Solar Eclipse 14th November 2012

A Solar Eclipse occurred on 14th November 2012.

A total eclipse was visible in Queensland in Northern Australia.

In my part of Australia, a partial eclipse was visible.

Here is a photo taken of this event from my area.

A Science Lesson with Brian Cox - ABC Sydney - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

 Brian Cox received his doctorate in physics from the University of Manchester, completing his thesis in 1998. In 2005, he was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. He splits his time between work at the University of Manchester and at the CERN facility in Geneva, Switzerland, home of the Large Hadron Collider. He still loves to play music, when he's not appearing in clever TV shows and radio programs like 'The Infinite Monkey Cage'. 

SPRING-AUTUMN EQUINOX 2012

The September Equinox 2012:
September 22,

14:49 (or 2.49pm) UTC (Greenwich time)  12.49AM Sept 23rd Melbourne Australia

There are two equinoxes every year – in September and March – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator, so the equinox in September is also known as the "autumnal (fall) equinox" in the northern hemisphere. However, in the southern hemisphere, it's known as the "spring (vernal) equinox".
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Why is it called equinox?

On the equinox, night and day are nearly exactly the same length – 12 hours – all over the world. This is the reason it's called an "equinox", derived from Latin, meaning "equal night".

However, even if this is widely accepted, it isn't entirely true. In reality equinoxes don't have exactly 12 hours of daylight

The September equinox occurs the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from north to south.

This happens either on September 22, 23, or 24 every year. On any other day of the year, the Earth's axis tilts a little away from or towards the Sun. But on the two equinoxes, the Earth's axis tilts neither away from nor towards the Sun.

NASA's Mars Exploration

With its rover named Curiosity, Mars Science Laboratory mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability."

NASA/JPL-Caltech Science Laboratory rover named Curiosity showing panorama of Mars, August 14, 2012.
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Stunning view of the earth released by NASA

 Stunning view of the earth released by NASA.

(Please click the link above to view the video)

NASA has released mesmerising footage of the earth shot by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The four-minute video captures the bright lights emanating from the cities of the world and the eerie green glow of the aurora

australis above the atmosphere.

Shot 400km above the earth, the astronauts of Expedition 30 also spotted flashing purple thunderstorms over Africa and the

stunning Comet Lovejoy.

Though the footage consists of still images, time-lapse photography creates the impression of movement.

It was shot over the last five months.

The video is set to the song 'Walking in the Air' by Howard Blake.

The International Space Station has been in continual operation since 1998.

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A crew aboard the International Space Station has captured mesmerising footage as it orbits around the planet.

  

SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY

Space Shuttle Discovery has arrived in her final home at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Udzar-Hazy Center.

A TRIBUTE TO SKY WATCHERS

This time-lapse production is a tribute to all skygazers around the world who enjoy exploring the night sky with their telescopes. This was released in April 2012 in celebration of the Global Astronomy Month (gam-awb.org), an international program of Astronomers Without Borders in partnership with world-wide astronomy centers and clubs.

Sky Gazers from Babak Tafreshi on Vimeo.