Posted on by Fraser Cain

Amateur Observers Are Seeing Double

Image credit: Derek Breit. Click to enlarge.
Findings of this nature are one of the many reasons why International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) members pursue their craft. One of the notable and historic discoveries on a standard star by occultation means happened in 1819 when Antares’ companion star was observed. However, the name of the astronomy game is confirmation – and also filming and timing the northern limit event at differing locations were Walt Morgan and Ed Morana.

Contacting IOTA’s Dr. David Dunham, Breit forwarded his findings, contacted team members and started seeking an answer for two unusual seconds of video. According to Dunham’s response, “Almost 2 seconds with a distance of much more than a km; it’s unlikely that the Moon would be that smooth, it would have to be within about 5m or less for the brightness to remain faint and constant at that level so long. Especially since this apparently occurred at nearly every event, a faint, close companion, only 0.01″ to 0.02″ north of the primary, seems likely.”

And Morgan clarifies, “The disappearances and reappearances by upsilon Geminorum as it passed lunar peaks were usually slow transitions, that is, the star appeared to fade (or brighten) over a matter of several video frames. That was not considered unusual because of the fairly large angular diameter of the star. However, in some instances the magnitude 4.1 star did not seem to completely disappear on Breit’s record: a very faint point of light remained visible right at the lunar limb.”

But confirmation of such importance to the scientific community doesn’t stop there. Breit’s findings went out to all IOTA observers and the critical timing information provided them with the clues they needed. Also recording the event was Dr. Richard Nolthenius, whose answer was, “Derek’s right! I’ve just reduced my upsilon Gem graze video recording from last Friday. I used a PC164c on an 8″ f/10 operating at f/6.3, recorded on my Canon ZR45mc. And the conclusion is…. Derek’s camcorder is not going crazy! I fully confirm his observations and conclusions – this star is a very close double star.”

As they continue to work through the geometry and astrometric angles, Dr. Nolthenius offers the following information from his own recordings: “The second and 3rd D’s look especially like there is an 11th magnitude companion, and the final D most dramatic of all, with the initial fade happening in just 3 frames, followed by a definite but very faint 11th magnitude star left over for fully 1 second before finally disappearing.”

Although it might seem that in a sky filled with innumerable double stars that a revelation of this type would be of little significance, IOTA member – Dr. Michael Richmond – knew better: “I did a little searching to see if there was any other indication that upsilon Geminorum might be double. The Hipparcos observations indicate that it is slightly variable, with an amplitude of about 0.08 mag, but there is no indication of a period. The Astrophysics Data Service has a number of references which mention upsilon Geminorum. This star has been chosen to be a calibrator for optical interferometers; that is, people have decided that it’s a good star to use as a reference when doing high angular resolution measurements. There are two recent papers which list measurements of its angular size: Borde et al. (A&A 393, 183, 2002), which finds an angular diameter of 5.00 +/- 0.051 mas, and Richichi and Percheron (A&A 386, 492, 2002), which lists angular diameter of 5.23 +/- 0.31 mas. Given the Hipparcos parallax of 13.57 mas, this means that the star’s diameter is roughly 0.37 AU. The main star has spectral type listed as late K or early M giant, with V-band mag 4.08 and K-band mag 0.24. If this is a double star, with a companion of roughly mag 11, then it would be important to let other astronomers know: it would no longer be a really good calibration star.”

But, Dr. Richmond did not let his findings rest there and he continued to look for more precise information. Says Richmond, “I found that both of the catalogue entries were NOT based on direct measurements of angular size; instead, they were simply estimates, based on the observed brightness and the shape of the spectrum. In other words, they were basically fits to a blackbody with a given temperature. I was surprised to find such indirect evidence appearing in catalogues of angular size, for use as a calibrator for interferometers.”

Recognizing the importance of such a finding as opposed to known data definitely changes the way we perceive information. Astronomy is a continually upgrading science as Dr. Nolthenius notes: “For some 9th magnitude star, finding yet another double is one thing, but for such a bright star, being a standard for certain measurements should be checked, as you did. The star is apparently in that fall-through-the-cracks area of parameter space: a wide enough double to not make for noticeable periodicity in the radial velocity on a time scale of a few years – the period is likely in the 100+ year range, (although this is something I will calculate later) and yet impossibly difficult as a visual binary without using interferometry or lunar occultations.”

Of course, there is far more to this picture than just the discovery of undisclosed double star. By recording, timing, and observing both grazing and occultation events, IOTA is able to help determine proper movement, orbit and lunar limb features as well. As Dr. Nolthenius explains, “The absolute UT’s of the events will help in assessing the slope of the moon at the event points. However, the most convincing case for duplicity will be identifying significant periods of time of constant brightness at the very faint levels.” The diffraction of large stars aids astronomers in making more accurate calculations, “Perhaps there is a secondary that is of order 1 radius or less above the surface of upsilon Geminorum.” hypothesizes Nolthenius, “If such extended periods of very faint levels might be consistent with limb darkening which is very extended. As a K giant, I would not expect the limb darkening to be so extreme – normally limb darkening is more extreme the cooler the star, and late K is not all that cool.”

More confirmation was needed and the findings were sent to Dr. Mitsuru Soma of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Says Soma, “From the comparison of your faint flash mentioned above and the short duration (0.7s) from R to D of the primary of Walter Morgan the companion’s separation from the primary is estimated to be about 0.04 arcsec, and this is consistent with the duration of your gradual R’s at 4:39:07 and at 4:40:21 (UT). The spectral type of ups Gem is K5III which is the same as Aldebaran according to the Hipparcos catalogue, so I assume that the actual radius of ups Gem is almost the same as Aldebaran. The angular radius of Aldebaran was estimated to be about 0.010 arcsec from lunar occultations.”

But confirmation means being very sure that there is no chance of this being a diffraction effect. As Dr. Soma explains, “The distance to ups Gem is 3.6 times the distance to Aldebaran (ups Gem’s parallax is 0.014 arcsec and Aldebaran’s parallax is 0.050 arcsec) so the angular radius of ups Gem should be about 0.003 arcsec, which is small so that I think the error arisen from the assumption that the star is a point source is almost negligible when we estimate the diffraction effects. Referring to this fact I think 0.04 arcsec I mentioned above is too large to be attributed to the diffraction effects.”

Confirmation continues on a deeper level when Dr. Michael Richmond plots the photometry of all three tapes of the Upsilon Geminorum event: “The thing I find very interesting and encouraging is that I see an asymmetry in these light curves.” says Richmond, “If this is true, then I think we can make a good case that there may be a faint companion to the primary star. The companion must be “ahead” of the primary, so that the moving limb of the moon first blocks (or reveals) the companion, before it blocks (or reveals) the primary.”

Dr. Mitusuru Soma also continued with his analysis and presented the papers at the Journees 2005 meeting in Warsaw on 2005 September 19-21. Based on available information says, “My conclusion about the position of the secondary of upsilon Geminorum relative to the primary is 0″.04 +/- 0″.01 in separation and 70deg +/- 20deg in PA.” Although these findings are preliminary, Soma will continue to review the data and clarify the results of all accumulative information.

Seeing double? The answer is quite probable. In the mean time IOTA members will continue to review of the data and further research the duplicity of upsilon Geminorum. There’s a whole big wide sky out there, and each time an observation of this type is made it adds more to our understanding. While speckle interferometry is cutting edge of double star detection – the occultation method can reveal far more. Contributions from dedicated members are what makes the International Occultation and Timing Association play an important role in today’s astronomy.

Says Breit, “It was a pretty darn good feeling when Dr Nolthenius wrote “Derek’s RIGHT!” When four PhD’s say I have found something special doing a hobby I taught myself from the age of six, that’s pretty good. Something to tell the grandkids… But my real thought was that I finally have a great video to show others and hopefully get them interested in observing these very dynamic and temporal events!” So what are the chances of IOTA members Derek Breit, Walt Morgan, Ed Morana and Michael Richmond making a contribution to the scientific community?

I’d say double.

Written by Tammy Plotner.

Posted on by Fraser Cain

First Mirror Cast for the Giant Magellan Telescope

Computer illustration of the GMT’s 7 giant mirrors. Image credit: GMT. Click to enlarge.
The University of Arizona Steward Observatory Mirror Lab’s casting of the first mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) “appears to be essentially perfect,” UA Steward Observatory director Peter Strittmatter said after astronomers got their first look at the glass last Friday.

“We’re very happy to see this one come out looking so gorgeous,” Mirror Lab Technical Director J. Roger Angel said. “We’ll see more once the mold is removed, but so far, looking through the front surface, it looks great.”

The mirror is the first of seven 8.4-meter (27-foot) mirrors that the Mirror Lab is making for the Giant Magellan Telescope. The GMT is the world’s first extremely large ground-based telescope to start construction.

The colossal telescope will feature six giant off-axis mirrors around a seventh on-axis mirror. This arrangement will give it a 22-meter (72-foot) aperture, or 4.5 times the collecting area of any current optical telescope. It will have the resolving power of a 24.5-meter (80-foot) diameter telescope, or 10 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope. The GMT is slated for completion in 2016 at a site in northern Chile.

Randy Lutz and the Mirror Lab casting team knew they had a superb first GMT mirror blank when they removed the casting furnace lid Oct. 21. But they aren’t standing around to admire their handiwork. They’re racing to remove furnace walls and ready the mirror blank for moving off the furnace hearth.

“We’re very eager to get on to the critical part of why we made this mirror — to the polishing and the testing, which are really the new ground-breaking steps in making this mirror because its shape is so different,” Angel said. “We’re moving fast because we want to get on with casting the next mirror, a 3.7-meter mirror that will be needed to measure the shape of the GMT primary mirrors.”

Mirror Lab workers are about to disassemble their facility’s 7.5-story test tower (that’s 27 meters, or 88 feet) and construct a higher tower that will hold the 3.7-meter (12-foot) mirror for measuring the off-axis GMT mirrors. The test mirror is crucial for making measurements needed for shaping all the primary mirrors so they gather and focus light as a single gargantuan primary mirror.

Meanwhile, Steward Observatory Mirror Lab scientists Buddy Martin and Jim Burge are already polishing a one-fifth scale prototype of the GMT primary. Polishing the full size off-axis mirror will be a huge step forward in the GMT project, Angel said.

For the casting last July, Mirror Lab workers used 40,000 pounds of Ohara E-6 borosilicate glass. The furnace hit peak temperature, 2,150 degrees Fahrenheit (1,178 Celsius) on July 23. As the furnace rotated at 5 revolutions per minute, glass melted around the 1,681 hexagonal cores in the mold. This created a ‘honeycomb’ mirror blank with a faceplate of the desired curvature. The honeycomb mirror weighs only a fifth as much as would a solid mirror of the same size.

The first GMT primary is the third 8.4-meter mirror cast at the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. The GMT builds on the very successful 6.5-meter (21-foot) Magellan telescopes which many of the same GMT partners operate in Chile.

Eight institutions are partners in the GMT. They are the Carnegie Observatories, Harvard University, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, University of Arizona, University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, and Texas A & M University.

The two other 8.4-meter mirrors cast at the Mirror Lab are at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mount Graham, Ariz. U.S., Italian and German partners in the LBT released ‘first light’ images obtained with the first of the LBT’s primary mirrors yesterday (Oct. 26). The LBT, the forerunner of the GMT, will be the world’s most powerful single telescope when its two primary mirrors, mounted side-by-side, become operational in 2006.

Original Source: UA News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Bright Mars This Weekend

Hubble image of Mars. Image credit: Hubble. Click to enlarge.
Look east in the next few evenings and you may see a big, reddish-yellow ‘star’, shining much brighter than any other. This is the planet Mars, and it is passing unusually close to Earth during late October and early November 2005.

Anyone should be able to see it, no matter how little you know about the stars or how badly light-polluted your sky may be.

During mid- to late October, Mars will be low in the east after sunset. Later in November evenings, Mars climbs higher into better view and shifts over to the south-east. Mars is at opposition (opposite the Sun in our sky) on 7 November. This means it rises at sunset, is up all night, and sets at sunrise.

Mars will be closest to Earth on the night of 29 October, passing by our planet at 69.4 million kilometres distance. However, Mars will look just about as big and brilliant for a couple of weeks before and after this date.

This is the nearest that Mars has come since its record-breaking close approach in August 2003 just after ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft was launched and sent to the Red Planet. At that time it passed by at a distance of only 55.8 million kilometres, the closest it had come in nearly 60 000 years.

In fact, not until summer 2018 will Mars again come as close to Earth as it is now. But this year, skywatchers at North American and European latitudes have a big advantage they did not have in 2003.

That year Mars was far south in the sky and never rose high enough for telescope users at mid-northern latitudes. But this time Mars is farther north and rises higher during the night, giving a sharper, cleaner view with a telescope through Earth’s blurring atmosphere.

Original Source: ESA News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Some Parts Need More Protecting from Radiation

Pete Conrad’s self portrait. Image credit: NASA. Click to enlarge.
Picture this: An astronaut, on the Moon, hunched down over a rock, hammer in hand, prospecting. Suddenly, over his shoulder, there’s a flash of light on the sun.

The radio crackles: “Explorer 1, come in. This is mission control.”

Explorer 1: “What’s up?”

Mission Control: “There’s been a solar flare, a big one. You need to take cover. The radiation storm could begin in as little as 10 minutes.”

Explorer 1: “Roger. I’m heading for the Moon Buggy now. Any suggestions?”

Mission control: “Yes. Make sure you protect your hips.”

Protect your hips?

That’s right. Protecting the hips may be a key to surviving solar storms. Other sensitive areas are the shoulders, spine, thighs, sternum and skull.

Why this odd list of body parts? The bones in these areas contain marrow — the “blood factory” of the body. Delicate bone marrow cells are especially vulnerable to solar storms; a major dose of solar protons coursing through the body could wipe them out. And without these blood-forming marrow cells churning out a steady stream of new blood cells, a person would run out of blood in as little as a week. A bone marrow transplant would be required–stat!–but they don’t do those on the Moon.

So to survive a solar radiation storm, your first priority must be to protect your bone marrow.

With NASA sending people back to the Moon by 2018, the issue of surviving solar radiation storms is more important than ever. Outside the protection of Earth’s magnetic field and with virtually no atmosphere overhead, an astronaut walking on the lunar surface is exposed to the full brunt of solar storms.

The best solution is to take cover, to get back to a radiation shelter. But if shelter is too far away to reach in time, wearing a spacesuit with extra radiation shielding over these key marrow-rich areas — shoulders, hips, spine, etc. — could mean the difference between living and dying.

“Bulking up the entire spacesuit with extra shielding might not be practical,” says Frank Cucinotta, NASA’s Chief Scientist at the Johnson Space Center, “because then the spacesuit would be too cumbersome.” Astronauts have to be able to walk, hop, bend over, reach for objects and tools. Too much shielding would make these simple moves impossible–hence the idea of selective shielding:

A layer of a plastic-like material called polyethylene only 1 cm thick could prevent acute radiation sickness. “For all but the worst flares, this would be enough to keep the astronaut’s blood system intact,” Cucinotta says. If as few as 5% of those marrow cells survive, the bone marrow will be able to regenerate itself, and the person will survive, no transplant required.

An astronaut, so shielded, might still develop long-term health problems: cancer, cataracts and other maladies. “No spacesuit can stop all solar protons,” explains Cucinotta. But if the blood supply survives, the astronaut will too, long enough to worry about the long term.

At the moment, this idea of designing a spacesuit to selectively shield the astronaut’s bone marrow is just that: an idea. Cucinotta says that many strategies are being considered for protecting the astronauts on the Moon. But the response to the idea of selective shielding has been positive, Cucinotta says. It might work.

If the idea catches on, post-Apollo spacesuits would look a little different, with beefy shoulders, wide hips, and bulbous helmets, among other things. Fashions change, sometimes for the better.

Original Source: Science@NASA Article

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Launcher Caused Cryosat Failure

Russian Rokot carrying the Cryosat satellite. Image credit: ESA. Click to enlarge.
Following the failure of the Rockot launch vehicle during the CryoSat mission on 8 October 2005, the Russian Failure Investigation State Commission led by the Space Forces Deputy Commander Oleg Gromov announced the clearance of the launch vehicle for future use including launches for the Russian Ministry of Defence.

According to the analysis of the State Commission, the reason for the failure has been unambiguously identified: The failure occurred when the flight control system in the Breeze upper stage did not generate the command to shut-down the second stage’s engines. A set of measures is now being implemented to prevent a re-occurrence of the incident.

A detailed briefing of the findings of the State Commission to Eurorocket and its customer ESA will take place on 3 November 2005. A Eurorockot Failure Review Board will review the conclusions of the State Commission and will release its findings in the near future.

Original Source: ESA News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

When Did the Earth’s Core Separate from its Shell?

Our planet. Image credit: NASA/JPL. Click to enlarge.
New research allows geologists to estimate the time at which the Earth’s core separated from its rocky outer shell.

A paper in this week’s Nature [26 October 2005] shows how the problem can be resolved by considering the effect of a giant impact with the Earth.

Previous research, using two different types of radioactive ‘clocks’ (hafnium-tungsten and uranium-lead), appeared to give conflicting core formation times of about 35 and 80 million years, respectively, after the origin of the solar system.

The collision of a Mars-sized object with the Earth is thought to have contributed to the last ten percent of the Earth’s mass, as well as forming the Moon.
“The explanation may be that the hafnium-tungsten clock represents the initial phase of core formation, whereas the uranium-lead clock, that gives a younger age, has been reset by the upheaval introduced by the giant impact.”
Professor Bernie Wood

Professor Bernard Wood, who completed this research while at Bristol University, and Professor Alex Halliday from Oxford University, propose that the impact would have also changed the conditions of core formation.

They put forward a model that explains the discrepancy between the two isotope clocks if the effects of the oxidation state of the mantle are taken into account.

Professor Wood said: “The explanation may be that the hafnium-tungsten clock represents the initial phase of core formation, sometime before 35 million years after the origin of the solar system, whereas the uranium-lead clock, that gives a younger age of about 80 million years after the origin of the solar system, has been reset by the upheaval introduced by the giant impact.”

The impact could have produced an oxidation state under which a sulphur-rich metal formed – of which the core is now composed. This oxidation state would have readily allowed lead to dissolve, effectively resetting the uranium-lead clock and resulting in the younger age.

Original Source: University of Bristol News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Student-Built Satellite Launches

Kosmos 3M launcher blasting off. Image credit: ESA. Click to enlarge.
SSETI Express, a low Earth orbit spacecraft designed and built by European university students under the supervision of ESA’s Education Department, was successfully launched this morning at 08:52 CEST from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Russian Kosmos 3M launcher. At 10:29 CEST this morning, the ground control centre at the University in Aalborg (DK) received the first signals from the satellite.

SSETI Express (SSETI being the acronym for Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative) is a small spacecraft, similar in size and shape to a washing machine (approx. 60×60 x90 cm). Weighing about 62 kg it has a payload of 24 kg. On-board the student-built spacecraft were three pico-satellites, extremely small satellites weighing around one kg each. These were deployed one hour and 40 minutes after launch. In addition to acting as a test bed for many designs, including a cold-gas attitude control system, SSETI Express will also take pictures of the Earth and function as a radio transponder.

The challenge has been for the 23 university groups, working from locations spread across Europe and with very different cultural backgrounds, to work together via the Internet to jointly build the satellite.

The Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative, which provides the framework for the mission, was launched by ESA’s Education Department in 2000 to get European students involved in real space missions. The initiative aims at giving students practical hands-on experience and encourage them to take up careers in space technology and science, thereby helping to create a pool of talented experts for the future.

Since its creation, SSETI has developed a network of students, educational institutions and organisations to facilitate work on various spacecraft projects. More than 400 European students have made an active, long-term contribution to this initiative, either as part of their degree course or in their spare time. In addition, many hundreds more have been involved in or inspired by SSETI.

SSETI students are currently working on two other satellite projects:

* SSETI ESEO: The European Student Earth Orbiter, a 120kg spacecraft designed for Ariane 5, planned for launch in 2008.
* A study for a European Student Moon Orbiter – timeframe 2010-2012. The orbiter will conduct experiments on its way to the Moon as well as when lunar orbit is achieved.

Original Source: ESA News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Prometheus’ Ripples in the Rings

Ripples in Saturn’s F ring caused by Prometheus’ gravity. Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI. Click to enlarge.
This mosaic of 15 Cassini images of Saturn’s F ring shows how the moon Prometheus creates a gore in the ring once every 14.7 hours, as it approaches and recedes from the F ring on its eccentric orbit.

The individual images have been processed to make the ring appear as if it has been straightened, making it easier to see the ring’s structure. The mosaic shows a region 147,000 kilometers (91,000 miles) along the ring (horizontal direction in the image); this represents about 60 degrees of longitude around the ring. The region seen here is about 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) across (vertical direction). The first and last images in the mosaic were taken approximately 2.5 hours apart.

Each dark channel, or “gore,” is clearly visible across more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of the ring and is due to the gravitational effect of Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across), even though the moon does not enter the F ring. The channels have different tilts because the ring particles closer to Prometheus (overexposed, stretched, and just visible at the bottom right of the image) move slower with respect to the moon than those farther away. This causes the channels to shear with time, their slopes becoming greater, and gives the overall visual impression of drapes of ring material. The channels at the right are the youngest and have near-vertical slopes, while those at the left are the oldest and have near-horizontal slopes. This phenomenon has not previously been detected in any other planetary ring system, but computer simulations of the system prove that the disturbance is caused by a simple gravitational interaction. The eccentric orbit of Prometheus is gradually moving so that the moon will eventually come even closer in its closest approach to the eccentric F ring. Scientists calculate that its perturbations of the F ring will reach a maximum in December 2009.

The images in this mosaic were taken using the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on April 13, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.1 million kilometers (700,000 miles) from Saturn. The resolution in the original images, before reprojection, was 6 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org .

Original Source: NASA/JPL/SSI News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Binocular Telescope Sees First Light

Large Binocular Telescope, positioned on the 3190-meter high Mount Graham in Arizona. Image credit: Max Planck Institut for Astronomy. Click to enlarge.
The two mirrors of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) have produced their first scientific images of space. The event, known among astronomers as”first light’, is a major milestone in the launch of the largest and most modern single telescope in the world. The LBT will be able to see more clearly and more deeply into the universe than any of its predecessors. Led by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, five German institutes participated, garnering a total of 25 percent of the observation time. Among them were the Max Planck Institutes for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, and for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, as well as the Landessternwarte (state observatory), part of the Centre for Astronomy in Heidelberg.

The Large Binocular Telescope, positioned on the 3190-meter high Mount Graham in Arizona, is one of the most prominent scientific-technical projects in modern astronomical research. Its name describes it well: it has two giant mirrors, each of them with a diameter of 8.4 metres. They are mounted onto the same surface, and focussed, like field glasses, at the same time on distant space objects. The surface of the mirrors is polished with extreme precision, down to one 20 millionth of a millimetre. If an LBT mirror were enlarged to the size of Lake Constance in the Alps – just slightly larger than the area of New York City – the”waves’ on the lake would be only one-fifth of a millimetre high. In spite of their size, each of the two mirrors”only’ weighs 16 tonnes. A classical telescope, on the other hand, at the dimensions of the LBT, would have thick mirrors weighing some 100 tonnes. It would be impossible to construct such a large classical telescope.

By combining the optical paths of the two individual mirrors, the LBT collects as much light as a telescope whose mirrors have a diameter of 11.8 meters. This is a factor of 24 larger than the 2.4 metre mirrors of the Hubble Space Telescope. Even more importantly, the LBT has the resolution of a 22.8 metre telescope, because it uses the most modern adaptive optics, superimposing pictures with an interferometric procedure. The astronomers are thus able to compensate for the blurring caused by air turbulence, and see into the universe much more clearly than Hubble.

Professor Thomas Henning, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and Dr Tom Herbst, a scientist in the German consortium, both agree that”The LBT will open completely new possibilities in researching planets outside the solar system and the investigation of the furthest – and thus youngest – galaxies.’

Professor Gerd Weigelt, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, says that”The first LBT pictures give us an idea of what kind of fascinating picture quality we can expect.’ Although in the beginning, the pictures are”only’ being collected with one of the two main mirrors, they are already showing an impressive view of the distant Milky Way. One of them is of an object in the constellation Andromeda called NGC891, a spiral galaxy 24 million light years away, which, from the earth’s perspective, we can only see from the side. According to Professor Reinhard Genzel, the Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching,”The object is of particular interest to astronomers, because it also sends out a lot of x-rays’.”This radiation was created by a large number of massive stars whose lives come to an end with spectacular supernova explosions – a kind of cosmic fireworks.’
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The pictures were created using a high-tech Large Binocular Camera (LBC), developed by Italian partners in the project. The camera and telescope work together like a giant digital camera. Thanks to the particularly large field of view, very efficient observations are possible – for example, the creation and development of distant galaxies with weak light.

But the LBC camera is just the first of a whole line of high-tech instruments with which the LBT will be equipped in the future.”A telescope without instruments is like an eye without a retina,’ says Professor Hans-Walter Rix, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. The scientist, a member of the LBT project for many years, adds that”a telescope like the LBT only becomes an powerful observatory in combination with powerful measuring instruments that are equipped with sensitive detectors.’

German partners especially participated in the development and construction of the instruments, and thus were able to secure for themselves 25 percent of observation time. Scientists, technicians, and electricians from the LBT-Beteilungsgesellschaft (LBT participation group) built the control software LUCIFER 1 and 2, which makes it possible to gather infrared pictures and spectra of heavenly objects. Dr Immo Appenzeller of the Landessternwarte Heidelberg calls it”important for detailed investigations of a great number of galaxies at different stages of development.’

Professors Matthias Steinmetz and Klaus Strassmeier, the Directors of the Astrophysics Institute in Potsdam, explain that”the PEPSI instrument is a particularly high resolution version of what is called an Echelle spectrograph. With it, we can conduct particularly effective investigations of the structure and dynamics of the surface of stars.’ At the Institute, the Acquisition, Guiding, and Wavefront sensing units are being built, which are responsible for the exact tracking of the telescope, as well as for mirror adjustments.

The LINC-NIRVANA instrument has also been built to ensure that the LBT and its instruments stay at full effectiveness. The LINC-NIRVANA, built in co-operation with Italian partners, is the heart of the LBT. It brings the light from two main mirrors to a single focal plane and corrects for picture interference due to the earth’s atmosphere. The highest demands are being placed on the optical, electronic, and mechanical components, because when being used in the infrared spectrum, parts of the LINC-NIRVANA must be cooled to minus 196 degrees in order not to be”blinded’ by heat radiation around it. In this field of”cryotechnology’, scientists and technicians from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have shown great expertise.

Because of the impressive first pictures, the astronomers now know that more than 20 years of planning, development, and construction have paid off, and that the 120 million dollar project is on the way to offering new insights into the cosmos. This was indeed the goal of the people who initiated German participation in the project, among them Professor Günther Hasinger (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, formerly of the Astrophysical Institute in Potsdam) and Professor Steven Beckwith (formerly of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy). But it is not only the scientists who have participated in the project for such a long time that will profit from the LBT’s observations. Now, students and future scientists at all the partner institutes will have the chance to analyse LBT data and initiate new observation projects.

Original Source: Max Planck Institute News Release

Posted on by Fraser Cain

No Winner at the Elevator Competition

61 metre cable hung from a crane. Image credit: Spaceward Foundation. Click to enlarge.
NASA and the Spaceward Foundation announced the results of the 2005 Beam Power Challenge and Tether Challenge. Eleven teams competed in the two competitions over the weekend at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. Although no team claimed this year’s prizes, historic firsts were achieved.

In the Beam Power Challenge, teams had to build robotic climbers that could scale a 200-foot cable powered only by the beam from an industrial searchlight. The team that lifted the most mass in a certain time would win the $50,000 prize. Although no team made it to the top of the cable, Team SnowStar from the University of British Columbia achieved the first beam-powered climb of approximately 20 feet. The University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team had the farthest beam-powered climb, approximately 40 feet.

“What happened this weekend is akin to the Wright brothers’ first powered flight,” said Spaceward Foundation founder, Metzada Shelef. “We hope these short climbs will be the first in a series of much longer climbs toward future space elevator concepts. The ingredients are there to make some great future achievements.” The Spaceward Foundation is NASA’s partner in this Challenge program.

In the Tether Challenge, teams had to create high-strength, low-weight tethers, which were stretched to their limits in a head-to-head, single-elimination competition. The Centaurus Aerospace Team produced the strongest tether. But to claim the $50,000 prize, the strongest team tether had to beat the house tether, constructed from the best commercially-available material, by a margin of 50 percent. Centaurus fell just short.

“The diversity of the teams, representing small businesses, university students, and enthusiastic hobbyists, and the range of their technical solutions, exceeded my expectations” said NASA’s Centennial Challenges program manager, Brant Sponberg. “This is especially impressive when you realize the teams had only six months to prepare. Even if a space elevator is never built, these are fundamental technologies with important applications both within and outside space exploration.”

The prizes for next year’s Beam Power Challenge and Tether Challenge will be $200,000 each, including the unclaimed $50,000 purses from this year. The competitions will increase in difficulty, as the teams will have to provide their own power beam, and the house tether will probably increase in strength.

NASA’s Centennial Challenges program promotes technical innovation through a novel program of prize competitions. It is designed to tap the nation’s ingenuity to make revolutionary advances to support the Vision for Space Exploration and NASA goals.

The Centennial Challenges program is managed by NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. The Spaceward Foundation is a public-funded, non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the cause of space access in educational curriculums and in the public mindshare.

For information about the Centennial Challenges program on the Web, visit: http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov or http://www.spaceward.org

Original Source: NASA News Release