The Week in SpaceDecember 12-18, 2011
Blast from the Past Born 465 years ago this week, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe revolutionized astronomy. His observations of the positions of planets and stars were unprecedented in their accuracy and sheer volume. In 1572, Tycho observed a bright object in the sky and correctly deduced it was a new star or “stella nova,” thus giving birth to the term “nova” to describe an exploding star. Tycho’s growing reputation and fame convinced the King of Denmark to subsidize the construction of Uraniborg, the first truly modern astronomical research center. This image of the supernova Tycho observed more than four centuries ago combines infrared and X-ray observations obtained with NASA’s Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes. It shows a blazing hot cloud of expanding debris some 7,500 light-years away. Image credit: MPIA / NASA Weekly CalendarDecember 12-18, 2011Holidays - Sky Events - Space History
1961: OSCAR 1 launched, first amateur radio satellite |
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