2011: Top Stories from the Best Year Ever for NASA Planetary Science!
2011 – NASA’s Year of the Solar System – The Story of How We Came to Be!
Asteroid Vesta from Dawn – Unveiling a Former Fuzzy Blob with Exquisite Clarity
NASA's Dawn spacecraft achieved orbit at the giant asteroid Vesta in July 2011. The depiction of Vesta is based on images obtained by Dawn's framing cameras. Dawn is an international collaboration of the US, Germany and Italy. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A year ago, 2011 was proclaimed as the “Year of the Solar System” by NASA’s Planetary Science division. And what a year of excitement it was indeed for the planetary science community, amateur astronomers and the general public alike !
NASA successfully delivered astounding results on all fronts – On the Story of How We Came to Be.
“2011 was definitely the best year ever for NASA Planetary Science!” said Jim Green in an exclusive interview with Universe Today. Green is the Director of Planetary Science for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA HQ. “The Search for Life is a significant priority for NASA.”(…)
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Post tags: 1 Ceres, 4 vesta, Cassini Saturn, Comet Tempel 1, Comet Wild 2, Curiosity Rover, Dawn Asteroid Orbiter, deep impact mission, Earth, GRAIL Lunar mission, Juno mission, Jupiter, Main Asteroid Belt, Mars, Mars Rovers, Mars Science Laboratory, Mercury, Mercury MESSENGER, Moon, NASA, Opportunity Rover, Search for Life, stardust mission, STARDUST-NExT
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Cassini delivers holiday treats from Saturn
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:12/28/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Our Picks of Best Space and Astronomy Images from 2011
First Ever Portrait of the International Space Station and docked Shuttle Endeavour from Soyuz capsule. This image was taken by Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking on May 23, 2011. It is the first-ever image of a space shuttle docked to the International Space Station. Endeavour at left. European ATV cargo carrier at right. Credit: NASA/Paolo Nespoli
2011 was a picturesque year! The year brought us new discoveries, a new supernova, the end of an era in human spaceflight, and much more. Here’s a look back at some of the best images we’ve posted on Universe Today in 2011, listed in no particular order:
Above, is the first-ever images of a space shuttle docked to the International Space Station were taken by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli on May 23, 2011 through a window inside the Soyuz TMA-20 vehicle as he and two crewmates were departing the ISS for their return trip to Earth. See the entire gallery of images of this event here.
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As Seen From Space: Volcanic Eruption Creates New Island in the Red Sea
The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this high-resolution, natural-color images on December 23, 2011 showing an island being formed in the Red Sea. Credit: NASA
Looking for some new lake-front property? Here’s the newest available on the planet. Volcanic activity in the Red Sea that started in mid-December has created what looks like a new island. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured a high-resolution, natural-color image on December 23, 2011 showing an apparent island where previously there was none. Here, a thick plume of volcanic ash still rises from the new island.
See below for an image from 2007 of the same region.
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Astrophotos: Christmas Crescent Moon from Around the World
A waning crescent Moon on Dec. 22, 2011 from British Columbia. Credit: Suraky
A beautiful crescent Moon graced the morning and evening skies over the past holiday weekend, and skywatchers around the world were out with with their cameras! Above, Suraky from British Columbia, Canada took this lovely image of the waning sliver of the Moon from his bedroom window. “The Moon was lit by Earthshine on the dark side, at 7am, with Baker poking out between the trees,” he commented on the image.
See more from other astrophotographers below.
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This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. Astrophoto: Comet Lovejoy from Canberra by Barry Armstead
Comet Lovejoy from Canberra. Image Credit: Barry Armstead
Barry Armstead was among the lucky people who were able to capture the amazing show made by Comet Lovejoy in the skies of the Southern hemisphere the past few days.
“I got up on Thursday night/Friday morning at 3am, checked the sky and it was a black blanket of cloud. I observed for around 20 minutes while simultaneously checking the Bureau of Meteorology to confirm that the clouds weren’t going anywhere. Back to bed to grind my teeth and grumble something about Murphy’s law.
This morning, I stayed up until 1:30am, had a little snooze on the couch and checked the night sky every half hour. At 2:30am the sky turned crystal clear! I loaded everything in the ute and took off like a bull at a gate for the mountains south-west of Canberra and away from the city light.
And there it was! Comet Lovejoy in all it’s glory, lighting up the heavens like a searchlight, signalling passing spacecraft.”
More images from Barry Armstead below!(…)
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Colorful Holiday Treats from Saturn
The moons Titan and Dione are photographed with rings and Saturn in the background. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
“Hey! Look what our Santa at Saturn has sent our way!” said Carolyn Porco, the Cassini imaging team lead, in a post on Twitter. This wonderful collection of just-released colorful images from the Saturn system are a holiday gift from the Cassini and CICLOPS (Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations)team.
Above, Saturn’s third-largest moon, Dione, can be seen through the haze of the planet’s largest moon, Titan, in this view of the two posing before the planet and its rings from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
More treats below!
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A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble
What’s large and blue and can wrap itself around an entire galaxy?
Why do objects have mass? Astronomy Without A Telescope – Special Relativity From First Principles
There’s hope for us all if a mild-mannered patent office clerk can become Person Of The 20th Century.
Einstein’s explanation of special relativity, delivered in his 1905 paper On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies focuses on demolishing the idea of ‘absolute rest’, exemplified by the theoretical luminiferous aether. He achieved this very successfully, but many hearing that argument today are left puzzled as to why everything seems to depend upon the speed of light in a vacuum.
Since few people in the 21st century need convincing that the luminiferous aether does not exist, it is possible to come at the concept of special relativity in a different way and just through an exercise of logic deduce that the universe must have an absolute speed – and from there deduce special relativity as a logical consequence.(…)
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Armadillo Aerospace Successfully Lauches a Sounding Rocket from Spaceport America
Over the weekend Armadillo Aerospace successfully launched an advanced sounding rocket from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The launch took place on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. (MST), and the STIG A rocket reached its expected sub-orbital altitude of 41.91 km (137,500 feet). Below is an image of Earth taken by a camera on board the rocket.
This latest launch is the thirteenth vertical launch test from the Spaceport America Vertical Launch Complex since 2006.
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Light Echoes from V838 MonLutetia: A rare survivor from the birth of Earth
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:11/14/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
The View from ChajnantorThanksgiving Greetings from the Space Station
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ISS Crew May Be Forced to Take Shelter from Space Debris
The International Space Station. Credit: NASA
What a fine welcome for the new crew on board the ISS: The three astronauts/cosmonauts on the space station may have to take shelter in their Soyuz spacecraft early Wednesday morning (Nov. 23), due to a close flyby or even a possible collision with a piece of space debris. Mission Control called up to the Expedition 30 at 2:06 pm EST today (Nov. 22), saying it was too late to do a debris avoidance maneuver with the entire station, and the crew should be ready to “shelter in place” in the Soyuz vehicle.
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Curiosity Powered Up for Martian Voyage on Nov. 26 – Exclusive Message from Chief Engineer Rob Manning
Last View of Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory Rover before folding for Martian Journey
Up Close with Curiosity inside the clean room at the Kennedy Space Center in the last hours before she was folded up for the final time prior to encapsulation in the aeroshell for the long interplanetary journey to Mars. Credit: Ken Kremer
Meet Chief Engineer Rob Manning and other members of the Curiosity Mars Rover Engineering Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the video below titled – The Challenges of Getting to Mars
Read Rob Manning’s special greeting about Curiosity to readers of Universe Today.
“We are ready and so is Curiosity !”
- – Says Rob Manning, Curiosity Chief Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif – in an exclusive to Universe Today for all fans of Curiosity and the unprecedented voyage of Science and Discovery about to take flight to Mars on November 26. Manning was also the Chief Engineer for the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) of NASA’s phenomenally successful Spirit, Opportunity and Phoenix Mars robotic explorers.
Read Rob Manning’s special greeting about Curiosity to readers of Universe Today below.
Meet Rob and other JPL Mars engineers in the cool Video describing the ‘Challanges of Getting to Mars’ – below(…)
Read the rest of Curiosity Powered Up for Martian Voyage on Nov. 26 – Exclusive Message from Chief Engineer Rob Manning (710 words)
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Live Webcast from American Museum of Natural History Today: Beyond Planet Earth
The American Museum of Natural History in New York will soon be opening up a new exhibition called “Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration,” and they are live-streaming a special public program at 12 Noon EST (17:00 UT), that includes NASA astronauts Mike Massimino and John Grunsfeld, crew members on mission STS-125 to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and is hosted by Hayden Planetarium Director Neil deGrasse Tyson and Curator Michael Shara.
The discussion will focus on themes from Beyond Planet Earth, the STS-125 mission, and the temporary laser art installation From The Distant Past. For more information see the AMNH website, and watch a teaser video of “Beyond Planet Earth” below.
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The longer you look at
Few butterflies have a wingspan this big.Giant planet ejected from the solar system
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:11/11/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Found: pristine gas from the Big Bang
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:11/10/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Was a Fifth Giant Planet Expelled from Our Solar System?
Artist’s impression of a fifth giant planet being ejected from the solar system.
Image credit: Southwest Research Institute
Earth’s place in the “Goldilocks” zone of our solar system may be the result of the expulsion of a fifth giant planet from our solar system during its first 600 million years, according to a recent journal publication.
“We have all sorts of clues about the early evolution of the solar system,” said author Dr. David Nesvorny of the Southwest Research Institute. “They come from the analysis of the trans-Neptunian population of small bodies known as the Kuiper Belt, and from the lunar cratering record.”
Nesvorny and his team used the clues they had to build computer simulations of the early solar system and test their theories. What resulted was an early solar system model that has quite a different configuration than today, and a jumbling of planets that may have given Earth the “preferred” spot for life to evolve.
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Russians Race against Time to Save Ambitious Phobos-Grunt Mars Probe from Earthly Demise
Russian graphic shows the planned Earth departure trajectory (at right) and two engine burns that failed to ignite from the Fregat upper stage following the launch of the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Nov. 9 at 00:16 a.m. Moscow time.
The spacecraft is currently in the yellow colored initial parking orbit.
Illustration at left shows Phobos-Grunt spacecraft folded for flight inside the payload fairing.
Credit: Roscosmos.
Teams of Russian engineers are in a race against time to save the ambitious and unprecedented Phobos-Grunt sample return mission from crashing back to Earth following the post launch failure of the upper stage rocket firings essential to propel the probe onward to destination Mars and scooping up dirt and dust from the tiny moon Phobos.
Roscomos, the Russian Federal Space Agency says they have perhaps two weeks to salvage the spacecraft – now stuck in Earth orbit – before its batteries run out and its orbit would naturally decay leading to an ignominious and uncontrollable reentry and earthly demise. Vladimir Popovkin, head of Roscosmos Chief had initially indicated a survival time limited to only 2 days in a briefing to Russian media.
“I give them a good chance — better than even — of recovering the mission and making the Mars insertion burn in a day or two, said James Oberg, a renowned expert on Russian and US spaceflight in commentary to Universe Today. (…)
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3-D View From Subaru – Stephan’s Quintet
Composite tricolor images of Stephan's Quintet using H-alpha filters with a recession velocity of 0 (left image) and a recession velocity of 4,200 miles per second (right image).
While this isn’t a true “cross eye” image, you can darn sure open the larger version, set it to screen size, cross your eyes and get a pretty astonishing result. If you don’t “get it”, then don’t worry. Just look at the pictures separately, because the Subaru Telescope has added a whole new dimension to a seasonal favorite – Stephen’s Quintet. Located in the constellation of Pegasus (RA 22 35 57.5 – Dec +33 57 36), this awesome little galaxy group also known as HIckson Compact Group 92 and Arp 319. In visual observation terms, there’s five – but only four are actually a compact group. The fifth is much closer… (…)
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Is this what our own Milky Way Galaxy looks like from far away?Asteroid Lutetia: Postcard from the past
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:10/28/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Do You Have Ideas for Deep Space Travel? NASA Wants to Hear from You
Artist's conception of solar sail in orbit. Credit: NASA
You’ve probably heard by now how NASA is going to focus more on deep space exploration, both manned and robotic, leaving the low-Earth orbit and suborbital realms to commercial companies, a major change. There is, however, an opportunity for public input for deep space exploration as well, thanks to a new initiative for competitive ideas from universities, students, companies and government agencies. This means that you may have a chance to forward your proposals to help solve the problems that will need to be resolved in the coming years.
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Astrophoto: A Trace From Maranjab Desert by Hesam Nazari
A Trace From Maranjab Desert. Credit: Hesam Nazari
Hesam Nazari captured this photo on September 23, 2011 from 4:39 AM to 6:16 AM from Maranjab Desert in Iran. He built this trace photo from 341 single shots using Startrails software.
Hesam used a Canon 550D camera with Canon lens EFS 18_55 mm 1:3.6_5.6 IS set at ISO 800, f/4.
Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.
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The New Horizons spacecraft took some stunning images of Video Duet – Soyuz Debut Blast off from the Amazon Jungle and Rockin’ Russian Rollout !
Watch the video of today’s debut lift off of a Russian Soyuz rocket from the edge of the Amazon jungle at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana as it successfully carried the first two Galileo In-Orbit Validation satellites to space after an arduous 7 year struggle to mesh Russian and European technologies and cultures – a magnificent achievement that opens a wide realm of new commercial and science exploration possibilities to exploit space for humankind. Launch photos below and here.
Now have some real fun and enjoy this absolutely cool Rockin’ Russian music video showing a headless Soyuz rollout to the pad, an erection like you’ve never imagined and capping with the Galileo satellites. Guaranteed you’ve never seen struttin’ like this but will totally get the Soyuz experience in 2 minutes – give it a whirl. They never did it like this in Russia. (…)
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New view of Vesta mountain from NASA’s Dawn mission
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:10/13/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Dark Matter Movie from the Bolshoi Simulation
What if you could fly through the universe and see dark matter?
OPERA experiment reports anomaly in flight time of neutrinos from CERN to Gran Sasso
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:9/26/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Dawn collects a bounty of beauty from Vesta
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:9/19/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
From the comfort of home, Web users may have found new planets
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:9/23/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Amazing Timelapse Video from the Space Station
Science educator James Drake built this amazing timelapse video from the perspective of the International Space Station as it flew over North and South America. He created this video by downloading a series of 600 photographs that were available online at the Gateway to Astronomy Photograph of Earth, and then stitching them together into a complete video. You can see more of James work at his blog: infinity imagined.
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Attention Public Relations: Here’s What Internet News Wants From You
This is a summary of a talk I gave recently. There was enough slack-jawed astonishment from public relations folks that I thought it might be helpful for others.
My name is Fraser Cain, and I’m the publisher of Universe Today. A space and astronomy news website read by more than 3 million people a month. We have 65,000 RSS subscribers and email readers. We’ve published about 25,000 articles on Universe Today over the last 12 years, and deeply understand what our readers want.
So, if you’re in public relations, and you want to reach out to publishers and news editors, to get them to publish your news, let me tell you what we want. Although I’ll give you examples for space/astronomy, I’m sure this is exactly the same in every news market on the internet.
We want scoops!
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NASA launches mission to study Moon from crust to core
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:9/12/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Seen From Space: Sacred Rocks Of The Outback
Landsat 5 Image – Credits: USGS
Is this a close-up of what’s in that long forgotten plastic container you found on the back shelf of your refrigerator? No. It’s a Landsat 5 image of some of the most sacred areas in the Australian Outback. Let’s learn what they are… (…)
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Rollback from GRAIL s RocketHubble movies provide unprecedented view of supersonic jets from young stars
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:8/31/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
It Turns Out Some Borders *Are* Visible from Space
This picture depicts the illuminated man made border between India and Pakistan, seen from the north from onboard the International Space Station on August 17, 2011. To the left New Delhi, and the cities of Jaipur and Jodpur. At the right edge: Karachi in Pakistan. The most striking feature is something that is frequently thought not to be visible from space – a border. Credit: NASA/ Ron Garan
There is an oft-repeated and perhaps beautiful saying that you can’t see political borders from space. Well, it turns out that saying isn’t true; not anymore. ISS astronaut Ron Garan took this image recently which clearly shows the border between India and Pakistan. Since 2003, India has illuminated the border with Pakistan by floodlights in attempt to prevent ammunition trafficking and the infiltration of terrorists.
“Since the beginning of human spaceflight fifty years ago, astronauts have reflected on how peaceful, beautiful, and fragile the Earth looks from space,” Garan wrote on his Fragile Oasis blog. “These reflections are not clichés that astronauts say because it feels good. It is truly moving to look at the Earth from space.”
But seeing this clearly visible political border was sobering for Garan and his crewmates.
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How to See a Supernova From Your Backyard This Weekend
The timing couldn’t be better. A new supernova, named PTF11kly, which was discovered on August. 24, 2011 is continuing to brighten and should be visible to backyard astronomers this weekend using just a pair of binoculars. It’s not quite naked-eye material but this is an exciting opportunity for amateurs (as well as the pros!) to view a supernova first-hand. Of course, if your backyard is full of light, the best option is to go to an area with darker skies, and you’ll be able to see it much better. Astronomers say PTF11kly will likely continue to shine for some time, and be at its brightest on about Sept. 9, 2011.
In this video Peter Nugent, an astrophysicist from Lawrence Berkeley National Labs explains just how to find this star that exploded about 21 million light years away.
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What’s causing a huge jet to emanate from the center of galaxyMore Views of Hurricane Irene from Space: It’s Big
Here are several different views of Hurricane Irene: from 230 miles above the Earth, cameras on the International Space Station captured several views of powerful Hurricane Irene as it churned over the Bahamas at 3:10 p.m. EDT on August 24, 2011. Irene is moving to the northwest as a Category 3 hurricane, packing winds of 120 miles an hour. Irene is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm as it heads toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Eastern Seaboard and the middle Atlantic and New England states.
See more from other satellites, below:
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Giant space blob glows from within
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:8/17/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
365 Days of Astronomy Needs a Little Help From Their Friends
As many of our readers know, I also work with the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. This award winning daily podcast that was supposed to last for only one year — the International Year of Astronomy — is now in its third year. Unfortunately, the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast is in trouble due to a lack of funding and audio. We’ve done over two and a half years — 959 podcasts so far — all on a shoestring and by the generous donations of audio and funds by our listeners. But things are looking a little grim, and we’d at least like to make it to the end of the year. As Pamela Gay said in her blog post about this, “At a certain level, it is hard to walk away from something feeling like it is halfway done. This is the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast, and we’d like to complete the 2011 calendar year.”
Each 365 Days of Astronomy podcast gets at least 3,000 downloads — some get as many as 10- 15,000 downloads. It’s a wonderful way to have your voice heard, your story told. As Phil Plait has mentioned, 365 DoA is a great venue to not only educate people about astronomy, but to get them personally involved. If you would, please consider submitting audio or making a donation to help us keep a good thing going. We know times are tough, but will appreciate any help you can provide.
Thanks!
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Your Perseid Images from Around — and Above — the World!
A Perseid through the sky. Credit: Nahum Mendez Chazarra, Rojales, Spain. Click to see this image and more on Flickr
We made a wish that our readers would send in their images of the Perseid Meteor Shower, and it came true! Despite a full Moon and clouds scattered around the world, we heard from many of you that you saw — and successfully imaged — the 2011 Perseids. Many of you took advantage of Universe Today’s new Flickr group, an easy way to have readers share their astrophotos with us. Above is a colorful image of a Perseid streaking through the sky by Nahum Mendez Chazarra, in Rojales, Spain.
Below, see an image take from up above the world so high: astronaut Ron Garan on board the International Space Station captured his view looking down at a Perseid streaking through sky!
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This popular group is famous as the
What’s that strange bright streak?NASA Unveils Thrilling First Full Frame Images of Vesta from Dawn
Dawn snaps First Full-Frame Image of Asteroid Vesta
NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on July 24, 2011. It was taken from a distance of about 3,200 miles (5,200 kilometers). Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 15, and will spend a year orbiting the body. The Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The framing cameras were built by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
NASA has just released the first full frame images of Vesta- and they are thrilling! The new images unveil Vesta as a real world with extraordinarily varied surface details and in crispy clear high resolution for the first time in human history.
Vesta appears totally alien and completely unique. “It is one of the last major uncharted worlds in our solar system,” says Dr. Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer and mission manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Now that we are in orbit we can see that it’s a unique and fascinating place.”
“We have been calling Vesta the smallest terrestrial planet,” said Chris Russell, Dawn’s principal investigator at the UCLA.(…)
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Post tags: 1 Ceres, 4 vesta, Asteroids, Dawn Asteroid Orbiter, Dawn mission, Detla II rocket, DLR, Juno mission, Jupiter, Main Asteroid Belt, Max Planck Inbstitue for Solar System Research, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Meteorites, NASA, protoplanets
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Trail of crumbs discovered from potentially hazardous comet
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:7/29/2011
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30-Year-Old 3-D Movie Made from Viking Data Gets New Life
Back in 1979, scientists at Stanford University created a 3-D movie from images sent back by the Viking landers on Mars. It was rather novel in that, while 3-D movies had been around since the 1950′s — mostly for low-budget B movies in theaters — this stereographic film was more scientific in nature, but was created for the public to learn more about the Viking mission and Mars, providing a “you are there” experience. It was created using 16mm film, which degrades over time. Considering the unique historical and scientific value of this film, a group from NASA’s Ames Research Center have constructed a new digital version, made from the original 16mm film footage, sound reels, and related documentation.
Plans are underway to hold screenings of this new version of Mars in 3-D in Digital Cinema 3-D format. But in the meantime you can watch it now online in a digital anaglyph version, best viewed with red-cyan 3-D glasses.
Read more about the remastering process and read original papers from the imaging team from Viking at the Ames History Office website.
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Atlantis Farewell from ParkesFirst Ever Vesta Vistas from Orbit – in 2D and 3D
First Vesta Vista Captured in orbit by Dawn on July 17, 2011 – Enhanced
Nearly centered on the South Pole, this image taken by Dawn’s framing camera on July 17, 2011 has been enhanced to bring out further detail. It was taken from a distance of about 9,500 miles (15,000 kilometers) away from the protoplanet Vesta. Each pixel in the image corresponds to roughly 0.88 miles (1.4 kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Enhanced and annotated by Ken Kremer. Original NASA version below
The first ever Vesta Vista snapped from the protoplanets orbit has been transmitted back through 117 million miles of space to eager eyes waiting on Earth. Although Vesta had been observed by telescopes on Earth and in space for more than two centuries since its discovery, only scant detail on its surface could be discerned until today.
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft took the new photo of the giant asteroid Vesta on July 17 – enhanced version shown above – less than 2 days after making space history as the first probe ever to enter orbit about an object in the main Asteroid Belt. The team also released their first 3 D image of Vesta. Read my orbital capture story here and see the original NASA image below.
“I think it is truly thrilling to be turning what was little more than a fuzzy blob for two centuries into a fascinating alien world,” said Dawn Chief Engineer Marc Rayman in a new post orbit interview with Universe Today.(…)
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Is This a Scene from Star Wars or a Real Image from the ISS?
ATV2 (Johannes Kepler) as it departs the ISS against the backdrop of Earth. Credit: NASA/Ron Garan
What an amazing image! The ATV-2 Johannes Kepler looks like an X-Wing fighter from Star Wars as it departed from the International Space Station. Astronaut Ron Garan posted the image on his Twitpic page, asking viewers if they thought the spacecraft looked like the fictional fighter jets of the Alliance.
The ATV-2 left the ISS and entered Earth’s atmosphere on June 21. The spacecraft had a “blackbox” on board, a Re-Entry Breakup Recorder (REBR) to monitor temperature, acceleration, rotation rate, and other data as it tumbled and disintegrated through the atmosphere. The data was sent down via a “phone call” to an Iridium satellite to help scientists better understand the physics of what happens to a spacecraft when it breaks up on re-entry.
So, enjoy one last beautiful look at the ATV-2 in this stunning image.
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Lightning Eclipse from the Planet of the Goats
Thunderstorms almost spoiled this view of the spectacular June 15
Gamma-ray flash came from star being eaten by black hole
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:6/17/2011
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Lunar Eclipse Images from Around the World; June 15, 2011
A mosiac of lunar eclipse images by Marko Posavec in Koprivnica, Croatia.
It was an event that hasn’t happened in 11 years and won’t happen again until 2018. The total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 didn’t disappoint. Take a look at some of the amazing images taken by astrophotographers from around the world — well, the “eastern” side of the world anyway, as the eclipse wasn’t visible in North America. Our lead image is a fantastic mosaic taken by Marko Posavec in Koprivnica, Croatia. We have another image by Posavic below, but you can see more of his images via his Twitter account.
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What has the Cassini orbiter seen since arriving at Saturn?Timelapse: Milky Way from the Dakotas
Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.
Growing up in the Dakotas, I can attest to the dark skies that grace the northern plains. However, there is also cold weather (even in the spring) and — at times — almost unbelievably windy conditions. But that didn’t stop videographer Randy Halverson from shooting this magnificent timelapse video of the Milky Way. And in fact, his low shots enhance the beauty of the landscape and sky. “There were very few nights, when I could shoot, that were perfectly clear, and often the wind was blowing 25mph +,” Halverson said. “That made it hard to get the shots I wanted. I kept most of the shots low to the ground, so the wind wouldn’t catch the setup and cause camera shake, or blow it over.”
Ten seconds of the video is about 2 hours 20 minutes in real time. Randy tells us he has been doing astro timelapse for only about 16 months, but shooting other types of video since the mid 90′s. See more of his marvelous work at his Dakotalapse website.
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Jets of streamingBest Images from STS-134, Endeavour’s Final Mission, Part 1
Astronaut Drew Feustel reenters the space station after completing an 8-hour, 7-minute spacewalk at on Sunday, May 22, 2011. He and fellow spacewalker Mike Fincke conducted the second of the four EVAs during the STS-134 mission. Credit: NASA
It’s bittersweet: a very successful STS-134 shuttle mission going on right now, but it’s the last one ever for space shuttle Endeavour, and the second to the last shuttle mission ever. The best way to savor the mission is to enjoy some of the wonderful images being beamed down from space.
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From 2MASS To You… The Most Complete 3-D Map of Local Universe
Credit: T.H. Jarrett (IPAC/SSC)
Isn’t this era of astronomy incredible? There are times when I thumb through my old astronomy books with their outdated information and simply marvel over today’s capabilities. Who would have believed just 50 years ago that we’d be peering into the far reaches of our Universe – let alone mapping them? Thanks to an endeavor that took more than 10 years to complete, the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) has provided us with 3-D map which cuts through the dust and pushes the envelope of the Galactic Plane out to 380 million light-years – encompassing more than 500 million stars and resolving more than 1.5 million galaxies. (…)
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Ultimate ISS + Shuttle + Earth Photo Op Coming on May 23 from Soyuz and Paolo Nespoli
First ever Photos of Shuttle-Space Station Stack coming on May 23, 2011
This still image from a NASA computer generated animation shows three different views of how the Soyuz TMA-20 crew will undock from the ISS on Monday May 23, 2011. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will capture first ever photos and video of a space shuttle -Endeavour -docked to International Space Station
from his departing Russian Soyuz capsule. Credit: NASA TV.
Watch Video simulation below
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: Get ready for the ultimate photo op in space – set for the International Space Station joined to Space Shuttle Endeavour and topped off by Planet Earth as the backdrop.
And it’s coming up momentarily because of an unexpected and “unique opportunity” that’s also taking place at nearly the last possible moment in the life of the soon to be retired Space Shuttle program.
On Monday, May 23, Italian Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will snap the first ever photos and video of a US Space Shuttle orbiter while it is simultaneously still docked to the International Space Station, NASA officials just announced on Friday, May 19. (…)
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What’s going on in the center of this spiral galaxy?
Stars, like bees, swarm around the center of bright
It is a hurricane twice the size of the Earth.Rare Green Flashes Captured From the Moon
Green flashes from the setting Moon. Credit: ESO/G.Hüdepohl
Green flashes from the Sun at sunset are a rare phenomenon, but even rarer are green flashes from a setting Moon. With the unique atmospheric conditions at Cerro Paranal in Chile, a photographer from ESO’s Very Large Telescope managed to what are likely the best images ever taken of the Moon’s green flash. ESO Photo Ambassador Gerhard Hüdepohl took a series of images of thesetting full Moon crossing the horizon, taken on a clear early morning from the Paranal Residencia.
What happens that makes the green flashes appear?
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Staring across interstellar space, the
What would it be like to standEchoes from the Depths of a Red Giant Star
A journey to the center of a red giant star is very firmly in the
From the Earth and Moon (and Russia) With Love
Russia's Elektro-L spacecraft captured this view of the Moon over the Red Sea region of the Earth. Credit: NPO Lavochkin
This stunning picture of the Moon and Earth was taken by Russia’s new Elektro-L spacecraft, a weather-forecasting satellite that launched in January 2011. This is the first major spacecraft developed in post-Soviet Russia, and it is designed to give Russian meteorologists the ability to watch the entire disk of the planet, thanks to the satellite’s position in the geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above the equator. The clarity of the images is fantastic, as you can see in another image of just the Earth, below. The Elektro-L is designed to last at least a decade, and will enable local and global weather forecasting, analysis of oceanic conditions, as well as space weather monitoring, such as measurements of solar radiation, properties of Earth’s ionosphere and magnetic field.
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Keeping Astronauts Safe from Meteoroids
Astronauts Steve Bowen and Alvin drew work in tandem on one of the truss sections of the ISS during the first spacewalk of the STS-133 mission. Credit: NAS
About 100 tons of meteoroids bombard the Earth’s atmosphere every day. For spacecraft in Earth orbit, a collision with these particles could cause serious damage or catastrophic failure, and a hit on an astronaut or cosmonaut conducting extra-vehicular activities in space would be life-threatening, if not fatal. But before anyone steps outside the space shuttle or the International Space Station, NASA checks with data from Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar to determine if it’s safe.
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Japan’s Trash-laden HTV-2 Undocks from ISS
Japan's Kounotori 2 –or ‘White Stork’ – cargo carrier as it arrived at the ISS in January. Credit: Paolo Nespol/NASA
Japan’s HTV-2 Kounotori resupply ship undocked from the International Space Station at 15.45 GMT on March 28, and will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere sometime early Wednesday March 31. Back in January, the craft brought five metric tons of equipment and supplies to the station, but now it is loaded with trash and unneeded equipment and packing materials. Most of the HTV will likely disintegrate as it passes through the atmosphere, but any pieces left over will find a watery grave in a remote area in the Central Pacific.
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Integral spots matter a millisecond from doom
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:3/28/2011
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If you could stand on Mars, what would you see? Lunar Farside Gets Highest Resolution Look Yet from LRO
The lunar farside as never seen before! LROC WAC orthographic projection centered at 180° longitude, 0° latitude. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University.
The first time humans were able to catch a glimpse of the far side of the Moon was back in 1959 when the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft sent back 29 grainy images taken during its successful loop around the Moon. “What a surprise – the farside was a different world, geologically,” said Mark Robinson, principal investigator for the camera on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. “Unlike the widespread maria on the nearside, basaltic volcanism was restricted to a relatively few, smaller regions on the farside, and the battered highlands crust dominated.”
Since then, just a handful of spacecraft have taken images of the far side of the Moon, but now, Robinson has had a hand in creating the most detailed view yet of the farside of the Moon. A mosaic of the far side released today is comprised of over 15,000 Wide Angle Camera images acquired between November 2009 and February 2011.
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The Telescopes from Afar Conference concludes
Guest blog from Stephen G. Cullen, president/CEO of LightBuckets online telescopes:
The final day of the Telescopes from Afar Conference in Hawaii was as interesting as the first. The presentations included discussions about Mauna Kea weather forecasting, site selection for the new Thirty Meter Telescope, and an overview of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) by Director Arne Hendon.
Wayne Rosing talks about the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, which he founded. Stephen G. Cullen photoA good part of the day session was devoted to talks by representatives of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN). Wayne Rosing, LCOGTN founder, gave an overview of their strategy while John Martinez went into detail about much of the technical aspects of their plans.
It was intriguing to hear the AAVSO overview relative to the LCOGTN plans. The two organizations fundamentally represent the ends of the spectrum in privately funded astronomy research today. AAVSO uses an all-volunteer staff and a network of heterogeneous telescopes to conduct worldwide variable star research.
Conversely, LCOGTN directly employs a number of staff research astronomers, programmers, engineers, and members other disciplines. In addition, they are building what amounts to a homogenous network of 0.4- and 1-meter telescopes. LCOGTN also engineers and fabricates their own mounts, cameras, and filter wheels. Even the observatory structures themselves are homegrown. There is certainly justification for both approaches so there really is no right or wrong here — just different approaches to getting serious research done.
From the author’s hotel Sunday night, he captured the Moon and Jupiter in the sky together over the Pacific. Stephen G. Cullen photoThe conference wrapped up with a surprise informal cocktail party hosted by LCOGTN.
From talking with other attendees, everyone was happy with the content, venue, and networking opportunities afforded by this inaugural gathering. Special thanks go to the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope organizers and workers who helped make the event a success. I’m looking forward to participating again next year.
Related blogs
The Telescopes from Afar Conference continues
The first Telescopes from Afar Conference
This breaching whale appeared in the ocean off the beach at the Waikoloa Marriott. Stephen G. Cullen photo
How thin are the rings of Saturn? A Solar Prominence Eruption from SDO
One of the most spectacular solar sights is an erupting prominence.
The Telescopes from Afar Conference continues
Guest blog from Stephen G. Cullen, president/CEO of LightBuckets online telescopes:
The first day of the inaugural Telescopes from Afar Conference in Hawaii proved to be a very fruitful event on many fronts. The speakers came prepared with excellent information on the progress they’ve made and the challenges they face automating observatories. The telescopes range from the 3.6-meter Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope down to the University of Utah’s 0.81-meter Willard L. Eccles Observatory on Frisco Peak near Milford, Utah.
Colin Aspin discusses the University of Hawaii’s 2.2-meter observatory (UH88) automation system. Stephen G. Cullen photoThings got really interesting at lunch when a small group including me, Bob Denny (DC-3 Dreams), Rich Williams, and Steve Ohmert (Sierra Stars Observatory Network) got together to talk about the future of online robotic astronomy. As soon as we sat down, we were joined by Dr. Frank Melsheimer from DFM Engineering. This company produces world-class telescopes and mounts in the 1.3-meter range. Frank has many great stories about the industry, which he gladly shared with our lunch bunch.
Before long, Arne Henden of the American Association of Variable Star Observers and Ed Beshore, the director of the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, also joined us. It’s probably not often that such a diverse, knowledgeable, and experienced group of astronomy veterans gets together in one place. It was certainly a memorable moment for me.
The rest of the day’s content was also great. For me, two significant themes bubbled to the top out of all of the information presented and the many conversations.
The first doesn’t specifically relate to remote or robotic astronomy but is important to get on the table nonetheless. It seems that there has been, still is, and will continue to be a large disconnect between astronomy outreach programs targeted to K-12 education and a teacher’s ability to utilize these programs.
This lineup of conferees includes Ed Beshore, director of the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, and Rich Williams and Steve Ohmert, both from the Sierra Remote Observatory. Stephen G. Cullen photoThere appears to be no shortage of people on the astronomy side of the equation who want to help teachers bring the subject to their students. The challenge lies in the educational system because teachers must conform their instruction to federal and state standards that do not account for astronomy. My sense is that there will continue to be frustration and wasted resources spent attempting to cater to schools until some fundamental changes in the standards occur. Overall, it feels like a big issue that will take a concerted effort to move the needle on.
The second theme that came up in numerous conversations is that a lot of extra “bandwidth” is available on telescopes around the globe, and that it just isn’t being utilized properly. Many larger instruments have robust scheduling systems to get the most out of the investment, but many medium-sized instruments exist that have some free time that could be appropriated if the technology were in place to take advantage of it. If someone finds a solution to this problem, I believe we can fundamentally democratize astronomy — a dream of many in the astronomy community for quite a while.
The day wrapped up with a wonderful meal enjoyed at Merriman’s (a well-known restaurant in Hawaii) with Russ Genet, who is a Research Scholar in Residence at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Dr. Genet is a pioneer in robotic astronomy and has authored more than 20 books on the subject of automation and astronomy as well as his other passion, evolutionary science. His most recent book is titled Humanity: The Chimpanzees Who Would Be Ants.
The Hawaiian Islands are a tropical paradise for those who love the sand, surf, and Sun — and who doesn’t? But for this week at the Telescopes from Afar Conference, it is also turning out to be heavenly for fans of astronomy: its past, present, and future.
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The first Telescope from Afar Conference
Always a Good Show: SRB Camera Views from Disovery’s Last Ride
I always enjoy the views from the cameras placed on the solid rocket boosters for the space shuttles, and this one is no different. Enjoy the ride and and down again, and watch out for that splashdown!
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The first Telescopes from Afar Conference
Guest blog from Stephen G. Cullen:
It’s a tough assignment, but someone has to do it, so here I am at the inaugural Telescopes from Afar Conference on the Big Island of Hawaii. The conference, sponsored by the good people at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), has brought together an international group of professional astronomers to share information on remotely operated, automated, and robotic ground-based telescopes.
Bob Denny of DC-3 Dreams (ACP) and Ron Wodaski of the Tzec Maun Foundation attend the reception dinner of the Telescopes from Afar Conference. Stephen G. Cullen photoOver the next 3 days, we’ll hear from experts on topics ranging from site selection, infrastructure, and software systems, to automation, observatory operations, and more. The conference is well-represented with astronomers from all the major observatories, including CFHT, Gemini, ESO, Keck, Subaru, TMT, and more.
Some interesting next-tier organizations are also at the event. These are either for-profit companies or nonprofits that provide access to remote telescopes over the Internet. Of course, I am here representing my company, LightBuckets. I’m joined by Wayne Rosing and his team from the Las Cumbres Observatories Global Telescope Network, which is building a system of 0.4-meter and 1.0-meter telescopes around the world. They will focus on science outreach as well as some serious research primarily related to transient events such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and the like.
A number of hardware and software vendors are in attendance as well. They include Bob Denny, author of ACP observatory automation software, and Roland Christen from Astro-Physics.
This sign invited all participants to the general session and welcome reception of the Telescopes from Afar Conference. Stephen G. Cullen photoLast night, at a welcoming reception, I had the pleasure of sitting with Bob Denny from DC-3 Dreams (ACP) and Ron Wodaski from the Tzec Maun Foundation (and their lovely wives). Ron’s group is involved in astronomy outreach and research, and they are in the midst of a significant project to renovate a 1.0-meter telescope in the mountains of New Mexico. Congratulations are also in order for Ron because yesterday the Advanced Imaging Conference selected him as the 2011 Hubble Award winner for his many contributions to amateur astroimaging.
I’ll be here for the rest of the week sending updates on other interesting topics I find at the conference, as well as my ongoing struggles to remain focused on the task at hand given the blue ocean, clear skies, and the mountain top of Mauna Kea calling my name.
Unique Perspective: Shuttle Launch as Seen from Airplane, Balloon, and Freefall
I thought I had a great view of space shuttle Discovery’s final launch, seeing it from the Kennedy Space Center press site. But there were a few other people who had a pretty unique perspective on the launch. A passenger on an airplane, Neil Monday, who was flying out of the Orlando, Florida airport, recorded the shuttle launch with his iPhone, above. That is just awesome. Want more unique views of the launch?
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Incredible Video of Shuttle Approaching ISS, Taken from Earth
The International Space Station and shuttle Discovery, about 30 minutes before docking, as seen from Earth. Credit: Theirry Legault.
Award winning photographer Theirry Legault sent us a note about some amazing new video he shot of the space shuttle Discovery getting ready to dock with the space station. Legault took the video on Saturday evening (Feb. 26, 2011) at 18:40 UT from Germany, showing Discovery and the ISS about a hundred meters apart, 30 minutes before docking. The image above is a still frame from the video, which can be seen on Legault’s website here. “It’s sunset on the ISS at the end of the video sequence,” Legault wrote. “The video is accelerated 2.5 times (acquisition at 10 fps, video at 25 fps). The altitude of the ISS is 360 km (200 miles)… and the speed of ISS is 17,000 miles per hour (27,350 kph) and its angular speed at zenith is 1.2° per second.”
Flash is required to see the video. The 900 frames of the sequence has been registered and combined by groups of 10 (processing with Prism and VirtualDub), Legault said. Find out more about Legault’s photography and tracking equipment at this page on his website.
If you recall, Legault has also taken images of the ISS and docked shuttle Endeavour transiting the Sun, and Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope transiting the Sun, as well as many other amazing images shot from Earth.
The detail Legault has captured is incredible, and a joy to see. Check out more on his website.
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Videos from the 2011 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
The annual Tucson Gem and Mineral show is a huge event that draws more than 100,000 to the city each year to look at hundreds of thousands of minerals, gems, meteorites, beads, pieces of jewelry, and other items that rock and gem folks just love — and all of it’s for sale. The show is the biggest event within the meteorite world and brings together hundreds of dealers and collectors. This year, Editor David J. Eicher spent 5 days checking out the “satellite shows” and the main show, talking to collectors and shooting video.
While at the 2011 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Editor Dave Eicher had the chance to interview Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold, better-known as the Meteorite Men, as well as Anne Black, a world-renowned meteorite collector. Click on the image to go to the videos. David J. Eicher photo First, Dave had the chance to spend a half-hour with collectors Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold, better known as the Science Channel’s Meteorite Men. In a five-part interview, Geoff and Steve share memories from the show and plans for upcoming episodes, as well as discuss amateur involvement in meteoritics and the different paths of specialization in collecting.
Then, Geoff spent some time taking Dave through the Aerolite Meteorites room (Geoff's company). While in Tucson, Geoff displayed a large Moon rock, a variety of historic pieces, and a 328-pound Nantan iron meteorite, among other treasures.
And finally, Dave visited Anne Black of Impactika and took a tour of her room, as well. Anne is well-known for her vast collection of thin sections, which she had on hand — all 275 of them!
To see all of Dave’s videos, check out the 2011 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show page in the Trips & Tours area of Astronomy.com. Be sure to check out his blog entries and photos from the show, as well.
The Solar System from MESSENGER
If you looked out from the center of the Solar System, what would you see?
Spectacular ATV Kepler Launch Photo Captured from Orbiting ISS
ATV Rocket Launch Photo from Earth Orbiting ISS.
This remarkable photo was taken by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli from the ISS on 16 February 2011, just minutes after ATV Johannes Kepler lifted off on board an Ariane 5 from Kourou at 22:50 UTC. It shows the rising exhaust trail of Ariane, still in its initial vertical trajectory. The trail can be seen as a thin streak framed just beneath the Station’s remote manipulator arm. Credits: ESA/ NASA
Have you ever seen a space launch from orbit ?
Check out the spectacular launch photo (above) of the Johannes Kepler ATV streaking skyward atop an Ariane 5 rocket as captured by astronaut Paolo Nespoli from his unparalleled vantage point looking out the windows aboard the International Space Station (ISS), in orbit some 350 km above Earth.
The launch photo shows the rising exhaust trail from the rocket just minutes after blast off of the Ariane booster on Feb. 16 from the ESA rocket base in Kourou, French Guiana, South America. The rocket was still on a vertical ascent trajectory to orbit. Additional launch photos below from space and Earth.(…)
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Post tags: Ariane 5 rocket, atv, esa, HTV, ISS, johannes kepler, Kepler mission, kepler’s laws of planetary motion, NASA, Progress
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First-Time Solar System Mosaic From the Inside Out
MESSENGER's new solar system portrait, from the inside out
Say cheese! The MESSENGER spacecraft has captured the first portrait of our Solar System from the inside looking out. The images, captured Nov. 3 and 16, 2010, were snapped with the Wide Angle Camera (WAC) and Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of MESSENGER’s Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS).
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No comet has ever been visited twice before.From Mars with Love on Valentines Day
From Mars with Love on Valentines Day.
A heart-shaped feature in the Arabia Terra region of Mars is show on the left, with additional context on the right, in excerpts of an image taken by the Context Camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Larger version below. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.
See the Big Red Martian Heart below
Happy Valentine’s Day from Mars to all the readers of Universe Today !
Well it’s truly a solar system wide Valentines celebration. From the Moon, Mars and even Comet Temple 1 with some pixie Stardust for the romantic rendezvous upcoming in a few short hours [Stardust-NExT Flyby at 11:37 p.m. EST Feb 14].
The Martian camera team from Malin Space Systems, San Diego, wishes to share a special heart-shaped feature from Arabia Terra – images above and below – with all Mars fans on this St. Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2011. (…)
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Post tags: Arabia Terra, Mars, mars global surveyor, mars reconnaissance orbiter, mgs, MRO, NASA, Valentine’s Day
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Iridescent Clouds from the Top of the World Highway
Why would a cloud appear to be different colors?
New images show cloud exploding from Sun ripples like clouds on Earth
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:2/7/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
How To See NanoSail-D From Your Own Backyard
Artist concept of Nanosail-D in Earth orbit. Credit: NASA
The night sky has many wonderful objects to look at on a clear evening, including many man-made satellites, and the always impressive International Space Station (ISS). Now there’s a new addition to these artificial delights: the first ever solar sail to orbit the Earth, NASA’s Nanaosail-D Satellite. Want to know how you can see it?
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Post tags: nanosail-d, Observing
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Apollo 14: A View from AntaresSunrise Photos from the Edge of Space shot by College Team
A sunrise from the edge of space. Credit: Project Soar
A college-age team of space and photography enthusiasts have created a fully reusable capsule that can travel autonomously to the edge of space using high altitude balloons. To date, their capsule, named PURSUIT has had four flights, reaching altitudes ranging from 24,000 to 36,500 meters (80,000 to 120,000 feet.) “We wanted to fly capsules to the edge of space and capture the most difficult imagery that other teams didn’t even bother trying,” said Project Soar team leader David Gonzales II. “Our capsules shoot high resolution stills and shoot HD video of their incredible journeys.”
Last fall, the team captured the stunning image above of a sunrise from space from about 25,000 meters above the Earth. “To our knowledge, Sunrise Soar II captured the highest resolution images of sunrise ever taken from the edge of space by a high altitude balloon flight,” Gonzales told Universe Today.
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Post tags: astrophotography, high altitude balloons
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Jupiter scar likely from rocky body
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:1/27/2011
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Groovin’ to the Latest Images from Mars
The folks from the HiRISE Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have put together a video with some groovin’ music of the latest images from the Red Planet, courtesy of HiRISE, the bestest camera in all of Marsdom. There’s an elliptical impact crater, giant gullies, sinuous ridges and a Swiss Cheese smiley face. No foolin’!
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Post tags: HiRISE, Mars, mars reconnaissance orbiter
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Where on this moon would you land?New Looks at Phobos from Mars Express Flyby
Phobos, as seen by Mars Express on Jan. 9, 2011 from a distance of about 100 km. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum
The Mars Express team released the images today from the close flyby the spacecraft made of Phobos on January 9. The images weren’t downloaded from Mars Express until Jan. 18, and then they were processed, so these are hot off the press. The team didn’t provide much explanation, but enjoy the images. There’s one 3-D view in the group, so grab your 3-D glasses.
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Spectacular Eruptions of Mt. Etna in Sicily from Space and Earth
View of Mt. Etna spewing smoke or ash from the orbiting NASA Terra Satellite before the eruption.
Close up view of northeastern Sicily and the Italian boot (top right).
Acquired on January 11, 2011.
NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day on January 15, 2011.
Credit: NASA Terra Satellite
Spectacular eruptions from Mt Etna are spewing massive quantities of lava, smoke and ash many hundreds of meters high into the skies above the island of Sicily. Mt Etna is the most active volcano in Europe and one of the most active on all of Earth. The volcano rumbled to life again this week on the evening of January 12, 2011 and lit up the night sky. Mt Etna is 3350 meters high and located on the northeast coast of Sicily near the boot of Italy (see above, below).
This fearsome natural wonder is providing an awe inspiring show from both Earth and Space. Local residents and lucky tourists nearby took stunning videos and photos (below) (…)
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Post tags: active volcanoes, Earth Observation, esa, ISS, mount etna, NASA, sicily, volcano
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Stunning New Images From Cassini’s Close Flyby of Rhea
Rhea, Saturn's rings and some sister moons. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Jia-Rui C. Cook from the Cassini team sent out an alert that raw images from Cassini’s closest flyby of Saturn’s moon Rhea have begun streaming to Cassini’s raw image page, and they are well worth a look. At closest approach, Cassini came within about 69 kilometers (43 miles) of Rhea’s surface on Jan. 11. But there’s also some interesting group photos from within the Saturn System. One of the best is this image, above. How many moons can you find? I probably wouldn’t have seen them all but Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Blog spied five moons and the rings in this one wide-angle shot. The large moon is Rhea; above Rhea and just below the rings, is Dione; above and to the left of Rhea is Tethys. Then there are two tiny moons: squint hard to see Prometheus as tiny lump on the rings to the left of Dione, and Epimetheus is hovering between Tethys and Rhea. See some more, including closeups of Rhea and Saturn’s storm, below.
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NASA – The Frontier Is Everywhere (Videos): Readings from Carl Sagan
Check out this awesome pair of inspiring videos about NASA and Space Exploration. They are set to the ever inspiring words of Carl Sagan – reading from his book, “The Pale Blue Dot”. And these videos were not created by NASA, but rather by people inspired by NASA and Carl Sagan to dream about distant frontiers even in these times of tough budgets for NASA.
The original, highly praised video – see below – was created by Director Michael Marantz, who was inspired by the words of Carl Sagan. Now a completely new version – above – by a fellow going by “damewse”, has been set to the same stirring words and music and the video has gone viral. (…)
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Post tags: Astronomy, Carl Sagan, pale blue dot, Space Exploration
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Great View! January 4 Solar Eclipse As Seen From Space
Here’s a unique view of the January 4 partial solar eclipse: ESA’s sun-watching microsatellite Proba-2 captured the conjunction of the spheres as the Sun, Moon and Earth all lined up in front of it. Shortly after the Moon partially blocked Proba-2’s view of the Sun, the satellite flew into Earth’s shadow. At that point – when the video seen here goes dark – the Sun, Moon, Earth and Proba-2 were all on the same line in space.
“This is a notable event,” said Bogdan Nicula of the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB), who calculated where and when this double-eclipse would happen. “It is a nice exercise to model the orbit and relative positions of all three celestial bodies.”
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Post tags: eclipses, esa, Proba-2
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A Green Flash from the Sun Roscosmos Highlights from 2010
From Russia, with love. Here’s a video put together by Roscosmos of launch and mission highlights. Interestingly, in 2010, Russia has made almost a half of all launches in the world this year – 31 launches of 74. Next was the USA and China with 15 launches each. ESA sent 6 rockets to space, India had 3, South Korea had 1, Japan 2, and Israel 1. Four launches in the world were unsuccessful.
Via Spaceports
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Rare Images From Inside a Soyuz During Flight
Astronaut Cady Coleman and cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev inside the living area of the Soyuz TMA-20. Credit: Roscosmos.
Cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev recently arrived at the International Space Station, along with astronauts Cady Colemand from the US and Paolo Nespoli from the European Space Agency. Kondratyev has a blog, which he has been updating regularly and he has included several pictures. Most interestingly, he has quite a few images taken inside the Soyuz after launch as the crew was on their way to meet up with the ISS. Very few interior images of the Soyuz during flight have been made available before. Below are some that Kondratyev shared.
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Latest From Mars: Frosty Landscapes, Ancient Lakebed, Potential Landing Site
Richardson Crater Dunes, Partially Defrosted. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
A new batch of images has been released by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissaince Orbiter and –as usual — they are stunning. In the image above, there is a lot going on! Numerous dust devil tracks have left their criss-crossing marks on the dune field found in Richardson Crater. The dunes are covered by seasonal carbon dioxide frost, which has only partially defrosted, although the image was acquired late in Mars’ southern spring. There are channels carved into the ground and HiRISE scientists says the could have been created by blocks of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) slide down the slope and sublimate (evaporate directly from solid to gas). Wouldn’t that be fun to be there and watch happen!
See more of the “coolest” and latest Mars images from HiRISE below:
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Seasons Greetings and a Look Back at 2010 from NASA
A couple of holiday themed videos for you from NASA, and look back at 2010. The ISS crew has the strangest looking Christmas tree ever, as seen below.
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Scientists from Arsenic Bacteria Paper Respond to Criticisms
Backlash from the “arsenic life” paper that was published on December 2, is still ongoing. Some of the criticism has been about the science, while much more criticism has been about the coverage of the news and also how NASA introduced, or “teased” the public with news, using the words “astrobiology” and “extraterrestrial life” in their announcement of an upcoming press conference. Today, at the American Geophysical Union conference, one of the team scientists, Ron Oremland discussed the fallout from the news coverage, and I’ll be providing an overview of that shorty. At about the same time, the science team released a statement and some FAQ’s about the science paper. Below is that statement and the information the science team provided.
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Sneak attacks from the Sun
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:12/8/2010
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Why is Phobos so dark? Celebrate the Holidays, From Space!
Zooniverse’s Advent Calendar.
Its December, so many people are getting ready to celebrate … something, be it Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, National Pie Day (today!), Emily Dickinson’s birthday (Dec. 10) or National Wear Plunger on Your Head Day (Dec. 18), or just being able to get together with family or having some time off work.
To help you celebrate, there are lots of online spacey goodies. The Zooniverse started the Zooniverse Advent Calendar, similar to the one-a-day-chocolate-treat calendars we all love, but this calendar includes a surprise each day such as special images, downloads and even a couple of very big pieces of news (since no one has figured out how to send chocolate over the web, yet.) Click this link, or the top image to access, as the calendar is now operational.
Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society Blog has her own advent calendar with image treats, and Door Number 1 is now open! Emily’s calendar goes all the way to the New Year, which is even better for more great images.
And there’s more!
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Mission to asteroid gets help from Hubble Space Telescope
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:10/11/2010
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
Gas and Snow Jets from Comet Hartley 2
Unusual jets have been discovered emanating from Comet Hartley 2.
Planet from another galaxy discovered
Astronomy Magazine News Article – Released:11/19/2010
Astronomy.com News – Presented by Astronomy Magazine
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