Since the objects in the heavens refuse to stop moving around, this section of my Web site is likely to be updated more frequently than others. I hope to update my Mir predictions every week, and to post information about other interesting things as their orbits dictate.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all of the pictures and movies on this page were generated using Sienna Software's "Starry Night Deluxe" program. To see the movies directly in your browser, you may need to download the QuickTime plugin.
The Russian space station Mir can easily be seen with the naked eye from nearly anywhere on earth, if you know when and where to look. Visit my Mir page to see sky charts of upcoming sightings from selected cities (and links to more info, in case your city isn't "selected.")
pthfndr.mov (545 kb) |
For more Pathfinder info and pictures than you can possibly fit into your brain, visit JPL's Mars Pathfinder website.
earthdance.mov (749 kb) |
So if you set up camp on the moon's "near" side, and watch the Earth hanging there in the sky, does it hang in exactly the same spot all the time?
Well, not quite, as it turns out. It may never rise nor set, but it wanders around; this is because the moon's speed is not constant as it orbits us, and because its axis is tipped relative to its orbital plane. That makes the moon look wobbly as seen from the earth, and makes the earth dance around as seen from the moon.
But hey, don't take my word for it! Just take a look at this QuickTime movie, which tracks the earth's dizzy path through the lunar sky over a period of 110 days. Or, if you prefer, look at this still snapshot from the movie (which downloads quicker but is not as much fun!)
wobble.mov (900 kb) |
Click this picture to see a bigger image |