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| Image credit: Me |
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| Our Second Baby Has Arrived |
Dec 8, 2003 - Sorry for the lack of newsletters at the end of last week, we were a little busy having a new baby. :-)
I'm proud to announce the arrival of our second child, Logan Cain, who made his appearance on Thursday, December 4 at 1:27 pm. He was originally supposed to arrive on December 24, so we were a little surprised when Katrina went into labour three weeks early. So far, he's been a little angel, sleeping well and barely crying - unless we're too slow with the feeding.
It goes without saying that Universe Today could be a little sporadic over the next few weeks while we settle into our new routines.
Thanks for your understanding.
Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today |
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| Image credit: Hubble |
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| Hubble's View of Starbirth |
| Dec 7, 2003 - The Hubble Space Telescope took this incredible photograph of nebula NGC 604, which is a huge area of newly forming stars in galaxy M33. The area is similar to the star forming region in the Orion Nebula, but it's 100 times larger. The most massive stars in the nebula are 120 times the mass of the Sun and their surface temperatures exceed 40,000 degrees Kelvin. Intense ultraviolet radiation floods out of these stars, which lights up the surrounding gas. NGC 604 is 2.7 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. |
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| Image credit: NASA/JPL |
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| New Water Map of the Atmosphere |
| Dec 5, 2003 - One aspect of the Earth's climate, the distribution of water vapour, might have significant implications for climate change and ozone depletion. To understand its significance, NASA scientists are using special aircraft to build a detailed map of how water vapour moves around in the atmosphere, from the surface of the Earth up to an altitude of 40 km, where the air completely dries out. They were able to tell which vapour was created at high altitudes and which was moved up by air currents. |
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| Image credit: NASA/JPL |
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| Force on Asteroids Measured for the First Time |
| Dec 5, 2003 - NASA scientists have measured a tiny force for the first time which is known to act on asteroids; subtly changing their orbits and speed of rotation. The force, called the Yarkovsky Effect, is produced by the way an asteroid absorbs energy from the Sun, and then radiates it back into space as heat - the force is tiny, only a few grams, but over time it can make a significant change. Asteroid 6489 has been tracked by astronomers since 1991, and they've found that it's shifted its orbit 15 km since then. |
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| Image credit: NASA/JPL |
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| 235 Days to Saturn |
| Dec 5, 2003 - NASA's Cassini spacecraft is on final approach to Saturn, and so far, the view is just getting better and better. The Saturn-bound spacecraft captured this photograph of the Ringed Planet on November 9th at a distance of 114 million km. The smallest features visible are 668 kilometres across, so the resolution is going to get much better as it gets closer. Five of the planet's many moons can also be seen in this photograph (they were digitally enhanced to be easier to see). Cassini will finally arrive at Saturn on July 1, 2004. |
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