Thursday, April 25, 2013
Iowa -- and the entire Northern Hemisphere -- will miss a partial eclipse, but a full moon's rising and the skies are perfect for photos.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
-
Thursday, April 25
The first full moon of spring — the "Pink Moon," as it's called — rises over Iowa City tonight, Thursday, and clear skies give promise to some fantastic pictures. The moon rises over Iowa at 8:12 p.m. Thursday, according to TimeandDate.com. Don't let the name fool you: The pink moon wasn't named for its color, but rather for wild ground phlox, which tend to blossom this time of year. Nevertheless, all the elements are there for some great photographs. Share yours pictures by clicking on, "Upload Photos and Videos" beneath the picure with this story. Like Iowa City Patch on Facebook Follow Iowa City Patch on Twitter
Saturday, April 20, 2013
The Lyrids can be unpredictable — often in great ways.
The Lyrid meteor shower is ready to make its 2013 debut in the skies above Iowa City this weekend, and of all the year’s many shows in the heavens, this is one to catch. The skies have been largely empty of visible meteor showers since the Quadrantids of early January, but the shooting stars of the Lyrids have been a reliable spectacle for, oh, 2,600 years or so. The Lyrids meteor shower peaks in 2013 on Sunday and Monday, but some meteors may be visible beginning sooner. The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday is for clear skies, so then may be your best chance at catching a glimpse. You can see what to look for in this video of the Lyrid meteor shower. Or check out photos of the Lyrids. And these charts of the Lyrids may help…
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, is on its way – with no moon to obscure the show over Iowa City.
The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, and you may be able to see a great show on either side of those dates. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this show. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sitings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at this video of the Geminid meteor shower. You can also look at some spectacular photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids peak …
Monday, November 12, 2012
One of the more spectacular meteor showers is on its way.
With most of the year's meteor showers behind us, the Leonid meteor shower is on its way. The famous Leonids are expected to peak on Nov. 17 in the pre-dawn hours. These meteors are fast (about 40 miles per second) and can leave trails of smoke, according to Astronomy.com. They will appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion. "Many Leonids are also bright. Usually, the meteors are white or bluish-white, but in recent years some observers reported yellow-pink and copper-colored ones," according to the website. One of the 10 cool things to know about the Leonids, from Space.com: "Leonids are spawned by the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Every 33 years, it rounds the Sun and then goes back to the outer solar system. On each passage across …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
University of Iowa scientists hope to prove the mysteries of the cosmos and also find out a way to help phones, power grids, and GPS systems avoid disruptions.
- SCHOOLS
-
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
By Gary Galuzzo Iowa Now On Aug. 24, NASA will launch two identical satellites from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to begin its Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission to study the extremes of space weather and help scientists improve space weather forecasts. Why should you care? Because, says a University of Iowa space physics researcher, if you’ve ever used a cell phone, traveled by plane, or stayed up late to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, then you have been affected by space weather without even knowing about it. Scientists want to better understand how the Van Allen radiation belts—named after UI astrophysicist James A. Van Allen—react to solar changes, thereby contributing to Earth's space weather. Changes in space weather can …
Abigail Bellamy
11:54 pm on Saturday, April 20, 2013
Love this! I also found some great info on http://spacedex.com/lyrids/ if anyone is interested! more ›