Did you know? | Explore the stellar neighborhood with new Milky Way visualization

Screenshot from 100,000 Stars.

Did you know? | Want to explore the Milky Way? A new visualization tool from Google called 100,000 Stars lets you take a tour of our cosmic neighborhood, and with a few clicks of your mouse you can zoom in, out and around and do a little learning along the way. Zoom in to learn the names of some of the closest stars; click on the names to find out more information about them.

Playing with it is great fun, and I've been experimenting with it for a while. The most important caveat about 100,000 Stars is that you need to run it in Chrome. It's from the Chrome Experiment team, and it uses imagery and data from NASA and ESA, but the majority of what you are seeing are artist's renditions. 

The best way to get started is to click on the Take the Tour in the upper left hand corner. 

But if you just want to zoom in, you can see the closest stars to us. The Sun is in the middle, and if you zoom in even further, you'll see the Oort Cloud. Keep zooming in to find the planetary orbits (I was struck by how much zooming had to be done to get to the planets, giving a sense of scale). 

It includes some nifty spacey-like music (provided by Sam Hulick, who video game fans may recognize as a composer for the popular space adventure series, Mass Effect) but if you'd rather explore in silence, hit your mute button. 

What I enjoyed the most is moving my mouse up and down to see the 3-D effect of how everything fits together, providing a sense of the cosmic web that holds our universe together.

Source: Universe Today

Editor: Physorg

Did you know? | Spacecraft capture solar eclipse's Earthly effect

Series of images from the Japanese MTSAT satellite showing a shadow on Earth during
the total solar eclipse on November 13/14. 2012. Credit: JAXA 

Did you know? | A Japanese meteorology satellite captured the moving shadow from the total solar eclipse this week, and this animated series of images shows the shadow moving east-southeast across northeastern Australia and into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean. The images were taken by the MTSAT-1R in the 0.7 micrometer visible channel, as the Moon moved between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light. 

The solar eclipse shadow was also visible from an image taken by the Korean COMS-1 satellite, and one of the GOES satellites operated by NASA and NOAA, seen below. 
 

Image taken from the Korean COMS-1 satellite during the total solar eclipse on
November 13/14. 2012.

Starting just after dawn in Australia, the eclipse cast a 150-kilometer (95-mile) shadow in Australia's Northern Territory, crossed the northeast tip of the country and moved out across the South Pacific. As this was a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely covered the Sun, with just the Sun's corona peeking out around the rim; totality lasted about 2 minutes. A partial eclipse was visible from east Indonesia, the eastern half of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and southern parts of Chile and Argentina.

Image from the GOES-15 satellite showing the eclipse’s shadow on Earth.
Credit: NASA/NOAA

Source: Universe Today
Editor: Physorg

Did you know? | The 11-year solar cycle continues during prolonged sunspot minima

Did you know? | Streaming into the solar system at nearly the speed of light, galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are a high-energy mix of protons, electrons, and atomic nuclei. As they pass into reach of the outflowing solar wind, the propagation of GCRs is inhibited. Galactic cosmic rays that make it to Earth interact with the atmosphere, creating a shower of heavy isotopes including beryllium-10. Beryllium-10 isotope concentrations recorded in ice cores provide a long-term, high temporal resolution record of galactic cosmic ray flux. 

The rate of GCRs flowing into the solar system is thought to be relatively stable, so researchers suspect that shifts in these long-term isotope records must be driven by a change in the rate at which GCRs reach Earth. The propagation of GCRs to Earth, in turn, depends on the open solar flux, the fraction of the total solar magnetic field that is carried out into the solar system by the solar wind. Open solar flux increases with sunspot number and shifts with the orientation of the heliospheric current sheet, the wavy surface where the Sun's the magnetic field switches polarity from northward to southward. Thus isotope concentration records can serve as a long-scale record of solar activity.

Drawing on two independent ice core records, Owens et al. modeled the open solar flux back to 1610, a period that includes the Maunder Minimum, a 65-year stretch starting in 1650 when astronomers observed hardly any sunspots. They find that during this period, beryllium-10 isotope concentrations continued to oscillate following the roughly 11-year solar cycle, despite the dearth of sunspots. They suggest that the heliospheric current sheet's cyclical behavior didn't change during the period, and hence the regular cycling of the open solar flux, and the changing penetration of galactic cosmic rays, continued. 

Source: Physorg

Did you know? | Galaxies without stars: The problem of the missing hydrogen in the early Universe

A black hole quasar. Credit: NASA

Did you know? | Physorg - Hydrogen is the most common element in the Universe, making up 75% of all normal matter and the content of stars. Although stars themselves are hot, they can only form out of the coldest gas when a massive cloud of hydrogen can collapse under its own gravity until nuclear fusion starts – the fusing of atoms together which releases the huge amounts of energy we see as starlight.

Astronomers have been puzzled as to why they could not detect this cold star-forming gas in the most distant, and hence older, regions of the Universe. At such vast look-back times, astronomers expected the gas to be much more abundant as it has yet to be consumed by star formation.

Dr Stephen Curran, from the University of Sydney's School of Physics and CAASTRO – the ARC Centre for All-sky Astrophysics – and Dr Matthew Whiting, from CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, have addressed this problem by devising a model that shows how the supermassive black hole, lurking within the centre of each active galaxy, is able to ionise all of the surrounding gas even in the very largest galaxies. 

When hydrogen gas is in this state, where the electron is ripped out of the atom, the gas it too agitated to allow the cloud to collapse and form stars. Also, when ionised, it cannot be detected through radio waves at 21-centimetres – the way cold star-forming gas is normally found. 

Dr Curran and Dr Whiting's latest research, published in The Astrophysical Journal on 10 November 2012, shows that the extreme ultra-violet radiation given off by the material being sucked in – at near light-speeds – to the black hole, is sufficient to ionise all of the gas in even the very largest galaxies.

Source:  Astrophysical Journal
Editor: Physorg

Did you know? | Curiosity team switches back to Earth time

On Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the
Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture this set of 55
high-resolution images, which were stitched together to
create this full-color self-portrait. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin
Space Science Systems.

Did you know? | Phys.org - After three months working on "Mars time," the team operating NASA Mars rover Curiosity has switched to more regular hours, as planned.

A Martian day, called a sol, is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day, so the team's start time for daily planning has been moving a few hours later each week. This often resulted in the team working overnight hours, Pacific Time. 

Starting this week, most of the team's work will stay within bounds of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., PST. Compressing the daily planning process for rover activities makes the switch possible.

A simultaneous change this week begins more dispersed operations for the scientists on the rover team. The team includes about 200 JPL engineers and about 400 scientists, mostly from other institutions. More than 200 non-JPL scientists who have spent some time working at JPL since Curiosity's landing on Aug. 5, 2012 (Pacific Time; Aug. 6, Eastern Time and Universal Time) will continue participating regularly from their home institutions throughout North America and Europe. The team has been preparing in recent weeks to use dispersed participation teleconferences and Web connections.

The operational planning this week is focused on getting a first sample of solid Martian material into the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument.

On the mission's Sol 89 (Nov. 5, 2012), the other analytical instrument inside the rover, Chemistry and Mineralogy, or CheMin, dumped out the second soil sample it had finished analyzing. That second sample into CheMin came from the fourth scoop of soil that Curiosity's robotic arm collected at a site called "Rocknest." Also on Sol 89 came confirmation that SAM had completed an overnight analysis run on a blank sample cup in preparation for receiving a soil sample. Plans call for the fifth scoop at Rocknest to provide samples going into both SAM and CheMin in coming days.

Source: Nasa.gov
Editor: Phys.org

Did you know? | Curiosity rover finds clues to changes in Mars' atmosphere

This picture shows a lab demonstration of the measurement
chamber inside the Tunable Laser Spectrometer, an instrument
that is part of the Sample Analysis at Mars investigation on
NASA's Curiosity rover. This demonstration uses visible
lasers – rather than the infrared ones on the actual
spectrometer – to show how the lasers bounce between
the mirrors in the measurement chamber. The TLS shoots
laser beams into a type of measurement chamber that
can be filled with Mars air. By measuring the absorption
of light at specific wavelengths, the tool can measure
concentrations of methane, carbon dioxide and water
vapor in the Martian atmosphere and different isotopes
 of those gases. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 

Did you know? | Phys.org - NASA's car-sized rover, Curiosity, has taken significant steps toward understanding how Mars may have lost much of its original atmosphere.

Learning what happened to the Martian atmosphere will help scientists assess whether the planet ever was habitable. The present atmosphere of Mars is 100 times thinner than Earth's.

Did you know? | NASA's LADEE spacecraft gets final science instrument installed

A team of engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., tests an electrical interface
on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft to ensure all of
the cable pins are in the correct location and that it is safe to connect. Credit: NASA/Ames – Eric James

Did you know? - Engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., have installed the third and final science instrument that will fly onboard NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE).

LADEE is a robotic mission that will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust.

"The installation of the final science instrument to LADEE's flight structure in the clean room at Ames is an important step toward completing the spacecraft build and testing," said Butler Hine, LADEE project manager at Ames. "Now that the three science instruments are fully integrated onto the spacecraft, it has become a full-fledged, high-precision space observatory."

In addition to LADEE's science instruments, a technology demonstration also will fly onboard. The science instruments include the Ultraviolet and Visible Light Spectrometer (UVS), which will examine the composition of the lunar atmosphere by analyzing light signatures of materials it finds; the Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS), set to measure variations in the lunar atmosphere over multiple lunar orbits with the moon in different space environments and the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX), which will collect and analyze samples of any lunar dust particles in the tenuous atmosphere. The technology demonstration payload is called the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration, and will enable the LADEE spacecraft to use lasers instead of radio waves to achieve broadband speeds to communicate with Earth.

"We now have our full science suite, and LADEE has the tools it needs to address mysteries and questions that have lingered since Apollo," said Rick Elphic, LADEE project scientist. "Was electrostatically lofted lunar dust responsible for the horizon glow that the astronauts observed? LDEX and UVS will settle that question once and for all. What makes the exotic, tenuous atmosphere of the moon breathe and change? NMS and UVS will tell us where the different species come from, how they move and how they are lost. A mission like LADEE has been needed since Apollo, which left us with tantalizing hints about the dust and an exotic, tenuous atmosphere."

LADEE now begins its environmental test phase and will undergo tests simulating the conditions it will face during launch and operations in space. These tests include acoustic (the loud roar of the rocket), vibration (the shaking of the rocket), shock (the jolt when stages separate), and thermal-vacuum (the hot and cold vacuum conditions of deep space).

LADEE's launch in August 2013 will mark several firsts. It will be the first payload to launch on a U.S. Air Force Minotaur V rocket integrated by Orbital Sciences Corp., and the first deep space mission to launch from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Source: Nasa.gov
Editor: Phys.org

Did you know? | Paintballs may deflect an incoming asteroid

An artist's rendering of the asteroid Apophis. Credit: European Space Agency

Did you know? - In the event that a giant asteroid is headed toward Earth, you'd better hope that it's blindingly white. A pale asteroid would reflect sunlight—and over time, this bouncing of photons off its surface could create enough of a force to push the asteroid off its course.

Did you know? | WISE colors in unknowns on Jupiter asteroids

New results from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Explorer, or WISE, reveal that the Jovian Trojans -- asteroids that lap the sun in the same orbit as Jupiter -- are uniformly dark with a hint of burgundy color, and have matte surfaces that reflect little sunlight. The results are illustrated in this artist's concept, showing both the leading and trailing packs of Trojans in orbit with Jupiter. Observations from WISE also confirmed the previous suspicion that there are more asteroids in the leading pack of Trojans (seen in the distance) than the trailing bunch. The results are helping astronomers fill in missing pieces of the ongoing Jupiter Trojan puzzle: how and when did these asteroids form? The data for this research come from the asteroid-hunting portion of the WISE survey, called NEOWISE. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Phys.org - Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, have uncovered new clues in the ongoing mystery of the Jovian Trojans—asteroids that orbit the sun on the same path as Jupiter. Like racehorses, the asteroids travel in packs, with one group leading the way in front of the gas giant, and a second group trailing behind.

Did you know? | Lost, potentially hazerdous asteroid rediscovered

Animation of asteroid 2008SE85, moving between the stars. The images were tracked on the asteroid, thus the stars appear as small trails. Credit: ESA/E. Schwab

Phys.org - A potentially hazardous asteroid once found but then lost has been rediscovered and its orbit confirmed by a determined amateur astronomer working with ESA's space hazards programme. The half-kilometre object will not threaten Earth anytime soon. 

Did you know? | The Orionid meteor shower

This composite, false-color image shows the Orionids meteor shower, as seen in the skies over Huntsville, Ala. in late October, 2009. Credit: NASA/MSFC

Phys.org - Usually, waking up before sunrise is a good way to get a head start on the day. On Oct. 21st, waking up early could stop you in your tracks.

Did you know? | Unraveling galactic, stellar evolution through study of supermassive stars

Credit: Thinkstock

Phys.org - European research is identifying and quantifying properties of massive stars in our galaxy and nearby. This research should provide important insight into the formation of galaxies and stellar evolution.

Did you know? | Asteroid 2012 TC4 to buzz Earth on October 12

Asteroid 2012 TC4 as seen by the Remanzacco Observatory team of Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero, Nick Howes on Oct. 9, 2012.

Phys.org - Asteroid 2012 TC4 will give Earth a relatively close shave on October 12, 2012, passing at just a quarter of the distance to the orbit of the Moon.