Celebrate Earth and space

Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 4:55 PM by Alan Boyle

Earth Day is a great day to celebrate our planet, reflect on new ways to protect it - and widen your planetary perspective as well.

To mark the occasion, you can download the latest goodies from the Hubble Space Telescope, send out personalized postcards of our home planet and catch one of the season's best sky shows.

It turns out that the 40th annual observance of Earth Day on April 22 is just one reason to celebrate: Wednesday also marks the peak of the spring season's best-known meteor shower, the Lyrids. Then, on Friday, Hubble officially turns 19 years old - and that's why so many treats from outer space are being made available this week.

Here are some ways to maximize the cosmic celebration:

See Earth from space
We all know that many of the top benefits from outer space flow from the constellations of satellites orbiting our planet. It's hard to imagine how modern society can function without the video, voice and data signals that are beamed around the world.

One of DISH Network's telecom satellites, EchoStar 11, is equipped with a camera that keeps daily watch on the world from a height of 22,000 miles (35,400 kilometers) - and on Wednesday, you'll be able to see the world the way EchoStar's Earth Watch camera sees it. You can even send free Earth e-cards to your friends online.

The e-cards are part of a promotional offer from Give the World, a service from Houston-based Space Services Inc. that prints up Earth-view pictures for sale. Space Services is also involved in memorial launches like the one that sent "Star Trek" actor James "Scotty" Doohan's ashes into space - but this venture focuses on future inspiration rather than past remembrance.

"The photos taken by DISH Network's Earth Watch camera remind us all of the need to care for our home planet," Charles Chafer, Space Services' chief executive officer, said in a news release.

GivetheWorld.com

E-cards showing views of our home planet are being sent out on Earth Day.

For more Earth Day views from space, tune into NASA Television from 6 to 9 a.m., noon to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. ET. Those are the times when NASA will broadcast high-definition views of Earth as seen from the international space station, 220 miles (350 kilometers) up. You can watch NASA TV online 24/7, of course.

NASA is offering a long lineup of Earth Day resources and activities this week, and on Wednesday you'll find out which space achievement has been judged the "biggest hit for the home planet" in an online poll. (Looks like GPS navigation is going to be a shoo-in.)

And for some of the best-ever views of Earth from space, you simply have to check out our "greatest hits" from space crews and orbiting satellites (plus this bonus round).

Catch a sky show
If the skies are clear, you can begin your Earth Day celebration early by going out after midnight tonight to watch the Lyrid meteor shower at its peak. Conditions are expected to be ideal, due to the fact that the moon is nearly new and shouldn't interfere with viewing.

Roen Kelly / Astronomy

Lyrid meteors appear to emanate from the
constellation Lyra, as shown in this graphic.
Click on the image for more information
from Astronomy magazine.

Lyrid meteors are sparked by bits of debris left behind by Comet Thatcher. Those bits create meteor trails in the upper atmosphere every year in mid-April, when Earth passes through Thatcher's trail. The best viewing occurs between midnight and dawn.

Although the Lyrids seem to emanate from the constellation Lyra, they can appear anywhere in the night sky. maximize your viewing experience, find a comfortable place with clear, open skies, far away from city lights. Spread out a chaise lounge, keep warm, and keep your eyes open. You could see as many as 10 to 20 Lyrids during the peak hour.

Astronomy magazine provides a preview of the Lyrids, and you can also learn more about the meteor shower from this archived sky guide.

As long as you're up, check out the close encounter between the moon and Venus right around sunrise. Space.com, Science @ NASA and Sky & Telescope have the details. You might even catch the glint of the international space station in early-morning skies.

Wish Hubble a happy birthday
In addition to being our home, Earth is our jumping-off point for the universe beyond - and the Hubble Space Telescope is one of humanity's best instruments for taking a virtual leap into the cosmos.

NASA / ESA / STScI / AURA

Galaxies swirl in this 19th-birthday picture from
Hubble. Click on the image for bigger versions.

Friday marks the 19th anniversary of Hubble's launch aboard the space shuttle Discovery, which means the grand old space telescope will be entering its 20th year of operation.

To celebrate the occasion, Hubble's international team has released a stunning image of interacting galaxies and a cosmic "fountain of youth."

The picture shows a galactic trio known as Arp 194, 600 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. (One light-year equals 6 trillion miles or 10 trillion kilometers, the distance that a beam of light travels in a year.)

Two of the galaxies are colliding in the upper part of the frame, and the gravitational interaction has thrown off a bright blue stream of newborn stars. It may looks as if that 100,000-light-year-long "fountain" is trickling down into the galaxy in the lower half of the image, but that's an illusion. In reality, that galaxy just happens to be in the background.

This video explains it all for you, and if you head over to the European Space Agency's Hubble Web portal, you can download a printworthy picture of the cosmic clash as well as other online goodies.

Over the past 19 years, Hubble has made more than 880,000 observations and snapped more than 570,000 images of 29,000 celestial objects, according to the Space Telescope Science Institute. Although the "fountain of youth" label isn't meant to be taken literally, the telescope is in fact due for some much-needed rejuvenation next month: If all goes according to plan, shuttle astronauts will upgrade some instruments, repair others, and give Hubble fresh batteries and gyros that should see it through until at least 2013.

For more great views from space, as seen by Hubble and other out-of-this-world observers, click through our Space Gallery. We hope these views will add to your appreciation for "Spaceship Earth" on Earth Day.

EMAIL THIS

Comments

Alan Boyle puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else. Except when he does it, he makes gold records... or more accurately, Cosmic Logs.

I've made a few Cosmic Logs in my day too, Alan.

Aegliss, Shelbyville TN (Sent Tuesday, April 21, 2009 5:51 PM)

The HST interacting galaxy shots are always astonishing.

Thomas Ashby, Calgary (Sent Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:03 PM)

Happy Earth Day Alan! Great article on the Earth Day festivities. It's time to really take serious taking care of our one and only nest, lest we foul it up so bad that there will be no future generations to come.

Happy Hubble's 19th Birthday too Alan! A really nice tribute to our eye in the sky that has revealed so much cosmic truth. After some bleak days last fall when Hubble malfunctioned it has come back to life and given us so many classic new views of the cosmos. Wasn't that some auspicious timing of that communication malfunction just before the Hubble repair mission was scheduled to launch? Now the new repair mission has an equipment replacement fix for that snafu and ensures that the repairs will keep on giving us new pictures of cosmic beauty for many years to come. Only a few more weeks before we get to watch the repairs unfold on live NASA tv.

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:12 PM)

Earth day is a great time to reflect on all those deadly soda cans and brutal plastic bags that are destroying our world. Never in our history has seltzer gas been more deadly then ever before. Now is the time to raise taxes and change our habits because a 0.5 degree change in the next 30 years will certainly lead to droughts, more disease, famine and deadly tidal waves that will swallow up all of our coastal cities if enough money isn't spent.

Nevermind all the earth quakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drifts, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, magnetic reversal of the poles, hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays and recurring ice ages that have plagued our planet in the past.

Earth has an even bigger problem, used Miller Lite bottles and incandescent light bulbs! So get out your check books because our 4 billion year old friend is in deep trouble and Nancy Pelosi (ahhem, I mean Earth) needs us more than ever before!

Sal Blomo, NY (Sent Tuesday, April 21, 2009 10:06 PM)

Wow Sal, way to be a downer. You do have a point though! Earth day is a time for reflection, and hopefully, if we spend enough money, cut carbon emissions, and inform people, we may be able to reverse some of the damage we have done, and maybe stop harming the Earth and all of her glorious creatures.

CLP, Green Bay, WI (Sent Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:07 PM)

Thanks Sal, you forgot nuclear war and germ warfare.

Mitch Colorado Springs Colorado (Sent Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:20 PM)

"So get out your check books because our 4 billion year old friend is in deep trouble and Nancy Pelosi (ahhem, I mean Earth) needs us more than ever before!"

Hey Sal,
the Earth does not care about global warming. WE care about global warming. In a few hundred thousand years (a cosmic half an eye-blink)or a few million years, the Earth will be OK. We just not be. So relax, I doubt the Earth really wants us around anyway. Break your checkbooks out, not for the environment, but for NASA. We ruined this planet anyway and when it shakes us off like a bad cold you better hope that we've got ourselves a self sufficient colony in space, because honestly I'm pretty sure Global Warming is OUR problem not the Earths.

Evilbino, Plattsburgh NY (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 1:44 AM)

All the wonders and beauties of our planet and the Universe around us seem to be diminished by the turmoils all around us....I just wish that humanity was more peace-loving...and did less damage to each each other and the world around us...but well, it seems like we'll have to suffer what we have to suffer...

N.S., Islamabad (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 2:01 AM)

Every Earth Day I wrote an article for my college newspaper. The theme was always THANK YOU. My thanks still go out every year to Gaylord Nelson, the senator who started recycling over 35 years ago. In his effort to make a better world for his children he has made a huge impact AND a better world for all of us. Statistics show that since recycling started in the 70's we have reduced the amount of garbage in the landfills by over 20% 20%!!!!! That's incredible. Once again I would like to ask people on this Earth Day to raise a toast of whatever you drink to Gaylord Nelson. I would call him a true hero. It is amazing what one human can do to inspire us all.

Laura Ralston (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:15 AM)

Happy Earth Day!

All of us should do our part to save our planet.

Here is an artistic animated ecard for Earth Day, "Blue Planet". It is an underwater production completely with many reef fishes, a turtle, a ray and dolphins.

It is free to send and to spread the important message of saving our planet.

http://www.ojolie.com/index.php?step=preview&ec_id=54

Mary, Boston (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:38 AM)

This green stuff about making money! Period!

Marie Smith, Fredericksburg,VA (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:44 AM)

Another sample of the power of our loving Father. God is awesome and His power can be seen out in space and here on this planet. God, the Creatoe of all things deserve our adoration and praise. Let's bow down before Him. Amen.

carlos, minneapolis, MN (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:53 AM)

Great time to give glory to the One who created the Heavens and the Earth.

Bob Frazier (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:35 AM)

Excess human population is the root cause of most environmental and political problems. The current global human population is about 10x the planet's long term carring capacity according to some experts.

Daniel (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:40 AM)

I too believe that Earth needs to be cleaned up. But I think that, even more than money, it needs to be done by building up higher moral base. The citizens of Earth need to go back to the basics of family values and teaching our children to have respect for adults and themselves. We need to rid the Earth of such filth of pornography, drug and alcohol abuse. If we all have the courage to start cleaning the earth morally in our own homes and then reaching out and serving our communities our Earth would be a much cleaner place! Happy Earth Day! =)

Wheeler, MO (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:00 AM)

You should have listened to us. Five hundred years ago we told you what would happen. You think you know. You think you think. The whole time all your are doing is filling your pockets. Now it is simply, how do you fill your pockets on global warming. The foundation of all your knowledge is false. It dosen't matter what you do or don't do it will all go wrong for you. Just how high did you think you could go? Your reality is not founded in reality.

Redwind, Los Angeles, Ca. (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:01 AM)

The world population stands at 6+ billion humans and the projected world population by 2050 is 9+ billion humans (~40 years away). One can only imagine the damage to planet earth by adding 3+ billion more people yet no one is concerned about over population. I find Earth Day a joke as well as global warming. If you are concerned about either attack the root cause of the problem---OVER POPULATION. However, that is not politacally correct nor can money be made off of it.

John Charleston SC (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:28 AM)

My regret about Earth Day is that it is, almost entirely, preaching to the choir. Earth's residents fall into two groups - environmentally conscious and brain dead. Earth Day should not be an attempt at making ecologically concerned disciples more aware, but should be to alter the attitudes of the billions who think the planet can take whatever we dish out.

I am hoping that their conversion will not be long coming. If it is, I fear we are doomed.

Darrell Messbarger (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:04 AM)

'GOD'S ABODE."
Above all skies or the eye,
God's abode man cannot probe.
Man tries by rockets, satellite and plane,
To receach beyond his earthly domain.
He may explore worlds unknown,
Seeking knowledge, he forever roams.
But God has ordained a perfect plan,
To meet the needs of mortal man.
Through His own Son He gave to die,
That man may forever live beyond the sky.

John Walker (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:18 AM)

what are the 2 beautiful stars that appear in the night sky next to the moon, if planets which are they?? thanks.

[ALAN ADDS: You were probably looking at Venus (brighter) and Mars (lower in the sky, with a butterscotch cast). Jupiter is also visible higher in the sky. Here are some diagrams: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance ... Of course the sky was clouded over at my vantage point near Seattle!]

rafael, anaheim, cal. (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:29 AM)

Earth Day!

Now all I need to do is find a cake big enough to hold 4.5 billion candles and we'll be all set!

Melaina Gregal, Eureka CA (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:25 PM)

If we can stop illegal immigration, maybe we can stablize poplulation in the U.S. We might have to lower legal immigration as well but lets stop illegal immigration first. Don't reform immigration but punish employers who hire illegals. Build the fence. Elect politicians who support these views. We don't have to have deportation until we try these two options first.

Mark, CA (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 1:14 PM)

The bible of the environmental movement was the father of ecology's, "A Sand County Almanac", in which he brilliantly articulated the ecology of Earth and seeded the first green, the big green, the only green that has ever mattered and will ever matter: The salvation and protection of Earth's ecosystems and her biological diversity, i.e., the strands in the web of all life. Unless mankind is, "suicidal", the only issue that is integrated and interconnected with mankind's very existence is that first green, which denotes an ecological understanding that man exists at all is entertwined and interconnected to ecosystems and their bodiversity, the very breath of life, and the alpha and the omega.

Mankind cannot eat an atm machine, green building or solar panel nor can he drink a windmill factory, a green toilet scrubber or gas station, and he certainly cannot breathe a dollar bill or green anything unless he saves and protects his very own lifelines to existence. No issue is as vital to all issues as that big green. We are discussing the releasing of oxygen, the regulation of the climate, the gaseous composition of the atmosphere, the nitrogen and carbon cycles and the entirety of Earth's biogeochemistry, to name just a handful of "ecosystem services", all the reasons mankind is alive in the first place.

From forty years ago in America, "Ecology Now"! "In wildness is the salvation of the Earth and the preservation of all life, long known among mountains and wolves but seldom perceived by man."

Happy Earth Day!

teri parsons (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 1:27 PM)

One of the common threads in religious hope is the dictum, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Golden Rule, which makes life worth living.

And for those who can't subscribe to any kind of religious order there is The Green Rule, "Do unto the Earth as you would have the Earth do unto you."

People can be notoriously ungrateful for the most generous charity received, but the Earth will always thank you for even the least effort you make to help her out.

Des Emery, St. Thomas, ON, Canada (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 4:02 PM)

I'll celebrate earth day by going to the Hunting land in my Hummer and firing up the chain saw and clearing the place up by cutting down several trees and putting a hunting shack in its place.

a p garcia (Sent Wednesday, April 22, 2009 4:44 PM)

Earth is the common heritage for entire humanity. It is our duty to save mother Earth from pollution and environmental degradation.

Samuel, Dubai, UAE (Sent Thursday, April 23, 2009 3:07 AM)

Darrell Messbarger (4/22, 1004) said, "... but should be to alter the attitudes of the billions who think the planet can take whatever we dish out."

The planet *can* take whatever we dish out. It may not continue to be hospitable toward us, but we won't destroy it, or life on it.

Tim Rommes, Washington, UT (Sent Thursday, April 23, 2009 12:54 PM)

SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.):

Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private) Remember me?

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=1901782

More Cosmic Log

Recent Posts:

Archives:

Categories:

Latest Tech & Science News

Syndicate This Site

Add Cosmic Log to your news reader:

ABOUT COSMIC LOG