from Yahoo News and The Audacity of Hypocrisy:
US scientists find potentially habitable planet near Earthfrom Audacity Of Hypocrisy by adminUS astronomers said Wednesday they have discovered an Earth-sized planet that they think might be habitable, orbiting a nearby star, and believe there could be many more planets like it in space.
The planet, found by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, is orbiting in the middle of the “habitable zone” of the red dwarf star Gliese 581, which means it could have water on its surface.
Liquid water and an atmosphere are necessary for a planet to possibly sustain life, even it it might not be a great place to live, the scientists said.
The scientists determined that the planet, which they have called Gliese 581g, has a mass three to four times that of Earth and an orbital period of just under 37 days.
Its mass indicates that it is probably a rocky planet and has enough gravity to hold on to an atmosphere, according to Steven Vogt, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and one of the leaders of the team that discovered the planet.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com
And, from Space.com:
Alien World Tour: The Exoplanets Around Star Gliese 581
By Mike Wall
SPACE.com Senior Writer
posted: 29 September 2010
06:55 pm ET
The announcement today of two newfound alien planets circling the star Gliese 581 adds to the nearby solar system's intrigue, further cementing its status as a top candidate to harbor extraterrestrial life.
One of the two newly discovered planets, known as Gliese 581g, is a small, Earth-like world that likely lies within its star's habitable zone — the just-right range of distances that allow liquid water to exist. [Artist's conception of Gliese 581g.]
Astronomers have now detected six planets orbiting Gliese 581, the most known to circle any star beyond our own sun. Here's a brief tour of the star and its planets, from the inside out:
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Maps.alot.comGliese 581: the mother star
Gliese 581 is a red dwarf located 20.5 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Libra. Like other red dwarfs, it's smaller and much dimmer than our sun. Scientists believe Gliese 581 is old — at least a few billion years — and relatively stable. Both are qualities conducive to the evolution of life, scientists have said.
Nearest planet
The nearest planet to the star is Gliese 581e, a rocky world nearly twice as massive as Earth.
Gliese 581e is extremely close to its parent star — it completes an orbit every 3.15 days — so it's likely far too hot for life to have any chance of taking root.
Gliese 581e is about 0.033 astronomical units from its parent star. One astronomical unit, or AU, is the average distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles (150 million km).
Astronomers announced this planet's discovery in April 2009, and it's in the running for the lightest known extrasolar planet. So far, the only potential alien planet less massive than Gliese 581e is a world about 1.4 times the mass of Earth, but its existence — around a more distant star — has not yet been confirmed.
Next up: Gliese 581b
Traveling outward, the next planet is Gliese 581b, a Neptune-size alien world that's about 16 times as massive as Earth. This planet is still very close to the star, completing an orbit in 5.4 days.
Astronomers first discovered this planet in December 2005, according to an extrasolar planet database maintained by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Its average distance from the Gliese 581 star is about 0.041 AU.
Rocky world in third
Gliese 581c comes next. This is a rocky, smallish planet — about five Earth masses — that makes a full trip around the red dwarf every 15 days.
Astronomers once thought Gliese 581c might be in the habitable zone, but later observations suggested the planet is likely too hot to support liquid water or life. The planet is about 0.073 AU from its parent star.
Meet Gliese 581g
Unlike Gliese 581c, the newfound planet Gliese 581g looks much more hospitable. It is orbiting within the habitable zone of its parent star.
Gliese 581g is three to four times as massive as Earth, is most likely rocky, and may have an atmosphere, scientists say. It orbits about 0.146 AU from the central star.
Liquid water could exist on some part of the planet's surface, which seems to have an average temperature between minus 24 and minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 31 to minus 12 degrees Celsius). Gliese 581g completes an orbit every 37 days or so.
Fifth planet is a super-Earth
The next planet in line is a so-called super-Earth, Gliese 581d, which is seven or eight times as massive as Earth and completes an orbit every 67 days.
Though at first glance this planet appeared to be beyond the star's habitable zone, astronomers think it might just squeak in — computer models suggest a greenhouse effect could be warming its surface. It was discovered in April 2007 and orbits about 0.22 AU from its parent star.
Sixth planet on the outskirts
The outermost planet in the Gliese 581 system (that astronomers know about, anyway) is the newly discovered Gliese 581f, announced today.
This planet is much farther away than the other five planets, zipping through space far outside the habitable zone, but it is still closer to its parent star than the Earth is to our sun. The planet is about 0.76 AU from its parent star.
Like all of the planets in the Gliese 581 system — and in our own solar system — Gliese 581f's orbit is nearly circular, scientists said.
Earth--Day and Night Regions
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Spectacular Aurora On Saturn Shines In New Video
From Space.com:
Yahoo! Buzz
Spectacular Aurora on Saturn Shines in New Video
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 23 September 2010
06:21 pm ET
Earth isn't the only planet in the solar system with a dazzling northern lights show. A new video from Saturn shows spectacular aurora on the ringed planet, revealing new details about how the phenomenon works.
The Saturn aurora movie was made from images collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) instrument. [Video of Saturn auroras.]
http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=SP_100923_saturn-aurora
"Cassini's instruments have been imaging the aurora in magnificent detail, but to understand the overall nature of the auroral region we need to make a huge number of observations -- which can be difficult because Cassini observation time is in high demand," said study leader Tom Stallard of the U.K.'s University of Leicester in a statement. "However, there are VIMS observations of numerous other scientific targets that also include auroral information. Sometimes the aurora can be clearly seen, sometimes we have to add multiple images together to produce a signal."
As a whole, the collection of observations should help build up a better understanding of how auroras happen across the solar system, he said.
Stallard will present preliminary results from his study at the European Planetary Science Congress in Rome on Friday (Sept. 24).
In the new Cassini video, the aurora can clearly be seen to vary significantly over the course of a Saturnian day, which lasts around 10 hours and 47 minutes. On the noon and midnight sides (to the left and right respectively) the aurora can be seen to brighten significantly for periods of several hours, suggesting the brightening is connected with the direction of the sun.
Other features can be seen rotating along with the underlying planet, reappearing at the same time and the same place on the second day. This suggests that they are directly controlled by the direction of Saturn's magnetic field, researchers said.
As with Earth's northern and southern lights, the auroras on Saturn are created when solar wind particles are channeled into the planet's magnetic field toward its poles. There, they interact with electrically charged gas (plasma) in the upper atmosphere and emit light.
However, aurora features on Saturn can also be caused by electromagnetic waves generated when its moons move through the plasma that fills the planet's magnetosphere.
To date, Stallard and his colleagues have investigated some 1,000 images from the 7,000 that Cassini's VIMS instrument has recorded of Saturn's auroral region.
"Saturn's aurorae are very complex and we are only just beginning to understand all the factors involved," Stallard said. "This study will provide a broader view of the wide variety of different auroral features that can be seen, and will allow us to better understand what controls these changes in appearance."
Yahoo! Buzz
Spectacular Aurora on Saturn Shines in New Video
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 23 September 2010
06:21 pm ET
Earth isn't the only planet in the solar system with a dazzling northern lights show. A new video from Saturn shows spectacular aurora on the ringed planet, revealing new details about how the phenomenon works.
The Saturn aurora movie was made from images collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) instrument. [Video of Saturn auroras.]
http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=SP_100923_saturn-aurora
"Cassini's instruments have been imaging the aurora in magnificent detail, but to understand the overall nature of the auroral region we need to make a huge number of observations -- which can be difficult because Cassini observation time is in high demand," said study leader Tom Stallard of the U.K.'s University of Leicester in a statement. "However, there are VIMS observations of numerous other scientific targets that also include auroral information. Sometimes the aurora can be clearly seen, sometimes we have to add multiple images together to produce a signal."
As a whole, the collection of observations should help build up a better understanding of how auroras happen across the solar system, he said.
Stallard will present preliminary results from his study at the European Planetary Science Congress in Rome on Friday (Sept. 24).
In the new Cassini video, the aurora can clearly be seen to vary significantly over the course of a Saturnian day, which lasts around 10 hours and 47 minutes. On the noon and midnight sides (to the left and right respectively) the aurora can be seen to brighten significantly for periods of several hours, suggesting the brightening is connected with the direction of the sun.
Other features can be seen rotating along with the underlying planet, reappearing at the same time and the same place on the second day. This suggests that they are directly controlled by the direction of Saturn's magnetic field, researchers said.
As with Earth's northern and southern lights, the auroras on Saturn are created when solar wind particles are channeled into the planet's magnetic field toward its poles. There, they interact with electrically charged gas (plasma) in the upper atmosphere and emit light.
However, aurora features on Saturn can also be caused by electromagnetic waves generated when its moons move through the plasma that fills the planet's magnetosphere.
To date, Stallard and his colleagues have investigated some 1,000 images from the 7,000 that Cassini's VIMS instrument has recorded of Saturn's auroral region.
"Saturn's aurorae are very complex and we are only just beginning to understand all the factors involved," Stallard said. "This study will provide a broader view of the wide variety of different auroral features that can be seen, and will allow us to better understand what controls these changes in appearance."
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mercury's Comet-Like Tail Spotted By Amateur Astronomer
From Space.com:
Mercury's Comet-Like Tail Spotted by Amateur Astronomer
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 22 September 2010
04:08 pm ET
Two satellites peering at the sun have snapped photos of Mercury's long, comet-like tail, but it took an amateur astronomer to bring the pictures to light.
The twin satellites are part of NASA's Stereo (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission. They zip around the sun in Earth's orbit, one behind our planet and one ahead of it. Their main job is to monitor the sun and its atmosphere.
Since Mercury is so close to the sun, the planet occasionally wanders into the satellites' photos. Some of these images show a long, comet-like tail streaming off the planet, away from the sun. [New photo of Mercury tail.]
Astronomers didn't notice the tail in the photos right away. But it didn't escape the eyes of Australian medical researcher Ian Musgrave.
Musgrave was poring over an Internet database of images when he discovered Mercury's wispy tail. He then asked scientists at Boston University to take a look, university researchers said.
The scientists presented their findings at the European Planetary Science Congress meeting in Rome today (Sept. 22).
Mercury's tail
Scientists have known for years that Mercury has a long tail. From Earth it can be seen by analyzing light from sodium gas sputtered off Mercury's surface. The sun's intense radiation pressure pushes many sodium atoms off into space, creating a tail that extends far beyond the planet.
Mercury also has several smaller tails made of other gases. NASA's Messenger satellite recently detected these as it flew by Mercury in preparation to orbit the planet, researchers said.
But there are many details still to be worked out about these mysterious tails, and the new solar-satellite data should shed some light, researchers said.
"What makes the Stereo detections so interesting is that the brightness levels seem to be too strong to be from sodium," said study researcher Carl Schmidt of Boston University.
What's it made of?
The current focus of the team is to sort out what the gases in the tail might be.
The researchers are working to refine their brightness-calibration methods, and they're trying to determine the precise wavelengths of light that would get through the Stereo cameras' filters.
"The combination of our ground-based data with the new Stereo data is an exciting way to learn as much as possible about the sources and fates of gases escaping from Mercury," said researcher Michael Mendillo, also of Boston University.
Top 10 New Mysteries of Mercury
Mercury's Comet-Like Tail Spotted by Amateur Astronomer
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 22 September 2010
04:08 pm ET
Two satellites peering at the sun have snapped photos of Mercury's long, comet-like tail, but it took an amateur astronomer to bring the pictures to light.
The twin satellites are part of NASA's Stereo (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) mission. They zip around the sun in Earth's orbit, one behind our planet and one ahead of it. Their main job is to monitor the sun and its atmosphere.
Since Mercury is so close to the sun, the planet occasionally wanders into the satellites' photos. Some of these images show a long, comet-like tail streaming off the planet, away from the sun. [New photo of Mercury tail.]
Astronomers didn't notice the tail in the photos right away. But it didn't escape the eyes of Australian medical researcher Ian Musgrave.
Musgrave was poring over an Internet database of images when he discovered Mercury's wispy tail. He then asked scientists at Boston University to take a look, university researchers said.
The scientists presented their findings at the European Planetary Science Congress meeting in Rome today (Sept. 22).
Mercury's tail
Scientists have known for years that Mercury has a long tail. From Earth it can be seen by analyzing light from sodium gas sputtered off Mercury's surface. The sun's intense radiation pressure pushes many sodium atoms off into space, creating a tail that extends far beyond the planet.
Mercury also has several smaller tails made of other gases. NASA's Messenger satellite recently detected these as it flew by Mercury in preparation to orbit the planet, researchers said.
But there are many details still to be worked out about these mysterious tails, and the new solar-satellite data should shed some light, researchers said.
"What makes the Stereo detections so interesting is that the brightness levels seem to be too strong to be from sodium," said study researcher Carl Schmidt of Boston University.
What's it made of?
The current focus of the team is to sort out what the gases in the tail might be.
The researchers are working to refine their brightness-calibration methods, and they're trying to determine the precise wavelengths of light that would get through the Stereo cameras' filters.
"The combination of our ground-based data with the new Stereo data is an exciting way to learn as much as possible about the sources and fates of gases escaping from Mercury," said researcher Michael Mendillo, also of Boston University.
Top 10 New Mysteries of Mercury
Northern Lights Get Internet Reality Show
From Yahoo and Space.com:
Northern Lights Get Internet Reality Show
Buzz up!13 votes Share
retweet
EmailPrint..Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor
SPACE.com tariq Malik
space.com Managing Editor
space.com – Mon Sep 20, 1:00 pm ET
This story was updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Aching to see the dazzling aurora displays that make up the northern lights, but can't get to the Arctic Circle to see them? Don't worry, a new Internet show has you covered.
The new web-based observatory AuroraMAX will go live tonight (Sept. 20) to broadcast real-time views of eye-catching northern lights, called the aurora borealis, as part of an outreach project by the Canadian Space Agency. [Amazing Aurora Photos]
"Armchair skywatchers everywhere can now discover the wonder of the northern lights live on their home computer screen," space agency chief Steve MacLean said in an announcement. "We hope that watching the dance of the northern lights will make you curious about the science of the sky and the relationship we have with our own star, the sun."
The Canadian Space Agency teamed up with the University of Calgary, the skywatching publication Astronomy North and the city of Yellowknife, which is about 318 miles (512 km) south of the Arctic Circle. According to the city's website, Yellowknife is "known for our outdoor recreation, midnight sun, aurora borealis and an unusual blend of northern culture."
The AuroraMAX website will include tips on how to observe auroras, explanations on why they occur, and highlight Canadian research into the relationship between the sun and Earth that leads to the dazzling sky shows. Photo galleries and videos of the phenomenon will also be included. A recap of each night will be broadcast on the following day.
Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun are funneled toward Earth by the planet's magnetic field and collide with the upper atmosphere near the poles. They are more active when the sun's activity peaks during its 11-year solar weather cycle. The sun is currently entering an active phase of its present cycle, so astronomers expect the northern lights to be more common and more dazzling over the next couple of years.
In addition to the aurora borealis in the north, the South Pole region also sees its own aurora displays, called the aurora australis.
In Canada, the peak of the aurora season typically runs from late August to May, because the nights are longer. The auroras themselves occur all year.
"The reason we classify August through May as the 'aurora watch' season is because of the extended number of 'dark' hours in Canada," aurora researcher Emma Spanswick of the University of Calgary told SPACE.com in an e-mail. "From an instrumentation perspective, the cameras we use to observe the aurora (like the AuroraMAX camera) are very sensitive. They are only able to operate when the sun is at least 12 degrees below the horizon … and in Northern Canada, that only happens between the months of August and May."
The AuroraMAX observatory will broadcast views of the northern lights through the sun's peak activity period, called solar maximum, which is expected in 2013, researchers said
Northern Lights Get Internet Reality Show
Buzz up!13 votes Share
retweet
EmailPrint..Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor
SPACE.com tariq Malik
space.com Managing Editor
space.com – Mon Sep 20, 1:00 pm ET
This story was updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Aching to see the dazzling aurora displays that make up the northern lights, but can't get to the Arctic Circle to see them? Don't worry, a new Internet show has you covered.
The new web-based observatory AuroraMAX will go live tonight (Sept. 20) to broadcast real-time views of eye-catching northern lights, called the aurora borealis, as part of an outreach project by the Canadian Space Agency. [Amazing Aurora Photos]
"Armchair skywatchers everywhere can now discover the wonder of the northern lights live on their home computer screen," space agency chief Steve MacLean said in an announcement. "We hope that watching the dance of the northern lights will make you curious about the science of the sky and the relationship we have with our own star, the sun."
The Canadian Space Agency teamed up with the University of Calgary, the skywatching publication Astronomy North and the city of Yellowknife, which is about 318 miles (512 km) south of the Arctic Circle. According to the city's website, Yellowknife is "known for our outdoor recreation, midnight sun, aurora borealis and an unusual blend of northern culture."
The AuroraMAX website will include tips on how to observe auroras, explanations on why they occur, and highlight Canadian research into the relationship between the sun and Earth that leads to the dazzling sky shows. Photo galleries and videos of the phenomenon will also be included. A recap of each night will be broadcast on the following day.
Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun are funneled toward Earth by the planet's magnetic field and collide with the upper atmosphere near the poles. They are more active when the sun's activity peaks during its 11-year solar weather cycle. The sun is currently entering an active phase of its present cycle, so astronomers expect the northern lights to be more common and more dazzling over the next couple of years.
In addition to the aurora borealis in the north, the South Pole region also sees its own aurora displays, called the aurora australis.
In Canada, the peak of the aurora season typically runs from late August to May, because the nights are longer. The auroras themselves occur all year.
"The reason we classify August through May as the 'aurora watch' season is because of the extended number of 'dark' hours in Canada," aurora researcher Emma Spanswick of the University of Calgary told SPACE.com in an e-mail. "From an instrumentation perspective, the cameras we use to observe the aurora (like the AuroraMAX camera) are very sensitive. They are only able to operate when the sun is at least 12 degrees below the horizon … and in Northern Canada, that only happens between the months of August and May."
The AuroraMAX observatory will broadcast views of the northern lights through the sun's peak activity period, called solar maximum, which is expected in 2013, researchers said
Reminder: Rare Sky Show--Two Planets Align With Harvest Moon
From Yahoo:
Rare Sky Show: Two Planets Align with Harvest Moon
Buzz up! ..Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
SPACE.com geoff Gaherty
starry Night Education
space.com – Tue Sep 21, 5:15 pm ET
Check out the eastern sky just after sunset tomorrow (Sept. 22), and you'll catch a skywatching treat. The nearly full moon will be rising just above the bright planet Jupiter and a somewhat dimmer Uranus.
You'll need binoculars if you hope to spot Uranus — it appears as a tiny bluish speck, too dim for the naked eye. So the coming celestial lineup is an excellent time to find that planet with binoculars or a small telescope, using Jupiter as a helpful guidepost.
This sky map shows where to spot the moon, Jupiter and Uranus this week.
Skywatching marathon
Several astronomical events happen in rapid succession this week, offering a celestial show for observers graced with clear skies. The times indicated here are for eastern North America and may vary a little if you’re elsewhere in the world:
Today (Sept. 21) at 8 p.m. EDT (1200 GMT), Jupiter is in opposition. This means that Jupiter will be exactly opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. This also means that Jupiter will be visible the entire night. (Yesterday — Sept. 20 — Jupiter made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 50 years.)
Five hours later, at 1 a.m. tomorrow (Sept. 22), Uranus will be in opposition, taking its turn opposite the sun in the sky.
Later tomorrow at 3 p.m., Jupiter and Uranus will be in conjunction, less than 1 degree apart in the sky. They won’t be visible right then in North America because they will be below the horizon, but they will still be close together when they rise just after sunset. You will be able to see both planets at the same time in the field of a small telescope at low magnification.
The show continues tomorrow night at 11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thursday, Sept. 23), when the sun crosses the celestial equator — a projection of Earth's equator on the sky — and enters the southern hemisphere. This is known as the equinox, meaning "equal nights." Daytime and nighttime are of equal length, about 12 hours, everywhere on Earth. (Of course, the sun won’t be visible at this time in North America, being on the other side of the planet.)
Finally, at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT) Thursday, the full moon of September will occur, since the moon will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky. This is a special full moon: It is the full moon closest to the equinox, known as the harvest moon. [Amazing Full Moon Photos]
So we have two planets and the moon directly opposite the sun within a two-day period. This means that all three will be grouped closely together in the sky.
When to see them
The best night to observe the moon, Jupiter and Uranus will be tomorrow, weather permitting.
The nearly full moon will rise around sunset, with Jupiter shining brightly beneath it. Uranus will be just slightly too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but will be easy to catch in binoculars or a small telescope.
This apparent close grouping of moon, Jupiter, and Uranus is actually a trick of perspective; the three objects aren’t anywhere near each other.
The moon is very close to Earth, about 251,000 miles (404,000 km or 0.003 astronomical units) away. One astronomical unit, or AU, is the distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles (150 million km).
Jupiter is nearly1,500 times farther from Earth than the moon, placing it about 3.95 AU away. Uranus is nearly five times farther away than Jupiter, about 19.1 astronomical units from Earth.
One way to visualize the relative distances is to imagine that the Earth is at one end of a 100-yard football field and Uranus is at the other end.
On this scale, Jupiter would be on the 20-yard line, and the moon would be about half an inch from the end zone. In the "overhead" view of the planetary alignment, the innermost circle is Earth’s orbit; the moon’s orbit is too small even to be visible.
This explains why our tiny moon appears so large in the sky while the giant planets Jupiter and Uranus are mere pinpricks of light. The moon is just tons closer. Pure and simple.
Rare Sky Show: Two Planets Align with Harvest Moon
Buzz up! ..Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
SPACE.com geoff Gaherty
starry Night Education
space.com – Tue Sep 21, 5:15 pm ET
Check out the eastern sky just after sunset tomorrow (Sept. 22), and you'll catch a skywatching treat. The nearly full moon will be rising just above the bright planet Jupiter and a somewhat dimmer Uranus.
You'll need binoculars if you hope to spot Uranus — it appears as a tiny bluish speck, too dim for the naked eye. So the coming celestial lineup is an excellent time to find that planet with binoculars or a small telescope, using Jupiter as a helpful guidepost.
This sky map shows where to spot the moon, Jupiter and Uranus this week.
Skywatching marathon
Several astronomical events happen in rapid succession this week, offering a celestial show for observers graced with clear skies. The times indicated here are for eastern North America and may vary a little if you’re elsewhere in the world:
Today (Sept. 21) at 8 p.m. EDT (1200 GMT), Jupiter is in opposition. This means that Jupiter will be exactly opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. This also means that Jupiter will be visible the entire night. (Yesterday — Sept. 20 — Jupiter made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 50 years.)
Five hours later, at 1 a.m. tomorrow (Sept. 22), Uranus will be in opposition, taking its turn opposite the sun in the sky.
Later tomorrow at 3 p.m., Jupiter and Uranus will be in conjunction, less than 1 degree apart in the sky. They won’t be visible right then in North America because they will be below the horizon, but they will still be close together when they rise just after sunset. You will be able to see both planets at the same time in the field of a small telescope at low magnification.
The show continues tomorrow night at 11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thursday, Sept. 23), when the sun crosses the celestial equator — a projection of Earth's equator on the sky — and enters the southern hemisphere. This is known as the equinox, meaning "equal nights." Daytime and nighttime are of equal length, about 12 hours, everywhere on Earth. (Of course, the sun won’t be visible at this time in North America, being on the other side of the planet.)
Finally, at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT) Thursday, the full moon of September will occur, since the moon will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky. This is a special full moon: It is the full moon closest to the equinox, known as the harvest moon. [Amazing Full Moon Photos]
So we have two planets and the moon directly opposite the sun within a two-day period. This means that all three will be grouped closely together in the sky.
When to see them
The best night to observe the moon, Jupiter and Uranus will be tomorrow, weather permitting.
The nearly full moon will rise around sunset, with Jupiter shining brightly beneath it. Uranus will be just slightly too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but will be easy to catch in binoculars or a small telescope.
This apparent close grouping of moon, Jupiter, and Uranus is actually a trick of perspective; the three objects aren’t anywhere near each other.
The moon is very close to Earth, about 251,000 miles (404,000 km or 0.003 astronomical units) away. One astronomical unit, or AU, is the distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles (150 million km).
Jupiter is nearly1,500 times farther from Earth than the moon, placing it about 3.95 AU away. Uranus is nearly five times farther away than Jupiter, about 19.1 astronomical units from Earth.
One way to visualize the relative distances is to imagine that the Earth is at one end of a 100-yard football field and Uranus is at the other end.
On this scale, Jupiter would be on the 20-yard line, and the moon would be about half an inch from the end zone. In the "overhead" view of the planetary alignment, the innermost circle is Earth’s orbit; the moon’s orbit is too small even to be visible.
This explains why our tiny moon appears so large in the sky while the giant planets Jupiter and Uranus are mere pinpricks of light. The moon is just tons closer. Pure and simple.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Rare Sky Show: Jupiter and uranus Align With Harvest Moon
From Space.com:
Rare Sky Show: Two Planets Align with Harvest Moon
By Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
posted: 21 September 2010
07:41 am ET
Check out the eastern sky just after sunset tomorrow (Sept. 22), and you'll catch a skywatching treat. The nearly full moon will be rising just above the bright planet Jupiter and a somewhat dimmer Uranus.
You'll need binoculars if you hope to spot Uranus — it appears as a tiny bluish speck, too dim for the naked eye. So the coming celestial lineup is an excellent time to find that planet with binoculars or a small telescope, using Jupiter as a helpful guidepost.
This sky map shows where to spot the moon, Jupiter and Uranus this week.
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wallpapers.smileycentral.comSkywatching marathon
Several astronomical events happen in rapid succession this week, offering a celestial show for observers graced with clear skies. The times indicated here are for eastern North America and may vary a little if you’re elsewhere in the world:
Today (Sept. 21) at 8 p.m. EDT (1200 GMT), Jupiter is in opposition. This means that Jupiter will be exactly opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. This also means that Jupiter will be visible the entire night. (Yesterday — Sept. 20 — Jupiter made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 50 years.)
Five hours later, at 1 a.m. tomorrow (Sept. 22), Uranus will be in opposition, taking its turn opposite the sun in the sky.
Later tomorrow at 3 p.m., Jupiter and Uranus will be in conjunction, less than 1 degree apart in the sky. They won’t be visible right then in North America because they will be below the horizon, but they will still be close together when they rise just after sunset. You will be able to see both planets at the same time in the field of a small telescope at low magnification.
The show continues tomorrow night at 11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thursday, Sept. 23), when the sun crosses the celestial equator — a projection of Earth's equator on the sky — and enters the southern hemisphere. This is known as the equinox, meaning "equal nights." Daytime and nighttime are of equal length, about 12 hours, everywhere on Earth. (Of course, the sun won’t be visible at this time in North America, being on the other side of the planet.)
Finally, at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT) Thursday, the full moon of September will occur, since the moon will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky. This is a special full moon: It is the full moon closest to the equinox, known as the harvest moon. [Amazing Full Moon Photos]
So we have two planets and the moon directly opposite the sun within a two-day period. This means that all three will be grouped closely together in the sky.
When to see them
The best night to observe the moon, Jupiter and Uranus will be tomorrow, weather permitting.
The nearly full moon will rise around sunset, with Jupiter shining brightly beneath it. Uranus will be just slightly too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but will be easy to catch in binoculars or a small telescope.
This apparent close grouping of moon, Jupiter, and Uranus is actually a trick of perspective; the three objects aren’t anywhere near each other.
The moon is very close to Earth, about 251,000 miles (404,000 km or 0.003 astronomical units) away. One astronomical unit, or AU, is the distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles (150 million km).
Jupiter is nearly1,500 times farther from Earth than the moon, placing it about 3.95 AU away. Uranus is nearly five times farther away than Jupiter, about 19.1 astronomical units from Earth.
One way to visualize the relative distances is to imagine that the Earth is at one end of a 100-yard football field and Uranus is at the other end.
On this scale, Jupiter would be on the 20-yard line, and the moon would be about half an inch from the end zone. In the "overhead" view of the planetary alignment, the innermost circle is Earth’s orbit; the moon’s orbit is too small even to be visible.
This explains why our tiny moon appears so large in the sky while the giant planets Jupiter and Uranus are mere pinpricks of light. The moon is just tons closer. Pure and simple.
Rare Sky Show: Two Planets Align with Harvest Moon
By Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
posted: 21 September 2010
07:41 am ET
Check out the eastern sky just after sunset tomorrow (Sept. 22), and you'll catch a skywatching treat. The nearly full moon will be rising just above the bright planet Jupiter and a somewhat dimmer Uranus.
You'll need binoculars if you hope to spot Uranus — it appears as a tiny bluish speck, too dim for the naked eye. So the coming celestial lineup is an excellent time to find that planet with binoculars or a small telescope, using Jupiter as a helpful guidepost.
This sky map shows where to spot the moon, Jupiter and Uranus this week.
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Several astronomical events happen in rapid succession this week, offering a celestial show for observers graced with clear skies. The times indicated here are for eastern North America and may vary a little if you’re elsewhere in the world:
Today (Sept. 21) at 8 p.m. EDT (1200 GMT), Jupiter is in opposition. This means that Jupiter will be exactly opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. This also means that Jupiter will be visible the entire night. (Yesterday — Sept. 20 — Jupiter made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 50 years.)
Five hours later, at 1 a.m. tomorrow (Sept. 22), Uranus will be in opposition, taking its turn opposite the sun in the sky.
Later tomorrow at 3 p.m., Jupiter and Uranus will be in conjunction, less than 1 degree apart in the sky. They won’t be visible right then in North America because they will be below the horizon, but they will still be close together when they rise just after sunset. You will be able to see both planets at the same time in the field of a small telescope at low magnification.
The show continues tomorrow night at 11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT Thursday, Sept. 23), when the sun crosses the celestial equator — a projection of Earth's equator on the sky — and enters the southern hemisphere. This is known as the equinox, meaning "equal nights." Daytime and nighttime are of equal length, about 12 hours, everywhere on Earth. (Of course, the sun won’t be visible at this time in North America, being on the other side of the planet.)
Finally, at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT) Thursday, the full moon of September will occur, since the moon will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky. This is a special full moon: It is the full moon closest to the equinox, known as the harvest moon. [Amazing Full Moon Photos]
So we have two planets and the moon directly opposite the sun within a two-day period. This means that all three will be grouped closely together in the sky.
When to see them
The best night to observe the moon, Jupiter and Uranus will be tomorrow, weather permitting.
The nearly full moon will rise around sunset, with Jupiter shining brightly beneath it. Uranus will be just slightly too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but will be easy to catch in binoculars or a small telescope.
This apparent close grouping of moon, Jupiter, and Uranus is actually a trick of perspective; the three objects aren’t anywhere near each other.
The moon is very close to Earth, about 251,000 miles (404,000 km or 0.003 astronomical units) away. One astronomical unit, or AU, is the distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles (150 million km).
Jupiter is nearly1,500 times farther from Earth than the moon, placing it about 3.95 AU away. Uranus is nearly five times farther away than Jupiter, about 19.1 astronomical units from Earth.
One way to visualize the relative distances is to imagine that the Earth is at one end of a 100-yard football field and Uranus is at the other end.
On this scale, Jupiter would be on the 20-yard line, and the moon would be about half an inch from the end zone. In the "overhead" view of the planetary alignment, the innermost circle is Earth’s orbit; the moon’s orbit is too small even to be visible.
This explains why our tiny moon appears so large in the sky while the giant planets Jupiter and Uranus are mere pinpricks of light. The moon is just tons closer. Pure and simple.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Elusive Mercury Observable This Week At Dawn
From Space.com:
Elusive Mercury Visible at Dawn This Week
By Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
posted: 15 September 2010
07:58 am ET
Even though the planet Mercury is one of the brightest objects in the sky, it is one of the most rarely seen. But this week is one of the few occasions when the small planet is well-placed for skywatchers.
Although Mercury is always brighter than Saturn at its brightest, very few stargazers have ever seen it. As the innermost planet in the solar system, it never strays far from the sun, so is always seen against a bright background of twilight.
Twice each year, once in the evening and once in the morning, Mercury stands highest in the sky, giving skywatchers the best opportunity to spot it, weather permitting. This week is its best morning appearance of the whole year.
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Rise and shine Mercury
To try and see Mercury, skywatchers should go out any morning this week about a half hour before sunrise. You will need a low cloudless sky and unobstructed view of the eastern horizon.
Look just above where the sun will rise and you should spot tiny Mercury about 10 degrees above the horizon. A human fist held at arm's length covers about 10 degrees of the sky.
You may have to sweep with binoculars to see Mercury at first, but once spotted it should be visible to the unaided eye.
In a small telescope, you will see Mercury as a tiny half moon. It will probably look as if it's submersed in boiling water because of the turbulence of the Earth's atmosphere.
If you track Mercury with your telescope as it rises in the sky, the view should become steadier. Mercury will continue to be visible in your telescope after the sun rises, as it is bright enough to be visible through the blue sky, so long as you know exactly where it is.
Mercury: A strange planet
Mercury is one of the strangest worlds in the solar system. [10 Mysteries of Mercury]
It is the smallest planet, now that Pluto has been reclassified as a dwarf planet, at 3,032 miles (4,879 km) in diameter, only slightly larger than our moon. It has an odd, slow rotation period, 58.6 days, exactly two-thirds the time it takes to complete an orbit around the sun.
The surface of Mercury, as imaged by the two space probes that have visited it, looks very much like that of our moon, though with more craters and fewer open plains. It also experiences the greatest temperature extremes of any planet, ranging from 800 degrees Fahrenheit (426 degrees Celsius) to minus 280 degrees F (minus 173 degrees C) between day and night.
Legend has it that Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws of planetary motion, never saw Mercury with his own eyes. This week is your chance to see the planet that Kepler missed—worth getting up early to see.
Elusive Mercury Visible at Dawn This Week
By Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Education
posted: 15 September 2010
07:58 am ET
Even though the planet Mercury is one of the brightest objects in the sky, it is one of the most rarely seen. But this week is one of the few occasions when the small planet is well-placed for skywatchers.
Although Mercury is always brighter than Saturn at its brightest, very few stargazers have ever seen it. As the innermost planet in the solar system, it never strays far from the sun, so is always seen against a bright background of twilight.
Twice each year, once in the evening and once in the morning, Mercury stands highest in the sky, giving skywatchers the best opportunity to spot it, weather permitting. This week is its best morning appearance of the whole year.
Ads by GoogleOfficial Mercury SiteVisit the Official Mercury Site Now for Complete Vehicle Info.
MercuryVehicles.comFree Space WallpapersGet Cool Space Desktop Wallpapers w Planets, Moons & Stars-Try Them Now
wallpapers.smileycentral.comThis sky map shows where to look to see Mercury.
Rise and shine Mercury
To try and see Mercury, skywatchers should go out any morning this week about a half hour before sunrise. You will need a low cloudless sky and unobstructed view of the eastern horizon.
Look just above where the sun will rise and you should spot tiny Mercury about 10 degrees above the horizon. A human fist held at arm's length covers about 10 degrees of the sky.
You may have to sweep with binoculars to see Mercury at first, but once spotted it should be visible to the unaided eye.
In a small telescope, you will see Mercury as a tiny half moon. It will probably look as if it's submersed in boiling water because of the turbulence of the Earth's atmosphere.
If you track Mercury with your telescope as it rises in the sky, the view should become steadier. Mercury will continue to be visible in your telescope after the sun rises, as it is bright enough to be visible through the blue sky, so long as you know exactly where it is.
Mercury: A strange planet
Mercury is one of the strangest worlds in the solar system. [10 Mysteries of Mercury]
It is the smallest planet, now that Pluto has been reclassified as a dwarf planet, at 3,032 miles (4,879 km) in diameter, only slightly larger than our moon. It has an odd, slow rotation period, 58.6 days, exactly two-thirds the time it takes to complete an orbit around the sun.
The surface of Mercury, as imaged by the two space probes that have visited it, looks very much like that of our moon, though with more craters and fewer open plains. It also experiences the greatest temperature extremes of any planet, ranging from 800 degrees Fahrenheit (426 degrees Celsius) to minus 280 degrees F (minus 173 degrees C) between day and night.
Legend has it that Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws of planetary motion, never saw Mercury with his own eyes. This week is your chance to see the planet that Kepler missed—worth getting up early to see.
Monday, September 13, 2010
14 Large Space Rocks Discovered Beyond Neptune
From Space.com:
14 Big Space Rocks Discovered Beyond Neptune
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 13 September 2010
03:01 pm ET
Astronomers have discovered a cache of 14 large space rocks beyond the orbit of Neptune while sifting through archival observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Icy rocks like the newfound objects are known as trans-Neptunian objects because they typically reside outside Neptune's orbit. These objects include the former planet Pluto, now classified as a dwarf planet, as well as comets like the famed Halley's comet.
The newfound objects range from 25 to 60 miles across (40 to 100 kilometers), said the researchers.
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www.TheGodMovie.comMost trans-Neptunian objects are faint and hard to spot. To find the new group, researchers searched through Hubble photos for the telltale streaks of light that images of these rocks leave as they move through space during time-lapse exposures. After its initial success, this method could reveal hundreds more trans-Neptunian objects over time, hopeful scientists say.
"Trans-Neptunian objects interest us because they are building blocks left over from the formation of the solar system," said study leader Cesar Fuentes of Northern Arizona University.
These objects are similar to asteroids but lie farther from Earth. Asteroids generally orbit in the inner solar system, out to the orbit of Jupiter.
By measuring the trans-Neptunian objects' motion across the sky, the astronomers were able to calculate each object's orbit and distance from the sun. The researchers were able to estimate the size of each object by combining observations on their distance, brightness and reflectivity,
This initial study examined only one-third of a square degree of the sky, meaning that there is much more area to survey, researchers said. Fuentes, who formerly was with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said he and his colleagues intend to continue their search for trans-Neptunian Objects.
"We have proven our ability to detect and characterize TNOs even with data intended for completely different purposes," Fuentes said.
The findings will be described in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
14 Big Space Rocks Discovered Beyond Neptune
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 13 September 2010
03:01 pm ET
Astronomers have discovered a cache of 14 large space rocks beyond the orbit of Neptune while sifting through archival observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Icy rocks like the newfound objects are known as trans-Neptunian objects because they typically reside outside Neptune's orbit. These objects include the former planet Pluto, now classified as a dwarf planet, as well as comets like the famed Halley's comet.
The newfound objects range from 25 to 60 miles across (40 to 100 kilometers), said the researchers.
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www.TheGodMovie.comMost trans-Neptunian objects are faint and hard to spot. To find the new group, researchers searched through Hubble photos for the telltale streaks of light that images of these rocks leave as they move through space during time-lapse exposures. After its initial success, this method could reveal hundreds more trans-Neptunian objects over time, hopeful scientists say.
"Trans-Neptunian objects interest us because they are building blocks left over from the formation of the solar system," said study leader Cesar Fuentes of Northern Arizona University.
These objects are similar to asteroids but lie farther from Earth. Asteroids generally orbit in the inner solar system, out to the orbit of Jupiter.
By measuring the trans-Neptunian objects' motion across the sky, the astronomers were able to calculate each object's orbit and distance from the sun. The researchers were able to estimate the size of each object by combining observations on their distance, brightness and reflectivity,
This initial study examined only one-third of a square degree of the sky, meaning that there is much more area to survey, researchers said. Fuentes, who formerly was with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said he and his colleagues intend to continue their search for trans-Neptunian Objects.
"We have proven our ability to detect and characterize TNOs even with data intended for completely different purposes," Fuentes said.
The findings will be described in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Sun
from NASA:
Multi-wavelength extreme ultraviolet image, Solar Dynamics Observatory, showing the sun's northern hemisphere in mid-eruption. Different colors in the image represent different gas temperatures. On August 1, 2010, almost the entire Earth-facing side of the sun erupted in activity, including a C3-class solar flare (white area, upper left), a solar tsunami (wave-like structure, upper right), multiple filaments of magnetism lifting off the stellar surface, large-scale shaking of the solar corona, radio bursts, and a coronal mass ejection. Earth's magnetic field is still reverberating from the solar flare impact on August 3, 2010, which caused aurorae as far south as Wisconsin and Iowa in the United States. Analysts believe a second solar flare is following behind the first flare and could re-energize the fading geomagnetic storm and spark a new round of Northern Lights.
/ Source
Multi-wavelength extreme ultraviolet image, Solar Dynamics Observatory, showing the sun's northern hemisphere in mid-eruption. Different colors in the image represent different gas temperatures. On August 1, 2010, almost the entire Earth-facing side of the sun erupted in activity, including a C3-class solar flare (white area, upper left), a solar tsunami (wave-like structure, upper right), multiple filaments of magnetism lifting off the stellar surface, large-scale shaking of the solar corona, radio bursts, and a coronal mass ejection. Earth's magnetic field is still reverberating from the solar flare impact on August 3, 2010, which caused aurorae as far south as Wisconsin and Iowa in the United States. Analysts believe a second solar flare is following behind the first flare and could re-energize the fading geomagnetic storm and spark a new round of Northern Lights.
/ Source
Saturday, September 4, 2010
New Telescope Takes Best Sunspot Photo Ever
From Space.com:
By Clara Moskowitz
SPACE.com Senior Writer
posted: 03 September 2010
04:13 pm ET
A new photo of a sunspot on the surface of the sun taken by a telescope in California is the most detailed seen in visible light, scientists say.
The sunspot snapshot was obtained by the New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory in Big Bear Lake, Calif., operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. [New sunspot photo]
Sunspots are temporary dark structures on the surface of the sun caused by intense magnetic activity. They sometimes erupt, sending energetic storms into space that can head our way. By studying sunspots, scientists hope to better understand solar weather and its effects on Earth. A strong solar storm can send powerful charged particles streaming at our planet that can knock out power grids and destroy electronics, both in satellites and on the ground.
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www.astronomics.comThe telescope is touted to be the worlds' largest ground-based solar instrument and was completed last year, NJIT officials said in a statement.
The new sunspot photo is the "first light" target for the observatory's new advanced optics system during a solar photography session on July 1-2. It has a resolution of about 50 miles (80 km) and is the best yet taken by a ground-based telescope, observatory officials said.
Adaptive optics in telescopes is a technique that uses a deformable mirror to compensate for the blurring of images caused when light passes through Earth's atmosphere. The New Solar Telescope has 67 motors that can be moved to bend the mirror to provide clear pictures of the sun.
The observatory is a pathfinder for a proposed larger solar telescope, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, which would have 349 motors, observatory officials said.
New Telescope Takes Best Sunspot Photo Ever
By Clara Moskowitz
SPACE.com Senior Writer
posted: 03 September 2010
04:13 pm ET
A new photo of a sunspot on the surface of the sun taken by a telescope in California is the most detailed seen in visible light, scientists say.
The sunspot snapshot was obtained by the New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory in Big Bear Lake, Calif., operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. [New sunspot photo]
Sunspots are temporary dark structures on the surface of the sun caused by intense magnetic activity. They sometimes erupt, sending energetic storms into space that can head our way. By studying sunspots, scientists hope to better understand solar weather and its effects on Earth. A strong solar storm can send powerful charged particles streaming at our planet that can knock out power grids and destroy electronics, both in satellites and on the ground.
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www.astronomics.comThe telescope is touted to be the worlds' largest ground-based solar instrument and was completed last year, NJIT officials said in a statement.
The new sunspot photo is the "first light" target for the observatory's new advanced optics system during a solar photography session on July 1-2. It has a resolution of about 50 miles (80 km) and is the best yet taken by a ground-based telescope, observatory officials said.
Adaptive optics in telescopes is a technique that uses a deformable mirror to compensate for the blurring of images caused when light passes through Earth's atmosphere. The New Solar Telescope has 67 motors that can be moved to bend the mirror to provide clear pictures of the sun.
The observatory is a pathfinder for a proposed larger solar telescope, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, which would have 349 motors, observatory officials said.
New Photos Of Saturn's Moon, Dionne
From Space.com:
New Images of Saturn's Moon Dione Released
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 04 September 2010
12:39 pm ET
New images of Saturn's moon Dione were taken and released today.
The pockmarked moon is seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft as a partial globe hanging in space, as well as in close-ups that reveal its many craters.
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Dione is an icy ball. It has a radius of 348 miles (560 kilometers) and orbits Saturn every 2.73 days from 234,505 miles (377,400 kilometers) away.
Dione's average surface temperature is minus 303 Fahrenheit (-186 Celsius). It is covered by smooth plains and not too many craters — all a sign of cryovolcanism, or an outpouring of icy liquid from the interior.
New Images of Saturn's Moon Dione Released
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 04 September 2010
12:39 pm ET
New images of Saturn's moon Dione were taken and released today.
The pockmarked moon is seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft as a partial globe hanging in space, as well as in close-ups that reveal its many craters.
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Dione is an icy ball. It has a radius of 348 miles (560 kilometers) and orbits Saturn every 2.73 days from 234,505 miles (377,400 kilometers) away.
Dione's average surface temperature is minus 303 Fahrenheit (-186 Celsius). It is covered by smooth plains and not too many craters — all a sign of cryovolcanism, or an outpouring of icy liquid from the interior.
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