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1999

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  • Solar Deja Vu

    Oct. 15, 1999

    When Yogi Berra made his famous remark about "deja vu all over again," he probably didn't have solar eruptions in mind. But this week solar physicists did a double take, and then a triple take, as the sun produced a rapid-fire series of coronal mass ejections. Even Yogi would have been impressed.

  • Happy birthday, Magnetars

    March 5, 1999

    20 years ago today, the first blast of gamma-rays from these enigmatic objects was first observed. Ever since, scientists have been unraveling what happened - and discovering radical new members of the cosmos.

  • Peering into the violent universe

    Feb. 9, 1999

    Tests prove approach for a new gamma-ray telescope. The design will compete against others in Washington today.

  • Divining Water on Europa

    Sept. 9, 1999

    Circumstantial evidence for water on Europa continues to mount as JPL scientists try an ingenious experiment to find hexagonal water-ice crystals on the frigid surface of Jupiter's 4th moon.

  • The Phantom Moonace

    May 20, 1999

    This weekend sky watchers in North America will be treated to a rare naked-eye lunar occultation of a bright star. Astronomers are asking amateurs to video tape the event for a precision topographical survey of the Moon's limb

  • Countdown to Discovery

    July 14, 1999

    Martin Weisskopf, Project Scientist for NASA's newest Great Observatory - the Chandra X-ray Observatory- talks about the upcoming July 20 launch, astronomy, cosmology, and our beautiful and surprising universe.

  • Taking a ringside seat for a gamma-ray burst

    Nov. 2, 1999

    Supercomputers are giving scientists a ringside seat for one of the most violent events in nature, the heart of a gamma ray burst. The "collapsar" model simulates a star that is too heavy to go supernova, and thus turns itself inside out.

  • A Stay of Execution for Lunar Prospector

    July 28, 1999

    Lunar Prospector has survived the July 28 partial Lunar Eclipseand is on track for a planned collision with The Moonon July 31. This story includes a video clip of the eclipse as seen from Australia and new simulations of the July 31 impact.

  • Lunar Prospector in Eclipse

    July 26, 1999

    This Wednesday's partial Lunar Eclipseposes a last-minute threat to Lunar Prospector, which is scheduled three days later to crash into The Moonin search of water.

  • Leftover Instruments Will Pave Way for New Propulsion Test

    March 22, 1999

    Well understood and well used scientific insturments will help verify a new instrument as they all fly on JAWSAT.