome Back!

Hello all!

Welcome back to school for the new school year! I am so excited to see you all again, and meet those of you who I have never taught before. We are going to have a GREAT year!

Good News! We are still going to have the Astronomy Club! We are going to try to get that star party in...hopefully the weather will be on our side this year!

Ok, let's see what is going on in science news!

Tonight, the moon and Venus will be in conjunction! They will be less than 10 degrees apart from each other! Go outside right after the sun goes down and check out this beautiful sight! It is not just Venus that you will be able to see either, Mars will also be visible with the unaided eye. You can use optical aids to see Saturn, too!

*the above info and photos were taken from SpaceWeather (www.spaceweather.com)

ISS Flybys
The International Space Station (ISS) will be making a series of flybys in our area! If you can, go out and wave to the astronauts! Here are the times/locations for our area:
Saturday, September 11, 2010: 9:19:32pm-9:21:49pm WNW max. elevation--> 30 degrees magnitude --> -2.2
Sunday, September 12, 2010: 8:11:01pm-8:13:28pm WNW max. elevation --> 63 degrees magnitude --> -3.7
Monday, September 13, 2010: 8:38:05pm-8:40:16pm WNW max. elevation --> 31 degrees magnitude --> -2.3
Tuesday, September 14, 2010: 7:29:24pm- 7:31:52pm WNW max. elevation --> 75 degrees magnitude --> -3.9
Wednesday, September 15, 2010: 7:56:29pm-7:58:33pm WNW max. elevation -->26 degrees magnitude --> -2.0

*remember the lower the magnitude, the brighter the object! So, the ISS will appear the brightest on Tuesday, with a magnitude of -3.9!
One item to take into consideration, is that the sun will be setting around 7:15/7:20pm. This might make it difficult to see on Tuesday. You should still go out and look! The ISS will look like a star that is moving across the sky (it kind of looks like an airplane, except it has no flashing lights).
If you are not in the school area, go online to check the times for your local area (www.spaceweather.com/flybys)
*the above info about the ISS flybys has been taken from SpaceWeather's flyby section (www.spaceweather.com/flybys)

Shuttle Launch
The next Space Shuttle launch is scheduled for November 1 at 4:40pm. STS-133, Space Shuttle Discovery will launch from Cape Canaveral, FL (Launch Pad 39A) on a mission to the ISS. We will keep an eye on this, as the launch date gets a little closer.
*for more info on NASA's launches, visit www.NASA.gov

We will check back on some of these items next week!
For now, keep an eye to the sky!
Ms. T

Summer

Hello all.
Well, it was a chaotic end of the school year. Sorry I was not able to post on here. I hope you all have been enjoying your summer. We have had quite the weather this summer...aside from the heat, we have had MAJOR thunderstorms and even an earthquake (did anyone feel the earthquake...I did!). Pretty soon, we all will be back in the swing of things at school. For the middle school, we welcome the new sixth graders as we bid farewell to the class of 2010-you will be missed! This year, we have some exciting things in science! sixth grade, we will be examining things such as the environment and the different biomes of the world! Seventh grade, we will be learning about natural disasters and SPACE (my favorite topic...ever!). Eighth grade, we will be examining physical science such as electricity and magnetism! I am really looking forward to working with you all this year! Once school resumes, I will be updating the blog more regularly. Enjoy the rest of your summer. Oh! One more thing...how can I forget..this week is SHARK WEEK!!!
Remember, keep an eye to the sky!
Ms. T

Lots to Update!

Hi all-

There is a lot that need updating since I last posted.
First of all, thanks to the Astronomy members that came to Goddard! We had a great time! If anyone gets a chance, you should definitely go to there. They have a lot of interactive things to do! For more information on NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, please visit their website at www.nasa.gov/goddard

OK, let's start with some updates...

First of all, I am sure that by now you have heard of the major (almost 9.0)earthquake in Chile. The main earthquake lasted about 3 minutes, and aftershocks continued for several days. This earthquake was listed as the 7th strongest earthquake ever recorded. Although this earthquake was nearly five hundred times stronger than the recent earthquake in Haiti, there were far less casualties. Even still, we really need to keep the people of Chile in our prayers as they continue to recover from this natural disaster.

VENUS
Right after sunset, if you look up, you will see Venus. Below is a picture of Venus taken from Italy. The photo was taken from Spaceweather.com (www.spaceweather.com)


SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION
The next Space Shuttle mission (STS-131 Space Shuttle Discovery) is slated for April 5, 2010 at 6:21am. We will keep an eye on this mission and flight details as they become available. We will be on break, but I will try to post a video of the launch (or a link to the launch video) on here...better yet...you should try to watch it yourself!

Ok, no ISS flybys this week. Check back to www.spaceweather.com to keep an eye on any flybys in your area.

Remember to bring in any newspaper clippings/articles of any science related news! We will talk about it in class!

Have a good week! Good luck to all your sports games this week/weekend. Be sure to root for WVU in the Big East Tournament!

Astronomy Club: we will try to reschedule our star watching party for sometime in March/early April. Our chance of snow is slim...now we have to be aware of rain. More details to come. Astronomy Club next week.

Keep an eye to the sky!
Ms. T

Quick Space Shuttle Update

Just a quick space shuttle update...

STS-130 (Space Shuttle Endeavour) is scheduled from Sunday. This will be the last scheduled launch in darkness. Endeavour is slated to lift off on Sunday morning at 4:39am. I will post some info as it comes in.

Good luck during the snow storm...stay warm! Have fun.

I will post some more on the launch later...

Keep an eye to the sky,
Ms. T

Ring in the New Year!

Hello all!
I hope you have a nice Christmas break and a very happy New Year! I have a few updates to share with you.

Sadly, I am sure that you have already heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Last week (Jan. 12), Haiti was hit with a major 7.0 earthquake. Since then, rescue workers and others have been trying to help the people of Haiti. Sadly, many people have been killed, lost their homes, and lost so much more. Unfortunately, the the major 7.0 earthquake is not the only thing that the people of Haiti have to worry about...since the main earthquake on Jan. 12, there have been several aftershocks, measuring as high as 5.9! Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. They are really having a hard time there, and really could use all of our prayers. Below are some pictures relating to this earthquake.



The above photos were taken from Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com)

Aside from the earthquake in Haiti, there have been some other natural disasters that have impacted people around the world. There has been bad storms/flooding in California, tornadoes in Texas, flooding in the Philippines, and flooding in Egypt. All of these natural disasters have impacted the people and wildlife that live in those areas. Please also keep these people in your prayers.

It's a bird...it's a plane...actually, it's a meteorite!
A doctor was working in his office building in northern Virginia, when something smashed through his roof. He ran to see what it was, and after some help figuring it out, and it was confirmed that it was a meteorite. Remember that a meteorite is a piece of space rock that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere and impacted the surface of the Earth. How fast was it travelling?............................................................................................................................................................................................. probably about a whopping 220mph! Luckily, no one was hurt. Below is a picture of a fragment from the meteorite.

The above photo and the information about this meteorite impact was taken from the Washington Post website (www.washingtonpost.com).

SAVE THE TIGERS!
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that the tigers living in the wild in China (only about 50 tigers remain) could face extinction if nothing new is done to protect them. Please keep an eye on this and go to the WWF Website for more information and ideas of what you can do to help (www.wwf.org).

The above photo was taken from Yahoo (www.yahoo.com)

Comets
Spaceweather.com is reporting that the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has a nice view of a comet approaching the sun. This is not a comet that is currently visible to the unaided eye.


Northern Lights
Check out these beautiful pictures of the northern lights! Remember the northern lights is caused when the particles from solar winds penetrate the Earth's magnetic field. Those charged particles gather around the poles and the energy is given off in the form of light. Since the particles gather around the poles, you can see the northern (or southern) lights if you are at certain latitudes. The following photos show the northern lights in green, however they can come in different colors.




The above pictures (northern lights and comet) were taken from Spaceweather (www.spaceweather.com)

Space Shuttle Missions!
The next shuttle launch is slated to be February 7, 2010 (Space Shuttle Endeavour) at 4:39am. It is going to deliver the final connecting node to the International Space Station (ISS). Unfortunately, we will not be in class at 4:39am, so maybe we can watch a replay of the launch. We will keep an eye on the launch/mission schedule to see if anything changes.

Also, sadly, at the end of this year, the fleet of Space Shuttles will retire. The final Space Shuttle flight is scheduled to be September 16, 2010 with Space Shuttle Discovery. As far as I know, the Air and Space Museum (in DC) will be getting Discovery after the fleet retires.

As sad as I am to see the Space Shuttles retiring, I am excited for all of the new missions and projects that NASA has in store for us. We will definitely keep an eye on this stuff...

Below is a picture of the STS-130 Space Shuttle Endeavour Crew.


The above photo of the STS-130 crew and the information on the launch was taken from NASA (www.nasa.gov).

Finally...ISS Flybys: all information regarding the ISS flybys has been taken from www.spaceweather.com
*all times are for Kensington

Friday, January 22: 5:59:39pm-6:01:55pm NNW 45 degrees (max elevation), with a magnitude of -3.2
Saturday, January 23: 6:20:49pm-6:23:05pm WNW 48 degrees (max elevation), with a magnitude of -3.2
Monday, January 25: 5:31:08pm-5:32:25pm SSW 53 degrees (max elevation), with a magnitude of -3.4

If you get a chance, you should try to check out the ISS flybys!

See you in school!
Keep an eye on the sky...

Ms. T