Friday, July 25, 2008

Makemake

Makemake is the name given by the International Astronomical Union to the fourth dwarf planet in our Solar System. Previously known as 2005 FY9, Makemake, which is named after a Polynesian fertility god, is also classified as a plutoid.

Discovered in 2005 by astronomers from the California Institute of Technology, Makemake is smaller than Pluto, and is located in a region just beyond Neptune. Its surface may be covered in frozen methane.

Source: International Astronomical Union

This is published in Google Knol.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Asteroid Named After Rafa


The International Astronomical Union approved the request of The Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca to rename an asteroid after tennis great Rafael Nadal, who recently won Wimbledon.

The asteroid, previously been known as 128036, is 4 kilometers in diameter and travels through space at a speed of 20 km per second. It was discovered in 2003.

more here

Friday, July 11, 2008

This Day in History: Skylab is Falling


On this day 29 years ago, America's first space station - Skylab - fell back to earth after 6 years in orbit.

The debris of the craft landed in Australia and Indian Ocean.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Kinda Creepy Astro Pics



Vincent Fournier has astro-themed photos in his site. Nice compositions, but personally I find them bordering on being creepy and depressing.