Astronomy | Universe Today

If you are an astronomer looking for a habitable exoplanet orbiting a far-off star, what do you look for? We know from personal experience that we need oxygen and water to live on Earth, so this is a good place to start; look for exoplanets with the spectroscopic signature of O₂ and H₂O. But this isn't enough. Venus has oxygen and water in its atmosphere too, so if we only used these two indicators as a measure for habitability, we would be sorely disappointed to find a water and oxygen-rich Venus-like world which has little chance of supporting life (as we know it).

In an effort to understand what a "habitable planet" looks like from afar, European Space Agency (ESA) scientists have decided to do a bit of retrospective astronomy. Venus Express, currently in orbit around Venus, is being used to look back at the blue dot we call home to help us understand what a real habitable planet looks like…
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Hopefully you've heard about the International Year of Astronomy – a year long celebration in 2009 of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first look through the telescope. One part of that celebration is the 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast. There will be one podcast per day, every day, for all 365 days of 2009. The podcasts will be 5 to 10 minutes in duration, and will be available through the 365 Days of Astronomy website and an RSS feed. The 365 Days team has just put out a trailer encouraging everyone to listen every day:

Want to be part of the project?
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Have you seen this image before? You know you have. It's probably right on the tip of your tongue. This is the image for this week's "Where In The Universe?" challenge. The goal of this challenge is to test your skills and visual knowledge of our universe. Guess the name of this image, and give yourself extra points if you can guess the telescope or project that this image came from (is that a clue? It's not from a spacecraft…). As always, don't peek below before you make your guess. Comments on how you did are welcome.
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We don't normally publish political articles here on Universe Today, but I'm going to make an exception here after watching last night's presidential debate because a.) John McCain mentioned something about a planetarium, which is an area of interest for UT readers, and b.) McCain obviously had no idea what he was talking about. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee pointed out how Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, has voted for almost a billion dollars of "pork barrel" projects (money for specific pet projects in their districts) and said, "He (Obama) voted for … $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois.”

First of all, there's a big difference between an overhead projector and a planetarium projection system. Spacewriter's Ramblings has a great explanation and pictorial description, if you have questions.

Second, if you want to be nitpicky, while Obama requested the funding, he never voted on it.
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Given all the fervor over the definition of Pluto (planet? dwarf planet? snowball?), let's hope the debate over the discovery of a planet that lies in an equally hazy area of classification is a little calmer. The COROT satellite recently discovered an extrasolar planet named Corot-exo-3b. It's quite a curiosity as far as exoplanets are concerned, and its characteristics – such as a density twice that of lead – may force astronomers to rethink the distinction between massive planets and low-mass brown dwarfs. Read more…

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On this night - October 6 - in 1784, Sir William Herschel was busy at the eyepiece of his telescope with a new galaxy he'd just discovered. It was a beauty, too. A pencil-slim, edge-on galaxy with a dark dust lane. Herschel marked it down in his fifth catalog as discovery 19, but when he got excited talking about his sister Caroline's discoveries, he made a mistake. Let's learn… Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It's Friiiiiiday… And time to head out to the Moon to begin some lunar exploration. Why not? This weekend commemorates Robert Goddard's birthday! While we're rocketing skyward, we'll take a look at a great globular cluster that's easy in both binoculars and telescopes, plus a few great stars you might or might not know about. For lucky viewers in South Africa and Australia? Head's up for an Antares occultation! Are you ready? Then let's head out into the night…. Read more…

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All sorts of anniversaries going on these days — yesterday was NASA's 50th birthday, on Saturday, Oct. 4 is the 51st anniversary of Sputnik's launch, and today we celebrate the birthday of the telescope. 400 years ago, officials in the Netherlands were pondering over a patent application by a spectacle maker named Hans Lipperhey. The patent was for a "device by means of which all things at a very great distance can be seen as if they were nearby." This is the earliest known record of a telescope. A few months later, scientist Galileo Galilei would get his hands on one.

Over at Wired, they are having a big celebration for the telescope's birthday, including an article by some writer named Nancy Atkinson that includes a gallery of images and descriptions of the ten largest ground-based telescopes on Earth. It's called "Giants of Earth and Space." But there's all sort of other interesting features, including a place where you can upload your favorite astronomical image that was taken by a ground-based telescope.

So check it out to celebrate. But of course this biggest party will be next year — the whole year of 2009 in fact, during the International Year of Astronomy. Look for more info and features about all the great events and ways you can participate in future articles on Universe Today

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If we want to be technical, Lynds Bright Nebula 667 is the designation and it's also known as Sharpless 2-199. Captured here is Collinder open clusters 34, 632 and 634 and small emission nebula 670 and 669 along with the entire cluster designation known as IC 1848. However, let's forsake science for just a few moments and take a look at what it's more commonly known as…. The "Soul Nebula". Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It's a dark sky weekend and a great opportunity to really get to know some unusual deep sky objects - like brilliant open clusters and tiny compact galaxy groups. Even if you just sit outside and stargaze, you might catch a member of the Alpha Aurigid meteor shower! Are you ready? Then get out your binoculars and telescopes and let's head out for adventure… Read more…

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In May 2000, Australian astrophysicist Dr Rodney David Marks died from acute methanol poisoning whilst stationed at the US Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. He was a 32 year old "brilliant and witty" scientist, whose death shocked his family and friends. The media jumped on this story, citing the tragedy as the "first South Pole murder," but there was little evidence to suggest anyone else was involved. Unfortunately it appears that New Zealand investigators have been hampered by a lack of co-operation by the organizations that run the facility, so it remains unclear whether Marks' death was the result of foul play or tragic accident…
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Back in 2001, astronomer Franz Bauer noticed a bright, variable source in the Circinus spiral galaxy, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Although the source displayed some exceptional properties Bauer and his Penn State colleagues could not identify its nature confidently at the time. But now, seven years later Bauer and his team have confirmed this object was a supernova. By combining online data in the public archives from 18 different ground- and space-based telescopes, one of the nearest supernovae in the last 25 years, SN1996cr, has finally been identified. “It’s a bit of a coup to find SN 1996cr like this, and we could never have nailed it without the serendipitous data taken by all of these telescopes. We've truly entered a new era of ‘internet astronomy’,” said Bauer.
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Images of layered sedimentary deposits and deltas on Mars have provided evidence for lakes and flowing rivers that carried eroded material downstream. A team of researchers also believes there is evidence for precipitation in the Red Planet's past. "For years scientists have been suspecting that the current appearance of the landscape has, in part, been shaped by rivers that cut into the surface," said Ernst Hauber of the German Aerospace Center. “We can see layered sediments where these valleys open into impact craters. The shape of certain sediments is typical for deltas formed in standing water." Hauber and his team also believe that surface runoff from rain or snowmelt completes the picture of past water on Mars.
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Our first glimpse into the intricacies of Centaurus A was the big picture. We soon found out that not only was the first photograph a deep study, but the study of NGC 5128 was going to go deeper as well. One of the most obvious of all features is the central dust lane which positively crackles to the eye photographically. Let's be mindful of the radiation and get just a little closer…. Read more…

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Before you dismiss this as just another photo of Centaurus A, you better look again. It's way deeper… First discovered by James Dunlop on August 4, 1826 this incredible galaxy known as Centaurus A (NGC 5128) has been tickling the imagination of astronomers since John Herschel described it as "two semi-ovals of elliptically formed nebula appearing to be cut asunder and separated by a broad obscure band parallel to the larger axis of the nebula, in the midst of which a faint streak of light parallel to the sides of the cut appears." in 1847. What makes this incredible galaxy tick? Step inside and let's find out… Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you psyched up for tonight's Pleiades occultation? I am! While the Moon often passes near the ancient cluster, it's not often we get to enjoy such a great event so well placed at a comfortable time of the year. This weekend we'll be watching for ISS passes, reaching for the "Ring", visiting Andromeda, and taking on two new Herschel 400 studies. Time to get out your telescopes, spotting scopes and binoculars and head out into the night because…. Here's what's up! Read more…

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Be sure to mark your calendar for tomorrow night. For lucky observers in northeastern North America, eastern Canada, and western Europe, the evening of September 19-20, 2008 is your opportunity to watch the face of the peaceful gibbous Moon glide across the ancient blue beauty of the Plieades… Read more…

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Has this image been showing up in your email inbox, forwarded on from excited friends? Along with it may be the following words: "This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point. And you can also see the sun below the moon. An amazing photo and one not easily duplicated. You may want to save this and pass it on to others." It is a beautiful picture, but is it a real photo? Even though this image was even featured on the iconic Astronomy Picture of the Day website, the image is in fact a work of art by artist Inga Nielsen, who is also an astrophysics student. The image was created with a computer program, and is called "Hideaway."
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Actually, the official time was September 15 at 5:13 a.m. EDT, but missing the exact time isn't going to stop a little beauty from happening tonight. What else can I say except "Come a little bit closer.. Hear what I have to say. Just like children sleepin'… We could dream this night away. But there's a full moon risin'… Let's go dancin' in the light. We know where the music's playin'… Let's go out and feel the night…" Read more…

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Known as Caldwell 20 to some, NGC 7000 to others and the North America Nebula to most, this diffuse emission/reflection nebula near Deneb can frequently be seen by the unaided eye from a dark location, but the sheer size of this 1600 light year distant gas cloud often confuses people as to the reality of what they are seeing. Let's take a look at just a few of the bricks in the "Wall".. Read more…

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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It's big… It's bright. It's undeniably the Moon. So what are we going to do this weekend? Why, study of course! We'll take a look at some history, some mystery and even some cool variability that can be studied without any special equipment. Are you ready to journey into the night? Read more…

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There's 'smoked but didn't inhale,' 'promised but didn't deliver,' and now there's 'exploded but didn't destroy.' Eta Carinae, the galaxy's biggest, brightest and perhaps most studied star after the sun, appears to be driven by an entirely new type of stellar explosion that is fainter than a typical supernova and does not destroy the star. Astronomer Nathan Smith proposes that Eta Carinae's historic 1843 explosion was, in fact, an outburst that produced a fast blast wave similar to, but less energetic than, a real supernova. This well-documented event in our own Milky Way Galaxy is probably related to a class of faint stellar explosions in other galaxies recognized in recent years by telescopes searching for extragalactic supernovae.
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There are wonderful tales which surround the circumpolar constellation of Draco. According to Greek legend, Draco represents the dragon killed by Cadmus before founding the city of Thebes - or perhaps it represented the dragon which guarded the golden fleece and was eventually killed by Jason and his famous Argonauts. To the Romans, it was simply a creature killed by Minerva and tossed into the sky as stars to be remembered. The Egyptians called it Tawaret. But the most famous of all representations of Draco was one of the twelve labors that Hercules had to overcome. Many of us will never see the jewels that hide within the boundaries of this sprawling constellation, but thanks to the Herculean efforts of Ken Crawford - we can share in its mysteries… Read more…

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It's time to take a look back to what was happening 210 years ago on the night of September 9th. Sir William Herschel was at the eyepiece of his telescope in Slough. While he was viewing in real time, what he was viewing occurred more than 10 million years ago - the fireworks that ignited in NGC 6946. Read more…

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A strange Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) has been discovered orbiting the Sun in the wrong direction. The object, designated as 2008 KV42 but nicknamed Drac (after Dracula, as vampires are fabled to have the ability to walk on walls), has a highly inclined orbit of 103.5°. Drac is a rarity as very few objects in the Solar System have retrograde orbits; in fact this kind of orbit is usually exclusive to Halley-type comets that have orbits that take them very close to the Sun. Drac on the other hand travels through the Kuiper Belt in a stable orbit at a distance of between 20-70 AU from the Sun. This finding has puzzled astronomers, but Drac may provide clues as to where Halley-type objects originate…
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