New region showed up - 963. It's fairly large, with two giant sunspots forming two ends of same polarity. So far it's not very developed - still in Beta magnetic configuration, but already flares quite frequently in C-class. If this region develops we could have a very interesting aurora activity levels. So, check it out - just use proper filtering.


Two important things going on here. First is previously noted nova V5558 Sgr, which currently is almost bright enough to be seen by unaided eye with mag close to 6.58 - so easily seen by even very small bioculars. Making a shot of it would also be interesting for brightness comparisons.

The second interesting star is R CrB which periodically goes from relatively stable mag (5.8-6.2) down to mag 13 for a short time. Most recent observations seem to indicate that such event has been triggered.


Several new exoplanets just popped into our stellar map along with one update.

First one is system GJ 317, which currently has one massive planet confirmed - mass 1.3 of Jupiter, with rotation period around 673 days and ecc equal to 0.25. There is also a second planet possible on that system however it still has an 'unconfirmed' status.

Second thing is an update of previously known 47 UMa system, that has one massive planet with mass of 2.6 of Jupiter. The updated parameters of the planet now give her:
distance from parent star - 2.11 (+-0.04) AU
rotation period - 1083.2 (+- 1.8 ) days
mass - 2.6 (+-0.13) MJ
ecc - 0.049 (+-0.014)
system age - 7.4 (+-1.9) billion years

There is also a possibility for this planet to have large moons - possibly even to the size of small neptunian-like objects.


Launch delayed. No date has been set yet, though it's known the launch will be delayed up till September.


C/2006 VZ13 is now bright enough even for small binoculars - it's hovering near eta Draco (some 3 degrees north) - You can't miss it.


Otherwise known as OZMA 2007 - the meeting of all polish amateurs in the field of astronomy and astrophotography. It's going to happen in Niedźwiady (Szubin) - home to the PPSAE observation station between 9-12 August. As usual - tents or camping cars If You would like to pay us a visit contact rkral@poczta.onet.pl. Here's the map.

The Skychasers Team.

Region 961 is upgraded to Beta magnetic configuration and grew in size. Futhermore there is another one definately coming... and it came. It looks larger, but is undeveloped with just two very small sunspots (though Beta magnetic configuration). Possibly a degraded leftover from more active time?


So we know date of rover coming into Victoria crater. It will definately be in July. So this could mean the end of the rover's mission (if it breaks there or get stuck). What's more - MRO did a scan of the area and the trail left by rover is clearly visible. You can find more here.


Dawn spacecraft has been mounted on top of carrier rocket and is being preped for launch. Official lanuch date is July 7.


Meanwhile Phoenix is being tested before it's going to fly to Mars. There's some nice shots from that You can find here.


Also Mars Science Laboratory rover is being tested. So far the engineering model of the suspension, but the recent news also tell that it's laser tool that will be used for vaporising rocks for spectrographic analysis will undergo testing soon. You can find article about it here.


AAVSO issued special notice regarding previously noted star V5558 Sgr, which brightness was rising since April. It's now somewhere around mag 8, so You shouldn't have much problems. Here are the coordinates: RA 18:10:18.26, Dec -18:46:51.9.

The Skychasers Team.

Erupting with activity. First of all - region 961. Definately worth checking out. And now we have futher activity on Sun's eastern limb - something that looks like another active region coming up, and possibly larger than 961. Stay tuned for update and always use proper filtering when looking at Sun

The Skychasers Team.

After all that boring and clear Sun, we have a change in activity. Looks like a new sunspot region - 961. So far it's alpha magnetic configuration with one, large sunspot. Worth checking out. Just remember to use proper filtering.


Check the sky on june 30. If You get lucky You will see Venus and just 2/3 of a degree from it - a ring bearer Definately worth checking out in telescope Just wait after sunset and look for a bright 'star' on west horizon. That's Venus

The Skychasers Team.

Don't foget to check on those two today. Depending on Your location it might be occultation or opposition of those two beight objects. Especially the occultation would be an amazing experience, because of the relative brightness. The occultation will happen at 16:24 CET and will end at 17:43 CET for a location in northern Poland, though this time may vary depending on the observer's location. Even if You'll miss it, wait until sunset and You will see both very closely to each other.

Futhermore, Saturn would be quite close to this pair too. Just 6 degrees separation from Moon. If You get really lucky You might see it going behind Moon too, some 15 hours after Venus. Don't miss it

The Skychasers Team.

Situation resolved. Astronauts managed to bypass a switch that is suspected to cause the anomaly. So far four of the computers are running, with too still down. Yet station can operate normally with just two working ones.
Futhermore astronauts made some reperations to the damaged thermal blanket near OMS at the back of the shuttle, making the return to Earth safer. This is a bit intriguing cause orginally repairs were scheduled for EVA 4. It's possible that recent problems with computers made this change necessary, since time that shuttle can be in orbit was already extended for shield repair. Looks like astronauts will return to fulfilling the mission goals.


Some interesting stories there. Looks like Enceladus is not the only moon up there to be putting plasma into space. Recent observations from Cassini Saturn orbiter revealed streams of particles that are coming from Tethys and Dione. This means that both moons could be geologically active. An interesting discovery that would further enhance our knowledge of Saturnian system.


New Japanese mission has been finally given start date and it's 16th August. This is very ambitious mission that aims at our moon - should give us some details about it's underground structure. The probe itself (which is an orbiter) carries two small satellites for communication and mapping. The best resolution expected is about 10 meters per pixel. This could be important step towards manned lunar exploration (again )

The Skychasers Team.

Major problem on ISS! Russian computers used for navigation and command and control shutdowned yesterday and remain in that mode. Station now uses US gyros and Atlantis shuttle thrusters for orientation. Failure of this system also mean that oxygen generator(elektron) is not working. This also means that attitude control thusters used to keep the station on proper orbit are disabled too.

So far it is not known if the shuttle mission will be extended even more. But since station now operates using shuttle thrusters, departure without solving the problem could mean evacuation of the station using Soyuz capsule.

The reason for system wide failure is not currently known.

UPDATE: computers onboard seem to start and fail continously.


Finally first images arrived - though not much. You can find them here.

The Skychasers Team.

Solar panels unfolded. You should really check how the station shines now. It's incredible sight. Futhermore, there's so many things up there, that it actually flares like iridium satellites. It's amazing You can check when the station will be flying over Your place by visiting [link] or using Orbitron software.

Oh, and astronauts will try to sew damaged thermal blanket togheter on added EVA 4.

The Skychasers Team.

Sun is getting quiet again. Nothing to report here.


Shuttle docked with station flawlessly. Both look very bright on night sky, can easily rival Venus. And it will get brighter after new panels will be unfolded. First spacewalk already taken place. Go take a look - even in 20x magnification it's possible to see something more than a point moving across sky Oh - and NASA extended mission to 21 June, so that astronauts will have time to repair the damage to thermal shielding.

The Skychasers Team.

Atlantis is in orbit. Launch went smoothly, however orbiter sustained some damage to it's thermal shield - more accurately part of thermal blanket near OMS at the back of the shuttle. NASA is working on how to approach this problem. So far no note has been given about any hazard involving it.
Futhermore - look at sky today. If You'll see bright point moving across sky, then most likely it's ISS. Then wait about 15 minutes for shuttle to show up (if You get lucky). This delay will be shorter and shorter with time, as orbiter slowly makes it's way towards the station for docking.

The Skychasers Team.

Region 960 magnetic configuration is reduced to Beta Gamma type. Still a lot of sunspots there, but the overall activity remains in B and C class. You can also take a peek at region 959 - few sunspots there, but it's not very complex.


Problem with MSBLS - Microwave Scanning Beam Landing System. Shuttle carries three of those, so technically having just two working MSBLS's is still considered 'go for liftoff'. So far it's classified as 'suspected failed' not 'failed'. Team of engineers from NASA are currently working to resolve that issue - however they're advising the whole device be replaced. This would mean a delay for launch. Speaking of delays - there is a rumor that shuttle launch is already delayed for few hours which would ruin the possible sighting of shuttle from Europe.
And more news: updated orbital elements show that shuttle will most likely be not visible. A pity... however it would still be possible to see it before it docks to ISS, because station itself would be greatly visible from Europe.

UPDATE: Fueling of the shuttle main tank is complete. System is now set on 'self replenish' mode.
And for all You who like to watch - the stream from launch site is active. Check it out here.

UPDATE: Weather is on 'green light'. However there was some issues with it just an hour ago. Technically shuttle is 'on go' for liftoff.

UPDATE: Astronauts are boarding the shuttle.

UPDATE: Main hatch closing. After completion additional procedures would take place to determine if it holds the pressure stable.


A bright comet plunged into our star, making a great show in front of SOHO. You can see the animation here.


Noctilucent clouds are back to northern hemisphere. Looking like a bluish smoke, those enigmatic clouds show only some time after sunset or before sunrise. So far their origin is unknown - they form nearly 6 times higher that normal clouds (at 50-80 km). Some postulate they are formed around space dust particles, the others say they might be connected to global warming. Try looking for them - they are sometimes named - shining clouds - because they're so high, they actually reflect the sunlight, that is hidden behind horizon. You are most likely to spot them up to an hour after sunset or hour before sunrise. That also depends on Your location - those coulds are visible when Sun is at 6 degrees below horizon or more, but when it approaches 16 degrees they tend to be invisible again. This means that in places like mine - where Sun at night is only about 12 degrees below horizon the clouds could be visible all night.

The Skychasers Team.

Possibility of X-class flare from 960 is getting lower and lower with each day. Now it's only at 10%. However this region is still more than able of producing C-class flares on daily basis.


It happens today, so grab Your scope and take a look. It's going to be huge - about 46 arcsec in diameter and very bright. Even small telescopes should reveal cloud layers and great spot.


Still one day till liftoff. So far everything goes according to plan, and there is 80% chances for good weather on launch site. Note that this will be a filght of repaired main tank, after hail damaged it on launch pad. Shuttle launch should be briefly visible for people in Europe if it occurs exactly as planned.

The Skychasers Team.

Looks like 960 is showing signs of breaking, however it's still huge and worthy of taking a peek The faint glow I was talking about previously turned out to be inactive region.


Messenger made a close flyby at Venus. According to mission control everything went smoothly, and we should have first data on weekend.

The Skychasers Team.

Region 960 now posses Beta-Gamma-Delta magnetic configuration, that is capable of throwing X-class flares. And it's certainly possible with such activity. Since last update we had 3 M-class flares - M4.5, M7.0 and M2.4. The chance for X-class flare event is 15% according to NOAA. Futhermore last flare (4.5) has a slow drop-off in X-ray emissions, which might indicate coronal mass ejection, but is still unconfirmed. It's definately a region worth looking - just remember to use proper filtering!

New glow on the Sun's eastern limb - early sign of 961?

The Skychasers Team.

A lot going on here. First - we have new region - 959 - which is in Beta configuration with two, quite good visible sunspots. But the main target for You should be region 960. It too has Beta magnetic configuration, but is a giant compared to 959. And erupting with activity - so far four M-class flares, with recent two at M2.9 and M1.0. Days to come should be really interesting - even more if it grows or at least start to unleas coronal mass ejections.

The Skychasers Team.

Another region is coming! And it's definately an active one. There was some intense flaring with whole thing still behind Sun's eastern limb - though some glow is already visible. The view in H-Alpha is breathtaking! If You happen to have solar H-Alpha capability - don't wait. And if You don't - then wait for the region to come out.


Another discovery for Terry Lovejoy (congratulations, mate!). It's his second comet and only 2 month after his first one. It is already designated by C/2007 K5 and is rather faint object. I'll post map in forum as soon as I get orbital elements for her. But I expect her to be faint - possibly being more and more difficult with time.

The Skychasers Team.

It's small, it's not complex and it's name is 958. Just one sunspot with Alpha magnetic field configuration.


NASA posted new animation showing the rover performing it's mission. You can see it all here.

The Skychasers Team.

New region is confirmed, however it's a small one, and still without it's number. Try looking for it at Sun's eastern limb.


Only one week till planned Venus flyby. After that there's one way to Mercury. You can find more about flyby here.


Lots of work ahead of the small rover. Steven Squires is slowly planning for the work ahead after rover drives into and out of Victoria crater. The proposed targests are: heavily eroded crater Erebus, unnamed crater on west (larger than Victoria) and going south. Futhermore rover is making excelent drives - taking him quite distant in one sequence of driving.


Holes on Mars have been given names. Here's the list and positions:

Dena (-6.084 N, 239.061 E)
Chloe (-4.926 N, 239.193 E)
Wendy (-8.099 N, 240.242 E)
Annie (-6.267 N, 240.005 E)
Abbey & Nikki (-8.498 N, 240.349 E)
Jeanne (-5.636 N, 241.259 E)

The one captured by MRO's HIRISE is named Jeanne.


We have some uncofirmed info about as much as seven new planets:

HD 24040 b
6000 days rotation perdiod, 6.92 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 6.85 AU, eccentricity 0.2

HD 154345 b
13100 days rotation period, 2.19 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 10.4 AU, eccentricity 0.51 (extremely large eccentricity!)

HD 187123 c
9100 days rotation period, 3.98 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 8.22 AU, eccentricity 0.35

HD 11964 c
2110 days rotation period, 0.61 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 3.3 AU, eccentricity 0.06

HD 68988 c
12800 days rotation period, 15.8 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 11.4 AU, eccentricity 0.35

HD 75898 b
204 days rotation period, 1,5 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 0.74 AU, eccentricity 0.35

HD 5319 b
626 days rotation period, 1.54 Jupiter mass, distance from parent star: 1.66 AU, eccentricity 0.56 (very large eccentricity!)

The Skychasers Team.

Sorry about the delay, I've been cut off from Net by thunderstorms.


Old region 958 rotated into position that makes it invisible from Earth, but we have a chance of getting new one in few days. There is some glow at Sun's eastern limb - possibly an active region. However there were none CMEs that could have been linked to it.


NASA published new renderings of Orion capsule among with some images showing service module. There are also nice renderings of planned inflight abort test. And few things more. You can see it all here.


We have a new one - C/2006 VZ13 (LINEAR). It was detected as a planetoid, only later the coma was discovered and whole thing reclassified as comet. It's predicted brightness in middle of July is around mag 9.8.


There's new image showing target areas for MRO scanning passages - all showing black (and possibly deep) holes in Mars surface, previously discovered by THEMIS on Mars Odyssey. This image can be found here. As You can see, some are twice as large as the one seen before.

The Skychasers Team.

New images from the latest pass over Titan show magnificent shorelike structures. Check it out for Yourself here.


All quiet for now, with some small magnetic disturbances.


Storm seems to be subsiding with coronal hole not facing Earth anymore. No significant activity is anticipaited.

The Skychasers Team.

More regarding that hole in the ground. Same object is visible on images taken by THEMIS instrument onboard Mars Odyssey, however in less detail. We also heard that overlaying data collected by MOLA (laser altimeter) did not solve the mystery about it's depth. Futhermore, the speculations are that it might be at least 200 meters deep. In a discussion that me and my friend had, he also said that it might be possible that we see a disturbance caused by warmer gas - that's why part of the ground would be so smooth - the turbulent air 'smooths' what we can see. It would also be possible for that gas to pick up small dust particles and scatter them accordingly to wind direction. But heck - we're just amateurs Anyway, we find this very intriguing - definately worth a rover mission, equipped with small crane with probe on it's end. Could be modified MSL rover - with it's power source it should be possible for it to travel about 1km/day. So driving to the hole should be within limits of reality.


Everybody should know piece of rock - once considered a planet - now only a huge 530 km asteroid. It's peaking it's brightness now, so You should really take a bino a try search for her. On a dark sky it even should be possible to find her without any tools, because it's just below mag 6 (at mag 5.5). On 31st May it will reach mag 5.4 - a peak brightness. It's currently very close to Jupiter - some 10 degrees. Even better - take a camera and make a shot of that area for a few days - You will see how it moves. The chart for today is here. Jupiter is that bright spot on east, some two hours after sunset - close to horizon.


A small geomagnetic storm is underway - if You live at high latitudes be alert for auroras.


We've got two new planets, possibly the oldest ones found so far, both orbiting star that is 10 billions years old (twice the Sun's age!). First planet has mass of 0.89 and second one 0.5 Jupiter masses, and are orbiting at a distance of 0.63 and 1.2 AU from HD 155358 star. Rotation periods are 195 and 530 days. Those planets are very likely to be made of nothing heavier than helium(possibly lithium), since the star itself is metal poor. Looks like our 'menagerie' is growing with more odd balls The star itself is in constellation Hercules at position RA: 17h 09m 34.62s Dec +33° 21′ 21.08″ and a brightness around mag 7.5 - looks like a good target to capture (and I personally will try to capture it).

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 is almost completely gone, but it seems that we have another one just barely visible at Sun's eastern limb - possibly the comeback of old 953. So far at least one sunspot, but it might be more. Stay tuned for updates.


Incredible finding on Mars! Possibly a 100 meters in diameter hole in the ground - most likely a cavern etrance. And it seems to be deep. Really deep. One of the features that most definately needs closer attention. Check it out for Yourself - here. We made a quick analysis of the image. We think we see some material that might have came from the hole itself - it's positioned in same direction as material blown away from damaged crater nearby, and is in same direction as sand dunes go. This might be very significant finding! This might be one of the sources of methane! So very, very important finding, I bet it will be closely studied in the future. Also the material looks quite smooth in comparison to ground around - it might be dust picked up from inside that hole by the leaking methane. We hope that this mystery will be solved soon.



Looks like NASA is aiming high for Orion capsule. Their new space telescope - James Webb - will be equipped with docking ring for manned service missions. That would be pretty far mission considering the fact that it would be in L2 point of Earth-Sun system Way to go, NASA!

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 still dissolving. It will soon hide under Sun's western limb. It's not likely to survive next 16 days and reappear.
However we might have new region coming - there is some activity on Sun's eastern limb, though with SOHO on ccd bakeout, I can't say for sure. We'll know after few days.


Very interesting occultation today with Moon passing in front of Saturn (depending on Your location it will be occultation or close conjunction). It should start around 19:00 UTC.


Important discovery for a small rover. It recently found almost pure sillica not in crystalline form, that indicates wet enviroment. There is a rumor that whole Home Plate might have once been full of hot springs coming from thermal vents - maybe we will see proof of that in a months to come. You can find more here.

The Skychasers Team.

No change since last report.


I remind You of today's passage of Moon close to M44 Beehive cluster. Grab a bright bino and try it Also - watching the Moon now is highly recommended. Try it today, and then tomorrow. You will see how the terminator line moves on it's surface, and You will be able to see subtle changes in shadows showing always new features


Looks like we're starting to experience first signs of solar wind stream blowing from coronal hole. Some minor aurora activity is possible, however only limited to high latitudes.

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 seems to experience slow decay. However it still looks nice and is a worthy target for observations.


A lot of news from here. Lets start with Nova in Sagittarius - named V5558. Looks like it's in peak brightness now around mag 9. R.A. = 18h 10m 18.27s Decl. = -18* 46' 52.1" (2000.0).

And then we have increased activity of nova in Cygnus - V2467 Cyg. The same star that exploded some 65 days ago peaking at mag 7.5 - looks like it's brightness it slowly increasing after fading to mag 13.5. Currently around mag 12 - definately a subject of further survillance. Location - R.A. = 20h 28m 12.52s Decl. = +41* 48' 36.5" (2000.0).

Furthermore there is AAVSO alert for star P Cygni at R.A. = 20h 17m 47.20s +38* 01' 58.5" (2000.0). This star has some fait nebulousity around itself at 3 arcmin diameter. At maximum it can get up to mag 3. In minimum it usually stays at mag 6. So, we could have another interesting event in days to come.

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 still is our prime target for even small telescopes. It complex magnetic field is still capable of creating high energy solar flares (Beta Gamma Delta configuration) - however NOAA predicts X-class event for just 15%. As for 957 - darn thing seems to be back again - possibly phasing in and out with magneic instability. Once again I remind You to use proper filtering.


Storm seems to be subsiding. New coronal hole is visible on Sun's surface so we might have another period of increased activity in several days. But for now it should be quiet.


I remind You of today's conjunction. I know I'll be sure to watch


Speaking of which. You should also try to look at Moon on 21st - after sunset. With small binuclars You should be able to see Messier object 44, or beehive cluster like it's sometimes called, very close to Moon itself (relatively speaking of course ).

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 grew magnetic configuration that is capable for throwing X-class flares. However NOAA predicts such event at 5%. And it's impressive region to see - a lot of sunspots - definately worth checking up. It's smaller counterpart - region 957 - is not experiencing any growth with still just 3 small sunspots. Remember to use proper filtering if You're planning to watch the Sun!

Futhermore we have elevated auroral activity due to solar wind stream flowing from coronal hole. People high north (and south) should have some nice show at night of aurora. Good luck

Most recent update - region 957 dissolved. But fear not In 4 days we should have another one coming - if old faithful region 953 still exists - and there is strong chance that it indeed does. Futhermore the overgrown 956 has 25% of M-class flare. In this position, the good CME could spark really nice geomagnetic storm. Speaking of which - there's still high potential for auroral activity at high latitudes.


Litte scout sent impressive material that was then used to create this animation. Now isn't that great? Can't wait for Pluto


Looks like we have the oldest star ever recorded. Impresive 13.2 billion years old. Almost three times the age of our Sun. Formed only about 500 million years after Big Bang. This star named - HE 1523-0901 (TYC 05594-0576-1) lies in constellation Libra and is part of our galaxy, which means our Milky Way formed also very soon after Big Bang. You can find more here. Try to capture her if You can - it's 11 mag so not so hard target

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 grew even larger, with recent flare at C2.9 that previously was considered not connected with this region. However new data shows that it was 956 indeed. Furthermore there was a CME event possibly coming off that flare, but not very powerful. Still, if we consider it's size and Sun's rotation - we might have a chance of elevated auroral activity, if good enough plasma ejection happens.

In the meantime, we have another region on Sun surface (957), slowly rotating to hide behind Sun's western limb in about 4-5 days. It's still small, with just 3 sunspots.


Once again I remind You of today's conjunction between those two. Try searching for them just after sunset. They will be on western sky, close to horizon.

The Skychasers Team.

Region 956 has now Beta Gamma magnetic configuration posing a threat of solar flaring - though still at relatively low level. So far we had one C1.0 flare. Futhermore, there was significant CME event that seems not connected with that region, which means we could have another one coming - possibly in less than 5 days.
Additional flare reported - C2.9 at 17:41 UTC. NOAA states unknown source. No report of CME. I should have more data in the morning.


Another supply cargo truck called Progress docked to ISS, carrying 2,5 tons of various cargo including 815 kg of propellant used for orbit stabilisation, 420 kg of water, 241 kg of food, 136 kg of station's equipment and 63 kg of science equipment.


ESA and Russia signed contract that will allow launching of Soyuz rockets from French Guiana, which is home for Ariane launch pad. This allows sending heavier payloads into orbit, because of launch complex being closer to equator. First mission is planned for late 2007.


AAVSO reports explosion of star U Gem - a dwarf nova. This is in fact a binary star system composed of white dwarf and M type star. In such system the matter flows from larger companion and creates acreation disk around smaller star (well, core of a star). When the matter explodes, the result is visible as brightening. And it's very close system with both stars orbiting each other in about 4 hours (eclipses are detectable). During this phase it's brightness can jump from 14(15) up to 9 magnitude. About 100 times. Such brightening happen every 105 days or so.

You can find proper charts here

The Skychasers Team.

We officialy have region 956, and it's rapidly growing. There's at least one large sunspot plus several smaller ones around. One report I've got says that this new region contains as much as 15 sunspots, and possibly a complex magnetic configuration, but is yet to be confirmed. Anyway it's a nice group to capture for sure. Just remember to use proper filtering. As for 955 - it's almost completely gone.


Rollout! Atlantis is headed for pad 39A. Launch date is set to 8th June - note, that there will be great conditions to watch ISS and shuttle from northern hemisphere - it will be the bright, fast moving 'star' - it's very hard to miss Of course the best time would be just before docking - when both are close to each other - that's unforgetable sight


Lets not forget about this little bird. Second Venus flyby is still three weeks ahead, though this will be the last one. From that point Messenger will start it's way to Mercury as planned arriving on March 18, 2011.


New Horizons sent almost 80% of data collected during Jupiter flyby. What's more, images taken show impressive plumes over Io, coming from two active sulphur volcanoes - Tvashtar and Masubi. Futhermore, New Horizons took a sequence of images showing 8 minutes of volcalnic activity of Tvashtar (I remind that this plume is 300 km high!). Here's more about it - New Horizons mission web site

The Skychasers Team.

In the coming days there will be several occasions to observe such events:

17 may 2007:
Conjunction of Moon and Mercury with separation close to 3 degrees. Moon will be just 0.016 phase - should be visible as a thin curve on west. Using bright binoculars is recommended. Try looking for it just after sunset - Moon should be about 13 degrees from Sun, so quite low above horizon. Mercury should be fairly visible close to Moon with brigness about -0.8 mag.

20 may 2007:
Conjunction of Moon and Venus with separation of roughly 30 arcmin. Try looking for the brightest spot on western sky, just after sunset (Venus can be visible even in broad daylight though). Moon will be very close. And both should be fairly high on a sky with separation from Sun equal to about 40 degrees.

22 may 2007:
Occultation of Saturn. It will pass behind Moon, giving You unique opportunity to take a shot of "lord of the rings" hiding behind Moon's surface and then coming out on the other (bright) side. Even if You have a bad luck and You are outside of occultation pass, be prepared for a very close conjunction.


Region 955 seems to be slowly dissipating. Still looks fairly large with as much as 9 small sunspots. But early reports state that new region just arrived on Sun's eastern limb, confirming the results of helioseismic holography. This region is still not numbered officially, but I assume this will happen shortly. Region 956 consists of 4 sunspots, but be advised that it's too early to tell with 100% certainity. Futhermore, there might be another acitve region just behind the edge of Sun's eastern limb - but we would have to wait for confirmation.


We can also slowly prepare for possible bright comet arriving at late September. Her name - C/2007 F1 LONEOS. Predicted magnitude brings her to 5.2 mag - so it might be visible to naked eye. Note, that this comet - at least for some - will be relatively close to Sun, so it might be tricky to capture her. And of course, it's a comet, and those are rarely predictable. Proper updates will be posted.

P.S. I wish DA was not so bitchy today so I could have posted it sooner

The Skychasers Team.

Carrying some significant changes in the design since August 2006. Here are the details:

* first stage will be 4434 kg heavier.

* EDS (Earth Departure Stage) will be 3745 kg lighter. Current design is also longer, but can take less fuel.

* LSAM (Lunar Surface Access Module) is also lighter, with mass reduced from 45.4 tons to 43.2 tons.

* The time that EDS and LSAM can spend in orbit has been reduced from 90 to 14 days - possibly a result of reduced insulation on EDS tanks.

Futhermore some work on Ares V has been suspended due to financial difficulties.

Looks like NASA is doing what they could to reduce the total mass of the hardware. There is also a rumor that in the next few weeks Ares I will undergo a project evaluation. We'll see then how much the rumors about mass problems of Orion capsule are true.


The Skychasers Team.

Currently we have one active region on Sun's surface - number 955 - that is composed of large group of small sunspots (Dao). It's still in the phase of growing with sunspots numbers rising from 10 yesterday to 14 today.

Futhermore some activity is visible at Sun's eastern limb. There is significant chance of another group emerging during next few days - possibly an active region connected to two CMEs from few days back.

NOAA predicts very low probability of solar flares.

* If You plan on looking at sun, always use proper filtering! It's not worth loosing Your eyes *

The Skychasers Team.

The Skychasers Team.

Joing our club is as easy as sending a note.
Just hit the "Note" link on the command bar, and write that You want to join. We'll add You as soon as possible. Watching us is not a requirement, though I'd advise You to do so. This way You will be noted about events that take place on night - or day - sky.

The Skychasers Team.

Sky.
Since the dawn of humanity people seem to be obsessed by it. Babylonians, Egiptians, Greeks, Chinese... the list goes on. Regarded as god by various cultures, the great mystery of things in motion.

Time passed, and with modern physics the view has changed. People stopped looking up and forgot about it's beauty more occupied with problems of their own, little worlds. What we want to do is to reignite that spark, that made humanity name that bright spots on the night sky. We want to show the marvels above your heads.

We would also want to be the best source of news about various astronomical events, giving You opportunities to see them for Yourself and maybe - if You get lucky - make a shot of them. We want this place to be also a platform on which photographers could share their experience.

No matter if it's comet, rainbow, nebula or cloud. The sky is our playground. Feel free to join.

The Skychasers Team.