New Discoveries *3* - ...MORE deep space, extraplanetary, etc.

Palomar · 2004-04-09 12:23:59

*Two interesting articles from Astronomy.com's "Science News: April astro bytes": I've copied & pasted (short-articles/column format), will include link beneath text:
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**Star production peaked 5 billion years ago**

"The universe reached its peak star-producing power 5 billion years ago — more recently than previously thought — according to a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Edinburgh.
The team of astronomers sifted through data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey from 96,545 nearby galaxies to chronicle the complete history of star formation over time. By the time our Sun was born, about 4.7 billion years ago, almost half the stellar mass in the universe already had been created. Star formation has dropped off drastically since then and, because old stars are dying faster than new stars are being born, the universe gradually will become a much dimmer place.

The findings, published in the April 8 issue of the journal Nature, also show a difference in star formation between low-mass and high-mass galaxies. Galaxies with a higher mass, our own Milky Way among them, formed most of their stars well before galaxies of a lower mass did. Researchers say this explains why previous studies showed a much earlier date of star formation, as those studies were able to examine only the more massive galaxies."

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**Antifreeze comet**
Jacques Crovisier (Paris Observatory) and his team report the discovery of ethylene glycol in archived radio spectra of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1). The ten-atom molecule, HOCH2CH2OH, which is used as antifreeze in cooling fluids for automobiles, "is the most complex chemical species ever identified in a comet by means of spectroscopy," say the scientists. Hale-Bopp, an unusually active comet, produced 1031 water molecules — enough to fill a couple of Olympic-size swimming pools — each second when it passed through perihelion in early April 1997. In terms of the relative number of molecules formed, Hale-Bopp produced 0.25 percent as much ethylene glycol as it did water.
So what's antifreeze doing in a comet? Ethylene glycol is the chemically reduced form of the simplest sugar (glycolaldehyde) and has been found in interstellar clouds (such as Sagittarius B2) and meteorites (like the Murchison and Murray carbonaceous chondrites). Its discovery in Comet Hale-Bopp "makes it even more compelling that volatile cometary matter retains a significant interstellar signature," the team writes, saying that it strengthens the connection between cometary and interstellar material. Their work appeared in the March 18, 2004, issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics."

--Cindy

[http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynami … 6gfawr.asp]April "astro bytes" column

Palomar · 2004-04-15 05:31:40

[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/h … 40414.html]Sedna mystery

*It's length of rotation has had astronomers wondering if it has a moon. Hubble studies didn't reveal a moon for Sedna, and they're speculating if either a) the moon was behind or directly in front of Sedna during the test or b) if a moon once existed (but no longer) and previously effected its rotation. Hmmmmm.

***
" Most objects in the solar system that don't have companions complete a rotation, or day, in a matter of hours. There are many examples of fast-spinning asteroids and similarly whirling large, round Kuiper Belt objects. Pluto, on the other hand, has had its rotational period slowed to six Earth-days by its companion, Charon.

Sedna spins on its axis once every 20 Earth-days, or perhaps even more slowly, making the presence of a moon practically inevitable, Brown had thought. So shortly after the discovery, Hubble was pointed at Sedna.

"Much to our surprise, there's no satellite," he told reporters today.

"I'm completely baffled at the absence of a moon," Brown said. "This is outside the realm of expectation and makes Sedna even more interesting. But I simply don't know what it means."
***

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-04-20 07:31:44

[http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/lyrids/lyrids.html]Spring Shower!

*Teehee...Lyrid meteor shower, that is. Approximately 2:00 a.m. to dawn on the 22nd (northern hemisphere). I'll be up early like usual, working; will step outdoors to catch some of the activity. Source is Thatcher Comet; this is a yearly (April) event.

Here's a snippet from the article which particularly catches interest: "Typical Lyrid meteors are about as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper, but some are more intense. Lyrid fireballs (a fireball is a meteor brighter than Venus) sometimes leave behind 'persistent trains'--smokey trails that can linger in the night sky for minutes."

--Cindy

Bill White · 2004-04-20 07:38:15

Cindy - is [http://www.lcsun-news.com/artman/publis … 6047.shtml]this where you live?

Bill White · 2004-04-20 07:39:14

Money that grows on crops
The idea: Use common crops to soak up contaminants in soil from gold-mining sites and return the areas to productive agriculture. The gold harvested from the process pays for the cleanup - with money left over for training in sustainable agriculture.
We get the plants to do the hard work, and then we basically harvest the plants and extract the metal," says Christopher Anderson, an environmental geologist from Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. "So we farm mercury and gold."

[http://www.christiansciencemonitor.com/ … -sten.html]http://www.christiansciencemonitor.com/ … -sten.html

Maybe this could be used on Mars.

Genius! Pure genius!

Palomar · 2004-04-20 07:47:48

Cindy - is [http://www.lcsun-news.com/artman/publis … 6047.shtml]this where you live?

*Yes, Bill -- it is! Oh my goodness...how did you come across the story in the first place? We don't subscribe to the local paper, and I seldom check the Sun-News web site. (We get our daily dose of local news from television).

I have conflicting feelings about this city, so to be frank I'm kind of thinking "oh that poor asteroid."

I don't know Mr. Dixon or Ms. Stevens (our population is well over 100,000 now).

Thanks for the heads-up on this. Will keep tabs on TV station for the story (interviews, etc).

--Cindy

Bill White · 2004-04-20 09:49:09

Cindy - is [http://www.lcsun-news.com/artman/publis … 6047.shtml]this where you live?
*Yes, Bill -- it is! Oh my goodness...how did you come across the story in the first place? We don't subscribe to the local paper, and I seldom check the Sun-News web site. (We get our daily dose of local news from television).
I have conflicting feelings about this city, so to be frank I'm kind of thinking "oh that poor asteroid."
I don't know Mr. Dixon or Ms. Stevens (our population is well over 100,000 now).
Thanks for the heads-up on this. Will keep tabs on TV station for the story (interviews, etc).
--Cindy

[http://www.spacetoday.net]http://www.spacetoday.net

Palomar · 2004-04-21 11:59:39

[http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/j … 40421.html]Jupiter's Disappearing Spots::Major Climate Change

*This is hot off the space.com presses. Article discusses 70-year climate cycle ("proposed"). It's coming up on the end of such a cycle. Predicting Jupiter's equatorial region will heat up 18 degrees F, while the polar regions cool down. They're predicting another outbreak of spots by 2014.

They're even considering this might affect the appearance of the Great Red Spot? Article says (see below) it's changed color "several times" in the past 300 years. Wow.

Quote: "Then in 1994 the Hubble Space Telescope witnessed two anticyclones that should have repelled one another instead traveling together."

Wow...

Good old Mother Nature, always giving us something to watch.

--Cindy

::EDIT:: (Great Red Spot):

"Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a different beast. It's the largest, at 12,500 miles (20,120 kilometers) wide and was discovered around 1665, having now outlived all other spots. It rumbles around the planet near the equator, in what Marcus calls a "kill zone" of inactivity.

"The Red Spot is very odd, because it's not in a row of vortices," he said. "It's all by itself. So the Red Spot just goes around eating its neighbors no matter what happens."

But if the equatorial region warms as Marcus predicts, the biggest of all spots could take on a different appearance. Over the past 300 years it has changed color several times and recently altered from its traditional red to something more like salmon. Scientists aren't sure why, but it likely involves redistribution of chemicals, with underlying layers becoming exposed.

"If you heat it up, you may well change the color," Marcus said. On his web site are animations showing how cyclones and anticyclones on Jupiter interact.

Palomar · 2004-04-22 06:18:44

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/v … html]Venus Revisited: Modern technology sharpens Soviet mission images

*Calling all Venus aficionados. A guy named Donald Mitchell is working on this. The extent of Soviet exploration of Venus (impressive!): "...included 3 atmospheric probes, 10 landings, 4 orbiters, 11 flybys or impacts, and 2 balloon probes of the clouds..."

Mitchell is continuing to process old images. Discusses his techniques, etc. Includes images, of course (I like Ishtar Terra...)

Also, check "More Stories" column to the lower right-hand side of the article. One is entitled "Life Zone on Venus Possible."

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-04-23 06:54:34

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=14084]New Hubble Pic: "The Lure of the Rings"

*Nope, it's not Saturn. What a treat! So, so beautiful.

"Anyone who lives on planets embedded in the ring would be treated to a view of a brilliant band of blue stars arching across the heavens..."

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-04-23 11:07:49

*This is Earthshine:

Nifty pic...if the moon were "on top of" that palm tree, it'd look like an ice cream cone. Pic by Thad V'Soske of CA.

"Earthshine is sunlight reflected from Earth onto the Moon; our own planet casts a ghostly glow across dark lunar terrain."

*I noticed it evening before last.

Leonardo da Vinci tried to figure out the mystery of Earthshine:

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/codex/2A2r.html]Click

"Earthshine was a mystery for millennia, until the 16th century when Leonardo Da Vinci figured out what it was. Even now, however, some mystery remains. Earthshine is brighter than expected each year in April and May, and scientists aren't certain why."

Quotes/information courtesy spaceweather.com.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-04-26 10:19:58

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/m … ml]Mystery Monday: Iapetus

*This is where it REALLY all began for Dave Bowman.

They're trying to figure out the bright/dark thing.

Iapetus always shows the same side to Saturn. Scientists think the dark ("front") facing side may be that way due to picking up debris, perhaps from Phoebe...but then Phoebe's color isn't precisely the same as the dark side of Iapetus.

"Astronomers have theorized that perhaps the front face is dark because it picks up debris, just as the front bumper of the race car is peppered with tire rubber, grease and whatever else the other cars cast off..."

Maybe the dark material is coming from inside Iapetus, as in oozing out? Hmmmmm.

Bright side is mostly "water ice." Cool. Doesn't reflect radar though. Hmmmm.

"'Another surprise is that the radar system sees Iapetus as a uniform object, meaning no difference between the light and dark sides. That could mean that on the dark side there is merely a thin coat of some darkening material over the ammonia-laden water ice, like an inch of dirt atop clean snow,' Black said."

The findings to-date are *not* due to Cassini (which is why I didn't include this post in that particular thread), but they're hoping Cassini can crack a few mysteries.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-04-26 10:30:05

http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/imag … l]Mountain Art

*A very striking image. I wouldn't have guessed what it is.

Courtesy NASA's Terra satellite. Taken in a "combination of near infrared."

--Cindy

P.S.: Be sure to check post above this one, about Iapetus.

Byron · 2004-04-26 10:45:38

*This is Earthshine:

"Earthshine was a mystery for millennia, until the 16th century when Leonardo Da Vinci figured out what it was. Even now, however, some mystery remains. Earthshine is brighter than expected each year in April and May, and scientists aren't certain why."
Quotes/information courtesy spaceweather.com.
--Cindy

Cool pic I've known about "Earthshine" since I was a kid, but it seems more prominant now than it used to, or so it seems. I can usually see the shadowed part of the Moon up until about 25% full, depending on the weather.

I was under the impression that Earthshine was at its peak in Jan or therabouts, as that's when the glaringly bright continent of Antarctica is in full daylight, reflecting more light back at the darkened Moon, plus the Earth is 4% closer to the Sun than in July, reflecting more light still. Perhaps it is indeed brighter in April/May due to increased global cloud cover at that time of the year, or something along those lines??

Interesting to think about, anyhow....

B

Palomar · 2004-04-26 12:42:26

I was under the impression that Earthshine was at its peak in Jan or therabouts, as that's when the glaringly bright continent of Antarctica is in full daylight, reflecting more light back at the darkened Moon, plus the Earth is 4% closer to the Sun than in July, reflecting more light still. Perhaps it is indeed brighter in April/May due to increased global cloud cover at that time of the year, or something along those lines??
Interesting to think about, anyhow....
B

*Well, those are interesting considerations (January, Antarctica, etc.).

I've noticed that Earthshine is more prominent in April and May (Spring) for a long time, but until I read this article I always kind of chalked it up to "spring fever."

Otherwise, I really don't know.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-04-26 20:32:48

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u … eral_1]New Mineral from the Moon Discovered

*From a meteorite. Sorry, would summarize what I've read in more detail, but am pressed for time.

"...which scientists have named after a researcher who years ago predicted the unusual process that formed the material... The process that led to the material's formation on the moon 'is much different than anything we can imagine on Earth,' Taylor explained."

--Cindy

GraemeSkinner · 2004-04-29 00:09:06

ESOs]http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2004/phot-12-04.html]ESO's VLT - Cosmic Ballet

Its a wonderfull image of colliding galaxies.

Graeme

Palomar · 2004-04-30 05:44:54

*What an image!

Pic taken by Mr. William Olson of Idaho. He was watching full moon rise on April 5: "The Moon," he says, "looked like a molten blob of lava, bulging on the horizon."

Commentary from space.com: ""Notice how close to the horizon the disc is splayed out? This is a mirage effect from a layer of cold air near the ground," explains atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley. "Look out for a flattened or miraged moon next time it rises and watch how its colors change as it gets higher. Of course, it’s even more spectacular from the ISS in Earth orbit!"

*Goodness. I've never seen the moon look like THAT, and I've seen some rather spectacular "harvest moon" moonrises.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-05-04 06:04:06

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=13891]Lava Lakes on Io
*First the lava flows on Venus earlier today (the post above this one), and now an article on Io's lava (I guess it's "Lava Day"...). Really interesting article.
"Investigations into lava lakes on the surface of Io, the intensely volcanic moon that orbits Jupiter, may provide clues to what Earth looked like in its earliest phases, according to researchers at the University at Buffalo and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
'When I look at the data, it becomes startlingly suggestive to me that this may be a window onto the primitive history of Earth,' said Tracy K. P. Gregg, Ph.D., assistant professor of geology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences.
'When we look at Io, we may be seeing what Earth looked like when it was in its earliest stages, akin to what a newborn baby looks like in the first few seconds following birth,' she added."
"During the most intense periods of its eruption cycle, Gregg said, Loki churns out about 1,000 square meters of lava -- about the size of a soccer field -- per second."
--Cindy
::EDIT:: Check out the information on "Loki." Interesting name for it, by the way; Loki was a pucky, very mischievious character in old Norse mythology -- a prankster.
http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/norse/loki.html]Loki, mythology

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040502.html]Io: In Living Color

*What a spectacular image. One of the best pics of Io I've seen, as resolution and etc. go. I'm a bit perplexed, however, at why they make note of its lava being so hot it glows in the dark? Isn't that just logical?

Poor ugly little moon, with its puckers and pits...

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-05-05 08:15:07

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology … Toothbrush in Orbit

*This is an item I like to keep tabs on. Mentions a French satellite getting smacked into by a chunk of Ariane H-10 rocket stage. Check out the pic of a shuttle window after a piece of orbital debris hit it. :-\ Thank god it didn't penetrate! Would scare the living daylights out of me, if I were onboard. And check out the orbital debris damage on Hubble. Wow. Does Io have as many pits and pockmarks as that??

"But that’s not all. Toss in fast-moving separation bolts, lens caps, momentum flywheels, nuclear reactor cores, clamp bands, auxiliary motors, launch vehicle fairings and adapter shrouds. At one point, there was even a toothbrush reportedly zipping through the global space commons."

*Should take extra care when performing repairs and etc. that as little strays from an astronaut's pockets/hands as possible (repairs/Shuttle missions). Good grief.

Talks about ISS perils. And here I'm always worried about METEORS...

They're discussing surveillance and collision-avoidance service.

::shakes head::

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-05-06 06:56:56

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040505.html]Bug Nebula

*Doesn't look like a bug to me, but it is glorious. Only 4000 light years away, and Scorpius is on the rise now.

Another gem from Hubble.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-05-06 11:17:40

http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/04050519 … tml]Aussie astronomers shaking things up!

*Our Milky Way Galaxy has yet another arm. They say it's an "arc of hydrogen" several light-years thick and 77,000 light years long. It runs along the MW's "outermost edge" and sweeps around the 4 main arms which swirl from the Galaxy's core.

They say it's not part of the visible light spectrum, so can't be seen by 'scope. Can't wait to see the new, updated illustration.

--Cindy

P.S.: Check out "Bug Nebula" in post above this one. It's a beauty.

Palomar · 2004-05-07 09:40:12

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000521.html]Antares & Rho Ophiuchi

*Colorful and very pretty. Article says the star clouds are even more colorful than the human eye can see. Actually, I wish they wouldn't have told us that. [Would be nice to see an illustration of what we can't see]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980726.html]Close-up of Antares

*Not so very red. Is more orange in the night sky, unaided eye. My favorite star.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-05-08 08:01:35

http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/imag … 7.html]The Edge of Beauty

*Knowledge/pics of the Trifid Nebula isn't "new", but the photo above is a new, detailed image of a portion of it. Also:

http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/imag … l]Complete image

*The 2nd link includes a link to an article I would have liked to have read, but I get an error message each time I try it. :-\

***
http://skyandtelescope.com/shopatsky/de … arent]Iris Nebula

*Such stunning blues! The above is "new" to me in the sense that it's the sharpest, best pic of the Iris Nebula I've yet seen. Be sure to "click on image to enlarge."

Nebulae: Cosmic beauty in death. Odd to think about, but true.

--Cindy

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