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Starts With a Bang!
5 Mar 2015, 01:06 UTC
The Universe is full of surprises. These are the biggest, plus what they mean.Continue reading on Medium »
The astronomical objects that shouldn’t exist
5 Mar 2015, 01:06 UTC
The Universe is full of surprises. These are the biggest, plus what they mean.Continue reading on Medium »
SPACE.com
4 Mar 2015, 23:38 UTC
The Stargazer Lottie doll — which comes with a realistic telescope, solar system collector cards and profiles of famous female astronomers — is being released this month in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
Stargazer Lottie Doll Brings Real Astronomy Down to Earth
4 Mar 2015, 23:38 UTC
The Stargazer Lottie doll — which comes with a realistic telescope, solar system collector cards and profiles of famous female astronomers — is being released this month in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
The Ancient Solar System...
4 Mar 2015, 21:52 UTC
Above: Images of an asteroid passing Earth - not optical images, but images gathered by a unique kind of radio telescope. Courtesy of Space.com. We use radio observatories to look deep into the universe, and almost all radio observatories have one thing in common: They’re passive receivers of signals from deep space – ultra sensitive ears to the cosmos only. But a very small number are also immensely powerful radar stations, sending out pulses of radio waves that travel at lightspeed across space to be ‘echo’ back to Earth off other worlds. These pulses carry information with them as they return, allowing maps of distant worlds to be made in great detail. Because of the huge distances involved the radio pulses may take hours to complete the trip, making the process less like terrestrial radar, and more like waiting for a scout to return with a report. Above: The Arecibo radio dish. If you’re thinking that it looks like the lair of a James Bond villain, that’s because it was. The dish appeared in the 1995 film Goldeneye. Image courtesy of NAIC.The best known of these is the immense 300 meter radio antenna at Arecibo (also known as the National ...
Q and A with an Arecibo Observatory research scientist
4 Mar 2015, 21:52 UTC
Above: Images of an asteroid passing Earth - not optical images, but images gathered by a unique kind of radio telescope. Courtesy of Space.com. We use radio observatories to look deep into the universe, and almost all radio observatories have one thing in common: They’re passive receivers of signals from deep space – ultra sensitive ears to the cosmos only. But a very small number are also immensely powerful radar stations, sending out pulses of radio waves that travel at lightspeed across space to be ‘echo’ back to Earth off other worlds. These pulses carry information with them as they return, allowing maps of distant worlds to be made in great detail. Because of the huge distances involved the radio pulses may take hours to complete the trip, making the process less like terrestrial radar, and more like waiting for a scout to return with a report. Above: The Arecibo radio dish. If you’re thinking that it looks like the lair of a James Bond villain, that’s because it was. The dish appeared in the 1995 film Goldeneye. Image courtesy of NAIC.The best known of these is the immense 300 meter radio antenna at Arecibo (also known as the National ...
Universe Today
4 Mar 2015, 21:05 UTC
I for one have never witnessed the northern lights in person, and like many people I experience them vicariously through the photography and videos of more well-traveled (or more polar-bound) individuals. Typically these are either single-shot photos or time-lapses made up of many somewhat long-exposure images. As beautiful as these are, they don’t accurately capture the true motion of this upper atmospheric phenomenon. But here we get a look at the aurora as it looks in real time, captured on camera by Jon Kerr from northern Finland. Check it out above or watch in full screen HD on YouTube. The video was shot with a full-frame mirrorless Sony a7S. See more of Jon’s aurora videos on YouTube here. Video credit: Jon Kerr. HT SunViewer on Twitter. © Jason Major for Universe Today, 2015. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: aurora, Earth, Finland, Jon Kerr, northern lights, photography, sky Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Watch the Aurora Shimmer and Dance in Real Time
4 Mar 2015, 21:05 UTC
I for one have never witnessed the northern lights in person, and like many people I experience them vicariously through the photography and videos of more well-traveled (or more polar-bound) individuals. Typically these are either single-shot photos or time-lapses made up of many somewhat long-exposure images. As beautiful as these are, they don’t accurately capture the true motion of this upper atmospheric phenomenon. But here we get a look at the aurora as it looks in real time, captured on camera by Jon Kerr from northern Finland. Check it out above or watch in full screen HD on YouTube. The video was shot with a full-frame mirrorless Sony a7S. See more of Jon’s aurora videos on YouTube here. Video credit: Jon Kerr. HT SunViewer on Twitter. © Jason Major for Universe Today, 2015. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: aurora, Earth, Finland, Jon Kerr, northern lights, photography, sky Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Sky and Telescope
4 Mar 2015, 19:35 UTC
What's it like to fly on a repurposed Boeing 747 with a huge rectangular hole in its side — and a state-of-the-art telescope peering out through it? After three years of trying — six attempts in all — I finally got my chance to fly aboard the one-of-a-kind Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. SOFIA is a repurposed Boeing 747SP aircraft that's been modified to observe while flying at altitudes of 39,000 feet (12 km) and above. The business end is a compact, 2.5-meter telescope that peers out into the universe through a hole in the fuselage. It's a big hole, 18 feet long and 13½ high (5.5 by 4.1 m), that gets opened once the plane reaches 30,000 feet. As detailed in Sky & Telescope's May issue, I flew on SOFIA to find out what kinds of astronomy can be done from the stratosphere. "Plenty," it turns out, and there's a long queue of astronomers waiting to use it. Most have been waiting a long time: the project began in 1997 and took 14 years and $1.1 billion to become fully operational. NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) paid for it, and staff from Universities Space Research Association manage ...
My Night in the Stratosphere
4 Mar 2015, 19:35 UTC
What's it like to fly on a repurposed Boeing 747 with a huge rectangular hole in its side — and a state-of-the-art telescope peering out through it? After three years of trying — six attempts in all — I finally got my chance to fly aboard the one-of-a-kind Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. SOFIA is a repurposed Boeing 747SP aircraft that's been modified to observe while flying at altitudes of 39,000 feet (12 km) and above. The business end is a compact, 2.5-meter telescope that peers out into the universe through a hole in the fuselage. It's a big hole, 18 feet long and 13½ high (5.5 by 4.1 m), that gets opened once the plane reaches 30,000 feet. As detailed in Sky & Telescope's May issue, I flew on SOFIA to find out what kinds of astronomy can be done from the stratosphere. "Plenty," it turns out, and there's a long queue of astronomers waiting to use it. Most have been waiting a long time: the project began in 1997 and took 14 years and $1.1 billion to become fully operational. NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) paid for it, and staff from Universities Space Research Association manage ...
Cosmic Diary
4 Mar 2015, 19:11 UTC
No one ever talks about dust in a positive or excited way. Usually dust is a hindrance – something you sweep away during spring-cleaning, or an annoyance because your allergies can’t handle it. But for astronomers, finding dust around another star – i.e., circumstellar dust – is like finding the next piece of an interstellar puzzle. That’s because circumstellar dust holds clues to understanding not only the origins of planets outside of our solar system, but also gives us a leg up in figuring out our place in the Universe. Before we can uncover the secret of how dust and exoplanets are linked, we need to understand what happens after a planetary system forms. Once a star is created, it leaves behind a large disk of gas and dust. The gas and dust start sticking together and coalescing into larger objects such as planets, asteroids and comets. The central star removes the remaining gas and dust either by accreting it, or by throwing it out of the system with its stellar wind and radiation pressure. About 10 million years or so after the star forms, all of the leftover dust and gas have either been ejected out of the system, ...
Debris Disks: Searching for Dust to Find Planets
4 Mar 2015, 19:11 UTC
No one ever talks about dust in a positive or excited way. Usually dust is a hindrance – something you sweep away during spring-cleaning, or an annoyance because your allergies can’t handle it. But for astronomers, finding dust around another star – i.e., circumstellar dust – is like finding the next piece of an interstellar puzzle. That’s because circumstellar dust holds clues to understanding not only the origins of planets outside of our solar system, but also gives us a leg up in figuring out our place in the Universe. Before we can uncover the secret of how dust and exoplanets are linked, we need to understand what happens after a planetary system forms. Once a star is created, it leaves behind a large disk of gas and dust. The gas and dust start sticking together and coalescing into larger objects such as planets, asteroids and comets. The central star removes the remaining gas and dust either by accreting it, or by throwing it out of the system with its stellar wind and radiation pressure. About 10 million years or so after the star forms, all of the leftover dust and gas have either been ejected out of the system, ...
io9 Space
4 Mar 2015, 18:28 UTC
Before modern computers worked a foothold into science and research, number crunching was accomplished by real, human brains. These tasks were often foisted off onto women as the general opinion was that men were too easily distracted to undertake such a focused, repetitive task.Read more...
In The 1940s, These Ladies Were NASA's Computer-Power
4 Mar 2015, 18:28 UTC
Before modern computers worked a foothold into science and research, number crunching was accomplished by real, human brains. These tasks were often foisted off onto women as the general opinion was that men were too easily distracted to undertake such a focused, repetitive task.Read more...
NASA Space Station Blog
4 Mar 2015, 17:20 UTC
Soyuz TMA-14M Commander Alexander Samokutyaev and Flight Engineer Elena Serova are counting to their departure March 11 with Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore. The two cosmonauts trained on Soyuz descent procedures and checked out emergency communications gear. Wilmore also prepared for his departure and began packing gear for the return home. Meanwhile, One-Year crew members NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are in Star City, Russia, getting ready for final qualification exams in the Soyuz trainer. They are at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center preparing for their launch aboard a Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft March 27 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The veteran space duo will take a six-hour, four-orbit ride to the International Space Station where they will live and work until March 2016. ISS042-S-001 (April 2013)— The rectangular-shaped design portrays the International Space Station orbiting planet Earth with its solar array wings spread wide. Facing the sun with the lower left outboard solar array feathered, the left array portrays a prominent number “4” and the fully deployed arrays on the right form the Roman numeral version of “2,” which signifies the two increment crews which, together, comprise the six-member international Expedition “42” crew. The crew and all supporting ...
Expedition 42 Gets Ready for Crew Swap
4 Mar 2015, 17:20 UTC
Soyuz TMA-14M Commander Alexander Samokutyaev and Flight Engineer Elena Serova are counting to their departure March 11 with Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore. The two cosmonauts trained on Soyuz descent procedures and checked out emergency communications gear. Wilmore also prepared for his departure and began packing gear for the return home. Meanwhile, One-Year crew members NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are in Star City, Russia, getting ready for final qualification exams in the Soyuz trainer. They are at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center preparing for their launch aboard a Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft March 27 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The veteran space duo will take a six-hour, four-orbit ride to the International Space Station where they will live and work until March 2016. ISS042-S-001 (April 2013)— The rectangular-shaped design portrays the International Space Station orbiting planet Earth with its solar array wings spread wide. Facing the sun with the lower left outboard solar array feathered, the left array portrays a prominent number “4” and the fully deployed arrays on the right form the Roman numeral version of “2,” which signifies the two increment crews which, together, comprise the six-member international Expedition “42” crew. The crew and all supporting ...
The Planetary Society Blog
4 Mar 2015, 16:50 UTC
After several months of near-silence, ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission has released on Facebook the first data product from its Methane Sensor For Mars. Don't get too excited about methane yet: there is no positive or negative detection. The news here is that the Methane Sensor for Mars is working, systematically gathering data. They also released several new photos of Mars.
Mars Orbiter Mission Methane Sensor for Mars is at work
4 Mar 2015, 16:50 UTC
After several months of near-silence, ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission has released on Facebook the first data product from its Methane Sensor For Mars. Don't get too excited about methane yet: there is no positive or negative detection. The news here is that the Methane Sensor for Mars is working, systematically gathering data. They also released several new photos of Mars.
Most Recent Blogs
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- 5 Mar 2015
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16:00 UTC
NASA: Space Shuttle...
Weather Prevents Space Station Astronaut Linkup with Dall...
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15:30 UTC
Universe Today
Book Review: Space Architecture
Have you ever had one of those days when you just couldn’t complete another Fourier Transform no matter how many chocolate covered cacao nibs you consumed? You need to perk ...
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15:22 UTC
One Universe at a T...
We’ll Eat Like Kings
A new paper proposes an experiment to detect gravitons using the Casimir effect. It's an interesting idea, but don't count on its success. The post We’ll Eat Like Kings appeared ...
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15:05 UTC
Astrobiology Magazi...
Exorings on the Horizon
Astronomers have devised a novel method for identifying rings around extrasolar planets (exorings).
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14:51 UTC
The Universe
Mars - Not All RedThe permanent ice cap at the south pole...
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14:49 UTC
Sean Carroll
The Big Questions
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14:30 UTC
The Daily Galaxy
"Why Isn't the Universe as Bright as It Should Be?" MIT
A handful of new stars are born each year in the Milky Way, while many more blink on across the universe. But astronomers have observed that galaxies should be churning ...
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14:24 UTC
NASA Watch
The Space Twins Are Just Kicking A Can Down The Road to M...
A Waste Of Space, Scientific American "More likely, Kelly's and Kornienko's tests will just confirm in greater detail what we already know from several previous long-duration missions: Our current space ...
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14:18 UTC
Nanowerk Space Expl...
'Planck' puts Einstein to the test
Data analysis of satellite mission on dark energy and theory of gravitation.
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14:13 UTC
Nanowerk Space Expl...
Galactic 'rain' could be key to star formation
A team of astronomers may have figured out why some galaxies are better than others at creating stars.
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14:00 UTC
Sky and Telescope
New Stars at the Edge of the Milky Way
Astronomers have found two just-born star clusters an incredible 16,000 light-years above the plane of the Milky Way. The view from newborn stars found far above the Milky Way's plane ...
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14:00 UTC
ESO Announcements
ALMA Performs Its First Very Long Baseline Observations
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13:20 UTC
The Solstice Blog
Haven’t Heard much from Mercury – But we Will Soon
With the MESSENGER probe set to crash into Mercury this month, it’s nice to look back on some of the finest data that it gathered during its tenure orbiting the ...
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13:16 UTC
Astro Watch
Single Site on Mars Advanced for 2016 NASA Lander
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13:12 UTC
Science World Repor...
Galactic 'Rain' Answers Why Some Galaxies are Better at B...
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13:11 UTC
Coalition for Space...
CSExtra – Top Space News for Thursday, March 5, 2015
To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here. If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@spacecoalition.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject ...
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13:00 UTC
ESO Announcements
ESO Remains World’s Most Productive Ground-based Observat...
A survey of the number of peer-reviewed scientific papers published in 2014 using data from ESO’s telescopes and instruments has shown that ESO remains the world’s most productive ground-based observatory. ...
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12:52 UTC
SPACE.com
Rosetta Spacecraft Sees Its Shadow on a Comet (Photo)
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12:52 UTC
SPACE.com
Dawn Spacecraft's Arrival at Dwarf Planet Ceres: Full Cov...
A NASA spacecraft is expected make its historic arrival in orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, marking the first time a human-made probe has visited the cosmic body in history.
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12:38 UTC
Science World Repor...
Astronomers Discover Massive Planet that was Reared by Fo...
Most planets have just one or two stars to contend with. Now, though, astronomers have discovered a planet that had four parent stars. Scientists have recently uncovered two exoplanets, one ...
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12:37 UTC
SPACE.com
7 Strange Facts About Dwarf Planet Ceres
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12:32 UTC
SPACE.com
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12:30 UTC
Bad Astronomy
Taking a Dusty View
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12:14 UTC
Astronomy Now
See the smallest Full Moon of 2015 tonight
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12:00 UTC
Discovery News - Sp...
The Higgs Boson May Disintegrate into Dark Matter
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11:34 UTC
The Universe
Looking DownEuropean Space Agency Samantha Cristoforetti....
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11:33 UTC
Astronotes
10 “Facts” About Space That Aren’t True
So far this year we have seen QVC presenters discussing whether the moon was a star or a planet. On having searched online a voice in their earpiece told them ...
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11:25 UTC
AmericaSpace
Chandra X-Ray Observatory Continues to Unfold Secrets of ...
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11:00 UTC
Bob Moler's Ephemer...
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10:41 UTC
All About Space
How big is the largest crater on Callisto?
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10:15 UTC
Royal Aeronautical ...
Germany readjusts military helicopter orders
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10:10 UTC
Royal Aeronautical ...
A330 comes off runway
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10:06 UTC
Royal Aeronautical ...
Indian satellite launch delay
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10:02 UTC
Royal Aeronautical ...
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10:00 UTC
EarthSky Blog
Towering dust devil on Mars
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09:58 UTC
Royal Aeronautical ...
Flybe expands in Cardiff
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09:55 UTC
Royal Aeronautical ...
UAV operators register?
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09:40 UTC
13.7
Winter Zen: Taking A Cue From Snow Monkeys
Famous already for epic snowstorms, winter 2015 isn't done with us yet. Anthropologist Barbara J. King says she found much-needed calm in this film of Japanese snow monkeys coping with ...
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09:24 UTC
Nanowerk Space Expl...
Breakthrough in energy harvesting could power 'life on Ma...
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09:17 UTC
Space Exploration N...
India's Mars Orbiter Mission makes big breakthrough
Inida's Mars Orbiter Mission space probe has used its Methane Sensor For Mars for the first time, measuring radiation from the surface of the Red Planet.
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09:00 UTC
Scientific American
A Waste Of Space [COMMENTARY]
NASA’s new space station mission is not a big step towards Mars, but mostly a holding pattern. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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08:39 UTC
Universe Awareness ...
April: Global Astronomy Month 2015
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08:34 UTC
Physics World Blog
Celebrating a year of light
Showcasing the forefront of optics research
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08:17 UTC
The Universe
Happy Day!Sometimes when I look up at the wonders of the ...
Happy Day!Sometimes when I look up at the wonders of the night sky, it brings a smile to my face. Now I know that the Universe smiles back!This is the ...
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08:01 UTC
EarthSky Blog
Smallest full moon of 2015 on March 5
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08:00 UTC
All About Space
FREE PREVIEW: All About Space issue 36
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06:54 UTC
Nanowerk Space Expl...
Why isn't the universe as bright as it should be?
Study explains why galaxies don't churn out as many stars as they should.
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06:51 UTC
Space Fellowship
Subaru Telescope Observes Rapid Changes in a Comet's Plas...
Images from a December 2013 observation of the comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) (Note 1) reveal clear details about rapidly changing activity in that comet's plasma tail. To get this image, ...
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06:40 UTC
Space Fellowship
Single Site on Mars Advanced for 2016 NASA Lander
NASA's next mission to Mars, scheduled to launch one year from today to examine the Red Planet's deep interior and investigate how rocky planets like Earth evolved, now has one ...
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06:32 UTC
Space Fellowship
Enhanced Color Caloris
The sprawling Caloris basin on Mercury is one of the solar system's largest impact basins, created during the early history of the solar system by the impact of a large ...
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16:00 UTC
NASA: Space Shuttle...
