Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – October 24-26, 2008

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s a dark sky weekend and a great time to get out your binoculars or telescopes and enjoy. Use bright star – Formalhaut – to help you find distant planet Uranus… and the “Great Square of Pegasus” to help you find an even more distant galaxy! Would you like to explore some stellar evolution or did you know Saturn was back in the morning skies? Then check out what’s happening as we head out into the night…

Friday, October 24, 2008 – Today we remember the launch of Deep Space 1 from Cape Canaveral in 1998. Its primary mission was extremely successful, testing a dozen advanced, high-risk technologies. During its extended mission, Deep Space 1 headed for Comet Borrelly and sent back the best images from a comet up to that time. The mission continued to test new techniques until it was finally retired after three fantastic years of service on December 18, 2001.

Tonight in 1851, a busy astronomer was at the eyepiece as William Lassell discovered Uranus’ moons Ariel and Umbriel. Although the equipment he used is far beyond backyard equipment, we can have a look at that distant world, as we find Uranus about 25 degrees (slightly more than an hand span) north-northwest of Fomalhaut.

While Uranus’ small, blue-green disc isn’t exactly the most exciting thing to see in a small telescope or binoculars, the very fact we are looking at a planet that’s over 18 times further from the Sun than we are is pretty impressive! Usually holding close to magnitude 6, we watch as the tilted planet orbits our nearest star once every 84 years. Its atmosphere is composed of hydrogen, helium and methane, yet pressure causes about a third of this distant planet to behave as a liquid. Larger telescopes may be able to discern a few of Uranus’ moons, for Titania (the brightest) is around magnitude 14.

Now let’s head toward the southwest corner star of the Great Square of Pegasus – Alpha. Our goal will be 11th magnitude NGC 7479, located about three degrees south (RA 23 04 56 Dec +12 19 23).

Discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1784 and cataloged as H I.55, this barred spiral galaxy can be spotted in average telescopes and comes to beautiful life with larger aperture. Also known as Caldwell 44 on Sir Patrick Moore’s observing list, what makes this galaxy special is its delicate “S” shape. Smaller scopes will easily see the central bar structure of this 105 million light-year distant island universe, and as aperture increases, the western arm will become more dominant. This arm itself is a wonderful mystery – containing more mass than it should and having a turbulent structure. It is believed that a minor merger may have occurred at one time, yet no evidence of a companion galaxy can be found.

On July 27, 1990, a supernova occurred near NGC 7479’s nucleus and reached a magnitude of 16. When observed in the radio band, there is a polarized jet near the bright nucleus that is unlike any other structure known. If at first you do not see a great deal of detail, relax… Allow your mind and eye time to look carefully. Even with telescopes as small as 8-10″, structure can easily be seen. The central bar becomes “clumpy” and this well-studied Seyfert galaxy is home to an abundance of molecular gas and is actively forming stars. Enjoy the incredible NGC 7479…

Saturday, October 25, 2008 – And who was watching the planets in 1671? None other than Giovanni Cassini – because he’d just discovered Saturn’s moon Iapetus. If you’re up before dawn this morning, have a look at Saturn for yourself as it poses less than five degrees away from the Moon. Iapetus usually holds around a magnitude of 12, and orbits well outside of bright Titan’s path.

Today is the birthday of Henry Norris Russell. Born in 1877, Russell was the American leader in establishing the modern field of astrophysics. As the namesake for the American Astronomical Society’s highest award (for lifetime contributions to the field), Mr. Russell is the “R” in H-R diagrams, along with Mr. Hertzsprung. This work was first used in a 1914 paper, published by Russell.

Tonight let’s start with a star that resides right in the middle of the H-R diagram as we have a look Beta Aquarii (RA 21 31 33 Dec -05 34 16).

Named Sadal Suud (“Luck of Lucks”), this star of spectral type G star is around 1030 light-years distant from our solar system and shines 5800 times brighter than our own Sun. The main sequence beauty also has two 11th magnitude optical companions. The one closest to Sadal Suud was discovered by John Herschel in 1828, while the further star was reported by S. W. Burnham in 1879.

Now let’s head to the eastern portion of Capricornus and start by identifying Zeta about a fistwidth southwest of the eastern corner star – Delta. Now look southeast about two fingerwidths to identify 5th magnitude star 41. About one half degree west is our target globular for the evening, M30 (RA 21 40 22 Dec -23 10 44).

At near magnitude 8, this class V globular cluster is well suited to even binoculars, and becomes spectacular in a telescope. Originally discovered by Messier in August 1764, and resolved by William Herschel in 1783, M30’s most attractive features include the several branches of stars which seem to radiate from its concentrated core region. Estimated to be about 26,000 light-years away, you’ll find it fairly well resolved in large aperture, but take time to really look. The dense central region may have already undergone core collapse – yet as close as these stars are, very few have collided to form x-ray binaries. For the smaller scope, notice how well M30’s red giants resolve, and be sure to mark your notes!

Sunday, October 26, 2008 – If you’re up early, be sure to look for Venus and Antares making a close pairing in the pre-dawn sky!

Tonight it’s time for a telescopic challenge – a compact galaxy group. You’ll find it less than half a degree southeast of the stellar pair 4 and 5 Aquarii (RA 20 52 26 Dec -05 46 19).

Known as Hickson 88, this grouping of four faint spiral galaxies is estimated to be about 240 million light-years away and is by no means an easy object – yet the galactic cores can just be glimpsed with mid-sized scopes from a very dark site. Requiring around 12.5″ to study in detail, you’ll find the brightest of the group to be northernmost NGC 6978 and NGC 6977. While little detail can be seen in the average large backyard scope, NGC 6978 shows some evidence of being a barred spiral, while NGC 6977 shows the even appearance of a face-on. Further south, NGC 6976 is much smaller and considerably fainter. It is usually caught while averting and studying the neighborhood. The southernmost galaxy is NGC 6975, whose slender, edge-on appearance makes it much harder to catch.

Although these four galaxies seem to be in close proximity to one another, no current data suggests any interaction between them. While such a faint galaxy grouping is not for everyone, it’s a challenge worthy of seasoned astronomer with a large scope! Enjoy…

Until next week, ask for the moon – but keep on reaching for the stars!

This week’s awesome images are: Deep Space 1 image of Comet Borrelly – Credit: NASA, Rendition of Lassell’s Telescope (widely used public image), Uranus – Credit: HST/NASA, NGC 7479 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, Henry Norris Russell (widely used public image), Beta Aquarii – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, M30 – REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF and Hickson 88 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech. Thank you so much!!

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

Life Will be Hard for Colonists – Kaguya Can’t Find Water on the Moon

High-resolution view of the lunar surface (JAXA/SELENE)

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It’s been a long-held belief that the Moon is hiding significant quantities of water ice, safe from the Sun’s ablative effects inside shady craters. One such crater is called Shackleton at the lunar South Pole and previous Moon missions have indicated it might hold a large reservoir of ice for all the water needs of future Moon colonists. Alas, the Japanese lunar mission Kaguya (or the Selenological and Engineering Explorer – “SELENE”) has taken a peek into the crater to find… nothing. At least, it hasn’t spotted any significant quantities of surface ice. So where does this leave future lunar colonies?

In 1994, the US Clementine lunar orbiter (a joint venture between NASA and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization) carried out the “Bistatic Radar Experiment” which involved bouncing radio signals from the probe’s transmitter from the lunar poles. The reflected signal was then received by the Deep Space Network antennae on Earth. Scientists deduced from the reflected signal that volatile ices were present in the lunar regolith, most probably water ice. However, this claim was disputed after a similar experiment was done using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. This time, radio signals were reflected from regions on the Moon bathed in sunlight (where it would be impossible for water ice to survive) and identical results to the Clementine mission were found.

NASA’s 1998 Lunar Prospector also had mixed results. Using its Neutron Spectrometer (NS) instrument, the probe had detected large quantities of water, leading NASA to make the estimate that 3 billion metric tons of water ice was located at or near the surface of the Moon in its polar regions. However, when the mission ended in 1999, the Lunar Prospector was deliberately crashed into a crater in the lunar South Pole in the hope of kicking up a plume of lunar surface material and detecting water ice from Earth. Unfortunately, no water was discovered. (Out of interest, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, set for launch in April 2009, has a similar suicidal goal to put a divot in the Moon.)

Now, using the Japanese lunar mission Kaguya, scientists have taken the opportunity to have a closer look into the Shackleton crater, the most likely candidate to have a supply of water ice shaded from the Sun. As there is no atmosphere (apart from some very tenuous outgassed chemicals), sunlight cannot be scattered into the bottom of the crater to illuminate its surface. However, scientists have taken images during lunar mid-summer when enough light is scattered off the crater’s upper inner wall to faintly brighten the darkness below.

Although it is very cold inside the crater (-183°C or -297°F), certainly ideal conditions to preserve ice, there is no visual evidence of any surface ice at all.

Although this isn’t great news for future lunar colonists, don’t pack up your Moon buggies quite yet. The Japanese team have concluded that although there is no visual brightening due to ice, water ice may be mixed in low quantities with the lunar dirt. Or there’s simply no ice in Shackleton crater. Either way, I wouldn’t suggest mounting a manned expedition to Shackleton any time soon…

Source: Space.com

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

Where Have All the Gamma Ray Bursts Gone?

Artist impression of a GRB (ESA)

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Astronomers are confused.

As if gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) weren’t mysterious enough, there’s something else to add to the bag of confusion. GRB events are missing from the furthermost reaches of the Universe. Right around the time when there should be a lot of GRBs, during the “star forming epoch” (when stars were just beginning to evolve after the Big Bang), there appears to be none. Zero. There’s no ancient flashes of massive star death to be found. What’s more, there doesn’t appear to be any afterglow from previous gamma-ray bursts either.

So what’s going on? Were there no GRB events before 12.8 billion years ago? Possibly… although there might be another answer. They are out there but we just can’t see them.

Gamma-ray bursts are the biggest and brightest explosions in our Universe since the Big Bang. When a GRB detonates, it can easily outshine its host galaxy containing billions of stars. These energetic events have been observed since the 1960’s and only until recently have astronomers found an explanation as to what GRBs are. A GRB occurs when a young metal-poor massive star has used up all its fuel and, like a supernova, collapses under its own gravitational field. The rapid-spinning star then funnels intense beams of radiation from its poles in the form of gamma-rays. Should one of these beams be directed toward Earth, we see a disproportionately bright explosion (as a vast amount of energy is channelled through the poles). Until the “collapsar model” was devised, astronomers were at a loss to explain these energetic events.

The collapsar model appears to explain GRBs lasting for two seconds or more. However, there is another class of GRB, of much shorter timescales, that does not fit in with the collapsar model. Short-period GRBs may be the result of violent interactions between black holes and a neutron stars.

So, does this mean GRBs are becoming less mysterious? Actually, GRB theory has just become a little more complicated. It would appear that no GRBs occurred before 12.8 billion years ago. Last month, the most distant (and therefore oldest) GRB was detected 12.8 billion light years away, but that in itself is strange.

During the time when the first stars started to form (around 13.4 billion years ago), they were by definition “metal-poor” stars (heavier elements, such as metals, were only possible after several generations of stellar evolution), so this should be a period of time when GRBs were regularly lighting up the night sky. However, according to observations of the most distant galaxies containing the youngest stars, GRB events seem to be non-existent.

One explanation put forward is the effect of red shift. As the Universe expands, space-time stretches. As light travels from the most distant reaches of the Universe, perhaps the light itself from GRBs has been so stretched (red-shifted) that the electromagnetic emissions simply cannot be detected by our instrumentation. These huge explosions could be happening, but as the emitted light has been so red-shifted, by the time the light reaches us, perhaps the emission does not resemble a GRB. Even the afterglow of one of these massive explosions would be unrecognisable in this case, the light observed would be shifted all the way into the infrared.

So will any GRBs be discovered further away than 12.8 billion light years? I think we’ll have to wait until we build some improved infrared observatories or recognise what a distant, ancient GRB looks like…

Source: NASA

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

Asteroseismology: Observing Stars Vibrate with CoRoT

Modes of solar oscillation plotted over our Sun. Could the same things be done with other stars? (NASA/TRACE/NCAR)

[/caption]Observing a stars brightness pulsate may reveal its internal structure say researchers using the Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits (CoRoT) observatory. The highly sensitive orbital telescope can detect tiny variations in a distant star’s brightness, leading astronomers into a new field of stellar seismology called “asteroseismology.”

Seismology is more commonly used by scientists on Earth to see how waves travel through the terrestrial crust, thereby revealing the structure of the material below us. Even solar physicists use the method of helioseismology to understand the interior of our Sun by observing its wobble. Now, by observing the slight changes in stellar brightness, it is possible to remotely probe deep into the inner workings of a distant star…

CoRoT is a joint French Space Agency (CNES) and European Space Agency (ESA) mission to detect slight variations in the brightness of stars launched in 2006. As extrasolar planets pass in front of (or “transit”) a star, the brightness will decrease. The highly sensitive 27 cm-diameter telescope and spectroscopic instrumentation has the ability of detecting extrasolar rocky planets a few times the size of Earth and new gas giants (a.k.a. Hot Jupiters).

Another mission objective for the 630 kg satellite is to detect luminosity variations associated with acoustic pulsations passing through the body of the star. A similar method known as helioseismology uses the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) to detect the propagation of pressure waves through the Sun so a better idea of solar internal dynamics and structure can be gained.

CoRoT has been watching three stars, 20-40% more massive than the Sun, vibrate in reaction to the convective processes on the stellar surfaces. Some areas will expand and cool, whilst others with contract and heat up. This creates an oscillation, and a pulsation in brightness, providing information about the inner structure of these distant stars. The three stars brightened and dimmed 1.5 times more dramatically than solar helioseismology observations. However, this is still 25% weaker than expected from theory, so it would seem stellar physics still has a long way to go.

“This really marks the start of a completely new era of space-based asteroseismology,” said Joergen Christensen-Dalsgaard of the University of Aarhus in Denmark. “It shows that CoRoT can do what it set out to do.”

Asteroseismology can also be used to gauge the precise age of a star. Usually, the age of a star is determined by looking at a star cluster where it is assumed the majority of the stars are of a similar age. However, as a star ages, different elements undergo nuclear fusion at different times. This alters the star’s interior structure and therefore alters the vibrational characteristics of the star. This can be detected by CoRoT, hopefully aiding astronomers when deducing the precise ago of a particular star.

“In principle, you can look at one star all on its own and determine how old it is,” adds Michael Montgomery of the University of Texas.

Source: New Scientist

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Moon Albedo

Earthshine on the Moon. Image credit: Drew J. Evans

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The albedo of the Moon is 0.12. In other words, the Moon reflects back 12% of all the radiation that falls upon it.

As you may or may not know, albedo is a term that astronomers use to measure reflectivity of an object in space; more specifically, it measures how much of the Sun’s radiation an object reflects. An albedo of 0 means that object is dark, while a 1 means that it’s very bright and reflective.

So, how does the Moon albedo compare to other objects in the Solar System? As bright as the Moon looks from our perspective here on Earth, the Moon’s albedo is actually pretty low. The object with the highest albedo in the Solar System is Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which has an albedo of 0.99, which means that it’s covered with very reflective snow and ice. The Moon is much more similar to a very dark object, like an asteroid. The darkest asteroids in the Solar System have an albedo of 0.06. That’s pretty close to 0.

The brightness of the Moon changes as its phases change. During the first and last quarters, the visible Moon is illuminated 50% by the Sun, but it only has about 8% of the brightness of a full Moon. This is because the sunlight is hitting the Moon at an angle and deflecting away from us. When the Moon is full, sunlight is hitting the Moon and then bouncing directly back. This is why the Moon is so much brighter during a full Moon.

We have done lots of articles about the Moon on Universe Today. Here’s an article about explosions on the Moon. And here’s another about building a Moon base.

Here’s a great article that helps explain the Moon’s albedo.

You can listen to a very interesting podcast about the formation of the Moon from Astronomy Cast, Episode 17: Where Did the Moon Come From?

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

Aldrin: Mars Pioneers Should Not Return to Earth

No coming back? The first Mars settlers should stay there (NASA/Ian O'Neill)

[/caption]Commenting on the strategy for the exploration of Mars, Buzz Aldrin, second man on the Moon and tireless space exploration advocate, has said that he believes the first explorers of the Red Planet should stay there. Following similar lines of the first European pioneers who settled in America, a small group of interplanetary explorers should expect to land, build, live and retire (probably even die) on Mars.

Setting up home on the Martian surface will be no easy thing (after all, the atmosphere is 100 times thinner than the Earth’s and the planet has no magnetic field to protect colonists from the ravages of solar radiation), but Mars offers far greater potential as a habitable world than any other Solar System option.

40 years after Aldrin landed on the Moon, one can understand his frustration that there is no current manned space exploration program leaving Earth orbit. Perhaps a pioneering effort to Mars will make all the difference – if we succeed there, who knows where it might lead…

The subject of sending a manned expedition to Mars has always been a controversial one. Who do we send? How long should the mission last? Is sending one explorer an option (it would certainly be cheaper)? Do we make plans for a return mission? What about the health risks? Do we set up a human colony in the first instance? Is it REALLY worth the effort and money? But whether you like it or not, mankind will always have the urge to venture beyond Planet Earth and colonize other worlds (whether the funding or political will is there or not, but that’s another story).

But how can it be done? There has been much speculation about the future of Mars exploration, and we are beginning to take the first baby-steps toward the ultimate goal – a manned mission. The Phoenix Mars lander is classed as a “scout mission” intended to aid the planning of future colonies; satellites such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (the clue is in the name – you have to do a bit of reconnaissance before sending in the troops!) has the The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on board with the primary task of finding mineral deposits on the surface that might be of use to a manned settlement. Every mission we send to the Red Planet has some function to aid the planning of a future human presence on the Martian surface.

As if commenting on his personal experience of the Apollo Program, Buzz Aldrin has shared his views on manned exploration of Mars. As any manned spaceship could take up to 18 months to travel to Mars, Aldrin believes it makes more sense for the first mission to be a one-way trip. “That’s why you [should] send people there permanently,” said Aldrin. “If we are not willing to do that, then I don’t think we should just go once and have the expense of doing that and then stop.”

“If we are going to put a few people down there and ensure their appropriate safety, would you then go through all that trouble and then bring them back immediately, after a year, a year and a half?” Buzz added.

Currently, NASA and the European Space Agency has tentatively said they are planning for a trip to Mars by 2030 or 2040. The current idea is to send a small group of explorers (possibly six individuals) to Mars, but have all the life support systems and supplies already set up on the surface before they arrive. Once an outpost is established, more colonists can be sent out to join them. The first operational manned colony will probably be 30-strong.

I'd like to shake Buzz's hand... oh yes, I did! (Ian O'Neill)However, these colonists will need to be unique individuals. “They need to go there more with the psychology of knowing that you are a pioneering settler and you don’t look forward to go back home again after a couple a years,” Aldrin said. But that’s not to say they’ll never return to Earth. Years down the line, there may be the opportunity for a return mission, depending on technological advancements. “At age 30, they are given an opportunity. If they accept, then we train them, at age 35, we send them. At age 65, who knows what advances have taken place. They can retire there, or maybe we can bring them back.”

Many will argue that a manned mission to Mars is a “waste of money,” after all, why go through the expense and risk of sending humans when robots can do the same job. Aldrin disagrees with this stance, pointing out that it makes more sense to have humans on the ground, making on-the-spot decisions. I would argue that robotic explorers can only achieve so much; we can send the most advanced analysis equipment on board the most advanced robot, but there is no substitute for human ingenuity and experience. Far more science can be done on the Martian surface by an astronaut rather than a remote controlled robot. If life really does exist on the Martian surface, a man on Mars will find it far quicker than any rover.

Why else send man to Mars? To “do things that are innovative, new, pioneering,” rather than letting manned space flight continue to be a disappointment, Buzz added. After all, the International Space Station hasn’t lived up to many expectations, and the last time we walked on the Moon was in 1972… perhaps we need to start making some bold moves in the direction of Mars before we can consider ourselves to be a space faring race.

Source: Physorg.com

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Dark Knight Ahead – B33 by Gordon Haynes

If you live in the northern hemisphere, I’m sure you’ve very much noticed the daylight hours have become much shorter – but have you noticed the return of the winter stars during the early morning hours? If you’re up before dawn the constellation of Orion sits high in the sky and with it brings promises of “Dark Knight Ahead”….

In this beautiful h-alpha image of B33 and NGC2024 taken by Gordon Haynes, we’re getting a preview of one of the most sought after dark nebulae in the heavens – the “Horsehead”. The long tongue of nebulosity which makes it visible is IC 434, first discovered photographically by Edward Pickering in 1889. But it wasn’t until January 25, 1900 that Isaac Roberts picked up the dark notch on a photo he’d made and E.E. Barnard visually recognized it around 1910.

The ever-vigilant, and visually astute Barnard made his first publication of the “dark knight” in Dark Regions in the Sky Suggesting an Obscuration of Light – Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 38, pages 496-501. In 1919, he officially cataloged it as B33 in On the Dark Markings of the Sky – with a Catalogue of 181 Such Objects where it remains to this day as an astronomical favorite. What makes this 1,600 light year distant dark globule of dust and non-luminous gas so important? Well, a recent study done using the h-alpha wavelength and the 2.34 m Vainu Bappu Telescope were done to test fractal structure. Ten sample readings of the box dimension of this image were taken using a fractal analysis software, giving an average value of 1.6965725. The sample dimensions were found to be different from the topological dimension of one. Importantly, the box dimension of B 33 was not found to be significantly different from that of the Julia set (box dimension 1.679594) with c = -0.745429 + 0.113008i. This provides compelling evidence to show that the structure of the Horsehead nebula is not only fractal, but also that its geometry can be described by the Julia function f(z) = z2 + c, where both z and c are complex numbers.

While that’s cool, I wanted to go even deeper. I checked into SCUBA and this is what I found from the works of D. Ward-Thompson (et al):

“We present observations taken with SCUBA on the JCMT of the Horsehead Nebula in Orion (B33), at wavelengths of 450 and 850 mum. We see bright emission from that part of the cloud associated with the photon-dominated region (PDR) at the `top’ of the horse’s head, which we label B33-SMM1. We characterise the physical parameters of the extended dust responsible for this emission, and find that B33-SMM1 contains a more dense core than was previously suspected. We compare the SCUBA data with data from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and find that the emission at 6.75-mum is offset towards the west, indicating that the mid-infrared emission is tracing the PDR while the submillimetre emission comes from the molecular cloud core behind the PDR. We calculate the virial balance of this core and find that it is not gravitationally bound but is being confined by the external pressure from the HII region IC434, and that it will either be destroyed by the ionising radiation, or else may undergo triggered star formation. Furthermore we find evidence for a lozenge-shaped clump in the `throat’ of the horse, which is not seen in emission at shorter wavelengths. We label this source B33-SMM2 and find that it is brighter at submillimetre wavelengths than B33-SMM1. SMM2 is seen in absorption in the 6.75-mum ISO data, from which we obtain an independent estimate of the column density in excellent agreement with that calculated from the submillimetre emission. We calculate the stability of this core against collapse and find that it is in approximate gravitational virial equilibrium. This is consistent with it being a pre-existing core in B33, possibly pre-stellar in nature, but that it may also eventually undergo collapse under the effects of the HII region.”

So it’s a chance thing… It just happens to look like a cosmic chess piece. But this is one chess piece that has the odds stacked in its favor for starbirth. This shapely cloud of H2 molecules may have a density within its internal clumps that could reach up to 105 H2 per cubic centimeters or more and have their own internal magnetic field which will provides support against their own gravity. Deep inside, the dust blocks out the stellar ultraviolet radiation, getting darker and colder – just like our northern hemisphere nights. Near the center, the carbon changes and the chemistry becomes exotic – stars begin to form in a process very similar to condensation. The pressure appears to be building inside B33…

And tomorrow’s “Dark Knight” will be lit by new stars.

Many thanks to AORAIA member Gordon Haynes for the fine photograph!

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

We All Say “Excited!” In The Same Language

Chandrayaan-1 launch. Credit: ISRO

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One of the wonderful things about space exploration and astronomy is how it brings people together across cultures, countries and even languages. Almost all of the current planetary missions — Phoenix, Cassini, and Dawn, for example — are collaborative efforts between scientists and space agencies around the world. And all of our explorations, whether it be through spacecraft or telescopes embody the best of all of humanity: our creativity, our technological advances, our driving curiosity and spirit of perseverance. Furthermore, these explorations excite and inspire us, and also bring us together, providing a common bond. A friend that’s involved with the Chandrayaan mission, (JPL and ISRO working together) that’s now working its way to the Moon, sent me a link to a home video showing Chandrayaan’s launch. You don’t have to speak the language of India to understand how absolutely excited these people were to see their own country’s spacecraft rocket to space. See the video below:

You can’t help but cheer along with the people in the video. We can all cheer, and whoop and holler in excitement in the same language; no translations needed. Congrats to India and all the countries involved in the Chandrayaan mission. Woo hoo! and Yippee!!

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Where In The Universe Challenge #26

Here’s the image for this week’s “Where In The Universe” challenge. And, like last week, we’ll provide the image, but won’t reveal the answer right away. This gives everyone a chance to mull over the image and provide their answer in the comment section. But check back tomorrow for the answer and to see how you did. Again, here’s the procedure: Take a look at the image above and try to determine where in the universe this image was taken. Give yourself extra points if you can name the spacecraft responsible for taking this image. Post your answers in the comments (if you’re brave enough!) and check back tomorrow for the answer. Good luck!

UPDATE: The answer has now been posted below. If you haven’t made your guess yet, no peeking before you do!!

As the majority of the commenters said, this is Neptune’s moon Triton, taken by Voyager 2. In the summer of 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to observe the planet Neptune, its final planetary target. Passing about 4,950 kilometers (3,000 miles) above Neptune’s north pole, Voyager 2 made its closest approach to any planet since leaving Earth 12 years earlier. Five hours later, Voyager 2 passed about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) from Neptune’s largest moon, Triton, the last solid body the spacecraft will have an opportunity to study.

Good job, everyone!