Universe Today

On Sunday evening Nov. 2, at 7 pm CST,(in the US; check your local listings) the National Geographic channel will be showing a special documentary on the Mars Exploration Rovers. It's called "Five Years on Mars," and dramatizes the trials and tribulations of the rovers Spirit and Opportunity and highlights new scientific information on the planet’s geology and water history. If you saw the "Mars: Dead or Alive" and "Welcome to Mars" shows, this one should be even better. The show will feature photo-realistic animation based on the actual landscape as captured by the rovers’ cameras, and interviews with MER PI Steve Squyres and others on the rover team.
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Say the word "antimatter" and immediately people think of science fiction – anti-universes, fuel for the Enterprise's warp-speed engines and so forth. But Captain, we can't change the laws of physics; antimatter is the real deal. Antimatter is made up of elementary particles, each of which has the same mass as their corresponding matter counterparts –protons, neutrons and electrons — but the opposite charges and magnetic properties. When matter and antimatter particles collide, they annihilate each other and produce energy according to Einstein's famous equation, E=mc2. But antimatter isn't something that's available on every corner drugstore (and neither is plutonium, to continue with the movie theme) and there's not very much of it around, so it seems. But, according to theory, it wasn't always that way, and scientists are using the Chandra X-ray Observatory to hunt for evidence of antimatter that was present in the very early universe. And it's not an easy job…
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Halloween means its time for ghost stories and here's a mysterious astronomical story about the "Ghost of Mirach." When viewed in visible light, as in the picture above on the left, the galaxy called NGC 404 appears as just a white blob. Mirach is a red giant star that looms large in visible light, hiding NGC 404 in its glare, and therefore was nicknamed "The Ghost of Mirach" But when the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spied the galaxy in ultraviolet light, a spooky ring materialized and the region came to "life." This ring, seen in blue in the picture on the right, contains new stars — a surprise considering that the galaxy was previously thought to be dead. "We thought this celestial ghost was essentially dead, but we've been able to show that it has an extended ring of new stars. The galaxy has a hybrid character in which the well-known, very old stellar population tells only part of the story," said David Thilker of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "It's like the living dead."

Oooh, spooky!
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Happy Halloween! Are you ready for the Spook's Tour? Tonight treat your little ghouls and goblins, party guests and yourself to a real sweet treat through your telescope or binoculars as we take a look at some of the season's craziest (and scariest) outer space objects. It's a time honored custom that's sure to please even the most starched shirt out there… So loosen up your tie and let's have some fun! Need more to keep you busy? Sure! We'll also take a look at the weekend's lunar features, the magnificent "Double Cluster" and a salute to Harlow Shapely! Now, let's haunt the weekend together… Read more…

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Update: 10/31: Phoenix communicated with NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter late Thursday. The communication reinforced a diagnosis that the spacecraft is in a precautionary mode triggered by low energy. Mission engineers are assessing the lander's condition and steps necessary for returning to science operations.

The Phoenix Lander is not responding to attempts to communicate with it. Earlier today, we reported that Phoenix had gone into safe mode. The lander experienced a low-power fault in the electrical system due to the reduction of solar-electric power to shorter daylight hours and a dust storm, as well as extremely cold weather. Engineers for the mission were able to send a command to restart a battery that had shut off, and were hopeful that further communications would resume without incident. However, Phoenix did not respond to one of the Mars orbiter's attempt to communicate with it Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not ready to say goodbye to Phoenix quite yet…

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The space shuttle mission to repair and update the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed. Mission managers were aiming for a February 2009 launch for STS-125 flight for the fifth and final shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The replacement component for the data handling system that recently caused problems for the telescope not be ready by February, and now NASA is looking for a May 2009 launch. On a positive note, the "other" shuttle mission waiting in the wings, STS-126 to the International Space Station, is looking good and is go for launch. Current launch date is set for November 14 at 7:55 p.m. EST.
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Numerous news articles recently have reported problems with the Ares rocket. Some articles detailed critical design flaws, others wondered if Ares was doomed, others reported that Ares was on the US Congress's "chopping block," and still others purported that a different launch architecture would be superior to the Ares design. So many rumors were floating around that NASA felt the need to hold a press briefing yesterday to address the rumors and calm any fears that the Constellation program was on the verge of collapse. At the briefing, NASA officials said that while there are some challenges for the program to overcome, Ares is making outstanding progress toward flight. "Some recent news reports about Ares have been inaccurate and draw false conclusions," said Steve Cook, who leads the development of the rocket.

But isn't that what everyone expected them to say? Are they telling the truth? To get an unbiased look at the state of the Constellation program, Universe Today contacted Dr. Scott Pace, who is the Director for the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Pace said the problems facing Ares are typical and not insurmountable, and that Constellation is the right choice for our country's space program. "In my view," said Dr. Pace, "if the nation is going to return to the Moon and eventually send humans to Mars, then political and technical realities argue that the Ares I, Orion, and Ares V are the way to go."
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We're back to a themeless questions show. We're right across the Universe this time. Why are the planets lined up in a nice flat plane? Why are there no green stars? And is the Oort Cloud contaminating our understanding of the cosmic microwave background radiation? If you've got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to info@astronomycast.com and we'll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

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Orbit of the Planets, Green Stars, and Oort Cloud Contamination - Transcript and show notes.

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What lurks in the eerie fractures of Enceladus that slash across the moon's south polar region? The Cassini spacecraft will make a Halloween flyby of Enceladus and focus its cameras and other optical remote sensing instruments on the mysterious tiger-stripe-like features seen on this strange moon of Saturn. This flyby comes just over three weeks after a previous flyby of the same moon, and then just a few days later, on November 3, Cassini will make a flyby of Titan, on the inbound leg of its orbit around the ringed world. What tricks do the Cassini scientists have up their sleeves for this flyby? Will we be treated to some spectacular images? And what about those spooky sounds from Saturn?
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This past summer, a group of seven amateur astronomers from Italy worked on an observation campaign of Pluto, with hopes of capturing an image of its moon, Charon. "Imaging Charon is very difficult and nobody has spotted it with amateur equipment, so far," said Daniele Gasparri, one of the members of the group. The team made several attempts, and finally, one member of the group, Antonello Medugno, took this interesting image. "After many calculations," said Gasparri, "we are sure that this image shows clearly Pluto and Charon, for the first time with amateur equipment." Comparing the image to the graphic which shows the position of Pluto and Charon on the same date, it's obvious, they nailed it! This is quite a feat considering their equipment was an "amateur" 14-inch telescope! Also, as The Bad Astronomers points out, Charon wasn't discovered until 1978, and then a 61-inch telescope was used!

Compare their image to one taken by Hubble:
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Yes! (*Fist pump*) The Hubble Space Telescope is back in business.

After overcoming a few glitches in bringing the orbiting Hubble back online, engineers and scientists aimed the telescope's prime camera, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), at a pair of gorgeous-looking interacting galaxies called Arp 147. Scientists say the image demonstrates the camera is working exactly as it was before going offline, thereby scoring a "perfect 10" both for performance and beauty. And the two galaxies are oriented so they look like the number 10! How cool is that!
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Cold weather and a dust storm are likely contributors to why NASA'S Phoenix Mars Lander went into a "safe mode" late Tuesday. The lander experienced a low-power fault in the electrical system. While engineers anticipated that a fault could occur due to the diminishing power supply, the lander also unexpectedly switched to the "B" side of its redundant electronics and shut down one of its two batteries. During safe mode, the lander stops non-critical activities and awaits further instructions from the mission team. The good news is that within hours of receiving information of the safing event, mission engineers at JPL and Lockheed Martin in Denver, were successfully able to send commands to restart battery charging. So, it is not likely that any energy was lost. And Phoenix is still Twittering,, which is good news, too!
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Here's the latest image for the "Where In The Universe" challenge. Take a look at the image and try your hand at guessing where in the Universe this image is from. Give yourself extra points (or a cookie) if you can name the spacecraft responsible for the image. The new way we're doing this challenge is that we'll provide the image today, but won't reveal the answer until tomorrow. This gives everyone a chance to mull over the image and provide their answer in the comment section. Check back tomorrow to see how you did!

UPDATE (10/30): The answer has now been posted below. If you haven't made your guess yet, no peeking before you do!! From now on, the answers will be given in the same post instead of a new one…so you need to come back and check the original to find out the answer!
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Scientists from the MESSENGER mission to Mercury discussed today the results from the spacecraft's October 6 flyby of the closest planet to the sun. The probe has produced several science firsts and is returning hundreds of new photos and measurements of the planet's surface, atmosphere and magnetic field. The images show a battered surface, and we now have pictures and data of parts of Mercury's surface that have never been examined by a spacecraft. "The region of Mercury's surface that we viewed at close range for the first time this month is bigger than the land area of South America," said Sean Solomon, principal investigator and director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "When combined with data from our first flyby and from Mariner 10, our latest coverage means that we have now seen about 95 percent of the planet."
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Is a personal spaceflight or zero-g experience on your Bucket List? If so, how do you prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime event? How can you get the most out of your flight and create a lasting memory? With several commercial spaceflight companies preparing to launch suborbital tourist flights within two years, leaders from the industry predict more people will fly to space in the next decade than have made the journey so far since the dawn of the Space Age. At the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight last week in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a few "seasoned" space flyers provided advice for those hoping to get astronaut wings, or at least experience what zero-gravity feels like. Former astronaut Dan Barry and Peter Diamandis, the Zero Gravity Corporation CEO and co-founder of Space Adventures, shared their experiences and offered a list of tips on how to get ready to fly in space.
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In an initiative energized by Google Vice-President and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, the International Space Station could be testing a brand new way of communicating with Earth. In 2009, it is hoped that the ISS will play host to an Interplanetary Internet prototype that could standardize communications between Earth and space, possibly replacing point-to-point single use radio systems customized for each individual space mission since the beginning of the Space Age.

This partnership opens up some exciting new possibilities for the future of communicating across vast distances of the Solar System. Manned and robotic space craft will be interconnected via a robust interplanetary network without the problems associated with incompatible communication systems…
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It appears the end is nigh for the Phoenix Mars Lander. Today, engineers have begun to shut down some of the lander's instruments and heaters. But this is in hopes of extending the mission by saving power as available sunlight begins to wane with the approach of Martian autumn. But at the same time, the spacecraft requires more power to run heaters in order to survive as the temperatures decline. “If we did nothing, it wouldn’t be long before the power needed to operate the spacecraft would exceed the amount of power it generates on a daily basis,” said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. “By turning off some heaters and instruments, we can extend the life of the lander by several weeks and still conduct some science.”
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There's been a lot of bad news surrounding the development of the Constellation Program of late. We've had news of general design flaws, rebelling NASA engineers, failed parachute tests, budget overruns, vibrational issues and job losses. Now we have a new one to add to the mix, the Ares I launch vehicle could bump into the launch tower during blast-off. According to a Florida report, only a tiny gust of wind is required to cause the rocket to hit the tower or scorch it, causing catastrophic failure and/or costly damage to the pad.

You'd be forgiven for thinking Constellation is a failed project, that is obviously going to overrun, obviously going to cost too much and is obviously a waste of time. But forget the media naysayers for a moment. Despite the challenges faced by NASA engineers, a bumpy road on the way to launching the most advanced rocket system ever devised is well worth the ride…
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The discovery of a water-based mineral on Mars by the spectrometer on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests liquid water remained on the planet's surface a billion years later than was previously thought, and it likely played an important role in shaping the planet's surface and possibly hosting life. Hydrated silica, commonly known as opal, has been found across large region of Mars. "This is an exciting discovery because it extends the time range for liquid water on Mars, and the places where it might have supported life," said Scott Murchie, the principal investigator for the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. "The identification of opaline silica tells us that water may have existed as recently as 2 billion years ago."

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NASA is testing out the next generation of lunar rovers, conducting field tests in the Arizona desert. Engineers, astronauts and geologists are driving rovers through terrain similar to the Moon's surface to see if they can perform as advertised when humans return there, hopefully by 2020. One configuration of the rover leaves the crew members free to get on and off the vehicle whenever they like, but they must wear spacesuits at all times to protect them from the lunar environment. The second configuration, the Small Pressurized Rover, (SPR) adds a module on top of the rover’s chassis where the crew can sit inside in a shirt-sleeves environment as they drive the vehicle, donning spacesuits whenever they want to get out. Other concepts tested include robot scouts (think R2D2) and improved spacesuits.
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Cosmologist Stephen Hawking will retire from his post at Cambridge University next year, but he still intends to continue his exploration of time and space. University policy is that officeholders must retire at the end of the academic year in which they become 67. Hawking will reach that age on Jan. 8, 2009. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the university, a title once held Isaac Newton. The university said on Friday that he would step down at the end of the academic year in September, but would continue working as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. Hawking became a scientific celebrity through his theories on black holes and the nature of time, work that he carried on despite becoming severely disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
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The New Horizons spacecraft has now spent over 1,000 days wending its way to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. To celebrate the milestone, the New Horizons team decided to reveal the secret stowaways on board the spacecraft. Nine objects (can you guess why there are nine?!) were attached and sent along on the ten-year journey to the outer reaches of our solar system. Believe it or not, included in the items are one actual person, and parts of several thousands of other people…
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We say it all the time here on Astronomy Cast: the Universe is trying to kill us. This week, Pamela is joined by Dr. Phil Plait to discuss his new book, Death from the Skies. Phil and Pamela talk about asteroid strikes, solar flares and gamma ray bursts.

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Death From the Skies, Interview with Phil Plait - Transcript and show notes.

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Everyone loves a theme. And this week we've collected together some of your questions about relativity. More light speed spacecraft, twin paradoxes, and the mixing up of gravity, time and mass. If you've got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to info@astronomycast.com and we'll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

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Relativity, Relativity and More Relativity - Transcript and show notes.

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I'm doing a giveaway this week, and it's really simple. I've got 2 copies of the new Discovery Channel Documentary DVD, When We Left Earth - The NASA Missions (4-Disc Set in Limited Edition Tin). And I'm giving them away. To participate, just send an email to info@universetoday.com with the subject line: When We Left Earth Giveaway. Your time to submit an email ends on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 11:00 am Pacific Time.

Then I'll pick two emails out of the list at random, get your physical addresses and mail out the 2 copies of the DVD set. Then I'll delete the list of emails - this isn't getting collected for anything.

So, if you want to participate, take a second, send me an email and I'll add you to the draw.

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