Hubble
Reaches the "Undiscovered Country" of Primeval
Galaxies
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has broken the distance
limit for galaxies and uncovered a primordial population
of compact and ultra-blue galaxies that have never been
seen before
HIRISE - This peak
consists of rocks originating from several kilometres
beneath the pre-impact surface. Mojave has a very prominent
central uplift as it has a diameter of 60 kilometres
(37 miles). In this image, boulders as large as 15 meters
(50 feet) across have been eroded from the massive uplifted
rock and have rolled down slope. Fine-grained debris
has also collected in the topographic lows, and has
been shaped by the wind into dunes and ripples
Blemished
by Mimas
A pastel crescent of Saturn is interrupted by the moon
Mimas and the rings in this colour image.
Mimas (396 kilometres, or 246 miles across) appears
as a dark speck just above the rings. This view looks
toward the northern, sunlit side of the rings from just
above the ringplane
Dark Quartet
The Cassini spacecraft gazes at several albedo features
on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Left to right are four dark regions: Fensal, Aztlan,
Aaru and a part of Senkyo. The bright area Quivira lies
near the centre of the image, separating Fensal and
Aztlan. This view looks toward the Saturn-facing side
of Titan (5,150 kilometres, or 3,200 miles across).
North on Titan is up and rotated 24 degrees to the right
Endeavour's STS-130 Mission
Commander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission
to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle
Endeavour. Terry Virts will serve as the pilot. Mission
Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen
Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts will be making his
first trip to space
Solar System Observations
Partial Lunar Eclipse - This is just cropped,
with no adjustments at all. Hand held with my Fuji S7000 camera
with a 2x converter on the front of the lens. 400th sec f5 ISO200
- Mike Oates
The Sun
- is in Pisces. It rises at 06:23, transits the
meridian at 12:19, and sets at 18:16. The length
of the day is 11h 53m
Venus
- is in Pisces with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase
of 97%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at
06:55, transits at 13:17, and sets at 19:40. It
is visible low in the west after sunset
Mars
- is in Cancer with a magnitude of -0.2, a phase
of 94%, and a diameter of 11". It sets at
05:17, rises again at 12:20, and transits at 20:47.
It is visible in the evening sky
Uranus
- is in Pisces with a magnitude of +5.9 and
a diameter of 3". It rises at 06:31, transits
at 12:23, and sets at 18:14. It is currently
too close to the Sun to be observed.
Mercury
- is in Pisces with a magnitude of -1.8, a phase
of 100%, and a diameter of 5". It rises at
06:36, transits at 12:28, and sets at 18:22. It
is currently too close to the Sun to be observed
Jupiter
- is in Aquarius with a magnitude of -2.0 and
a diameter of 33". It rises at 06:12, transits
at 11:35, and sets at 16:59. It is visible low
in the east before sunrise
Saturn -
is in Virgo with a magnitude of +0.5 and a diameter
of 19". It transits at 00:47, sets at 06:58,
and rises again at 18:31. It is well placed for
observation throughout the night
Neptune
- is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +8.0 and
a diameter of 2". It rises at 05:41, transits
at 10:33, and sets at 15:25. It is visible low in
the east before sunrise
Meteors
- On any clear night, we may see the occasional meteor
or “shooting-star”, as tiny specks of
interplanetary débris burn up in the Earth’s
atmosphere. At certain times of the year, the Earth
travels through a cloud of this dust, and we get a
meteor-shower. However, there are no significant meteor-showers
in March, and it is generally a quiet time for sporadic
meteors too
The next major shower is the Lyrids, which are active
between April 16 and April 25, with the maximum on
April 22 at a ZHR of 18. The swift and bright Lyrid
meteors disintegrate after hitting our atmosphere
at a moderate speed of 29.8 miles per second. They
often produce luminous trains of dust that can be
observed for several seconds
There are also the Eta Aquarids, active from April
19 to May 28, with a maximum on May 6 with a ZHR of
85
Last Quarter
New Moon 
First Quarter 
Full Moon 
The Sun
- is in Pisces. It rises at 06:23, transits the
meridian at 12:19, and sets at 18:16. The length
of the day is 11h 53m
Venus
- is in Pisces with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase
of 97%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at
06:55, transits at 13:17, and sets at 19:40. It
is visible low in the west after sunset
Mars
- is in Cancer with a magnitude of -0.2, a phase
of 94%, and a diameter of 11". It sets at
05:17, rises again at 12:20, and transits at 20:47.
It is visible in the evening sky
Uranus
- is in Pisces with a magnitude of +5.9 and
a diameter of 3". It rises at 06:31, transits
at 12:23, and sets at 18:14. It is currently
too close to the Sun to be observed.
Mercury
- is in Pisces with a magnitude of -1.8, a phase
of 100%, and a diameter of 5". It rises at
06:36, transits at 12:28, and sets at 18:22. It
is currently too close to the Sun to be observed
Jupiter
- is in Aquarius with a magnitude of -2.0 and
a diameter of 33". It rises at 06:12, transits
at 11:35, and sets at 16:59. It is visible low
in the east before sunrise
Saturn -
is in Virgo with a magnitude of +0.5 and a diameter
of 19". It transits at 00:47, sets at 06:58,
and rises again at 18:31. It is well placed for
observation throughout the night
Neptune
- is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +8.0 and
a diameter of 2". It rises at 05:41, transits
at 10:33, and sets at 15:25. It is visible low in
the east before sunrise