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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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”).
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Expedition 14 Reaches the Station
The next crew of residents arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday, and they brought a special visitor. Expedition 14, Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, travelled to orbit with space tourist Anousheh Ansari. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will remain on board the station until the Spring, while Ansari will return with Expedition 13 in a week.
Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin of the 14th International Space Station crew docked at the International Space Station at 1:21 a.m. EDT Wednesday to begin a six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory.
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New Ring Discovered at Saturn
Cassini recently passed behind Saturn, so that the Ringed Planet completely obscured the Sun from view. This revealed intricate details in the planet’s environment, including a brand new ring. This newly discovered ring is outside Saturn’s main rings, but inside the G and E rings – the moons Janus and Epimetheus orbit within it. During its pass behind Saturn, Cassini also captured an image of the Earth, from a vantage of nearly 1.5 billion km (930 million miles) away..
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Opportunity Sees the Rim of Victoria Crater
NASA’s Opportunity rover is close enough to spot the edge of the massive Victoria crater; its destination for almost 2 years. The crater is roughly 750 metres (.5 mile) across and up to 70 metres (230 feet) deep. Once the rover gets inside, it’ll be able to examine exposed rock on the crater walls. Scientists are still gathering evidence of past water conditions on the surface of Mars, and this view will be one of the best “opportunities” they’ve had so far.
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