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Astronomy Today - A Closer Look

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Astronomy today is a popular and enjoyable hobby as well as a vital science making new discoveries every day. From new space objects to new images, from new tools and techniques to new discoveries made with them, from new space missions to reviving and reviewing data from the old ones, keeping up with astronomy can certainly be a full time job. It’s a lot of fun too. So here are a few of the latest and greatest astronomy facts, figures and happenings.

On any day meteors are a key element of astronomy today for that day. As 2008 came to an end meteors certainly were in the news. Meteor swarms such as the Taurids in Leonids were quite active in November. The Gemenids had their peak in mid December, but unfortunately during a full moon phase that would make them difficult to see. Don’t fret. Meteor shower peaks may happen during full moons, but meteors are on display for up to two weeks both before and after the peaks. So there’s a lot of clear time to view these falling chunks of space debris.

Astronomy today chapter in 2008 was often a matter of discussing a return to the moon by 2015. The talk is of this as a world wide effort rather something any one country or agency would endeavor to accomplish. The goal may be to establish a moon base or even a colony on the moon. Imagine that. Minus the aliens and hopefully the moon set adrift by an explosion, the TV series “Space 1999″ could soon become a reality only 16 years too late.

Astronomy today in 2008 often included worries over falling space debris in the form of a discarded ammonia tank. After being thrown into orbit, it was finally about to plummet back to the planet. Some people were concerned that pieces might fall into populated areas. But it broke up into very small pieces which mostly fell into the ocean near Australia.

Now for perhaps the biggest news of Astronomy technology today in 2008, it’s all about the Hubble. Damaged in October it was finally repaired his temper. Then the Hubble took the first ever visible light image of a planet orbiting another star. What a busy year for one piece of technology.

Astronomy today is more vibrant than ever. Keep up with everything online.

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