Space and astronomy news
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s big. It’s bright. It’s the Moon and the impact of SMART 1! I hope some lucky observers had a chance to see the impact on September 2. For now, the Moon will continue to be our study area of choice (or not!) this week as we continue our lunar features and double star studies. Get out your telescopes, because…
Here’s what’s up!
Continue reading “What’s Up this Week: September 4 – September 10, 2006”
ESA’s SMART-1 spacecraft ended its productive mission on September 3, 2006 when it crashed into the lunar soil in the “Lake of Excellence” region of the Moon. The impact took place on the near side of the Moon, in full view of Earth and space-based telescopes; even amateurs captured a tiny flash in their telescopes as the spacecraft obliterated, and carved out a small crater. This final act of science will hopefully give researchers some insights into the minerals that lie underneath the lunar surface, which were briefly excavated by the impact.
Continue reading “SMART-1 Smashed into the Moon”
Cassini took this photograph of the 245-km (150-mile) crater Melanthius on the surface of Saturn’s moon Tethys. The central mountains at the heart of Melanthius are left over from when the crater first formed millions of years ago. Cassini took the photo on July 23, 2006 when it was 120,000 kilometers (75,000 miles) from Tethys.
Continue reading “Crater Melanthius on Tethys”
Scientists have found evidence that the Earth might have flipped over in the past, completely shifting the orientation of its poles. The theory has been around for years; that a large mountain range or supervolcano might unbalance the spinning Earth. Over the course of millions of years, the Earth would change the orientation of its axis until the object was balanced at the equator again. The scientists found evidence of magnetic grains in layers of rock sediment on the ocean floor that maintain a record of the Earth’s magnetic field over millions of years.
Continue reading “Did the Earth Flip Over in the Past?”
Astronomers have discovered a rapidly spinning pulsar with a powerful magnetic field – called a magnetar – that’s demonstrating some brand new tricks. Located about 10,000 light years from Earth, this magnetar is sending out powerful pulses of radio waves at regular intervals; normally magnetars are only seen in the X-ray spectrum. The discoverers think that the magnetic field around the star is twisting, causing huge electric currents to flow – these currents are generating the radio pulses.
Continue reading “Magnetar Crackles with Radio Waves”
The Japanese AKARI spacecraft – formerly known as Astro-F – captured this photograph of the reflection nebula IC 1396. This nebula is a bright star-forming region located about 3,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus, and it contains several young stars dozens of times more massive than our Sun. AKARI was able to reveal many new stars that were previously invisible because of its ability to see in the far infrared spectrum.
Continue reading “Birth of Stars Seen by AKARI”
NASA managers decided on Tuesday that Tropical Storm Ernesto won’t pose a threat to the Space Shuttle Atlantis, so they rolled it back out to the launch pad. There will still be high winds, so Atlantis will be locked down to the launch pad on Tuesday evening. If all goes well, Atlantis could launch as early as next week, returning to the International Space Station to continue its construction. The Kennedy Space Center will remain closed until Thursday, depending on the storm’s track.
Continue reading “Atlantis Will Ride Out Ernesto”
This is a view looking down onto the unlit side of Saturn’s rings, lit only by the reflected light from the planet. There are also two small moons in the image: Atlas and Pandora. Cassini took this photo on July 25, 2006 when it was approximately 1 million kilometers (600,000 miles) from Saturn.
Continue reading “Rings Lit by Saturn’s Shine”
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope took this photograph of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, one of the youngest remnants we know of in the Milky Way. The image was made up of 18 separate photos taken by Hubble using its Advanced Camera for Surveys, and it reveals the faint swirls of expanding debris. Astronomers believe the star that used to live at the centre exploded as a supernova about 340 years ago (as well as the 10,000 years it took for the light to reach us).
Continue reading “Hubble’s View of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A”
ESA scientists have discovered some extremely high altitude clouds on Mars – between 80 and 100 km (50 to 62 miles) high. These newly found clouds were uncovered by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, while it was watching distant stars as they passed behind Mars. The light from the stars was distorted as it passed through the Martian atmosphere, allowing scientists to measure the intervening cloud layers. The atmosphere at that altitude is so cold that scientists think the clouds must be made of carbon dioxide.
Continue reading “High Altitude Clouds on Mars”