For the last WoW! of the 1998-1999 school year, we leave you with The Continuing Story Of Asteroid 1999 AN10. "Revised predictions indicate that this kilometer-size asteroid could pass particularly close to the Earth on August 7, 2027. The passage in 2027 could be as close as 37,000 km from the Earth's center (just 19,000 miles above the Earth's surface), but no closer." That's closer than geostationary satellites orbiting the Earth! Still, experts maintain that "the probability of a collision in 2027 is essentially zero."

To simulate the collision of a 1.0 kilometer diameter asteroid with Earth, visit Solar System Collisions. (Note: the first time you visit this site, click on the "Help" button for useful background information.)

17 May 1999 - Solar Calculator & Sundial Generator

Hey, did you miss WoW! last week? Sorry, but there was a disturbance in the force (I was waiting in line to buy Star Wars tickets). So this week we'll post two WoWs! to makeup for last week. Be advised, WoW! goes on Summer hiatus beginning 31 May; it will return September '99.

As the midday Sun is getting higher and higher in the late May sky, explore the daily and annual cycles of change in the path of the Sun across the sky. Great Circle Studio's Solar Calculator will calculate the Sun's altitude at azimuth for a user-specified location, date & time, and data interval. A variety of output modes are available.

As its name suggests, Great Circle Studio's Sundial Generator generates a sundial for a user-specified location. A variety of output formats are available.

03 May 1999 - TWC Project SafeSide

The Weather Channel Project SafeSide - a free collection of cross-curricular lesson plans and activities that teach students how to prepare for severe weather and natural hazards, including tornadoes, lightning, floods, extreme heat, hurricanes, winter weather, and earthquakes. Designed for grades 4-12.

26 APRIL 1999 - The Analemma

Ever notice the odd-looking figure eight which appears on many globes? It's called an analemma. See the analemma for Washington, D.C. (can you tell when the maximum altitude of the noon Sun occurs during the year?), then visit the Analemma Web site to learn more about, well, analemmas!

19 APRIL 1999 - Sky Awareness Week/Atmospheric Halos

Sky Awareness Week is April 18-24, 1999. Explore the mysterious beauty of ice crystal atmospheric optical phenomena by visiting the Atmospheric Halos Web site, then go look for sundogs (parhelia), halos, and Sun pillars in the real sky!

12 APRIL 1999 - 101 Ways to Embrace Space

Space Day is 06 May 1999. For ideas how you can celebrate Space Day, visit 101 Ways to Embrace Space.

05 APRIL 1999 - WeatherNet4 Weather Calendar

Pick a day (in the past) to see the weather events for that date. Plot a graph showing 24 hours of data: temperature/dew point; humidity; barometric pressure; wind speed; wind direction; or rainfall.

22 MARCH 1999 - Past WoWs! Redux

Revisit the WoWs! from 1 March ("Tornado Preparedness Day," Tuesday, 23 March) and 25 January (Once in a Blue Moon, Wednesday, 31 March). For the week beginning 29 March, WoW! will be on vacation--happy Spring Break!

15 MARCH 1999 - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

At long last, the new Star Wars film will be released in May 1999! For all the details, plus the new trailer released 12 March, visit Star Wars, The Official Site.

08 MARCH 1999 - The Quest in the Question

The Quest in the Question, a Space Day '99 free electronic field trip, 6 May 1999, 1-2 p.m. EDT, presented by Challenger Center for Space Science Education and produced by the FCPS Fairfax Network.

01 MARCH 1999 - Tornado Preparedness Day

Virginia Governor Gilmore has declared Tuesday, 23 March 1999, "Tornado Preparedness Day." Visit the NOAA National Weather Service Severe Weather Awareness Week Web site for an online Tornado Preparedness Guide, including information regarding tornado safety in schools. Preparedness Guides for other weather hazards are available online also.

22 FEBRUARY 1999 - National Sky Awareness Week

Plan to celebrate National Sky Awareness Week, April 18-24, 1999. Its theme is: "THE SKY- Where Meteorology and Astronomy Meet."

15 FEBRUARY 1999

Consider the influence of astronomy upon popular culture by reading the proceedings of The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena, The First Conference. See additional examples by visiting the SCSA's own Astronomy-Related Pop Culture Web page.

08 FEBRUARY 1999 - On 11 February, once again Pluto...

...becomes the ninth planet from the Sun. Huh? Follow the hyperlink for details.

01 FEBRUARY 1999 - Groundhog Day, 02 FEB 1999

Take a virtual trip to Punxsutawney, PA to see Phil's prediction -- will it be an early Spring or six more weeks of Winter?

25 JANUARY 1999 - Once in a Blue Moon

In a rare coincidence, there are two Blue Moons in 1999: the first occurs in January; the second in March. To discover how improbable this occurrence is, visit the Blue Moon Web site, including the Blue Moon Calculator.

18 JANUARY 1999 - Winter Storm Safety

In light of the recent wintery weather, we offer some timely tips regarding winter storm safety:
• The Weather Channel: Project SafeSide
• American Red Cross: Safety
• FEMA Preparedness: Winter Storms
• Winter Storm Safety

03 JANUARY 1999 - Increase Your Sky Awareness...

...by completing The Unofficial Student Activity for Bob Ryan's 1999 Almanac & Guide for the Weatherwise. All you need is an almanac (available at your local Giant Food store).

13 DECEMBER 1998 - You're dreaming...

...of a White Christmas, but a quick look at WeatherNet4 Washington Winter Statistics reveals that the chance of a white X-Mas in the nation's capital is less than 10%! (For more Washington, DC weather statistics, see Local Airport Statistics: Reagan National.)

If nature doesn't cooperate, then make artificial snow by visiting Snowflake Designer, a very cool (pun intended) Shockwave multimedia Web site. A USA Today graphic shows how the air temperature determines the shape of snowflakes. Also, see how all types of precipitation start as snow.

06 DECEMBER 1998 - Where in the World is Santa Claus?

The Official NORAD Tracks Santa Claus Web Site. The Website has a variety of high-tech features and tackles numerous aspects of Santa Claus--including calculations of cookie and milk consumption; how he gets around the world so quickly; how he gets down the chimney, etc. On Christmas Eve, the page will track Santa using digital animation, satellite/cockpit images and audio reports from Cheyenne Mountain--NORAD's Operations Command Center. New images and reports will be posted every hour for a 24-hour period. The site is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese.

29 NOVEMBER 1998 - International Space Station (ISS)

Track the ISS by looking down at the satellite subpoint (the point on the Earth's surface directly beneath the satellite) or by looking up in the sky (Naked-Eye Visibility Data from Selected Cities).

Geoscience-Related Information Servers | Geosystems in FCPS
American Meteorological Society DataStreme Project