On this day in 2008 - January 14th - NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft made its first flyby of Mercury.
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) was the second spacecraft to reach Mercury, the first having been Mariner 10 in 1975.
On this day in 1916 - January 14th - the Royal Astronomical Society in London, founded in 1820, finally admitted the first women to full membership in the society.
On this day in 1969 - January 16th - the UK Space Agency announced that the remains of the probe Beagle 2 had been located on Mars.
The probe had been lost on Christmas Day 2003 after successful insertion into orbit by Mars Express. It was finally identified in images from the HiRise camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
On this day in 1647 - January 17th - Elisabetha Hevelius (née Koopmann), the second wife of Johannes Hevelius, was born.
She is considered to be one of the first European female astronomers, and is often called 'The mother of Moon charts'. Elisabetha helped her husband manage his observatory, and published two of his works after his death.
On this day in 2002 - January 18th - the Gemini South Observatory was dedicated.
Gemini South in Chile and Gemini North in Hawaii together constitute the Gemini Observatory. The twin telescopes provide almost complete coverage of the skies with two of the largest and most advanced optical/infrared telescopes available.
Last edited by Mona - Astronomy; 01/19/2007:07 AM. Reason: corrected date
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