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The Planetary Society Blog
10 Dec 2013, 23:52 UTC
Ellen Stofan, NASA's Chief Scientist, and John Grunsfeld, the head of the Science Mission Directorate and a Hubble repair astronaut, highlighted recent NASA science discoveries at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.
Top NASA Scientists Grapple with Budget Cuts
10 Dec 2013, 23:52 UTC
Ellen Stofan, NASA's Chief Scientist, and John Grunsfeld, the head of the Science Mission Directorate and a Hubble repair astronaut, highlighted recent NASA science discoveries at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.
Universe Today
10 Dec 2013, 22:53 UTC
A newly-discovered asteroid about the size of a space shuttle will fly past Earth on December 11, 2013 at a very safe distance of 760,000 kilometers (470,000 miles). The closest approach of Asteroid 2013 XY8 will be 11:14 UT, and its size is estimated between 31 – 68 meters. This asteroid is zipping along at […] Asteroid 2013 XY8 imaged on 2013, December 10, 2013 by E. Guido, N. Howes and M. Nicolini/Remanzacco Observatory. A newly-discovered asteroid about the size of a space shuttle will fly past Earth on December 11, 2013 at a very safe distance of 760,000 kilometers (470,000 miles). The closest approach of Asteroid 2013 XY8 will be 11:14 UT, and its size is estimated between 31 – 68 meters. This asteroid is zipping along at about 14 kilometers per second, and of course, there is no danger of this asteroid hitting Earth. The asteroid was discovered on Dec. 7 by the team at the Catalina Sky Survey, and our friends Ernesto Guido and Nick Howes from the Remanzacco Observatory have provided a follow-up image of the asteroid, taken just this morning. You can see an animation of it here, and more information at their website. (...)Read ...
Space Shuttle-Sized Asteroid 2013 XY8 to Fly Past Earth on Dec. 11
10 Dec 2013, 22:53 UTC
A newly-discovered asteroid about the size of a space shuttle will fly past Earth on December 11, 2013 at a very safe distance of 760,000 kilometers (470,000 miles). The closest approach of Asteroid 2013 XY8 will be 11:14 UT, and its size is estimated between 31 – 68 meters. This asteroid is zipping along at […] Asteroid 2013 XY8 imaged on 2013, December 10, 2013 by E. Guido, N. Howes and M. Nicolini/Remanzacco Observatory. A newly-discovered asteroid about the size of a space shuttle will fly past Earth on December 11, 2013 at a very safe distance of 760,000 kilometers (470,000 miles). The closest approach of Asteroid 2013 XY8 will be 11:14 UT, and its size is estimated between 31 – 68 meters. This asteroid is zipping along at about 14 kilometers per second, and of course, there is no danger of this asteroid hitting Earth. The asteroid was discovered on Dec. 7 by the team at the Catalina Sky Survey, and our friends Ernesto Guido and Nick Howes from the Remanzacco Observatory have provided a follow-up image of the asteroid, taken just this morning. You can see an animation of it here, and more information at their website. (...)Read ...
Astro Watch
10 Dec 2013, 22:06 UTC
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed to scientists slender dark markings -- possibly due to salty water – that advance seasonally down slopes surprisingly close to the Martian equator. "The equatorial surface region of Mars has been regarded as dry, free of liquid or frozen water, but we may need to rethink that," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona in Tucson, principal investigator for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. Tracking how these features recur each year is one example of how the longevity of NASA orbiters observing Mars is providing insight about changes on many time scales. Researchers at the American Geophysical Union meeting Tuesday in San Francisco discussed a range of current Martian activity, from fresh craters offering glimpses of subsurface ice to multi-year patterns in the occurrence of large, regional dust storms.The seasonally changing surface flows were first reported two years ago on mid-latitude southern slopes. They are finger-like features typically less than 16 feet (5 meters) wide that appear and extend down steep, rocky slopes during spring through summer, then fade in winter and return the next spring. Recently observed slopes stretch as long as 4,000 feet (1,200 ...
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Reveals a More Dynamic Red Planet
10 Dec 2013, 22:06 UTC
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed to scientists slender dark markings -- possibly due to salty water – that advance seasonally down slopes surprisingly close to the Martian equator. "The equatorial surface region of Mars has been regarded as dry, free of liquid or frozen water, but we may need to rethink that," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona in Tucson, principal investigator for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. Tracking how these features recur each year is one example of how the longevity of NASA orbiters observing Mars is providing insight about changes on many time scales. Researchers at the American Geophysical Union meeting Tuesday in San Francisco discussed a range of current Martian activity, from fresh craters offering glimpses of subsurface ice to multi-year patterns in the occurrence of large, regional dust storms.The seasonally changing surface flows were first reported two years ago on mid-latitude southern slopes. They are finger-like features typically less than 16 feet (5 meters) wide that appear and extend down steep, rocky slopes during spring through summer, then fade in winter and return the next spring. Recently observed slopes stretch as long as 4,000 feet (1,200 ...
Bad Astronomy
10 Dec 2013, 20:37 UTC
On Oct. 23, 2013, the Juno spacecraft stole a little bit of Earth’s energy. By doing so, it increased its speed relative to the Sun, catapulting it on its way to the planet Jupiter. As it flew past our planet (much) faster than a speeding bullet, it took a series of images of Earth, which also happened to capture the Moon in its stately orbit around us. The resulting animation is really quite enthralling: The camera that took the images is low-resolution, and not really designed to do this sort of work. Worse, the entire spacecraft spins twice per minute, meaning it could only snap the pictures to make the animation when the Earth rotated back into view. Even with that going against them, engineers managed to capture images of our planet and create the video. My favorite part of this is actually the Moon: Note how dark and gray it looks. That’s because it is. On average, the Moon reflects about 12 percent of the sunlight that hits it, while the Earth reflects closer to 40 percent. And while our planet is a lovely blue, the Moon is mostly gray rock. Also, the video starts just when, from Juno’s ...
The Earth and Moon Dance in a Video Taken from Space
10 Dec 2013, 20:37 UTC
On Oct. 23, 2013, the Juno spacecraft stole a little bit of Earth’s energy. By doing so, it increased its speed relative to the Sun, catapulting it on its way to the planet Jupiter. As it flew past our planet (much) faster than a speeding bullet, it took a series of images of Earth, which also happened to capture the Moon in its stately orbit around us. The resulting animation is really quite enthralling: The camera that took the images is low-resolution, and not really designed to do this sort of work. Worse, the entire spacecraft spins twice per minute, meaning it could only snap the pictures to make the animation when the Earth rotated back into view. Even with that going against them, engineers managed to capture images of our planet and create the video. My favorite part of this is actually the Moon: Note how dark and gray it looks. That’s because it is. On average, the Moon reflects about 12 percent of the sunlight that hits it, while the Earth reflects closer to 40 percent. And while our planet is a lovely blue, the Moon is mostly gray rock. Also, the video starts just when, from Juno’s ...
Astro Bob
10 Dec 2013, 19:57 UTC
Comet ISON has left the eyes of spacecraft for the moment and now challenges amateur and professional astronomers from the ground. To date, there has been only one positive observation by an amateur astronomer in Spain and a couple “maybes”. … Continue reading → One of the last spacecraft photos of Comet ISON. It was taken with NASA’s STEREO-A probe on Dec. 6, 2013. This image was compiled using 11 photos stacked atop each other to improve the comet’s visibility. Click to enlarge. Credit: NASA / Toni Scarmato Comet ISON has left the eyes of spacecraft for the moment and now challenges amateur and professional astronomers from the ground. To date, there has been only one positive observation by an amateur astronomer in Spain and a couple “maybes”. Many have tried to see and photograph the comet’s faint remains, but none have been successful. The sky facing east 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours before sunrise for mid-northern latitude skywatchers. The comet’s position is shown daily and marked every 3 days. Stars plotted to mag. 6. Guide stars are labeled: Oph = Ophiuchus, Her = Hercules, Ser = Serpens and CrB = Corona Borealis. Click for a large version. Created ...
Comet ISON update Dec. 10 – Meteor shower in the offing?
10 Dec 2013, 19:57 UTC
Comet ISON has left the eyes of spacecraft for the moment and now challenges amateur and professional astronomers from the ground. To date, there has been only one positive observation by an amateur astronomer in Spain and a couple “maybes”. … Continue reading → One of the last spacecraft photos of Comet ISON. It was taken with NASA’s STEREO-A probe on Dec. 6, 2013. This image was compiled using 11 photos stacked atop each other to improve the comet’s visibility. Click to enlarge. Credit: NASA / Toni Scarmato Comet ISON has left the eyes of spacecraft for the moment and now challenges amateur and professional astronomers from the ground. To date, there has been only one positive observation by an amateur astronomer in Spain and a couple “maybes”. Many have tried to see and photograph the comet’s faint remains, but none have been successful. The sky facing east 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours before sunrise for mid-northern latitude skywatchers. The comet’s position is shown daily and marked every 3 days. Stars plotted to mag. 6. Guide stars are labeled: Oph = Ophiuchus, Her = Hercules, Ser = Serpens and CrB = Corona Borealis. Click for a large version. Created ...
Universe Today
10 Dec 2013, 19:15 UTC
Um, something in my eye. This wonderful video details a how when the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft swung past Earth on Oct. 9, 2013 for a gravity assist, amateur radio operators around the world sent a Morse Code saying “HI” to the spacecraft. “We wanted to know, if this were an interplanetary spacecraft, could they we tell there was intelligent life on Earth?” said Bill Kurth, co-investigator for the Juno Waves Investigation from the University of Iowa. Watch the video to find out if it worked. “We obviously haven’t heard anything like this from any other planet,” said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator, speaking during a press breifing from the American Geophysical Union conference today in San Fransisco. (...)Read the rest of How People from Earth said “Hi” to a Passing Spacecraft (59 words) © nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, Juno mission Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
How People from Earth said “Hi” to a Passing Spacecraft
10 Dec 2013, 19:15 UTC
Um, something in my eye. This wonderful video details a how when the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft swung past Earth on Oct. 9, 2013 for a gravity assist, amateur radio operators around the world sent a Morse Code saying “HI” to the spacecraft. “We wanted to know, if this were an interplanetary spacecraft, could they we tell there was intelligent life on Earth?” said Bill Kurth, co-investigator for the Juno Waves Investigation from the University of Iowa. Watch the video to find out if it worked. “We obviously haven’t heard anything like this from any other planet,” said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator, speaking during a press breifing from the American Geophysical Union conference today in San Fransisco. (...)Read the rest of How People from Earth said “Hi” to a Passing Spacecraft (59 words) © nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, Juno mission Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
