Mysterious clouds blanket Venus, obscuring our sister planet from view. These clouds billow up between 45 and 70 km above the surface, and in the upper part of the atmosphere, clouds swirl by at a rate of 300 km/h, driven by fierce winds. Composed mainly of sulfuric acid along with chlorine and fluorine, these clouds wouldn’t be friendly to life as we know it, but still, their mysteries beckon us. The science team from the European Space Agency’s Venus Express has been imaging the planet’s enigmatic atmosphere, and has released new images in several different wavelengths that provide new details on the clouds of Venus.
Continue reading “New Details on Venus’ Clouds from Venus Express”
Arecibo Joins Forces with Global Antennae to Simulate 6,800 Mile Telescope
The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has joined forces with telescopes located in North America, South America, Europe and Africa to create the observing power of a radio telescope 6,800 miles (nearly 11,000 kilometres) in diameter. This collaboration is called the Express Production Real-time e-VLBI Service (EXPReS) project, and on May 22nd, the system went “live” with all antennae observing the same part of the sky. This is an historic project where international collaboration has resulted in the most powerful radio telescope system available to date…
May 22nd heralded the first live demonstration of the EXPReS project that used radio telescopes from four continents. e-VLBI stands for “electronic Very Long Baseline Interferometery” and the system has the huge benefit of taking real-time observations. Data from the EXPReS project is transmitted to the central signal processor at the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE) in Holland, where speeds of data-streaming have exceeded Arecibo’s previous record four times over. Apart from being an acronym fest, the e-VLBI, EXPReS, JIVE collaboration will observe the cosmos with a resolution of 100 times better than the worlds most advanced optical telescopes.
So how can a single radio telescope dish with a diameter of 6,800 miles be simulated if the project has telescopes scattered around the planet? This is where the clever technique called Very Long Baseline Interferometery (VLBI) comes in. If you have multiple telescopes observing the same radio source in the cosmos simultaneously (and using very precise atomic clocks as a guide), the distance (or base-line) between observatories will simulate the effect of using a telescope with a diameter of that distance. The resolution of the observation is improved when the interferometer has several observatories working as one. Traditionally, the radio signal received at each antenna was recorded on a magnetic tape and then shipped to a central processing facility. The results of a campaign usually took weeks to be compiled. By using the e-VLBI system, recording data at the telescope site can be bypassed and transmitted real-time to the central processing facility along with the other telescopes observing the same source. Results are now available in a matter of hours – essential rapid processing when fast astronomical processes (such as supernovae) are in progress.
“These results are very significant for the advance of radio astronomy. It shows not only that telescopes of the future can be developed in worldwide collaboration, but that they can also be operated as truly global instruments.” – Huib Jan van Langevelde, JIVE Director.
The EXPReS project is funded by the European Commission and aims to connect 16 of the world’s most sensitive radio observatories. In the middle of this collaboration is the JIVE processor so real-time data processing can help astronomers achieve very quick results and react to transient radio sources.
Sources: Physorg.com, Arecibo Observatory
Double Spaceship Sighting Alert
Looking for the International Space Station flying overhead is one of my favorite space-related pastimes. But for a couple of evenings (or early mornings, depending where you are) starting on Wednesday, June 11 you can see two spacecraft for the price of one. Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on Wednesday morning, June 11th, at 7:42 am EDT. This means some sky watchers will be able to see both spaceships flying in tandem. They’ll be seen as separate but closely-spaced points of light. Double flybys will continue on Thursday the 12th and to a lesser extent on Friday the 13th, with Discovery scheduled to land on Saturday. Southeastern parts of the United States (e.g., Miami and Atlanta) are favored with some especially good viewing, depending, of course, on cloud cover.
To find out if you’ll be able to see spaceships in your area, there are a few different sites to check out:
Spaceweather.com, has a Satellite Tracker Tool. Just put in your zip code (good for the US and Canada) to find out what satellites will be flying over your house.
NASA has a Skywatch page where you can find your specific city to look for satellite sighting info.
Heaven’s Above also has a city search, but also you can input your exact latitude and longitude for exact sighting information, helpful if you live out in the country.
Seeing the two spacecraft flying closely in tandem is a very unique and thrilling sight. Good luck!
And if you like the image above, it is from the current STS-124 mission: Astronaut Mike Fossum used a digital camera to create this self-portrait during one of the EVAs of the mission, with both himself and the International Space Station visible in his helmet visor.
Original News Source: Spaceweather.com
Space Station Astronauts Could Get Stranded in Kibo
This could be a bit of a tricky (and amusing) situation for astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS). Space Shuttle Discovery astronaut Mark Kelly mentioned a minor technicality with the new Kibo laboratory during an in flight interview last Friday: It might be too spacious. Surely this is a good thing right? It is, and it isn’t. On the one hand the lab provides a large volume for four astronauts to work in comfortably, but on the other hand, if you get stuck in the middle, you may not be able to reach the sides. This could result in a rather frustrating situation where one of the astronauts may become “stranded” in zero-G…
The brand new Japanese Kibo laboratory was successfully delivered to the ISS last Tuesday (June 3rd) by Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-124). After successfully attaching the large module to the station using the onboard robotic arm, the station astronauts connected the electrical, water and air supply, pressurized the module ready for use. This was all being done whist cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko carried out some essential plumbing on the station toilet pump.
So all is going well on board the ISS, especially with the prospect of carrying out some exciting new science activities inside the largest module of the station. However, the astronauts will have to be careful when inside Kibo, they might become stranded. As observed by STS-124 commander Mark Kelly last Friday, “You have to be a little extra careful, you can get out in the middle of it and you can’t reach a handrail and you could possibly get stuck there for a little while.”
The Kibo module is the largest module attached to the ISS. The laboratory measures 37 feet (11 meters) long by over 14 feet (4.3 meters) wide, should an astronaut drift into the middle of Kibo, he or she may not be able to reach the handrails or the sides. Kelly obviously had first-hand experience of this during the setup of Kibo as he said that he and his crew had little time for orbital antics, like flailing around in the middle of Kibo when work needed to be done.
This isn’t a serious issue as there will likely be more than one astronaut inside Kibo to assist should their crewmate get stranded. It also seems easy enough to stretch lengths of cord from one side of Kibo to the other (or one down the axis) so astronauts can quickly right themselves. But I’m sure that the station astronauts will be happy to have such a volumous space to float around in rather than being too worried about getting stuck in the middle…
Source: Reuters
Unique Telescope Facility Opens In Swiss Biosphere
In the easternmost part of Switzerland near the Italian border, lies a pristine area of land ranging from 1,400 to 3,173 meters above sea level. It encompasses 172,400 hectares of forests, alpine grasslands and bare rocks or screes that are strictly protected and not inhabited. Each year, around 50 researchers from Switzerland and abroad carry out scientific studies in the area. A research committee is responsible for the coordination of the various projects, such as hydrology, meteorology, biodiversity, ecology. Now, another specialty is arriving in this area in form of a private endeavor – astronomy.
AAV Lue-Stailas is a new center for amateur astrophotography in the eastern Alps of Switzerland. Built on a sunny terrace at 1935 m (6300 ft) and facing south into the beautiful valley of Muestair, the center’s prime geographical location benefits from excellent sky conditions with about 250 clear nights a year. Thanks to its rigorous protection policy, Val Muestair was able to keep much of its original rural and natural habitat. This will soon be honored by the regions participation in a new high-alpine UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the European Alps, the Val Muestair/Swiss National Park Reserve. AAV Lue-Stailas will collaborate with this unique “Biosferaâ€-Project in order to bring its pristine skies to the public. The center will open in March of 2009, the International Year of Astronomy.
AAV Lue-Stailas is the brainchild of Václav and Jitka Ourednik who hold both a PhD in neuroscience and have been studying the regenerative capacity of the central nervous system for over 20 years. While pursuing competitive research and publishing in foremost scientific journals, they present their scientific results at international symposia and organize professional meetings and seminars. But what’s happening in Switzerland has been born of the unique love of both the micro and macro cosmos. Says Jitka, “The views through a microscope can be remarkably similar to vistas in the universe imaged through a telescope such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) or simulated with computers according to current cosmological theories.”
–caption: Filamentous clusters of galaxies as pictured by the HST (left) or in a computer simulation (right). Neuronal cell culture as seen in a fluorescent microscope.
In order to promote public awareness for the need to protect the natural habitat and dark skies, Václav and Jitka have decided to make their life-long hobby a profession and create a center for amateur astrophotography in Europe. Their search for the best possible location for hosting a unique telescope facility lasted several years. Finally, being both fond of the Swiss Alps, they chose a sunny terrace at an altitude of 2000 m in the county of Lue in eastern Switzerland for the creation of the Alpine Astrovillage Lue-Stailas. Says Vaclav, “Recent statistics show that the global interest in astronomy increases every year dramatically. Moreover, people are not only interested in astronomy and astrophotography but they also realize how important their contribution is in the preservation of our global natural habitat, which also includes the protection of dark night skies by a strict control of light pollution.”
At Alpine Astro Village, each living quarters/studio will have its own automated dome, telescope and imaging equipment, which can be, if needed, operated from the studios. Another treat of the center are its two robotic telescopes in Australia for remote imaging of the southern skies.. Yet, although the main purpose of the site is astrophotography, and there will also be telescopes set up for visual exploration for public activities like star parties and AAV club activities, there’s just a little more to this sphere than the astronomy angle:
“One of the unique aspects of AAV Lue-Stailas is that we strive to maintain and profit from the contrast of embedding our center of modern life style and high-tech equipment within the historical heritage of the region . This allows the visitors to fully enjoy and capture the beauty of the local night sky while having the opportunity to enjoy all the treasures of the valley and its vicinity during the day” say the Ouredniks, “The region provides limitless opportunities for daytime nature walks, biking tours, or demanding hiking expeditions. In winter, downhill skiing is less than one car-hour away (famous resorts such as Davos, Pontresina, St-Moritz…)and cross-country ski tracks are right at our center’s door step. We also strongly suggest visiting of the neighboring villages in the valley and beyond. You will find beautiful, traditional, and historic architecture, led by the Monastery of Saint John in Muestair, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Center dating from the 8th century and famous for its frescos from the times of Charlemagne. A visit to Val Muestair and AAV Lue-Stailas will stay forever in your memory.”
And so will meeting the lovely, giving Vaclav and Jitka Ourednik.
Here’s an article about another project like this: remember Biosphere 2?
Podcast: Missions to Mars, Part 1
With last month’s safe arrival of the Phoenix Mars Lander, Mars enthusiasts breathed a collective sigh of relief… phew. Now it’s time to search for evidence of organic molecules in the ice at Mars’ north pole. But this is just the latest in a long series of missions sent to the Red Planet. Let’s have a history lesson, and look back at the missions sent to Mars, successful and unsuccessful.
Click here to download the episode
Missions to Mars, Part 1 – Show notes and transcript
Or subscribe to: astronomycast.com/podcast.xml with your podcatching software.
Hubble Zooms In On Coma Galaxy Cluster
The Coma Cluster is one of the densest known clusters of galaxies, containing thousands of elliptical and spherical star systems. The entire cluster is huge, more than 20 million light-years in diameter. It’s also very far away, over 300 million light years distant. But no telescope brings the Coma Cluster closer than the Hubble Space Telescope, and a new Hubble image has captured the magnificent starry population in one area of the Coma Cluster with the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
The above Hubble image focuses on an area that is roughly one-third of the way out from the center of the whole cluster. One bright spiral galaxy is visible in the upper left of the image (see below for a close-up of this galaxy). It is distinctly brighter and bluer than the galaxies surrounding it. A series of dusty spiral arms appears reddish brown against the whiter disc of the galaxy, and suggests that this galaxy has been disturbed at some point in the past. The other galaxies in the image are either elliptical galaxies, S0 (s-zero) galaxies or background galaxies that are far beyond the Coma Cluster sphere.
Ellipticals are featureless “fuzz-balls,†pale golden brown in color and contain populations of old stars. Both dwarf and giant ellipticals are found in abundance in the Coma Cluster.
Farther out from the centre of the cluster there are several spiral galaxies. These galaxies contain clouds of cold gas that are giving birth to new stars. Spiral arms and dust lanes “accessorise†these bright bluish-white galaxies, which have a distinctive disc structure.
S0 (S-zero) galaxies form a morphological class of objects between the better known elliptical and spiral galaxies. They consist of older stars and show little evidence of recent star formation, but they do show some structure — perhaps a bar or a ring that may eventually give rise to more disc-like features.
This image zooms in on one area of the new Hubble image, the stunning Lenticular galaxy (in the lower left of the first image) with numerous background galaxies visible as well.
The cluster’s position in space – near the Milky Way’s north pole— places it in an area not obscured by dust and gas, making it easily visible from Earth.
Original News Source: Hubble Site
Equipment Review: Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars
My Mother always told me that if I couldn’t say something good about somebody, that I shouldn’t say anything at all. Well, after a few weeks of using a pair of Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars, I guess it’s about time I said something… I just hope you want to hear it.
First Impression of the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars
I opened the box and there they were… a pair of Meade binoculars in a plastic blister pack like you’d find hanging on a peg in your nearby discount department store. I couldn’t help but ask myself if I was going to get the same quality as a Meade department store telescope, but I knew I had to be fair. After all, you can’t judge a cake by its frosting, right? Darn, right.
So, I open them up and examined them. According to their advertising blurb; “They are light and portable, and include a carrying case and neck strap.” Well, they’re right about that. These 8X42 binoculars certainly are light. Actually, they’re probably the lightest pair I’ve ever held that had that kind of aperture. Carrying case? Check. Neck strap? Check. Now for the binoculars themselves…
“A rubber coated exterior helps protect your Meade Travel binoculars from bumps and dings, and offers a slip-proof grip.” Right again, the tubes are rubberized and I will give them credit – they definitely are easy to securely grip. Let’s see now. It says “Optics Fully Coated”. Yep. They are. At least the surfaces I’m looking at are coated and apparently well done. What’s next? Right eye diopter? Gotcha’ . It’s there, too… And functional. Interpupillary distance? Check. Spreads wide… Goes to narrow. Everything seems to be functioning perfectly… So let’s have a look!
Viewing Through the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars
Well, surprise surprise! With or without eyeglasses, I have no problem hitting focus and the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars have sweet eye relief. It boasts closes focus of 21 feet, but I actually got it down to around 10 feet with a nice image. According to their advertising; “Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars offer bright, clear images for a host of observing opportunities, from nature viewing and birding to sporting events and travel.” Well, let’s just see, huh?
So, out we go. During the daylight I was picking up bright, crisp images of birds, well defined looks at distant objects and am pleased to announce that the claim of “8X is the perfect compromise for those who want to hand-hold their binoculars for an extended period of time but want more magnification than low power models” is correct. The light weight does make them easy to hold and to steady. But, what about twilight viewing? Again, I’m impressed. I was watching deer a good thousand yards away and I could easily distinguish their different coat markings. Yeah, Meade!
Now, what about astronomical implications? Not bad on the Moon. I can see crater detail and hold them steady. Jupiter? Steady enough to see two jovian moons. Star clusters? Yep. M44 is nice and crispy. M67 isn’t resolved, but then I didn’t expect it to be. Globular clusters show up nicely. Again, they don’t resolve – but it’s not the binoculars fault. Galaxies? Yes. M81 and M82 were fine. M51 was faded, but there… and M65 and M66 took some aversion but could be seen. Double stars? Mizar and Alcor…. mmmm… ok. Cor Caroli? Again, just ok. All in all? The Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars perform well in all applications.
All applications, but one…
Traveling With the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars
One of the reasons I enjoy binoculars so much is that I do travel. Something that’s only about the size of a good book is easy to tuck in between your clothes in your suitcase and send up the luggage ramp into the airplane. And this is just what I did with the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars. After all, my laptop has been halfway around the world and back in just this same manner.
Ummm… Apparently Meade just needs to take the word “Travel” out of their description.
The laptop in its suitcase arrived fine – but the binoculars in the other didn’t. Absolutely nothing fragile inside the same suitcase was damaged in any way, but the moment I tried to use the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars after traveling I got double images. Folks, when you see two perfectly focused images while looking through a pair of binoculars? Something has definitely gone afoul inside the tomato. I readjusted the interpupillary distance. I readjusted the right eye diopter. I readjusted the focus. I tried covering one lens – and then the other. The result? Either optical tube showed a crisp, clean image… But not together. Test number two – give them to someone else to look through. Guess what? Yeah. They saw the same thing. Two images. Just a little bit of active use and this pair of binoculars lost their collimation.
In the long run, maybe you won’t experience the same thing I did with the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars. Maybe I just got that one in every hundred pair that had a screw loose. Maybe the suitcase they were in got handled a lot rougher than what it looked like. Maybe both of sets of eyes went bad in a short period of time. Maybe it won’t happen to you… But maybe… Maybe it will.
Sorry, Ma. I really tried.
Listen to Paranormal Radio Live Tonight: The 2012 Controversy
The second live show in response to the 2012 articles (“No Doomsday in 2012” and “2012: No Planet X“) is scheduled for tonight at 9pm US Eastern Time. This time, I will be joining Captain Jack over at Paranormal Radio for the two and a half hour event. There will be a live broadcast across the web and it will be aired across the Seattle airwaves on 106.9 FM HD Channel 3. If you miss it, there will be a recorded version you can listen to at your leisure.
Time: Tuesday June 10th, 9pm Eastern Time
Listen Live via Contact Radio or download the .pls file to listen on your audio player »
More information on tonight’s show »
I am still astounded by the response to these 2012 articles, so thanks to Captain Jack for inviting me on his show, it will hopefully be an interesting discussion! Cheers, Ian
What Do You Do If Someone Blows Up Your Satellite? Call a Space Lawyer
As space travel becomes routine and private enterprise gets a foothold in low Earth orbit, it is becoming clear that specialists in the field of space law are required. Until now, lawyers here on the surface have extended their knowledge into space, but there will be a time when terrestrial lawyers will need to be superseded by a space equivalent. For example space lawyers could wrangle who is accountable for the space debris left behind after a satellite gets shot down. What happens if a nation accidentally (or deliberately) destroys another nation’s spy satellite? Does this cause retaliation with global consequences or can the dispute be easily settled in “Space Court” with the help of space lawyers? These are extreme examples, but space lawyers may eventually become a part of everyday life for manned excursions into the cosmos. To mark the beginning of this new era of law, the first space law student graduated from the University of Mississippi on Saturday…
Michael Dodge from Long Beach, Mississippi, graduated last weekend with a special distinction with his degree from the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi. This marks the beginning of a new era for the legalities in the space travel as Dodge is the first ever US space lawyer.
The university is unique in that it offers the only dedicated aerospace law curriculum in the US which is accredited by the American Bar Association. The degree requires courses in US space and aviation law, international space and aviation law, and remote sensing. Dodge also had to carry out independent research, contributing to the publication of the Journal of Space Law.
“Once I came to the law school, I read that there was an attorney here that specialized in space law. After that, I became curious as to why space needed regulation, and how legal regimes could be constructed to govern such an expanse.” – Michael Dodge
The future promises to be good business for Dodge, as more and more technology and private corporations are launched into orbit, disputes will be commonplace. Recently, the Chinese and US shoot down of satellites caused international condemnation; the left-over debris is considered to be a huge risk to the future of space travel. In this case, what would happen if a multi-million dollar satellite were damaged by an orbiting piece of space junk? Could the satellite owner take legal action against the organization that littered low Earth orbit? Even mundane disputes such as confrontations on the International Space Station would require a specialist’s knowledge in the laws of space.
Many people would argue that there are already too many lawyers here on Earth, but it looks like space lawyers will be a necessary part of mankind’s big step into a new legal frontier…
Source: Space.com