Welcome!

Astronomical Events- September/October 2003- 

Mars, continues to put on a great show and you can look at all the latest images that are coming in from all over the globe, by going to this website: 

http://elvis.rowan.edu/marswatch/images/marswatch

Simply; there is still time to observe Mars and see some amazing sights. Don't miss it! 

ASTRONOMY: 

Breaking News!!! 
Closest Asteroid Pass To Earth Confirmed! 

On September 27th, 2003 small asteroid the size of a small "SUV" was discovered by a friend of "Dr.Sky". Bob Cash of Minor Planet Research, Inc., discovered the small "rock" by using his home computer and some serious software. The small asteroid, is known as 2003 SQ 222 and passed closer to the Earth, than any known asteroid. This historic passage of within 78,000 km of the Earth, is a RECORD. We want to wish Bob, all the best and hope that others will be inspired to continue to search the skies for these types of NEO's, etc, 

To learn more about this discovery, please visit these sites: 

http://www.minorplanetresearch.org/ 
http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1068_1.asp 
http://pinpoint.dc3.com/ 
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/Closest.html 
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/asteroid_close_031006.html 

SPACE- 

China Set To Launch Man Into Space- 

The Chinese are close to launching a man into space. Recent activity with the Chinese space program, offers some clues into the short term possibility that we 
will see a manned launch soon! 

To get all the important details, please visit these links: 

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/china_launch_031010.html 
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/china_aldrin_031010.html 
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/china_lunar_031007.html 
http://www.spaceref.com/focuson/china/ 
http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/china/ 

AVIATION- 

Burt Rutan is building a series of spaceplanes and delivery systems for these spacecraft! Please check out this very interesting website
: 
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/ 

WEATHER- 

Here is a great compilation of weather related stories and links: 

http://www.mapreport.com/subtopics/d/h.html 

Moon- 

First Quarter- October 2nd 
Full Moon- October 9th (Full Hunter's Moon) 
Last Quarter Moon- October 18th 
New Moon- October 25th 
First Quarter- October 31st (Happy Halloween) 

Planets- 

Mercury- In the glare of the sun 
Venus- Low in the SW at the end of the month 
Mars- Bright in the SE at sunset 
Jupiter- Low in the E at dawn 
Saturn- Rising near midnight in the NE 
Uranus- Near Mars, in the SE at sunset, faint 

Orionind Meteor shower will peak on the morning of October 21st, look to the E after 2AM till dawn. For more information, please visit this link: 

http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/orionids.html 

Astronomical Events- August 2003

Welcome! 
The month of MARS is here at last! 
Observers will have a very rare opportunity to view the planet Mars in all of it's splendor and see it closer to Earth than it has been in well over 50,000 years. 
To learn all about this close passage of Mars, please review these interesting links: 
http://elvis.rowan.edu/marswatch/ 
http://elvis.rowan.edu/marswatch/images/2003-07_5.html 
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_982_1.asp 

"Dr.Sky" will be posting some exciting events around our public programs for "Mars Mania 2003", right here in the Phoenix metro area, stay tuned for the listing! 

Perseid Meteor Shower- 

The annual Perseid meteor shower will take place on the nights of August 12-13. This years shower will be spoiled by the light of the full moon. You still may get to 
see some meteors, by looking to the NE just after midnight on the 12th and into the morning of the 13th. This shower will be active for at least five day's on either side of the peak (August 13th). To learn more about this shower, please visit this link: 
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/perseids.html 

Uranus and Neptune Reach Opposition- 

Two important planets that are close to Mars in the summer sky, are Uranus and Neptune. These are exciting planets and they come to opposition in August. Uranus on August 23rd. and Neptune on August 3rd. 
To help find these planets, please look into these links: 
http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/309wufhx.asp 
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/SolarSys/UranNept.htm 
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/surprise_planets_021007.html 

SPACE- 
At least five spacecraft are on the way to Mars and you can follow the latest with ALL these exciting missions, by visiting these links: 

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/race_to_mars_maps.html 

Life appears to be good on the International Space Station and the current mission is going well. You can make your own personal visit to the ISS and see what is going on, by visiting these links: 

http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/EXPEDITION7/Expd-7_PKit.pdf 
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp7/030424overview/ 
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ 

AVIATION- 
The X Prize competition is heating up! This month, "Dr.Sky" introduces you to the current offerings of legendary aviator, Bert Rutan and his Scaled Composites Company. 
Please check out this link: 

http://www.scaled.com/ 

The summer of 2003 is a great time to see many airshows. For the latest in airshows, please visit this link: 

http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com/events/july_2003.htm 
http://www.f4aviation.co.uk/preview.htm 

WEATHER- 
Follow the latest in global weather from El Nino to La Nina and beyond and the fire's that are going on in the western USA and beyond: 

http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/ 
http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/lanina.html 
http://www.nifc.gov/ 

Moon- 

First Quarter- August 5th 
Full Moon- August 12th 
Last Quarter- August 20th 
New Moon- August 27th 

Planets- 

Mercury- Mercury is well placed for observers in the NW on the night of the 14th 
Venus- Too close to the Sun to be seen easily 
Mars- SIMPLY THE BEST! Look to the SE at 10PM at the start of August! BRIGHT! 
Jupiter-Too close to the Sun to be seen easily 
Uranus- Reaches opposition on the night of August 23rd. in Aquarius 
Neptune-Reaches opposition on the night of August 3rd. in Capricornus 

July 2003

ASTRONOMY- 
The major story in the sky is the ongoing MARS MANIA 2003 story! Mars will be at 
it's best during the next few months and you should begin your observations of the 
red planet NOW! 
Please refer to our front page coverage of this important story as you can learn a lot about Mars and how best to see it! 
To get the latest details, please visit this site: 

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/mars_observing_030613.html 

July has a wealth of other sky objects to look at! We have the summer sky in all of it's splendor. Moonless nights are a great time to look to the S sky and see the star 
clouds of the Milky Way. If you are lucky and away from city lights, you will be looking at the center of our Milky Way galaxy in the constellation of Sagittarius. This 
also is a great time to scan this region in a pair of binoculars. 
Here are some links on this very subject that I feel you will enjoy:
 
http://members.aol.com/nlpjp/sumilk.htm
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/milky_way_020712.html 

SPACE- 
At least five spacecraft are on the way to Mars and you can follow the latest with ALL these exciting missions, by visiting these links: 

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/race_to_mars_maps.html 

Life appears to be good on the International Space Station and the current mission is going well. You can make your own personal visit to the ISS and see what is going on, by visiting these links: 

http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/EXPEDITION7/Expd-7_PKit.pdf 
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp7/030424overview/
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ 

AVIATION- 
The X Prize competition is heating up! This month, "Dr.Sky" introduces you to the current offerings of legendary aviator, Bert Rutan and his Scaled Composites Company. 
Please check out this link: 

http://www.scaled.com/ 

The summer of 2003 is a great time to see many airshows. For the latest in airshows, please visit this link: 

http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com/events/july_2003.htm 
http://www.f4aviation.co.uk/preview.htm 

WEATHER- 
Follow the latest in global weather from El Nino to La Nina and beyond and the fire's that are going on in the western USA and beyond: 

http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/ 
http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/lanina.html 
http://www.nifc.gov/

Moon- 
First Quarter- July 6th 
Full Moon- July 13th 
Last Quarter- July 21st 
New Moon- July 29th 

Planets- 
Mercury- In superior conjunction (July 5th) Visible low in the NW at month's end. 
Venus- Low in the NE before sunrise 
Mars- THE planet of the month, look the SE at 11PM by mid month! DO NOT MISS IT! 
Jupiter- Low in the NW at sunset 
Saturn- In the sun's glare 

To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links: 

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ 
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtm

May/June

Observers around the world had the opportunity to see 2 eclipses during the month of May. The first was the lunar eclipse on the night of May 15-16 and the second was a rare annular eclipse of the sun! 
The solar eclipse is one of the strangest, in the fact that ONLY observers within a very small area of the globe will be able to see this annular eclipse. The narrow shadow casts itself on the nation of Iceland and parts of Greenland. A large portion of the globe will be seeing a partial eclipse, but none of this will be visible to observers in the USA. 
To learn more about the particulars of this "strange" annular eclipse, please visit this link: 

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/ASE2003/ASE2003.html 

Mars is starting to become a planet to look at! Mars will be very exciting, starting 
in early June of 2003. 
With summer well underway, it's time to look at and prepare for the coming of the planet Mars! 
Mars is now an easy naked eye object for observers looking in the SE sky around local midnight and by the end of the month of July, the "God of War" makes us aware of his bright red-orange light, by 10PM local time. 
This IS the time to start to prepare for the majesty of Mars and get to see this most 
famous planet at it's best in thousands of years. 
Mars will reach it's opposition to Earth on the night of August 27th, when the planet 
will be only 34,646,418 miles from Earth. 
During the month of July, we will be looking down on the southern hemisphere of the planet and the Martian southern polar cap will be getting smaller and visible in small telescopes as a white dot! 
An amazing event will occur with the planet Mars and the Moon on the morning of July 17th. Mars will pass VERY close to the upper edge of the moon and for some observers, the Moon will occult or eclipse Mars. This will occur from around 5AM EDT/2AM PDT for observers in the USA. 
Mars Mania will start to infect even the most casual observers as this is the year that we launch new rovers to the planet in the form of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission which may have launched already as you are reading this. The twin rovers will land on Mars in January 2004. "Dr.Sky" is a proud, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and I will have a lot of information about this mission on our website at www.drsky.com , in the coming months. 
The rovers will be searching for the answer to the questions of water on the surface 
of Mars during it's past. 
This is a great technological event for all mankind and one that may drive more web hits to the NASA servers than the Pathfinder mission in 1997. 
The idea of Mars having intelligent life, was first presented to the world by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli in the late 19th century as he observed the ever changing polar caps. Schiaparelli thought that he saw a delicate grid of waterways or "canals" on the surface of the planet. These "canals" could only be built by some type of higher intelligence and thus, we get the idea of Martian's or little green men. 
Do you believe that Mars has or had life in any form? This is the year to pay attention to the planet and live and learn about the "Red Planet", because some young student out there reading this column, may one day be among the first humans to visit this planet. Remember our curiosity and interest with Mars in the summer of 2003! 
God Speed to the crews of this first mission! 

Moon- June 2003 
First Quarter- June 7th 
Full Moon- (Full Honeymoon) June13th 
Last Quarter- June 21st 
New Moon- June 29th 

Planets- June 2003 
Mercury- Low in the NE before sunrise 
Venus- Bright, in the NE before sunrise 
Mars- Rising in the SE after 1AM 
Jupiter- High in the W at sunset 
Saturn- Low in the W at sunset 

Moon-July 2003 
First Quarter- July 6th 
Full Moon- (Full Buck Moon) July 13th 
Last Quarter- July 21st 
New Moon- July 28th 

Planets- July 2003 
Mercury- Low in the W at sunset 
Venus- Low in the NE before sunrise 
Mars- Bright, rising in the SE at 11PM 
Jupiter- Low in the W at sunset 
Saturn- Low in the NE before sunrise 
Conjunction with Venus on July 8th. 


To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links:
 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ 
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml 

Space Highlights- 
A new crew will be sent to the International Space Station at the end of the month! 
With the lack of a Space Shuttle to deliver the crew and depart the old crew, the Russians will be using the tried and tested Soyuz rocket system and will deliver a 
smaller crew of only 2, for the next Expedition 7 mission. To learn more about this 
mission, please visit these links: 

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/next_launch.html 
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp7/index.html 
http://www.edlu.com 

Aviation Highlights: 

With the major portion of the war over in Iraq, it's now time to think of some new types of aircraft technology. Learn more about the latest military aircraft the current generation of X-Planes, as "Dr.Sky" takes you on an amazing journey, via this excellent link: 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/xplanes/ 

Weather Highlights: 

The subject of Global Warming is a very important one, no matter what side of the debate you are on. Take a journey and learn the latest about this most incredible 
subject matter: 

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html 

Above Top Secret- 

For those of you that need your conspiracy pages, "Dr.Sky" has selected the best in his opinion: 

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/ 

Dr.Sky is President of Dr.Sky.com,Inc. a multimedia company, that offers full audio/ 
video production as well as a full line of telescopes and equipment. If you would like to have Dr.Sky as your corporate speaker, Star Party with Multimedia Experience 
or school speaker, please contact Sierra Kamela at 480 563-0284 or at skamela@cox.net

April 2003

The month of April is a time for skywatching! The weather has warmed up enough in the Northern Hemisphere, making a wonderful setting to see some of the more interesting and important object in the sky! 
The mystery of the topic of Daylight Saving Time is now upon us for most of the nation. Did you know that this a relative newcomer to our calendar and it's not unique to the USA only. Some parts of the nation do NOT go on DST, like Arizona 
and some portions of Indiana. Please check out these interesting links, to learn more about the history of DST and why we have it!

http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/ 
http://www.timechange.com/dls/dls1.html 
Much of the USA goes on DST at 2AM on Sunday morning, April 6th. 

Jupiter and Saturn are some of the most amazing planets in the solar system! Both 
of these gas giants can be seen in the April sky and a lot of detail can be detected 
in even the smallest of scopes. 
Jupiter and Saturn also have some of the most interesting satellites and the numbers of them keep growing.It's actually hard to keep up with the latest discoveries and the number of moons. 
To get an accurate view of this subject, please visit this link:
 
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_827_1.asp

We have only seen some six or so modern supernovae in what appears as recorded history. The most famous of these seems to be the star that exploded back on July 4th. 1054 and created the current "Crab Nebulae". Astronomers are now telling us of a star that is just starting to "heat up" and may one day become a similar beacon in vast ocean of the Milky Way. The star, Rho Cassiopeiae; is located in the northern constellation of Cassiopea and may start to brighten over the next few months! This is the general area of another great supernovae that occurred back on Nov 9. 1572 and is also known as "Tycho's Star". 
To learn more about finding this interesting star and what it all means, please visit this link: 

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/variablestars/article_843_1.asp 

A small but interesting meteor shower will take place on the morning of April 21-22. 
Look to the NE after midnight and you will be looking at the region, with the bright star Vega as a guide. The Lyrid's are one of the oldest of the meteor showers and 
the first sightings go back to the Chinese, over 2,000 years ago. What can you expect? and what will they look like. "Dr.Sky" suggests that you look at this excellent link on the Lyrids: 

http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/lyrids.html 

Get ready for the first of two major total lunar eclipses. The first, a total lunar eclipse, will take place on the night of May 15-16 and bee visible over a large portion of the USA. 
To learn more about these events, please visit this link: 

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2003.html 

Moon- 
New Moon- April 1st 
First Quarter- April 9th 
Full Moon- April 16th 
Last Quarter- April 23rd 
Happy Easter and Passover to all! 

Planets- 
Mercury- Best Showing in all 2003 in evening sky! Look to the W after sunset. Mercury will be some 20 degrees from the sun on the 16th. 
Venus- Low in the E at dawn. 
Mars- Getting brighter as in now appears in the morning sky low in the SE at dawn. 
Jupiter- High in the S at sunset. 
Saturn- High in the W at sunset. 
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links: 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ 
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml 

March 2003 

The month of March gives us the annual seasonal change from Winter to Spring. This event, known as the Vernal Equinox has a rich history behind it. The days and nights seem to be equal at the time of this event . This year, observers in the Northern Hemisphere see the change of the seasons on March 20th, at 6PM MST. 
To learn more about the history of the Vernal Equinox, please visit these links: 
http://www.equinox-and-solstice.com/html/vernal_equinox.html 
http://thunder.prohosting.com/~cbarstow/ostara.html 
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/egg_spin.html 

During the past decade, the month of March had been a great one for seeing some 
bright and unusual comets. The comets, Hayakutake and Hale-Bopp graced our skies in 1997 and 1998 and Dr.Sky remembers them well! 
When will we get a new comet with the same dynamics as these two "Great" comets?  No one knows, for sure, but here is are a series of links that will remind you of these two great comets and lets hope and pray for more like them soon! 
http://cometography.com/current_comets.html 
http://cometography.com/past_comets.html 
http://cometography.com/lcomets/1996b2.html 
http://cometography.com/lcomets/1995o1.html 
http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/bright_comet.html 

A new small comet has been discovered and is visible in the early evening sky this month.  The comet, C2002-Y1 will be visible in small telescopes and binoculars. To learn more, please visit this link: 
http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/242adtwg.asp 

Moon- 
New Moon- March 3rd 
First Quarter- March 10th 
Full Moon- March 18th 
Last Quarter- March 25th 

Planets- 
Mercury-Low in the E before dawn 
Venus- Low in the E before dawn 
Mars- Low in the S at sunrise. Close to the Lagoon Nebula in early March 
Jupiter- High in the NE at sunset 
Saturn- High in the S at sunset 

To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links: 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ 
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml

February 2003

The shortest month of the year is one of the most exciting as we welcome you to 
great views of the planet Jupiter. Jupiter will be THE planet for the month as it reaches opposition on the night of the 2nd. Jupiter will be well placed in a small telescope at it will ride high in the constellation of Cancer, During this opposition, 
Jupiter will be some 405 million miles from the Earth and be in the sky ALL night 
during this exciting period. Jupiter is the KING of the planets and in a small telescope you might get to see 4 of the basic moons. 
To learn more about Jupiter and it's mystery, please visit these links: 
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/jupiter.html 

Speaking of the shortest of months, the month of February has some very interesting 
history and one that needs to be shared. To learn more about the month of February and it's meaning, please visit these links: 
http://www.crowl.org/Lawrence/time/months.html 
http://www.umkc.edu/imc/february.htm 

The sad events surrounding the loss of shuttle Columbia will be with us for a long time to come, as 
we continue to look into the causes of the accident in space! To learn the latest regarding this event, please refer to these links: 
http://www.space.com/columbiatragedy/ 
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/ 
http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/COL_debris_pix.html 

The Chinese are working on getting a man in space and the latest on these missions can be looked at by going to this site: 
http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/china/ 
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/chidoors.htm 
http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/030217122200.byu0cm0x.html

The month of February is an exciting one as you can follow this link to keep up on all the comets and meteor showers that may be seen: 
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/february_radiants.html
http://cometography.com/current_comets.htm
 
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links: 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ 
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml 

Moon- 
New Moon- February 1st 
First Quarter- February 9th 
Full Moon- February 16th 
Last Quarter- February 23rd 

Planets- 
Mercury-High in the SE before dawn during the first week 
Venus- Bright in the Se before dawn 
Mars- Faint and to the upper right of Venus 
Jupiter- At opposition on the 3rd, in the sky ALL night. Bright in the NE at sunset 
Saturn- High in the S at sunset 

January 2003

Happy New Year! 
"Dr.Sky" is looking forward to a very exciting new year and promises to make this one of the best in terms of working towards our goal of regular content updates and the introduction of our e-commerce store as well as the launch of our new website ; drsky.tv . This is a very exciting time to be reporting on these "realms" and I am looking forward to a new series of public outreach programs in the Phoenix area, as well as speaking engagements in select locations around the nation. If you or your organization is interested in more details about these select programs, please send an e-mail to : steve@drsky.com 
Look for more exciting products and services in 2003! 

Now on to the skies of January 2003! 
The Chinese are ready to send a "man" into space. The recent launch of the Shenzhou 4 spacecraft has paved the way for the Chinese to launch the next in a series of "manned" craft. It appears that a manned launch could come as early as 
February 1st. 2003, in celebration of Chinese new year. To learn the latest on the future of the Chinese manned space program and to learn the name of the first Chinese man in space, please visit these links: 
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/chidoors.htm 
http://www.spacedaily.com/china.html 
http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/china/ 
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/chen_long_030106.html 

Saturn is a great planet to see in the January skies and will actually cross the Crab 
Nebulae on the night of January 4-5. The planet is located high in the E at sunset and a wonderful sigh to see in a small telescope. Try and observe Saturn in at least 
a 4 inch diameter telescope, so as to see the most ring detail. To learn more about Saturn and how best to view it, please visit these links: 
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_304_1.asp 
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/saturn.html 
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/ 

January is a great time to look and see some comets. On any given night, you will find a series of comets that are within reach of small telescopes. These periodic comets, are most interesting to watch and take little experience in finding in the sky. 
Here are some links of common comets that are visible: 
http://cometography.com/current_comets.html 
http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/
 
Venus is the bright object that appears in the morning sky in the SE. Venus will be 
at it's farthest from the rising sun (some 47 degrees) on the morning of the 10th. Venus shines with such brilliance, due to the reflectivity of the clouds in it's atmosphere. To learn more about this important planet, please visit this link: 
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/venus.html 

To stay in touch with the latest from the ISS (Expedition 6), please visit this website: 
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ 

Moon- 
New Moon- January 2nd 
First Quarter- January 10th 
Full Moon- January 18th 
Last Quarter- January 25th 

Planets- 
Mercury- At Inferior Conjunction on the 11th (Not Visible) 
Venus- Bright, look high in the SE before sunrise (Best on the 10th) 
Mars- Faint, to the right of Venus 
Jupiter- Bright, rising in the NE after 9PM 
Saturn- High in the NE at sunset 

To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links: 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ 
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml 

December 2002

The last year of the month is filled with interesting sky objects and events! Just when you thought that the year was finished with meteor showers, we get to see one or two showers before the end of the year.
Look high in the NE sky starting on the night of December 13th for the peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower. This shower will be at it's peak on the morning of
December 14th. To learn more about the Geminids, please visit this link:
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/geminids.html
The other main shower of the month is known as the Ursids. This shower peaks on or about December 22nd and is visible in the northern sky, all night. To learn about the Ursids, please visit this link:
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/ursids.html

Saturn is at it's best for observers all month! The ringed planet will come closer to the Earth than it has in many years and reaches opposition on the night of the 17th. Saturn is an easy object to see, rising in the NE at sunset and visible all night. NOW is the time to view this amazing planet in all of it's glory. To learn the latest about Saturn, please visit these links:
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/saturn.html
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/pxsat.html

The good folks at JPL have put together a most amazing solar system simulator that makes you feel like you are right there in space. To take this interesting journey, please visit this site:
http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/

"Dr.Sky" wishes you these best for a great holidays season and a most prosperous 2003. Next year will be the year of Mars and the 100th. anniversary of manned powered flight.

Moon-
New Moon- December 4th
First Quarter- December 11th
Full Moon- December 19th (Long Night Moon)
Last Quarter- December 27th

Planets-
Mercury- High in the SW at sunset Dec 25th
Venus- Bright in the SE before sunrise
Jupiter- Bright in the NE after 10PM
Saturn- Bright in the NE at sunset (Opposition Dec 17th) Best in a Decade

November 2002

It's hard to believe that the arrival of the 2002 Leonids are just around the corner!
It was only last year, that millions of observers around the world got to see one of the
BEST meteor showers of the past 25 years or more!

Get set for another wonderful sight and even though the moon will be a factor this year, "Dr.Sky" suggests that we may in store for some very high meteor rates as well as some very bright "Earthgrazers" and "Fireballs".

North American observers should be on "Meteor Watch" on the night of November 18th, from late night to the early hours of the 19th, as this shower may produce a very large "peak" from about 5:30AM EST/ 2:30AM PST. If this does occur, we may get to see well over 500 meteors or more, per hour in spite of the nearly full moon.
To learn about the latest predictions and when and how to look, please check out these links:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/leonids_lowdown_021101.html
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/leonids_tips_021107-1.html
http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/
http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/leonidlinks.html
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/leonidprediction.html
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/leonids.html
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/leonids_science_021112.html
Enjoy the Leonids and let see or hear about your experiences via photo's or e-mails
about what you saw.
We may run these on the website in future editions and add them into the new and
upcoming website, www.drsky.tv , coming to a computer near you!!!

The Chinese are looking to place a man in space and may be very close to doing this, as we await the launch of the next Chinese "Shenzhou" rocket and spacecraft,
the Shenzhou 4.
If all goes well, the Chinese may be closer to placing a man in space that most people had thought.
To follow the latest on this mission, please visit these links:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/shenzhou_update_021111.html
http://www.spacedaily.com/china.html

Stay in touch with ALL the latest that is going on with the next launch of the Space Shuttle to the ISS. The next mission to launch is STS-113, due to launch during the first few weeks of November.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/liftoff.html
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-113/sts-113-patch.jpg

And finally this month, Mars will be in the news next year as it comes closer to the Earth than it has in the past 1,000 years and with Mars fever starting to heat up ,it's NOW time to look at the next robotic spacecraft that will journey to the Red Planet in 2003, the Mars Exploration Rover Mission of 2003.
Recently, "Dr.Sky" had a personal tour of this craft at JPL in California and I must say that I was most impressed by the tour and the facility.
To learn more about the craft and it's mission, please visit these links:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/missions/announce2.html
http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/2003/
http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Moon-
New Moon- November 4th
First Quarter- November 11th
Full Moon- November 19th (Penumbral Eclipse of Moon)
Last Quarter- November 27th

Planets-
Venus- Low in the Se before dawn
Jupiter- Rising in the NE after midnight
Saturn- Bright (Yellow in Color) Rising in the ENE after 9PM
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml
"Always Remember To Keep Your Eyes To The Skies"

October 2002-

The skies of October offer some of the years best viewing! The weather of October
over much of the USA is clear and cool, thus offering a great opportunity to see some of the fainter sky objects. "Dr.Sky" suggests that you begin your observation sessions by looking low in the SW after sunset. This month offers some great views of the planet Venus as she gets lower in the sky with each passing day of the month. In a small telescope you will be able to see a rather large crescent shaped Venus and one that appears to have some dimension to it. Try spotting Venus as it gets close to the glare of the sun and see how long you can see it, before it reaches inferior conjunction, by months end.
To learn more about Venus and it's wonders, please visit this link:
http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/holst/venus.au

The International Space Station is providing some great views to observers on the ground and if you have NOT made the effort to see this wonderful object in your sky, please try and see it! Some observers are now seeing detail and structure on the ISS as it passes over
them and some have even done this with small telescopes and video camera's.

To learn more about this, please visit these links:
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/track/seesat.htm
http://www.hobbyspace.com/SatWatching/

During the month of October, we will see the launch of another Shuttle Mission. This mission, STS- 112, which is scheduled to launch by at least October 7th after a number of delays. This is a key construction mission for the ISS and all the details can be learned by going to this exciting link:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/
From the world of aviation, we learn that the government is beefing up it's use of the unmanned type of aircraft known as the UAV- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. These small robot craft are in use with the US Military and will be used to great advantage in any future Iraq war plans.

To learn more about UAV's, please visit these links:
http://www.unmannedaircraft.com/
http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/uav.htm
Finally, for those of you that have an eye to the sky and have concerns about El-Nino, "Dr.Sky" suggests this important link:
http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/

Moon-
New Moon- October 5th
First Quarter-October 12th
Full Moon- October 20th (Full Hunters Moon)
Last Quarter- October 29th

Planets-
Mercury- Low in the Se before sunrise
Venus- Low in the SW at sunset
Jupiter- High in the NE before sunrise
Saturn- Rising near 10PM local time in the NE
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml
To learn more about the other major events in the October skies, please visit this link:
www.skypub.com

Astronomical Events- September 2002

September offers some great views of your sky and we see a change of the seasons on September 23rd at 12:55AM EDT, as summer changes to autumn. This is a most interesting time for sky observers, as the days and nights appear to be in harmony; at least from the total amount of light and darkness.
If you ever wanted to learn about the seasons and what they mean and how we calculate the seasons, please visit these links:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.html
http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/calendar/september/shubun.html
http://marple.as.utexas.edu/~ideas/equinoxdoc.html

The news is full of NEA's and PHA's (Asteroids that get too close to the Earth). What can be done about an asteroid that comes too close to the Earth? Not, much! At least not until a Spanish aerospace firm has decided to tackle the problem, head on!!

The Deimos-Space company of Spain, has decided to start working on a mission known as the Don Quixote mission that would in effect send two small spacecraft to a near-earth asteroid and one craft would hit it at high speed, the other would observe for any changes that would be part of the collision.

This would tell mission planners what could be done if in fact a large body got too close to Earth. Simply, deflect the asteroid. This is a major step in looking to a solid plan of action in the event that an asteroid will be in our direct path. To learn more about this mission and what can be done, please visit these links:
http://www.deimos-space.com/Eng/main.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2166598.stm

You can follow ALL that is current with the ISS and the Expedition 5 crew, by going to this link:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp5/

Don't forget that the summer is a great time to follow some of the great airshows that are taking place all over the USA and the world. To find an airshow near you, please visit this link:
http://www.airshows-2002.com/
http://www.geocities.com/usair1489/schedules02.html
http://www.airsafetyonline.com/

Moon-
New Moon- September 6th
First Quarter- September 13th
Full Moon- September 21st (Harvest Moon)
Last Quarter-September 29th

Planets-
Mercury- Low in the E before sunrise
Venus- Bright, in the W at sunset
Saturn- Rising in the NE after 1AM
Jupiter- Bright, low in the E before sunrise.
Jupiter and the moon are close on September 4th
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml

To learn more about the other major events in the September skies, please visit this link:
www.skypub.com

"Always Remember To Keep Your Eyes To The Skies"

August:

August marks the peak of the summer season and this month has a lot of very interesting events to look at. We will be developing a new website in addition to the
www.drsky.com site. This new website will be known as, www.drsky.tv and will be
a very multimedia intense site with a lot of new and exciting offerings, including a very extensive e-commerce website with the kind of products and services that YOU
have been telling us you want!
Stay tuned for the launch of drsky.tv and SHOP drsky.tv!
Now, let's look at this month and see what is going on in the sky and with the other
"realms" as well!

August offers one of the BEST meteor showers of the entire year and you can look for the annual Perseid meteor shower, starting from August 9th-14th.All you need to do is look to the NE after midnight, for this is the time that the constellation Perseus will be rising.
On a dark moonless night, you may get to see upwards of 50 meteors per hour. The
peak of this shower is scheduled to be near 6PM EDT on the night of August 12th.
To get the maximum out of this shower, "Dr.Sky" suggests that you visit this link:
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/perseidobs.html

Observers with a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope, will be able to observe the NEA (Near Earth Asteroid), 2002 NY40, as it makes a pass in N hemisphere skies on the night of August 18th. This small 800 meter sized asteroid will pass just outside the moons distance from the Earth.The asteroid will appear as a 9th magnitude object moving a large distance across the sky in just some 6 hours. If
you ever wanted to this an object that comes this close to the Earth and have the time and patience, well this is the one to look for!
All is well for this event, except the bright moonlight will hamper the viewing just a bit.This is a GREAT time to see a rare asteroid make a pass by the earth, so don't miss it! To learn all about this asteroid, please visit this link:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/30jul_ny40.htm

You can follow ALL that is current with the ISS and the Expedition 5 crew, by going to this link:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp5/

Don't forget that the summer is a great time to follow some of the great airshows that are taking place all over the USA and the world. To find an airshow near you, please visit this link:
http://www.airshows-2002.com/
http://www.geocities.com/usair1489/schedules02.html

Moon

Last Quarter- August 1st
New Moon- August 8th
First Quarter- August 15th
Full Moon- August 22nd (Full Sturgeon Moon)
Last Quarter- August 30th

Planets

Venus- The only major planet in the evening sky.
Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation on the night of the 22nd (46 degrees from
the sun).
Jupiter and Saturn- Low in the E before dawn.
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml
To learn more about the other major events in the July skies, please visit this link:
www.skypub.com
"Always Remember To Keep Your Eyes To The Skies"

July's Astronomical Events

The wonders of the southern sky with the summer constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius will become very evident to the naked eye. The bright "clouds" that you see with the naked eye, are the many billions of stars and gas that make up our galaxy's center, located some 35,000 light years away.Here is an example of the wonders of the Milky Way:
http://www.exinet.co.za/travel/misc/comet3.htm

The July sky will be lacking in great planets as we say good-bye to the "Great Conjunction of 2002" and find that the only major planet in the July evening sky will be the planet Venus. Venus is bright enough under moonless conditions to cast shadows.Of all the planets in the solar system, Venus is still one of the most unusual. I say this because, Venus has a day that is longer than it's year and a planet that rotates backwards! To add additional facts, the planet has a surface temperature that is well over 900 degrees F. and is a planet that has a mountain higher that our Mt. Everest. So, when you look skywards at Venus, remember that beauty is only "skin" deep! Here are some exciting links about the planet Venus:
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/venus.html
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/pioneer_venus.html
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/

China may launch the next in it's "Shenzhuo" spacecraft and soon may become the next nation to place a manned rocket into space. The current mission of the Shenzhou 3 continues and you can learn more about the Chinese space program by going to these links:
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-02zq.html
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1921/
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1921/links.htm

You can follow ALL that is current with the ISS and the Expedition 5 crew, by going to this link:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp5/

Don't forget that the summer is a great time to follow some of the great airshows that are taking place all over the USA and the world. To find an airshow near you, please visit this link:
http://www.airshows-2002.com/
http://www.geocities.com/usair1489/schedules02.html

Moon-
Last Quarter- July 2nd
New Moon- July10th
First Quarter- July 17th
Full Moon- July 24th (Full Buck Moon)

Planets-

Mercury/Saturn- Low in the NE before sunrise on the 2nd.
Jupiter and Mars- Low in the NW after sunset, only 48" apart on the 2nd.
All other "major" planets, will be in the glare of the sun, during June.
To follow the planetary probes, please visit these links:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml
To learn more about the other major events in the July skies, please visit this link:
www.skypub.com

"Always Remember To Keep Your Eyes To The Skies"