Clipmarks | tabsey's 'astronomy' clips

Solar System Dented, Not Round

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:07:16 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The "bottom" of the egg is flattened by a permanent clash of particles, as the outbound solar wind smashes into atomic debris hurtling in from interstellar space, the scientists theorize.
Voyager 2 also crossed the "termination shock" several times within the space of a single day, showing that the boundary is in perpetual flux, like the ebb-and-flow of a tide.

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

July 2, 2008 -- Millions of textbooks depicting our solar system as spherical have got it all wrong, according to studies of data sent back from deep space by NASA's venerable probe, Voyager 2.

The sun's zone of influence -- called the heliosphere -- turns out to be seriously asymmetrical, not round, they say.

Launched in 1977 on a historic trek of the outer planets, Voyager 2 has now crossed the turbulent boundary, known as the "termination shock," where the heliosphere yields to interstellar space.

Its twin probe Voyager 1, crossed the same threshold four years earlier at a different spot some one billion miles farther from the sun.

This difference proves that the heliosphere is not even close to perfectly round, but is oblong, like an egg, according to the studies, released by the British journal Nature on Wednesday.

Tags: astronomy, is, for, stars

Strange Ring Found Circling Dead Star

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:40:28 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Recommend this article to astronomy tragics.

Clip Source: science.nasa.gov

May 29, 2008: NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a bizarre ring of material around the magnetic remains of a star that blasted itself to smithereens.

The stellar corpse, called SGR 1900+14, belongs to a class of objects known as magnetars. These are the cores of massive stars that blew up in supernova explosions, but unlike most other dead stars, they have tremendously strong magnetic fields.

Above: A ring around SGR 1900+14 observed by the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. [more]

Below: A selection of rings and spheres in the Milky Way. From left to right, (1) light echoes from old supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, (2) a blast wave emerging from recent supernova 1987A, and (3) a planetary nebula named The Helix. The ring around SGR 1900+14 is like none of these things.

A closer analysis revealed that the ring is most likely a carved-out cavity in a dust cloud -- a phenomenon that must be somewhat rare in the universe because it had not been seen before.

Tags: astronomy

Global Telescope has 10x's the Resolution of the Hubble

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:32:45 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico joined a project called Electronic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (e-VLBI), which can make temporary radio telescopes that rival the size of the Earth, spanning North America, South America, Europe and Africa.

The e-VLBI's size gives it 10 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope, allowing the array to image objects - like the bright 'afterglow' formed when a high-speed jet of matter from a gamma-ray burst slams into its surroundings, that just look like points to individual radio telescopes, according to Chris Salter of Arecibo. Now, with the e-VLBI, the data is sent via fiber optic cables to produce real-time images of celestial objects. That allows astronomers to easily plan follow-up observations for rapidly changing phenomena, such as supernovae.

Tags: astronomy, is, out, of, th......................

Large 'Planet X' May Lurk Beyond Pluto

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:10:31 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: We have pics of galaxies millions of light years away and yet we are not sure about our solar system (let alone our ocean).

Clip Source: www.space.com

An icy, unknown world might lurk in the distant reaches of our solar system beyond the orbit of Pluto, according to a new computer model.

The hidden world -- thought to be much bigger than Pluto based on the model -- could explain unusual features of the Kuiper Belt, a region of space beyond Neptune littered with icy and rocky bodies. Its existence would satisfy the long-held hopes and hypotheses for a "Planet X" envisioned by scientists and sci-fi buffs alike.

"Although the search for a distant planet in the solar system is old, it is far from over," said study team member Patryk Lykawka of Kobe University in Japan.

The model, created by Lykawka and Kobe University colleague Tadashi Mukai, is detailed in a recent issue of Astrophysical Journal.

If the new world is confirmed, it would not be technically a planet. Under a controversial new definition adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) last week, it would instead be the largest known "plutoid."

Tags: astronomy

Black holes have simple feeding habits

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:38:34 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Not so keen on spinach.

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

The biggest black holes may feed just like the smallest ones, according to data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based telescopes. This discovery supports the implication of Einstein's relativity theory that black holes of all sizes have similar properties, and will be useful for predicting the properties of a conjectured new class of black holes.

The conclusion comes from a large observing campaign of the spiral galaxy M81, which is about 12 million light years from Earth. In the center of M81 is a black hole that is about 70 million times more massive than the Sun, and generates energy and radiation as it pulls gas in the central region of the galaxy inwards at high speed.

Tags: astronomy

Space Probe Ulysses Reaches End of Odyssey

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:28:06 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Well earned retirement. Off on a voyage, I suppose.

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

On Its Last Leg

June 13, 2008 -- European and American scientists will bid a fond farewell on July 1 to the space probe Ulysses, which has circled the sun gathering data for 17 years, almost four times its expected lifetime.

The first major collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 1990, "changed forever the way we view the sun and its effect on the surrounding space," David Southwood, ESA's director of science, said in announcing the end of mission.

Stuffed with 10 observational instruments, the 814-pound probe is the only satellite to have circled the sun's poles.

Its principle objective was to explore the boundaries and impact of the sun's sphere of influence, called the heliosphere.

One of its many findings was that the sun's magnetic fields, thrust outward by solar wind, extends into the solar system in ways that were previously not suspected.

Tags: astronomy

NASA finds new type of comet dust mineral

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:11:27 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.astronomy.com

Brownleeite is believed to have orginated from comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. This image shows Comet McNaught. Paul Mayo [View Larger Image]

NASA researchers and scientists from the United States, Germany and Japan have found a new mineral in material that likely came from a comet.

The mineral, a manganese silicide named Brownleeite, was discovered within an interplanetary dust particle, or IDP, that appears to have originated from comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. The comet originally was discovered in 1902 and reappears every 5 years. The team that made the discovery is headed by Keiko Nakamura-Messenger, a space scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"When I saw this mineral for the first time, I immediately knew this was something no one had seen before," says Nakamura-Messenger. "But it took several more months to obtain conclusive data because these mineral grains were only 1/10,000 of an inch in size."

Tags: astronomy

Ten Amazing Telescopes (2)

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:14:50 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Three: Giant Magellan Telescope

A spin casting furnace creates a mold to build mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Two: Thirty Meter Telescope

The name says it all. The Thirty Meter Telescope's massive primary mirror has 492 segments, all perfectly aligned to form a 30-meter (98-foot) light-collecting surface. Each segment will be continuously computer-adjusted to maintain the correct alignment to prevent any image distortion. Its adaptive optics correct not only for atmospheric distortion but also for ground winds that can alter observational accuracy.

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore has helped fund the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope One: European Extremely Large Telescope

An artist's rendering of the European Extremely Large Telescope.

Tags: astronomy

Ten Amazing Telescopes (1)

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:14:45 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: And that they are.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope 10: Southern African Large Telescope

SALT's large mirrors allow it to peer out at distant galactic sights.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Nine: Keck Observatory

The dome shutters of Keck I and II top the summit of the dormant volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Eight: Great Canary Telescope

The Great Canary Telescope is located in the
Great Canary Islands.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Seven: Very Large Telescope

The Very Large Telescope stands on the top of a leveled mountain in northern Chile. The area's low humidity and rainfall make it perfect for heavenly observation.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Six: Large Binocular Telescope

A technician grinds a large mirror, constructed in a honeycombed fashion. The mirror became part of the LBT.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Five: Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope has provided unparalleled images of space.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Telescope Four: Chandra X-ray Observatory

The Chandra X-ray Observatory created this image of the event horizon of a super-massive black hole. The exposure lasted two weeks.

Tags: astronomy

Cosmic Grim Reaper Seen For First Time

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:42:23 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Like, wow, man!

Clip Source: www.space.com

Like a cosmic Grim Reaper, a blast of ultraviolet light signals the violent death of the universe's most massive stars. Now astronomers have viewed this heavenly harbinger for the first time.

"Astronomers have been dreaming about seeing the first light from the violent death of a star for over 30 years," said lead researcher Kevin Schawinksi of the University of Oxford. "Our observations open up an entirely new avenue for studying the final stages in the lives of massive stars and the physics of supernovae."

Schawinksi and his colleagues detected the ultraviolet signal of a hefty star on the verge of explosion, which they detail in the June 13 issue of the journal Science.

Tags: astronomy

Pluto Gets Respect: Dwarf Planets to Be Called 'Plutoids'

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:31:51 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

June 11, 2008 -- Pluto is finally getting its day in the sun, after being stripped of planetary status by astronomers two years ago.

From now on all similar distant bodies in the solar system will be called "plutoids." That's the decision by the International Astronomical Union, which met last week in Oslo, Norway, and announced the decision Wednesday.

The same group raised a cosmic fuss when it demoted the once-ninth planet to "dwarf" status in 2006. The new policy allows Pluto to be the standard for a whole new category of dwarf planets.

Pluto is one of only two plutoids, the other being Eris. Both are objects that circle the sun and are too small to be considered planets, but big enough to have a level of gravity that keeps them in a near spherical shape. Plutoids also must be farther from the sun than Neptune.

Tags: astronomy

Collage of space pictures.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:50:29 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The clip may tempt you to visit the site. Very effective.

Clip Source: wierdling.longboys.net

Tags: collage, astronomy

Mysterious Outburst from the Edge of the Milky Way

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:27:28 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The outburst may represent a transitory stage in a star's evolution that is rarely seen. The star has some similarities to highly unstable aging stars called eruptive variables, which suddenly and unpredictably increase in brightness.

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

This stunning image of swirls of dust surrounding the variable star V838 Monocerotis near the edge of our Milky Way Galaxy, about 20,000 light-years from our sun, was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope in September 2006.

The picture spans about 14 light-years. Ever since a sudden outburst was detected in January 2002, this enigmatic star has fascinated astronomers, who expect the expanding echoes to continue to light up the dusty environs of V838 Mon for at least the rest of the current decade. Researchers have now found that V838 Mon is likely a young binary star, but the cause of its extraordinary outburst remains a mystery.

V838 Monocerotis did not expel its outer layers. Instead, it grew enormously in size. Its surface temperature dropped to temperatures that were not much hotter than a light bulb. This behavior of ballooning to an enormous size, but not losing its outer layers, is very unusual and completely unlike an ordinary nova explosion.

Tags: astronomy

Supercomputer sets petaflop pace

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:00:34 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Those mice must have to run awfully quickly.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Currently, BlueGene/L is the most powerful computer in the world

A supercomputer built with components designed for the Sony PlayStation 3 has set a new computing milestone.

The IBM machine, codenamed Roadrunner, has been shown to run at "petaflop speeds", the equivalent of one thousand trillion calculations per second.

The benchmark means the computer is twice as nimble as the current world's fastest machine, also built by IBM.

It will be installed at a US government laboratory later this year where it will monitor the US nuclear stockpile.

It will also be used for research into astronomy, genomics and climate change.

"We are getting closer to simulating the real world," Bijan Davari, vice president of next generation computing systems at IBM, told BBC News.

It would be of particular use for calculating risk in financial markets, he said.

"The latency of the calculations is so small that for all practical purposes it is real time."

Tags: computers

Two-Armed Spiral Milky Way

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:43:01 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: So it does only have two arms. Donated the others to a black hole, I suppose.

Clip Source: antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov

Two-Armed Spiral Milky Way
Illustration Credit: R. Hurt (SSC), JPL-Caltech, NASA
Survey Credit: GLIMPSE

Explanation: Gazing out from within the Milky Way, our own galaxy's true structure is difficult to discern. But an ambitious survey effort with the Spitzer Space Telescope now offers convincing evidence that we live in a large galaxy distinguished by two main spiral arms (the Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus arms) emerging from the ends of a large central bar. In fact, from a vantage point that viewed our galaxy face-on, astronomers in distant galaxies would likely see the Milky Way as a two-armed barred spiral similar to this artist's illustration. Previous investigations have identified a smaller central barred structure and four spiral arms. Astronomers still place the Sun about a third of the way in from the Milky Way's outer edge, in a minor arm called the Orion Spur. To locate the Sun and identify the Milky Way's newly mapped features, just place your cursor over the image.

Tags: astronomy