The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (29 July 2008)

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (29 July 2008)
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In the News:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/

* Latest Images:
Floods in the Wake of Hurricane Dolly
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18104

First Global Water Vapor Map from OSTM
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18103

Sea Surface Temperature and Hurricane Bertha
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18102

Lagoons and Reefs of New Caledonia
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18101

Sentinel Volcanic Field, Arizona
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18100

Hurricane Dolly
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18099

Sulfur Dioxide from Okmok Volcano
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18098

Beijing Implements New Pollution Controls
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18097

* NASA News
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/
- New NASA 'Fire & Smoke' Web Page Shows Latest Fire Views, Research

* Media Alerts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
- Snapshot of Past Climate Reveals No Ice in Antarctica Millions of Years Ago
- Scientists Search for Answers from the Carbon in the Clouds
- Unique Fossil Discovery Shows Antarctic was Once Much Warmer
- Amazon Outflow is Found to Power Ocean Capture of Carbon Dioxide
- Typhoons Bury Tons of Carbon in the Oceans
- Chinese Earthquake Provides Lessons for Future
- Scientists Offer New Explanation for Monsoon Development
- Saharan Dust Storms Sustain Life in Atlantic Ocean
- Scientists Demonstrate the Sharpest Measurement of Ice Crystals in Clouds
- Iceberg Scour Affects Biodiversity
- Undersea Volcanoes Triggered Marine Extinction
- Future Snowmelt in West Twice as Early as Expected
- Scientists Close in on Source of X-rays in Lightning
- Scattered Nature of Wisconsin's Woodlands Could Complicate Forests' Response to Climate Change

* Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/
- Climate Change Hurting Marine Snails
- Supercontinent Pangea Gets Climate Rethink
- Did Eroding Super Mountains Give Us the Air We Breathe?
- The Real Home of Hurricanes: Ethiopia?
- A Point of No Return for Greenland's Ice
- New Radar Detects Tornadoes Faster
- Weather Probes Swarm the Seas
- Satellite Designed to Spot Asteroid Armageddon
- Volcanoes May Not be Fed by Magma Mushrooms
- Shrimp-Like Fossil Confirms Antarctica was Once Warmer
- U.S. Spring Melt to Shift by Months
- Student to Track Tiger Sharks via Satellite
- Australian Tsunami Only a Matter of Time
- Wildfire Smoke May Cause Arctic Cooling
- More Icebergs Scouring Antarctic Seabed
- Middle Earth Mountains: Steep and Strong
- Sea Die-Out Blamed on Volcanoes
- U.S. Floods to Create Record Dead Zone
- Little Yellow Sub Studies Ocean
- Glaciers on California's Mt. Shasta Keep Growing
-

* New Research Highlights
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Research/




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Earth Observatory weekly mailing -- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

Alert: Perseid meteor shower

NASA Science News for July 22, 2008
The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th, and forecasters say it should be a good show.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/22jul_perseiddawn.htm?list874246

DESCENDING SPACE JUNK

Space Weather News for July 22, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

DESCENDING SPACE JUNK: Almost exactly one year ago, on July 23, 2007, International Space Station astronauts threw an obsolete, refrigerator-sized ammonia reservoir overboard. The 1400-lb piece of space junk has been circling Earth ever since and now, in July 2008, its orbit has decayed so much that it has become an easy naked-eye target for backyard sky watchers. The "Early Ammonia Servicer" (EAS for short) is almost as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper and growing brighter as it descends. Today's edition of http://spaceweather.com displays photos of the EAS, which is expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere in late 2008 or early 2009. Readers who wish to see the EAS with their own eyes should check the Simple Satellite Tracker for flyby times: http://spaceweather.com/flybys. Europeans are favored with flybys this week, North Americans next week.

You are subscribed to the Space Weather mailing list, a free service of Spaceweather.com.

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (22 July 2008)

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (22 July 2008)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scientists in Siberia are nearing the end of their expedition to study the ecology of Arctic landscapes and how they are responding to climate change. Recent blogs from the field describe the challenging terrain of the Siberian Traps, the discovery of 700-year-old tree skeletons, and NASA ecologist Jon Ranson's sparring match with "the one that got away."

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/SiberiaBlog2008/


------------------------------------------------------------------------


In the News:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/

* Latest Images:
Beijing Implements New Pollution Controls
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18097

Earth and the Moon
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18096

Wintertime Disintegration of Wilkins Ice Shelf
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18095

Catoca Diamond Mine, Angola
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18094

Cordillera Huayhuash, Peruvian Andes
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18093

Ocean Color off the Icelandic Coast
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18092

Formation and Decay of Hurricane Bertha
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18091

Global Ocean Wind Energy Potential
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18090

* NASA News
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/
- Ocean Surface a Boon for Extreme Event Forecasts, Warnings
- For Toy-Like NASA Robots in Arctic, Ice Research is Child's Play

* Media Alerts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
- For Toy-Like NASA Robots in Arctic, Ice Research is Child's Play

* Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/
- Calif. Firefighters Get Backup From NASA Drone
- Tainted African Dust Clouds Harm U.S., Caribbean Reefs
- New Maps to Help Tap Ocean Winds
- Antarctic Ice Shelf Hanging On by a Thread
- Russian Ice Camp in Rapid Shrink
- Ancient Indian Basin Beat the Cold
- At Antarctic Peninsula, Fast Change
- South Australia Drought Worsens
- La Ni単a Fizzling Out, Could Reduce Hurricane Risk
- Rare Argentina Winter Ice Break
- Cleaner Skies Explain Surprise Rate of Warming
- Extreme Rain Grows Mountains
- Grasslands Hold Up to Climate Change
- Hurricane Bertha's Burst of Strength Stumps Experts
- Greenland Meltwater Will Take Slow Wave Around Globe
- Life in the Balance: Coral Reefs are Declining
- Greenland Ice Sheet Slams the Brakes On
- Glacier Bay Park's Gravity Shifts as Ice Melts
- Ancient Ice Sheets Fell like Dominoes
- Springy Sediments May Amplify Tsunamis
- Scientists Say Ailing Penguins Signal Sea Problems




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Earth Observatory weekly mailing -- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

Look for fireworks from Aquarius

Astronomy: Roen Kelly


The sky this month


Look for fireworks from Aquarius

The summer meteor season begins with a favorable display from the Delta Aquarids. The meteor shower, which is active from mid-July to mid-August, peaks July 27.

This shower favors observers in the southern half of North America. The reason: Southern latitudes place the radiant higher in the sky.

Observing Delta Aquarid meteors just got a little easier. According to the International Meteor Organization, several faint summer showers with reported radiants near Aquarius confused observers. Several new studies, however, indicate the Delta Aquarid radiant is the only real one.

The Delta Aquarid shower produces between 10 and 20 fast - but not especially bright - meteors per hour. The Last Quarter Moon July 25 will create only minor interference with your meteor hunt.

PRETTY SKY ALERT

Space Weather News for July 16, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

PRETTY SKY ALERT: The brightest lights in the night sky are having a get-together. On July 16th and 17th, Jupiter and the nearly-full Moon will be side-by-side in the constellation Sagittarius. The pair rise in the southeast just after nightfall and remain visible all night long. That's not all: The International Space Station is making a series of evening passes over Europe and North America and it will join Jupiter and the Moon over many towns and cities. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker to find out when to look: http://spaceweather.com/flybys

COLLIDING STORM UPDATE: Earlier this month, Jupiter's Little Red Spot got caught between two larger storms (the Great Red Spot and Oval BA), and the Little Red Spot was destroyed. Or was it? New amateur photos of Jupiter show that the Little Red Spot may be re-forming. Not only that, it seems to be drifting back toward the Great Red Spot for a second collision. Updates will be posted on http://spaceweather.com as the storms converge anew.

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (15 July 2008)

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (15 July 2008)
------------------------------------------------------------------------


New Features:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/

* Siberia Blog 2008
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/SiberiaBlog2008/
Scientists on a remote river in Siberia send field reports of their expedition to study the impacts of fire and climate change on northern forests and tundra.

* American Carbon: Vulcan Project Maps Nation's Fossil Fuel Emissions in Detail
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AmericanCarbon/
The Vulcan Project maps when and where Americans burn fossil fuels.

--------------------

In the News:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/

* Latest Images:
Global Ocean Wind Energy Potential
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18090

Siskiyou Complex Fire, Northern California
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18089

Siberian Expedition 2008: Kotuykan River
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18088

Conakry, Guinea
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18087

Piute Fire, Sequoia National Forest
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18086

Annual Carbon Emissions in the United States
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18085

Hurricane Bertha
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18084

Algal Bloom along the Coast of China
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18083

* NASA News
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/
- NASA Responds to California Wildfire Emergency Imaging Request
- NASA Imagery of Fire and Smoke
- Summer Storms Could Mean More Dead Zones
- Ocean Wind Power Maps Reveal Possible Wind Energy Sources
- NASA Mission to be Crystal Ball into Oceans' Future, Mirror to the Past
- New Mission Helps Offshore Industries Dodge Swirling Waters

* Media Alerts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
- Icelandic Volcanoes Help Researchers Understand Potential Effects of Eruptions
- Projected California Warming Promises Cycle of More Heat Waves, Energy Use for Next Century
- One-Third of Reef-Building Corals Face Extinction
- First Broad Look at Soot from Ships
- Early Earthquake Warning: New Tools Show Promise
- Human Influences Challenge Penguin Populations
- Unravelling the 'Inconvenient Truth' of Glacier Movement
- ESA Satellite Assesses Damage of Norway's Largest Fire
- Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming
- Destruction of greenhouse gases over tropical Atlantic
- Air Monitoring Helps Anticipate Possible Ecosystem Changes

* Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/
- Arctic Ice: Going, Going ...
- Squid, Lobster Numbers Rise as Fish Fall Due to Warming
- Earth's Core, Magnetic Field Changing Fast
- A Holistic Approach to Saving the Sea
- Climate Race Separates the Weeds from the Trees
- Plants "Climbing" Mountains Due to Global Warming
- Tropical Ocean Sucks Up Vast Amounts of Ozone
- How Overfishing can Alter an Ocean's Entire Ecosystem
- Why Flooding Worsens
- New Pieces in the Climate-Change Puzzle
- Major Lion Die-Offs Linked to Climate Change
- Arctic Volcanoes Exploded at 'Impossible' Depth




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Earth Observatory weekly mailing -- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

What's wrong with the Sun?

NASA Science News for July 11, 2008
The sun is entering its third year of eerie calm. Sunspots are rare and solar flares simply aren't happening. Is this "solar minimum" lasting longer than it should? A NASA scientist has examined centuries of sunspot data to find the answer, revealed in today's story from Science@NASA:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/11jul_solarcycleupdate.htm?list874246

got this via email

Space Weather News for July 9, 2008

Space Weather News for July 9, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

JUPITER AT ITS BRIGHTEST: Jupiter reaches maximum brilliance this week, on July 9th, when it makes its closest approach to Earth for all of 2008. At sunset, look low and southeast for a beacon of light brighter than any star. That is Jupiter rising for an all-night transit across the southern sky. During this time of closest approach, Jupiter makes a wonderful target for backyard telescopes. Even small telescopes reveal the planet's cloud belts, its four largest moons, and the Great Red Spot, an anti-cyclone twice as wide as Earth. Just a few days ago, the Great Red Spot ran over a sibling, the Little Red Spot, and may have destroyed the smaller storm. Amateur images of the collision are featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (08 July 2008)

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (08 July 2008)
------------------------------------------------------------------------


In the News:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/

* Latest Images:
Algal Bloom along the Coast of China
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18083

Flooding in Des Moines, Iowa
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18082

Shiretoko Peninsula
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18081

Activity on Mount Etna
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18080

Dakar, Senegal
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18079

Toshka Lakes, Egypt
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18078

Basin Complex Fire Near Big Sur, California
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18077

Southern Ocean Carbon Sink
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18076




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Earth Observatory weekly mailing -- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

A crescent Moon joins Saturn, Mars, and Regulus

The sky this month


A crescent Moon joins Saturn, Mars, and Regulus

Astronomy: Roen Kelly

Binoculars will reveal a beautiful color contrast between orange Mars and bluish-white Regulus. Set against twilight's deepening azure sky, this is one of the summer's finest binocular sights. On July 4, enjoy the "red, white, and blue" of Mars, Regulus, and the early evening sky as America celebrates Independence Day.

Each night, Mars pulls farther from Regulus and draws closer to Saturn. On July 5, when the three objects span a straight line 5° long, they're joined by the 3-day-old crescent Moon 5° below Regulus. The next night, the Moon glows nearly 7° to the left of Mars.

Watch over the following 4 nights as Mars edges toward its July 10 conjunction with Saturn. Then, only about 0.7° separates the two worlds and both will be visible in a telescope's low-power field of view. Here's an opportunity to study a new color contrast, but a more subtle one. Compare Mars' orange hue to Saturn's wan, yellowish tint. Can you spot the difference?

Saturn, shining at magnitude 0.8, is nearly a full magnitude brighter than Mars. This is the ringed planet's last month of visibility before it slips into the solar glare. The Sun will hide Saturn for about 2 months before the planet reappears in the morning sky. Saturn remains so low that telescopic viewing won't reveal much in the early evening's unstable air. But take a quick glimpse at the planet's narrowing rings. They'll be even more edge-on when Saturn reappears in the fall.


Hoping for a clear sky! Happy 4th! :)

Planets Align for the 4th of July.. Don't forget! :)

NASA Science News for July 1, 2008
Look beyond the fireworks on 4th of July weekend. A trio of worlds is converging for a pretty sunset sky show.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/01jul_4thofjuly.htm?list874246


July 1, 2008: News Flash: On 4th of July weekend, NASA forecasts lights in the sky.

No, not those lights. Look beyond the fireworks. Almost halfway up the western sky, just above the twilight glow of sunset, a trio of worlds is gathering: Saturn, Mars and the crescent Moon.



Above: Fireworks over Jodrell Bank, England, on the 2008 summer solstice. Photo credit: Andrew Greenwood.

The show gets going on Friday, July 4th. Red Mars and ringed Saturn converge just to the left of the bright star Regulus. The three lights make a pretty 1st-magnitude line in the heavens: sky map.


Sign up for EXPRESS SCIENCE NEWS delivery

But that is just the beginning. On Saturday, July 5th, with weekend fireworks at fever pitch, a lovely crescent Moon joins the show. Saturn, Mars, and the Moon trace an even brighter line than the night before: sky map.

Scan a small telescope along the line. You'll see Saturn's rings, the little red disk of Mars, a grand sweep of lunar mountains and craters, and just maybe—flash!—a manmade incendiary. How often do you see fireworks through a telescope?

This is, however, more than just a flashy gathering of planets—it is also a gathering of spaceships and robots.

Each of the three worlds is orbited or inhabited by probes from Earth. Saturn has the Cassini spacecraft, studying the gas giant's storms, moons and rings. The Moon has two probes in orbit: Kaguya from Japan and Chang'e-1 from China. The pair, operating independently, are mapping the Moon and scanning for resources in advance of future human landings. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will join them later this year.

Right: An artist's concept of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter slated to launch later this year. [more]

Mars has more probes than the others combined. Three active satellites orbit the red planet: Europe's Mars Express and NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The three not only study Mars with their own instruments, but also form a satellite network in support of NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity and Mars lander Phoenix.

None of these mechanical specks are visible in a backyard telescope, but they are there, heralds of a growing human presence in the solar system. Tell that to your buddy at the fireworks show!

During the short night of July 5th, the Moon glides past Mars and Saturn so that nightfall on Sunday, July 6th, brings a different arrangement—a scalene triangle. The triad is easy to find in the hours after sunset. Look west and let the Moon be your guide: sky map.

In the nights that follow, the Moon exits stage left, leaving the others behind. Don't stop watching, though. Saturn and Mars are converging for their closest encounter of the next 14 years. After nightfall on Thursday, July 10th, the two planets will be just ¾ of a degree apart, snug enough to fit behind the tip of your pinky finger held at arm's length: sky map.

Now that's spectacular—no fireworks required.

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (01 July 2008)

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (01 July 2008)
------------------------------------------------------------------------


New Features:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/

* The Ocean's Carbon Balance
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/OceanCarbon/
The amount of carbon dioxide that the ocean can take from the atmosphere is controlled by both natural cycles and human activity.

--------------------

In the News:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/

* Latest Images:
Southern Ocean Carbon Sink
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18076

Regional Patterns of Sea Level Change 1993-2007
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18075

Santorini Volcano, Greece
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18074

Urbanization of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18073

Rainfall from Typhoon Fengshen
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18072

Forest Fires in California
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18071

Mississippi River Floods Gulfport, Illinois
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18070

Launch of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18069

* Media Alerts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
- Destruction of Greenhouse Gases Over Tropical Atlantic
- Geologists Discover Signs of Volcanoes Blowing Their Tops in the Deep Ocean
- Climate Change Could Severely Impact California's Unique Native Plants
- Greenland Ice Core Analysis Shows Drastic Climate Change Near End of Last Ice Age
- Ocean Warming on the Rise
- Nitrogen Discovery Should Help Climate Change Predictions
- Ocean Temperatures and Sea Level Increases 50 Percent Higher Than Previously Estimated

* Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/
- Climate Change Threatens Two-Thirds of California's Unique Plants
- Antarctic Sticks Out Huge Annual Ice 'Tongue'
- Resonating With the Ocean
- First Antarctic Map Sent to National Archives
- Early Earth Marred by Acid Rain
- More Extreme Weather Expected for U.S.
- Global Warming to Spark Increase in U.S. Wildfires
- Greenland Ice Offers Clues to Last Big Melt
- Ocean-Monitoring Satellite Blasts Off From California
- Greenland Ice Shows Rapid Climate Flips
- Earth May Have Supported Life Earlier in History
- Oceans Warming Faster Than Realized
- New Lookouts for Climate Change
- Arctic Sea Ice Melting Even Faster
- Space Cameras to Monitor Forests
- Harsh Climate Scoured Early Earth
- Did Sea Level Flux Drive Mass Extinctions?




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Earth Observatory weekly mailing -- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/