NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope recently captured this image of the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of a handful of dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. This single image, containing about a third of the entire galaxy, is actually made up of 300,000 individual frames captured by Spitzer, and then stitched together on computer to create a gigantic mosaic. Because Spitzer’s infrared view allows it to pierce through obscuring dust and gas, this new research has revealed nearly a million never-before-seen objects – mostly stars.
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What’s Up this Week: September 4 – September 10, 2006
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!
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SMART-1 Smashed into the Moon
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.
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Crater Melanthius on Tethys
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.
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Did the Earth Flip Over in the Past?
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.
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Magnetar Crackles with Radio Waves
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.
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Astrophoto: Star Trails over Namibia by Josch Hambsch
Arc lights had been used in lighthouses for several years when Thomas Edison began seeking a way to improve them. Arc lamps use two rods of carbon arranged so that their tips are almost touching. When sufficient electricity is sent to each, the current jumps between them and causes the carbon to become incandescent. Although carbon burns very slowly, over time the rods erode and have to be replaced. The year was 1881 when Edison embarked on a solution and the result of his success spread around the globe to both light and inadvertently curse the darkness.
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Birth of Stars Seen by AKARI
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.
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Atlantis Will Ride Out Ernesto
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.
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Rings Lit by Saturn’s Shine
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.
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