Carnival of Space #307 here on Links Through Space

Sun paths in Turku, Finland in January (lowest arch) – April (highest arc),
photographed with two curved-back pinhole cameras around the 20th of every month.
This project, we will photograph only the left hand (sunrise) part of the March (vernal Equinox) curve.
Credit: Sakari Ekko.

Welcome to Links Through Space, astronomy for everyone.

This is the blog of our Astronomy Club here in Kustavi, Finland

We write/post news about space related topics and we showcase our Astrophotos and Timelapses.

Our blog is a way for you to follow Space/Astronomy news and find new links through the Internet about Space and astronomy.

So here we have it, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Links Through Space is honored to declare the 307th Carnival of Space live from Kustavi Finland.

 OPEN!

North polar area showing location of
the Schrödinger basin antipode,
magnetized area and grooved terrain in Froelich and Lovelace.

Here is another edition of The carnival of space. The Summer solstice brought us Summer here in the northern hemisphere and it is looking great here in Finland.

On this edition we have a few articles by Brian Wang @ Next Big Future
- A summary of a presentation by Adam Crowl on different kinds of starship designs that have been proposed over the decades
- John Cramer presentation on wormhole travel from the starship conference
- Planetary Resources reaches first goal of raising $1 million to fund a public Arkyd space telescope.

Thierry Legault had less than half a second to capture these incredible shots of the Shenzhou-10 module docked to Tiangong-1 Chinese station transiting across the Sun. And it he did it not only once, but twice, on two consecutive days. Read more @ Universe Today HERE.

TheSpacewriter explores Mars. Follow the great adventure a Pixel at a Time of the Mars Curiosity Rover.
Also Carolyn Collins Petersen a.k.a. the Spacewriter has written a book on Astronomy. Her book Astronomy 101 is available online (Amazon) and in "bricks-and-mortar" establishments all over. Please have a look at her post and read all about it.

The Urban Astronomer Allen Versfeld has for us this week a nice article on the Cassini mission. The pale blue dot revisited, have a look at the article at his blog.

Paul Scott Andersson @ The Meridiani journal has a great post on The Search for life in Europa’s ocean – with a tiny submarine. 

With all the fantastic (and sometimes unrealistic) science fiction block-buster movies coming out, Andrew Fraknoi recommends two places on the Web to find authors, novels, and stories that feature real astronomy as part of the plot or setting. Great real astronomy fun!

A new planet may be being built, not by aliens (well who knows really?), But in a cloud of gas and dust around TW Hydrae about 176 light-years away. Read the story here @ Weird Warp.

Here in Kustavi, Finland the Astronomy Club Toutatis is hosting his summer Space Exhibition 2013. Many people has visited us and experience the exhibition and the observation sessions we had. On top of looking at the Sun and at the Moon with the telescope, we made many experiments as proving that the Moon is moving. We look at Sunspots and figured out if the Sun revolve around it self. Small experiments that connect us to astronomy and it's wonders. This week Carnival of Space picture is a solargraph of the motion of the Sun taken with a pin hole camera (Visit EAAE Sunrise Project HERE). We have installed our own pin hole camera in our backyard and looking forward to unveil the result in 6 months time. :D

So here you have it! All the thrills and excitements of the Astronomy/Space community.

The Carnival of Space #307

If you run a space/astronomy related blog, and would like to get more awareness, participate in the Carnival of Space. Every week, a different webmaster or blogger hosts the carnival, showcasing articles written on the topic of space. It’s a great way to get to know the community, and to help your writing reach a wider audience. If you’d like to be a host for the carnival, please send email to carnivalofspace@gmail.com


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Gravitational lensing helps discover planets

This plot shows the projected motion of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri (green line) over the next decade, as plotted from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations.
Because of parallax caused by Earth’s motion around the Sun, the path appears scalloped. Because Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our Sun (at a distance of 4.2 light-years), its angular motion across the sky is relatively fast compared to far more distant background stars. This means that in 2014 and 2016 Proxima Centauri will pass in front of two background stars that are along its path. This affords astronomers a rare opportunity to study the warping of space by Proxima's gravity, as will be evident in the apparent displacement of the two stars in sky photographs. This effect is called gravitational lensing. The amount of warping will be used to calculate a precise mass for Proxima Centauri, and look for the gravitational footprint and any planets orbiting the star. The background image shows a wider view of the region of sky in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur) that Proxima is traversing.

Link:

• NASA Press release

Credit:
NASA, ESA, K. Sahu and J. Anderson (STScI), H. Bond (STScI and Pennsylvania State University), M. Dominik (University of St. Andrews), and Digitized Sky Survey (STScI/AURA/UKSTU/AAO)


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Summer Space Exhibition Opens in Kustavi, Finland

At Astronomy Club Toutatis here in Kustavi, Finland we have prepared a summer Space Exhibition right in our own backyard.

The Space Exhibition 2013 Kustavi Finland is from June 1st to October 1st 2013. The Exhibition is part of the club's Fundraising Campaign 2013 and the club's efforts to get the word out on astronomy.

The Space Exhibition 2013 Kustavi, Finland has 11 wall with Infograms, going from Galaxy Infogram to comet and asteroid Infogram. All the Infograms have photos, fun facts about the topic in question (Galaxy, Sun, Moon, etc...). and a Quiz people can take.

A World map of artificial light and a segment on light pollution can be found at the Exhibition. Also we can see a model of the Solar system, the Moon carpet to step on and a Black hole.

Outside you have our Telescope Pier Deck (see picture here) and a Face-in-hole board that people can have there picture taken. (The picture used in this post).
You have an astronaut for the "adults" and the dog Laika for the "children".

Telescope observation all summer of the Sun (with special Sun filters) and Night time observations weather permitting.

The Space Exhibition is open for everybody and is free of charge. Our Astronomy Club Toutatis Summer Space Exhibition 2013 Kustavi, Finland is paired with the  fundraising Campaign 2013. People can leave donations and support our club's activities. We have a framed-picture (21x30) as a gift for everyone who supports our club. Wish you can attend, if not follow the Exhibition on the internet right here on Links Through Space starting June 1st.

Have a great Summer and most of all clear skies!

About Astronomy Club Toutatis

Next Astronomy club Toutatis member meeting @ Kustavi 03 MAY 2013

MAY 2013 Member meeting

MAY 2013 meeting for Members

Next Astronomy club Toutatis meeting time and place is Friday 03.05.2013 @ Kustavin Savipaja, Kustavi (See Map here). We will be building Observatory wood deck. Summer exhibition set up.

Interested members wanting to help in building and Summer exhibition, Please call Stefan.   

...Want to participate in events or become a member of the Astronomy Club Toutatis?
Please contact us via e-mail (intrusdental@gmail.com)





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Astronomy Trip to the Canary Islands IN PHOTOS!

Follow our Astronomy Club Toutatis through our visit to the Canarian astronomy in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Have a look at the pictures I manage to shot into this fabulous Astronomy trip through the Canary Islands.

You can have a look at the photos HERE


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Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC)

Radio Telescope (not in use)
San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis

Follow our Astronomy Club Toutatis through our visit to the Canarian astronomy in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

Today we introduce the reason for all the astronomical activities in the Canary Islands: The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) or Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.

There are very few places in the world that can boast all of the conditions needed for modern astronomy. The mountain summits of Tenerife and La Palma in the Canary Islands enjoy these exceptional conditions and this has converted them into a “magnet” for some of today’s most advanced telescopes. Spain set up the IAC to make the most of the scientific and technological opportunities offered by this outstanding access to the sky over the islands, which constitutes in its self a valuable natural resource.

The Spanish authorities have also protected the astronomical qualities of the sky by imposing restrictions by means of the “sky law” that regulates, among other things, the use of outdoor lighting. As a result the IAC observatories are considered to be an astronomy reserve.

UNESCO, as part of its Starlight initiative is currently working to recognize and catalog exceptional sights, like the Teide and Roques de los Muchachos Observatories, as “world class astronomy reserve”. 

Daniel López, Astrophotographer extraordinaire. In search of Comet Pan-Starrs

Alfred Rosenberg, Daniel López, David and Stefan Lamoureux
@ Teide Observatory chasing Comet Pan-Starrs.
Credit: Daniel López IAC
(Click on picture to enlarge)

Follow our Astronomy Club Toutatis through our visit to the Canarian astronomy in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

As I visited the Teide Observatory with Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González we met with Astrophotographer extraordinaire Daniel López. I had seen his work on the Internet and somewhat visited his website, but as I met with him, he struck me to be a down to Earth guy with modest ways of photographing. One thing was for sure, he knew exactly where to go to catch the elusive Comet Pan-Starrs (C/2011 L4) and get at the same time a great shot of the Teide Observatory, Mount Teide and the island of La Palma. El cielo de Canarias.com is an impressive website with all of Daniel's work in it.

His work has been all over the place and in all sort of astronomy magazines and astronomy papers. He works now full time as a photographer, but he is an engineer by trade. He work closely with the Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands to provide them with pictures of the night sky and/or Astro-photos related to the Canary Islands. Please have a look at his website. And yes we finally catch the Comet Pan-Starrs and it was barely a naked eye object. See picture above and click on it to enlarge.

Comet Pan-Starrs in the Sunset sky over the Teide, Tenerife.
Credit: S. Lamoureux/ KTY Toutatis
(Click to enlarge picture)

READ NEXT POST HERE on our trip through Canarian Astronomy on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. 

Have a look at this awesome Timelapse of the Comet Pan-Starrs made by Daniel López with in foreground the incredible Teide Observatory, Mount Teide and the island of La Palma.

Please visit Daniel López website El cielo de Canarias.com HERE

WIKI: Comet Pan-Starrs (C/2011 L4)



Read more about Astronomy Club Toutatis. Kustavi, Finland.

Teide Observatory with Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Teide Observatory, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis
(Click  the picture to enlarge)

Follow our Astronomy Club Toutatis through our visit to the Canarian astronomy in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

Astrophysics in the Canary Islands began at this observatory, which is situated 2400 metres above sea level in Izaña, an area near the National Park of Teide, Tenerife.

Its geographical location together with the clarity and excellent quality of the sky, mean that the Teide Observatory is ideally suited for studying the Sun. For this reason it is home to some of Europe’s finest solar telescopes, foremost among them are Themis and the German Gregor and VTT telescopes, as well as instruments for studying Solar Seismology.

In addition to these instruments for solar observation, the OT has a number of other telescopes, such as the “Carlos Sanchez” telescope, a very productive instrument that introduced many Spanish astronomers to the specialty of infrared astronomy. The latest generation of robotic telescopes is represented by STELLA, which consists of twin telescopes with complementary instrumentation. The European Space Agency’s optical ground station (OGS), which was built for laser communication with orbiting satellites, is also used for identifying and tracking space debris. The IAC - 80 telescope is used for observing objects with long-term variability and as a test-bed for new astrophysical instruments as well as for teaching astronomy to graduate students. There are also other highly specialized telescopes, like the Quijote, which is used to study background radiation from the “Big Bang” at the origin of the Universe.

Teide Observatory with crescent Moon
Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis
(Click the picture to enlarge)

I had the chance to visit this incredible complex of telescopes and instruments with the help of public spokes person (public relations) Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González. Dr. Rosenberg González dedicated his astronomy career to Globular Clusters and publish quite a few papers on the subject (see Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González personnel pages (IAC). After his studies, he started as a support astronomer at the Teide Observatory before his Post-Doc and continued his career with the Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands as a Post-Doc student at the IAC. Later on he went to be the public spokes person (public relations) for the Institute of Astrophysics as well as for the Teide Observatory. As he showed me around the complex at the Observatory, I noticed how smooth he was at his job. He knew everyone in the complex, it was second nature for him to explain "hard" facts about the Observatory and astronomy in general. I raise my hat to his enthusiasm and knowledge of astronomy and the Teide Observatory. I had a wonderful time and I couldn't have a better "guide" for the job. Big Thanks to Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González and good luck with your future projects.

Panorama of Teide Observatory and Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis
(Click on picture to enlarge)

Links Through Space
Teide Observatory website (IAC)
WIKI: Teide Observatory
Photos of Teide Observatory
Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González personnel website (IAC) 

READ NEXT POST HERE on our trip through Canarian Astronomy on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands.



About Astronomy Club Toutatis

What is the Starlight foundation? Interview with Director Luis Martínez Sáez

President of the Starlight Foundation
Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez
Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis

Follow our Astronomy Club Toutatis through our visit to the Canarian astronomy in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

I visited Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez Director of the Starlight Foundation at his office at the Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, IAC) in San Cristóbal de La Laguna. As he invited me in his office, we started the interview and I asked him what is this Starlight foundation all about?
Laughing, he asked me what is this Astronomy Club Toutatis all about? I replied with an honest and simple answer that it is our astronomy club in Finland and we are curious about all that is related to space and astronomy. He liked my answer and we continued the interview.

Follow us in our Astronomy Trip to the Canary Islands

Teide Observatory, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Credit: Astronomy CLub Toutatis
(Click to enlarge picture)

Here we go again!
A dream come true, Top of the notch Astronomy wise!

This time we visit the Canary islands and the island of TENERIFE!
Before we left from Finland we contacted the Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands (Instituto Astrofisica de Canarias) and asked for an interview with the President of Starlight Foundation Luis Martínez Sáez and a guided visit to the Teide Observatory which we visited in company of public spokes person Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González
First we visited the headquarters of the Institute of Astrophysics in San Cristobal de la Laguna in the northern part of the island and sat down with Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez. Then we drove by car an hour to the National Parc of Teide to the Teide Observatory where we visited the many telescopes and installations of the Observatory companied by Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González. As we visited the installations of the Observatory we were introduced to Daniel López, Astrophotographer extraordinaire who tagged along before asking us if we would like to join him in a session of photography of the Comet Pan-Starrs near the grounds of the Observatory. It was simply magical!
The Sun set and the view was just amazing, we installed our cameras and look out for the Comet.

Teide Observatory and Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis
(Click on picture to enlarge)

I have to say, this was a dream come true to visit the Observatory and the many telescopes on sight. The astrophotography session with Daniel López was simply incredible. Mr. Luis Martinez Saez back in San Cristobal de la Laguna gave us a royal welcome. Last but not least this could not have been possible without the best public spokes person Mr. Alfred Rosenberg González who attended to our every needs and gave us the GRAN tour.
Thank you very much Alfred, Luis, Daniel and David for your warm welcome and your great company.

Follow our astronomy trip through out Tenerife in our series of posts dedicated to this adventure. Follow us every day for a different article on Astronomy in the Canary Islands.

• An interview with Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez, President of the Starlight Foundation.
• An introduction to Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands IAC (Instituto Astrofisica de Canarias).
• Visit of Teide Observatory with Dr. Alfred Rosenberg González
• Astrophotography session with Daniel López. In search of Comet Pan-Starrs.
• Astronomy trip in Photos and much more...

READ NEXT POST HERE on our trip through Canarian Astronomy on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands.

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Where & When to look for Comet Panstarrs this March 2013

Look at the West 30 minutes after Sunset in March 2013. For the whole month of March, Comet Panstarrs (C/2011 L4) will be visible for Northern hemisphere observers. On March 12 2013, the crescent Moon and the Comet are close to each other. It could be a great photo opportunity. Gather friends and family and get out to see this great event in the "twilight" sky.

Read a great article on Comet Panstarrs from David Dickinson on Universe Today
Wikipedia: C/2011 L4  a.k.a. Comet PANSTARRS
Photo credit: TheWeatherSpace.com Network

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Astronomy Club Toutatis night out. Visit to the ruins of Kuusisto Castle, South Finland

Ruins of Kuusisto Castle near Kaarina, Finland
Credit: Astronomy club Toutatis Kustavi

Finnish Astronomy Club reporting activities in Southern Finland. With clouds clouding almost all the space community of the Carnival of space these last weeks, Our Astronomy club Toutatis took a chance and went for a fied trip. This time we visited the Ruins of Kuusisto Castle near the city of Kaarina, Finland.

Astronomy Club Toutatis night out!
Visit to the Ruins of Kuusisto Castle near the city of Kaarina, Finland.

Great night to catch the almost full Moon over the ruins of a medieval castle in Southern Finland. I few friends and family members came to see the ruins under a clear night sky with many night sky object to be seen.

The Moon was at it's best as it rose in the background of the ruins landscape. The planet Jupiter was the brightest object in the night sky and was still a challenge to see in our "field" telescope. (70mm Meade refractor). Even at 6 km from the big city lights, this place could be rated as a dark sky site for observations. We had a nice snack while looking around and we looked some more through the telescope at the Moon. After a session of astrophotography we headed back home.

Great astronomy night. Thanks to everyone involved!
See more Pictures of the event on  Facebook Astronomy Club Toutatis homepage.
Catch photos of the event Astronomy night out. Visit to the Ruins of Kuusisto Castle HERE
Wikipedia on Kuusisto Castle

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Suprise conjunction with the Moon, Jupiter and HIP 21517

Conjunction with the Moon, Jupiter and HIP 21517
(Click on picture to enlarge and see the supergiant HIP 21517
Left bottom of the Moon)

This Sunday we had the conjunction between our Moon and Jupiter. Many people had good weather and some of us (including me) had cloud weather. You can find many pictures of the conjunction on Space weather.

Today I manage to see the Moon and Jupiter through the thin clouds. The conjunction was great,but as I crop the picture in editing I found a "bright" star near the Moon. So this picture shows a conjunction with the Moon, Jupiter and HIP 21517 (HD 29260).

HD 29260 or HIP 21517 is a white supergiant star in the constellation Taurus. It shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 6.49. It an intrinsic variable star that varies between magntitudes 6.49 and 6.83 over a period of 3.15 days.

Sky position: RA 4h 37.2m, Dec +18° 32.4'

Common designations: HIP 21517, HD 2926

HIP 21517 Link

List of HIP stars in the Hipparcos catalogue HERE

White Supergiant HIP 21517 near the Moon.
prtScn @ Stellarium

Great to be outside and take shots of the night sky. Clear skies! 
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Meteorite hits central Russia, more than 500 people hurt

The trail of a falling object is seen above a residential
apartment block in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk,
in this still image taken from video shot on February 15, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/OOO Spetszakaz

(Reuters) - More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.
People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.
A fireball blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phone networks were interrupted.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.
"I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said.
No fatalities were reported but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were informed.

A local ministry official said such incidents were extremely rare and Friday's events might have been linked to an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool due to pass Earth at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) but this was not confirmed.
Russia's space agency Roscosmos said the meteorite was travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second and that such events were hard to predict. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion had caused a sonic boom.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of those were kept in hospital. Search groups were set up to look for the remains of the meteorite.
"There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry.
WINDOWS BREAK, FRAMES BUCKLE
Windows were shattered on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street and some of the frames of shop fronts buckled.
A loud noise, resembling an explosion, rang out at around 9.20 a.m. (12:20 a.m. ET). The shockwave could be felt in apartment buildings in the industrial city's center.
"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shockwave that smashed windows."
A wall was damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said there was no environmental threat.

Video of meteor falling to Earth on Friday February 15, 2013 (Live Leak video)

Although such events are rare, a meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia in 1908, smashing windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact.
The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteor shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.
Chelyabinsk city authorities urged people to stay indoors unless they needed to pick up their children from schools and kindergartens. They said what sounded like a blast had been heard at an altitude of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet).
The U.S. space agency NASA has said an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 meters in diameter, would have an encounter with Earth closer than any asteroid since scientists began routinely monitoring them about 15 years ago.
Television, weather and communications satellites fly about 500 miles higher. The moon is 14 times farther away.
(Additional reporting by Natalia Shurmina in Yekaterinburg and Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow, Writing by Alexei Anishchuk and Timothy Heritage, Editing by Michael Holden)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-russia-meteorite-idUSBRE91E05Z20130215

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Near-Earth Asteroid brush past Earth in record close flyby on Feb. 15 2013

Asteroid 2012 DA14 Close flyby seen from Turku, Finland
Map of the sky and location of the Asteroid
Click on picture to see where is the Asteroid in your location

Asteroid 2012 DA 14 is a near-Earth Asteroid. This space rock is about 50 meters in diameter (160 ft) and an estimated mass of 180,000 metric tons.

The asteroid will pass 27,700 km (17,200 mi) from the surface of Earth. It's closest approach will be from the center-point of Earth only of 34,100 km. The 2013 passage of 2012 DA14 by Earth is a record close approach for a known object of this size.
The risk of a collision with Earth is none. Asteroid 2012 DA14 will not impact Earth.
This event gives professional and amateur astronomers a like a great chance to study this Asteroid. The chance to see how space rocks passes us real close.

Here in the South of Finland, we will be attempting to locate it and take a picture of it. We hope the weather will be on our side.
Good luck if you are chasing the Asteroid, please post some pictures and timelapses of the event.

Read a great post HERE of David Dickinson on Universe Today that tells you how to view the Asteroid.
On heavens Above you can find the Asteroid trajectory for your location HERE
Wikipedia link: Asteroid 2012 DA14

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Carnival of Space # 286 Light pollution special edition here @ LINKS THROUGH SPACE

(Images: International Dark-Sky Assocation. When the eastern power grid failed, from Ontario to New York City, in August 2003, it revealed something many city dwellers had never seen: from horizon to horizon, a sky full of stars. Then the power came back on.)

Welcome to Links Through Space, astronomy for everyone.

This is the blog of our Astronomy Club here in Kustavi, Finland

We write/post news about space related topics and we showcase our Astrophotos and Timelapses.

Our blog is a way for you to follow Space/Astronomy news and find new links through the Internet about Space and astronomy.

So here we have it, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Links Through Space is honored to declare the 286th Carnival of Space live from Kustavi Finland.

 OPEN!

This Carnival of space #286 includes a Light pollution special edition.
Links Through Space has an article on Light pollution. A view of light pollution in astronomy these days.
Please visit the links in the article on light pollution carefully and participate actively to the many programs and events.
Thank You!

Light Pollution. Do we have to be concerned?

Artificial lighting is one of the most dramatic effects of mankind on the face of the Earth (to understand the scale this timelapse taken on the ISS shows the human settlements on the face of the night-time Earth as eerie filaments dwarfing thunderstorms and comparable to auroras in size). Main concern with astronomical observations is the type of light pollution called “skyglow”, which happens when light from cities is scattered by the atmosphere and redirected towards a distant observer. But the problem and concept of light pollution is much more complex than just an irritation to skywatchers, it seriously affects the natural patterns of humans and animals around the world. (See for example Wikipedia article for more details). Also the amount of energy (and therefore money) wasted to inefficient lighting is tremendous. It is estimated that 1/3 of all the lighting in the USA is wasted, amounting to $2 Billion in electricity cost.

Opening of Space Exhibition in Turku, Finland

Space Exhibition 2013 Turku, Finland

Space Exhibition opening @ LATTE cafe in Turku, Finland.
Lots of friends and family, good snacks and great show!

The exhibition has a main gallery room, an Ultra-violet room and an interactive room. The Main room is full of pictures from our astronomy trips and other events of the astronomy club. The UV room is filled with posters of space. The interactive room has a Moon-carpet where people can "stand on the Moon". Also on the wall you can draw the Universe with coal sticks. Also you find a radio with CD of sounds of Jupiter and the cosmos.

The Space Exhibition is up until February 15, 2013 @ LATTE cafe (Kristiinankatu 5) Turku, Finland. Here is the page Facebook for those interested in seeing more pictures and info of the event.

Opening of the Space Exhibition, Turku, Finland

Thank's to everyone who came to see us and support us. We surely appreciate it and looking forward to seeing the new members in our future astronomy club Toutatis events.

Preparing the Space exhibition (Go Essi!)

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Conclusion of Our Journey through Moroccan Astronomy

Mosaic of the Milky Way
in the Sahara desert, Morocco

As a new year begins we leave the amazing astronomy trip in the Sahara desert and Morocco and we wish fair well and hope to meet again.

Many thanks to all the wonderful people we met along this journey.
Thank you!

See Articles and posts of Trip to the Sahara desert, Morocco HERE

Happy New Year 2013 to all and everyone and clear skies!


Photo Credit: Stefan Lamoureux / Astronomy club Toutatis
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Links Through Space reaches 50 000 views. Thank you for your support!

Astronomy club Toutatis's
Links Through Space has reached 50 000 views.
Astronomy is growing all around the world and the people are interested.
Thank you for your support and be assured we will keep on taking pictures of the night sky and report astronomy related news.

For the future Our Astronomy Club here in Kustavi, Finland remains open for new projects and activities concerning Astronomy that is beneficial for all. Astronomy trips, Space exhibitions, public observations etc...
Thanks for your support!

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