Astronomy News & Links / Highlights 1998

ASTRONOMY NEWS & LINKS
© Susanne Weimer

HIGHLIGHTS 1998

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999		1997

	December 1998
Dec 30	[NASA] ISS status report 13: Batteries recharged. [NASA] NEAR: firing of the main engine on Jan. 3.
Dec 29	[NRAO] VLA: Nearby quasars result from galactic encounters.
Dec 23	[NASA] ISS status report 12: Two test firings completed.
Dec 22	[OSU] Binary star in the Small Magellanic Cloud as gravitational lens gives hints on dark matter.
Dec 21	[Caltech] ACE: First isotope measurements of Copper and Zinc in the galactic cosmic rays. [Harvard] AXAF: NASA names X-ray observatory and schedules launch.
Dec 18	[NASA] Carbon offers glimpse of origin and evolution of the universe. [NSF] Anisotropy measurements of the cosmic microwave background indicate that the expansion of the universe is slowing.
Dec 17	[AAAS] Science selects research about the accelerated expansion of the universe as top advance in science for 1998. [NOAO] About the observations at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. [ESO] About the observations at the European Southern Observatory. [RAS] About the work of the 'Supernova Cosmology Project'. [NASA] Lunar Prospector starts extended mission in 40 km orbit. [NASA] ISS status report 11: Tests. Orbit raised. Orientation changed.
Dec 16	[New Scientist] Was the universe in a spin before it began expanding? [CfA] Standard star-birth theories challenged by radio images of wind flows from massive protostar in Orion. [NASA] NEAR spacecraft looks for thick dust on asteroid Eros 433.
Dec 15	[NRAO] Fiber-optic link between VLA and VLBA station in Pie Town.
Dec 12	[spaceViews] Shuttle astronauts complete final spacewalk.
Dec 11	[NASA] Discovery of new pulsar in orbit around B(e) star. [JPL] Launch of Mars Climate Orbiter on Dec. 11.
Dec 10	[STScI] Extraterrestrial civilizations and stellar evolution. [Brown] Asteroid or comet impact in Argentina 3.3 million years ago.
Dec 08	[SDSS] Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Discovery of most distant quasar (z=5.0).
Dec 07	[NRAO] Sgr A: Elongated radio-emitting region at center of Milky Way. [JPL] Black spot in Jupiter's clouds reveals deeper, very dark cloud layers. [JPL] 810 km long fault near Europa*s south pole.
Dec 06	[NASA] Temperature measurements of solar flares by ACE. [NASA] Laser provides first 3-D view of Mars' north pole.
Dec 04	[NASA] STS-88 status report 2: Successfull launch on Dec 4.
Dec 03	[NASA] New Galileo images: The icy plains of Europa. [STScI] Spiral galaxy NGC 253 (Hubble Heritage Project). [spaceViews] SWAS: Launch delayed. [NASA] STS-88 status report 1: Alarm. Mission postponed for 24 hours. [ESA] Cassini/Huygens: Rocket firing successfull. [JPL] Status Report.
Dec 02	[NAOJ] SUBARU primary mirror attached to the telescope.
Dec 01	[CSIRO] Gravitational lens PKS1830-211 used to measure age of universe. [NASA] GRO J1744-28: Bursts of an unusual x-ray pulsar. [NASA] ISS: U.S. laboratory named "Destiny".

	November 1998
Nov 30	[MPG] Gamma ray bursts - coming from fast rotating neutron stars. - in german [NASA] ISS Status report 9: Preparation for arrival of Endeavour.
Nov 27	[NASA] Short lived molecule in atmosphere of Neptune.
Nov 26	[AP] ISS: Minor problems found aboard Zarya.
Nov 25	[ABC/Reuters] 'Naked' young stars shed new light on Sun s origin. [NASA] SWAS (Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite) to be launched Dec. 2. [JPL] Deep Space 1 ion propulsion system starts up. [CNN/Reuters] ISS: Ukraine plans to join space station project. [NASA] ISS: Leonardo MPLM transfer ceremony. [NASA] ISS: Name for U.S. laboratory to be unveiled on Dec. 1.
Nov 24	[ATNF] Australian help with the 'Hubble Deep Field South'. [ESO] Gliese 86: Extrasolar planet in double star system discovered. [AP] Galileo: Back from safe mode. [NASA] ISS status report #6: orbit reached + continued checks. [NASA] ISS: First U.S. Station element to be launched Dec. 3 on mission STS-88.
Nov 23	[STScI] Hubble Deep Field South (HDF-S). [AP] NASA opens ISS Mission Control. [NASA] ISS status report #5: orbit raising and further tests.
Nov 22	[AP] ISS: First orbit raising burn performed by Zarya.
Nov 21	[NASA] ISS status report #4: first tests.
Nov 20	[ESA] Europe joins in celebrations for Space Station launch. [NASA] ISS status report #3: launch of Zarya.
Nov 19	[NASA] Early Birds catch the Leonids.
Nov 18	[UCLA] Asteroid caused mass extinctions 65 million years ago. [ESO] VLT: The UVES spectrograph sees the Sun. [RAS] Leonid meteor storm springs early surprise.
Nov 13	[ESO] ISAAC mounted on VLT UT1.
Nov 12	[MPG] Detection of a young supernova remnant near Earth. - in german - see also: [AP] How come no one saw big supernova explosion? [Reuters] Did that star explode? [NASA] NASA astrobiology to shower attention on Leonids. [spaceViews] DS1 ion engine shuts down.
Nov 11	[Reuters] ISS: Russia nixes last-minute Space Station change. [spaceViews] MIR cosmonauts complete spacewalk.
Nov 11	[NASA] Great expectations: The 1998 Leonid meteor storm. [RAS] Leonid meteor shower prospects for UK and Europe. [STScI] Leonid meteor storm won't deter Hubble from space observations. [ESA] ESA's experts are ready for a storm of comet dust. [AP] MIR cosmonauts prepare for spacewalk to install meteor device.
Nov 09	[UA] Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope: Astronomers aim for shortest submillimeter wavelengths.
Nov 08	[NOAJ] SUBARU primary mirror has been accepted and aluminized. [AP] Russians fuel first part of International Space Station.
Nov 07	[spaceViews] Russia requests ISS orbit change.
Nov 05	[MPG] Novel mapping of the Andromeda galaxy. (in german) [CSIRO] Parkes radio telescope has just found the thousandth pulsar. see also: [RAS] Discovery of the 1000th pulsar. [ESO] First rotation period of a Kuiper belt object measured. [STScI] Great balls of fire! HST sees bright knots ejected from brilliant star. [ESA] Mars Express wins unanimous support.
Nov 03	[MPE] End of the ROSAT guest observer programme. [spaceViews] X-Ray observatory mission ends.
Nov 02	[JHU] FUSE Satellite Status Report.

	October 1998
Oct 31	[Cambridge] Royal Greenwich Observatory closed.
Oct 29	[NASA] STS-95 Mission
Oct 28	[NASA] New Mars images show lava flow plates and active dunes .
Oct 26	[NMSU] Cepheus 1: large nearby galaxy discovered. (images) [Uni Tübingen] Planetary nebula A43: a football in space. - in german [STScI] Quasar PG1115+080 and Gravitational Lens. New evidence about the rate at which the universe is expanding. [NASA] First US International Space Station Module Moves to Launch Pad. [Reuters] MIR station will look like moon in new experiment. [DLR] DLR participates in NASA DS-1 mission - first practical test of entirely new propulsion system. (in german)
Oct 23	[NRAO] VLA: Possible analog for early solar system disk found.
Oct 22	[STScI] Planetary nebula NGC 6210: a turtle in space. [ESO] New observations of comet Hale-Bopp from La Silla.
Oct 21	[UA] Debris disk around star orbited by planet. [NASA] Jupiter's moon Callisto may hide salty ocean. see also: NASA's Space Science News
Oct 15	[ESO] A strange supernova with a Gamma-Ray Burst. [ESA] SOHO is nearly back in business.
Oct 14	[STScI] Hubble provides a moving look at Neptune's stormy disposition. [STScI] Hubble finds many bright clouds on Uranus. [NASA] Jupiter's "white ovals": Two of the storms recently merged .
Oct 13	[NASA] AXAF: NASA delays shipment of X-ray telescope to Kennedy Space Center to allow additional testing.
Oct 12	[MPG] Discovery of the first X-ray emitting brown dwarf.
Oct 08	[STScI] Hubble goes to the limit in search of farthest galaxies.
Oct 02	[NASA] The launches of the first ISS components remain on schedule.
Oct 01	[NASA] Magnetar SGR 1900+14: Ulysses captures gamma-ray flare from shattered star.

	September 1998
Sep 29	[NASA] Magnetar SGR 1900+14: "Crusty young star..."
Sep 25	[NRAO] Magnetar SGR 1900+14: VLA detects magnetar nebula.
Sep 24	[Stanford] XMM launch date: 21 January 2000.
Sep 23	[NRAO] VLA reveals a close pair of potential planetary systems.
Sep 15	[NASA] Galileo finds Jupiter's rings formed by dust blasted off small moons.
Sep 11	[spaceViews] Small comets are just camera noise. [NASA] Martian moon Phobos hip-deep in powder .
Sep 07	[UCLA] Unambiguous evidence for monstrous black hole at center of our Galaxy.
Sep 04	[LANL] New analysis from Lunar Prospector published. [Science] Fluxes of fast and epithermal neutrons from Lunar Prospector: Evidence for water ice at the Lunar Poles.
Sep 03	[NASA] Latest Lunar Prospector findings indicate larger amounts of water ice in specific locations [spaceViews] Lunar Prospector finds more ice on Moon. [Berkeley] Lunar Prospector measurements show how meteor impacts have shaped the moon's magnetic field.
Sep 02	[Stanford] New optical detector could revolutionize astronomy.
Sep 01	[OCIW] Las Campanas: Magellan Project Status. [NASA] Russian Cargo Craft Docks With MIR Station

	August 1998
Aug 31	[Swarthmore] H-Alpha Sky Survey: Robotic telescope sheds light on cosmic microwave background.
Aug 29	[NAOJ] SUBARU-Project, Japan: 8.2m Primary Mirror Finished.
Aug 27	[STScI] Far-flung galaxy clusters may reveal fate of universe.
Aug 20	[CSIRO] Our Galaxy is destroying its neighbours.
Aug 19	[STScI] Distant heavyweight galaxy cluster clobbers dense-universe theory.
Aug 14	[MPG] A new Martian meteorite found in the Sahara.
Aug 12	[ESO] First ESO Image of New Comet 1998 P1 [ESO] Recent news from the VLT project.
Aug 11	[ESA] SOHO: on the road to recovery.
Aug 10	[JPL] Deployment of Mars Global Surveyor antenna may be postponed.
Aug 04	[ESO] New ESO Survey Provides Targets for the VLT.

	July 1998
July 31	[ESO] The VLT Records Faint Structures in Colliding Galaxies.
July 29	[ESO] ESO and AMOS sign contract for the VLTI Auxiliary Telescopes.
July 23	[STScI] Nearby massive star cluster yields insights into early universe. [ESA] ISO finds a new population of galaxies which contribute to the background glow of the universe.
July 09	[NASA] Starquakes lead to discovery of first new Soft Gamma Repeater in 19 years.
July 08	[NASA] AXAF: NASA X-ray observatory completes tests
July 01	[NASA] NASA instruments on Japanese Planet-B spacecraft will aid studies of Martian upper atmosphere

	June 1998
June 26	[ESA] SOHO spacecraft observations interrupted.
June 24	[ESO] First circumstellar disk around a massive star. [STScI] Hubble Space Telescope helps find evidence that Neptune�s largest moon is warming up
June 23	[ESO] The VLT images a "rectangular" planetary nebula.
June 18	[STScI] Hubble uncovers dust disk around a massive Black Hole
June 10	[STScI] A bright ring of star birth around a galaxy's core
June 09	[NRAO] VLA observations confirm origin of Gamma Ray Bursts in short-lived stars. [Cornell] Tracking pulsars by interstellar scintillation.
June 08	[NASA] NASA Selects Home For Next Generation Space Telescope.
June 03	[NASA] SOHO sees two comets plunge into Sun

	May 1998
May 31	[NASA] ISS Partners Adjust Target Dates for First Launches, Revise Other Station Assembly Launches.
May 17	[STScI] Gamma-Ray Burst found to be most energetic event in universe
May 14	[STScI] Hubble provides multiple views of how to feed a Black Hole
May 06	[NASA] Gamma-Ray Bursts: Astronomers see greatest explosion since Big Bang

	April 1998
Apr 26	[NASA] Cassini Mission Status Report: flyby of the planet Venus
Apr 21	[NASA] NASA astronomers find planet construction zone around nearby star.
Apr 16	[NASA] STS-90 Mission (Neurolab) [NASA] NASA Announces Contest to Name X-Ray Observatory
Apr 15	[ESA] ULYSSES completes its first orbit of the Sun [SpaceViews] Congressmen say Station delays likely
Apr 09	[STScI] Hubble finds that even massive stars just fade away. [ESA] ISO completes its observations of the Universe by infrared light [ESA] ISO finds a very steamy cloud in interstellar space . [Cornell] Astronomers discover a huge chemical "factory" in interstellar space, suggesting origin of water in solar system.
Apr 04	[NASA] Galileo: New Class Of Dust Ring Discovered Around Jupiter
Apr 01	Hubble reveals details of a newly born planetary nebula.

	March 1998
Mar 26	[SpaceViews] NASA Plans "Face on Mars" Images
Mar 25	[NASA] NASA starts work on new Space Infrared Telescope Facility
Mar 22	[STScI] Hubble captures the heart of star birth
Mar 19	[STScI] Hubble captures the shrouds of dying stars [ESO] Information about the upcoming VLT UT1 First Light Event
Mar 12	[JHU] Galaxy with redshift 5.34: Discovery Pushes Back Boundaries of Known Universe
Mar 09	[STScI] Astronomers track down asteroids in Hubble archive
Mar 05	[NASA] Lunar Prospector finds evidence of ice at Moon's poles [SpaceViews] Lunar Prospector finds water on the Moon

	February 1998
Feb 17	[ESO] Pointing the First 8.2-m VLT Telescope.
Feb 15	[FloridaToday] SpaceDev Completes $3 Million Acquisition of Integrated Space Systems
Feb 13	[SpaceViews] U.S., Russia Differ on Cause of Station Delays. [SpaceViews] Rumor Watch -- Water on the Moon? see also: SpaceCast of Feb 5 - BBC of Feb 6 - SpaceCast of Feb 10
Feb 10	[STScI] Hubble: Shock wave sheds new light on fading supernova
Feb 06	[RAS] Gamma-Ray Bursts may come from the most distant objects in the Universe
Feb 02	[ESO] Comet Hale-Bopp meeting at Tenerife see also: ESO Press Photos: The Unusual Tails of Comet Hale-Bopp

	January 1998
Jan 29	[ESO] Entering SOFI's Wonderful World: First Light for New Advanced Infrared Instrument at the NTT.
Jan 24	[Reuters] STS-89: Shuttle and MIR crews joined in space
Jan 23	[ESO] New Photos from the ESO Paranal Observatory.
Jan 22	[NASA] STS-89: Endeavour's flight to the MIR
Jan 16	[NASA] MIR: David Wolf performs EVA.
Jan 15	[Scripps] Organic Material in Martian Meteorite Found to be from Earth
Jan 13	[ESO] Deep Sky Diving with the ESO New Technology Telescope.
Jan 11	[Reuters] Lunar Prospector Swings Into Lunar Orbit
Jan 09	[UNH] Astronomers find evidence for gamma-ray flares on an unusual white dwarf star. [Reuters] MIR crew examines leaky hatch, finds defective lock
Jan 07	Results from the Winter 1998 AAS Meeting, Jan 07-09 Astronomers Discover An Infrared Background Glow in The Universe. Hubble Pinpoints Distant Supernovae . Hubble: Astronomers Have Found A New Twist In A Suspected Protoplanetary Disk Hubble Provides Complete View Of Jupiter's Auroras. Hubble Provides Clear Images Of Saturn's Aurora. Hubble Finds Most Of Visible Light In The Universe. Hubble: A New Class Of X-ray Star?. [AP] NASA launches moon probe, scientists thrilled
Jan 06	[Reuters] NASA Reschedules Launch of Lunar Prospector
Jan 05	[Reuters] MIR problem over, crew prepares for spacewalks

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