Sky Watch - dtewes's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes Weather and astronomy Weather and astronomy en-us Hubble Space Telescope fails http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/9006 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/9006 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://hubblesite.org/">Hubble Space Telescope</a>, which has brought us many wonderful deep space images, is experiencing serious equipment failure.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; The problem showed up Saturday and is keeping the telescope from relaying data and images to Earth. <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Scientist are working to switch the telescope to a backup system, but it&rsquo;s not clear how long it will take to fix the problem.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Click <a href="http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080929-hubble-glitch.html">here</a> to read <a href="http://www.space.com/">www.space.com</a>&rsquo;s report or <a href="http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts125/080929hubble/">here</a> to read <a href="http://spaceflightnow.com/">spaceflightnow.com</a>&rsquo;s story on the failure.<br /> </font>


Title: Hubble Space Telescope
Caption:
Credit: NASA


Title: Hubble Space Telescope
Caption:
Credit: NASA

 Hubble Space Telescope NASA Tropics getting busy http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8967 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8967 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; It looks like the tropics are coming alive again.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; The good news is the two systems being watched by the <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml">National Hurricane Center</a> don&rsquo;t pose a threat to the Texas Coast.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; After several days of floundering in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, an area of clouds spun up into <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at1+shtml/203152.shtml?5day#contents">Tropical Storm Kyle</a> today. It&rsquo;s about 645 miles south of Bermuda and moving northward, with 45 mph winds.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; There&rsquo;s an area just off the coast of North Carolina that has no more than a 50-percent chance of becoming the next named storm. It appears bound for the East Coast.</font>


Title: Tropical Storm Kyle
Caption:
Credit: NASA


Title: Tropical Storm Kyle
Caption:
Credit: NASA

 Tropical Storm Kyle NASA Astroimages for you desktop http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8934 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8934 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; Astronomy buffs looking for a way to dress up their computers might want to check the <a href="http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx">Astronomy magazine </a>Web site.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; You can download a variety of really <a href="http://cs.astronomy.com/asycs/blogs/astronomy/2008/09/20/astroimages-for-your-desktop.aspx">cool astroimages</a> and use them for wallpaper. <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Choose from stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets, observatories, comets, and other miscellaneous astronomical subjects. <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; New images are added to the collection each month.</font> Hurricane season isn't over for Texas yet http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8924 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8924 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; Is anybody out there convinced the threat of hurricanes or tropical storms is over for Texas?<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; The early cold fronts start arriving this time of year, signaling a change in the steering currents that take tropical cyclones away from Texas.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; But I talked to two people who aren&rsquo;t ready to concede Texas is out of the woods yet.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Jeb Lacey, the Victoria County emergency management coordinator, said forecasters are expecting a very busy October in the tropics.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Scott Cordero, the head meteorologist at the Corpus Christi weather office, said tropical storms or hurricanes have hit the Texas Coast as late as October and November.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; And Texas has already been the target of two hurricanes and a tropical storm this year, showing how active the Gulf of Mexico has been this year.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Hurricane season ends Nov. 30. We&rsquo;ll see what happens.</font>


Title: Hurricane Ike
Caption: This is how Hurricane Ike looked from the International Space Station. Texas could still be threatened by another storm.
Credit: NASA


Title: Hurricane Ike
Caption: This is how Hurricane Ike looked from the International Space Station. Texas could still be threatened by another storm.
Credit: NASA

 Hurricane Ike This is how Hurricane Ike looked from the International Space Station. Texas could still be threatened by another storm. NASA Ike's storm surge could have caused serious problems locally http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8852 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8852 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; Had Hurricane Ike moved inland on the San Antonio Bay as first forecast, the storm surge could have been serious.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; A <a href="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/">National Weather Service</a> storm surge map shows that even a Category 2 hurricane&rsquo;s surge could cover most of Calhoun County from about Seadrift to near Port Lavaca and toward the coast.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; A Category 5 storm could push water up the Guadalupe River nearly to Victoria and up the San Antonio River nearly to U.S. 77.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/tropics/2008Guide/surge.php">Click here</a> to view the storm surge maps.</font>


Title: Storm surge map
Caption:
Credit: National Weather Service


Title: Storm surge map
Caption:
Credit: National Weather Service

 Storm surge map National Weather Service Be sure to catch the planets tonight http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8839 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8839 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; The sun is setting earlier and the weather is much nicer in the evenings.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Now seems like a good time to get outdoors and do a little sky watching. Just don&rsquo;t forget the mosquito repellent.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; There are no big meteor showers or eclipses happening this week that I know about. But there are several planets visible without the aid of a telescope or binoculars.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; For starters, Venus, Mars and Mercury will be close together in the west-southwest sky about 30 minutes after sunset today.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; For a rundown of other sights, check out <a href="http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance">&ldquo;This Week&rsquo;s Sky at a Glance&rdquo;</a> at the <a href="http://www.skyandtelescope.com/">Sky and Telescope</a> Web site.</font>


Title: The planets
Caption:
Credit: NASA


Title: The planets
Caption:
Credit: NASA

 The planets NASA Hurricane Ike's wild winds http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8830 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8830 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; It&rsquo;s hard to believe, but places as far away as Ohio had substantially stronger winds from Hurricane Ike than did Victoria.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Blogger <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html">Jeff Masters</a> reported on the <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/">Weather Underground</a> Web page that those wind gusts ranged from 61 mph at Cincinnati, Ohio, to 75 mph at Louisville, Ky.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; I only recorded gusts to 38 mph at my home and at the Victoria Advocate weather station downtown. The Victoria Regional Airport had a gust to 39 mph.<br /> Wow!</font> Ike is still approaching the coast http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8789 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8789 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; Did anyone catch that spectacular sunset?<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; I was sitting on the patio looking east after getting the grass mowed. What a sight as the sun's rays bounced off Hurricane Ike's cloud shield.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; But on the far eastern horizon was a leaden gray overcast. I'm wondering if that's a harbinger of things to come tonight.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; I notice the weather station at Palacios is reporting 53 mph gusts. I guess it's just a matter of time until it reaches Victoria.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; So far the highest gust I've had is 31 mph.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; I'd be interested in reports elsewhere in the area.</font>


Title:
Caption: Hurricane Ike at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Credit: NASA


Title:
Caption: Hurricane Ike at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Credit: NASA

 Hurricane Ike at 8:30 p.m. Friday. NASA The sun is shining bright http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8782 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8782 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; I just had a chance to get outside and take a look at the sky over Victoria.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; The bright sun is being filtered by the bands of cirrus clouds that are beginning to arrived in advance of <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/151304.shtml?tswind120#contents">Hurricane Ike</a>. The wind is picking up out of the north, but the gusts are only between 20 and 30 mph.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Anybody along the coast have reports?</font>


Title: Hurricane Ike
Caption:
Credit: NASA


Title: Hurricane Ike
Caption:
Credit: NASA

 Hurricane Ike NASA Ike is coming http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8781 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/dtewes/8781 <font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp; Powerful <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/090240.shtml?3day#contents">Hurricane Ike</a> continues to move toward the Texas Coast this morning.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; It looks like the center&rsquo;s landfall will be in just west of Galveston at 1 a.m. Saturday. Pray for those folks.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; But don&rsquo;t let your guard down in the Victoria area. We&rsquo;re out of the error cone, but the <a href="http://www.srh.weather.gov/crp/">National Weather Service</a> is forecasting wind gusts to 70 mph for Victoria tonight.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of trash cans and other loose objects around town. There&rsquo;s still time for folks to secure those and hopefully they will.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; Any observations from anyone else out there?</font>


Title: Ike
Caption:
Credit: NASA


Title: Ike
Caption:
Credit: NASA

 Ike NASA