Hi everybody!

Apologies for hitting the wrong button and sending out a draft newsletter with glitches.

Here's the latest article from the Astronomy site at BellaOnline.com.

Royal Observatory Greenwich
It's the place where time begins: The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England. Here you can stand on the Prime Meridian of the world with one foot in the western hemisphere and the other in the eastern hemisphere. It represents over three hundred years of astronomical and maritime history.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art31803.asp

*Exploring the Red Planet*

Opportunity is the only rover on Mars until Curiosity arrives, since Spirit's mission officially ended May 24th last year. I've started a Pinterest board with images relating to exploration of Mars. You can see them at: http://pinterest.com/astrobella/exploring-the-red-planet/

*Annular solar eclipse*

Did you see the solar eclipse the weekend before last? I saw the "ring of fire" on a live feed from Japan and looked at lots of pictures. Here is my favorite, in which you can see tiny images of the eclipse filtered through leaves on both the fence and a rather unusual screen! http://pinterest.com/pin/250090585527804710/

*Phases of Venus*

Like the Moon, Venus has phases. This is because it orbits between us and the Sun. Efrain Morales Rivera has photographed the changes since January of this year: http://pinterest.com/pin/250090585527842593/

On June 5/6 Venus will only be visible to those who see it crossing the face of the Sun. Here is a link to a transit calculator. Find your approximate location on the map and it will tell you what you can see. If you're in the area where the transit will be going on at sunrise or sunset, you should probably also look up the sunrise and sunset time. http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/

To participate in online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Astronomy located here - http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=323

Please visit astronomy.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Astronomy.

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I welcome your feedback!

Do pass this message along to family and friends who might also be interested. Remember it's free and without obligation.

I wish you clear skies.

Mona Evans,
Astronomy Editor
.