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Lunar Phases

CURRENT MOON

info about the moon
Astronomy Pics
APOD
- Yukon Aurora with Star Trails
  Fixed to a tripod, a camera can record graceful trails […]
- Saturn's Moon Helene from Cassini
  What's happening on the surface of Saturn's moon Helene? […]
NASA
Snapshot of the International Space Station

On March 13, 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany's remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometers, or 122 miles, and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometers per hour, or more than 22,000 mph. In contrast to optical cameras, radar does not 'see' surfaces. Instead, it is much more aware of the edges and corners which bounce back the microwave signal it transmits. Smooth surfaces such as those on the station's solar generators or the radiator panels used to dissipate excess heat, unless directly facing the radar antenna, tend to deflect rather than reflect the radar beam, causing these features to appear on the radar image as dark areas. The radar image of the station therefore looks like a dense collection of bright spots from which the outlines of the space station can be clearly identified. The central element on the station, to which all the modules are docked, has a grid structure that presents a multiplicity of reflecting surfaces to the radar beam, making it readily identifiable. This image has a resolution of about one meter (about 39 inches). In other words, objects can be depicted as discrete units--that is, shown separately--provided that they are at least one meter apart. If they are closer together than that, they tend to merge into a single block on a radar image. Since this image was taken, the station has expanded and is more than 90 percent complete, including a full complement of solar arrays. Image Credit: DLR
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NYTimes Book review
LA Times
- 'The Art of the Steal' wades into the move of the Barnes collection March 11, 2010
- Hitting the Yellow Brick Road again March 11, 2010
- South by Southwest's film festival is hospitable March 11, 2010
ESPN news
- NHL GMs set framework for rule on hits to head March 10, 2010 Associated Press
- Marion Jones signs contract with WNBA's Tulsa Shock March 10, 2010 Associated Press