As you’ve probably heard, asteroid DA14 is going to pass very close to the Earth tonight. No, there is no chance that it will hit, which is good because it’s about 40 m in diameter. But at its closest it will be just 28,000 km away, closer than the highest satellites (although still well above the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s going to part our hair….
The Daily Telegraph travel section have a rather good article about La Palma, and they mention my book, A Breathtaking Window on the Universe, right at the end. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/sunandsea/9867981/La-Palma-guide-the-forgotten-Canary-Island.html
Full Moon Silhouettes from Mark Gee on Vimeo. This is a remarkable video of moonrise in New Zealand, shot from over 2 km away. You can get more details (in English) of how it was done at http://io9.com/5980370/a-moonrise-unlike-any-youve-ever-seen. I thought the moon looked odd somehow. It was only when it rose higher that I understood. Of course, it’s upside down (compared to Europe). Full Moon Silhouettes from Mark Gee on…
The Spanish version of my guide to the Observatory of the Roque de los Muchachos is in layout. I hope to have it on sale in early February.
In 2013, I hope you reach whatever stars you aim for. To inspire you, why not download this FREE Astronomy Picture of the Day calendar? http://asterisk.apod.com/library/APOD/Calendars/2013APODCalendar.pdf En el 2013, espero que llegue a cualquier estrellas que aspirar. Para inspirarte, ¿por qué no descargar GRATIS el calendario de Foto Astronómica del Día ? http://asterisk.apod.com/library/APOD/Calendars/2013APODCalendar.pdf Im Jahr 2013, ich hoffe, Sie zu erreichen, was Sterne, die Sie für Ziel. Sie…
A very Merry Christmas to you all. (The William Herschel Telescope has a laser to measure atmospheric turbulence, in order to correct for it. But really, it’s very low powered and no danger to flying reindeer. Santa is quite safe.)