2009 Moon Phases & Lunar Moon Calendar

We have 2009 Moon Phases & Lunar Moon Calendar here at KeepandShare, ready for you. Looking for online moon phases or full moon websites? Or perhaps phases of the moon for work or family full moon?

Lunar phase refers to the regular appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an person, usually on Earth. The lunar phases vary as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing geometry of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. One half of the lunar surface is always illuminated by the Sun (except during lunar eclipses), and is hence bright, but the portion of the illuminated hemisphere that is visible to an observer can vary from 100% (full moon) to 0% (new moon). The boundary between the illuminated and unilluminated hemispheres is called by a cool name, 'the terminator.'

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11/18/2009 "Strange" New Star?

Supernova remnants are beautiful to behold, but they are also the result of extremely violent explosions and leave behind one of the most dynamic objects in the Universe. One such object, the pulsar at the center of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), has been the source of much study ever since data from the Chandra X-ray observatory were published over 10 years ago.

Based on the observational data, the size of the pulsar -- a rapidly rotating neutron star -- was estimated to be about 6 miles across, which is theoretically impossible. Theories abounded, that this must not be a pulsar, but rather an object called a quark star. Such an object has never directly been observed, but has been predicted to exist under just the right circumstances.

If a pulsar's gravity is sufficiently high, all the neutrons in the star would no longer be distinct from one another, and the result would be that the star would simply become a massive ball of quarks -- one of the fundamental particles of nature. Specifically, there would exist an abundance of strange quarks (one of the six types of quarks) within the star.

Since this would be the first star of its type ever observed, scientists have been working very hard to either confirm or eliminate this possibility for Cas A. A few weeks ago scientists Wynn Ho and Craig Heinke reported in the Journal Nature that they have discovered the reason that the pulsar at the center of Cas A appears so small. It is not a quark star, but rather is a normal pulsar surrounded by a carbon atmosphere.

While unusual, it is possible that a young, hot pulsar -- like Cas A -- can fuse its hydrogen atmosphere and eventually create a carbon rich atmosphere instead. Because of this the pulsar would appear much smaller than it really is. While this may disappoint some scientists -- I have to say I was really hoping for the quark star theory to be correct -- it does give us insight into a phenomenon never observed in pulsars before. But there are still lots of supernova remnants out there, so who knows, maybe we'll find one of these quark stars yet.

Image Credit: Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/CXC/SAO

"Strange" New Star? originally appeared on About.com Space / Astronomy on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 10:01:07.

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11/17/2009 Water Found On The Moon

Back in October many of you were following the events of the LCROSS mission as the probe slamed into the Moon (on purpose), to look for traces of water. Well, after weeks of pouring over mountains of data, NASA has released their initial findings. And it turns out that the Moon contains more water than we once thought.

NASA determined that the only way they could make sense of the data was if water was present on the Moon -- and a rather significant amount of water at that.

This was not completely surprising however; several months ago, NASA determined that deep in the Moon's shadowed craters near the poles, the temperature is a frigid -397 degrees Fehenheight, which is the coldest temperature ever recorded in our Solar System. In order to achieve those kinds of temperatures, a complex mixture of molecules need to be present, including water.

So what does all this mean? Well, water is a key element to life. And if we, as humans, ever hope to spend an extended amount of time on the Moon we will need a continuous source of water. These results lay the foundation for future long term missions to the Moon, and then to Mars.

Image Credit: NASA

Water Found On The Moon originally appeared on About.com Space / Astronomy on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 22:20:21.

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11/16/2009 Meteor Shower To Peak Over The Next Two Nights

Every year the Earth passes through the trail of the comet Tempel-Tuttle, creating a pretty good meteor shower visible in the night sky. NASA reports that about about 20 - 30 meteors per hour should visible during the Leonid shower in North America. While this pales in comparison to the nearly 300 per hour being predicted in Asia, it should be a great sight nontheless.

The Moon will be in a new phase, creating the kind of dark conditions desired for seeing the events. The best time to see the events will be after 4:00 a.m. So those of you who are early risers, get out there with your morning joe and check it out.

Meteor Shower To Peak Over The Next Two Nights originally appeared on About.com Space / Astronomy on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 13:40:52.

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11/12/2009 Creating A New Earth

The idea of colonizing Mars is not a new one, it has been the backdrop of many science fiction novels, and the focus of much scientific research. But, actually making it happen is a whole other story. Well on Sunday, November 15, the National Geographic Channel is going to air a special, as part of their "Expedition Week", about how we would go about creating a habitable planet out of Mars.

I think it will definitely be worth a watch, and in the meantime you can check out the promotional material and videos to whet your appetite. I think the reality of how close we are to undertaking the colonization of Mars will surprise some of you. So, check it out, and let me know what you think!

Image Credit: © National Geographic Channel

Creating A New Earth originally appeared on About.com Space / Astronomy on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 14:04:59.

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11/11/2009 Asteroid Has Near Miss With Earth

NASA reported that a 23 foot wide asteroid came within about 8,700 miles of entering Earth's atmosphere on Friday. This was the third closest miss on record. Astronomers at the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey group announced the finding. They discovered the asteroid about 15 hours before it passed our planet, moving at more than 16,000 miles per hour.

So, what would have happened if the asteroid would have entered our atmosphere? Well, at 23 feet across, it most likely would have burned up in our atmosphere. The heat generated by air resistance as it fell toward Earth would have caused the asteroid to disintegrate. In fact it would take a very large asteroid, hundreds of feet across, to cause any significant damage, and those are large enough to see coming from quite a distance away. And yes, NASA is keeping a watchful eye.

Asteroid Has Near Miss With Earth originally appeared on About.com Space / Astronomy on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 10:19:42.

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