Featured Posts
Universe Today
24 Sep 2010, 16:51 UTC
Some satellites get all the glory. While Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer frequently make headlines with their stunning images, many other space based observatories silently toil away. One of them, known as the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) has been in orbit since 2006, but rarely receives media attention although a stunning [...] The white dwarf in the AE Aquarii system is the first star of its type known to give off pulsar-like pulsations that are powered by its rotation and particle acceleration.Some satellites get all the glory. While Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer frequently make headlines with their stunning images, many other space based observatories silently toil away. One of them, known as the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) has been in orbit since 2006, but rarely receives media attention although a stunning discovery has led to the publication of over 300 papers within a single year. A new paper in that onslaught has proposed an interesting new object: pulsars powered by white dwarfs.(...)Read the rest of Possibility for White Dwarf Pulsars? (728 words)© jvois for Universe Today, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: antimatter, positron, Pulsars, ...
Possibility for White Dwarf Pulsars?
24 Sep 2010, 16:51 UTC
Some satellites get all the glory. While Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer frequently make headlines with their stunning images, many other space based observatories silently toil away. One of them, known as the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) has been in orbit since 2006, but rarely receives media attention although a stunning [...] The white dwarf in the AE Aquarii system is the first star of its type known to give off pulsar-like pulsations that are powered by its rotation and particle acceleration.Some satellites get all the glory. While Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer frequently make headlines with their stunning images, many other space based observatories silently toil away. One of them, known as the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) has been in orbit since 2006, but rarely receives media attention although a stunning discovery has led to the publication of over 300 papers within a single year. A new paper in that onslaught has proposed an interesting new object: pulsars powered by white dwarfs.(...)Read the rest of Possibility for White Dwarf Pulsars? (728 words)© jvois for Universe Today, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: antimatter, positron, Pulsars, ...
IYA2009 Updates
24 Sep 2010, 16:37 UTC
2010 ESA/GTTP workshop for science teachers ESA along with the Galileo Teacher Training Programme are organising a workshop for science teachers at the NEMO Science Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 7–10 December 2010. More information: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1045/ Best practice guidelines for outreach activities targeted at schools and teachers The Europlanet Outreach ...
Beyond IYA2009 Updates
24 Sep 2010, 16:37 UTC
2010 ESA/GTTP workshop for science teachers ESA along with the Galileo Teacher Training Programme are organising a workshop for science teachers at the NEMO Science Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 7–10 December 2010. More information: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1045/ Best practice guidelines for outreach activities targeted at schools and teachers The Europlanet Outreach ...
Spaceman
24 Sep 2010, 16:09 UTC
One of the most impressive applications of satellite technology is the now-routine observation made from space of earthquakes. I've posted previously about the "damage maps" [4Mb JPEG] that can be made from radar data. Relief workers use them to guide their activities in a shattered city, such as in Haiti's Port-au-Prince at the beginning of the year. But radar satellites are also used to study the shifting geological faults that give rise to these catastrophic tremors. One of the most fruitful areas of research in the past 20 years has come from the use of Sar Interferometry (InSar). The 4 September quake in New Zealand had its epicentre about 55km north-west of Christchurch It involves combining at least two radar images of the same location on the Earth's surface in such a way that very precise measurements can be made of any ground motion that has taken place between the acquisitions. In the case of quakes, these will be "before" and "after" images. The European Space Agency's Envisat is a huge Earth observation spacecraft carrying 10 instruments It enables scientists to produce something called an interferogram. Somebody once described these maps to me as looking like the rainbow effect you ...
Watching Earth's convulsions from space
24 Sep 2010, 16:09 UTC
One of the most impressive applications of satellite technology is the now-routine observation made from space of earthquakes. I've posted previously about the "damage maps" [4Mb JPEG] that can be made from radar data. Relief workers use them to guide their activities in a shattered city, such as in Haiti's Port-au-Prince at the beginning of the year. But radar satellites are also used to study the shifting geological faults that give rise to these catastrophic tremors. One of the most fruitful areas of research in the past 20 years has come from the use of Sar Interferometry (InSar). The 4 September quake in New Zealand had its epicentre about 55km north-west of Christchurch It involves combining at least two radar images of the same location on the Earth's surface in such a way that very precise measurements can be made of any ground motion that has taken place between the acquisitions. In the case of quakes, these will be "before" and "after" images. The European Space Agency's Envisat is a huge Earth observation spacecraft carrying 10 instruments It enables scientists to produce something called an interferogram. Somebody once described these maps to me as looking like the rainbow effect you ...
Alien Life
24 Sep 2010, 15:00 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 Stars - A beautiful spiral galaxy 60 million light-years from Earth could help astronomers better understand our own Milky Way because of a trademark central bar-like structure. See article.g Abodes - The dinosaurs apparently got a warning shot. See article.g Cosmicus - When packing for a manned mission to Mars or the Moon, the best thing to bring may not be food or fuel, but specially-designed organisms that can create those things for you. See article.g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site for young kids, courtesy of NASA: Space Place . It offers games, animations, projects, and fun facts about Earth, space and technology. Get your SF book manuscript edited
Imaging a galaxy like our own and synthetics to aid Mars mission
24 Sep 2010, 15:00 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 Stars - A beautiful spiral galaxy 60 million light-years from Earth could help astronomers better understand our own Milky Way because of a trademark central bar-like structure. See article.g Abodes - The dinosaurs apparently got a warning shot. See article.g Cosmicus - When packing for a manned mission to Mars or the Moon, the best thing to bring may not be food or fuel, but specially-designed organisms that can create those things for you. See article.g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site for young kids, courtesy of NASA: Space Place . It offers games, animations, projects, and fun facts about Earth, space and technology. Get your SF book manuscript edited
Discovery News - Space News
24 Sep 2010, 13:43 UTC
Methane in Mars' atmosphere lasts less than a year meaning something -- geologic or biological -- keeps belching it out.
Mars Methane Mystery: What's Making the Gas?
24 Sep 2010, 13:43 UTC
Methane in Mars' atmosphere lasts less than a year meaning something -- geologic or biological -- keeps belching it out.
Space Fellowship
24 Sep 2010, 12:35 UTC
A darkly defined Rhea passes before the fuzzy orb of Titan in this Cassini view of Saturn's two largest moons. Rhea is closer to the spacecraft in this view. See Ancient Plains of Rhea to learn more about Rhea. See Haze Layers on Titan to learn about Titan's atmosphere. Lit terrain seen here is on the Saturn-facing sides of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) and Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across). The image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini [...]
Great View of the Biggest Saturnian Moons
24 Sep 2010, 12:35 UTC
A darkly defined Rhea passes before the fuzzy orb of Titan in this Cassini view of Saturn's two largest moons. Rhea is closer to the spacecraft in this view. See Ancient Plains of Rhea to learn more about Rhea. See Haze Layers on Titan to learn about Titan's atmosphere. Lit terrain seen here is on the Saturn-facing sides of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) and Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across). The image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini [...]
collectSPACE.com: Today In Space History
24 Sep 2010, 11:15 UTC
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex hoisted Wednesday the second stage of a Titan II (topped by a mockup Gemini capsule) on top the rocket's similarly-restored first stage, reestablishing the 109-foot Gemini-Titan as the tallest standing vehicle in the Florida facility's Rocket Garden. Removed in 2006 and ultimately replaced by a more historically-accurate replica assembled from an Air Force Titan II missile obtained by NASA, the Gemini-Titan stands to share the history of the "unsung hero of the early NASA programs."
Re-staging Gemini-Titan
24 Sep 2010, 11:15 UTC
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex hoisted Wednesday the second stage of a Titan II (topped by a mockup Gemini capsule) on top the rocket's similarly-restored first stage, reestablishing the 109-foot Gemini-Titan as the tallest standing vehicle in the Florida facility's Rocket Garden. Removed in 2006 and ultimately replaced by a more historically-accurate replica assembled from an Air Force Titan II missile obtained by NASA, the Gemini-Titan stands to share the history of the "unsung hero of the early NASA programs."
In the Dark
24 Sep 2010, 04:34 UTC
I was quite interested to see, in this week’s Times Higher, a set of predictions of the winners of this years Nobel Prizes. I’ve taken the liberty of publishing the table here, although for reasons of taste I’ve removed the column pertaining to Economics. Year Medicine Chemistry Physics 2010 D. L. Coleman, J. M. Friedman (leptin) E. A. McCulloch, J. E. Till (stem cells) and S. Yamanaka (iPS cells) R. M. Steinman (dendritic cells) P. O. Brown (DNA microarrays) S. Kitagawa, O. M. Yaghi (metal-organic frameworks) S. J. Lippard (metallointercalators) C. L. Bennett, L. A. Page, D. N. Spergel (WMAP) T. W. Ebbesen (surface plasmon photonics) S. Perlmutter, A. G. Riess, B. P. Schmidt (dark energy) 2009 E.H. Blackburn, C. W. Greider, J.W. Szostak (telomeres) (won in 2009) J.E. Rothman, R. Schekman (vesicle transport) S. Ogawa (fMRI) M. Grätzel (solar cells) J.K. Barton, B. Giese, G.B. Schuster (charge transfer in DNA) B. List (organic asymmetric catalysis) Y. Aharonov, M.V. Berry (Aharonov-Bohm effect and Berry phase) J.I. Cirac, P. Zoller (quantum optics) J.B. Pendry, S. Schultz, D.R. Smith (negative refraction) 2008 S. Akira, B.A. Beutler, J. Hoffmann (toll-like receptors) V.R. Ambros, G. Ruvkun (miRNAs) R. Collins, R. Peto (meta-analysis) Roger Y. ...
Nobel Predictions
24 Sep 2010, 04:34 UTC
I was quite interested to see, in this week’s Times Higher, a set of predictions of the winners of this years Nobel Prizes. I’ve taken the liberty of publishing the table here, although for reasons of taste I’ve removed the column pertaining to Economics. Year Medicine Chemistry Physics 2010 D. L. Coleman, J. M. Friedman (leptin) E. A. McCulloch, J. E. Till (stem cells) and S. Yamanaka (iPS cells) R. M. Steinman (dendritic cells) P. O. Brown (DNA microarrays) S. Kitagawa, O. M. Yaghi (metal-organic frameworks) S. J. Lippard (metallointercalators) C. L. Bennett, L. A. Page, D. N. Spergel (WMAP) T. W. Ebbesen (surface plasmon photonics) S. Perlmutter, A. G. Riess, B. P. Schmidt (dark energy) 2009 E.H. Blackburn, C. W. Greider, J.W. Szostak (telomeres) (won in 2009) J.E. Rothman, R. Schekman (vesicle transport) S. Ogawa (fMRI) M. Grätzel (solar cells) J.K. Barton, B. Giese, G.B. Schuster (charge transfer in DNA) B. List (organic asymmetric catalysis) Y. Aharonov, M.V. Berry (Aharonov-Bohm effect and Berry phase) J.I. Cirac, P. Zoller (quantum optics) J.B. Pendry, S. Schultz, D.R. Smith (negative refraction) 2008 S. Akira, B.A. Beutler, J. Hoffmann (toll-like receptors) V.R. Ambros, G. Ruvkun (miRNAs) R. Collins, R. Peto (meta-analysis) Roger Y. ...
Starts With A Bang!
24 Sep 2010, 01:40 UTC
"But now it's gettin' late And the moon is climbin' high. I want to celebrate See it shinin' in your eye." -Neil Young The full Moon, beautiful as it is, isn't really all that rare! Once every 29-30 days, the Moon returns to a completely full phase, where the entire "day side" of the Moon (the side lit up by the Sun) faces Earth. In fact, our word "month" is named after the Moon, and -- unsurprisingly -- each of our 12 months has a special name for its full Moon. And traditionally, September's Moon, which typically (but not always) is the Moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), is known as the Harvest Moon. Why Harvest Moon? Because having a bright, full Moon overhead means that you'll have enough light to harvest during the night as well as during the day! (Incidentally, at the time of this writing, wikipedia offers Warren Moon as an alternate name for the Harvest Moon, which seems unlikely.) But tonight is special. Yes, the Moon is 100% full right now, and the full Moon is always a gorgeous sight. But late last night was also the Autumnal ...
Enjoy a Real Harvest Moon Tonight!
24 Sep 2010, 01:40 UTC
"But now it's gettin' late And the moon is climbin' high. I want to celebrate See it shinin' in your eye." -Neil Young The full Moon, beautiful as it is, isn't really all that rare! Once every 29-30 days, the Moon returns to a completely full phase, where the entire "day side" of the Moon (the side lit up by the Sun) faces Earth. In fact, our word "month" is named after the Moon, and -- unsurprisingly -- each of our 12 months has a special name for its full Moon. And traditionally, September's Moon, which typically (but not always) is the Moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), is known as the Harvest Moon. Why Harvest Moon? Because having a bright, full Moon overhead means that you'll have enough light to harvest during the night as well as during the day! (Incidentally, at the time of this writing, wikipedia offers Warren Moon as an alternate name for the Harvest Moon, which seems unlikely.) But tonight is special. Yes, the Moon is 100% full right now, and the full Moon is always a gorgeous sight. But late last night was also the Autumnal ...
Pillow Astronaut
23 Sep 2010, 21:30 UTC
One for the kids! Are kids still getting into space history these days? Let's hope so, because sometimes it can be both fun and humorous. The previous class of astronauts bestows a nickname on every new class of astronauts selected. To date, the NASA astronaut groups are:Group 01: April 9, 1959 - The Original Seven or The Mercury SevenGroup 02: September 17, 1962 - The Next Nine (Also: Nifty Nine)Group 03: October 17, 1963 - The FourteenGroup 04: June 28, 1965 - The ScientistsGroup 05: April 4, 1966 – The Original 19Group 06: October 4, 1967 - XS 11 or The "Excess Eleven"Group 07: August 14, 1969 – (No nickname on record)Group 08: January 16, 1978 – TFNG (Thirty Five New Guys)Group 09: May 29, 1980 - (No nickname on record)Group 10: May 23, 1984 - The MaggotsGroup 11: June 4, 1985 – (No nickname on record)Group 12: June 5, 1987 - The GAFFers Group 13: January 17, 1990 - The HairballsGroup 14: March 31, 1992 - The HogsGroup 15: December 8, 1994 - The Flying EscargotGroup 16: May 1, 1996 - The SardinesGroup 17: June 4, 1998 - The PenguinsGroup 18: July 26, 2000 - The BugsGroup 19: May ...
