Space

Alex Trebek Featured In New NASA Video

2012-05-23 17:13:48

[ Watch the Video ]

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

King of trivia Alex Trebek is featured in a new NASA public service announcement that was released on Wednesday.

Trebek says in the announcement that much of the technologies people rely on in our daily lives come from those developed by NASA for space exploration.

NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck announced the new Trebek video during a NASA-Cleveland "Adopt a City" manufacturing initiative event in Cleveland.

"It's an honor to add Alex Trebek to our list of space technology spinoff supporters," Peck said during the announcement. "As NASA partners today with small manufacturers in Ohio to solve tough technical problems with their products, there's potential for NASA technology to help improve everything from better household fans to stronger ceramics for dentistry."

During the Cleveland event, NASA, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET) also announced nine small and medium-sized Ohio manufacturers that will receive the space agency's assistance to solve technical problems with products.

NASA said it is committed to providing 400 hours of technical assistance from its science and engineering work force to offer potential solutions to the selected companies for specific technical challenges they are facing with a new or existing product

"NASA technologies work for us here on Earth, solving everyday problems -- saving lives, creating jobs and making our lives better," Peck said at the event.

The City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are also making $450,000 in low interest rate loans available to the companies to help with costs associated with participation in the program.

Trebek joins other celebrities who have made NASA public service announcement videos, including musicians Will.i.am and Norah Jones, and comedian Stephen Colbert.

During the public service announcements, the celebrities tell audiences how NASA-related technology, or spinoffs, have benefited people on Earth today.

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On the Net:

NASA

Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET)

Tumbleweed Inspires Next Generation Mars Rover Design

2012-05-23 13:35:48

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

North Carolina State University researchers are proposing that a wind-driven "tumbleweed" Mars rover would be capable of moving across the Red Planet's rocky terrain.

The scientists developed a computer model to determine how varying the diameter and mass of a tumbleweed rover would affect its speed and ability to avoid getting stuck in Martian rock fields, which are common on the surface of the planet.

“We found that, in general, the larger the diameter, and the lower the overall weight, the better the rover performs,” Dr. Andre Mazzoleni, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research, said.

The researchers found that a tumbleweed rover would need to have a diameter of at least 20 feet in order to achieve an acceptable level of performance.

They also determined that tumbleweed rovers are more likely to bounce than roll across the surface, due to the space of the rocks and the size of the rovers.

“Computer simulations are crucial for designing Mars rovers because the only place where you find Martian conditions is on Mars,” says Mazzoleni. “Earth-based testing alone cannot establish whether a particular design will work on Mars.”

Mars has just about 3/8 the gravity that Earth has, and the atmospheric density on its surface is only duplicated about 100,000 feet above the Earth's surface.

Tumbleweed rovers would be able to cover much larger distances, and handle rougher terrain, than those rovers like Spirit and Opportunity that have already been sent to Mars.

“This model is a tool NASA can use to assess the viability of different designs before devoting the time and expense necessary to build prototypes,” Mazzoleni said.

The rover design would lack precise controls that wheeled rovers have, but would not need to rely on a power supply for mobility.

The findings, which were published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, could help NASA design a more efficient next-generation Martian vehicle.

“There is quite a bit of interest within NASA to pursue the tumbleweed rover design, but one of the questions regarding the concept is how it might perform on the rocky surface of Mars,” Mazzoleni said. “We set out to address that question.”

NASA's latest Mars rover, Curiosity, is currently in route to the Red Planet. The rover is about five times larger than the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, and carries more than ten times the amount of scientific instruments.

Curiosity launched on November 26, 2011 and is expected to arrive at its destination, Mars Gale Crater, on August 6, 2012.

Image 2 (below): Model of a tumbleweed rover. Credit: North Carolina State University

Universe At Peak Observation Period 13 Billion Years Ago

2012-05-23 11:22:26

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics theorist Avi Loeb says that modern time is not the ideal scenario to study the universe, but rather about 13 billion years ago was.

Loeb said that according to his new calculations, just about 500 million years after the Big Bang proves to be the best-case scenario when studying our cosmos. He says that the farther you go into the future, the more information you lose, making our time period better than those future dwellers.

"I'm glad to be a cosmologist at a cosmic time when we can still recover some of the clues about how the universe started," Loeb said.

He said that in the universe's younger days, you see less because some early light has not quite reached you yet. Then, as the universe ages, there has been enough time for light from more distant regions to travel to you.

However, there is a point where age is too much, as the older and more evolved universe "muddies the waters" of seeing the development of the older universe.

Loeb was able to use the above scenario to pinpoint the time frame of the optimal time to study the universe.

During this era, 500 million years after the Big Bang, the first stars and galaxies began to form. Because information about the early universe is lost when the first galaxies are made, it is the best time to view cosmic perturbations right when stars began to form.

Modern observers are able to access a glimpse of the early universe by surveying distant radio emission from hydrogen gas. These radio waves take more than 13 billion years to reach Earth, giving astronomers a peak into how the universe looked in its younger days.

"21-centimeter surveys are our best hope," Loeb said. "By observing hydrogen at large distances, we can map how matter was distributed at the early times of interest."

As the universe ages, those on Earth will eventually be unable to see the galaxies that have worn out their welcome, as their light no longer makes its way to our planet.

"If we want to learn about the very early universe, we'd better look now before it is too late!" Loeb said. But it isn't quite too late yet. He said it could take sometime between 10 and 100 times the universe's current age for all this to take place.

Loeb's research was published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

Opportunity Rover Catches Stunning Image Of Endeavour Crater

2012-05-23 03:53:01

Like a tourist waiting for just the right lighting to snap a favorite shot during a stay at the Grand Canyon, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has used a low sun angle for a memorable view of a large Martian crater.

The resulting view catches a shadow of the rover in the foreground and the giant basin in the distance. Opportunity is perched on the western rim of Endeavour Crater looking eastward. The crater spans about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. Opportunity has been studying the edge of Endeavour Crater since arriving there in August 2011.

The scene is presented in false color to emphasize differences in materials such as dark dunes on the crater floor. This gives portions of the image an aqua tint.

Opportunity took most of the component images on March 9, 2012, while the solar-powered rover was spending several weeks at one location to preserve energy during the Martian winter. It has since resumed driving and is currently investigating a patch of windblown Martian dust near its winter haven.

Opportunity and its rover twin, Spirit, completed their three-month prime missions on Mars in April 2004. Both rovers continued for years of bonus, extended missions. Both have made important discoveries about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for supporting microbial life. Spirit stopped communicating in 2010. Since landing in the Meridiani region of Mars in January 2004, Opportunity has driven 21.4 miles (34.4 kilometers).

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

NASA Getting NuSTAR Ready For Her Big Day

2012-05-23 03:47:03

Final pre-launch preparations are underway for NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. The mission, which will use X-ray vision to hunt for hidden black holes, is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 13 from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The observatory will launch from the belly of Orbital Sciences Corporation's L-1011 "Stargazer" aircraft aboard the company's Pegasus rocket.

Technicians at Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California are busy installing the rocket's fairing, or nose cone, around the observatory. A flight computer software evaluation is also nearing completion and should be finished before the Flight Readiness Review, which is scheduled for June 1. A successful launch simulation of the Orbital Sciences' Pegasus XL rocket was conducted last week.

The mission plan is for NuSTAR and its rocket to be attached to the Stargazer plane on June 2. The aircraft will depart California on June 5 and arrive at the Kwajalein launch site on June 6. The launch of NuSTAR from the plane is targeted for 8:30 a.m. PDT (11:30 a.m. EDT) on June 13.

NuSTAR is a Small Explorer mission led by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The spacecraft was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Va. Its instrument was built by a consortium including Caltech; JPL; the University of California, Berkeley; Columbia University, New York; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; the Danish Technical University in Denmark; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.; and ATK Aerospace Systems, Goleta, Calif. NuSTAR will be operated by UC Berkeley, with the Italian Space Agency providing its equatorial ground station located at Malindi, Kenya. The mission's outreach program is based at Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif. NASA's Explorer Program is managed by Goddard. JPL is managed by Caltech for NASA.

For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/nustar .

How ESA And Industry Will Work Together In The Future

2012-05-23 03:42:20

ESA and industry have built a strong relationship in the 35 years they have worked together. But with changing times, we should review this relationship to see what has worked well and what needs to be improved, so that it continues to grow.

On 10 May, the last of a series of workshops at the various ESA establishments concluded at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. Part of a ‘consultation with industry’ process, each workshop dealt with a number of important topics regarding the cooperation between ESA, industry and Member States.

Participating in these workshops have been ESA experts, Member State delegates and representatives from Eurospace, ESOA, EARSC, SME4Space, large and medium system integrators, equipment suppliers, operators and SMEs.

During the workshops, the ESA Executive gathered reflections and comments from industry into a set of conclusions and recommendations that will now be presented and discussed at the Concluding Conference.

Concluding Conference at ESTEC

ESA and Eurospace are inviting European industry to participate in this event on 29 May at ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands, to voice concerns, questions and comments.

During the event, industry will be able to meet and discuss with ESA’s Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain, Directors and experts, as well as Member States representatives.

The conclusions to be discussed and debated will cover:

- Technology Innovation Schemes

- Innovation by Public-Private Partnerships

- Innovation in spacecraft and mission design

- Worldwide competitiveness

- Competitiveness in institutional programs

- Industrial policy and competitiveness

- Procurement policy; procurement based on objectives or user requirements

- Dialogue with industry in support of procurement

- Risk management and fixed price contracts

- IPR and fair contribution versus fair return

To register

To participate in this important event, please register online via the ESA Conference registration site.

More information

Lars Wedin
Industrial and Procurement Policy Officer
Email: lars.wedin@esa.int

Space And Science Meet Online For Youngsters

2012-05-23 03:28:59

What happens when your experiment gets over 30,000 views online? Tomorrow’s space explorers were awarded an out-of-this-world scientific exchange with astronauts on the International Space Station last Wednesday.

Youngsters from Europe, the Middle East and Africa were invited to the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, for a live chat with ESA astronaut André Kuipers and NASA astronaut Don Pettit.

The prize was well-deserved: only 21 videos out of the 2000 submitted made it to the regional final of the YouTube Space Lab competition.

The students had to squeeze scientific demonstrations into just two minutes of video and suggest what would happen in space with an identical experiment. The videos have been viewed over 50 million times.

This educational initiative supported by ESA “Gives ordinary kids an extraordinary opportunity to make reality greater than fiction,” says Zahaan Bharmal of Google and founder of the Space Lab campaign. He shared the thrill of his first call to the Space Station with the students.

The future depends on you

André and Don answered questions from the finalists, and demonstrated the privilege of working in the world’s largest weightless laboratory on a wide range of scientific fields.

After André relieved doubts about risks related to human physiology in space, Don assured the students that, “Exploration is going to depend on you, on what you want to do with your own future.”

Global finalist Amr Mohamed, an 18-year-old student from Alexandria, Egypt, will see how spiders catch their prey in microgravity.

On the ground, ESA astronaut Frank De Winne challenged Amr: “If it took me around two months to fully adapt to weightlessness, how long will the spider need to learn how to jump on its target?” The answer will come this autumn, when Amr’s experiment is conducted on the Space Station.

Other finalists came up with innovative ideas to send to the Station as well, involving yeast-powered space travel, alcohol production and magnets.

In some cases, it took the young scientists three weeks to research and set up their experiments. For others, like Harry and Jack, five minutes before a physics class were enough to film their idea.

Scientists and astronauts were impressed by the variety of ideas and the different backgrounds of the participants. “Sometimes I had to stop the video and reflect on the experiment!” admitted Martin Zell, ESA’s Head of ISS Utilisation and Astronaut Support.

After a hands-on tour of Europe’s astronaut training facilities, there was no doubt that space fuels students’ fascination for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “This space experience will stick in their minds forever,” concludes Martin.

Head Of Alien Hunting Organization Stepping Down From The Throne

2012-05-22 13:09:32

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

Astronomer Jill Tarter, who has been heading up the SETI Institute for 35 years, will be giving up the reigns of the alien hunting organization to a colleague.

Tarter will be succeeded by SETI Institute Physicist Gerry Harp as Director of the Center for SETI Research.

Tarter says she will be focusing her time on fundraising for the work as the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI within the scientific organization.

“For many years working at the SETI Institute I’ve worn two hats: the Bernard Oliver chair, and the Director of the Center for SETI Research,” Tarter said in a press release. “My colleague Dr. Gerry Harp will step into the directorship role to continue our strong tradition of excellent research, freeing me up to focus on finding stable funding for it."

She said she wants to make the funding of SETI a success, so future researchers can continue searching for extraterrestrial life.

The SETI Institute will be celebrating Tarter's career at the upcoming SETIcon II, which is a public convention that draws in over 60 scientists, artists and entertainers.

SETI will be having a gala event for Tarter on Saturday evening, June 23 during the convention. Speakers at the event will include astronaut Mae Jemison, astronomer and "Drake Equation" author Frank Drake, and "Star Trek" actor Robert Picardo.

Tarter began her career with SETI back in the 1970s, when a small group of NASA researchers were developing novel equipment and strategies to make systematic radio SETI observations.

The SETI program uses large antennas in Australia, Puerto Rico and West Virginia to examine about one thousand nearby star systems over a wide range of radio frequencies. Now, with NASA's Kepler Telescope, SETI has shifted its search strategy.

“Kepler has been a paradigm shift—starting with the first data release in 2010 and second in 2011 and third in 2012, we have altered our SETI search strategy," Tarter said. " We are no longer pointing our telescopes at Sun-like stars in hopes of finding something; we are now observing stars where we KNOW there are planets."

She said that Kepler is helping SETI scientists find where to look, and focus their alien search at those locations.

"Exoplanets are real," Tarter said in the press release. "We’ve gone from having 20-30 potential targets to having thousands of targets."

US Not Losing Its Foothold In Earth Observing Satellites, Only Shifting Power

2012-05-22 12:23:35

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

Speculations are emerging that the U.S. may be losing its foothold in Earth observing satellites technology, which could inevitably lead to a science community that is behind the times. However, the one thing these reports fail to account for is the up-and-coming commercialized space industry.

Reports from several news agencies point to a new study by the American Meteorological Society Policy Program, as well as expert sources, to show how the economic downturn and federal budget deficits are putting a stronghold on building and maintaining Earth observation, science and service capabilities.

One particular report by CNN writer Matt Smith focuses on the current satellites in orbit, and how launch failures and budget crunches are threatening the United State's powerhouse position in Earth-sciences.

Although the news reports offer some valid speculation and conclusions, they fail to see that it is not the government that scientists will have to rely on for future Earth observing satellites. A shift in command is nearing, and as NASA begins to rely on private companies for its space travel, the science community will be finding new alternatives as well.

It comes down to the simple matter of supply and demand, a principle well understood by the American business industry. As budget strains keep NASA from getting certain satellites off the ground, the demand for these science instruments has increased.

The U.S. science community faces stiff competition from developing nations, as well as other established countries, but that does not mean America lacks the need for a science community.

As businesses like SpaceX see the need for new Earth-observing satellites, their research and development crew will surely be the first among many to try and fulfill it.

SpaceX is just one of many space industry businesses that reside in the U.S., and with its successful Dragon launch on Tuesday morning, the company has shown it is more than capable of picking up the slack where NASA left off.

Another U.S. company known as Planetary Resources recently announced plans to start mining Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). The company said it plans to start tapping some of Earth's celestial neighbors for precious resources like gold and platinum. It even announced plans to build spacecraft that help analyze NEAs, a feat that so far has only been taken on by government space agencies.

Although Planetary Resources has not specially talked about plans to supply the demands of the science community for Earth observing satellites, it is just one example of a company that has seen the fertile grounds which the commercial space industry offers, and plans to cash in on it.

The future of space industry clearly resides in the U.S., and its path is bright, but a lull will be inevitable. There may be some years that U.S. scientists have to rely on satellites being placed into orbit by the European Space Agency, but it will not be a long dependence.

NASA currently relies on Russia to take its astronauts to and from the International Space Station, but in the next few years it will instead be counting on private industries to ferry its space sailors. Even the recently successful SpaceX Dragon capsule is designed to be transformed into a spacecraft that takes astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit.

So there could be gap for a while as the change of power switches from the government space agency to private companies, but it will be met with new industry that America is the pioneer behind.

It is only a matter of time until private companies begin to see the demand from the science community and start to develop ways to fulfill it.

Cassini Spots Tiny Moon Methone

2012-05-22 04:03:14

NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its closest approach to Saturn's tiny moon Methone as part of a trajectory that will take it on a close flyby of another of Saturn's moons, Titan. The Titan flyby will put the spacecraft in an orbit around Saturn that is inclined, or tilted, relative to the plane of the planet's equator. The flyby of Methone took place on May 20 at a distance of about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers). It was Cassini's closest flyby of the 2-mile-wide (3-kilometer-wide) moon. The best previous Cassini images were taken on June 8, 2005, at a distance of about 140,000 miles (225,000 kilometers), and they barely resolved this object.

Also on May 20, Cassini obtained images of Tethys, a larger Saturnian moon that is 660 miles (1,062 kilometers) across. The spacecraft flew by Tethys at a distance of about 34,000 miles (54,000 kilometers).

Cassini's encounter with Titan, Saturn's largest moon, on May 22, is the first of a sequence of flybys that will put the spacecraft into an inclined orbit. At closest approach, Cassini will fly within about 593 miles (955 kilometers) of the surface of the hazy Titan. The flyby will angle Cassini's path around Saturn by about 16 degrees out of the equatorial plane, which is the same plane in which Saturn's rings and most of its moons reside.

Cassini's onboard thrusters don't have the capability to place the spacecraft into orbits so inclined. But mission designers have planned trajectories that take advantage of the gravitational force exerted by Titan to boost Cassini into inclined orbits. Over the next few months, Cassini will use several flybys of Titan to change the angle of its inclination, building one on top of the other until Cassini is orbiting Saturn at around 62 degrees relative to the equatorial plane in 2013. Cassini hasn't flown in orbits this inclined since 2008, when it orbited at an angle of 74 degrees.

This set of inclined orbits is expected to provide spectacular views of the rings and poles of Saturn. Further studies of Saturn's other moons will have to wait until around 2015, when Cassini returns to an equatorial orbit.

"Getting Cassini into these inclined orbits is going to require the same level of navigation accuracy that the team has delivered in the past, because each of these Titan flybys has to stay right on the money," said Robert Mitchell, Cassini program manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "However, with nearly eight years of experience to rely on, there's no doubt about their ability to pull this off."
Cassini discovered Methone and two other small moons, Pallene and Anthe, between the orbits of Mimas and Enceladus between 2004 and 2007. The three tiny moons, called the Alkyonides group, are embedded in Saturn's E ring, and their surfaces are sprayed by ice particles originating from the jets of water ice, water vapor and organic compounds emanating from the south polar area of Enceladus.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL manages the mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

For more information on the Cassini mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov .

SpaceX Finally Finds Success With Tuesday's Launch

2012-05-22 03:06:18

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

[ Watch the Video ]

It was a moment of triumph for everyone watching as the Falcon 9 rocket lit up the night sky, like a roaring fire racing out of Satan's corridor trying to catch a closing window into the heavens, bridging commercialized space industry with the Godfather of space flight.

The Dragon capsule began its journey towards the International Space Station at 3:44am Eastern Tuesday morning, lifting off from Cape Canaveral after having been delayed for weeks from its originally planned departure and aborted at the last second on Saturday's attempt.

The atmosphere prior to the launch was brilliant last Saturday as officials and media members checked weather forecasts minute-by-minute to ensure the lift-off would be taking place.

Although it was early in the morning, both young and old stood in line waiting for the bus at Kennedy Space Center with a hitch in their step, knowing they were about to witness something truly amazing.

However, the long wait became even longer as the launch countdown went to zero with no lift off. Disappointment grew deep across the onlookers’ faces as they realized SpaceX had aborted the highly anticipated mission. Those anxious about the launch had to wait just a little bit longer for the historical moment to finally ensue.

Tuesday, the Falcon rocket sat gloriously, once again, on a launch pad that has seen its historic moments. It was poised proudly towards the early morning sky, ready to pierce through the atmosphere and send the Dragon capsule leaping towards the space station.

As the rocket engines began to churn, a rush of excitement began and everyone held their breath once history began to play out in front of the world.

The launch marks the beginning of a new era in America's history, kick-starting modern space travel, and making a statement for a nation that stands tall as the backbone of space travel.

The Dragon capsule is helping turn the page to this new chapter by bringing supplies to astronauts aboard the space station. It brings with it into space both food and clothes, as well as several science experiments to test the effects of zero gravity on various projects.

The Dragon capsule also carried the ashes of James Doohan, the famous actor who portrayed engineer "Scotty" in Star Trek, along with the remains of 308 other people. The ashes, jettisoned 9 minutes after launch, will orbit the Earth for a year and then disintegrate on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

The SpaceX capsule will be arriving at the space station on Friday and will undergo a series of test before it is given the go-ahead to dock with the orbiting post.

The feat may not seem so heroic to some, but it is a stepping stone into what the future of space flight could hold for NASA astronauts.

SpaceX's capsule is capable of transforming from a cargo ship into a spacecraft that carries astronauts from our Earth into space, so it could eventually be turned into the next form of travel for U.S. astronauts.

NASA currently relies on Russia to ferry its astronauts to and from the space station, but if all goes according to plan during this mission, we could be watching America's dependence on Roscosmos for space travel dwindle.

A successful mission would also see that SpaceX enters into a $1.6 billion contract from the U.S. space agency for a dozen cargo flights to the space station.

As history books continue to document this new path for our country's foothold in the space industry, let’s hope commercialized space travel will be what bridges man to a new dawn of pioneering.

Following Tuesday's launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, issued the following statement:

"Congratulations to the teams at SpaceX and NASA for this morning's successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting because it represents the potential of a new era in American spaceflight. Partnering with U.S. companies such as SpaceX to provide cargo and eventually crew service to the International Space Station is a cornerstone of the president's plan for maintaining America's leadership in space. This expanded role for the private sector will free up more of NASA's resources to do what NASA does best -- tackle the most demanding technological challenges in space, including those of human space flight beyond low Earth orbit. I could not be more proud of our NASA and SpaceX scientists and engineers, and I look forward to following this and many more missions like it."

Millions Take A Seat To Watch Sun's Spectacle Over Earth

2012-05-21 14:01:33

[ Video 1 ] | Video 2 ]

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

Millions of viewers across the U.S. and Asia were able to see the sun and moon's performance on Sunday, while others battled clouds and bad weather.

Watchers from the Western U.S. towards eastern Asia were able to look up towards the sky and see the annular eclipse, which is when the moon passes in front of the sun leaving just a golden ring around its edges.

Viewing parties could be found across the West Coast in the U.S., while other skywatchers gathered along the beaches in California to view the solar treat.

The lunar-solar alignment was visible in Asia early Monday, before it moved and was seen in parts of the western U.S. late Sunday afternoon.

The eclipse was broadcast on live television in Tokyo, where an eclipse of this type had not been seen since 1939.

A Japanese zoo said some of its ring-tailed lemurs climbed up and jumped between trees and poles during the eclipse, which is a behavior that is typically seen being done in the evening.

Doctors warned about eye injuries from watching the eclipse without using the proper equipment. Special glasses are needed in order to view the sun for moments like this. Photographers also needed to use solar filters when snapping images of the event, because the Sun can actually damage the sensor inside the camera.

Sunday's eclipse lasted for 3 1/2 hours, as the moon followed an 8,500-mile path across the sun, with the big "ring of fire" moment only lasting for about five minutes.

Although Europe was unable to see the eclipse, its space agency, ESA, was able to capture the event using is Proba-2.

The space weather microsatellite was only able to observe a partial solar eclipse because of its positioning around the Earth.

NASA says that the next solar eclipse will be on November 13, and will be visible over northern Australia. However, those wanting to watch another rare astronomy phenomenon will not have to wait that long.

On June 5, 2012, Venus will be passing across the face of the sun, which is a transit that will not be witnessed again until 2117.

The 2012 transit is the second of an 8-year pair, the first being back in June 2004. No one alive during the transit eight-years ago had been around to have seen a Transit of Venus before.

The 7-hour transit will be observed on all seven continents on Tuesday, June 5, starting at 5:09 p.m. Central Time.

Transit Of Venus Approaching

2012-05-21 11:16:09

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

In two more weeks, the Earth will get to view a spectacle that hasn't been seen in eight years, and will not be seen again until 2117.

Venus will pass across the face of the sun, producing a tiny silhouette, like a small freckle on a face.

The 7-hour transit will be observed on all seven continents on Tuesday, June 5, starting at 5:09 p.m. Central Time.

The transits of Venus first gained popularity back in the 18th century, a time when the solar system was still a big mystery to scientists.

The 2012 transit is the second of an 8-year pair, the first being back in June 2004. No one alive during the transit eight-years ago had been around to have seen a Transit of Venus before.

Scientists and astronomers are even better prepared than they were eight years ago, and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is now in operation as well.

SDO, which launched back in February of 2010, will be able to provide Hubble-quality images of the event.

Astronomer Sir Edmund Halley was the first to realize that by observing transits from widely-spaced locations, it should be possible to triangulate the distance to Venus using the principles of parallax.

Bad weather and equipment prevented early observers from gathering the data they needed from Venus, so astronomers had to wait until the late 1800s for the invention of photography to take place to finally measure the size of the Solar System as Halley had suggested.

Now, with modern telescopes and camera equipment, astronomers will be able to capture images that seemed impossible back in the 1800s. During the 2004 transit, one photographer caught the International Space Station transiting the sun alongside Venus.

The transit gives scientists a rare chance to study the atmosphere of Venus from Earth by using the planet's aureole. As Venus makes contact with the edge of the Sun's disk, its aureole is outlined, showing a thin arc of light.

The aureole is caused by light refracted through the planet's atmosphere, and the brightness and thickness of it can give scientists more clues to the atmosphere temperature on the planet, as well as its cloud layers.

Other than factoring in weather, those wanting to get a glimpse of the Venus transit will need to be wearing some protective eyewear. NASA says that #14 welder's glass is a good choice when wanting to observe the sun, without burning your retinas.

For photographers, the best way to snap a photo of the once-in-a-lifetime event is to pre-order a solar filter. Solar filters are not commonly found at camera shops, so it’s best to ensure you have ordered one before June 5.

Take Four: SpaceX Going For Gold On Tuesday

2012-05-21 03:53:55

Lee Rannals for RedOrbit.com

SpaceX will again attempt to start a new chapter in the space industry on Tuesday, May 22 as its tries to launch its Dragon Capsule into the abyss for the fourth time.

The company is trying to make history by becoming the first private space firm to dock with the International Space Station.

The Dragon capsule, which will be launched on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, will bring supplies to the astronauts aboard the space station, as well as some science experiments drawn up by students.

SpaceX was planning to attempt its first launch to the orbiting post on April 30, but computer software kept the company from meeting that initial goal. It later rescheduled the launch for May 7, but again, the company determined its flagship spacecraft was still not ready.

On Saturday, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was in position on a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral to take the Dragon to its destiny. However, the computer software inside the rocket aborted the flight with less than a second to go.

As the crowd watched across the water and began to count down the last few seconds, engines from the rocket began to roar causing smoke to arise, until suddenly the software killed the rocket's engine, delaying SpaceX yet another time.

A computer detected high pressure in one engine's combustion chamber, triggering the system to perform an automatic shutdown.

Despite the disappointment for space enthusiasts keeping up with the launch, SpaceX said the aborted countdown showed rocket systems are working properly to prevent a launch failure.

"This is not a failure," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said at a news conference shortly after the scrub. "It would be a failure if were to have lifted off with an engine trending in this direction."

Engineers have replaced the faulty engine valve they believe was responsible for the aborted mission, and hope all goes according to plan on Tuesday for a new launch scheduled at 3:44 a.m.

So far, weather forecasts show a 60 percent chance of having favorable weather conditions for the new launch time.

"If things look good, we will be ready to attempt to launch on Tuesday," SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Grantham said in a statement.

Elon Musk, SpaceX founder and CEO, tweeted on Sunday that simulations showed that the launch would have been OK even with the faulty valve on Saturday.

"Still, better to stop & fix," he tweeted. "Recalling rockets after launch is not an option."

The launch must be timed to the second if the Dragon capsule is to make its rendezvous with the space station correctly. If all goes well, then SpaceX will perform several tests before actually docking its prized capsule with the ISS.

Assuming all the tests are positive, the capsule will be docking with the space station on Friday morning.

Upon a completely successful mission, SpaceX will earn itself a $1.6 billion NASA contract for 12 station resupply missions.

The Dragon capsule is not just a pinnacle for the future of commercialized space endeavors, but could also be the future of space travel for NASA astronauts as well. SpaceX's reusable spacecraft is capable of transforming into a vehicle that could carry astronauts into deeper space than just low orbit situations. The capsule could eventually replace the need to rely on Russia to get American astronauts into orbit.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is also a newbie in space travel as well. Tuesday's launch will be the rocket's third time to lift off from the Earth. It will be the Dragon spacecraft's second time.

If Tuesday's launch ends up following suit and becoming delayed, then SpaceX could make another attempt on Wednesday. The company has no shortage of dates, as the launch is important for both the future of its relationship with NASA, and an important milestone for private space companies.

Hubble Spies Andromeda's Beauty Edge-on

2012-05-21 03:28:00

Visible in the constellation of Andromeda, NGC 891 is located approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope turned its powerful wide field Advanced Camera for Surveys towards this spiral galaxy and took this close-up of its northern half. The galaxy's central bulge is just out of the image on the bottom left.

The galaxy, spanning some 100,000 light-years, is seen exactly edge-on, and reveals its thick plane of dust and interstellar gas. While initially thought to look like our own Milky Way if seen from the side, more detailed surveys revealed the existence of filaments of dust and gas escaping the plane of the galaxy into the halo over hundreds of light-years. They can be clearly seen here against the bright background of the galaxy halo, expanding into space from the disk of the galaxy.

Astronomers believe these filaments to be the result of the ejection of material due to supernovae or intense stellar formation activity. By lighting up when they are born, or exploding when they die, stars cause powerful winds that can blow dust and gas over hundreds of light-years in space.

A few foreground stars from the Milky Way shine brightly in the image, while distant elliptical galaxies can be seen in the lower right of the image.

NGC 891 is part of a small group of galaxies bound together by gravity.

A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures Image Processing Competition by contestant Nick Rose. Hidden Treasures is an initiative to invite astronomy enthusiasts to search the Hubble archive for stunning images that have never been seen by the general public.

May 20, 2012: Annular Eclipse For Western US Will Be Spectacular

2012-05-20 09:45:17

Eclipse images can be submitted to our Facebook Page or to news@redorbit.com

Lawrence LeBlond for RedOrbit.com

Something is happening in the western US that hasn’t happened in nearly two decades, and national parks from California to New Mexico are preparing for the show of a lifetime, inviting people to watch either the partial or annular solar eclipse that will occur on May 20, 2012.

It will be the first annular eclipse of the sun visible from the west coast in 18 years, and Bluewater Lake State Park will hold a special viewing program at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the event, according to a New Mexico State Parks Division news release about the event.

While the event won’t be quite as spectacular as a total solar eclipse, anyone within a 200-mile-wide strip of territory between the Oregon-California coast and northwestern Texas, should have the chance to see a rare occurrence, weather permitting of course.

The annular -- “Ring of Fire” -- eclipse will occur near sunset, and will be visible in some of the most picturesque areas of the country, including the Grand Canyon and 32 other national parks.

“This will be spectacular,” National Park Service (NPS) Director Jonathan B. Jarvis told EarthSky.org. “Redwoods National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park, both in California; Zion National Park in Utah, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona and Canyon De Chelly National Monument and Petroglyph National Monument, both in New Mexico;” these are all parks located near the central path of the eclipse.

The annular eclipse on May 20 will provide an excellent show for those standing on the central line of the eclipse. It will resemble a bulls-eye, with a ring of the Sun visible around the Moon. The Moon would need to be closer to Earth for it to produce a total eclipse, which would block out the Sun completely and cast a large shadow on the Earth.

Jarvis compared an annular event to that of Pac-Man taking a bite out of the Sun. “That 'bite' will take out 55 to 80 percent of the disk of the sun, depending on where you are, and that’s still a very special experience,” Jarvis told MSNBC's Cosmic Log writer Alan Boyle.

For those who cannot get to the central line to view the annular eclipse, there is still a spectacular partial eclipse to see. Of course this event will be mainly a western event and those east of the Mississippi will not get much of a show.

Even though this is not a total eclipse, it is important for viewers to wear special solar glasses or other protection to view the event. Proper safety eyewear is available for less than a dollar from Telescopes.net. Eclipse shades are available as well from Rainbow Symphony and other online vendors.

For those who wish not to get spendy, you can also put a solar filter on your telescope or binoculars. The filters should be specially designed for solar viewing, and regular sunglasses will not do the trick. And as for your camera, taking a picture of the Sun directly is a good way to damage your point-and-shoot.

NASA’s top eclipse expert, Fred Espenak, offers a guide to photographing any kind of solar eclipse easily and safely at http://mreclipse.com/MrEclipse.html .

Another way to view the eclipse is to fashion a “pinhole camera” from a box, aluminum foil and a sheet of white paper. Go to http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html to see how to make this easy and affordable viewing device.

Perhaps the simplest way to get a sense of the eclipse is to just find a semi-shady spot under a tree and watch the circles of sunlight falling through the leaves. During a partial eclipse, the circles will turn into half-moons or crescents. If the sun goes annular, you’ll see bright rings on the ground.

In addition to viewing the eclipse, national park rangers and astronomers from the NPS, local astronomy clubs and NASA will converge on several national parks with programs and activities for park visitors. NASA has put up a clickable map online that shows you when different stages of the eclipse occur for the locality you click. The times on the site, however, are in Universal Time, so you will have to subtract seven hours for Pacific Daylight Time, six hours for Mountain Time, and five hours for Central Time.

The event will be a spectacle not to be missed, as long as you have the proper gear and are in a place suitable for optimum viewing conditions. The eclipse will take place over the course of three-and-a-half hours, during which time the Moon will blot out at least part of the Sun. At least some of the eclipse may be visible from Southeast Asia to Greenland, but for the best show, you have to be in the Western US.

Perhaps the best place to see the eclipse is at Bluewater Lake State Park in the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico. The state park’s location sits just south of the eclipse centerline and the clear view across the lake to the western horizon makes it an ideal spot to witness the rare event.

While the eclipse will last for more than three hours, the “Ring of Fire” effect will only last a few minutes, 4.5 minutes to be exact. It will take place at about 7:30 p.m. as the Sun hangs low on the western horizon, according to New Mexico State Parks Division’s news release.

Newly Discovered Planet May Be Obliterated By Its Own Sun

2012-05-20 04:30:01

A newly discovered possible exoplanet some 1,500 light years away is being shredded by the intense heat of its parent star.

The team from NASA and MIT found that the planet circles its host star every 15 hours, making it one of the shortest planetary orbits ever observed, which implies that the planet orbits very close to the star. Being so close would heat the surface to at least 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit, causing rocky material on the surface to melt and evaporate. The disintegrating material would form a wind carrying both gas and dust into space. As the planet speeds around the star, the dense clouds of dust form a trail much like that of a comet. This trail of dust helps to explain why the star dims every 15 hours.

“We think this dust is made up of submicron-sized particles,” said co-author Saul Rappaport, a professor emeritus of physics at MIT. “It would be like looking through a Los Angeles smog.”

The findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal, are based on data taken from the Kepler Space Telescope (KST). KST records the brightness of each star it observes at regular intervals; scientists then analyze the data to see if there are any signs of planets orbiting these observed stars.

That’s how they found the latest planet. Although, the data shows more than just a regular dip in the star’s brightness. Rappaport and his colleagues came across a curious light pattern from the KIC 12557548 star. By measuring the star’s light curves, the team found that light from the star dropped by different intensities every 15 hours, suggesting something was blocking the star regularly, but by varying degrees.

The team went over possible theories for why they were seeing this strange light pattern. One possibility was that two planets were orbiting each other while orbiting the star. Rappaport suggested that the pair of planets would pass by the star at different orientations, blocking out different amounts of light on each pass.

However, the team could find no evidence to support that hypothesis; they decided the dimming every 15 hours was far too short a period to allow sufficient room for two planetary bodies orbiting each other, in the same way that Earth and the moon together orbit the sun.

Instead, the team theorized that the varying intensities of light were the result of a possible shape-shifting body.

“I’m not sure how we came to this epiphany,” Rappaport said. “But it had to be something that was fundamentally changing. It was not a solid body, but rather, dust coming off the planet.”

After accepting this scenario to be the best closest possible reason for the light dimming they were observing the team looked into various ways that dust could be created and blown off the planet.

They surmised that the planet must have a weak gravitational field in order for gas and dust to escape the planet’s gravitational pull. They also ruled that the planet needs to be extremely hot -- 3,600 degrees F hot. Then the team discussed two possible scenarios for how the planetary dust might form: volcanic eruptions or vaporizing metals. The data indicated the latter was more probable.

With that in mind, Rappaport and colleagues created a model of the planet, its long, trailing cloud of dust, and the brightness of the star as the planet passed by. Their simulations show a strong connection with the data that KST was producing. The team concluded that at the rate the planet is losing material, it will be totally obliterated within 100 million years.

“We’re actually now very happy about the asymmetry in the eclipse profile,” Rappaport said. “At first we didn’t understand this picture. But once we developed this theory, we realized this dust tail has to be here. If it’s not, this picture is wrong.”

Dan Fabrycky, a member of the Kepler Observatory science team, but not part of the latest study, said research shows that “planets are not eternal objects, they can die extraordinary deaths, and this might be a case where the planet might evaporate entirely in the future.”

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Space Gear And Recycling

2012-05-19 04:40:48

Michael Harper for RedOrbit.com

Who hasn’t, in the days of their youth, cast their eyes skyward to count the stars, make guesses as to how large the moon really is, and wish so badly to be able to float amongst the firmament?

Of course, it’s likely you — like the rest of us — weren’t able to make these dreams come true, a notion which probably hits you hardest near your 30th birthday. Just because you can’t float in the inky blackness of space doesn’t mean you can’t dream. And what better way to feel interstellar and fabulous than your own pair of NASA-inspired sportswear or a trip to a sardonically irreverent art display complete with NASA branded Winnebego and Beer-dispensing Darth Vader?

Artist Tom Sachs has teamed up with Nike to create a limited edition line of space-inspired sports gear to coincide with his most recent Space Program project, in which he and his team will recreate a four-week trip to Mars in what’s being called an “immersive Space Odyssey.”

The “Mars Yard” shoe from Nike is not cheap. Retailing for $385, the old-style looking shoe is made from Vectran fabric recovered from the Mars Excursion Rover airbags. The outer-sole of the shoe is inspired and borrowed from the Nike special forces boot.

Sachs has also created silvery tote and duffle bags to complete his line, each borrowing NASA design cues and repurposing NASA material. The tote, for example, is made from Cuben fiber, a polyethylene fabric normally used for air balloons, kites and parachutes. The choice of fabric seems like more of a suggestion than an idea, as the $400 tote also comes with a 30-foot parachute cord, pry bar, grappling hook and small case you can use to hold, you know, whatever.

The “Spacebag” duffle also gets the recovered NASA material treatment, utilizing Vectran lining from the Jet Propulsion Lab as well as materials from automotive airbags. The cheapest of the 3 options, Spacebag retails for $250.

Despite the cost of these objects, Sachs wants more to make a statement than a payday.

The art installation portion of Sachs’ latest endeavor began on May 16 and will continue until June 17. For 4 weeks, Sachs and his “crew” will conduct 90-minute demonstrations, activating different sculptural systems simulating lift-off through Mars walk.

Each of these sculptures is hand-crafted out of crude materials: foam-core, glue, plywood and steel.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Sachs said the main issue of the installment is “transparency in construction.”

In order to draw attention to this transparency, Sachs and team painted the plywood they intended to use before they cut it or drilled holes, making the screws visible.

“But this installation represents where we’ve been, and shows a transparency of construction and a transparency of use,” said Sachs.

“As it is, we’re destroying our planet. The more you use your iPhone, it only gets worse and weaker, while plywood, leather and other organic materials tend to improve with age.”

Sachs also emphasizes the importance of “green” versus “recycling,” saying, “‘Green’ is kind of a phony buzz word, and people talk about recycling. The real word you want is ‘re-use’”

“Space Program: Mars” runs through June 17 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

Flipping The Switch On Space Power

2012-05-19 03:46:53

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland have made substantial progress toward harnessing the energy of the Sun from space. This solar power from space has the potential to change the future of renewable energy.

Equipment has been tested in space that would provide a platform for solar panels to collect energy and allow it to be transferred back to earth through microwaves or lasers.

Dr Massimiliano Vasile, of the University of Strathclyde's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who is leading the space-based solar power research, said: "Space provides a fantastic source for collecting solar power and we have the advantage of being able to gather it regardless of the time of the day or indeed the weather conditions.

"In areas like the Sahara desert where quality solar power can be captured, it becomes very difficult to transport this energy to areas where it can be used. However, our research is focusing on how we can remove this obstacle and use space based solar power to target difficult to reach areas."

"By using either microwaves or lasers we would be able to beam the energy back down to earth, directly to specific areas. This would provide a reliable, quality source of energy and would remove the need for storing energy coming from renewable sources on ground as it would provide a constant delivery of solar energy."

"Initially, smaller satellites will be able to generate enough energy for a small village but we have the aim, and indeed the technology available, to one day put a large enough structure in space that could gather energy that would be capable of powering a large city."

Last month a team of students from the university launched an innovative ‘space web’ experiment onboard a rocket near the Arctic Circle. The experiment was known as Suaineadh, or 'twisting' in Scots Gaelic. This was an important step forward in space construction design and demonstrated that larger structures could be built on top of a light-weight spinning web, paving the way for the next stage in the solar power project.

Dr Vasile added: "The success of Suaineadh allows us to move forward with the next stage of our project which involves looking at the reflectors needed to collect the solar power."

"The current project, called SAM (Self-inflating Adaptable Membrane) will test the deployment of an ultra light cellular structure that can change shape once deployed. The structure is made of cells that are self-inflating in vacuum and can change their volume independently through nanopumps."

"The structure replicates the natural cellular structure that exists in all living things. The independent control of the cells would allow us to morph the structure into a solar concentrator to collect the sunlight and project it on solar arrays. The same structure can be used to build large space systems by assembling thousands of small individual units."

The NIAC study is demonstrating a new conceptual design for large scale solar power satellites. The role of the team at the University of Strathclyde is to develop innovative solutions for the structural elements and new solutions for orbit and orbit control.

SpaceX Aborts Historic Launch, Delayed Yet Again

2012-05-19 03:27:18

As everyone gathered across the bay from the SpaceX Dragon capsule, a sense of excitement changed quickly to disappointment throughout the crowd as the highly anticipated launch was aborted with less than a second left (T-.5 seconds to be exact) before liftoff.

SpaceX has been trying to blast its Dragon capsule aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center since April 30.

The rocket was finally on the pad, and everything was "Go" for launch, until SpaceX team members put the rocket into safe mode to try and determine exactly what went wrong.

According to NASA's website, "Early data shows that the chamber pressure on Engine #5 was high. The teams will continue to look at the data and assess a launch attempt on May 22."

RedOrbit will keep you posted when new details from NASA or SpaceX have been released.

Herschel Space Observatory Finds Galaxy-packed Supercluster

2012-05-18 10:11:42

Researchers from McGill University in Canada, utilizing a European space telescope, have discovered a dazzling display of billions of new stars in a galaxy-packed filament about 4,500 light years away in the Cygnus-X star-forming region of the Cygnus constellation.

The Herschel Space Observatory’s discovery shows a filament connecting two clusters of galaxies that, along with a third cluster, will smash together and provide astronomers with one of the largest galaxy superclusters in the universe.

The filament is the first of its kind to be viewed by astronomers, who are given a unique opportunity to explore how galaxies evolve and merge to form superclusters.

“We are excited about this filament, because we think the intense star formation we see in its galaxies is related to the consolidation of the surrounding supercluster,” said Kristen Coppin, an astrophysicist at McGill University in Canada, and lead author of a new paper.

“This luminous bridge of star formation gives us a snapshot of how the evolution of cosmic structure on very large scales affects the evolution of the individual galaxies trapped within it,” added coauthor Jim Geach, also based at McGill.

Publishing their study in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the research team explained that the intergalactic filament contains hundreds of galaxies spanning 8 million light years and links two of three clusters that make up a supercluster known as RCS2319. This emerging supercluster is an exceptionally rare, distant object whose light has taken more than seven billion years to reach us.

The Herschel observatory sees exceptionally well in far-infrared wavelengths, allowing researchers to study stellar nurseries like Cygnus-X. In a new photo accompanying the paper, bright white areas highlight areas where large stars have recently formed out of such clouds, researchers said.

Launched in May 2009, Herschel is the largest infrared telescope ever put into space. It has a primary mirror approximately 11.5 feet wide. It allows astronomers to study some of the coldest objects in the universe, the researchers said. Herschel was originally called the Far Infrared and Sub-millimeter Telescope (FIRST), but was later renamed in honor of Britain’s Sir William Herschel, who, in 1800, discovered that the light spectrum extends beyond what we can see into infrared regions.

The amount of infrared light observed suggests that the galaxies in the filament are producing the equivalent of around 1,000 solar masses of new stars per year. That’s 1,000 times more than what our own Milky Way galaxy produces each year.

Researchers believe the extreme pace of star formation in the filament is due to the fact that galaxies within the filament are being packed into a relatively small cosmic volume under the force of gravity.

“A high rate of interactions and mergers between galaxies could be disturbing the galaxies' gas reservoirs, igniting bursts of star formation,” said Geach.

By studying the filament, astronomers will be able to explore the fundamental issue of whether “nature” vs. “nurture” matters more in the life progression of a galaxy.

Geach asked: “Is the evolution of a galaxy dominated by intrinsic properties such as total mass, or do wider-scale cosmic environments largely determine how galaxies grow and change?”

“The role of the environment in influencing galactic evolution is one of the key questions of modern astrophysics,” he said.

The galaxies in the RCS2319 filament will eventually fill the core of the emerging supercluster, and over the next several billion years, astronomers believe the filament will come to look like enormous superclusters in the local universe. These advanced clusters are heaving with “red and dead” elliptical galaxies that contain aged dying stars instead of young thriving ones.

These galaxies are “destined to become dead galaxies,” added Geach, and “we’re catching them at the most important stage of their evolution.”

Baby Galaxies Grew Up Faster Than Previously Believed

2012-05-18 03:53:28

[ Watch the Video ]

Baby galaxies from the young Universe more than 12 billion years ago evolved faster than previously thought, shows new research from the Niels Bohr Institute. This means that already in the early history of the Universe, there was potential for planet formation and life. The research results have been published in the scientific journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.

For several thousand years after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, the Universe consisted of a hot, dense primordial soup of gases and particles. But the Universe was expanding rapidly and the primordial soup became less dense and cooled. However, the primordial soup was not evenly distributed, but was denser in some areas than others. The density in some of the densest areas increased due to gravity and began to contract, forming the first stars and galaxies. This took place approximately 500 million years after the Big Bang.

The earliest galaxies were probably comprised of primitive, giant stars that consisted of only hydrogen and helium. There were no heavier elements. They first appeared later in the evolution of the Universe, created by nuclear processes in the stars.

Cosmic cycle

A star is a giant ball of glowing gas that produces energy by fusing hydrogen and helium into heavier and heavier elements. When no more energy can be extracted the star dies and massive clouds of dust and gas are flung out into space. These large clouds are condensed and recycled into new stars in a gigantic cosmic cycle. The new stars that are formed will have a higher content of heavier elements than the previous and for each generation of star formation there are more and more of the heavy elements and metals. And heavy elements (especially carbon and oxygen) are necessary for the formation of planets and life, as we know it.

Up until now, researchers thought that it had taken billions of years for stars to form and with that, galaxies with a high content of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. But new research from the Niels Bohr Institute shows that this process went surprisingly quickly in some galaxies.

"We have studied 10 galaxies in the early Universe and analyzed their light spectra. We are observing light from the galaxies that has been on a 10-12 billion year journey to Earth, so we see the galaxies as they were then. Our expectation was that they would be relatively primitive and poor in heavier elements, but we discovered somewhat to our surprise that the gas in some of the galaxies and thus the stars in them had a very high content of heavier elements. The gas was just as enriched as our own Sun," explains Professor Johan Fynbo from the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Lighthouses of the Universe

The galaxies are so far away that you normally do not have the opportunity to observe them directly, but the researchers have used a special method.

"There are some extreme objects in the Universe called quasars. Quasars are gigantic black holes that are active and when matter falls into them, they emit light that is as strong as thousands of galaxies. They are like a kind of lighthouse that lights up in the Universe and can be seen very far away," explains Jens-Kristian Krogager, PhD student at the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute, University Copenhagen. He explains that in order to use quasars as light sources the quasar must lie behind the galaxy you want to observe.

We then look at the light from the quasar and can see that some light is missing. The missing quasar light in the image has been absorbed by the chemical elements in the galaxy in front of it. By analyzing the spectral lines we can see which elements there are and by measuring the strength of each line we can see the amount of the elements," explains Jens-Kristian Krogager.

Life in the early Universe

They discovered not only that the galaxies from the very early Universe had a surprisingly large quantity of heavier elements, but also that one of the galaxies in particular was especially interesting.

"For one of the galaxies, we observed the outer regions and here there was also a high element content. This suggests that large parts of the galaxy are enriched with a high content of heavier elements and that means that already in the early history of the Universe there was potential for planet formation and life," says Johan Fynbo.

Astrophysicists Use Three-Telescope Interferometry To Observe How Black Holes Are Fueled

2012-05-18 03:45:33

By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, an international research team has observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observations. The resolution at which they were able to observe this highly luminescent active galactic nucleus (AGN) has given them direct confirmation of how mass accretes onto black holes in centers of galaxies.

"This three-telescope interferometry is a major milestone toward directly imaging the growth phase of supermassive black holes," said Sebastian Hoenig, a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Physics, and one of the astrophysicists who utilized this technique to observe the AGN at the center of galaxy NGC 3783. The observation was led by Gerd Weigelt, a director of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany.

Hoenig described their findings as a ring of hot dust that marks the transition from a more-distant mixture of gas and dust in a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) structure, to a gaseous disk closer to the black hole. The dusty part, he said, is interesting because it dominates the infrared emission of active galactic nuclei and can be easily observed.

However, observing the ring of hot dust in NGC 3783 was a challenge for the astrophysicists. Not only is the ring distant and faint, but the ability of individual infrared telescopes to resolve distances between actively accreting objects is also highly limited. Even the largest optical/infrared telescopes in the world, the Keck telescopes, were not powerful enough, though they can show objects in the infrared comparable to about the size of a football field at the distance of the moon.

"In order to spatially resolve the accretion process onto supermassive black holes in nearby galaxies, we have to be at least a factor of ten better," said Hoenig. To achieve that angular resolution in a single telescope, it would have to be 130 meters in diameter.

However, by using the AMBER interferometry instrument to simultaneously combine the light from three 8-meter telescopes at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, the research team was able to achieve the angular resolution needed to observe the hot dust ring. The Paranal Observatory is operated by the European Southern Observatories (ESO).

The combination of the light from the three telescopes was no small feat, as the tiny differences in the arrival of light in the individual telescopes have to undergo constant correction with an accuracy of a few micrometers – roughly ten times smaller than the thickness of a hair, according to Hoenig.

"The ESO VLTI provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of active galactic nuclei," said lead researcher Weigelt. "It allows us to study fascinating physical processes with unprecedented resolution over a wide range of infrared wavelengths. This is needed to derive physical properties of these sources."

Up next for the research team, which also includes astrophysicists from the universities of Florence, Grenoble, and Nice, will be the continued accumulation of information from additional observations toward a highly detailed image of the active galactic nucleus at galaxy NGC 3783.

"Our main interest is to learn how supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies are fueled, so that they grow to the enormous million to billion solar mass objects we see today," said Hoenig.

Image 2 (below): Very Large Telescope Interferometer at the ESO/Paranal Observatory in Chile. Credit: Sebastian Hoenig

Hinode Will Capture Annular Solar Eclipse This Weekend

2012-05-18 03:39:13

On May 20-21, 2012 an annular eclipse of the Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor along Earth's northern Hemisphere -- beginning in eastern Asia, crossing the North Pacific Ocean, and ending in the western United States. A partial eclipse will be visible from a much larger region covering East Asia, North Pacific, North America and Greenland.

During an annular eclipse the moon does not block the entirety of the sun, but leaves a bright ring of light visible at the edges. For the May eclipse, the moon will be at the furthest distance from Earth that it ever achieves – meaning that it will block the smallest possible portion of the sun, and leave the largest possible bright ring around the outside.

The joint JAXA/NASA Hinode mission will observe the eclipse and provide images and movies that will be available on the NASA website at http://www.nasa.gov/sunearth. Due to Hinode’s orbit around the Earth, Hinode will actually observe 4 separate partial eclipses." Scientists often use an eclipse to help calibrate the instruments on the telescope by focusing in on the edge of the moon as it crosses the sun and measuring how sharp it appears in the images. An added bonus: Hinode's X-ray Telescope will be able to provide images of the peaks and valleys of the lunar surface.

The orbits for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), and the joint ESA/NASA mission the Solar Heliospheric Observatory will not provide them with a view of the eclipse.

The next solar eclipse will be the total solar eclipse on November 13, 2012.

More information on eclipses: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html

To find information about the time of any eclipse in your location: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JSEX/JSEX-index.html

Share your eclipse photos in our Flickr gallery.

Some Sun-like Stars Put Off Superflares

2012-05-17 13:32:04

New research shows that other sun-like stars in the universe can send off flares much larger than those seen on our sun.

Solar flares are the result of broken magnetic-field loops as they pass through sunspots. As these loops become twisted and contorted, the flares occur, sending enormous amounts of charged particles, energy and radiation outward. So far, the largest solar flare ever measured on our sun happened on September 1, 1859, by British astronomer Richard Carrington. He simply observed it as a mysterious brightening as he was drawing sunspots at the time.

Then, when the particles from the solar flare hit Earth just hours later, the magnetic shield was rocked, creating auroras in the sky. Telegraphy machines even threw off sparks when they were connected to their batteries.

Speaking to Nature, Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge said if such a flare were to occur today, the resulting power from it would “rock our transformers.”

Flares such as the one reported during the “Carrington Event” may be dangerous to Earth now, but flares even more powerful have been observed on other stars. These flares are reported to be 10 million times more energetic than our Sun’s largest flare and yet, observations of these superflares have been unreliable thus far.

Now, NASA’s Kepler spacecraft is in the sky, observing the same part of the universe continuously and keeping a safe distance as to catch one of these superflares as they occur.

“Suddenly the field is awash in huge amounts of data,” Schaefer said. “We’ve got a way to get good demographics on the stars that have superflares.”

So, with this data, Hiroyuki Maehara and colleagues at Kyoto University in Japan have conducted the first analysis of Kepler’s first 120 days in the sky when it launched in 2009. With this data, Maehara and team found there were 83,000 stars just like our sun. Of these, 148 threw off superflares with energies measuring 10 to 10,000 times greater than the Carrington Event.

The team expected the stars, which spin more quickly, to shoot off more solar flares. These stars did not disappoint as most of the 365 flares observed by the team came from these stars. What they found curious, however, was a quarter of the superflares they observed occurred on slower stars, much like our sun, which takes one month to complete its rotation.

Some astronomers blame the magnetic fields coming from nearby Jupiter-like planets. Instead of magnetic fields traveling from sunspot to sunspot, these fields could reach out and connect with nearby fields on these “hot Jupiter” planets, stretching and tightening as the sun-star orbits until the field is finally broken. The result is an explosive superflare which releases massive amounts of energy.

This may not, however, explain the superflares observed by Maehara and team, as no data from Kepler show any signs of a “hot Jupiter” nearby.

“It seems extremely unlikely that a planet is causing these flares,” says Lucianne Walkowicz, a Kepler team member at Princeton University in New Jersey. “More likely, it means that even when [stars are rotating slowly], they are occasionally able to store up their magnetic energy and release it in these big flares. It’s really a mystery as to how and why that happens.”

Luckily, astronomers don’t see superflares like this occurring on our sun’s surface. Maehara says our sun moves too slowly and its sunspots are too small to breed superflares. While a superflare could cause mass extinction events on Earth, Schaefer also says these superflares may be a sign of inhabitable life.

"Superflares might provide the high-energy radiation required to create organic molecules, so perhaps superflare systems are a good place to look for alien life that has evolved to avoid the effects of the huge flares," he said.