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Astrocast.TV Blog
3 Sep 2010, 21:18 UTC
This month we are reprising a popular segment of The Astronomer’s Universe that talks about the giant star Eta Carinae. This stellar behemoth is a supermassive star that will go supernova soon. Astronomers have been studying the region of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere constellation Carina with great interest since the 1840s. That’s Eta Carinae [...] The Eta Carinae region of the Carina Nebula. Credit: European Southern Observatory This month we are reprising a popular segment of The Astronomer’s Universe that talks about the giant star Eta Carinae. This stellar behemoth is a supermassive star that will go supernova soon. Astronomers have been studying the region of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere constellation Carina with great interest since the 1840s. That’s Eta Carinae — a supermassive star embedded in a nebula there brightened up considerably, making it one of the brightest stars in the sky. Over time, it dimmed down again. Today, we know that Eta Carinae is a massive stellar giant, called a luminous blue variable, is paired with a white dwarf. We also know that Eta Carinae is going to explode as a type of supernova called a hypernova. It will be an incredibly bright event, ...
Eta Carinae — the Giant Star That Will (Eventually) Go “Boom”
3 Sep 2010, 21:18 UTC
This month we are reprising a popular segment of The Astronomer’s Universe that talks about the giant star Eta Carinae. This stellar behemoth is a supermassive star that will go supernova soon. Astronomers have been studying the region of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere constellation Carina with great interest since the 1840s. That’s Eta Carinae [...] The Eta Carinae region of the Carina Nebula. Credit: European Southern Observatory This month we are reprising a popular segment of The Astronomer’s Universe that talks about the giant star Eta Carinae. This stellar behemoth is a supermassive star that will go supernova soon. Astronomers have been studying the region of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere constellation Carina with great interest since the 1840s. That’s Eta Carinae — a supermassive star embedded in a nebula there brightened up considerably, making it one of the brightest stars in the sky. Over time, it dimmed down again. Today, we know that Eta Carinae is a massive stellar giant, called a luminous blue variable, is paired with a white dwarf. We also know that Eta Carinae is going to explode as a type of supernova called a hypernova. It will be an incredibly bright event, ...
collectSPACE.com: Space History News
3 Sep 2010, 20:53 UTC
Angelo Sosa's short ribs are destined for the International Space Station. A 'cheftestant' on Bravo's "Top Chef," Sosa was the winner of a challenge to develop a dish to be eaten in space. His winning recipe will need to be modified by NASA though, before it can fly.
Hold the horseradish: Top Chef's short ribs to be 'deconstructed' for spaceflight
3 Sep 2010, 20:53 UTC
Angelo Sosa's short ribs are destined for the International Space Station. A 'cheftestant' on Bravo's "Top Chef," Sosa was the winner of a challenge to develop a dish to be eaten in space. His winning recipe will need to be modified by NASA though, before it can fly.
NASASpaceFlight.com
3 Sep 2010, 19:10 UTC
Discovery had been placed on the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) in preparation for her rollover next Wednesday. The veteran orbiter remains on track for her November 1 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), as managers refine the STS-133 mission content, including the swapping of the running order of the two spacewalks (EVAs). STS-133 Processing Latest: Despite the late request to re-open Discovery’s Payload Bay Doors (PLBDs) to install a Tool Stowage Assembly (TSA) – containing 30,000 mission patches – on to the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) structure, Discovery completed her Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) processing requirements in good time. “OV-103 (STS-133) Over the weekend completed installation of the TSA and got the PLBDs closed for rollover. Completed weight and C.G (Center Of Gravity). activities. Orbiter is now on the OTS with the gear retracted; finalizing preps for rollover. Still scheduled to roll Wednesday, September 8 to VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building),” noted KSC Ground Operations (L2). See AlsoSTS-133 UPDATESL2 STS-133 Special SectionClick here to Join L2 “STS-133 ORMR (Orbiter Rollover/Rollout Mate Review) was held,” added Flight Operations and Integration on the latest Shuttle Standup/Integration review (L2). “It looks like we are on track to get Discovery rolled over next week. ...
STS-133: Discovery ready to rollover next week – EVA running order swapped
3 Sep 2010, 19:10 UTC
Discovery had been placed on the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) in preparation for her rollover next Wednesday. The veteran orbiter remains on track for her November 1 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), as managers refine the STS-133 mission content, including the swapping of the running order of the two spacewalks (EVAs). STS-133 Processing Latest: Despite the late request to re-open Discovery’s Payload Bay Doors (PLBDs) to install a Tool Stowage Assembly (TSA) – containing 30,000 mission patches – on to the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) structure, Discovery completed her Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) processing requirements in good time. “OV-103 (STS-133) Over the weekend completed installation of the TSA and got the PLBDs closed for rollover. Completed weight and C.G (Center Of Gravity). activities. Orbiter is now on the OTS with the gear retracted; finalizing preps for rollover. Still scheduled to roll Wednesday, September 8 to VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building),” noted KSC Ground Operations (L2). See AlsoSTS-133 UPDATESL2 STS-133 Special SectionClick here to Join L2 “STS-133 ORMR (Orbiter Rollover/Rollout Mate Review) was held,” added Flight Operations and Integration on the latest Shuttle Standup/Integration review (L2). “It looks like we are on track to get Discovery rolled over next week. ...
Centauri Dreams
3 Sep 2010, 18:42 UTC
Sometimes as I click through imagery from spacecraft and observatories, I think about what the world was like before we had an Internet to deliver this kind of information. Consider the early surveys of the heavens, exemplified by William Herschel sweeping the sky in the late 1700s. Herschel’s survey would find a new planet, create a basic map of the Milky Way, and note the location of the ‘cloudy things’ called nebulae, many of which turned out to be galaxies in their own right. His lists and annotations would grow into the New General Catalogue, which identifies thousands of objects by the now familiar NGC numbers. The sky is all about statistics, as Herschel saw. When you’re dealing with objects whose lifespan is far longer than a human’s, you try to understand them by looking at enough examples to see the objects at every stage of their existence. Ann Finkbeiner offers this lovely Herschel quote in her new book A Grand and Bold Thing (Free Press, 2010): “[The heavens] are now seen to resemble a luxuriant garden, [and]…is it not the same thing, whether we live successively to witness the germination, blooming, foliage, fecundity, fading, withering, and conception of a ...
A Deepening Look at the Digital Sky
3 Sep 2010, 18:42 UTC
Sometimes as I click through imagery from spacecraft and observatories, I think about what the world was like before we had an Internet to deliver this kind of information. Consider the early surveys of the heavens, exemplified by William Herschel sweeping the sky in the late 1700s. Herschel’s survey would find a new planet, create a basic map of the Milky Way, and note the location of the ‘cloudy things’ called nebulae, many of which turned out to be galaxies in their own right. His lists and annotations would grow into the New General Catalogue, which identifies thousands of objects by the now familiar NGC numbers. The sky is all about statistics, as Herschel saw. When you’re dealing with objects whose lifespan is far longer than a human’s, you try to understand them by looking at enough examples to see the objects at every stage of their existence. Ann Finkbeiner offers this lovely Herschel quote in her new book A Grand and Bold Thing (Free Press, 2010): “[The heavens] are now seen to resemble a luxuriant garden, [and]…is it not the same thing, whether we live successively to witness the germination, blooming, foliage, fecundity, fading, withering, and conception of a ...
Bad Astronomy
3 Sep 2010, 18:07 UTC
Y’know, when we were young we all had our rebellious streak. But when planets do it… [Click the image to see the whole thing.] BTW, "Saturn som ong" translates to "Saturn in its youth". I think. Or possibly "Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti…" Tip o’ the emo haircut to Torben Thinggaard.
Rebel without a planet
3 Sep 2010, 18:07 UTC
Y’know, when we were young we all had our rebellious streak. But when planets do it… [Click the image to see the whole thing.] BTW, "Saturn som ong" translates to "Saturn in its youth". I think. Or possibly "Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti…" Tip o’ the emo haircut to Torben Thinggaard.
Universe Today
3 Sep 2010, 16:17 UTC
This summer, the New Horizons spacecraft was awoken for its annual systems checkout, and took the opportunity to exercise the long range camera by snapping pictures of Neptune, which at the time, was 3.5 billion km (2.15 billion miles) away. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) snapped several photos of the gas giant, but Neptune [...] New Horizons image of Neptune and its largest moon, Triton. Credit: NASAThis summer, the New Horizons spacecraft was awoken for its annual systems checkout, and took the opportunity to exercise the long range camera by snapping pictures of Neptune, which at the time, was 3.5 billion km (2.15 billion miles) away. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) snapped several photos of the gas giant, but Neptune was not alone! The moon Triton made a cameo appearance. And the New Horizons team said that since Triton is often called Pluto’s “twin” it was perfect target practice for imaging its ultimate target, Pluto.This image gets us excited for 2015 when New Horizons will approach and make the closest flyby ever of Pluto. (...)Read the rest of New Horizons Mission Practices Telescopic Imager on Pluto’s Twin (240 words)© nancy for Universe Today, 2010. | Permalink | No ...
New Horizons Mission Practices Telescopic Imager on Pluto’s Twin
3 Sep 2010, 16:17 UTC
This summer, the New Horizons spacecraft was awoken for its annual systems checkout, and took the opportunity to exercise the long range camera by snapping pictures of Neptune, which at the time, was 3.5 billion km (2.15 billion miles) away. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) snapped several photos of the gas giant, but Neptune [...] New Horizons image of Neptune and its largest moon, Triton. Credit: NASAThis summer, the New Horizons spacecraft was awoken for its annual systems checkout, and took the opportunity to exercise the long range camera by snapping pictures of Neptune, which at the time, was 3.5 billion km (2.15 billion miles) away. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) snapped several photos of the gas giant, but Neptune was not alone! The moon Triton made a cameo appearance. And the New Horizons team said that since Triton is often called Pluto’s “twin” it was perfect target practice for imaging its ultimate target, Pluto.This image gets us excited for 2015 when New Horizons will approach and make the closest flyby ever of Pluto. (...)Read the rest of New Horizons Mission Practices Telescopic Imager on Pluto’s Twin (240 words)© nancy for Universe Today, 2010. | Permalink | No ...
Alien Life
3 Sep 2010, 16:17 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 magnetar is a weird duck, indeed. It's a spinning neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field a thousand trillion times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. See article.g Abodes - An expert in processing spacecraft images of the planets, Dr. Cynthia Phillips is particularly interested in the search for active geological processes on Mars, Europa, Io and beyond. These worlds represent locations where liquid water, a possible indicator of life, could be present today. Here’s an interview with her.g Message - "If you're sending a message to extraterrestrials, what you want to send is what's special about us and our planet — what is unusual," according to SETI astronomer Frank Drake. Read his essay. This essay is from 2006.g Cosmicus - Propelled by sunlight pressure, large lightweight sails made of ultrathin aluminum-coated plastic could one day take probes to the edge of our solar system and other stars. See article.g Imagining - Many science fiction story lines involve alien life forms. From a literary prospective, aliens often serve as metaphors for something more familiar. From a practical ...
Active geological processes on other planets and how to build an alien
3 Sep 2010, 16:17 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 magnetar is a weird duck, indeed. It's a spinning neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field a thousand trillion times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. See article.g Abodes - An expert in processing spacecraft images of the planets, Dr. Cynthia Phillips is particularly interested in the search for active geological processes on Mars, Europa, Io and beyond. These worlds represent locations where liquid water, a possible indicator of life, could be present today. Here’s an interview with her.g Message - "If you're sending a message to extraterrestrials, what you want to send is what's special about us and our planet — what is unusual," according to SETI astronomer Frank Drake. Read his essay. This essay is from 2006.g Cosmicus - Propelled by sunlight pressure, large lightweight sails made of ultrathin aluminum-coated plastic could one day take probes to the edge of our solar system and other stars. See article.g Imagining - Many science fiction story lines involve alien life forms. From a literary prospective, aliens often serve as metaphors for something more familiar. From a practical ...
Universe Today
3 Sep 2010, 15:57 UTC
The math is simple: Star + Other star = Bigger star. While conceptually this works well, it fails to take into account the extremely vast distances between stars. Even in clusters, where the density of stars is significantly higher than in the main disk, the number of stars per unit volume is so low that [...] A Hubble Space Telescope image of the typical globular cluster Messier 80, an object made up of hundreds of thousands of stars and located in the direction of the constellation of Scorpius. The Milky Way galaxy has an estimated 160 globular clusters of which one quarter are thought to be ‘alien’. Image: NASA / The Hubble Heritage Team / STScI / AURA. Click for hi-resolution version.The math is simple: Star + Other star = Bigger star.While conceptually this works well, it fails to take into account the extremely vast distances between stars. Even in clusters, where the density of stars is significantly higher than in the main disk, the number of stars per unit volume is so low that collisions are scarcely considered by astronomers. Of course, at some point the stellar density must reach a point at which the chance for a collision ...
How to Crash Stars Together
3 Sep 2010, 15:57 UTC
The math is simple: Star + Other star = Bigger star. While conceptually this works well, it fails to take into account the extremely vast distances between stars. Even in clusters, where the density of stars is significantly higher than in the main disk, the number of stars per unit volume is so low that [...] A Hubble Space Telescope image of the typical globular cluster Messier 80, an object made up of hundreds of thousands of stars and located in the direction of the constellation of Scorpius. The Milky Way galaxy has an estimated 160 globular clusters of which one quarter are thought to be ‘alien’. Image: NASA / The Hubble Heritage Team / STScI / AURA. Click for hi-resolution version.The math is simple: Star + Other star = Bigger star.While conceptually this works well, it fails to take into account the extremely vast distances between stars. Even in clusters, where the density of stars is significantly higher than in the main disk, the number of stars per unit volume is so low that collisions are scarcely considered by astronomers. Of course, at some point the stellar density must reach a point at which the chance for a collision ...
Urban Astronomer
3 Sep 2010, 13:29 UTC
One of the core assumptions of modern cosmology is that the laws of physics are the same everywhere in the universe. This article looks at some new research which seems to undermine that assumption by showing that the value of the Fine-Structure Constant might just be variable. Have a look here: Are the universal constants changing?
When is a constant not constant?
3 Sep 2010, 13:29 UTC
One of the core assumptions of modern cosmology is that the laws of physics are the same everywhere in the universe. This article looks at some new research which seems to undermine that assumption by showing that the value of the Fine-Structure Constant might just be variable. Have a look here: Are the universal constants changing?
Discovery News - Space News
3 Sep 2010, 11:00 UTC
The technology pushes against Earth's magnetic field for propulsion.
