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News of Astronomy, Space, Science, & Technology

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Image: A Soyuz Docks With the Space Station

A Supply Ship Docks with the International Space Station

Astronomy Picture of the Day May 14 2008

Looking out a window of the International Space Station brings breathtaking views. Visible vistas include a vast and colorful Earth, a deep dark sky, and an occasional spaceship sent to visit the station.

Visible early last month was a Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft carrying not only supplies but also three newcomers. The three new astronauts were Expedition 17 commander Sergei Volkov, flight engineer Oleg Kononenko, and spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi. Yi returned to Earth a few days later, while Volkov and Konenenko are scheduled to return in a few months.

The docking module pictured above involved the Pirs Docking Compartment.

The Expedition 17 crew, including NASA flight engineer Gregory Chamitoff, will carry out repairs on the ISS, explore new methods of living in space, and conduct research in space including the effects of space radiation on vitamin molecules.

See Astronomy Picture of the Day for links to further info.

NASA Image of the Day

Image: The Auroras of Saturn

Saturn's Auroras

NASA Image of the Day Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

Saturn was 810 million miles (1.3 billion kilometers) away when the Hubble Space Telescope took this ultraviolet image of the planet, revealing a vivid auroral display rising thousands of miles above the cloud tops over both of the planet's poles.

These spectacular light shows are caused by an energetic solar wind that sweeps over the planet, much like it does on Earth. However, unlike on Earth, Saturn's auroras can be seen only in ultraviolet light, and therefore are visible only from space using instruments sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. The images reveal ripples and overall patterns that evolve slowly, appearing generally fixed in our view and independent of planet rotation. These variations indicate that the auroras are primarily shaped and powered by a tug-of-war between Saturn's magnetic field and the flow of charged particles from the sun.

Study of Saturn's auroras began in 1979 when the Pioneer 11 spacecraft observed a far-ultraviolet brightening on Saturn's poles. The Saturn flybys of Voyager 1 and 2 in the early 1980s then provided a basic description of the planet's enormous magnetic field.

The Global Environment

Global climate change, the ozone layer, and other world environmental issues

Global warming in the Wikipedia

A NASA reference article on global warming

Global Warming FAQs:

US National Climate Data Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
Union of Concerned Scientists
Skepticism About Global Warming from Brian Carnell's Skepticism.net
See Wikipedia for both sides of the debate

Information on abrupt climate change (Could something like the "Day After Tomorrow" scenario happen?)

Science @ NASA
The Weather Underground
Abrupt Climate Change FAQ from the Union of Concerned Scientists
The Wikipedia on abrupt climate change
Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises — free online book from the National Academies Press

Ozone Layer FAQs:

Ozone Hole FAQ from The Weather Underground
Ozone Depletion FAQs from faqs.org

New Study Documents Climate Change

Huge study documents changes from climate warming

USATODAY.com Science and Space - Top Stories Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

A landmark new climate study released today reports that global warming is already changing the life cycles of thousands of animals and plants — as well as hundreds of physical systems — worldwide.

It documents rapid glacier melts in North America, South America and Europe; trees and plants sprouting leaves much earlier in the spring in Europe, Asia and North America; permafrost melting in Asia; and changes in bird migration patterns across Europe, North America and Australia, all in response to rising global temperatures.…

Mars

Mars and Its Moons

Background information about Mars

NASA's Mars Rover site at JPL

A gallery of Spirit's images and slideshow

A gallery of Opportunity's images and slideshow

Google Mars

Mars Global Surveyor

Mars Odyssey

Mars Express orbiter

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Mars Phoenix Lander

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

The Phoenix Landing Ellipse

Landing ellipses

Planetary Society Weblog Download time: May 14 2008 3:10 PM ET

…One thing I have mentioned several times already, and which I will be mentioning again through next week, is the Phoenix "landing ellipse." What's a landing ellipse? A short definition is that it's the area on Mars in which the spacecraft is likely to land. But that only begs more questions: why don't they know precisely where it's going to land, and why is the possible landing area elliptical rather than circular or any other shape? For a more detailed explanation I turned to Rob Manning, who was in charge of the Mars Exploration Rover landing and who is now working on figuring out how and where the Mars Science Laboratory rover will make it safely to the surface. I asked him to tell me about what the landing ellipse signifies, and also to talk about "1-sigma" and "3-sigma" ellipses, terms you often see when you read more technical documents about landing sites.…

See Planetary Society Weblog for links to further info.

Phobos' Fate

Phobos could form Saturn-like ring around Mars

the physics arXiv blog Download time: May 14 2008 3:10 PM ET

The martian moon Phobos is spiralling towards Mars at a rate of 20 cm a year. (That compares with our own moon which is spiralling away from us at about 4cm per year).

The question is when will it hit.…

The Cosmos

Stars, galaxies, nebulae, and cosmology

Also fundamental physics with possible astronomical or cosmological implications

Tutorials:

Big Bang   Inflation   The Cosmic Microwave Background   The Cosmic Dark Ages   Dark Matter   Dark Energy - For a more technical discussion go here.   Ask the Experts: What are dark matter and dark energy, and how are they affecting the universe? Measuring Stellar & Galactic Distances (difficult!)   Supernovas   Supernovas & Pulsars   Black Holes   Pulsars   Cosmology: the Observable Universe (moderately technical)   Cosmology (very difficult!)   

One of the Milky Way's Missing Supernovas

Galactic Hunt Bags Missing Supernova

Science @ NASA Download time: May 14 2008 3:07 PM ET

Astronomers have long thought that supernovas explode two or three times a century here in the Milky Way. They arrive at that figure by watching other galaxies similar to our own, and counting the stars as they explode. But this leads to a mystery: The last time anyone actually saw a supernova explode in the Milky Way was the year 1680, almost 330 years ago. So where are the Milky Way's missing supernovas?

At long last, one of them has been found. Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (an x-ray telescope in space) and the NRAO's Very Large Array (a radio telescope in New Mexico) recently located the remains of a young supernova hiding in a dense field of gas and dust near the center of our galaxy. Read today's story to learn how a decades-long "galactic hunt" landed its prey.…

Youngest Exploding Star Discovered

SPACE.com Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

About 140 years ago, our time, a stellar explosion lit up our galaxy with a blinding flash of light, sending out powerful shock waves to boot. Now, astronomers have spotted the youthful remains from the explosion.

The newly discovered remains mark the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way, snagging the record from the previous holder, 330-year-old Cassiopeia A.…

Supernova Remnant Is Young and Quick

NYT > Science Download time: May 14 2008 3:08 PM ET

Pictures of the stellar debris from an almost 100-year-old explosion of a star within our galaxy reveal it to be the youngest supernova remnant known in the Milky Way.

Youngest supernova (to us) spied in Milky Way

USATODAY.com Science and Space - Top Stories Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

About 140 years ago, in our time, a stellar explosion lit up our galaxy with a blinding flash of light, sending out powerful shock waves to boot. Now, astronomers have spotted the youthful remains from the explosion.

Energy

Policy, technology, and resources

Opinion: Oil Prices Are Not Going to Fall

Get Used to It — Sky-High Oil Prices Are Here to Stay

Wired Top Stories Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

This ain't a bubble, folks. Better get used to it.

We've gotten a little relief in recent days, but the stubborn upward spiral of oil prices isn't going to let up to any significant degree. Yes, there's some debate between economists and industry analysts who fall into two camps -- Bubble, Not-a-Bubble -- but the evidence suggests high prices are here to stay.…

See Wired Top Stories for links to further info.

Technology

Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony

Honda robot conducts Detroit Symphony to warm response

USATODAY.com Science and Space - Top Stories Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

The lights dimmed, the sold-out hall grew hushed and out walked the conductor — shiny, white and 4 feet, 3 inches tall.

ASIMO, a robot designed by Honda Motor Co., met its latest challenge Tuesday evening: Conducting the Detroit Symphony in a performance of The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha.

"Hello, everyone," ASIMO said to the audience in a childlike voice, then waved to the orchestra.

As it conducted, it perfectly mimicked the actions of a conductor, nodding its head at various sections and gesturing with one or both hands. ASIMO took a final bow to enthusiastic shouts from the audience.…

See USATODAY.com Science and Space - Top Stories for links to further info.

Out of Left Field

News interesting to the editor that doesn't fit into other categories

Weird stuff also goes here

Indiana Jones Shows Lousy Archaeological Technique!

Dig 'Indiana Jones'? Real archaeologists don't use whips

USATODAY.com Science and Space - Top Stories Download time: May 14 2008 3:09 PM ET

Indiana Jones managed to retrieve the trinket he was after in the opening moments of Raiders of the Lost Ark. He pretty much wrecked everything else in the ancient South American temple where the little gold idol had rested for millennia.

Though he preaches research and good science in the classroom, the world's most famous archaeologist often is an acquisitive tomb raider in the field with a scorched-earth policy about what he leaves behind. While actual archaeologists like the guy and his movies, they wouldn't necessarily want to work alongside him on a dig.…

See USATODAY.com Science and Space - Top Stories for links to further info.