I love you MOM!

A post I shared on google + on the India's maiden mission to Mars (MOM) .

I wanted to put this post into my blog to remember when was this historic moment. So here it is. Please have a read.

Cheers.

I love you MOM! (Tipsa)

Link to MOM mission:

ISRO Indian Space Research Organisation.



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New NASA Spacecraft, MAVEN arrives at Mars.

An artist's concept of MAVEN in orbit around Mars
(Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center).

NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Arrives At Mars This Weekend
NASA’s latest Mars mission will arrive at the Red Planet this Sunday after travelling 442 million miles during its 10-month journey. The spacecraft will study Mars from orbit in the hopes of answering the question: If Mars once had an atmosphere capable of sustaining liquid water at its surface, what happened to it?

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, or MAVEN for short, is NASA’s latest mission to study the Red Planet. It’s the first spacecraft sent specifically to study upper atmosphere of Mars. It’s job is to examine the composition, structure and escape of gases in the upper atmosphere of Mars, and to study how it interacts with the solar wind.

“So far, so good with the performance of the spacecraft and payloads on the cruise to Mars,” according to MAVEN project manager David Mitchell, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The team, the flight system, and all ground assets are ready for Mars orbit insertion.”

The spacecraft is expected to begin orbital insertion at approximately 9:50 p.m. EDT Sunday, when it will fire its engines for 33 minutes to manoeuvre the spacecraft into a 35-hour elliptical orbit around Mars. The spacecraft will later be moved into a 4.5-hour science orbit.

Links: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN 
Have a look at NASA television for Maven arrival HERE.
Please have a read on Universe Today for more information on The NASA new spacecraft to Mars, MAVEN!

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Meteorite in Nicaraguan capital Managua leaves a big crater.

The meteorite landed in a wooded area near
the international airport and an air force base
Credit: BBC News 

BBC News report that a Meteorite has falling in the Nicaraguan capital Managua that has left a crater of 12 meters by 5 meters.

They say it would have something to do with Asteroid 2014RC that was passing close to Earth at the time the meteorite fell.

Here is the link to the story on BBC News:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29106843

Link to picture of Asteroid 2014 RC by Marco Bruno on google +, check it out!
https://plus.google.com/113260597352108277456/posts/gbhrVEB466c


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Comet Jacques at our astronomy club in Kustavi, Finland

Gif Animation of Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2)
60 x 30 seconds shots (30 minutes)
Credit: Stefan Lamoureux / Astronomy Club Toutatis

Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) is a long-period comet discovered by the Brazilian astronomers Cristóvão Jacques Lage de Faria, Eduardo Pimentel and João Ribeiro de Barros on the night of 13 March 2014.
This comet is the second comet discovered by the SONEAR Observatory. 
SONEAR Observatory stands for Southern Observatory for Near Earth Asteroids Research. This Observatory is located in Oliveira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 

Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2)
Normal / Invert.
Credit: Stefan Lamoureux / Astronomy Club Toutatis

Comet Jacques is a popular target these days, so I decided to photograph it. At our Astronomy Club Toutatis last Thursday we decided to do 3 activities related to astronomy. First, one of my friends wanted to learn how to use a telescope, so I showed her the ropes and she began to use the telescope by her self. The Moon was a perfect target for her practice. Next activity was to look at different constellations with the naked eye
and familiarize ourselves with the night sky. Third activity was to shoot Comet Jacques in all it's glamour. So here we are, few pictures of Comet Jacques, a Gif Animation to see it move between the background Stars and an invert picture of the Comet to enhance some details of the Comet.

Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2)
04.09.2014 Kustavi, Finland
Credit: Stefan Lamoureux / Astronomy Club Toutatis

Here are some links on Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) and the Observatory SONEAR.
WIKI: C/2014 E2 (Jacques).
Real Time information on Comet Jacuqes.  
SONEAR webpage.
SONEAR Facebook page.



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