Microsoft WorldWide Telescope

After long waiting since the talk by Roy Gould and Curtis Wong in Feb 2008, Microsoft WorldWide Telescope is finally available for download.

This is a really great art of masterpiece. It features the photos taken by ground-based observatories and space telescopes. There’re terrabytes of images at research grade resolution. I am not sure how to do research with it but it’s totally full of marvelous sceneries. Beware, your harddisk might be filled up with all these images. :P

It also allows you to point your telescope to the target you currently focus on by installing the ASCOM component. This software certainly comes in handy when we do public outreach.

Explore it yourself!

Microsoft WorldWide Telescope

PS: I’m going to do a review of this stunning virtual telescope soon.

Send Yourself To The Moon

Join NASA’s return to the Moon by sending yourself to the Moon!

Alright, it’s just your name. :P Just sumbit your name to the website below, you’ll be given a certificate to show your support of the mission. The names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) spacecraft.

LRO’s objectives are to find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. This will be a historic mission.

The deadline of submission of names is 28 June 2008.

http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/

Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower 2008

Skymap of Aquarids 08

From 3 May to 7 May, we’re gifted one of the year best meteor shower - Eta Aquarid meteor shower. Aquarids are the debris left by Halley’s Comet of which last closest approach was in 1986. For this year, the moon is new and the Aquarids stay at full strength over the 5 days. This time, Aquarids favor us and the southern region. Expect a spectacular meteor shower! :D

Continue reading ‘Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower 2008′

407 Visitors Recorded for ISAN 2008, Kluang

ISAN 2008-Satisfaction
Saturn made people amaze!

“Bring the telescope to the public, share the night sky and the knowledge” is the intention of the International Sidewalk Astronomy Night (ISAN). The purpose is to give the people on this planet a chance to look at the celestial objects through telescope.

We only held ISAN 2008 today due to the mis-forecasted weather on 12 April 2008. (I was the culprit :P ).

Continue reading ‘407 Visitors Recorded for ISAN 2008, Kluang’

Earth Day - Every Day Is Earth Day

22nd April, a day to be remembered, today is Earth Day.

The mother earth is undergoing disastrous changing. It’s obvious enough that everyone of us can feel it. For instance, the climate warming strongly affected the crops, which in return we have to pay for 20% more. Now, we pay back for what we had done to the earth.

My hosting service provider - Exabytes emailed me some interesting way to keep the earth green. Read them here.

The earth scientists at JPL, NASA also have some words.

Continue reading ‘Earth Day - Every Day Is Earth Day’

We’re dots on a dot

After watching Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot, we’re sure to feel how small we are. Think wider, not to quarrel over a small matter, be wiser and live harmoniously on our only dot.

Continue reading ‘We’re dots on a dot’

First Event For Saturn Observation Campaign

Saturn Observation Campaign

Saturn in front of Sun
People were highly attracted by this photo projected on the panel.

As a member of NASA Saturn Observation Campaign, I held my first event on 6 March 2008 at our school basketball field at 7.30pm.

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Total Lunar Eclipse on 20-21 Feb 2008

4 March 2007 Lunar Eclipse By Robin Lee
Sequence photo I made for the 4 March 2007 total lunar eclipse

The lunar eclipse starts at 0100 until 0152 UT on 21 Feb 2008 (2200 EST or 1900 PST on 20 Feb 2008). The totality will last for 52 minutes. We’ll have partial lunar eclipse this coming 16 August and 31 December 2009. Americans will have a total eclipse again on 20-21 December 2010. Yet to check for us.

*Americans have 3 total eclipses in less than a year and we had 2 as we’re not favoured this time.

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STS-122 Launches In 1h 40m

STS-122 Crew
STS-122 Crew Ready To Launch

STS-122 mission is to deliever the Columbus, the European Space Agency’s new laboratory. Columbus will be installed on Harmony Node 2 which was delivered by the STS-120 mission. Harmony allows the addition of European laboratory (Columbus) and Japanese laboratory (Kibo) which will be transfered during STS-123.

The weather is not that great as forecasted so their chance to lift off is 30%. They’re going to launch on 8 Feb 2007 at 7:45pm UT. Good luck to them!

Did I mention that the every crew’s badge is so nicely designed?

More mission information at NASA

Happy Chinese New Year - 2008

Happy Chinese New Year everybody! Don’t forget to use your telescope as usual as you can. The great wonders of sky are waiting for us but our body aren’t.

Here are my greetings for everybody!
光灿烂迎新年
盛花开四季春
你新年诸事福
的希望一定成
年事事定如意
年都比今日强
快乐乐似神仙
得红包拿不尽




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