Current Happenings in Astronomy

Astronomy has been with the human race as long as we can remember. Once tied closely to astrology, today it has become a serious science and hobby for millions of people. Astronomy is something too many people ignore, but those who keep their eyes on current happenings in astronomy find a wealth of interesting information.

NASA dropped a bomb shell, nearly literally on Australia in late 2008 when a fourteen hundred pound tank of Ammonia was dumped off a space station. It was tossed into space when it was deemed too dangerous to carry down to Earth on a shuttle. Since most of the Earth is water, the chances were much greater the chunks would land in the ocean than on land. Although possible Ammonia residue would likely wash a lot of windows, this isn't recommended as a mass cleaning method. Paul Hogan, the famous actor who played Crocodile Dundee, was unharmed. Unfortunately, according to the Daily Mail in the UK, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, remained deceased after this incident.

New line China, September 2008, a 3rd manned space mission launches. It will include the first space walk for Chinese astronauts. Unfortunately for China it was revealed that “live video” of the successful launch and flight into orbit had actually been released before the craft left the ground. It wasn't a hoax. China simply thought the event so important that they carefully staged a video log as public relations.

Also from China, a huge telescope has been commissioned for construction near Beijing, site of the 2008 summer Olympics. Revolutionary is the way this telescope tracks the sky with two moving mirrors. This gives the telescope a unique look. This one is shaped like a leaning arch. The Chinese have a knack for making the simple complex.

A new satellite launched, from Kazakhstan, in November 2008. Astra-1M as it's called is set to help with telecommunications. Proton-M launched it into space. European engineers created the satellite.

For computer users who enjoy astronomy, Worldwide Telescope is a must have program. It was designed by Microsoft. It communicates with computers all over the world to bring amazing space images right to the desktop. It's a computer observatory, basically. The only downfall is that no new discoveries can be made, because it's all pre-compiled astrological data and images.

That's it for current happenings in astronomy.