Look up!.....Way Up Things to see in the Night Sky (Northern Latitudes) Provides summary information about the night sky and recent findings and events in solar system exploration and science. COMET HALE-BOPP One of the great comets of this century, COMET HALE-BOPP, is still easy to see in the evening sky with the naked eye. The comet is even more impressive viewed through binoculars, and/or from a dark site, which is_ highly recommended. Hale-Bopp is the brightest comet in over 20 years and one of the brightest of the century. It is currently brighter than almost all the stars in the sky. The comet is easily visible about one-third of the way above the horizon in the west- northwest just after it gets dark, and for two to three hours after that. The farther north you are, the longer it will be visible. Hale-Bopp looks like a fuzzy white patch (the coma) surrounding a brighter center, with a tail that extends upward. From a dark enough site, you may be able to see two tails: a thin, straight, slightly bluish gas tail, and a broad, curved yellowish-white dust tail. Hale-Bopp will continue to be visible probably throughout April and into May, but now is definitely the best time to observe it (except for those in the southern hemisphere, whose only chance to see it will be later in the month and in May). Moonlight will increasingly interfere with observing. Hale-Bopp beginning this week, and the comet will be fading and getting lower in the sky as the month goes on. Hale-Bopp reached perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on April 1. For more on Hale-Bopp: http:// www.sji.org/ed/halebopp. html. MARS rises early in the evening, appearing in the east. By midnight, it will be high in the south. Now is a great time to view it, looking like a very bright yellowish-orange star. MERCURY is low in the west about an hour after sunset, to the lower left of COMET HALE- . BOPP. JUPITER can be seen by looking low in the southeast just before dawn. THE MOON First Quarter Moon occurs April 14 at 10:00 p.m. PDT (UT-7 hours). SPACE SHUTTLE UPDATE The Space Shuttle Discovery landed on April 8 at about 11:33 p.m. PDT, ending the STS-83 mission after just less than 4 days. The mission, which included a microgravity science laboratory, had originally been scheduled to last about 16 days, but failure of one of the shuttle’s three fuel cells caused the decision to end the mission early. This marks only the third time in NASA’s 83 Space Shuttle missions that a flight has been cut short due to mechanical problems. The STS-83 crew consisted of commander Jim Halsell, pilot Susan Still, mission specialists Janice Voss, Michael Gernhardt, and Donald Thomas, and payload specialists Roger Crouch and Greg Linteris. More information on the Space Shuttle including details of this mission can be found at http:/ /shuttle.nasa.gov. Information on Shuttle-Mir activities including Jerry Linenger’s continued activities on board Mir can be found at: http-// shuttle-mir.nasa. gov. THIS WEEK IN SPACE HISTORY Apr. 8, 1964: Unmanned Gemini 1 launched. RANDOM SPACE FACT Comet Hale-Bopp is putting out approximately 250 million tons of gas and dust per second. This is about 50 times more than most comets produce. Page 11 — Over The Edge - April 14, 1997 (cont from page 4) a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9. The Spice Girls’ “Spice” is in second place on the sales chart. The soundtrack to “Space Jam” is in third. Reeve Breaks Arm - Christopher Reeve did not let a broken left arm keep him from attending the premiere of his directing debut. Reeve, a quadriplegic since a 1995 horse-riding accident, was being hoisted onto an exercise bike for therapy Saturday when the people lifting him lost control of him. Due to his paralysis, Reeve felt no pain and did not know there was a problem until he saw swelling. Reeve underwent surgery to insert a rod in his arm but showed up in New York for the premiere of “In the Gloaming,” the AIDS drama that he directed for HBO. The show airs April 20. ‘That Girl’ Again in Spotlight - Marlo Thomas is enjoying a renaissance with a slew of projects. She’s wrapped her role in Tom DiCillo’s “The Real Blonde,” and is in Los Angeles interviewing writers to write a screenplay based on her comedy treatment “The Assistants.” Thomas will also join an ensemble cast in a Showtime cable film based on Meg Wolitzer’s book “Surrender Dorothy.” Additionally, she signed a deal to produce “American Pie,” a film based on Michael Lee West's novel about three eccentric sisters. Returning to her TV roots, Thomas will star as detective Molly Cates in two made-for-T-V movies at ABC. For CBS, Thomas is to star in the movie “Two Against Time.” : “Tarantino Goes for the Loot - Quentin Tarantino has cast Robert Forster to co-star in his new movie, “Jackie Brown.” The deal calls for Forster to play a bail bondsman who teams with a flight attendant, played by Pam Grier, to evade the Feds and double-cross a band of crooks en route to arms dealer Samuel L. Jackson’s hidden stash of loot. Tarantino is directing the picture from his adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel “Rum Punch.” In addition to Grier and Jackson, Bridget Fonda also has been tapped for a role. Hicks Doing ‘Cedars’ - “Shine” director Scott Hicks has signed on for the big screen version of the best- selling book, “Snow Falling on Cedars.” The film is to be based on David Guterson novel about a Japanese- American man on trial for murder. The story centers on the trial, the accused's wife and a journalist covering the case who was involved with the wife years earlier. It also explores the effects of prejudice on the judicial system. Although no deal has been set, Variety reports Hicks and Universal Pictures are anxious to work together on Top Ten Worst Top Ten L at Over The Edge by Vince Yim Well, over my past two years here at Over The Edge, I have contributed my fair share of works to the school newspaper. Unfortunately, time has come for me to move on to greener pastures (ie: somewhere where it’s a bit warmer), so this will be the last Top Ten column seen at Over The Edge written by yours truly. I have a new replacement, Dan Tisseur, who is more than willing to fill my space and I hope you treat him with as much respect as you did for me during my stay here (if not more). 10: “Top Ten Worst Things Served at Thanksgiving Dinner.” (Originally published Oct 16, 1996) It was the last Top Ten list to use the much beaten to death Christmas Fruitcake joke. And with good reason. 9: “Top Ten Reasons Why We Hate UNBC during Winter time.” (Nov. 22, 1995) Not that it was a bad list, it’s just that the #1 was cut off and an