1. Space News
May 2015

2. SUPER SOLAR FLARE
A very long solar filament stretches across the relatively calm surface of the Sun in this telescopic snap shot from April 27th. A day later it erupted from the surface, but fortunately not in the direction of Earth!

3. Ceres from Dawn April 14/15th Showing “Bright Spots”
NASA's Dawn spacecraft has returned new images now it is in orbit around Ceres. This view from 14,000 miles above the N Pole. Future moves will bring Dawn much closer.

4. An elongated crater called "Spirit of St
An elongated crater called "Spirit of St. Louis," with a rock spire in it, dominates a recent scene from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.
Opportunity completed its 4,000th Martian day, or sol, of work on Mars on April 26, The rover has been exploring Mars since early 2004.

5. MESSENGER’s Mercury trip ends in a bang . . . and silence
This picture shows the general area where the MESSENGER spacecraft was expected to impact into the surface of Mercury. Now out of fuel, the spacecraft smashed into a region near Mercury's north pole, out of sight from Earth, at about 20:00 GMT on Thursday 30th April. Mission scientists confirmed the impact minutes later, when the craft's next possible communication pass was silent. Messenger reached Mercury in 2011 and far exceeded its primary mission plan of one year in orbit.

6. Rosetta continues to orbit comet 67P as it approaches the Sun
Rosetta continues to orbit comet 67P as it approaches the Sun. This view shows the tail of ice/dust. Suggestions are that the comet will split into two sections.

7. How did Philae “Bounce” . . . ??
Detailed analysis of the trajectory now shows how the Philae lander bounced along the surface of the comet. Total bounce time 117 minutes.
It’s final position is only known to within 30 – 50 metres.

8. Satellite imaging, including radar, is assisting after the Nepal Disaster. These images indicate areas changed by the Earthquake (lift/fall/avalanche).

9. Last month’s Lunar Eclipse – but as seen from the Moon…
So - is this a Solar Eclipse ??

10. This week marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the world's first space telescope. Hubble images have revealed a vast and colourful cosmos, showcasing, among many wonders, towering pillars of star-making dust and seas of galaxies floating in space.

11. May the Force be with you . . .
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have revealed they have celebrated ‘Star Wars Day’ by screening one of the sci-fi movies.
Why is it ‘Star Wars Day’?

12. Ideas for next month ??