Holiday Glitter With Omega Centauri

Omega Centauri. Credit: ESO

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A new image of Omega Centauri shows the globular cluster glittering away as one of the finest jewels of the southern hemisphere night sky. It contains millions of stars and is located about 17,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus, and sparkles at magnitude 3.7, appearing nearly as large as the full moon on the southern night sky. Visible with the unaided eye from a clear, dark observing site, when seen through even a modest amateur telescope, the Omega Centauri can be seen as incredible, densely packed sphere of glittering stars. But when astronomers use a professional telescopes, they are able to uncover amazing secrets of this beautiful globular cluster.

This new image is based on data collected with the Wide Field Imager (WFI), mounted on the 2.2-metre diameter Max-Planck/ESO telescope, located at ESO’s La Silla observatory, high up in the arid mountains of the southern Atacama Desert in Chile. Omega Centauri is about 150 light-years across and is the most massive of all the Milky Way’s globular clusters. It is thought to contain some ten million stars!

Recent research into this intriguing celestial giant suggests that there is a medium sized black hole sitting at its center. Observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory showed that stars at the cluster’s center were moving around at an unusual rate — the cause, astronomers concluded, was the gravitational effect of a massive black hole with a mass of roughly 40,000 times that of the Sun.

The presence of this black hole is just one of the reasons why some astronomers suspect Omega Centauri to be an imposter. Some believe that it is in fact the heart of a dwarf galaxy that was largely destroyed in an encounter with the Milky Way. Other evidence (see here and here) points to the several generations of stars present in the cluster — something unexpected in a typical globular cluster, which is thought to contain only stars formed at one time. Whatever the truth, this dazzling celestial object provides professional and amateur astronomers alike with an incredible view on clear dark nights.

Source: ESO

Lynx

Lynx

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Located north of the ecliptic plane, the dim constellation of Lynx was first introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius in 1687 and later recognized as one of the 88 modern constellations by the International Astronomical Union. According to legend, Lynx is so named because it is a relatively faint constellation, and one would supposedly need the eyes of a lynx to see it. Covering 545 square degrees of sky, it ranks as the 28th largest constellation. Although only 4 main stars form its asterism, Lynx contains 42 stars with Bayer Flamsteed designations. It is bordered by the constellations of Ursa Major, Camelopardalis, Auriga, Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Leo Minor. Lynx is visible to all observers located at latitudes between +90° and ?55° and is best seen at culmination during the month of March.

Since Lynx wasn’t recognized as a constellation until the 17th century, it has no mythology associated with it and it would seem that Hevelius was merely trying to fill in the spaces between the constellations by making up a mythical figure – or was he? Actually, by doing a little research into the life and times of Johannes Hevelius, you might find that he was a very interesting figure and very devoted to nature studies – in particular North America. At the time the lynx was a native of Europe, but hunted almost to the point of extinction. Not so in a new land. To Native Americans, the lynx was legendary – an elusive, ghost-like animal that sees without being seen. It was known as “the keeper of secrets of the forest” and to see it was quite magical – knowing that its secrecy was its strength. Oddly enough, the lynx was chosen as the emblem of the Accademia dei Lincei (“Academy of the Lynxes”), one of the world’s oldest scientific societies. Its piercing vision was invoked symbolically as characteristic of those dedicated to science. So perhaps good old Hevelius wasn’t quite as prone to “filling in the blanks” as we thought, eh?

Now, grab your binoculars and let’s take a look at the only star that Bayer (shame on him) got around to giving a Greek letter to – Alpha Lyncis – the “a” symbol on our map. At 220 light years from Earth, class K (K7) giant star Alpha has no proper name, yet it still burns merrily away at a rough stellar temperature of 3860 degrees Kelvin. It is about a billion and a half years old and perhaps not very special except for it is about 700 times brighter than our own Sun. However, take a look at its twin, star 31. Now, this one did get a name – Alsciaukat – the “Thorn”. It is almost identical to Alpha in every respect, only slightly further away at 390 light years. Their luminousities, their temperatures, their sizes, their ages… Almost twins! Only this time Alsciaukat is also a slight variable star, changing by about .05 magnitude. Why is it a bit different? Chances are it is brightening for the second time – gearing up to become a long term variable like Mira.

For the telescope, have a look at 38 Lyncis. Hevelius wasn’t without a sense of humor, because he named this one Maculosa and Maculata, which synonymously mean “The Spotted One”. Can you guess why? That’s right. It’s because 38 Lyncis is a binary star. Located about 120 light years from our solar system, this star has several components. The 3.9 primary star is also a spectroscopic binary, but look for the near 7th magnitude C star to split easily away and a very widely spaced 11th magnitude D companion, too. While the primary star usually appears to be white in color, look for a slight green tinge, as well as some blue coloration to the C star, too. The double star is on many observing lists!

Now, check out wide visual triple star, 12 Lyncis. Also on a host of observing lists, this one is very easy and very rewarding to small telescopes. Look for a 5.4 primary star accompanied by the 6.0 B star and the further spaced 7.3 magnitude C star. Located about 230 light years away, you can thank Otto Struve for discovering this one in 1828!

For variable star fans, be sure to keep an eye on R Lyncis (RA 07:01:18 Dec +55:19:50). It’s a great Mira-type variable that also does a disappearing act! For a long period of time, R appears as a rather ordinary red 7th magnitude star…. then it drops off the map when it falls down to magnitude 14.3. Weird? Darn right. R Lyncis belongs to a small group of long-period variables with a “S” spectrum – a ‘cool red giant’ that shows the presence of zirconium oxide.

Now we’ll put our “cat’s eyes”, grab our telescopes and go in search of one of the most distant objects in our Galaxy – NGC 2419 (RA 07:38:08.51 Dec +38:52:54). As a telescopic object only, this magnitude 11.5 study requires clear dark skies and at least 150mm of aperture. Since Lynx is a difficult constellation, you will find this easier by going 7 degrees north of Castor. You will know if you have the correct field if two stars appear to the western edge of a hazy patch. There is a very good reason “why” this elusive globular cluster is so special! Most commonly known as “the Intergalactic Wanderer”, the NGC 2419 is so distant that it was at one time believed to actually be outside our own galaxy. Almost all globular clusters are found within our galactic “halo” – a region which exists about 65,000 light years around the galactic center. Our faint friend here is at least 210,000 light years from where it should be! When I tell you it’s out there… I’m not kidding. The NGC 2419 is as distant as our galactic “neighbors”, the Magellanic Clouds! But don’t worry, our Galaxy has sufficient gravitation to keep “the Intergalactic Wanderer” around long enough for you to capture it for yourself!

Ready for more? Then keep the telescope out as we journey towards spiral galaxy NGC 2683 (RA 08:52.7 Dec +33:25). Located 16000 light years away from our own Milky Way Galaxy, this superb edge-on was discovered by William Herschel on February 5, 1788. Holding a bright and respectable magnitude 10 puts it well within realm of smaller telescopes and larger ones will be able to pick out varying degrees of spiral galaxy structure, including hints of a dark dust lane and a bright, bulging nucleus. It’s a Herschel 400 object, so be sure to mark your notes!

Need a challenge? Then try your luck with NGC 2776 (RA 9:12.2 Dec +44:57). At near 12th magnitude, this small spiral galaxy isn’t going to be easy, but a large telescope can handle it. Viewed perfectly face-on, look for the signature round structure with a bright core region and some resolution of arms during good seeing conditions. More? How about 13th magnitude barred spiral galaxy IC 2233 (RA 08:13:58 Dec +45 44:32). Sometimes known as the “Needle” because of its edge-on presentation!

Sources: Chandra Observatory, Wikipedia, SEDS
Chart courtesy of Your Sky.

Lupus

Lupus

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Located south of the ecliptic plane, the constellation of Lupus was once associated with Centaurus, but was listed as a separate constellation in Ptolemy’s Almagest. It survived to become one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Lupus covers around 334 square degrees of sky and contains 9 stars in its asterism with 41 Bayer Flamsteed designated stars confined within its area. It is bordered by the constellations of Norma. Scorpius, Circinus, Centaurus, Libra and Hydra. Lupus can be seen by all observers located at latitudes between +35° and ?90° and is best seen at culmination during the month of June.

In mythology, Lupus represents the Wolf and was once thought to represent the wild African dog associated with the mythical first king of Arcadia. The stars were only a representation of some type of creature – a beast – caught by the Centaur and about to be slain. Actually, no animal even entered the picture until Ptolemy called it Lupus and the Latin translation transformed it from the “beast” into a wolf!

Let’s start our binocular tour of Lupus with Alpha Lupi – the “a” symbol on our map. Known as Men, the “Star of Fortune” is a Beta Cephii variable star located about 550 light years from Earth. Its magnitude changes happen every 6 hours and 14 minutes – just like clockwork – but they aren’t very radical. Even a sharp-eyed observer isn’t likely to notice a .03 stellar magnitude drop in this blue giant star! But pay a little closer attention. Do you see a companion there? Even though it’s only an optical double star, it helps to make Men just a little bit more interesting!

Now turn your binoculars towards Beta Lupi – the “B” symbol on our map. Kekouan is also a blue giant star and is similarly distant at about 525 light years from our solar system. It’s another one of those hot class B stars that shine in that wonderful blue/white light and part of the expanding “Upper Centaurus Lupus” (UCL) OB association. What would it be like if it were closer? Try 13,600 brighter than our Sun. It’s a subgiant right near the end of its life and very near to becoming a red supergiant star…. and one day… a supernova!

Travel on in binoculars to the next star in the Association – Gamma Lupi – the “Y” symbol on our map. Gamma’s proper name is Thusia, meaning “The Sacrifice”, but the only thing you’ll have to sacrifice is a moment of your time to take a look through the telescope, because Thusia is a binary star. Located 567 light years from Earth, the blue/white primary is a giant star in its own right, accompanied by a very close companion whose orbit takes it nearly edge on from our perspective with a maximum separation of about .68″. Also try your luck with Epsilon Lupi, the “E” symbol. It, too, is a close binary star with about the same separation and 3.5 and 5.5 magnitude components.

Keep the telescope handy to look up NGC 5824 (RA 15:03:58.5 Dec -33:04:04). Located about 105 light years from where you’re reading, this globular cluster was first discovered by James Dunlop and recovered independently by E.E. Barnard. At around magnitude 9 and a little on the small side, you’ll find it relatively bright with a slightly off-centered, concentrated core region and a bit of resolvability around the edges for larger aperture.

Try your hand at planetary nebula IC 4406 (RA 14:22:26 Dec -44:09:04) too. This bi-polar nebula often goes by the popular name “The Retina Nebula” and will appear almost square because of the angle on which we see it. Chances are, it’s a hollow cylinder, just like all torus shaped planetaries – we just happen to be catching it from the side. At magnitude 10, it’s not going to wow you like the Hubble images will, but it is still a very worthy target for a larger telescope that will show a little detail.

Small, rich field telescopes and larger binoculars will be happy to take a look at NGC 5822 (RA 15:05.2 Dec -54:21). Spanning 40 arc minutes and shining away at magnitude 7, this well populated open cluster is so huge it will appear like a star cloud. Don’t be fooled into thinking your resolving it when you’re picking out foreground stars! NGC 5822’s population runs into the hundreds and its members average around stellar magnitude 13 and fainter. It will be hard to pick out from the rich Milky Way Galaxy star fields!

Don’t leave the telescope until you’ve tried galactic cluster NGC 5749 (RA 14 48.9 Dec -54 31). In a low power eyepiece, this star cluster will look like a just a loose group of stars which almost blend with the background star field. Containing around 35 members with the brightest about magnitude 10, keep to lower magnification to keep the target in site!

Cutting through our Milky Way galaxy at a rough angle of about 18 degrees is a disc-shaped zone called Gould’s Belt. Lupus is part of this area whose perimeter contains star forming regions which came to life about 30 million years ago when a huge molecular cloud of dust and gas was compressed – much like in the Orion area. In Lupus we find Gould’s Belt extending above the plane of the Milky Way!

Locate Theta Lupi and head around five degrees west for NGC 5986 (RA 15 46 03 Dec 37 47 10), a 7th magnitude globular cluster which can be spotted with binoculars with good conditions. While this Class VII cluster is not particularly dense, many of its individual stars can be resolved in a small telescope. Now sweep the area north of NGC 5986 (RA 17 57 06 Dec 37 05 00) and tell me what you see. That’s right! Nothing. This is dark nebula B 288 – a cloud of dark, obscuring dust which blocks incoming starlight. Look carefully at the stars you can see and you’ll notice they appear quite red. Thanks to B 288, much of their emitted light is absorbed by this region, providing us with a pretty incredible on-the-edge view of something you can’t see – a Barnard dark nebula.

Now let’s have a look at some things gravitationally bound as we start at Eta Lupi – the “n” symbol on our map. Eta is a fine double star which can even be resolved with binoculars. Look for the 3rd magnitude primary and 8th magnitude secondary separated by a wide 15″. You’ll find it by starting at Antares and heading due south two binocular fields to center on bright H and N Scorpii – then one binocular field southwest (RA 16 00 07 Dec 38 23 48).

When you are done, hop another roughly five degrees southeast (RA 16 25 18 Dec 40 39 00) to encounter the fine open cluster NGC 6124. Discovered by Lacaille and known to him as object I.8, this 5th magnitude open cluster is also known as Dunlop 514, as well as Melotte 145 and Collinder 301. Situated about 19 light-years away, it will show as a fine, round, faint spray of stars to binoculars and be resolved into about 100 stellar members to larger telescopes. While NGC 6124 is on the low side for northern observers, it’s worth the wait for it to hit its best position. Be sure to mark your notes, because this delightful galactic cluster is a Caldwell object and a southern skies binocular reward!

Source: Wikipedia
Chart courtesy of Your Sky.

Conjunction Images From Dec. 1, ’08

Conjuction of Moon, Venus & Jupiter (w/moons). Photo courtesy of Tavi Greiner

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I was really looking forward to viewing last night’s triple conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter, but unfortunately we were socked in with clouds at my location. Fortunately, however there were lots of other people out there who had clear skies, as well as some great equipment to capture the event. Amateur astronomer Tavi Greiner took this spectacular image (link to larger image) at about 6:00 pm local time from the coastal region of North Carolina in the US, and even managed to capture two of Jupiter’s moons. Interestingly, she used just a Canon 400 D camera and telephoto zoom (no telecope) with an exposure of 1.3 seconds, (F/5.6 at ISO 400). Tavi has just recently started doing astrophotography, and was thrilled with this image. “That was such luck for me!” she said. ” We’ve had rain for days and days, and last night it cleared up. But now it’s raining again this (Tuesday) morning. So I feel so fortunate.”

Here’s a list of other places to see more images:

Spaceweather.com has a big list of submitted photos, including some great images taken from Europe of the lunar occultation of Venus. Cosmos4U has an even bigger list, the Discovery Blog will be posting images all week, and Phil Plait even tried his hand at astrophotography.

If you’re new to astrophotography or thinking about trying it, you can take heart from Tavi Greiner’s excellent results. She said she has been doing regular astronomy with telescopes and binoculars for quite some time, but got a camera a few months ago.

“I wanted to try astrophotography, but without a telescope,” she said. “I’ve been trying to teach myself, and I’m not very good at it yet, but I wanted to be able to show my children what’s all out there that we’re not seeing with our eyes. So I was really tickled with this particular picture, because it proves my point that we’re looking at this beautiful moon and the planets, and look at what our eyes aren’t seeing, but its right there: these little moons! It’s just thrilling. Just look at the things that can be revealed in just a few seconds.”

Here’s a link to Tavi’s image with out the notations.

Libra

Libra

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Libra is a constellation of the zodiac, positioned on the ecliptic plane between between Virgo to the west and Scorpius to the east. It is a faint group of stars and not easy to recognize. Its two major stars once once represented the claws of Scorpius. How and when it came to be recognized by its present designation is unknown. Libra covers approximately 538 square degrees of sky and contains 6 stars in its asterism. There are 46 Bayer Flamsteed designated stars within Libra and it is bordered by Serpens Caput, Virgo, Hydra, Centaurus, Lupus, Scorpius and Ophiuchus. Libra can be seen by all observers at latitudes between +65° and ?90° and is best seen at culmination during the month of June.

In mythology, the Alpha and Beta stars of Libra once represented Chelae Scorpionis, the northern and southern claws of the Scorpion. Who knows exactly where and when it became depicted as a set of scales, but the Romans identified it with the scales held by Astraea, the goddess of justice. They believed the Moon was in Libra when Rome was founded and the astrological sign represented balance because this is where the Sun was housed during autumnal equinox. Oddly enough, Libra is the only astrological symbol that doesn’t depict some type of living creature.

Once you’ve located it, let’s take a binocular tour of Libra, beginning with Alpha Librae – Zubenelgenubi – the “a” symbol on our map. Despite its alpha designation, it’s not the brightest star here, but what you’ll find here is a wonderful, visual double star. Alpha Librae “The Southern Claw” is located approximately 77 light years from the Sun, and the components are easily separated with even the slightest visual aid. Look for a beautiful yellow coloration to the spectral type A3 primary star and a slight blue tinge to the far fainter type F4 companion. Zubenelgenubi is close to the ecliptic so it can be easily occulted by the Moon!

Now, hop to Beta Librae – Zubeneschamali – the “B” symbol on our map. “The Northern Claw” is actually the brightest star in Libra and also one of the furthest away at about 160 light years from Earth. Beta Librae is a blue dwarf star of spectral type B8, what would appear to be a rather ordinary main sequence star – but take a really close look in binoculars. Does it appear a little green to you? Zubeneschamali is running a high temperature – more than twice that of our own Sun – produces light with a simple spectrum. This makes it a perfect candidate for examining interstellar gas and dust which lay between us and it – but its rapid hydrogen fusion also causes it to appear a little more green than other stars. A color rarely seen in stars! What’s more, Beta Librae spins about 100 times faster than our Sun and shines about 130 brighter. Not bad for a star that not even as evolved as Sirius!

Point your binoculars further south for Sigma Librae – the “O” symbol with the little flag on our map. Its traditional name is Zubenhakrabi – a cool class M (M3) rather-luminous red giant. Located approximately 292 light years from our solar system, Sigma is rather special – a prototype of its own group of ultra-small-amplitude variables which are called Sigma Librae variable stars. What are they? Pulsing red giants, of course! It doesn’t change its brightness much, maybe only 0.16 magnitudes over a 20-day period, but knowing you’re looking at dying solar mass star, with a dead helium core, fueled by internal nuclear-burning shells of helium and hydrogen is still undeniably fascinating! What’s Zubenhakrabi future like? Chances are it will just eventually become a Mira-type variable star that will eventually shed its outer skin, leaving its now-content carbon-oxygen center to become just another of the white dwarf stars of the night!

Time to get out the telescope and head for NGC 5694 (RA 14:39:36.5 Dec -26:32:18). This 10th magnitude, irregularly shaped globular cluster was discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1784 and is one of the more remote globular clusters of the Milky Way Galaxy at a distance of about 113 thousand light years. If you find it difficult to resolve, you’d be right. Its brightest stars average about magnitude 16 and so far none of them have been discovered to be variable. Why bother if it is so dim? Because this globular cluster is a curiosity! It’s moving… and it’s moving fast. According to studies, NGC 5694 can either be a hyperbolic orbit or may be elevated into a higher energy orbit during its evolution. It is possible that NGC 5694 may have once belonged to the Magellanic Clouds. Thanks to work done by Lee (et al) who discovered one red giant star, we know that it has a “unique chemical abundance pattern” and an “an extragalactic origin”. No wonder it’s so faint….

Need a big telescope challenge? Then try NGC5792 (RA 14:58.4 Dec -01:05). At around magnitude 12, it’s going to take some dark sky to catch this nearly edge-on spiral galaxy, but it is worth your time and trouble. As part of the Herschel catalog, you’ll find a distracting star on the western edge, but very pretty spiral galaxy structure with a bright nucleus await you. At 85 million light years away, it still shows some very nice form to large aperture.

Before you put away your telescope, try NGC 5903/5898 (RA 15:18.6 Dec -24:04). This binary elliptical galaxy pair is quite achievable in an 8″ telescope with dark skies and good seeing conditions. You’ll find them about three degrees northeast of Sigma, and just north of a pair of 7th magnitude stars. While northernmost NGC 5903 seems to be nothing more than a faint elliptical with a brighter concentration toward the center and an almost identical elliptical – NGC 5898 – to the southwest, you’re probably asking yourself… Why the big deal over two small ellipticals? First off, NGC 5903 is Herschel III.139 and NGC 5898 is Herschel III.138…two more to add to your studies. And second? The Very Large Array has studied this galaxy pair in the spectral lines of neutral hydrogen. The brighter of the pair, NGC 5898, shows evidence of ionized gas which has been collected from outside its galactic realm – while NGC 5903 seems to be running streamers of material toward its neighbor. A double-galaxy, double-accretion event! But there’s more… Look to the southeast and you’ll double your pleasure and double your fun as you discover two double stars instead of just one! Sometimes we overlook field stars for reasons of study – but don’t do it tonight. Even mid-sized telescopes can easily reveal this twin pair of galaxies sharing “their stuff,” as well as a pair of double stars in the same low power field of view. (Psst…slim and dim MCG 043607 and quasar 1514-241 are also here!) Ain’t it grand?

Tip the “scales” in your favor if you have a big telescope and get a good star chart. There’s lots more in Libra than you think!

Source: Wikipedia
Star Chart Courtesy of Your Sky.

Who Listens For Phoenix?

Phoenix. Credit: NASA/JPL/UA

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Phoenix isn’t merely dead; it’s really most sincerely dead. NASA has now stopped listening for any residual beeps sent by the Phoenix lander with the spacecraft orbiting Mars. After nearly a month of daily checks to listen for any last communications from the lander, the Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have ended their efforts to listen for Phoenix. The final communication from Phoenix remains a brief signal received via Odyssey on Nov. 2. “The variability of the Martian weather was a contributing factor to our loss of communications, and we were hoping that another variation in weather might give us an opportunity to contact the lander again,” said Phoenix Mission Manager Chris Lewicki of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The last attempt to listen for a signal from Phoenix was when Odyssey passed overhead at 3:49 p.m. PST Saturday, Nov. 29 (4:26 p.m. local Mars solar time on the 182nd Martian day, or sol, since Phoenix landed).

And now, a moment of silence…

The Phoenix lander operated for two overtime months after achieving its science goals during its original three-month mission. It landed on a Martian arctic plain on back on May 25.

As expected, reduced daily sunshine eventually left the solar-powered Phoenix craft without enough energy to keep its batteries charged.

The end of efforts to listen for Phoenix with Odyssey and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter had been planned for the start of solar conjunction, when the sun is almost directly between the Earth and Mars. This makes communications between Earth and Mars-orbiting spacecraft difficult, and so they are therefore minimized from now until mid-December.

Nov. 29 was selected weeks ago as the final date for relay monitoring of Phoenix because it provided several weeks to confirm the lander was really most sincerely dead, and it coincided with the beginning of solar conjunction. When they come out of the conjunction period, weather on far-northern Mars will be far colder, and the declining sunshine will have ruled out any chance of hearing from Phoenix.

Source: JPL

Made in Korea: Lunar Lander Unveiled

The "homemade" Korean Lunar Lander. Credit: Korean Times

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Everybody wants to go to the moon! Scientists from Korea recently unveiled a spacecraft developed completely in-house that could potentially be used for robotic exploration of the Moon. The mini-sized lander, shown above is about 40 centimeters tall (15.5 inches) and weighs 25 kilograms (55lbs). Scientists say it carry an additional 20 kilograms in payloads to the surface. Every part of the rocket engine was “homemade,” said Kwon Se-jin, a professor of aerospace engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The lander, the result of a six year long effort, represents an advancement in technology, and an important step for Korea’s nascent space program.

The rocket’s propulsion includes a state-of-the-art propulsion and the engine’s design allows it to be powered by environmentally friendly fuel. Also, the Korean team was proud of the low costs associated with their new lander.

According to Kwon, lunar modules between the 100 and 200 kilogram range, developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) under the International Lunar Network (ILN) project costs around $100 million. The rocket engine created by his team could cut development costs to about half that, Kwon claimed.

“We have approached NASA over the possibilities of using our engine,” Kwon said, adding that his team is collaborating with other local scientists with the goal of landing a spacecraft on the moon by 2013.

“Lunar-landers are critical in developing lunar spacecraft, but advanced nations have been careful to protect their core technologies, so I think this is a big deal for us,” he said.

South Korea has been pushing an aggressive space program over the past decade, and objectives include having a man on the moon by 2020.

Korea’s current plans are to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite in early 2009 from a newly built spaceport. If successfully, Korea would become the ninth country to launch a satellite from its own soil.

But the Koreans also want to become part of an international space research project, the ILN, a project aiming to gradually place six to eight fixed or mobile science stations on the lunar surface. The stations will form a robotic network to replace the hardware left by the Apollo program to continue studies of the moon’s surface and interior.

Source: Korea Times

Old Space Observatory Spare Parts to Search for Dirty Bombs

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory shortly after deployment by shuttle Atlantis (STS-37) on April 5th, 1991 (NASA)

[/caption]From 1991 to 2000, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory dominated the search for the largest explosions ever observed in the cosmos: gamma-ray bursts (or GRBs). Unfortunately after nearly a decade of highly successful observations, June 4th 2000, NASA made the unpopular decision to de-orbit the observatory in response to a mechanical failure on the spacecraft (despite protests by some scientists, pointing out that the observatory could have continued operations).

To one scientist, Jim Ryan, the demise of the project he had tirelessly worked on since 1984 was a hard pill to swallow. However, in a surprise turn of events, the US Department of Energy tracked down Ryan and asked whether his research could be applied a little closer to home. In a flash of inspiration, the scientist realised spare parts left over from the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory could be used to pinpoint emissions from a potential “dirty bomb”, possibly providing security services with an early warning capability against a radioactive terrorist attack…

Although a dirty bomb has never been detonated and remain a speculative means by terrorists to cause maximum disruption to a populated area, the Department of Energy considers the threat to be very real. This is probably because a small amount of radioactive material could be used in the construction of a relatively cheap conventional bomb and plans by groups to use such weaponry have been uncovered in the past. The key power of a dirty bomb (otherwise known as a “radiological dispersal device”) isn’t the immediate health risk to a local population (apart from the obvious damage that could be caused by the conventional explosives used in the device), it is the lasting fear, panic and economic damage such a terror attack could cause. The residual radiation left over from a dirty bomb is of course a concern, but studies show that it is the psychological damage of such an attack that would have the greater effect.

So, the Department of Energy gave Dr Ryan a call to ask whether his work at the University of New Hampshire’s Space Science Center could be used to seek out radioactive devices. At the time, he was working on an instrument to be sent within the orbit of Mercury to detect low energy neutrons being emitted from the Sun. It just so happened that the neutron energy range matched that of the emission from plutonium.

You don’t have to be an astrophysicist to see the connection,” Ryan commented on the government interest in using his techniques to search for nuclear devices on Earth.

However, during a visit to a National Guard exercise on Cape Cod, Jim Ryan was inspired by another space mission. The exercise carried out last year was to test security agent’s ability to track down dirty bombs (not nuclear weapons containing plutonium). Dirty bombs emit a different type of radiation (not the low energy neutrons emitted from a plutonium device), and Ryan realised that parts from his old and beloved Compton Gamma Ray Observatory may be resurrected to help serve national security tasks. Rather than manually scanning suspect radioactive devices with a hand-held Geiger counter, the gamma ray radiation can be detected at a safe distance and pinpointed. The problem with Geiger counters is that although they detect gamma radiation, you have to be standing right next to the radioactive source to know where it is. Using Compton Gamma Ray Observatory techniques can make the search safer and a lot more accurate.

It lives on and does something that is useful to society as well as pure academic science,” Ryan said during a presentation to a Homeland Security conference in May. “[It is] poetic justice,” that the techniques by the spacecraft will be re-used by the modern fight against international terrorism.

Source: Boston.com

Wood Plank Found on Mars?

Panoramic image with "plank"-like rock. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

Over the long holiday weekend, Universe Today was flooded with emails from readers who asked us to comment on an image taken by the Opportunity rover that appears to show a plank of wood laying on the surface of Mars. The image, above, (here’s the full resolution image) was taken in May of 2004, about four and a half years ago, in the early part of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. Since the image appears to have caused a bit of excitement across the internet recently, I decided to contact Dr. Jim Bell from Cornell University, who is also the lead scientist for the Panoramic cameras on the rovers. Bell was surprised to hear from me about the image, but happy to offer some insight. “My first reaction,” he said, “is that it’s delightful that there is such public interest in images from Mars.” Bell agreed that, indeed, it does look like a wooden plank. But does that mean it is a piece of wood on Mars? Sadly, no, says Bell.

"Plank" crop image.

“What you’re seeing is a piece of flat, platy, layered sulfur-rich outcrop rock like we’ve seen almost everywhere the Opportunity rover has been in Meridiani Planum,” said Bell. “Sometimes, like in this case, those flat, platy rocks have been tilted or dislodged, this one probably from the forces associated with the huge impact crater that formed nearby.”

See this image of several rocks in the area that have been tilted:

More tilted rocks.  Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
More tilted rocks. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

“And this one’s being viewed edge-on,” Bell said, of the rock in question. “That edge-on view, combined with the layered nature of these rocks in general gives the surface a sort of grainy texture. So, indeed, it looks like a wooden plank on Mars.”

So, could it maybe be wood? “No, sadly,” said Bell. “I say ‘sadly’ because personally I think it would be incredible and spectacular to find a wooden plank on Mars! However, in this case, it’s just a trick of the lighting and the viewing angle.”

This image, as other Mars images that have created hubbub and speculation, is another example of our human tendency to see familiar shapes in random patterns. (Phil Plait talks about this pareidolia here.)

In fact, I spent most of the morning scanning through MER images from May 15-29, 2004 to see if I could find more images of this “wooden plank.” There’s plenty, as all of the MER images from all five cameras for both rovers are freely available on the rover website. I believe I found an image of the same rock, taken from the “backside” or opposite view: (see below)

Opportunity rover image from Sol 111.  Credit: NASA/JPL
Opportunity rover image from Sol 111. Credit: NASA/JPL

Here, it appears to be a rock, a tilted rock, but it doesn’t stand out because from this view, the lighting doesn’t make the rock appear as dark as the original view. Again, I’m not sure this is the same rock, but there are several images of tilted rocks in this region, and if this isn’t the same one, it’s one very much like it.

Here’s another image of rocks that have a similar “grainy” look to them:

Rocks with grainy surface.  Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
Rocks with grainy surface. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell

For those of you who remain convinced that NASA is covering up some sort of “major” finding here, just remember a few things:

1. This image was released back in May of 2004, just a couple of days after it was taken by Opportunity. MER Principal Investigator Steve Squyres made the decision before the mission started to release all the images taken by the rovers and make them freely available to anyone. If NASA was hiding something, they wouldn’t have posted this image, as well as all the other images of the area that are available. Please, go look at them all if you have any doubt.

2. The best planetary geologists on Earth have looked at this image, and have all concluded this is just a rock. It’s an interesting rock, but a rock nonetheless. Think again if you believe some internet sleuths out there have a better understanding of this object than highly trained and experienced planetary scientists.

3. If this object really was a piece of wood, NASA and all the scientists on the MER mission would probably be shouting from the rooftops. As Jim Bell said, it would be incredible and spectacular, and don’t think for a minute these scientists wouldn’t be jumping for joy if they found something as amazing as log on Mars.

And in case you’re wondering about the other interesting feature in the image, the shiny object in the background is Opportunity’s heat shield.

Shuttle Landing: Beautiful; Progress Docking: Last-Minute Excitement

Endeavour landing in CA. Credit: NASA

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Sunday was a busy day for human spaceflight, as space shuttle Endeavour landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and a Progress re-supply ship docked at the International Space Station. While the shuttle landing went off without a hitch, problems developed with an automated docking system for the Progress ship, forcing a last-minute switch to a manual docking, performed by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov. A series of problems including the loss of frequency information and unexpected toggling of the automatic system’s tracking displays occurred, Russian news agencies reported. But Lonchakov, who was already at the manual controls as a precaution, took over from the automated system when the Progress was about 30 meters (98 feet) from the station and guided it flawlessly to the docking port within a few minutes.

ISS Commander Mike Fincke and Yuri Lonchakov give thumbs up after a successful manual docking of the Progress vehicle. Credit: NASA TV
ISS Commander Mike Fincke and Yuri Lonchakov give thumbs up after a successful manual docking of the Progress vehicle. Credit: NASA TV


The decision to land in California was made early Sunday morning, as thunderstorms and strong winds prevented Endeavour from attempting either of the two landing opportunities at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the primary landing site.

The clear blue skies in southern California made for a picturesque landing, with a great view of the shuttle as it quickly dropped through the sky.

Endeavour touched down at 3:25 p.m Central time.

Endeavour arrived at the station Nov. 16, delivering equipment that will help allow the station to double its crew size to six. The new gear includes a water recovery system, which will allow urine and other condensate to be purified and converted into water for the crew’s use. Endeavour returned with samples of the processed water for experts in Houston to analyze before it is approved for use by the crew.

Endeavour’s astronauts also repaired and serviced crucial rotating joints for the station’s giant solar arrays. During four spacewalks, the astronauts lubricated and cleaned the joints that allow the arrays to automatically track the sun.

In addition, Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus replaced Greg Chamitoff as part of the ISS crew. Chamitoff returned to Earth aboard Endeavour.

STS-126 is the 124th shuttle mission and 27th shuttle flight to visit the space station.

Progress vehicle as it approached the ISS. Credit: NASA TV
Progress vehicle as it approached the ISS. Credit: NASA TV

The Progress vehicle, which blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 26, was carrying water, scientific equipment as well as personal items and holiday gifts for the ISS crew.

Sources: NASA, AFP