Spring is Fireball Season

Source - NASA Science News for March 31, 2011

For reasons researchers do not understand, the rate of midnight fireballs increases during the weeks around the vernal equinox. It's a beautiful display, but where do they come from? NASA's growing network of fireball cameras is scanning the heavens for answers.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/31mar_springfireballs/

SOMETHING NEW: The Science@NASA team is pleased to announce a new product: the ScienceCast. Every week, we produce a short video highlighting a topic in breaking science news. This week's episode is "The Superfluid Core of a Dead Star." See it on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceAtNASA

Final Colas For The Cosmos Giveaway: Five Pair of 4-in-1 Digital Binocular Camera

This will be the final giveaway for my Colas For The Cosmos project. I meant to give these 4-in-1 Digital Binocular Cameras away last year before Christmas but "stuff" got in the way.

Here is a brief description of the binocular cameras from the Coke Rewards site:

"The unique 4-in-1 Digital Binocular Camera features a specially designed 5X telescopic lens. That, combined with its high-speed shutter, lets the built-in digital camera produce amazing freeze-frame action pictures. It stores 75 images in VGA (640 x 480 resolution) or 300 images in CIF (352 x 288 resolution). Finally, you can document the view through your binoculars so you and others can experience it for years to come. These binoculars record video clips (up to 13fps), too. Images easily download to your computer via included USB cable and software disc. 4-in-1 Capability: Binoculars + Digital Camera + Digital Video + PC Camera."

Here is the URL for the complete description and picture of the binocular cameras:

http://www.mycokerewards.com/rewards/4in1-digital-binocular-camera/11947

I would prefer to give these to children, or teachers who know of children who have an interest in astronomy and live in the Puget Sound region.

Please email me using the link include in the "Welcome" section on the left hand side of this blog.

As to why this is the final giveaway, well to be honest quality of the items Coke is giving away via the rewards program is declining, and I am burning out. Entering all those codes is hard on my eyes.

Cheers, and happy star gazing ~ Jim Cox


UPDATE: 04/10/11:

All five pair of binoculars have been given away. One pair for a friends son, another for a Settle Astronomical Society member's daughter, and three were donated to to the Pacific Science Center for the space camp-in that was held this weekend:

http://cloudymidnights.blogspot.com/2011/04/pacific-science-center-camp-honors.html

What's Hitting Earth?

Source - NASA Science News for March 1, 2011

Have you ever seen a fireball streak through the night sky and gone to bed wondering, "What was that?" NASA is deploying a network of smart cameras that could have an answer waiting for you when you wake up.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/01mar_meteornetwork/