Earthrise

You may be familiar with the famous "Earthrise" image taken by Apollo 11 astronauts, in which they see Earth rising from the moon. Well, JAXA (the Japanese version of NASA) has their Kaguya spacecraft orbiting the moon right now, and they took a time lapse of Earth rising with their camera. I did not expect to be quite as moved by the sight of it as I was. Seeing our home world from this perspective is certainly unique. Please enjoy!

Atlantis Launches

I don't always post when the shuttle launches, but in this case I will. Because I was there! That's right; Hubbystronomer, Little Dudestronomer and I headed to Cape Canaveral to see the launch. How was it, you ask? Just as amazing as you imagined. It was really bright and shot up into the sky. It took a few seconds for the deep rumbling the reach us, and then it gave me heart palpitations.

It was so neat to see so many people out for the launch. There was a real spirit of camaraderie as we all waited, and people were even polite on the road afterward. That's the real sign of community.

Now the astronauts aboard will head to the Hubble Space Telescope for some repairs and replacements. It sounds simple, but this will be anything but. I'm sure there will be plenty of news coverage, so stay tuned.

Colbert Gets His Wish

As reported by NASA, Stephen Colbert will have his name on a piece of important space equipment. While it may not be a module of the International Space Station, it will be aboard ISS. Formerly known as T2, the Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill will provide astronauts will a much-needed exercise regime that will help keep them healthy in space. Way to go, COLBERT!

National Astronomy Day

I know I've been remiss in my posts of late, but I can't let today pass without reminding you that Saturday, May 2 is International Astronomy Day. Wherever you are, find an event and celebrate this exciting day with your loved ones. If you are in the Santa Barbara area, the Museum of Natural History will be hosting their annual festivities, including live science demos, make-and-take crafts for kids, lots of planetarium shows, a speaker from JPL to talk about a next-generation Mars robot, and a free telescope raffle.
I'll be at the Miami Science Center with Hubbystronomer and Little Dudestronomer. If you're in the area, I'll hope to see you there. If you're elsewhere, make sure to celebrate Astronomy Day!