Universe Today

Explore Tranquility Base With New Interactive Apollo 11 Feature

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:59:20 +0000

Apollo 11 landing site on Tranquility Base. Credit: NASA

Where were you on July 20, 1969? If you don't remember or weren't born yet you can re-live the first walk on the Moon with a new interactive feature on NASA's website. Listen to the audio, pan and explore the landing site, and go inside the Eagle lunar lander (not a lot of room in there!). Looking around Tranquility Base with the pan feature is a little counter-intuitive (opposite of what you do on Google Maps) but fun, nonetheless.

Look for lots of other fun ways to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 during the next couple of weeks. Google and NASA announced they will be unveiling something exciting on July 20, and word on the street is that it will be Google Moon in 3-D, made possible in part by the newly arrived Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

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Weekend SkyWatcher's Forecast: July 10-12, 2009

Tammy Plotner — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:11:54 +0000

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Did you happen to see the close appearance of the Moon and Jupiter last night? If you thought that was fun, they're about to get a whole lot closer tonight – and have company! With a bit darker skies this weekend, it looks like a good time to go globular and explore a few of the summer's finest. But what weekend would be complete without a little treat? I have one in mind just for you. Follow me… (...)
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Herschel Telescope First Light Images Released

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:51:23 +0000

Herschel "first light" images of M66 and M74. Credits: ESA and the SPIRE Consortium

The Herschel telescope has now turned on all its instruments, taking a few "first light" images with each instrument of galaxies, star-forming regions and dying stars. Herschel astronomers said they were "staggered" by the results, saying "these observations show that Herschel’s instruments are working beyond expectations. They promise a mission of rich discoveries for waiting astronomers." Above are images taken with Herschel’s Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE, of two galaxies, M66 and M74. The galaxies showed up prominently, providing astronomers with their best images yet at these wavelengths. And what's that in the background? Other more distant galaxies!
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Solved: Mystery of Gamma Ray Distribution in the Milky Way

Brian Ventrudo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:29:27 +0000

A team of astrophysicists has solved the mystery of the distribution of gamma rays in our Milky Way galaxy. While some researchers thought the distribution suggested a form of undetectable “dark matter”, the team from the University of California, San Diego, proposed an explanation based on standard physical models of the galaxy.

In two separate scientific papers, the most recent of which appears in the July 10 issue of the journal Physical Review Letters, the astrophysicists show that this distribution of gamma rays can be explained by the way “antimatter positrons” from the radioactive decay of elements, created by massive star explosions in the galaxy, propagate through the galaxy. That means, the scientists said, the observed distribution of gamma rays is not evidence for dark matter.

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This Week's Where In The Universe Challenge

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:46:51 +0000

It’s time once again for another Where In The Universe Challenge. Test your visual knowledge of the cosmos by naming where in the Universe this image was taken and give yourself extra points if you can name the spacecraft responsible for this picture. Post your guesses in the comments section, and check back later at this same post to find the answer. To make this challenge fun for everyone, please don’t include links or extensive explanations with your answer. Good luck!
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Beautiful Chaos

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:07:35 +0000

Can you imagine living in this region of space? Just think of the beautiful views you'd have in the sky – that is, if you survived the chaos as one galaxy is passing through the core of three other galaxies at ridiculous (ludicrous?) speeds (3.2 million km per hour / 2 million miles per hour) generating a shock wave of gas and X-rays.
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Earliest Stars Came in Pairs, New Simulation Shows

Anne Minard — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:01:58 +0000

Most stars exist in binary pairs today — and new research indicates that may have been true for a very long time. This simulation of a primordial star forming region about 200 million years after the Big Bang shows two pre-stellar cores of more than five times the mass of the sun each. The cores formed at a separation of 800 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun, and are expected to evolve into a binary star system.

Most previous simulations of the early universe, in which clouds of primordial gas collapsed to form the first luminous objects, suggest that early stars formed separately from each other.

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Help Find the Mars Polar Lander!

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:46:57 +0000

The Mars Polar Lander was supposed to be a mission to the Red Planet's south polar region to study the climate, weather and the ever-changing polar cap. But the spacecraft went missing in December of 1999 after entering Mars atmosphere, and its disappearance has been a mystery. Attempts at finding the presumably crashed lander using images from the Mars Global Surveyor have been unsuccessful. But now we have the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and its powerful HiRISE Camera. A new campaign has begun to try and find the Mars Polar Lander, and the best thing about it is that you can help!
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Observing Alert! Outburst of Dwarf Nova WX Ceti

Tammy Plotner — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:06 +0000

According to AAVSO Special Notice #161 posted today by M. Templeton, dwarf nova WX Ceti is now in outburst and has been recorded at magnitude 12.62. There's a lot to be learned about this cool little star… (...)
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New Technique Finds Farthest Supernovae

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:10:00 +0000

This artist’s impression of a supernova shows the layers of gas ejected prior to the final deathly explosion of a massive star. Credit: NASA/Swift/Skyworks Digital/Dana Berry

Two of the farthest supernovae ever detected have been found by using a new technique that could help find other dying stars at the edge of the universe. The two cosmic blasts occurred 11 billion years ago. The next-farthest large supernova known occurred about 6 billion years ago. Jeff Cooke from the University of California Irvine said this new method has the potential to allow astronomers to study some of the very first supernovae and will advance the understanding of how galaxies form, how they change over time and how Earth came to be.
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Going to Mars Together

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:44:50 +0000

From the "this makes complete sense" department: NASA and ESA have established an initiative to make future explorations of Mars a joint venture. The ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, David Southwood, met with NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, Ed Weiler at the end of June and created the Mars Exploration Joint Initiative (MEJI) that will provide a framework for the two agencies to define and implement their scientific, programmatic and technological goals at Mars. The initiative includes launch opportunities in 2016, 2018 and 2020, with landers and orbiters conducting astrobiological, geological, geophysical and other high-priority investigations, leading up to a sample return mission in the 2020s.
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NASA Tests Alternative Escape Pod

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:23:40 +0000

Launch of the MLAS at Wallops Island on Wednesday. Credit: NASA

While the Constellation program is undergoing design reviews, NASA conducted a successful test on an alternative abort system for the Orion spacecraft to provide options and additional data on how to best protect astronauts in the event of a problem on the launch pad or during ascent. A simulated launch of the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, took place Wednesday morning at 6:26 a.m. EDT at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. The 10 meter high (33-feet) MLAS vehicle was launched to an altitude of about 1.5 km (1 mile)to simulate an emergency on the launch pad. A mock-up of the Orion crew vehicle successfully separated from the launch vehicle seven seconds into the flight and parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean. While there were some concerns about the various pieces of the MLAS possibly hitting each other, the test went without a hitch.

Meanwhile, the Ares I-X rocket is in the process of being "stacked" for a test flight later this summer.
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How Often Are New Stars Born in the Milky Way?

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:14:32 +0000

Stellar nurseries can be found in giant clouds of molecular gas and dust scattered throughout our galaxy. The Octo-mom has nothing on these stellar nurseries, as these regions can produce multiple stars at once – into the hundreds at a time. How often does this happen? On average, one new star is born somewhere in our Milky Way galaxy per year, astronomers estimate. But with the newborns arriving together in dense clusters, stars aren't born, or created, very often in the Milky Way. Recently, astronomers took a close look in infrared at what was happening inside a giant stellar nursery called RCW 38 and saw hundreds of stars in different stages of development. What they found was significant, as this represents the first time a massive cluster other than the one in the Orion Nebula has been studied so precisely.
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LRO Hi-Def Lunar Flyover Movie

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:42:28 +0000

The folks at Goddard Space Flight Center working on the the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission have put together a flyover video from the first images taken by LRO's cameras. Just a little appetite whetter for all the good things to come from LRO. Enjoy!

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Australian Astronomers Reveal Image of A Cosmic "Blue Whale"

Brian Ventrudo — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:17:49 +0000

Astronomers at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific Research Organization (CSRIO) have revealed the hidden face of an enormous galaxy called Centaurus A, which emits a radio glow covering an area 200 times bigger than the full Moon.

The galaxy's radio waves have been painstakingly transformed into a highly detailed image, which is being unveiled to the public for the first time.

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Carnival of Space #110 – the Phobos-Grunt, Liberty and Pants-on-Fire edition

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:20:07 +0000

This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Wayne Hall at Kentucky Space.

Click here to read the Carnival of Space #110.

And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry to carnivalofspace@gmail.com, and the next host will link to it. It will help get awareness out there about your writing, help you meet others in the space community – and community is what blogging is all about. And if you really want to help out, let Fraser know if you can be a host, and he’ll schedule you into the calendar.

Finally, if you run a space-related blog, please post a link to the Carnival of Space. Help us get the word out.

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Omega Nebula Struts its Stuff in New, Multicolored Image

Anne Minard — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:55:59 +0000

The Omega Nebula, a stellar nursery 5500 light-years away towards the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer), is looking positively dashing in this new image released today by the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO). The subtle color shades across the three-color composite image comes from the presence of different gases (mostly hydrogen, but also oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur) that are glowing under the fierce ultraviolet light radiated by hot young stars.

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Weekend SkyWatcher's Forecast: July 3-5, 2009

Tammy Plotner — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:49:38 +0000

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a Moon-filled weekend? Then let's have a look a some great lunar features as we race Mad Max to the "Megadome"! For some lucky viewers in Japan and Hawaii, there will be an occultation of Antares to enjoy. How about some great double stars… Or a chance to see if you can spot a penumbral lunar eclipse? Then follow me out to the backyard. The stars are waiting… (...)
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Happy Fourth of July!

Anne Minard — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:48:44 +0000

Courtesy of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Astronomers working with the Subaru Telescope have released these new images of a "fireworks display" in a near-infrared image of the Helix Nebula, showing comet-shaped knots within.

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Perchlorates and Water Make for Potential Habitable Environment on Mars

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:36:05 +0000

This mosaic assembled from Phoenix images show the spacecraft's three landing legs. Splotches of Martian material on the landing leg strut at left could be liquid saline-water. Click for larger version on Spaceflightnow. com Credit: Kenneth Kremer, Marco Di Lorenzo, NASA/JPL/UA/Max Planck Institute and Spaceflightnow.com. Used by permission

Scientists say that the Arctic region studied by Phoenix lander may be a favorable environment for microbes. Just-right chemistry and periods where thin films of liquid water form on the surface could make for a habitable setting. "Not only did we find water ice, as expected, but the soil chemistry and minerals we observed lead us to believe this site had a wetter and warmer climate in the recent past — the last few million years — and could again in the future," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson.
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First Images from LRO

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:58:39 +0000

Woohoo! NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken its first images of the Moon! There are two cameras on board which combine to create the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC. They were both activated June 30, and their "first light" images were of a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds).

"Our first images were taken along the moon's terminator — the dividing line between day and night — making us initially unsure of how they would turn out," said LROC Principal Investigator Mark Robinson of Arizona State University in Tempe. "Because of the deep shadowing, subtle topography is exaggerated, suggesting a craggy and inhospitable surface. In reality, the area is similar to the region where the Apollo 16 astronauts safely explored in 1972. While these are magnificent in their own right, the main message is that LROC is nearly ready to begin its mission."
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By Gamma-Rays Alone: Fermi Raises the Curtain on 16 New Pulsars

Anne Minard — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:38:32 +0000

For the first time, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has spotted a new group of pulsars using only their gamma-ray emissions, in the absence of radio signals beamed to Earth. The 16 new objects are reported in this week's edition of Science Express, in a study based out of the University of California in Santa Cruz.

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Phoenix Lander Team: It Snows at Night on Mars

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:24:12 +0000

It snows on Mars. This occurs, at least in the northern arctic region where the Phoenix lander set up camp in 2008. Science teams from Phoenix were able to observe water-ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere and precipitation that fell to the ground at night and sublimate into water in the morning. James Whiteway and his colleagues say that clouds and precipitation on Mars play a role in the exchange of water between the ground and the atmosphere and when conditions are right, snow falls regularly on Mars.
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Messier 87 Shows Off for Hundreds of Earth-bound Astronomers

Anne Minard — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:12:26 +0000

When the giant radio galaxy Messier 87 (M 87) unleashed a torrent of gamma radiation and radio flux, an international collaboration of 390 scientists happened to be watching. They're reporting the discovery in this week's issue of Science Express.

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Test-Bed Rover is Now Stuck — Which is a Good Thing!

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:13:52 +0000

Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have intentionally driven their engineering rover into soft soil in a sandbox testbed, to simulate how the Spirit rover is stuck on Mars. And they did a good job of it, too, as the test rover, called SSTB1, is stuck, as well, with its wheels spinning and going nowhere. The science team has confirmed a rock on Mars, underneath Spirit is touching the underside of the rover, so engineers have placed a similar looking rock in the test sandbox, as seen above.

"We want to experiment with different extraction techniques down here on Earth before we actually do them for real on Mars," said John Callas, project manager for the Mars rovers. "Our expectation is that it will some time to get Spirit out, so we will be able to get a better feel for that here in this facility to see how well the techniques work and how long it will take for them to work."
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