News, Thursday, 27 July 2006 Lomonosov - A Large Crater Filled With Lava This image, taken by the advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESAÂ’s SMART-1 spacecraft, shows crater Lomonosov on the MoonÂ’s far side. http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM1R6BUQPE_index_0.html +++++ Spokes Sighted Again! This image from the Cassini spacecraft shows a ghostly white streak, called a spoke, in Saturn's B ring. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2216 +++++ Titan's Pebbles 'Seen' by Huygens Radio An unexpected radio reflection from the surface of Titan has allowed ESA scientists to deduce the average size of stones and pebbles close to the HuygensÂ’ landing site. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/SEM23SVT0PE_0.html +++++ Old Pulsars Still Have New Tricks To Teach Us The super-sensitivity of ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has shown that the prevailing theory of how stellar corpses, known as pulsars, generate their X-rays needs revising. http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMB6IBUQPE_index_0.html +++++ Where Are the Supermassive Black Holes Hiding? European and American scientists, on a quest to find super-massive black holes hiding in nearby galaxies, have found surprisingly few. http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMGM6BUQPE_index_0.html +++++ Island Universes with a Twist If life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you will get - the Universe, with its immensely large variety of galaxies, must be a real candy store! http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2006/pr-27-06.html +++++ Birthplace of Hurricanes Researchers are flying across the Atlantic to catch the mighty storms in the act of being born. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26jul_namma.htm?list864576 +++++ Internet Billionaire Aims to Build Spaceport in Texas Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos's plan to build a launch pad for suborbital space trips gains momentum. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn9626-internet-billionaire-aims-to... +++++ Rocket Reality Check Rocket engines will be blazing away in New Mexico this October at the X Prize Cup, but as the big day approaches, rocketeers are adjusting their plans to accommodate engineering realities. http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/07/26/1469.aspx +++++ NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis Prepares to Roll to Launch Pad On Monday, July 31, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is set to embark on a trip to Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jul/HQ_M06122_Atlantis_Roll_Out.html +++++ Russian Rocket Fails Shortly After Launch The rocket carried 17 micro-satellites - as well as the first Belorussian spacecraft, called Belka. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Rocket_Fails_Shortly_After_Launch_... +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** Images and Data From Cassini-Huygens At:s http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/latest/index.cfm http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-releases.cfm +++++ Information On The Mars Rovers At: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html +++++ SLAS 2006 Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/LOCAL.HTML +++++ SSA / UMNH 2006 Southern Utah Public Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/STARPARTIES.HTML +++++ ************************************************** News is being sent to you because of your affiliation with the Salt Lake Astronomical Society or because you are subscribed to the Utah Astronomy Listserve. To unsubscribe please send your request to paw at wirelessbeehive dot com. Check out my NASA Solar System Ambassador web site at: http://www.umnh.utah.edu/utahsky and mirrored at http://utahastro.info/ For astronomy clubs in Utah see: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/UTAHCLUBS.HTML For the Utah Astronomy Listserve see: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy ************************************************** -- Patrick Wiggins NASA Solar System Ambassador to Utah & NE Nevada paw at wirelessbeehive dot com http://www.umnh.utah.edu/utahsky http://utahastro.info/ 435.882.1209 801.918.9092