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collectSPACE.com: Space History News
26 Sep 2016, 20:35 UTC
Playing planetary explorer: Xtronaut board game draws from asteroid mission
26 Sep 2016, 20:35 UTC
Sky and Telescope
26 Sep 2016, 19:29 UTC
Springer 587-709-3976 Author John Stephen Hicks has updated his seminal book Building a Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory; A Complete Guide for Design and Construction, Second Edition (paperback: $34.99; ebook: $19.99). Hicks discusses each aspect of backyard observatory design and construction to help you decide which type suits your needs best. Important considerations including structural variations, placement, and zoning and bylaw requirements common to most states and municipalities are discussed at length. Step-by-step directions and detailed diagrams are included for each phase of construction. 248 pages, ISBN 978-1-4939-3010-4. SkyandTelescope.com's New Product Showcase is a reader service featuring innovative equipment and software of interest to amateur astronomers. The descriptions are based largely on information supplied by the manufacturers or distributors. Sky & Telescope assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of vendors statements. For further information contact the manufacturer or distributor. Announcements should be sent to nps@SkyandTelescope.com. Not all announcements will be listed. The post Building a Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Building a Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory
26 Sep 2016, 19:29 UTC
Springer 587-709-3976 Author John Stephen Hicks has updated his seminal book Building a Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory; A Complete Guide for Design and Construction, Second Edition (paperback: $34.99; ebook: $19.99). Hicks discusses each aspect of backyard observatory design and construction to help you decide which type suits your needs best. Important considerations including structural variations, placement, and zoning and bylaw requirements common to most states and municipalities are discussed at length. Step-by-step directions and detailed diagrams are included for each phase of construction. 248 pages, ISBN 978-1-4939-3010-4. SkyandTelescope.com's New Product Showcase is a reader service featuring innovative equipment and software of interest to amateur astronomers. The descriptions are based largely on information supplied by the manufacturers or distributors. Sky & Telescope assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of vendors statements. For further information contact the manufacturer or distributor. Announcements should be sent to nps@SkyandTelescope.com. Not all announcements will be listed. The post Building a Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
The Planetary Society Blog
26 Sep 2016, 18:36 UTC
New Findings are Conclusive: Europa is crying out for exploration
26 Sep 2016, 18:36 UTC
New Scientist
26 Sep 2016, 16:37 UTC
Would float in a bathtubNASA/ESA/G. Bacon (STScI) By Shannon HallA star’s heat goes deep. For the first time, we have spotted a “hot Jupiter” that has expanded thanks to its swelling host star – an observation that could settle a 15-year-old debate. Hot Jupiters – gas giant exoplanets that orbit scorchingly close to their stars – are inexplicably puffy. “We see these planets that are the sizes of stars without being anywhere near the mass of those stars,” says Sam Grunblatt at the University of Hawaii. HAT-P-1b, for example, contains half the mass of Jupiter yet is 20 per cent larger in radius. This gives it such a low density that it would float in a bathtub. For more than a decade, we have been trying to explain how these planetary puffballs grow so large. The dozen or so different scenarios we have come up with all fall into two broad categories: either the star’s heat keeps the planet from cooling and therefore contracting, or it somehow penetrates the planet’s deep interior, causing it to expand. Heat is gone One way to test this would be to nudge an older planet – one whose initial heat is long gone – ...
Puffed-up exoplanets inflate with heat from their stars alone
26 Sep 2016, 16:37 UTC
Would float in a bathtubNASA/ESA/G. Bacon (STScI) By Shannon HallA star’s heat goes deep. For the first time, we have spotted a “hot Jupiter” that has expanded thanks to its swelling host star – an observation that could settle a 15-year-old debate. Hot Jupiters – gas giant exoplanets that orbit scorchingly close to their stars – are inexplicably puffy. “We see these planets that are the sizes of stars without being anywhere near the mass of those stars,” says Sam Grunblatt at the University of Hawaii. HAT-P-1b, for example, contains half the mass of Jupiter yet is 20 per cent larger in radius. This gives it such a low density that it would float in a bathtub. For more than a decade, we have been trying to explain how these planetary puffballs grow so large. The dozen or so different scenarios we have come up with all fall into two broad categories: either the star’s heat keeps the planet from cooling and therefore contracting, or it somehow penetrates the planet’s deep interior, causing it to expand. Heat is gone One way to test this would be to nudge an older planet – one whose initial heat is long gone – ...
Rosetta Blog
26 Sep 2016, 15:33 UTC
Imagine how Rosetta's descent might look if you were an observer at Comet 67P/C-G! This new animation visualises the final stages of Rosetta's descent to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 30 September 2016. The sequence is speeded up to show the relative motion of Rosetta and the rotating comet below. Earlier today, Rosetta completed a small manoeuvre as planned that puts it on the start of a 16 x 23 km orbit needed in preparation for the collision manoeuvre on 29 September. Recap the final trajectories in the below animation:
Visualising Rosetta’s descent
26 Sep 2016, 15:33 UTC
Imagine how Rosetta's descent might look if you were an observer at Comet 67P/C-G! This new animation visualises the final stages of Rosetta's descent to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 30 September 2016. The sequence is speeded up to show the relative motion of Rosetta and the rotating comet below. Earlier today, Rosetta completed a small manoeuvre as planned that puts it on the start of a 16 x 23 km orbit needed in preparation for the collision manoeuvre on 29 September. Recap the final trajectories in the below animation:
New Scientist
26 Sep 2016, 14:58 UTC
In a star system far, far away…NASA/JPL-Caltech By Leah CraneIt’s a case of pulsar ping-pong. Repeating radio bursts from space may be the result of pulsars colliding with asteroids in faraway stellar systems. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a rare and mysterious phenomenon. Until recently, we had seen fewer than 20 of these milliseconds-long pulses of radio waves, and they have been attributed to everything from quasars to aliens. Last year, astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico nearly doubled the number of observed FRBs when they saw 16 bright bursts from the direction of FRB 121102, where a single burst had been detected in 2012. Such repeating FRBs add another layer to the mystery. It’s possible that all FRBs repeat but our telescopes simply aren’t sensitive enough to detect most of them, or there could be more than one type of burst. Either way, we still don’t know what causes them. Now, Zigao Dai at Nanjing University in China and his colleagues think they have a solution: pulsars playing bumper cars in a faraway asteroid belt. If one of these fast-spinning stellar corpses got close enough to another planetary system to travel through its asteroid belt, it could ...
Mystery radio bursts may be pulsars bumping into asteroids
26 Sep 2016, 14:58 UTC
In a star system far, far away…NASA/JPL-Caltech By Leah CraneIt’s a case of pulsar ping-pong. Repeating radio bursts from space may be the result of pulsars colliding with asteroids in faraway stellar systems. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a rare and mysterious phenomenon. Until recently, we had seen fewer than 20 of these milliseconds-long pulses of radio waves, and they have been attributed to everything from quasars to aliens. Last year, astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico nearly doubled the number of observed FRBs when they saw 16 bright bursts from the direction of FRB 121102, where a single burst had been detected in 2012. Such repeating FRBs add another layer to the mystery. It’s possible that all FRBs repeat but our telescopes simply aren’t sensitive enough to detect most of them, or there could be more than one type of burst. Either way, we still don’t know what causes them. Now, Zigao Dai at Nanjing University in China and his colleagues think they have a solution: pulsars playing bumper cars in a faraway asteroid belt. If one of these fast-spinning stellar corpses got close enough to another planetary system to travel through its asteroid belt, it could ...
Universe Today
26 Sep 2016, 13:34 UTC
The month of October is upon us this coming weekend, and with it, one of the better annual meteor showers is once again active: the Orionids. In 2016, the Orionid meteors are expected to peak on October 22nd at 2:00 UT (10:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on October 21st) , favoring Europe and Africa in the early morning hours. The shower is active for a one month period from October 2nd to November 2nd, and can vary with a Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 10-70 meteors per hour. This year, the Orionids are expected to produce a maximum ideal ZHR of 15-25 meteors per hour. The radiant of the Orionids is located near right ascension 6 hours 24 minutes, declination 15 degrees north at the time of the peak. The radiant is in the constellation of Orion very near its juncture with Gemini and Taurus. The Moon is at a 55% illuminated, waning gibbous phase at the peak of the Orionids, making 2016 an unfavorable year for this shower, though that shouldn't stop you from trying. It's true that the Moon is only 19 degrees east of the radiant in the adjacent constellation Gemini at its peak on the key ...
Tears of the Hunter: Our Guide to the 2016 Orionid Meteor Shower
26 Sep 2016, 13:34 UTC
The month of October is upon us this coming weekend, and with it, one of the better annual meteor showers is once again active: the Orionids. In 2016, the Orionid meteors are expected to peak on October 22nd at 2:00 UT (10:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on October 21st) , favoring Europe and Africa in the early morning hours. The shower is active for a one month period from October 2nd to November 2nd, and can vary with a Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 10-70 meteors per hour. This year, the Orionids are expected to produce a maximum ideal ZHR of 15-25 meteors per hour. The radiant of the Orionids is located near right ascension 6 hours 24 minutes, declination 15 degrees north at the time of the peak. The radiant is in the constellation of Orion very near its juncture with Gemini and Taurus. The Moon is at a 55% illuminated, waning gibbous phase at the peak of the Orionids, making 2016 an unfavorable year for this shower, though that shouldn't stop you from trying. It's true that the Moon is only 19 degrees east of the radiant in the adjacent constellation Gemini at its peak on the key ...
Rosetta Blog
26 Sep 2016, 12:48 UTC
Comet dust particles may be small, but they come in large numbers. COSIMA Principal Investigator Martin Hilchenbach shares some impressive facts about the instrument’s performance, and reflects on the personal highlights of the team during Rosetta’s mission. Rosetta’s dust analysing instrument COSIMA (COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser) has had a busy two years at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: 31 000 dust particles collected at the last count (mid-August 2016). And as Martin puts it “..which are soon to be returned to the surface of the comet!” Impressively, one single COSIMA team member, Sihane Merouane, identified and labelled all imaged particles and compiled the archive list, and 6053 particles now have proper names – the first assignments given for COSIMA and the wider Rosetta team members and their families. According to Martin, it would take around five hours to read out the list of names assigned to the particles on just one target. There have been 21 targets in total exposed. Meet some of the COSIMA grain family! The target plate measures 1cm across, and shows dust grains collected between 11 August and 12 December 2014. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for COSIMA Team MPS/CSNSM/UNIBW/TUORLA/IWF/IAS/ESA/BUW/MPE/LPC2E/LCM/FMI/UTU/LISA/UOFC/vH&S. And these targets are small – just one centimetre square each. ...
Living with a comet: a COSIMA team perspective
26 Sep 2016, 12:48 UTC
Comet dust particles may be small, but they come in large numbers. COSIMA Principal Investigator Martin Hilchenbach shares some impressive facts about the instrument’s performance, and reflects on the personal highlights of the team during Rosetta’s mission. Rosetta’s dust analysing instrument COSIMA (COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser) has had a busy two years at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: 31 000 dust particles collected at the last count (mid-August 2016). And as Martin puts it “..which are soon to be returned to the surface of the comet!” Impressively, one single COSIMA team member, Sihane Merouane, identified and labelled all imaged particles and compiled the archive list, and 6053 particles now have proper names – the first assignments given for COSIMA and the wider Rosetta team members and their families. According to Martin, it would take around five hours to read out the list of names assigned to the particles on just one target. There have been 21 targets in total exposed. Meet some of the COSIMA grain family! The target plate measures 1cm across, and shows dust grains collected between 11 August and 12 December 2014. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for COSIMA Team MPS/CSNSM/UNIBW/TUORLA/IWF/IAS/ESA/BUW/MPE/LPC2E/LCM/FMI/UTU/LISA/UOFC/vH&S. And these targets are small – just one centimetre square each. ...
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- 27 Sep 2016
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The TeCake
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Roscosmos confirms plans to reduce space station crew
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03:25 UTC
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- 26 Sep 2016
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Video: Orbital ATK showcases its Cygnus-derived space hab...
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Spaceflight Industries Successfully Launches BlackSky Pat...
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22:46 UTC
Astro Watch
Hubble Spots Possible Water Plumes Erupting on Europa
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22:44 UTC
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Hubble space telescope images show possible water plumes ...
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22:35 UTC
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Astronomers Spy Shadowy Plumes Around Europa
If confirmed, the icy Jovian moon’s eruptions could offer new pathways for exploring its subsurface ocean -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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22:28 UTC
Astro Watch
India’s PSLV Rocket Sends Eight Satellites into Two Diffe...
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22:26 UTC
Parabolic Arc
NASA’s Hubble Spots Possible Water Plumes Erupting on Jup...
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22:15 UTC
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NASA’s Hubble Spots Possible Water Plumes Erupting on Jup...
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Science 2.0
Hubble's New Surprise - Europa Plumes? And What Comes Nex...
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Science 2.0
Hubble's New Surprise - Europa Plumes? And What Comes Nex...
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21:55 UTC
The Daily Galaxy
NASA: Europa's Water Plumes Detected --"Missions May Be A...
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21:53 UTC
David Reneke's Worl...
NASA Spots Possible Water On Jupiter’s Moon Europa
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21:48 UTC
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21:37 UTC
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Europa’s plumes of water may reveal clues to alien life
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21:01 UTC
The New York Times
Geysers May Erupt on Europa, Jupiter’s Moon
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All About Space
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20:04 UTC
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19:55 UTC
The New York Times
Rosetta on the Way to Crash Into a Comet
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NPR
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All About Space
Possible water vapour plumes spotted erupting from Europa
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19:29 UTC
Astronomy Now
Hubble spots possible water plumes erupting on Jupiter’s ...
This composite image shows suspected plumes of water vapour erupting at the 7 o’clock position off the limb of Jupiter’s moon Europa. The plumes, photographed by NASA’s Hubble’s Space Telescope ...
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19:29 UTC
Sky and Telescope
Building a Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory
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Astro Bob
Get Free Daily Alerts Of Close Asteroid Flybys
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This Week on The Space Show
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What Charlie Bolden Really Said At #IAC2016
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19:15 UTC
NASASpaceFlight.com
“Statistically significant evidence” for water emissions ...
NASA has confirmed “statistically significant evidence” from the Hubble Space Telescope indicating the presence of salty watery ejecta plumes from the Jovian moon Europa. The announcement lends further proof for ...
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19:01 UTC
The Original Rocket...
Nothing, nada, zilch...
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New Findings are Conclusive: Europa is crying out for exp...
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18:17 UTC
New Scientist
Plumes spotted on Europa raise hopes that we can taste it...
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18:13 UTC
NASA Watch
Tectonics on Mercury
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18:09 UTC
AAS Nova
Acetylene on Titan’s Surface
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18:09 UTC
NASA Watch
Water Plumes on Europa
Evidence of Water Vapor Plumes on Europa, NASA "Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have imaged what may be water vapor plumes erupting off the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. ...
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18:00 UTC
NASA: Universe News
NASA’s Hubble Spots Possible Water Plumes Erupting on Jup...
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23:49 UTC
Aviation Week
