Emily Lakdawalla's blogs from 2004

No Longer Boring: 'Fireworks' and Other Surprises at Uranus Spotted Through Adaptive Optics

Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2004/11/11 07:10 CST

Uranus has the unfortunate reputation of being the most boring planet in the solar system. But where it appeared to be a nearly featureless, hazy blue ball to Voyager 2, it is now blooming dozens of clouds that are visible to the sharp-eyed Keck II Telescope.

Asteroid 4179 Toutatis as seen simultaneously from Paranal and La Silla

Close Your Left Eye, Then Your Right: Simultaneous Observations of Asteroid 4179 Toutatis from Two Chilean Telescopes Demonstrate Parallax

Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2004/09/29 12:00 CDT

This morning, asteroid 4179 Toutatis was so close to Earth that simultaneous observations from two telescopes in the same country could show parallax that is obvious even to the least experienced observer. The two telescopes belong to The European Southern Observatory and are located at La Silla and Paranal in Chile

Very Close Approach by Asteroid 4179 Toutatis: It's Not a Crisis, It's an Opportunity

Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2004/09/27 12:00 CDT