Researchers have discovered three new objects sharing trailing behind Neptune in the same orbit. These asteroid-sized objects are locked into stable positions – called Lagrange points – through their interaction with Neptune’s gravity; Jupiter has over 1800 Trojans of its own. Astronomers had already discovered one Trojan for Neptune, so this raises its total to 4. The discovery was made using the Carnegie 6.5 Magellan Telescopes in Chile and the 8-meter Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
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Sulphur Spring Harbours Extreme Bacteria
A team of scientists has set out to visit an unusual hot spring on Ellesmere Island near the North Pole. This spring spews out sulphur-rich water that has become an ecosystem for bacteria in an otherwise lifeless ice field. The researchers are hoping to understand the underground structure of the spring, and locate the source of the sulphur. An environment like this could help scientists search for signs of life in other hotspots in the Solar System, such as Mars, Europa, or Enceladus.
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Meteoroid Strike on the Moon
NASA researchers fortunate enough to be recording the Moon through a 10″ telescope equipped with a video camera when they saw a meteoroid strike. The spacerock was only 25 cm (10 inches) wide, but it released 17 billion joules of kinetic energy; the same as 4 tons of TNT. The resulting flash was quick, only lasting 4/10ths of a second, but it was powerful enough to carve out a crater 14 metres (46 feet) wide.
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No Images in the Newsletter or RSS
Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that I’m aware that images aren’t showing up in the RSS feed or the email newsletter. I’ve changed my publishing system to a program called WordPress. It’s a huge timesaver, but I’m still working to make it match all the features of the old design. It’s going to be a few more days before I’ve got the images showing up. After I get that working, I’m going to bring my entire archive over, so that will be accessible again.
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Genesis Accident Report Released
On the morning of September 8, 2004, NASA scientists were elated. Their Genesis spacecraft had traveled 32 million kilometers (20 million miles), and was loaded up with precious samples of the solar wind and interstellar particles. But as the spacecraft hurtled through the Earth’s atmosphere, it quickly became clear something was very wrong. Instead of floating gently down to Earth on its parachutes, Genesis cratered into the ground at high speed, and its fragile cargo suffered devastating damage. What went wrong? A special Mishap Board released their findings today.
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Book Review: Space Shuttle Columbia
The space shuttle came into being with the promise of delivering on many hopes and dreams of today’s space farers. As a steady workhorse or a novel research platform, it was to be a high flyer and smooth glider. Columbia was the first of these shuttles to venture into the domains of outer space. In spectacular fashion, it proved the designers’ estimates and made low earth orbit a ready destination. Ben Evans, in his book Space Shuttle Columbia – Her Missions and Crews, recalls the numerous contributions which this single shuttle made during its many years of satisfying service.
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What’s Up this Week – June 12-18, 2006
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! This week will be an exciting one as we return the the galaxy hunt and view the cosmos through the eyes of Pioneer. The excitement heats up as the Ophiuchid meteor shower comes along and Mars mixes it up with the Beehive. Still not enough? Then hang on as the June Lyrids streak across the night and Saturn and Mars team up to join Mercury! It’s going to be one great week to enjoy the night, because…
Here’s what’s up!
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Extreme Star Birth in Merging Galaxies
The newest image released from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the turbulent region where two galaxies are merging together. The galactic collision is known as Arp 220, and it’s one of the nearest, brightest examples of this in the sky. Hubble’s keen vision has located more than 200 massive star clusters, the largest of which is twice as big as anything we have in the Milky Way. Arp 220 should continue producing new start clusters until it runs out of gas in about 40 million years.
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Astrophoto: Sagittarius Wide Field View
Around midnight this time of year it’s possible to witness the fires that smolder at our galaxy’s core. Northern star gazers can see this by looking to the south, just above the horizon. Folks in the southern hemisphere should look closer overhead. Regardless, it’s a view that should not be missed, if possible. This picture offers a tantalizing close-up that’s part of the scene.
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Strange Cloud Features on Saturn
This close up view of Saturn shows an unusual feature in its atmosphere. It appears as if part of one belt is crossing over into another. Another possibility is that it’s just an illusion created by different layers of clouds. Cassini took this photograph on May 12, 2006 at a distance of approximately 2.9 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Saturn.
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