You might have seen better looking pictures of Jupiter before, but that’s not the point. What matters is that this photograph was taken by the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft. It took the picture on September 4, 2006 when it was still 291 million km (181 million miles) away from Jupiter. Don’t worry, the pictures will get much better. It’ll make its closest approach on February 28, 2007, and see the giant planet with 125 times better resolution than this picture.
Continue reading “New Horizons Sets its Sights on Jupiter”
Twin Lakes on Titan
This incredible photograph taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows two lakes on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan, attached by a thin channel. The image was taken during Cassini’s most recent flyby, when it passed by on September 23, 2006. On Earth, they’d be filled with water, but it’s just too cold on Titan; so these lakes contain a mixture of methane and ethane.
Continue reading “Twin Lakes on Titan”
Opportunity Peeks into Victoria Crater
After a journey of 21 months, NASA’s Opportunity rover has finally reached its destination: Victoria Crater. Its first photos of the crater’s interior show steep walls of exposed rock. Since these rock layers were put down gradually over eons, they’ll tell the area’s geologic history better than anything Opportunity has seen so far. The rover will now begin searching the crater rim to see if there’s any way it can get down into the crater.
Continue reading “Opportunity Peeks into Victoria Crater”
Podcast: Hot Jupiters and Pulsar Planets
You have lived on the Earth all your life, so you’d think you know plenty about planets. As usual though, the Universe is stranger than we assume, and the planets orbiting other stars defy our expectations. Gigantic super-Jupiters whirling around their parent stars every couple of days; fluffy planets with the density of cork; and Earth-sized fragments of exploded stars circling pulsars. Join us as we round up the latest batch of bizarro worlds.
Continue reading “Podcast: Hot Jupiters and Pulsar Planets”
Delta II Launches GPS Satellite
A Boeing Delta II rocket blasted off on Sunday, carrying a Block IIR Global Positioning System satellite into orbit. The rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral at 1850 UTC (2:50 pm EDT), and deployed the satellite 68 minutes later into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite will soon join the US Air Force Global Positioning System, which provides accurate positioning data to vehicles and devices on Earth.
Continue reading “Delta II Launches GPS Satellite”
Warmest World in 12,000 Years
Hot enough for you? A new NASA study has found that global temperatures are nearing their hottest level in more than 12,000 years – since the last glaciers covered large portions of the planet. In fact, global temperatures have been going up approximately 0.2° Celsius (.36° Fahrenheit) per decade for the past 30 years. In fact, global temperatures are now within one degree Celsius of the hottest temperatures measured in the last million years.
Continue reading “Warmest World in 12,000 Years”
Mars Rovers Hired on for Another Year
Despite being years past their warranty date, NASA’s twin Mars rovers have been pressed into duty for another year. Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey orbiters have also been given 2-year mission extensions. Spirit and Opportunity are doing surprisingly well, despite roaming the Martian landscape for more than 31 months. During this fourth mission extension, the rovers will return to the Martian spring and summer, when they get increased sunlight to power their solar panels.
Continue reading “Mars Rovers Hired on for Another Year”
What’s Up this Week: September 25 – October 1, 2006
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! The Moon is back, but so are studies as we take a great look a planetary nebula this week. Yes, we’ll study lunar features, but let’s not forget variable stars and bright clusters! Time to turn an eye towards the sky, because….
Here’s what’s up!
Continue reading “What’s Up this Week: September 25 – October 1, 2006”
New Kind of Supernova Discovered
Astronomers used to believe that all Type 1a supernovae were essentially the same brightness. That’s because they explode with the same amount of fuel. But now a supernova has been discovered that’s twice as bright as all the other Type 1a supernovae. This is a problem, since this kind of supernovae are used as standard candles, to determine distances across the Universe. Most recently, these supernovae have been used to calculate the mysterious force called dark energy that seems to be accelerating the expansion of the Universe.
Continue reading “New Kind of Supernova Discovered”
Battlestar Galactic Season 2.5 DVD Giveaway
I just received a review copy of Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5, the DVD that covers episodes 11-20. In case you’ve been living under a rock, this is the new Battlestar Galactica series running on the Scifi channel in the US. I’m going to preface this with the disclaimer that I’m already a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica – I’ve seen every episode multiple times, and I think it’s one of the best television shows on TV. It’s also impossible for me to really talk about what’s in the episodes without ruining some part of the plot for somebody. I’m a notorious show-ruiner, so I won’t even go there. (My friends call ruining the end of a movie “Frasering”).
Continue reading “Battlestar Galactic Season 2.5 DVD Giveaway”