Tag: Jim Stepp

What do you get when you combine a fundraiser for cancer assistance with paint and shower caps or shaved heads?  You get Planet Head Day, of course!

What is Planet Head Day?  It is an opportunity to help raise funds that are used to assist local cancer patients.  Planet Head Day is one of two annual fundraisers held by the local nonprofit group “Caring Area Neighbors for Cancer Education and Recovery – C.A.N.C.E.R.” Continue reading “It’s Jupiter! It’s Saturn! It’s a Planet Head?”

The longest lasting planet-roving robot in history may have died.  The Mars Rover Opportunity was launched from the Earth on July 7, 2003, and landed on Mars on Jan. 25, 2004.  The probe was designed to last 90 days, but remained operational through June 10, 2018– 14 years, 4.5 months. Continue reading “When does 90 days equal 16 years?”

On Jan. 1, 2019, NASA’s New Horizons space probe will pass by Ultima Thule.  Ultima Thule may sound like a robot from the Transformers movies, but in actuality, it is a Kuiper Belt asteroid orbiting the sun at a distance of four billion miles.  What makes Ultima Thule so special is that it is the second member of the Kuiper Belt (the solar system’s second asteroid belt) to be visited by the New Horizons space probe.  The first was the dwarf planet Pluto. Continue reading “Happy New Year from Ultima Thule”

Comet 46P/Wirtanen might reach naked eye level by the end of 2018.  Comet 46P/Wirtanen is due to pass closest to the sun and the Earth in December. Wirtanen’s closest approach to the sun will be on Dec. 12 and its closest approach to the Earth will be on Dec. 16. Continue reading “Do You Want to See a Comet?”

It happened on Sunday, Oct. 30, 1938 – 80 years ago.  The Martians arrived and war broke out around the world.  Well sort of….

On the night of Oct. 30, 1938, the Mercury Radio Theatre aired a performance of H. G. Wells’ 1896 “The War of the Worlds.”  The radio play was performed so well that some people panicked, ran from their houses and warned their neighbors of the impending invasion.  Stories also provide information of water towers being shot at in New Jersey and a woman in Pittsburgh wanting to take poison instead of being killed by aliens.     Continue reading “The Martians Are Coming!!!”

     Hello everyone and welcome to or back to the University of Maine at Presque Isle.  If you are interested in astronomy, we have several treats for you in and around the Presque Isle area.

     The University Times runs this ongoing series of articles about astronomy.  The topics vary from edition to edition and will contain news related to astronomy.  Although I have some articles in mind, I would like your input on possible articles.  If you have any questions or would like to suggest an article, please feel free to email me at: jimamdbeckystepp@gmail.com.       Continue reading “Astronomy in Aroostook County”

     The summer of 2018 will be a rather boring summer for astronomical events.  Perhaps the biggest event of the summer will be the Perseid meteor shower.  This year’s shower will last from August 8 to August 17.  The moon will be approaching or just past new moon throughout the meteor shower, so moonlight blocking out dimmer meteors will not be an issue.  Warm August weather should make it comfortable to sit outside or lie down on a blanket and look toward the northeast.  At its peak, the Perseids will produce and average of a meteor per minute.  The best time to view the meteors is after midnight.  Below is a listing of the days of the shower and the number of meteors that may be expected on that date. Continue reading “Summer 2018”

     All of this cold weather has me thinking about taking a vacation.  I really want to head to some place warm and with no snow outside the window.  A place were all my worries would be hundreds of miles away.  If you feel like this too, I know where we can go.  Let’s start making our plans to go to the Aurora Station.

     Orion Span founder and CEO Frank Bunger unveiled the Aurora Station concept on April 5 at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, Calif.  What is the Aurora Station?  It is a new hotel that is expected to be the premier destination for space tourists.  The Aurora Station will be launched into low Earth orbit in late 2021.  The reservation counter is now open for rooms beginning in 2022.  Continue reading “The Next Vacation Spot”