The Mars Spirit Rover descended on Mars on January 3rd in 2004. The time was between 7:00 PM and 8:35 PM PST. Together with the rover Opportunity, it has gone on to make several important findings.

The Gusev Crater

The craft settled on the Gusev crater. The site was chosen because it was believed to have been a lake sometime in the past. While no evidence of this has been discovered the site itself was important. It was able to provide scientists with the information they needed to setup additional target sites.

Sleepy Hollow

This area was part of the Mars Spirit Rover’s destination. It was primarily used as a base for taking shots of the sun. The name was derived from the fact that it sits on a depressed surface. It wasn’t too far from this site that a rock was grinded by the craft. The craft used a specially designed tool to carry out the task; the first in history.

Other Discoveries and Target Sites

Other sites that the craft visited and performed examinations on were Home Plate and near McCool Hill. It did not actually go to McCool Hill. Its wheel was broken, but it did get near enough to conduct examinations of the soil.

Other places that it had reached were Low Ridge Haven and Bonneville Crater. As the Mars Spirit Rover continued to make discoveries, it continually sent back pictures and images.

Mission Goals and Objectives

The craft was designed primarily for analyzing soil and rocks. Aside from checking their composition, looking for signs of water was also part of the mission. This can be determined from various clues. These include traces of evaporation and precipitation.

Another objective is to oversee the composition of minerals around select sites. Another goal is to determine elements that changed the landscape. The craft can identify causes like wind erosion, volcanic activity and various craters. The craft also looks for any minerals or rocks that contain iron and other chemical compositions.

The Mars Spirit Rover was also designed to take measurements. By measuring the various aspects, exploration would be easier to perform.

Scientists also want to use the craft to check for the geological conditions around the area. In particular it is used to determine if the site is suitable for water. As with other missions, searching for clues about possible life forms there is also included.

Facts and Figures

The craft measures 1.5 meters tall x 2.3 meters in width and about 1.6 meters in length. It has six wheels and weighs 400 lbs. The machine can move at a maximum of 50 mm per second. It uses a 20 MHz CPU and has 128 of physical memory. It comes with a panoramic camera, a spectrometer and a roving arm. This arm comes with several other tools including magnets and imagers.

The Mars Spirit Rover has gone a long way towards helping man understand the situation on the Red Planet. Its mission is scheduled to last for decades, so it will be providing more information in the coming years.

Symbolized by the scale, the constellation Libra is to be found somewhere in the middle of Scorpius and Virgo. Add to that, it is also bounded by constellations such as Ophiuchus, Lupus and Serpens Caput. Another distinguishing characteristic for this one is the absence of first magnitude stars. For those who wish to know more about Libra including when is it visible in the night sky, here is a quick look at some of its highly important aspects.

The Visibility of Libra

When is Libra visible in the night sky? Based on studies and observations, this constellation is best visible in June, sometime around 9:00 p.m. As part of it, people can easily notice four bright stars forming a quadrangle. Its brightest stars are the Brachium, Zubenelakrab, Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi, which is the visual binary. It has a planetary system that is part of Gliese 581. Primarily made up of no less than four planets, it includes the Gliese 581 e, which is a small exoplanet. Likewise, it also has Gliese 581 c, which is described as extrasolar planet. Moreover, it possesses features that are considered earth-like in several different ways.

Additional Details and Other Valuable Information About the Constellation Libra

Before, scorpion claws were used to represent this constellation instead of the more recent balance. It was a result of confusion in translating words with double meanings like Akkadian’s zibanitu as well as Arabic’s zubana. Both of these terms are used to pertain to both scorpion and weighing scale. Compared to other zodiac signs, the modern-day Libra is definitely one of the youngest. Furthermore, this is the sole constellation that makes use of a non-living creature as a symbol. Based on Greek mythology, these scales are closely related to that of Astraea, who is the goddess of justice that is symbolized by Virgo.

This constellation features the meteor shower called May Librids. Its brightest star is the Zubeneschamali. Overall, there are two nearby stars, a couple of bright stars as well as three stars with planets. From October 31, 2002 until November 22, 2002, the sun reportedly appeared in this constellation. In the field of tropical astrology, the sun is part of Libra during the time between September 23, 2002 and October 23, 2002. On the other hand, sidereal astrology indicated that the sun is part of the constellation from October 16, 2002 until November 15, 2002. Because it makes use of scales as a symbol, it becomes the only zodiac sign represented by a non-living entity.

The constellation Aries is situated in between Taurus and Pisces in the skies. Exactly when this was found is unclear. However it was already well known to the Greeks. When they divided the skies, they put the vernal equinox in this constellation.

General Information

The vernal equinox has now passed into Pisces. But the equinox is still used by some when denoting the constellation’s location. Aside from Pisces and Taurus, the Cetus, Triangulum and Perseus constellations are nearby. It can be seen at latitudes of plus 90 and minus 60 degrees. In terms of visibility, the best time is winter in December around 9:00 PM.

The Stars in the Constellation Aries

The stars make up the points that give it the ram shape. Alpha Arietis (or Hamal) is the brightest. Scientists have discovered that it is reddish in color. Although it is quite a distance away, it is over 50 times brighter than the Sun. It is also five times
larger, hence its clear visibility.

Gamma Arietis is a double star. You can see it using any binoculars, but you’ll need a telescope to see that it is actually two. The color is blue and it has a magnitude of 4.6. Beta Arietis on the other hand, has a 2.7 magnitude. It is 60 light years away. Much farther away is Lambda Arietis. It is 133 light years distant. It is a binary.

The constellation Aries also has Pi Arietis. It is also a double star with a magnitude of 5. The star beside it has an 8 magnitude and both are bluish white in appearance. It is quite small so distinguishing the two can be hard.

Much easier to see is 30 Arietis. Its magnitude is 6.6 and is yellow. The star nearest it is blue and has a magnitude of 7.4. Even a small telescope will let you see this one. Finally there is 53 Arietis. It’s composed of three stars which are noted for rapid velocities. Theories suggest that the three are material from a supernova.

Other Objects in the Constellation Aries

Some 5.3 arcminutes across is a small galaxy. This can be seen with a telescope (4.5). Studies suggest that it is a spiral galaxy. In addition, there are several meteor showers in the area.

The May Arietids occur around May 4 to June 6. Unlike other meteor showers, this one takes place during the day. There is also the Epsilon Arietids and the Delta Arietids. There are other meteor showers in the area. But they can be difficult to see.

Scientific research has also established that some of its stars have planets. In addition to the meteor showers, several other galaxies have been detected. These include the NGC 772, NGC 972 and NGC 1156. However these are very difficult to see.

The constellation Aries is an intriguing area of the night sky. It’s not as feature rich as some of the others, but there are some fascinating objects there. With more powerful telescopes, more hidden objects might be discovered eventually.

As one of the highly popular constellations, Leo never fails to draw the attention as well as interest of numerous people. It is positioned somewhere in the middle of Virgo and Cancer. Other bordering constellations include Coma Berenices, Leo Minor and Ursa Major. Symbolized by a lion, people can understand more about this beautiful entity by looking at its various important aspects including when is Leo visible from earth.

The Visibility of the Constellation Leo

When is the constellation Leo visible? This heavenly body is best seen from the earth in the month of April, preferably sometime at around 9:00 p.m. Its notable features include numerous bright stars such as y Leonis, Denebola and Regulus. Likewise, it is also made up of various fainter stars. It also includes the star called Wolf 359, which is one of the closest to earth. Another notable star that is also part of Leo is Gliese 436. Although it is much fainter than the previous one, its distance from the sun is estimated at around 33 light years. Moreover, it also has the CW Leo, which is a carbon star that is very bright especially at night.

Additional Information and Other Significant Details About the Constellation Leo

Aside from its bright stars, this important constellation also contains deep sky objects. Of course, it has a number of famous galaxies including Messier 96, Messier 95 as well as Messier 66. Of course, do not forget Messier 65. Messier 66 and Messier 65 are part of the so-called Leo Triplet.

Thousands of years ago, various civilizations used a lion to represent this constellation. According to early historians, the people of ancient Egypt worshipped its various stars. In addition, it was known differently depending on the place and race. It was called Aru by Babylonians, Sher by the Indians and Arye by the Jewish people. Furthermore, it was referred to as Aryo by the Persians, Artan by the Turks and Shir or Ser by the Persians.

Based on Greek mythology, Hercules killed this Nemean Lion as part of his so-called twelve labours. Meanwhile, the famous Roman poet named Ovid called it with different names, namely Violentus Leo and Hercules Leo. Another popular nickname that is closely associated with this constellation was Bacchi Sidus, which literally means the Star of Bacchus. It was based on the god named Bacchus, who was closely associated with such kind of animal. Finally, less popular names were also used to pertain to this wonderful constellation such as Leya, Sinha as well as Asleha.

The time when the full moon occurs (usually but not always around the 14th or 15th of the month) has always fascinated people. In order to fully understand what actually happens, some background information is needed.

How and Why it Happens

The only time this celestial phenomenon can happen is when the moon is on the other side of the planet. That is, it is opposite the sun. In astronomical terms, this would be when the degree difference of the sun and moon is 180 degrees longitude.

The Lunar Month

The lunar month refers to the period between two new moons. There are many different types of lunar months, and different calculations are used. Some determine it using the moon’s orbital period. Others use the space between the new moons. Most however, are between 27 to 29 days. For this reason, when the full moon occurs it’s usually every 29 days or so.

The various lunar months can make for some different calculations. Some of them include the following.

The Sidereal Month

The calculation is derived from the time the moon passes a star upon the sky. The time is 27 days and 7 hours.

The Synodic Month

This period is between two new moons. A new moon takes place when its ecliptic longitude is nearly equal to the sun. At 29 days and 12 hours, it is longer than the sidereal month.

The Anomalistic Month and Others

There is also the anomalistic month. The measurement is derived from its orbit when it’s nearest the planet. It is 27 days long. The draconic month lasts 27.21 days. The calculations are determined when it gets back to a specified point in its orbit.

The tropical month is also about 27 days long. It is measured in terms of the time it gets back to the ecliptic longitude. While the lunar months vary, the time when the full moon occurs will not be that too far from each other.

Checking the Dates

Today there are several calendars or software that help you calculate the time the phenomenon takes place. When using them, always check the dates they use. If a calendar shows the date in a different time zone from your own, it could get confusing. A look at a calendar will show that on June 7 2009 there will be a full moon. However it may be June 6 or 8 in your area of the world.

Various Calendars

A lot of the calendars that have been used by various civilizations are based on when the full moon occurs and its other phases. These include the Chinese, Hindu and Mayan calendars. While there are some differences in the days, their calculations and usage of days mean that when the phenomenon occurs, it’s on the usually on the 14th or 15th of the month.

Several feasts and events mark this event, among them Easter and the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival. There are also several myths and folklore surrounding this celestial event. They can be found in legends in various cultures.

Even to this day there are still religious groups that hold special ceremonies when the full moon occurs. Others look forward just to marvel at its beauty. What seems clear is that people’s interest with this celestial event will continue.