The SUNRISE telescope was sent into the stratosphere in June 2009, buoyed by a large helium balloon. During its brief flight, it captured some nice images of the sun’s surface, which are now being analyzed.
Galaxies tend to form in clusters, and these clusters form larger groups of matter in the universe. Astronomers have observed that there is a type of framework that connects galaxies in outer space.
The SpaceWeather website reports that many people in the western United States saw a “bright as day” fireball while watching the Leonid meteor shower last night. They link to three videos of the event.
This video has some behind-the-scenes information about the making of Google Mars and Google Moon. Two of the creators talk about what went into the programs.
It appears that lightning patterns on Earth may fluctuate in sync with the sun’s rotation. This discovery could warrant further research in the fields of astronomy, meteorology and “space weather”.
The Atlantis launch on Monday was successful, and the space shuttle has begun its 11-day journey. It is bringing supplies to the International Space Station, and will be returning home with ISS engineer Nicole Stott. This article links to a video of the launch.
An article at National Geographic reports that the 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower might have a strong outburst where rates reach up to 300 per hour. The shower is expected to peak between 2 and 4 AM on November 17th.
With the Leonid Meteor Shower peaking on November 17th at between 2:00 and 4:00 AM you might be interested in an article by David Lynch that explains two topics: “How to Observe a Meteor Shower” and “What Causes Meteor Showers?”.
On November 6, 2009 an asteroid about 20 feet across streaked between Earth and the Moon, missing our planet by a mere two Earth radii. The asteroid was not discovered until it was just 15 hours from potential impact. This is one of several close calls in the past few years.
The gallery at the Hubble Heritage Project has lots of fantastic images to explore. The site also has an art gallery, information about the project, how the images are composed, and other resources.
“Caves might lie beneath a series of depressions discovered on Mars. These caves could provide shelter for future Mars exploration missions. They could also shed light on whether microbial life forms have ever existed on the “Red Planet.” Quoted from the USGS announcement.
The Vatican recently hosted a conference that brought scientists and clergy together for the purpose of exploring the possibility of sentient extraterrestrial life. This AOL article reports on the conference and relationships between the Catholic Church and science.
Beyond the Crux constellation lies the “Jewel Box”, a bright cluster of stars. This article includes several images of the cluster, which is also called the Kappa Crucis Cluster or NGC 4755.
“Nearby galaxies undergoing a furious pace of star formation also emit lots of gamma rays, say astronomers using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Two so-called “starburst” galaxies, plus a satellite of our own Milky Way galaxy, represent a new category of gamma-ray-emitting objects detected both by Fermi and ground-based observatories.” Quoted from the NASA release.
The MESSENGER spacecraft has completed its last flyby of Mercury, giving astronomers fresh data and a 98% complete map of the planet’s surface. This article has photos, graphs, and illustrations to accompany the findings.
What landmarks can be used when traveling in space? The GPS reference satellite constellation uses a map of quasars to determine their location. That same map can guide spacecraft and be used to aim telescopes.
The Spirit Rover on Mars has been failing to store its daily data before powering down. This memory problem may slow plans to dislodge the craft from the soils of Troy, where it has been stuck since April.
“On October 8, 2009 about 03:00 Greenwich time, an atmospheric fireball blast was observed and recorded over an island region of Indonesia. The blast is thought to be due to the atmospheric entry of a small asteroid about 10 meters in diameter that, due to atmospheric pressure, detonated in the atmosphere with an energy of about 50 kilotons (the equivalent of 100,000 pounds of TNT explosives).” Quoted from the NASA press release. Fortunately the asteroid exploded in the atmosphere and did not cause any injury or damage.
“Peering far beyond our solar system, NASA researchers have detected the basic chemistry for life in a second hot gas planet, advancing astronomers toward the goal of being able to characterize planets where life could exist. The planet is not habitable but it has the same chemistry that, if found around a rocky planet in the future, could indicate the presence of life. ” Quoted from the NASA release.
A resident of Grimsby, Ontario found a smashed windshield in her SUV and then heard reports that researchers were looking for meteorites from a fireball that passed over the town on September 25. A video of the fireball is below.
“Images from the Ion and Neutral Camera on NASA’s Cassini spacecraft suggest that the heliosphere, the region of the sun’s influence, may not have the comet-like shape predicted by existing models.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
COROT-7b is an exoplanet that orbits the star COROT-7. It it so close to the star that temperatures are thought to be high enough to vaporize silicate rocks. Above the surface the vapors can cool to produce a rain of igneous rocks.
In an effort to learn if there is water on the moon NASA is going to crash a probe into the Moon’s surface, producing a cloud of dust and debris. Moments later another will dive to the surface scanning for water vapor in the debris cloud. This will occur on Friday at 7:31 AM ET.
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered an enormous ring around Saturn — by far the largest of the giant planet’s many rings. The ring was not discovered before because it is a very difuse scatter of ice and dust particles.
Interview with USGS scientist Dr. Roger Clark about his September 24th Science article that suggests water exists on the moon. Imaging spectroscopy led Clark and others to this discovery which opens the possibilities into further moon exploration.
“New, three-dimensional imaging of Martian north-polar ice layers by a radar instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is consistent with theoretical models of Martian climate swings during the past few million years.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
“NASA scientists have discovered water molecules in the polar regions of the moon. Instruments aboard three separate spacecraft revealed water molecules in amounts that are greater than predicted, but still relatively small.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
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Hobart King
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