Featured Posts
Starts With A Bang!
4 Feb 2012, 02:40 UTC
"More days to come / New places to go I've got to leave / It's time for a show Here I am / Rock you like a hurricane!" -The Scorpions It's isn't just Earth, of course, where these great cyclonic storms occur, whipping across the planet and wreaking havoc as they rage above the surface. Most famous, perhaps, is Jupiter, whose great red spot has existed for as long as we've been able to see at the necessary resolution. But one doesn't often think of Saturn when it comes to devastating storms. (Image credit: Earth-based telescope, retrieved from SolarSystemQuick.com.) Saturn, quite famously, is a great gas giant planet, second only in size to Jupiter in our Solar System, and renowned for its spectacular rings. And although Saturn's rings are its most obvious feature, the clearly defined, featureless bands along its different latitudes also stand out. Unless, that is, you've taken a close look in the last year or so. (Image credit: Trevor Barry, Broken Hill, Australia.) That is not a featureless band up there in Saturn's Northern Hemisphere! Quite to the contrary, this is a virtually planet-wide storm plume, whose core is a 3,000-mile-wide thunderstorm, kicking up beacons of warm ...
Saturn's Super Storm Staggers Skywatchers!
4 Feb 2012, 02:40 UTC
"More days to come / New places to go I've got to leave / It's time for a show Here I am / Rock you like a hurricane!" -The Scorpions It's isn't just Earth, of course, where these great cyclonic storms occur, whipping across the planet and wreaking havoc as they rage above the surface. Most famous, perhaps, is Jupiter, whose great red spot has existed for as long as we've been able to see at the necessary resolution. But one doesn't often think of Saturn when it comes to devastating storms. (Image credit: Earth-based telescope, retrieved from SolarSystemQuick.com.) Saturn, quite famously, is a great gas giant planet, second only in size to Jupiter in our Solar System, and renowned for its spectacular rings. And although Saturn's rings are its most obvious feature, the clearly defined, featureless bands along its different latitudes also stand out. Unless, that is, you've taken a close look in the last year or so. (Image credit: Trevor Barry, Broken Hill, Australia.) That is not a featureless band up there in Saturn's Northern Hemisphere! Quite to the contrary, this is a virtually planet-wide storm plume, whose core is a 3,000-mile-wide thunderstorm, kicking up beacons of warm ...
Alien Life
4 Feb 2012, 00:35 UTC
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:g Message - Could extraterrestrials already have tried to contact us? On the basis of statistical calculations on galactic migration, here’s a paper that explores the possibility that exogenous vehicles and/or probes may have reached our solar system, including Earth. See article.g Learning - Why do American students suck so much at science? See article.g Aftermath - Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence depends as much upon social support for the project as upon appropriate engineering design and upon the actual existence of a nearby extrasolar civilization. The results of a sociological survey of 1,465 American college students provide the first detailed analysis of the social and ideological factors that influence support for CETI, thereby suggesting ways that support might be increased. Linked to the most idealistic goals of the space program, notably interplanetary colonization, enthusiasm for CETI is little affected by attitudes toward technology or militarism. Few sciences or scholarly fields encourage CETI, with the exceptions of anthropology and astronomy. Support is somewhat greater among men than among women, but the sex difference is far less than in attitudes toward space ...
Potential of ETI trying to contact us and why Americans suck so much at science
4 Feb 2012, 00:35 UTC
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:g Message - Could extraterrestrials already have tried to contact us? On the basis of statistical calculations on galactic migration, here’s a paper that explores the possibility that exogenous vehicles and/or probes may have reached our solar system, including Earth. See article.g Learning - Why do American students suck so much at science? See article.g Aftermath - Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence depends as much upon social support for the project as upon appropriate engineering design and upon the actual existence of a nearby extrasolar civilization. The results of a sociological survey of 1,465 American college students provide the first detailed analysis of the social and ideological factors that influence support for CETI, thereby suggesting ways that support might be increased. Linked to the most idealistic goals of the space program, notably interplanetary colonization, enthusiasm for CETI is little affected by attitudes toward technology or militarism. Few sciences or scholarly fields encourage CETI, with the exceptions of anthropology and astronomy. Support is somewhat greater among men than among women, but the sex difference is far less than in attitudes toward space ...
Universe Today
3 Feb 2012, 23:03 UTC
This is why I always keep a pair of 3-D glasses by my computer. This well-preserved crater on Mars may look like just your average, run-of-the-mill impact crater in 2-D, but in 3-D, the sharply raised rim, the deep, cavernous crater body, and especially the steep crater walls will have you grabbing your armchairs so [...] A 3-d view of a well-preserved and unnamed impact crater on Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. Click for high-resolution version. This is why I always keep a pair of 3-D glasses by my computer. This well-preserved crater on Mars may look like just your average, run-of-the-mill impact crater in 2-D, but in 3-D, the sharply raised rim, the deep, cavernous crater body, and especially the steep crater walls will have you grabbing your armchairs so you don’t fall in. The image is courtesy of the HiRISE camera team from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This unnamed crater is about 6 or 7 kilometers wide from rim to rim. HiRISE took the image on New Year’s Eve 2011. (...)Read the rest of Incredible 3-D View Inside a Martian Crater (199 words) © nancy for Universe ...
Incredible 3-D View Inside a Martian Crater
3 Feb 2012, 23:03 UTC
This is why I always keep a pair of 3-D glasses by my computer. This well-preserved crater on Mars may look like just your average, run-of-the-mill impact crater in 2-D, but in 3-D, the sharply raised rim, the deep, cavernous crater body, and especially the steep crater walls will have you grabbing your armchairs so [...] A 3-d view of a well-preserved and unnamed impact crater on Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. Click for high-resolution version. This is why I always keep a pair of 3-D glasses by my computer. This well-preserved crater on Mars may look like just your average, run-of-the-mill impact crater in 2-D, but in 3-D, the sharply raised rim, the deep, cavernous crater body, and especially the steep crater walls will have you grabbing your armchairs so you don’t fall in. The image is courtesy of the HiRISE camera team from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This unnamed crater is about 6 or 7 kilometers wide from rim to rim. HiRISE took the image on New Year’s Eve 2011. (...)Read the rest of Incredible 3-D View Inside a Martian Crater (199 words) © nancy for Universe ...
AmericaSpace
3 Feb 2012, 22:32 UTC
Click here to view the video on YouTube. Violent activity on the Sun is accelerating as 2012 moves into its second month. All the activity has been seen building since late 2011. It heralds the start of a new Solar Maximum phase; the imagery was obtained by the NASA/Goddard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). [...]
Violent Sun Imaged by NASA Solar Observatory
3 Feb 2012, 22:32 UTC
Click here to view the video on YouTube. Violent activity on the Sun is accelerating as 2012 moves into its second month. All the activity has been seen building since late 2011. It heralds the start of a new Solar Maximum phase; the imagery was obtained by the NASA/Goddard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). [...]
Universe Today
3 Feb 2012, 21:22 UTC
Are you listening to Astronomy.FM? If not, you should join the audience of over 25,000 listeners in 85 countries who are enjoying this amazing free service. Astronomy.FM is billed as “The only all-Astronomy radio station in the Known Universe.” You can listen to this one-of-a-kind radio station on-line anytime, as it is streaming 24 hours [...] Are you listening to Astronomy.FM? If not, you should join the audience of over 25,000 listeners in 85 countries who are enjoying this amazing free service. Astronomy.FM is billed as “The only all-Astronomy radio station in the Known Universe.” You can listen to this one-of-a-kind radio station on-line anytime, as it is streaming 24 hours a day and it includes both wonderful original astronomy programming and replays of many great astronomy shows and podcasts including Astronomy Cast, 365 Days of Astronomy, Planetary Radio, 60-Second Science and Slacker Astronomy, and also they have just recently added the Weekly Space Hangouts to their lineup. They also have science and astronomy news – the kind of stuff you really want to hear! (As Astronomy.FM announcer Rob York said, “Who cares about Snooki? Give me more supernovae!” What is really awesome about Astronomy.FM (besides their great programming) is ...
Are You Listening to Astronomy.FM?
3 Feb 2012, 21:22 UTC
Are you listening to Astronomy.FM? If not, you should join the audience of over 25,000 listeners in 85 countries who are enjoying this amazing free service. Astronomy.FM is billed as “The only all-Astronomy radio station in the Known Universe.” You can listen to this one-of-a-kind radio station on-line anytime, as it is streaming 24 hours [...] Are you listening to Astronomy.FM? If not, you should join the audience of over 25,000 listeners in 85 countries who are enjoying this amazing free service. Astronomy.FM is billed as “The only all-Astronomy radio station in the Known Universe.” You can listen to this one-of-a-kind radio station on-line anytime, as it is streaming 24 hours a day and it includes both wonderful original astronomy programming and replays of many great astronomy shows and podcasts including Astronomy Cast, 365 Days of Astronomy, Planetary Radio, 60-Second Science and Slacker Astronomy, and also they have just recently added the Weekly Space Hangouts to their lineup. They also have science and astronomy news – the kind of stuff you really want to hear! (As Astronomy.FM announcer Rob York said, “Who cares about Snooki? Give me more supernovae!” What is really awesome about Astronomy.FM (besides their great programming) is ...
The Planetary Society Blog
3 Feb 2012, 20:09 UTC
By Bill Nye Audacious— that's how I describe the Arecibo radio telescope. For me, it was just hard to believe what I was seeing. I have just returned from my first Planetary Society-sponsored trip to Puerto Rico and this historic, remarkable, big idea of a telescope. The Arecibo Radio TelescopeCredit: The Planetary Society If you're not familiar with this machine designed to explore the cosmos and our own ionosphere, it was conceived in ....
The Arecibo Trip
3 Feb 2012, 20:09 UTC
By Bill Nye Audacious— that's how I describe the Arecibo radio telescope. For me, it was just hard to believe what I was seeing. I have just returned from my first Planetary Society-sponsored trip to Puerto Rico and this historic, remarkable, big idea of a telescope. The Arecibo Radio TelescopeCredit: The Planetary Society If you're not familiar with this machine designed to explore the cosmos and our own ionosphere, it was conceived in ....
SPACE.com
3 Feb 2012, 19:53 UTC
Not since 1978 have so many people wanted to be a NASA astronaut.
NASA Awash In Astronaut Applications, But Still Lacks Spaceships
3 Feb 2012, 19:53 UTC
Not since 1978 have so many people wanted to be a NASA astronaut.
