Fraser Cain, Author at Universe Today

August 9, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

An Experiment to Test Panspermia

One of most intriguing, and controversial, theories astrobiology is the concept of Panspermia. This idea proposes that life on Earth might have began on another planet, or maybe even out in interstellar space. Scientists have discovered just how hardy microbial life can be, surviving long journeys in the vacuum, cold, and radiation of space. Now an experiment has been devised to see how well microbes can withstand reentry through the Earth’s atmosphere.

The experiment, designed by Professor John Parnell from the University of Aberdeen, involves bolting a Scottish rock to the outside of an ESA research spacecraft. When the Foton M3 mission launches on Friday, September 14th, microbes in the rock will enjoy the acceleration of liftoff, 12 days of microgravity and vacuum, and then re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere.

“The objective behind this is to look at the rock’s behaviour when it is exposed during re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere – when temperatures are extreme. This will tell us something about the likelihood of life being transferred between planets on meteorites.

“The Orkney rock is a very robust material but it will be interesting to see if organic matter in the rock is robust enough to survive the harsh conditions endured during re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.”

In theory, asteroid strikes in the past excavated material on other planets, hurling microbe-laden rocks into interplanetary space. The rocks would then act as lifeboats, carrying the microbes to other planets. More importantly, they should protect the bacteria as the rock plunges into the atmosphere.

This experiment will help discover if there’s anything to this idea. Bacteria might just be hardy enough to survive the complete journey from planet to planet.

Original Source:Univ. Of Aberdeen

August 9, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Aurigid Meteor Shower, September 1

What a fantastic month for skywatching. On August 12th, we’ve got the Perseid meteor shower. On August 28th there’ll be a total lunar eclipse. And on September 1st, there might be another meteor shower to enjoy: the Aurigids.

Unlike the dependable Perseids, the Aurigid meteor shower is unpredictable. They’re a stream of particles left behind by Comet Kiess (C/1911 N1). This is a long period comet that has only visited the inner solar system twice within the last two thousand years. Its last visit is believed to have been 83 BC.

On September 1, 2007, the Earth will pass through the dusty trail left behind by Comet Kiess, and it might be a spectacular show. Or it might be a non-event.

“We have so little experience with ancient debris from long-period comets,” notes Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. “Almost anything could happenâ€”from a fizzle to a beautiful meteor shower.”

Astronomers have predicted that the peak of the shower will occur at approximately 1136 UTC (7:36 am EDT), and last for about 2 hours. It should be visible to observers in Western North America, the Pacific, and Eastern Asia.

One prediction calculated that there could be as many as 100 meteors an hour. That’s pretty good, but not at meteor storm levels, like the Leonids. One unique attribute about the Aurigids is that they leave a brilliant blue-green streak in the sky. Scientists think this might be because Comet Kiess is such a long period comet, spending much of its time in the darkness of the outer Solar System, its particles are relatively untouched by the Sun

So, I can’t guarantee anything. But the weather should still be warm on September 1st. School hasn’t started, and many of you will be looking for an excuse to enjoy the night sky with your friends and family.

Now you’ve got something to do. Go see the Aurigid meteors.

Original Source: NASA Science

August 9, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

The Galaxy Zoo is Busy

I introduced you to the Galaxy Zoo a few weeks ago. You know, the online site where you use your powerful human brain to help catalog galaxies for science. As I predicted in my article, the response was overwhelming.

According to a recent press release from the Galaxy Zoo project:

“The response has been breathtaking,” said Alex Szalay from Johns Hopkins University, a member of the Galaxy Zoo team. “The traffic was 20 times higher than what we hoped for. This shows the public is really interested in science if they feel they can contribute in a meaningful way.”

The public wants to make a meaningful contribution to science. I could have told them that.

Anyway, right after launch, their website was buried by visitors. In fact, the demand was so great that they blew a circuit breaker in their computer room. The team has been catching up quickly. They’ve upgraded their computer hardware, just to keep ahead of demand, and they’re already hard at work analyzing the fountains of data generated.

Here’s the funny part. At its peak, humans were classifying more than 60,000 galaxies an hour. Since their stated goal is 1 million galaxies, that should have taken them the better part of a single day to wrap up the project.

I hope someone else out there appreciates the power and enthusiasm of the public to perform this kind of service. The gap between professional and amateur is closing, and the contributions made by the public can be nothing short of awe-inspiring.

People love to help out.

Original Source:Sloan Digital Sky Survey

August 9, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Endeavour is Off to the Space Station

Thanks to the improved weather, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on Wednesday right on schedule, at 2236 UTC (6:36 pm EDT). Within minutes, the shuttle had released its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank, and was drifting right on target towards Friday’s encounter with the International Space Station.

Mission STS-118 has begun.

Over the course of the next 11-14 days, Endeavour will link up with the station and transfer over a cargo hold full of food, water, air, fuel, equipment, and experiments. It’s also carrying a starboard truss section that astronauts will bolt onto the station’s backbone, enhancing its size and capacity.

Once the shuttle docks, the astronauts will carry out a series of 3 spacewalks to connect the truss, and replace one of the station’s gyroscopes. They’ll also install an external stowage platform. An additional 4th spacewalk is also a possibility, to attach a new camera boom that future missions could use to inspect their spacecraft for damage to heat tiles. That’s what would extend the mission from 11 to 14 days.

This is the first time that Endeavour has launched since the Columbia disaster killed 7 astronauts back in 2003. NASA has taken the time to give the shuttle a complete overhaul, upgrading almost every part of the orbiter. It’s also been equipped with a new gadget that will let it connect to the International Space Station’s power grid conserving its own batteries, and allowing it to operate longer.

Original Source: NASA News Release

August 8, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Martian Skies are Starting to Clear

The dire condition of the Mars Exploration Rovers has improved a bit in the last few days. That series of dust storms circling the planet has eased off a little, and the skies are started to clear up. This is giving both Spirit and Opportunity a much needed boost to their solar powered electrical systems.

On August 6th, 2007 Spirit’s solar arrays collected a total of 295 watt hours; Opportunity gathered 243 watt hours. This is a significant improvement over the last few weeks, when the dust storms dropped Spirit down as low as 261 watt hours, and Opportunity down to 128. At those levels, engineers were worried that the rovers might not be able to even keep their sensitive electronics heated overnight.

With the skies clearing up, Spirit even has enough energy to start doing some science again. Operators will command the rover to move its robot arm for the first time in three weeks. Its job will be to position its microscopic imager to take a series of photographs of two soil targets and a rock target. Opportunity will stay put, but make observations of the Martian atmosphere.

The increased sunlight has allowed both rovers to fully recharge their batteries, and the night time temperatures have warmed up a little, decreasing the risk of freezing their electronics.

NASA managers are still pretty wary, though, and have a cautious take on the situation:

“Conditions are still dangerous for both rovers and could get worse before things get better,” said John Callas, rover project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

“We will continue our cautious approach to the weather and configure the rovers to maintain a high state of charge on the batteries. Communication sessions with both rovers will remain limited until the skies clear further.”

Sounds like a good idea.

Original Source:NASA News Release

August 8, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Hidden Cluster Seen For the First Time

This newly released photograph taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope is of a previously hidden star cluster, revealed now in the infrared spectrum. At visible wavelengths, this cluster, located in the southern portion of the Serpens cloud would be totally obscured by dust. But now, thanks to Spitzer, we can see it for the first time.

The cluster was discovered by Robert Gutermuth and Tyler Bourke, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. They originally uncovered it using the Spitzer Space Telescope, but they weren’t able to determine whether they were forming a new “family unit”, or whether they were part of an existing cluster. Follow on observations with the Smithsonian’s Submillimeter Array (SMA) let them measure its velocity; the newly discovered clouds are drifting at the same velocity as the rest of the Serpens star-forming cloud.

In the Spitzer image, the newly discovered Serpens South stars are the green, yellow and orange points of light. That black line that runs through the image is actually a dense patch of gas and dust which is currently condensing to form stars. The green areas are hot hydrogen gas. And the wisps of red indicate regions where there are large quantities of organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. You might find similar particles on your barbecue grill, or coming out your car’s exhaust pipe.

The discovery was made as part of the Gould’s Belt Survey. This is a study of all the prominent star-forming regions located within 1,600 light-years of Earth. Photographs from Spitzer as well as several other ground-based telescopes will be merged together into a large data set that astronomers can study for years to come.

Original Source:Centre for Astrophysics

August 7, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Astrosphere for August 7, 2007

Today’s astrophoto for the astrosphere is of Hoag’s Object, captured by RickJ. This is a difficult galaxy to capture with an amateur telescope, so nice work Rick.

Sshhhh. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the Universe.

A levitation device? Oh, now that would be cool.

There’s a great 6-page article over at Newsweek about Global Warming deniers. Having dealt with it myself, it was great to see a main stream media article that goes this deeply into the concerted effort by polluters to confuse the public.

August 7, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Weather Looks Good For Endeavour’s Wednesday Launch

Weather in Florida this time of year can be dramatic. Thunderstorms, rain and lightning can appear at any time – and that’s not good for launching space shuttles. Fortunately, a heat wave has swept across the area around Cape Canaveral, holding off the typical thunderstorm conditions, and improving Endeavour‘s chances for blasting off on Wednesday.

If all goes well, Endeavour will lift off from Pad 39A on Wednesday, August 8th at 2236 UTC (6:36 pm EDT), beginning mission STS-118 to continue the construction of the International Space Station. Endeavour is carrying supplies, spare parts, experiments, and a new starboard-side truss element that will be bolted onto the station’s backbone-like main truss.

Endeavour will have the usual 7-crew compliment, led by veteran astronaut Scott Kelly. Also on board will be teacher Barbara Morgan. If you recall back to the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, one of the crew members of that ill-fated mission was Christa McAuliffe. Barbara Morgan was her backup. Now 22 years after the disaster, NASA is ready to continue its “Teachers in Space” program.

As I mentioned, weather in this area can get nasty this time of year. But NASA’s official weather officer, Kathy Winters raised Endeavour‘s chances of an on-time launch to 80 percent. The drier air and hot temperatures causing a heat wave in Florida is good news for the shuttle.

Because of the good weather, controllers will retract the Rotating Service Structure that’s protecting the shuttle from bad weather tonight. And then they’ll begin filling up the external fuel tank with liquid oxygen and hydrogen tomorrow morning.

Original Source:NASA Shuttle

August 7, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Four Galaxies in a Cosmic Collision

Galaxies aren’t born, they evolve, getting built up through a succession of mergers over billions of years. In most cases, this process is slow and steady, with galaxies tearing apart their satellite neighbours and gaining mass. But in one cosmic collision seen by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, 4 extremely massive galaxies are coming together at the same time in a cosmic pileup.

These merging galaxies aren’t small either. No, when this collision is all wrapped up, the remaining monster galaxy will have 10 times the mass of our Milky Way – one of the largest galaxies in the entire Universe. We’ll have a taste of this in about 5 billion years, when the Milky Way merges with Andromeda.

Regular mergers are very common across the Universe; it’s how galaxies grow. But this is different. Bigger, more massive, more destructive. Here’s a cool quote from one of the discovering scientists:

“Most of the galaxy mergers we already knew about are like compact cars crashing together,” said Kenneth Rines of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass. “What we have here is like four sand trucks smashing together, flinging sand everywhere.”

It’s inevitable that the most massive galaxies in the Universe will collide and merge too, they’ve just never been seen before.

Galaxy collisions are one of the events that can ignite star formation. The gravitational interaction between galaxies causes clouds of gas and dust to collapse, creating new stellar nurseries. But that won’t happen here. Spitzer didn’t see large quantities of gas, and hot, young star formation; only old stars.

Original Source:NASA News Release

August 7, 2007December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Large, Fluffy Planet Darkens a Distant Star

An international team of astronomers announced today that they have discovered the largest extrasolar planet; it’s 70% larger than Jupiter. Amazingly, this new planet, dubbed TrES-4 is actually less massive than Jupiter. With the large size, and lower mass, the planet has a low density. You might call it fluffy.

The discovery of TrES-4 was made by astronomers working with the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey. This is network of small automated telescopes in Arizona, California, and the Canary Islands designed to carefully measure the amount of light coming from stars. A periodic dimming and brightening is a candidate for a transiting planet, changing the light from its star as it moves by.

TrES-4 has a density of 0.2 grams per cubic centimetre. That works out to be less than the density of balsa wood. It would easily float in water if you had a large enough pool.

The planet is located about 1,400 light-years away, and orbits its host star in 3.5 days. This puts it into the hot Jupiter classification, orbiting only 7.2 million km (4.5 million miles) from its star, and reaching a temperature of 1,600 Kelvin (2,300 degrees F).

How did a planet with so little mass get so large? Good question.

“TrES-4 appears to be something of a theoretical problem,â€? said Edward Dunham, Lowell Observatory Instrument Scientist. “It is larger relative to its mass than current models of superheated giant planets can presently explain. Problems are good, though, since we learn new things by solving them.”

To capture transiting planets, the network of telescopes take wide-field timed exposures of clear skies on as many nights as possible. Astronomers then measure the amount of light coming from every single star in the field to detect if any have changed in brightness. In the case of TrES-4, it dims the amount of light received by the star by about 1%. It’s not a lot, but the telescopes and observing techniques can tease the data out.

Once the astronomers had a candidate discovered with the TrES network, they switched from the 10-cm telescopes they were using to the powerful 10-metre W.M. Keck telescopes atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii. They also made follow up observations with the Lowell Observatory and Fred L. Whipple Observatory in Arizona.

Original Source:Lowell Observatory News Release