1998 - A Great Year For Astronomy & Space Exploration

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Newsletter 5 December 1998

1998 - A Great Year For Astronomy & Space Exploration

It has been a wonderful year of stirring progress in Astronomy and thrilling discovery in Space Science. Here is a quick summary of some of the top stories of 1998 - and I’m sure you’ll agree we are very fortunate to be alive in such exciting times....

DISCOVERY OF ICE ON THE MOON
The Lunar Prospector satellite returned data revealing water ice at both the north and south poles of the Moon - making a human outpost on the Moon a real possibility.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) KICKS OFF SUCCESSFULLY
The first two components (Russian and American) of the $90 000 000 000 ISS were launched and successfully assembled in space. The Station will be completed in 2004 and is visible even now when passing over Durban.

HUBBLE DISCOVERS A POSSIBLE ALIEN PLANET
The Hubble Space Telescope photographed what is possibly the first planet outside our solar system to be captured on film. Using various new and ingenious techniques, planets orbiting other stars are being discovered regularly - increasing the probabilities that other inhabited worlds may indeed exist.

MOST POWERFUL BANG SINCE THE BIG BANG
A cosmic gamma ray burst detected this year released a staggering amount of energy - for one or two seconds the burst was as luminous as the rest of the entire universe! Gamma ray bursts are mysterious in that they occur at the rate of about one a day, are unimaginably powerful and all seem to originate from within our galaxy.

EARTHLINGS INVADE MARS YET AGAIN
A new satellite designed to monitor the Martian atmosphere (the Mars Climate Orbiter) was launched in December, followed close on its heels by the Mars Polar Lander, which will study the south polar cap of the planet. The latter craft also carries a microphone, and we will soon be hearing the wind blowing on Mars.
Japan became the third country in history to send a mission to another planet with the launch of the Nozomi (Japanese for "hope") satellite, which will study the magnetic fields and atmosphere of Mars.

ON-GOING DISCOVERIES BEING MADE AT JUPITER
The Galileo spacecraft, which is presently orbiting Jupiter and its moons, has found that a second moon (Callisto) may also have a liquid ocean under its icy, cratered surface. This means that as with the moon Europa, this moon may contain interesting organic molecules in its subsurface water, if not life itself.

COMING UP EARLY IN 1999:

FIRST WOMAN SPACE SHUTTLE COMMANDER
At the helm of Space Shuttle Columbia during its March 1999 mission will be Eileen Collins - the first woman to command a Space Shuttle.

1999 : A YEAR OF BLUE MOONS
When two full moons occur in a single month, the second full moon is called a Blue Moon. This phenomenon occurs seven times every 19 years (ie about once every two or three years). This year there will be a Blue Moon on January 31^st and another on April 30^th.

SEND YOUR DNA INTO SPACE
The Encounter 2001 spacecraft (leaving in 2001) will carry the photos and DNA of 1 million humans into the galaxy - and will float through space for billions of years, perhaps even outliving planet earth. You can place your DNA on board with the Astronomy Interest Group - watch the press for details....
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Mario Di Maggio

AIG Event Horizon

General enquiries: Mario Di Maggio
Tel: 3006228 (w) or 082 829 7645

Enquiries about viewing evenings at Marist Brothers:
Raymond Field Tel: 3094126 (w) or 4657188 (h)

	AIG viewing evenings (at Marist Brothers College)*	Special Events	Astronomy Meetings (at Marist Brothers College)*
Jan 1999	First clear night of either: Fri 15^th or Sat 16^th or Fri 22^nd or Sat 23^rd at 19h00.	The predawn sky now has Mars as its only planet, high in the northeast and getting moderately brighter. It forms a pair this month with the bright star Spica. They are about the same brightness now, but the planet looks much redder. The full moon* is on the 2^nd, with another full moon appearing later in the month on the 31^st (this second one being traditionally called a Blue Moon).*	Wednesday 13^th January, 7:30pm: "What To Look Out For In 1999" - practical ‘how to do it’ talk by Raymond Field
Feb 1999	First clear night of either: Fri 12^th or Sat 13^th or Fri 19^th or Sat 20^th at 19h00.	An Annular Eclipse of the sun occurs on the morning of the 16th. From the best viewing location, in the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia, the Moon will cover 99% of the sun, leaving only a slender ring of light encircling the Moon's black disk ("annular" comes from the Latin word anulus, meaning "ring" ). We are quite far from the best vantage point, so from Durban we’ll see 54% of the Sun darken at 6:50AM	Wednesday 10^th February, 7:00pm: Simulated Planetarium presentation by Mario Di Maggio *NOTE - this meeting will be at the Natural Science Museum*
Mar 1999	First clear night of either: Fri 12^th or Sat 13^th or Fri 19^th or Sat 20^th at 19h00.	Many bright stars are visible on March evenings, since our home galaxy the Milky Way stretches high overhead. The brightest of all stars Sirius, is easily visible, as is the second brightest of all stars Canopus. Attend the monthly viewing evenings and learn to identify these beautiful celestial jewels! We are in for clearer skies now due to the approach of winter.	Wednesday 10^th March, 7:00pm: "On The Geology Of Mars" - illustrated up-to-the-minute talk by Professor Watkeys
*Directions to Marist Brothers College: travel south along Ridge Road from Tollgate towards Entabeni Hospital. Just after the hospital turn right into Glenwood Drive, which is an L-shaped road. At the end of the road you will see Marist Brothers College in front of you. Turn right and then immediately left into the school car park.