On a more earthly note....

For those who enjoy the pleasure of observing a fast moving streak of light far away in the distant sky, an opportunity awaits on the 6th of this December.The next Space Shuttle mission STS-122 is all scheduled to be launched on that date, Carrying with it the ESA's Columbus Science Laboratory(the biggest space lab of it's type till date).The shuttle when launched will be the brightest thing in the sky, 3rd only to The Sun and the Moon, and depending on it's altitude at the time of observation, a little dimmer or brighter than the International Space Station itself. This launch of the space shuttle is coincidentally poised on a path that shall take it straight over India. (In particular, MANIPAL.)

For more details regarding observation timings and celestial coordinates,
(ONCE THE SHUTTLE IS LAUNCHED)
visit:
http://science.nasa.gov/temp/ShuttleLoc.html

You can also get email alerts regarding the Shuttle Transit if you subscribe to http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/JPass/PassGenerator

Here's to a beautiful sighting of the Shuttle Transit.(and of course, a starry night sky).
Surjodeb Basu .