The Palomar Observatory is located in north San Diego County, California. It is a world-class center of astronomical research that is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology. The observatory is home to five telescopes that are nightly used for a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The research is conducted by Caltech’s faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students, and by researchers at Caltech’s collaborating institutions. The observatory will be closed if travel conditions are hazardous.

Under the supervision of George Ellery Hale, and through grants from the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the Mount Wilson 60-inch telescope is completed and sees “first light.” It is the world’s largest telescope, and with the exceptionally calm and stable atmosphere above the Los Angeles basin, astronomers can see fainter and more distant objects than ever before. Harlow Shapley uses this telescope to measure the size of their galaxy (the Milky Way) and the solar system’s position in it.

For more information, please visit http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarpublic

The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) is a cutting-edge facility for astronomical research and instrumentation development. It is simultaneously one of the world’s premier submillimeter telescopes and one of the easiest to use. It consists of a 10.4-meter diameter Leighton radio dish situated in a compact dome near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai’i. The telescope is operated by Caltech under a contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and has been operating on a regular basis since 1988. It is open to the astronomical community, with most of the observing time available for non-Caltech observers.

The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) is a cutting-edge facility for astronomical research and instrumentation development. It is simultaneously one of the world’s premier submillimeter telescopes and one of the easiest to use. It may also have the distinction of being the world’s only professional observatory without an operator. The astronomer is given full control of the telescope during observing. The CSO is located on “submillimeter ridge” near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai’i. The telescope is operated by Caltech under a contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and has been operating on a regular basis since 1988.

For more information, please visit http://www.submm.caltech.edu

The South East Queensland Astronomical Society Inc consists of a group of amateur astronomers who get together and share their views, ideas and telescopes with friends and fellow members. SEQAS Inc has expertise within the club in areas of astrophotography, deep sky observation, computers, CCD and video cameras, and lunar and planetary and solar observation. SEQAS has an extensive library of books and videos for members to use at no charge. We also have a number of telescopes for hire for club members at reasonable rates.

The club holds regular field nights designed to give the members “hands on experience” and assistance. The Urban Observers Group meets on the first Sunday of the month at Indooroopilly state High School and on the third Sunday of the month at the Mt Coot-tha Lookout (weather permitting). We also have several weekend camps, public field nights and displays for schools and clubs. The club’s meetings are held at 7:30 pm, on the third Tuesday of each month, at Chermside Library, Hamilton Road, Chermside. With payment of your membership you receive The SEQAS CD-ROM including Past issues of the Club Newsletters, software, New member starter pack, the “best of the best” astronomy images, complete SEQAS library astronomy catalogue, resources, links, membership forms. Membership fees are the lowest of the Astronomy Clubs.

For more information, please visit http://www.seqas.org

The Miller Observatory is a privately owned astronomical facility located on the outskirts of Lincoln, NE. The observatory was founded in 2004 by Tom Miller, a long time amateur astronomer. Construction on the observatory began in early 2004 and lasted for several months until the fall. While construction was then officially finished, the observatory is always a work in progress. The observatory was founded mainly in order to make observations for scientific research (originally to conduct a supernova search). However, a partnership was formed with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in which a campaign for photometric monitoring of Active Galactic Nuclei was established.

This has helped the observatory establish itself as a scientific research facility. These observations plus many more continue today. In addition to science, the observatory has a wide range of resources that allow us to take beautiful images of the cosmos. The Miller Observatory will continue to grow in the near future. We hope to continue producing science and beautiful images for years into the future. While we have a busy observing schedule, the Miller Observatory is open for observational project ideas and research observations. Please contact us with observation proposals.

For more information, please visit http://www.millerobservatory.com

NSSDC is a partner of NASA’s other astrophysics “active archives” in making astrophysics data accessible. LAMBDA at Goddard makes cosmic microwave background data network-accessible. Other long-wavelength data are available from IRSA at Caltech. Optical and UV data are accessible from MAST at STScI. X-ray and gamma ray data are available from HEASARC at Goddard. NSSDC is the permanent archive for most NASA astrophysics data. NSSDC holds various relatively recent data on CD-ROMs. Many older astrophysics data sets, from before the establishment of the active archives, are available on other offline media.

The Planetary Data System has announced the first release of data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The data are from all primary instruments and cover the period from 23 June to 14 December 2009. New images of Pluto taken by the Hubble Space Telescope have been released. These are the most detailed views yet of Pluto and show changes in the surface markings. NASA has announced the three finalists for the next New Frontiers mission: the SAGE mission to Venus, the OSIRIS-REx mission to an asteroid, and the MoonRise mission to the lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin.

For more information, please visit http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) is an orbiting space telescope observing galaxies in ultraviolet light across 10 billion years of cosmic history. A Pegasus rocket launched GALEX into orbit at 8 a.m. EDT on April 28th, 2003. Although originally planned as a 29-month mission, the NASA Senior Review Panel in 2006 recommended that the mission lifetime be extended. GALEXs observations are telling scientists how galaxies, the basic structures of their Universe, evolve and change. Additionally, GALEX observations are investigating the causes of star formation during a period when most of the stars and elements they see today had their origins.

Led by the California Institute of Technology, GALEX is conducting several first-of-a-kind sky surveys, including an extra-galactic (beyond our galaxy) ultraviolet all-sky survey. During its mission GALEX will produce the first comprehensive map of a Universe of galaxies under construction, bringing us closer to understanding how galaxies like our own Milky Way were formed. GALEX is also identifying celestial objects for further study by ongoing and future missions and GALEX data now populates a large, unprecedented archive available to the entire astronomical community and to the general public. Scientists would like to understand when the stars that we see today and the chemical elements that make up our Milky Way galaxy were formed. With its ultraviolet observations, GALEX is filling in one of the key pieces of this puzzle.

For more information, please visit http://www.galex.caltech.edu

The GOES program grew out of the successful use of geostationary weather satellites with the experimental SMS -1 & -2. Like many weather satellites, GOES was developed and launched by NASA, but once operational GOES was turned over to NOAA for day-to-day administration. The provision of timely global weather information, including advance warning of developing storms, is the primary function of the GOES. GOES imagery is commonly featured on many TV weather reports across the United States and the world. The GOES Program maintains 2 satellites operating in conjunction to provide observational coverage of 60% of the Earth. The GOES satellite system has remained an essential cornerstone of weather observations and forecasting for 25 years.

The GOES satellites carried a Space Environment Monitor (SEM) which investigated solar particle emissions and helped study the effect of solar activity on Earth’s telecommunications systems. The SEM detected solar protons, alpha particles, solar electrons, solar X-rays, and magnetic fields. In addition to observations, the GOES platform (the satellite stationed over the Pacific Ocean) has been used to create and operate PEACESAT (Pan-Pacific Educational and Cultural Experiments by Satellite). PEACESAT provides satellite telecommunications to serve the educational, economic development, medical and cultural needs of many Pacific island nations and territories.

For more information, please visit http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.govc

GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. They circle the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit, which means they orbit the equatorial plane of the Earth at a speed matching the Earth’s rotation. This allows them to hover continuously over one position on the surface. The geosynchronous plane is about 35,800 km (22,300 miles) above the Earth, high enough to allow the satellites a full-disc view of the Earth. Because they stay above a fixed spot on the surface, they provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric “triggers” for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms, and hurricanes.

When these conditions develop the GOES satellites are able to monitor storm development and track their movements. GOES satellite imagery is also used to estimate rainfall during the thunderstorms and hurricanes for flash flood warnings, as well as estimates snowfall accumulations and overall extent of snow cover. Such data help meteorologists issue winter storm warnings and spring snow melt advisories. Satellite sensors also detect ice fields and map the movements of sea and lake ice. On April 1, 2000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration celebrated the 40th anniversary of the launch of the world’s first weather satellite. With today’s advanced technology, and with images of clouds shown daily on television weather forecasts, it may be difficult to remember the days when there were no weather satellites.

For more information, please visit http://www.oso.noaa.gov

The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics is the astronomical research centre of the University of Manchester and operates MERLIN, the UK’s national radio astronomy facility. Jodrell Bank is a world leader in radio astronomy-related research and technology development but also carries out research across the electromagnetic spectrum and in theoretical topics. The Centre occupies three main locations: the world-famous Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, and the Alan Turing and Sackville St Buildings in central Manchester. Astronomers of the University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory (UK) have led an international team which used the Parkes radio telescope in Australia to find a new kind of cosmic object which sends out radio flashes.

The Lovell Telescope has stood proudly over the Cheshire Plain since its completion in 1957 and is the flagship of the Jodrell Bank Observatory. The observatory is a place of learning, teaching and research for the many engineers, astronomers and students who develop and use the radio telescopes here.Their research covers a wide range of modern astrophysics. We have particular expertise in radio-mm observational astronomy but they also make observations at a wide range of other wavelengths and combine these with theory and modelling.Research at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics covers a wide area of observational and theoretical research in cosmology and gravitational physics.

For more information, please visit http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk

Space Research Centre activities comprise the designing, preparation and realization of space experiments in the context of international cooperation,the processing and interpretation of results and constructing scientific instrumentation, as well as running of satellite observations, solar/ionospheric observations and forecasting services and carrying out theoretical researches in the fields: Solar System and extraterrestrial environment physics, geodynamics, satellite geodesy and physical background for remote sensing.

Space Research Centre also prossesses library, technical section, editorial office and necessary administrative staff.
At the end of 1998 the Space Research Centre total staff is 138 people, of whom 47 are research workers (20 of them professors and associate professors) and around 50 are technicians and engineers. Space Research Centre publishes yearly the Annual Report in which reports on scientific acticities in a considered year is given.

For more information, please visit http://www.cbk.waw.pl