Artist impression of LCROSS approaching the Moon. Credit: NASA
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Based on new analysis of the latest lunar data, the science team for NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) decided to change the target crater for impact from Cabeus A to Cabeus (proper). The decision was based on a consensus that Cabeus shows, with the greatest level of certainty, the highest hydrogen concentrations at the south pole. The most current terrain models provided by JAXA’s Kaguya spacecraft and the LRO Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was important in the decision process, as the latest models show a small valley in an otherwise tall Cabeus perimeter ridge, which will allow for sunlight to illuminate the ejecta cloud, making it easier to see from Earth.
The decisison was based on continued evaluation of all available data and consultation/input from members of the LCROSS Science Team and the scientific community, including impact experts, ground and space based observers, and observations from (LRO), Lunar Prospector (LP), Chandrayaan-1 and JAXA’s Kaguya spacecraft. This decision was prompted by the current best understanding of hydrogen concentrations in the Cabeus region, including cross-correlation between the latest LRO results and LP data sets.
As for the sunlight illuminating the ejecta cloud on Oct. 9, it should show up much better than previously estimated for Cabeus. While the ejecta does have to fly to higher elevations to be observed by Earth telescopes and observers, a shadow cast by a large hill along the Cabeus ridge, provides an excellent, high-contrast, back drop for ejecta and vapor measurements.
The LCROSS team concluded that Cabeus provided the best chance for meeting its mission goals. The team critically assessed and successfully advocated for the change with the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) office. The change in impact crater was factored into LCROSS’ most recent Trajectory Correction Maneuver, TCM7.
During the last days of the mission, the LCROSS team will continue to refine the exact point of impact within Cabeus crater to avoid rough spots, and to maximize solar illumination of the debris plume and Earth observations.
Water on the Moon? Photo editing credit: Stuart Atkinson
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This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Stuart Atkinson over at Cumbrian Sky (who created the latest “water on the Moon” image above, and who gives Universe Today a very nice plug! –thanks Stu!).
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 [email protected], 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.
Looking for a picture of Earth from Space? Here is a collection.
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Here’s a spectacular image of the earth with the full coverage of the Pacific Ocean. This image was obtained by the Galileo spacecraft on December 12, 1990 while on its way to planet Jupiter 1.6 million miles from the Earth.
The Blue Marble from Apollo 17
This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in December 7, 1972. The south polar ice cap of Antarctica can be clearly seen in the image. This region constitutes 70% of the world’s freshwater. This photo of the earth was the first to feature the south polar ice cap.
A Stormy Atlantic
Here’s an image of different storms and hurricanes forming at the Atlantic Ocean. This image was generated using the data provided by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellite on September 3, 2008.
Earth - Western Hemisphere
Here’s a nice view of the earth particularly focusing on the Western Hemisphere. Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist.
The Earth-Moon System
This is a nice view of the planet earth and the moon in one frame as seen from the Galileo spacecraft 6.2 million kilometers away.
Picture of Earth from Space
Here’s a picture of Earth from Space as well as the Moon. These images were taken separately and then stitched together on computer to show them together.
Earth from Space
This picture was taken by the Space Shuttle, and shows the Earth from high orbit. You can see how the clouds rise up into the atmosphere.
Earth from space
Here’s another picture of Earth. Again, this was taken from the space shuttle.
NASA satellite map of the Earth
This is a satellite map that shows all of the Earth.
This is the classic “Blue Marble” photo of Earth.
Earth from Space at Night
Earth from Space at Night
Here’s a photo of the entire Earth, seen from space at night. You can easily see cities and towns in North America, Asia and Europe. And you can also see vast regions of the Earth which are totally dark.
Chicago at night
Here’s a photo of the city of Chicago at night. It might look upside down, but that’s because it was captured from the International Space Station as it was passing over the city.
Tokyo at night
This night space image shows the city of Tokyo at night. The blue green glow in the photograph comes from the mercury vapor lighting that lines the streets of the city.
London at night
This space pic from night shows the city of London. You can see the brightest areas are the most densely populated, and the less dense areas are dimmer. You can see the ring road that surrounds London, as well as the path of the Thames river.
Los Angeles at night
Here’s one of the brightest cities in the world. It’s Los Angeles from space, seen at night.
A Crescent Earth at Midnight
Here’s an amazing picture of the earth in crescent. This breathtaking view of our planet was obtained by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) on June 22, 1996. GOES is primarily assigned in monitoring the weather particularly the development of storms and hurricanes in different parts of the earth.
Earth at Twilight
This is an amazing still photo of the earth taken during its transition from day to night. This beautiful photo was taken from the International Space Station in June 2001.
All Is Illuminated
This spectacular image of the crescent earth was captured by the Optical Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) camera on board the Rosetta spacecraft in November 2007.
Houston, Texas at Night
Here’s a nice view of Houston, Texas at night as seen from the International Space Station on February 28, 2010. This photo was taken by the crew member of the Expedition 22 mission. Houston, Texas is the world’s energy capital.
Earth from Orbit
Manicouagan Reservoir. Credit: NASA
Here’s an image of the Manicougan Reservoir situated at Canadian Shield in the province of Quebec. This was taken from the International Space Station in December 1983. Manicougan Reservoir covers an area of about 1,942 km².
Sunset
This image of the sunset on earth was captured from the International Space Station by an Expedition 13 astronaut in August 10, 2006. Expedition 13 mission was able to accomplish a total of 2,886 orbits.
Expedition 11 Earth Observation Photos
This photo shows the Central Gulf Coast obtained from the International Space Station by an Expedition 11 astronaut in September 10, 2005.
Into the Eye of the Storm
This is a photo of the eye of Hurricane Alberto taken in August 19, 2000 during the Terra orbit 3571. Hurricane Alberto is a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic that lasted for 19.75 days.
Hurricane Emily and the Moon
This beautiful view of the eye of Hurricane Emily and the moon was captured from the International Space Station in July 16, 2005. Hurricane Emily is a Category 5 hurricane having a maximum wind speed of 160 mph.
Earth from the Space Shuttle
Sunrise in Space
This photo of the earth’s atmosphere during sunrise was taken in July 2005 by a Discovery crew member during the STS-114 mission. STS-114 mission was the first Return to Flight mission after the unfortunate loss of the Columbia space shuttle.
Onboard View - Space Shuttle Endeavour
This image of the earth was taken from the space shuttle Endeavor during the STS-59 mission in April 12, 1994. The image particularly shows the shuttle’s payload bay and the region of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia.
Sinai Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea
Here’s a stunning image of the Sinai Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea as seen from the space shuttle Atlantis. A crew member of the STS-125 mission took this photo during the mission’s first flight in space.
View of the Journey Home
Here’s a unique photo of the earth’s atmosphere taken by the crew members of Atlantis’ STS-125 mission during its preparation for landing on May 20, 2009.
STS-39 view of the Aurora Australis
Here’s a great view of the Aurora Australis taken in May 1991 by the STS-39 crew member onboard the space shuttle.
Here are some cool pictures of islands… from space!
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This is a picture of South Georgia Island, one of the southernmost islands in the world, off the tip of South America. It was used as a whaling base and now has no permanent inhabitants, other than some scientists. In this picture, taken by NASA’s Terra satellite, the entire island is covered in snow. Here are some more island pictures.
Surtsey Island
This is a picture of Surtsey Island, captured by the IKONOS satellite. This volcanic island is one of the newest in the world, breaking through the surface of the ocean in 1963. The volcanoes that formed the island erupted for about 4 years and then stopped, and now erosion from the ocean is wearing it back down again.
Ascension Island
Next in our pictures of islands is Ascension Island. You can see the airstrip down on the lower right side of the island, and a cinder cone above it. The northern part of the island has lava flows and you can see individual clouds above the island. Ascension Island is one of the space shuttle’s alternative landing sites.
Palm Island
Here’s a picture of a completely man made island. This is Palm Island, off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Now complete, it has palm fronds surrounded by a circular breakwater. There will eventually be more than 100 luxury hotels, marinas, water theme parks, and many houses.
Akpatok Island
This is a picture of Akpatok Island, in Northern Quebec, which is accessible only by air. The picture was taken by a Landsat satellite.
Russian security officers walk along the railroad tracks as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 and a spaceflight participant on Sept. 30, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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NASA photographer Bill Ingalls is in Russia at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, capturing the rollout of the Soyuz TMA-16 rocket today, scheduled to launch on Sept. 30 to the International Space Station. Of course the Soyuz rollout and launch is a whole different experience from the shuttle rollout, and these pictures tell the story. Additionally, this launch has a bit more “festive” feel to it: spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, is part of the crew. Also on board, Soyuz Commander Max Suraev, and NASA Flight Engineer Jeff Williams are scheduled to launch at 2:14 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Above, a Russian security officers walk along the railroad tracks as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad.
The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz rocket being hoisted to its launch position shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday.
Laliberte is paying some $35 million for a seat on the Soyuz and 12 days aboard the ISS. He’s likely to be the last paying private citizen to the station for the next few years. Because of the retirement of the space shuttle, the Soyuz will be the only way to get astronauts and cosmonauts to and from the ISS.
Launch scaffolding is raised into place around the Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) It will take the Soyuz two days to reach the ISS. Docking is scheduled for 3:36 a.m. CDT on Friday, Oct. 2. Waiting on board the orbiting laboratory are commander Gennady Padalka, NASA’s Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott, the European Space Agency’s Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and the Canadian Space Agency’s Bob Thirsk. After Padalka and Barratt depart the station, De Winne will become commander of the next station mission, designated Expedition 21.
The sun rises behind the Soyuz launch pad shortly before the Soyuz rocket is rolled out. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Padalka, Barratt and Laliberte will return to Earth on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft currently docked to the station. Padalka and Barratt have been on the ISS since March 2009.
To see more images from the Soyuz rollout, check out NASA’s Flickr page.
The third image of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project is an amazing vista of the Lagoon Nebula taken with the 67-million-pixel Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The image covers more than one and a half square degree— an area eight times larger than that of the Full Moon — with a total of about 370 million pixels. It is based on images acquired using three different broadband filters (B, V, R) and one narrow-band filter (H-alpha). Credit: ESO
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“Now the circle is complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, and now…” Oh, sorry, different triology. The third image of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project has just been released online, completing this eye-opening dive into a galaxy not so far away; our own Milky Way. This third installment provides another breathtaking vista of an astronomical object, this time a 370-million-pixel view of the Lagoon Nebula with the quality and depth needed by professional astronomers in their quest to understand our Universe.
The newly released image extends across a field of view of more than one and a half square degree — an area eight times larger than that of the full Moon — and was obtained with the Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. This 67-million-pixel camera has already created several of ESO’s iconic pictures.
The intriguing object depicted here — the Lagoon Nebula — is located four to five thousand light-years away towards the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). The nebula is a giant interstellar cloud, 100 light-years across, where stars are forming. The scattered dark patches seen all over the nebula are huge clouds of gas and dust that are collapsing under their own weight and which will soon give birth to clusters of young, glowing stars.
The three huge images featured in the GigaGalaxy Zoom projec, launched by ESO as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), reveals the full sky as it appears with the unaided eye from one of the darkest deserts on Earth, then zooms in on a rich region of the Milky Way using an amateur telescope, and finally uses the power of a professional telescope to reveal the details of a famous nebula. In this way, the project links the sky we can all see with the deep, “hidden” cosmos that astronomers study on a daily basis. The wonderful quality of the images is a testament to the splendor of the night sky at ESO’s sites in Chile, which are the most productive astronomical observatories in the world.
Click here for the Giga Galaxy Zoom site and start zooming in on our home galaxy!
The Arctic Circle is a region on Earth that is marked as one of the five major circles of latitude on maps of our planet. It is located between the Arctic to its north and the Northern Temperate Zone to its south. Its counterpart in the Southern Hemisphere is known as the Antarctic Circle. In addition to the Antarctic Circle, the other three major latitude lines are the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Equator.
The Arctic Circle is the farthest southern region that experiences polar day and polar night. A polar day is where it is 24 hours of continuous daylight, and a polar night is 24 continuous hours of darkness. North of the Arctic Circle more than one polar day and night occur per year. However, the Arctic Circle only experiences a polar day and night once a year on the June and December solstices respectively. Usually, those days fall on the 21st of each month. Polar day is also known as midnight sun and polar-summer while polar night is also known as darkness at noon or midwinter darkness. The Antarctic Circle also experiences a polar day and a polar night once a year.
Due to the Earth’s shifting axial tilt – a fluctuation of 2° during 40,000 years – which is especially a result of the Moon’s orbit, the Arctic Circle is moving. It is drifting north about 15 kilometers per year. The Earth’s axial tilt is the same thing that causes the different seasons on Earth.
The Arctic Circle passes through seven countries that have a considerable portion of land within the Arctic Circle. The countries are the United States of America, Greenland, Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Iceland has a tiny region – less than one square km – inside the Arctic Circle. Some areas within the Arctic Circle include Lapland Province in Finland; Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and part of Nunavut in Canada; Davis Strait in the Atlantic Ocean; the Island of Grimsey, which is part of Iceland; and the Greenland and Norwegian Seas in the Atlantic Ocean. The Arctic Circle is also a popular tourist site. People travel from different parts of the world to experience the region. Many places in the Arctic Circle also offer tours; Alaska has quite a few tours, although you can also find them in other countries. Some of these involve hiking around the Arctic Circle region during the summer.
The summer solstice occurs once a year, and there is also a winter solstice each year. During both solstices, the tilt of the Earth’s axis is at its extreme either toward or away from the Sun. The tilt of the Earth does not actually change – it stays at 23.5° – however, the Earth also orbits the Sun causing different regions to be exposed to varying degrees of sunlight.
The word “solstice” has its roots in Latin from the words for “sun” and “to stand still.” This is because during the solstices, the Sun appears to stand still, and then it starts moving in the opposite direction in our sky. It begins to get lower in the sky, and the length of daylight starts getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere.
In addition to the two solstices, there are also two equinoxes, which is where the days are of equal length at the equator. The tilt of the Earth is also responsible for the change in seasons we experience. During the summer solstice, the Suns is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
The summer solstice is the longest day of the year – the longest time there is daylight – in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere however with the winter solstice being the longest day of the year. The exact date of the summer solstice moves around somewhat because of the way years are set up in the Gregorian calendar. For example, it fell on June 20th in 2000. Usually, however, it is on June 21st.
In some cultures, the solstices, and the equinoxes, represent the start of the seasons while they are the midpoint in other cultures. The summer solstice is the beginning of summer in America. The summer solstice has long been a time for celebration for many different cultures. Midsummer was a holiday celebrated in various European cultures.
Traditionally, Midsummer’s Day falls on June 24th, several days after the actual solstice. The Midsummer celebration of the ancient Gauls was known as the Feast of Epona. In China, the summer solstice celebration represented yin, earth, and the feminine while its opposite – the yang – was celebrated during the winter solstice.
Germanic, Slav, and Celtic tribes in Europe used to celebrate Midsummer with huge bonfires. Jumping through the fire was supposed to grant protection to people and bring love. The bonfires were also supposed to lend their power to the Sun, which would begin to wan as winter approached.
Universe Today has articles on the shortest day of the year and the declination of the Sun that will help you learn more about the solstices and seasons.
If you are looking for more information, About.com has a number of good articles on the summer solstice and Science World has some great articles and resources.
Astronomy Cast has an episode on Earth you will want to check out.
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An astrolabe is an ancient tool used in solving problems that involve time and the position of the Sun and stars. Astrolabes can be used in timekeeping, surveying, geography, and astronomy to name a few disciplines. One of its most well-known uses is navigation. Using an astrolabe, you can determine how the sky looked at a certain point in time at a specific place. Since it really is a visible map of the sky, it has proven extremely helpful in astronomical equations.
The astrolabe was invented sometime around 200 BC, and the Greek astronomer Hipparchus is often credited with its invention. A number of Greek scholars wrote in-depth treatises and texts on the astrolabe. Eventually, the tool was introduced to scholars in the Islamic world. They soon started using the instrument, mainly for navigation, and wrote many texts on the instrument themselves. Texts were also written on the subject in India, showing the extent to which this tool was used around the world.
The astrolabe is constructed of a hollow disk that is known as the “mater.” The mater can hold several flat plates that are known as “tympans” or “climates.” Each tympan is made for a specific latitude. The mater is marked indicating hours, degrees, or both measurements. The rete is the actual map of the ecliptic plane and has several pointers to indicate the brightest stars. You can think of the rete as a star chart. Often, different scales are engraved on the back of the mater to help in calculations. The engravings differed, and some of them included trigonometric scales and a calendar to convert between the day of the month and the position of the Sun according to the astrolabe. The alidade is attached to the back of the astrolabe. The alidade is used to take a star’s altitude.
The first universal astrolabe was invented by the Islamic scholar Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Zarqali. Unlike its predecessors, this astrolabe could be used at any location around the world instead of only at a specific latitude.
There are a number of astrolabe collections around the world, and you can still purchase astrolabes from a variety of locations. A later variation of the astrolabe is the spherical astrolabe, which looks like a sphere surrounded by a number of rings. The spherical astrolabe was also used in astronomy. The astrolabe is a predecessor of the sundial, which is still common today as an ornament in many gardens.
Universe Today has a more in-depth article on the armillary sphere and one on ancient astronomy.
For more information on astrolabes, you may want to check out astrolabes and the mariner’s astrolabe.
Take a quick breath. There, that’s what we’re going to talk about today – the atmosphere. And not just the Earth’s familiar atmosphere, but the strange, exotic and deadly atmospheres we find in the Solar System and surrounding extrasolar planets.
