Subscribe to the free SpaceTides e-zine by sending an e-mail to spacetides@assabfn.co.za
with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line if you are not already subscribed.

In this issue of SpaceTides

Dear SpaceTides Subscribers

The year is fast approaching its end and it is usually around this time of the year that one realizes how much there still is to do! At least we can look forward to the holidays.

NASA decided to service Hubble again! Previously, due to various reasons, such a mission was in the balance.

Remember to have a look at Mercury and Jupiter at the start of November, lying just above the western horizon during sunset. A MUST see!

For those interested in Deep Sky Observations: ASSA has compiled a stunning list of the 100 best objects in our skies. If you have a binocular or telescope, go out and have a look with references to this list. Stuck in the city? Then at least observe those that you actually CAN see from your backyard! Light pollution is no excuse for the brighter objects if you simply cannot go outside the city - you'll be surprised at how many you can still see (except if you live underneath some stadium lights that is...)
Please see section 6 below.

Have you considered subscribing to Scientific American yet? I've done so recently ($44 a year for 12 issues) and I think it is definitely worth the money. Informative and comprehensive science articles. Visit their site at www.sciam.com.

Enjoy this month's SpaceTides! Next issue will be the 50th edition - stay tuned for some prizes and giveaways...

Gerrit Penning, editor
Bloemfontein, South Africa

Total subscribers as at 1 November 2006: 713 (+26 from previous issue #48)

1. Spaceflight news from around the world

The HST in orbit above Earth. NASA.

Service mission to the HST announced
Extracts from a NASA press release dated 31 October 2006. Read full article.

Good news for science. Shuttle astronauts will make one final house call to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope as part of a mission to extend and improve the observatory's capabilities through 2013. The flight is tentatively targeted for launch sometime during 2008.

Two new instruments will also be fitted. They are the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The COS will be the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever flown on Hubble. The instrument will probe the cosmic web, the large-scale structure of the universe whose form is determined by the gravity of dark matter and is traced by the spatial distribution of galaxies and intergalactic gas. WFC3 is a new camera sensitive across a wide range of wavelengths. Other planned work includes installing a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor which controls the telescope's pointing system. An attempt will also be made to repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph which stopped working in 2004. NASA HST: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Other News In Spaceflight:

"Greenland Ice Sheet on a downward Slide"
Direct satellite measurements show that ice losses now far surpass ice gains in the shrinking Greenland ice sheet.
Spaceflightnow: http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0610/30greenland/

Spate of new missions and the re-use of current missions announced
New: An asteroid sample return mission, Studies of Venus's atmosphere, Mapping the Moon's interior
Re-use: Deep Impact going to new comet, EPOCh on Deep Impact to search for Earth-sized exoplanets, Stardust  to revisit comet Tempel 1.  More at Spaceflightnow:  http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0610/30discovery/

NASA's Stereo spacecraft lifts off
3D mapping of the sun by two space probes:
http://www.universetoday.com/2006/10/26/successful-liftoff-for-nasas-stereo-spacecraft/

2. Astronomy news from around the world

HESS in Namibia detects gamma rays streaming from vicinity of black holes
Max Planck Society news release, Oct 26, 2006

An international team of astrophysicists using the H.E.S.S. telescope in Namibia has announced the detection of short-term changes in the energy flow of gamma rays from radio galaxy M 87. They've observed the object over the past 4 years, but surprisingly, have noted that the intensity of the emission can be seen to change drastically within a few days on occasion.
The image at far left shows M 87 seen at very high energies and the right image shows the galaxy at (low) radio wave lengths. Read full article.

Thriving bacteria found 3 kilometers under Earth's surface
Princeton University news release, October 20, 2006. Full article.

Extreme living. A Princeton-led research group has discovered an isolated community of bacteria nearly 3 km underground that derives all of its energy from the decay of radioactive rocks rather than from sunlight. The finding suggests life might exist in similarly extreme conditions even on other worlds or even on other planets and moons in our solar system. The self-sustaining bacterial community, which thrives in nutrient-rich groundwater found near a South African gold mine, has been isolated from the Earth's surface for several million years. It represents the first group of microbes known to depend exclusively on geologically produced hydrogen and sulfur compounds for nourishment. The extreme conditions under which the bacteria live bear a resemblance to those of early Earth, potentially offering insights into the nature of organisms that lived long before our planet had an oxygen atmosphere. 

Other news in astronomy:

Two of most distant galaxies seen by Spitzer
...when the Universe was only 700 million years old... Go to Universe Today:
http://www.universetoday.com/2006/10/25/baby-galaxies-weighed-by-spitzer/

When Black Holes become too Greedy
Astronomers have identified two distant supermassive black holes, or quasars, which might be about to get much brighter.
Go to Universe Today: http://www.universetoday.com/2006/10/24/black-holes-about-to-get-active-again/

3. Interesting Space Facts

Hubble photo of a gas pillar in M16 NASA, ESA, STScI/AURA

Gas Pillars in Space

The Hubble photo at left shows a detailed view of the Eagle Nebula (M16), which is just a small portion of a pillar of gas and dust some 9.5 light years high. Light shining from nearby bright, hot, young stars is busy arranging the cloud into strange intricate forms and causing the gas to glow. If it wasn't for these stars, we would not have been able to see the gas.

Stars in the Eagle Nebula are born in clouds of cold hydrogen gas that reside in chaotic neighborhoods, where energy from young stars sculpts fantasy-like landscapes in the gas. The tower may be a giant "incubator" for those newborn stars. A torrent of ultraviolet light from a band of these young stars is eroding the pillar.

>From HubbleSite.org. More info and high-resolution images: http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2005/12/image/e

4. The Solar System: Earth

Earth: the Living World

The planet Earth: a small blue dot in a vast ocean of nothingness. Watery blue expanses and twirling white clouds gliding through the atmosphere. Vast continents of land and ice rising into the sky. And on its surface; an abundance of life-forms, some so complicated and mysterious that it seems to defy all probabilities. Our planet appears unique in many aspects. Water covers 70% of its surface and remarkably, 21% of its atmosphere consists of oxygen.  Geological activity occurs, but the planet is still stable enough to provide conditions for life.  Weather patterns maintain an active climate, while the 23.5° tilt of the planet’s axis results in seasons.  Everyone who ever lived, every politician, sport star, dictator, loving couple, teacher and child, have spent their lives on this tiny piece of rock. It's the only rock we have: shall we protect it for future generations, or rather make our problems theirs?

5. Sky Observation Log

Planets - November 2006

Mercury: At the star of the month, Mercury pairs up with Jupiter in the western sky slightly above the horizon, visible just after sunset. It is a morning object from mid-month.
Venus and Mars are both too close to the Sun for observation. Earth will appear just below your horizon, in a 360 degree all-round view. Best visibility occurs in daytime.
Jupiter is visible slightly above the horizon in the west during sunset, Jupiter being the brighter planet to the right of Mercury. The beginning of November is THE TIME to look at the pair! Saturn can be seen in the morning sky.

Constellations - November 2006

Andromeda is just above the northern horizon: now is the time to look at the Andromeda galaxy (even visible with the naked eyes). Pegasus (the Flying Horse) is in full view above Andromeda in all its splendour. Trailing it is Aries (the Ram) and Triangulum to the east. "Above" Pegasus you will find Pisces, the northern Fish. Further up and you arrive at Aquarius (to the west) and Cetus the Whale (to the east) - can you see the variable star Mira?

On your zenith is the star Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish. The second brightest star visible from Earth, Canopus, is rising in the south-east.

Have a look towards the south and you might spot the Small and Large Magellanic clouds, satellite galaxies of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Other night sky events - November 2006

Leonid meteor shower predicted for possible peak on November 19, observations favourable due to dark moon. Best times between 17 and 21 November, 1h00 to 3h30 in the morning.
Full Moon on 5 November 2006.
New Moon on 21 November 2006.
Comet Swan visible in the evenings early November in Hercules. Charts on heavens-above.com. Although it might be visible with the naked eye, have a binocular handy to search for it. If you see it, let ASSA Bloemfontein know please!
Spica gets occulted by the Moon on 18 November - see Sky Guide 2006 for details.

Image to left: (Stellarium) The western horizon early November: a beautiful sight indeed!

6. Amateur Astronomers' Corner

Take the time you need and work through 100 of the best objects.

Announcing ASSA's Top 100 Deep Sky Objects
For those of you interested in observing the night sky with a binocular or telescope should strongly consider looking at the objects in the ASSA Deep Sky section's Top 100 Deepsky list. It equates to less than 10 objects a month. ASSA Centres are encouraged to use this list and bring it under the attention of their members.

So, you have a binocular or telescope, but you don't know where to begin or it's been a long time since you've gone outside? Here's your answer! A list of the best objects in the southern skies. If this doesn't satisfy you, nothing will... (and it's free by the way, can you believe). The motivation you've been waiting for. There's even prizes to be won in a competition.

Observers who have experience in deepsky should take note that national observer certificates and awards will be given to those completing even parts of the list. The Deep Sky section of ASSA is managed by its Director, Auke Slotegraaf, who compiled the list with the assistance of Magda Streicher, also of ASSA. Go to the Pscychohistorian's site for download.

7. Observatories of the World

The Arecibo Radio Telescope

Arecibo Radio Observatory
The Arecibo Radio Telescope was commissioned in 1963 and is located 16 km south of the town of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is the world's largest (305 m) single dish radio telescope and has a spherical reflector dish consisting of perforated aluminum panels that focus incoming radio waves on movable antenna structures positioned about 150 m above the reflector dish. The observatory made numerous contributions to astronomical research, for example the detection of neutron star matter in pulsars.

The telescope has also been used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) where scientists either sent out signals to other stars, or analyzed incoming signals they believe might have been sent by alien races. The telescope has also been used as the setting for a few movie films.  Arecibo homepage: http://www.naic.edu/

8. Astronomy in Southern Africa

South African Astronomical Observatory: Cape Town Headquarters
The SAAO is headquartered in the suburb of Observatory in Cape Town. Its history dates back to 1828 when it was designed to house the main instruments and to provide accommodation for the Astronomer Royal at the Cape and his assistants. Today the building contains various facilities, as well as a library and provides office space for the staff.  The library contains an outstanding collection of books and journals. There are various telescopes on the premises, which include:
- 6 inch visual refractor (erected 1882).
- 16 inch: Parks 1994 f/5 telescope.
- 18 inch: Dall-Kirkham reflector (1955) on mount by Repsold (1887) f/11.
- 24 inch: McClean refractor. Grubb, 1897.
(Note that SAAO's research instruments are locted at Sutherland in the Northern Cape) Website: www.saao.ac.za

9. Photo Sense

On 21 October 2006, a few of the members of ASSA Bloemfontein Centre set up telescopes on a farm near Koffiefontein (thank you Georgie & Marthinus van der Walt for all the hospitality!), under exquisite dark and clear skies. It was astonishing to see galaxies such as NGC 55, NGC 253 and M31 (Andromeda galaxy) in such stark detail. We were almost inclined to call the bright Small and Large Magellanic clouds light pollution! Photo by Gerrit Penning during sunset on the farm.

10. Web links

NASA World Wind:  lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth (large file download!)
http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/

The Nine (8!) Planets Solar System Tour: A comprehensive and authoritive source about the solar system
http://www.nineplanets.org/

Largest Optical Telescopes of the World (historical archive)
http://stjarnhimlen.se/bigtel/LargestTelescope.html

Physlink - Ask the Expert
http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/

Imperial Earth Space Art (BE Johnson)
http://bejohnson.net/spacecraft.html