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

Rose Center and Hayden Planetarium
One of the world's leading planetariums, located in one of the world's premier museums in one of the world's great cities. It's the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. The old Hayden Planetarium was razed in 1997, to many people's sorrow. But the new one opened in 2000 and it is stunning.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art183413.asp

*Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – vote for an image*

June 18 is coming up. It'll the 5-year anniversary of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been taking some superb pictures of the Moon. To celebrate the anniversary, NASA is producing a special image collection, and inviting the public to vote on an orbiter image for the cover. Interestingly, the emphasis isn't just on the images as science, but also on the images as art. The mission team has chosen five images “selected because of their beauty and/or scientific value.” You can see the five images and vote for the one you like here: http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov/MoonArt. We'll be able to see the winning image on June 18 when the full Moon as Art collection is released.

Which one did you like best?

*Happy Birthday, ESA*

The European Space Agency (ESA) was formed on May 31, 1975. This Saturday will be its 39th anniversary. Its two major missions for this year are Rosetta and Gaia. Rosetta is currently closing on a comet with the intention of going into orbit around it and releasing a lander. Gaia was launched last December and it will be mapping a billion stars in the Milky Way with unprecedented accuracy.

You can read more about “Rosetta the Comet Chaser” here: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art182574.asp

*Dedication of Mt Palomar's 200-inch telescope”

On June 2, 1948 the Cal Tech 200-inch telescope on Mt Palomar was dedicated. It was also named the Hale Telescope after George Ellery Hale who had been responsible for its existence, despite assurance from many quarters that it was impossible to build a 200-inch telescope. For more about the Palomar Observatory: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art178826.asp

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I wish you clear skies.

Mona Evans, Astronomy Editor
http://astronomy.bellaonline.com

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