Tracking the origins of speedy space particles. NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interaction during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft combined with computer models have helped track the origin of the energetic particles in Earth's magnetic atmosphere that appear during a kind of space weather called a substorm. Understanding the source of such particles and how they are shuttled through Earth's atmosphere is crucial to better understanding the Sun's complex space weather system and thus protect satellites or even humans in space.
The results show that these speedy electrons gain extra energy from changing magnetic fields far from the origin of the substorm that causes them. THEMIS, which consists of five orbiting satellites, helped provide these insights when three of the spacecraft traveled through a large substorm on February 15, 2008. This allowed scientists to track changes in particle energy over a large distance. THEMIS, however, was specifically designed to study the formation of substorms. Texas Astronomers "Weigh" Heaviest Known Black Hole in our Cosmic Neighborhood. Jan. 12, 2011 Seattle — Astronomers led by Karl Gebhardt of The University of Texas at Austin have measured the most massive known black hole in our cosmic neighborhood by combining data from a giant telescope in Hawai'i and a smaller telescope in Texas.
The result is an ironclad mass of 6.6 billion suns for the black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87. This enormous mass is the largest ever measured for a black hole using a direct technique. Given its massive size, M87 is the best candidate for future studies to "see" a black hole for the first time, rather than relying on indirect evidence of their existence as astronomers have for decades.
Artist's concept of what a future telescope might see in looking at the black hole at the heart of the galaxy M87. The results will be presented in a news conference today at the 217th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle. University of Texas at Austin graduate student Jeremy Murphy has used the Harlan J. Background: Mock Mars Mission Crew Prepares to 'Land' on Red Planet | Space Travel & Spaceflight Simulation, Planet Mars. A 520-day mock mission to Mars is nearing its halfway point, with its crew of volunteers preparing for a simulated "landing" on the Red Planet next month.
The Mars500 mission — a joint experiment by Russia, the European Space Agency and China — "launched" last June, and its six crewmembers have now spent more than 230 days locked in a windowless spaceship simulator in Moscow. The six men are due to "land" on Mars on Feb. 12, according to a Jan. 21 report by the Associated Press. The crewmembers will spend two days pretending to explore the planet's surface, and then they'll head back to Earth. All in all, their confinement should last more than 500 days, officials have said — hence the mission's name. Mars500 managers have announced that the crewmembers — three Russian men, two European men and one Chinese man — are holding up well so far, the Associated Press reported. None of the six has plans to abandon the experiment, open the hatch and breathe some fresh air anytime soon.
Featherdrop_sound.mov (video/quicktime Object) 2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End? Beyond 2012: Why the World Didn't End If you're reading this story, it means the world didn't end on Dec. 21, 2012. Despite reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, a mysterious planet on a collision course with Earth, or a reverse in Earth's rotation, we're still here. The Mayan connection "was a misconception from the very beginning," says Dr. John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy. "The Maya calendar did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, and there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on that date.
" › Read More About the Mayans Video: Why The World Didn't End Yesterday For years leading up to the supposed apocalypse, NASA scientists worked to dispel the myths and answer questions on a host of 2012 topics: Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Answer (A):The world will not end in 2012. Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012? Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012? A: Absolutely not. $crubbed Program - CNBC.com.
British Geological Survey: Magnetic reversal may now be in progress. From: evolutionaryleaps.com According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), we could now be headed into a magnetic reversal, thus validating the premise of both Not by Fire but by Ice and Magnetic Reversals and Evolutionary Leaps. The South Atlantic Anomaly is growing and spreading westwards from South Africa as the Earth’s internal magnetic field rapidly weakens in this region, says this article on the BGS website. "This may be early evidence of a forthcoming reversal in the direction of the Earth’s internal magnetic field.
" "We do not know in detail precisely what occurs during such reversals, including the changes observed in the magnetic field and the time a reversal takes to complete," the BGS adds. Since so little is known, and in order to determine where radiation risks may be increased and how the atmosphere might respond, the BGS is opening a South Atlantic Anomaly and South Georgia Magnetic Observatory. What is the South Atlantic Anomaly? Link to BGS story: bgs.ac.uk. The Top 5 Astronomical Events to Witness Before You Die | Fun Lists - Top 10 Lists.
In the age of internet, television, and Lady Gaga, it’s easy to ignore the dazzling displays the sky gives us every night. In ancient times, however, human civilizations based their entire calendar, and thus their way of life, upon what they saw in the cosmos. While humanity’s interest in astronomy has diminished over the centuries, the sky remains nonetheless spectacular. Few people have the time to go stargazing every night, but here are 5 celestial events so awe-inspiring, everyone must see them in their lifetime. 5. Perseid Meteor Shower Next Occurrence: August 9-14, 2011 Every August, the night sky lights up with a dazzling display known as the Perseid meteor shower. Get to a dark location in the pre-dawn hours and you’ll be treated to a cavalcade of multi-colored shooting stars streaking across the sky. 4.
Next Occurrence: June 15, 2011 in Africa Ever get bored with the predictably drab hue of the moon? 3. 2. 1. Top 10 Amazing Stars in the Universe (toptenz.net) Shortlink: A Black Hole Slingshot? | ChandraBlog. Submitted by chandra on Wed, 06/30/2010 - 14:38. Evidence for a recoiling black hole has been found using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, XMM-Newton, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and several ground-based telescopes.
A new paper reports that this black hole kickback was caused either by a slingshot effect produced in a triple black hole system, or from the effects of gravitational waves produced after two supermassive black holes merged a few million years earlier. The discovery of this object, located in this composite image, comes from a large, multi-wavelength survey, known as the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). This survey includes data from Chandra, HST, XMM-Newton, as well as ground-based observatories. Of the 2,600 X-ray sources found in COSMOS, only one -- named CID-42 and located in a galaxy about 3.9 billion light years away -- coincides with two very close, compact optical sources.
More: -M.Watzke, CXC. Scientists glimpse 'dark flow' lurking beyond the edge of the universe. There are already two giant cosmic mysteries, sources of hard-to-account for anti-gravity and gravity, called dark energy and dark matter, respectively, which are ubiquitous in the universe. In honour of this, and because the flow cannot be accounted for by the observed distribution of matter in the universe, the Nasa team that found the cosmic drift calls it "dark flow". The find was made using data from Nasa's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which maps out changes (anisotropy) in the microwave (heat) radiation left over from the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, when the universe was born.
This energy can be used to chart galaxy movements by measuring a minute shift of the microwave background's temperature, which astronomers call the "kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. " The Nasa team, with colleagues at the University of California, Davis, University of Salamanca, Spain, and University of Hawaii, used this effect to track 700 clusters. We come from the future. Newly Discovered Molecule Will Make Rocket Fuel Super Efficient. INFOGRAPHIC: Inside Look at SpaceX's Dragon Capsule. Falcon Launch Report | 'Top secret' payload packed inside Dragon. Protein that destroys HIV discovered. Loyola University researchers have identified the key components of a protein called TRIM5a that destroys HIV in rhesus monkeys. The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans, said senior researcher Edward M. Campbell, PhD, of Loyola University Health System.
Campbell and colleagues report their findings in an article featured on the cover of the Sept. 15, 2010 issue of the journal Virology, now available online. In 2004, other researchers reported that TRIM5a protects rhesus monkeys from HIV. Humans also have TRIM5a, but while the human version of TRIM5a protects against some viruses, it does not protect against HIV. Researchers hope to turn TRIM5a into an effective therapeutic agent. TRIM5a consists of nearly 500 amino acid subunits. By continuing to narrow their search, researchers hope to identify an amino acid, or combination of amino acids, that enable TRIM5a to destroy HIV.
More info: Loyola University Health System news. Cassini reveals oxygen atmosphere of Saturn's moon Rhea. Public release date: 25-Nov-2010 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Clare Ryanclare.ryan@ucl.ac.uk 44-020-767-99726University College London A tenuous atmosphere infused with oxygen and carbon-dioxide has been discovered at Saturn's moon Rhea by the Cassini-Huygens mission, the first time a spacecraft has captured direct evidence of an oxygen atmosphere at a world other than Earth. The NASA-led international mission made the discovery using combined data from Cassini's instruments, which includes a sensor designed and built at UCL's (University College London) Mullard Space Science Laboratory. Published today in Science Express, results from the mission reveal that the atmosphere of Rhea, Saturn's second largest moon at 1500 km wide, is extremely thin and is sustained by high energy particles bombarding its icy surface and kicking up atoms, molecules and ions into the atmosphere.
The density of oxygen is probably about 5 trillion times less dense than in Earth's atmosphere. Ice Meteorite Found with Extraterrestrial Life-Forms -- SOUTH HAVEN, Mich., Nov. 21, 2010. SOUTH HAVEN, Mich., Nov. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Duane P. Snyder will announce the discovery of the first and only known ICE METEORITE containing EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE-FORMS on November 30, 2010 at 10:00am at the Ramada Inn Conference Center, 1555 Phoenix Road, South Haven, MI 49090. Also to be announced: The ICE METEORITE's particle analysis, it's gas analysis, where it likely came from and PHOTOS of EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE-FORMS found in the melt-water of the ICE METEORITE.
Dr. Albert Schnieders of Tascon USA Inc, Chestnut Ridge, New York 10977, has commented that we basically found nearly all elements up to 90u in the sample spherical particles. snydericyrite.com is a website dedicated to releasing information on the ice meteorite found in year 2000 and the extraterrestrial life forms found in it. For further information, please contact us at duanepsnyder@snydericyrite.com This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com.
SOURCE Duane P. RELATED LINKS. Images of black holes. Wandering star brings planet from another galaxy into the Milky Way | Science. These days, the discovery of yet another planet orbiting yet another distant star in our galaxy doesn't seem out of the ordinary. Unless, of course, the planet and star came from a galaxy far, far away. HIP13044b is the first planet ever detected in the Milky Way that was born outside our galaxy. Thanks to improvements in telescope technology, astronomers have found evidence for almost 500 extrasolar planets in the past 15 years, heavenly bodies of different sizes orbiting distant stars. But all of those confirmed by scientists have originated within the Milky Way. The newly discovered planet has a mass at least 1.25 times that of Jupiter and orbits a star called HIP13044, a giant near the end of its life that is part of the "Helmi stream". "This discovery is very exciting," said Rainer Klement of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) and author of a paper published today in Science Express.
"The star is rotating relatively quickly," said Setiawan. Best Time to See the Leonid Meteor Shower Is Now. The Leonid meteor shower of 2010 is peaking this week and the best time to see the sky show is now. The annual Leonids should be at their best through Nov. 18, according to skywatching experts. Avid meteor gazers graced with clear skies may see between 15 and 20 meteors per hour. Skywatchers should look toward the constellation Leo in the eastern sky to see "shooting stars" from the Leonids, which appear to radiate out of the constellation. The best time to try to see the Leonids are in the last two or three hours before sunrise, when the moon has set. A Leonids sky map posted here shows where to look in the predawn sky. "From the time of moonset until around 5:15 a.m. ?
Another tip: Make sure to stay warm and get comfortable. "If you have a lawn chair that reclines, use it during your search for Leonid meteors since it will help keep your neck from getting stiff as well as make it easier to look at the night sky," Rao said. Every 33 years, the Earth encounters a dense knot of material ? Looking for Earth-like Alien Planets? Focus on the Blue Ones. Astronomers hunting for Earth-like alien worlds could improve their odds by zeroing in on planets that look blue from afar, just like Earth, a new study suggests. Researchers have devised a simple way to distinguish between the planets of our solar system based on color information alone. Earth in particular stands out clearly among the other planets from space, researchers said, appearing much bluer than Mars, Venus, Mercury and the gas giants. [Diagram of planet colors.] The finding could aid the search for life beyond Earth, helping astronomers focus their attentions on the worlds most likely to harbor life, researchers said.
"Eventually, as telescopes get bigger, there will be the light-gathering power to look at the colors of planets around other stars," said study leader Lucy McFadden of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. A rainbow of planets But Earth did not cluster with any other planets, standing by itself in one part of the chart. A colorful future. International partners and NASA’s new direction. By Jeff FoustMonday, October 18, 2010 A key element of the National Space Policy released by the White House in late June is its focus on international cooperation.
Cooperating with, and leveraging the capabilities of, other countries is “woven throughout the entire policy”, in the words of one administration official (see “Parsing the policy”, The Space Review, August 2, 2010). Yet, in the nearly four months since the policy’s release discussion on space issues in the US has been almost entirely domestically focused, in particular the debate about the NASA authorization bill and its policy provisions. That policy, and the completion of the NASA authorization bill (signed into law last Monday by President Obama) have provided other spacefaring nations with plenty to consider as they weigh current and future cooperation with the US on space ventures.
ISS extension and utilization Role in future exploration Policy in Europe, Japan, and elsewhere. Spring-Loaded Space-Tires Win Award for Goodyear and NASA | Gadget Lab. This is our universe, can you comprehend it? [VIDEO] Hubble captures rare galactic view › News in Science (ABC Science) Print Your Own Space Station — in Orbit. Nov. 10, 1999: Metric Math Mistake Muffed Mars Meteorology Mission | This Day In Tech. Atoms-for-Peace: A galactic collision in action. Hubble finds a star eating a planet. A newly discovered comet glows in the morning sky.
Plasma rocket breaks endurance record - space - 14 June 2007. NASA Deep Impact spacecraft visits another comet. Comet Hartley 2 Fires Out Poison Gas as NASA Probe Nears. Astrophysicists: Time, universe will end in 3.7 billion years. Neutron stars may be too weak to power some gamma-ray bursts. Silica deposits on Mars could entomb possible life. Spaceport America: The Future of Space Travel - Nicholas Jackson - Technology. s130e012141.jpg (JPEG Image, 3072x2039 pixels) Discovery's last flight delayed -- again. International Space Station marks ten years of continuous habitation. First humanoid robot in space about to blast off | Space, Military and Medicine. Lost in Space | Articles. 62 Miles Beneath the Sea! Deepest Ocean in the Solar System Discovered on Jupiter's Europa. Light Speed. NASA contemplates manned mission to Mars - one-way. A Black Hole Engine That Could Power Spaceships. Sir Richard Branson unveils world's first commercial spaceport.
Does Our Universe Live Inside a Wormhole? Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise Glides Back To Earth | TechVidz.