Oops! (Houston, we have a problem.)

STS-130 crew flying high and proud aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor docked with the ISS Friday and went right to work attempting to install a cover between Tranquility and the observation deck.

Unfortunately it seems the presence of a metal piece is not allowing the metal bars to lock. The cover is of extreme importance as it will protect Tranquility’s seals and docking mechanisms from the cold.

On the ISS team’s agenda is the task of hooking up exterior fluid lines and configuring spacewalk tools in addition to resolving a minor issue with the power supply. Read the rest of this post …

Officially known as 4 Vesta, one may, weather permitting, pleasantly observe Asteroid Vesta as she meanders into Leo from February through June.

Haven’t got a telescope, you say? Well you are indeed in luck as Vesta is highly visible at this time through binoculars, shining at 6.1 magnitude and reaching opposition on the night of February 17th.

Asteroid 4 Vesta will remain an easy observing target for your viewing pleasure in March (magnitude 6.2), April at magnitude 6.8 and through June 1 at 7.7 magnitude.

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The world will soon know what killed Denmark’s most famous astronomer in 1601 as permission has finally been granted by Prague’s cultural department after years of requests to both the City Council and the Catholic Church, which owns Tyn Cathedral where Brahe’s remains lie.

Brahe’s remains will be examined by Danish and Czech experts who will perform extensive analyses on remaining bone, hair and clothing fragments to determine if he died as a consequence of bladder problems, kidney stones or intentional or accidental mercury poisoning. Read the rest of this post …

Several solar flares have occurred over the past few days. M-Class flares have erupted from Sunspots 1045 and 1046, and more are expected over the next few days. Sunspot 1046 is growing in size as it approaches the meridian and is in prime location to project solar material toward Earth.

The solar energy has potential to interfere with radio transmissions, to produce aurora, and  to produce other affects. Spaceweather.com has a nice video that shows the growing spot and more information on the flares.

The headline is correct. Gamma ray bursts have been detected in Earth’s atmosphere. They are associated with lightning, and recent discoveries have been made by NASA’s Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and Gamma-ray Burst Monitor.

Gamma ray bursts in Earth’s atmosphere are called Terrestrial Gamma Flashes (TGFs), and are said to produce the highest natural energy blast on Earth. The flashes last for only one to two milli-seconds, but they are drawing much attention.
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In late January, HST revealed an “X” pattern of debris that appeared like comet material. The difference was that the nucleus was not inside the debris, but ahead of it. What HST showed was what scientists believe is the remnants of a collision of two asteroids.

P/2010 A2 is the name of the asteroid material and main nucleus. The material is being swept back, away from the nucleus, by the pressure of sunlight. The size of P/2010 A2 is a mere 460 feet in diameter, but it travels at 11,000 miles per hour. A collision of that intensity is extreme and spreads the debris out into the surrounding area. To read more on this amazing discovery, read the NASA article “Hubble Sees Suspected Asteroid Collision.”

27 January 2010, marks the closest point that Mars will be to Earth between 2008 and 2014. Mars can be seen as soon as skies are dark, and it is visible all night.

To find Mars this week, look to the eastern sky as soon as Sun sets. Mars will appear as an non-twinkly, orange object. The visible magnitude is -1.3 (Sirius is -1.4) and is 14 arc seconds in diameter. The brightness and apparent size make Mars an easy object to see and find.

If you need more help finding Mars, use the chart. Mars appears to be in the constellation Cancer, and on 29 January 2010, a Full Moon will appear very close to it.

Recently, reports told that the Mars Rover Spirit was stuck in the martian surface soil. Spirit has not been able to free itself and will now be used as a science platform instead of a rover.

The stationary rover will still conduct research, even if it cannot travel. The first thing Spirit has to do is to prepare for the martian winter. Scientists want to level the rover for an optimal position. Then Spirit will study the soil, track the wobble of the planet in its orbit, and conduct some experiments to try to find out if the martian core is solid or liquid.

The photo here show the last tracks that Spirit made. Scientists will be able to continue using Spirit, even though it will not be a rover.

The recent Annular Solar Eclipse was visible from Northern Sri Lanka, where the Sri Lanka Astronomical Association ran an outreach workshop which was well attended by local students, keen to view the eclipse. They chronicle their adventure (with some great photos) here.

The demise of another sungrazing comet has been captured on video of STEREO-A. The video can be seen at the Space Weather website. Recent solar activity has “sparked” the Northern Lights near the Arctic Circle. Current solar images and information on the activity can be seen at Space Weather. Photos of the recent aurora are also available for viewing.