Blue Moon - Moon could actually turn appear Blue
Posted on Friday, August 31, 2012
By Makubex
Tonight's (August 31, 2012) full moon is the second full moon of the month. According to modern folklore the second full moon of the month is known as "Blue Moon". It will probably look just like any other full Moon but, on rare occasions, the Moon really does turn appear blue. Could it happen this month?

Check the science cast from NASA explaining this phenomenon,



Blue Moon is not rare. The next Blue Moon can be seen on July 31, 2015.

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Niel Armstrong dies at 82 (1930 - 2012)
Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2012
By Makubex
The first man on Moon, Neil Armstrong died yesterday (Aug 25, 2012) at age of 82.



Watch the video below of the very first moon landing of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969,



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Curiosity Rover Report - Aug 24, 2012
Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2012
By Makubex
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover performs a series of firsts this week -- flexing its arm, laser-zapping a rock and rolling on its wheels. The rover's landing site, named for author Ray Bradbury on the day that would have been his 92nd birthday.



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Curiosity Descent - Video
Posted on Friday, August 24, 2012
By Makubex
This is a full-resolution version of the NASA's Curiosity rover descent to Mars, taken by the MARDI descent imager.



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Astronomy Enthusiasts Gathering 2012 - Lüllemäe, Estonia
Posted on Monday, August 13, 2012
By Makubex
Last weekend (11 - 12 Aug) I attended my first astronomy camp in Estonia, "Astronoomiahuviliste kokkutulek Lüllemäel". The event was located in Lüllemäe, a village located in the south of Estonia. The event was conveniently placed during the peak of Perseid meteor shower. Saturday morning treated us with endless clouds, as if we were trapped under thick linen. Fortunately after sunset, clouds decided to show mercy on us and let us enjoy the Perseids.

Here are some pictures taken during sky watch,













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Earth Illuminated - Video
Posted on Friday, August 10, 2012
By Makubex
Stunning time-lapse photography of cities, aurora, lightning and other sights as seen from orbit.



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ISS flyby over Tallinn
Posted on Friday, August 10, 2012
By Makubex
International Space Station (ISS) flyby over Tallinn, Estonia.


Image Credit: Karthikeyan VJ, (view Full Image). Image Taken at Tallinn, Estonia

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The 2012 Perseid Meteor Shower
Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2012
By Makubex
The Perseid meteor shower is underway. There's more to see than meteors, however, when the shower peaks on August 11th through 13th. The brightest planets in the solar system are lining up in the middle of the display.



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Why Explore Space - A Letter by Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2012
By Makubex


In 1970, a nun named Sister Mary Jucunda from Zambia wrote a letter to Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, asking why would he suggest spending billions of dollars for a piloted mission to Mars when so many people are starving on Earth. At that time Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger was Associate Director of Science at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger wrote a letter back to Sister Mary Jucunda explaning the need for space exploration, also in the letter he attached the iconic photograph of "Earthrise" taken by William Anders in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission.

Read the Letter here

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Curiosity's First Colour Image of the Martian Landscape
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2012
By Makubex

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

The image shows the north wall and rim of the Gale Crater. The image was taken using Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). The image is murky because the MAHLI's removable dust cover is apparently coated with dust blown onto the camera during the rover's terminal descent.

P.S: NASA stop teasing us, remove the dust cover already! :)

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Curiosity Lands on Mars
Posted on Monday, August 06, 2012
By Makubex
After 8 long months traveling in cold deep space NASA's Curiosity lands on Mars today near the Gale Crater. Curiosity was launched on November 26, 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket. It was a 560 million kilometers journey.

Curiosity is the biggest and most cable mars rover yet. Landing the rover was quite a challenge. Watch this video presentation, which explains the difficulties in landing the Curiosity.

As soon as the Curiosity landed we got pictures confirming the landing. Below image is from front and rear Hazard Avoidance Camera. Quality is pretty low resolution.


Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (Image of Gale Crater)

Watch the 7 minutes of terror happened in the JPL Mission Control below,



Meanwhile Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera has captured the dramatic decent of the MSL (Curiosity).



Related Links:
- Follow Curiosity on Twitter
- Raw images from Curiosity

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Perseid Meteor Shower - August 12, 2012
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2012
By Makubex
On August 12, Perseid meteor shower peaks as Earth passes through the debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Around 10-15 meteors can be seen per hour, according to International Meteor Organization.

After the sunset and sky is dark enough (probably after midnight) and away from city lights, look towards the east direction of the sky. The Perseid meteor shower radiant lies over constellation Perseus.

Sky map for Perseid Meteor Shower (Northern Hemisphere),



Some early Perseid Meteor Shower,

Monika Landy-Gyebnar photographs the early Perseid meteor shower from Veszprem, Hungary.


Image Credit: Monika Landy-Gyebnar

Amateur astronomer Thomas Ashcraft, captures a Perseid fireball ripping through the ionosphere over New Mexico, check the video of the fireball here.

If you are taking photos of the Perseid Meteor Shower, take time to share it with us. Send the photos to,

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Martian Triangle - Skywatch
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2012
By Makubex
On August 5th, just after the sunset look towards the western direction of the sky to see Mars, Saturn and Spica form a equilateral triangle.

Check the sky map below (northern hemisphere),



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