Universe Today

September 27, 2008December 24, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

China’s First Spacewalk a Success (Video)

Zhai Zhigang exits the Shenzhou-7 capsule with Earth overhead (Xinhua/BBC)

[/caption]It’s official, China has become the third nation to successfully carry out a spacewalk in Earth orbit. Fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang was the first to exit the Shenzhou-7 module at 16:30 Beijing Time (08:30 GMT), as the Chinese space agency streamed live video of the event. Zhai lifted himself through the hatch and waved at the camera attached to the service module on the outside of the craft, with Earth looming overhead. Shortly after, crew mate Liu Boming emerged to hand Zhai a small Chinese flag which he waved enthusiastically. The extra-vehicular activity (EVA) lasted for about 15 minutes. At the start of the EVA, Zhai said, “I’m feeling quite well. I greet the Chinese people and the people of the world.”

Shenzhou-7 was launched by a Long March II-F rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province of China on Thursday, carrying Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng into space on the three-day mission. The principal objective was to successfully complete a spacewalk, paving the way for a Chinese orbital outpost and eventual mission to the Moon within the decade. It would appear the mission was a success, allowing China into an exclusive club of only three nations ever to have carried out orbital activities in a space suit.

Watch China’s first ever space walk »

Zhai and Liu wore a Chinese-designed spacesuit called “Feitian” (which literally translates as “Fly in the Sky”), thought to cost between £5m and £20m ($10m-$40m) apiece. The third taikonaut (or “yuhangyuan”) Jing Haipeng, remained inside Shenzhou-7 wearing a Russian-made Orlan suit.

Whilst outside the craft, attached via an umbilical cable, Zhai retrieved a test sample of solid lubricant attached to the outside of the module before they were launched. He passed the sample to Liu. Once the handover was complete, 16 minutes into the EVA, both men re-entered the capsule.

Zhai, now China’s first man to ever carry out an EVA in Earth orbit, will celebrate his 42nd birthday next month. Prior to enrolling in China’s manned space programme, he was an air force pilot, and before then the official Chinese news agency was keen to highlight that Zhai “grew up in dirt-poor hardship with five siblings in the country’s far northeast,” and he “dreamed of flying into space when he was an impoverished teenager.”

This is an amazing achievement that will only boost the space-faring confidence of the Chinese. Perhaps the first Chinese Moon base isn’t that far off after all…

Sources: BBC, Xinhua

September 26, 2008December 24, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Fusion in the Sun

Proton-proton chain reaction. Image credit: NASA

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The Sun is hot. Really really hot. But all of the heat and light coming from the Sun comes from the fusion process happening deep inside the core of the Sun. The core of the Sun extends from the very center of the out to about 0.2 solar radii. Inside this zone, pressures are million of times more than the surface of the Earth, and the temperature reaches more than 15 million Kelvin. This is where fusion in the Sun happens.

Every second, 600 million tons of hydrogen are being converted into helium. This reaction releases a tremendous amount of heat and energy.

The process of fusion in the Sun is known as the proton-proton chain. The Sun starts with protons, and though a series of steps, turns them into helium. Since the total energy of helium is less than the energy of the protons that went into it, this fusion releases energy.

Here are the steps.

1. Two pairs of protons fuse, forming two deuterons
2. Each deuteron fuses with an additional proton to form helium-3
3. Two helium-3 nuclei fuse to create beryllium-6, but this is unstable and disintegrates into two protons and a helium-4
4. The reaction also releases two neutrinos, two positrons and gamma rays.

As we said, a helium-4 atom has less energy than the 4 protons came together. All of the heat and light streaming from the Sun came from this fusion reaction.

Here’s an article about how the conditions inside supernovae have been recreated in the lab, and another about a white dwarf star that just shut down its fusion reactions.

Here’s an article from NASA that helps explain how the fusion process works. And here’s a project that lets your students understand the process by making their own fusion reactions.

We have recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast just about the Sun called The Sun, Spots and All.

September 26, 2008December 24, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Name of the Sun

Solar prominences on the Sun. Image credit: NASA

Many of the brightest, most familiar stars in the sky have names. For example, have you ever heard of Sirius – the brightest star in the sky? Or Polaris, also known as the North Star. If all these stars have names, does the Sun have a name?

Actually, the Sun doesn’t have its own name, apart from “the Sun”. But “sun” is also a generic name that you can use for any star. Sometimes people say that a star has the mass of 20 suns, or planets orbit other suns. You might have heard the term “sol”, but that’s just another name for Sun, based on the Roman God of the Sun.

We now know that the Sun is just a star. And so, it can be classified into categories like the other stars in the Universe. Just in case you were wondering, the Sun is a G2V star. The G2 part refers to the spectral class, and the V part is the luminosity. Stars with the “V” designation are in the main-sequence, or hydrogen burning, phase of their lives.

So it’s kind of strange to say, but Sun has no scientific name or designation, apart from, “the Sun”. Every other star in the sky does have a scientific designation.

We have recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast just about the Sun called The Sun, Spots and All.

September 26, 2008December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – September 26-28, 2008

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…

Friday, September 26, 2008 – Tonight we’ll begin our adventures with Vulpecula – it’s time to go fox hunting. What we’re after requires dark skies – but can be seen in both binoculars and a small telescope. Once you’ve found Alpha begin about two fingerwidths southeast and right on the galactic equator for NGC 6823 (RA 19 43 10 Dec +23 17 54).

The first thing you will note is a fairly large, somewhat concentrated, magnitude 7 open cluster. Resolved in larger telescopes, the viewer may note these stars are the hot, blue-white variety. For good reason… NGC 6823 only formed about two million years ago.

Although it is some 6000 light-years away and occupies about 50 light-years of space, it’s sharing the field with something more – a very faint and very large emission/reflection nebula called NGC 6820.

In the outer reaches of the star cluster, new stars are being formed in masses of gas and dust as hot radiation is shed from the brightest of the stellar members of this pair. Fueled by emission, NGC 6820 isn’t always an easy visual object – it’s faint and covers almost four times as much area as the cluster and using a filter helps. But, trace the edges very carefully, since the borders are much more illuminated than the region of the central cluster. It’s like a whisper against your eyes. Take the time to really observe this one! The processes going on are very much like those occurring in the Trapezium area of the Orion nebula.

Be sure to mark your observing notes. NGC 6823 is Herschel VII.18; and NGC 6820 is also known as Marth 401!

Saturday, September 27, 2008 – Today we celebrate the 1814 birth of Daniel Kirkwood. In 1866, this American astronomer was the first to publish his discovery of gaps in the distances of asteroids from the Sun – “Kirkwood Gaps.” Not only did he study the orbits of asteroids, but he was the first to suggest that meteor showers were caused by orbiting debris from comets. Known as “the American Kepler,” Kirkwood went on to author 129 publications, including three books.

Tonight it’s time to break out the muscle and challenge big telescope users to hone their skills. It’s galaxy hunting time and our destination for tonight is Hickson Compact Group 87 (RA 20 48 11 Dec -19 50 24)…

Several billion years ago, on the ecliptic plane about four degrees west-southwest of Theta Capricorni, and around 400 million light-years from our solar system, a galactic association decided to form their own “Local Group.” Orbiting around a common center about every 100 million years, their mutual gravity is pulling each of them apart – creating starbursts and feeding their active galactic nuclei. Small wonder they’re shredding each other… They’re only 170,000 light-years apart! One day they may even form a single elliptical galaxy bright enough for the average telescope to see – because as they are now, this group isn’t going to be seen with anything less than 20″ in aperture.

So, shall we try something a little more within the realm of reality? Then go ahead and drop about eight degrees south of Theta and try picking up on the NGC 7016/17/18 group (RA 21 07 20 Dec -25 29 15). Are they faint? Of course! It wouldn’t be a challenge if they were easy, would it? With an average magnitude of 14, this tight trio known as Leavenworth 1 is around 600 million light-years away. They’re very small, and not very easy to locate… But for those who like something a bit different?

I dare you…

Sunday, September 28, 2008 – As your starry mission this evening, we’ll continue our studies in Vulpecula with a spectacular open cluster – NGC 6940 (RA 20 34 24 Dec +28 17 00). At close to magnitude 6, you’ll find this unsung symphony of stars around three fingerwidths southwest of Epsilon Cygni.

Discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1784 and logged as H VIII.23, this intermediate-aged galactic cluster will blow your mind in large aperture.

Although visible in binoculars, as aperture increases the field explodes into about 100 stars in a highly compressed, rich cloud. Although not visited often, NGC 6940 is on many observing challenge lists. Use low power to get the full effect of this stunning starfield!

Now, move on to Aquila and look at the hot central star of an interesting planetary nebula – NGC 6804 (RA 19 31 35 Dec +09 13 32). You’ll find it almost four degrees due west of Altair. Discovered by Herschel and classed as open cluster H VI.38, it wasn’t until Pease took a closer look that its planetary nature was discovered. Interacting with clouds of interstellar dust and gases, NGC 6804 is a planetary in decline, with its outer shell around magnitude 12 and the central star at about magnitude 13. While only larger telescopes will get a glimpse of the central star, it’s one of the hottest objects in space – with a temperature of about 30,000 K!

While you’re out under the stars, be sure to keep an eye open for the fast moving members of the Alpha Aurigid meteor shower whose radiant is in the northeast near Capella. Activity started just two days ago and will last through the next week. Here’s wishing you clear skies and a great weekend!!

This week’s awesome images are: NGC 6823/6820 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, Hickson Compact Group 87 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, NGC 7016/17/18 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, and NGC 6940 and NGC 6804 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, both courtesy of Caltech.

September 26, 2008December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Fusionman Flies Again, This Time Across the English Channel

Fusionman soars across the English Channel. Credit: Times Online

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In May, Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy, who calls himself “Fusionman,” flew with a jetpack strapped to his back for just 5 minutes. Today he soared from France to England across the English Channel, becoming the first person to cross the 35 km (22 miles) body of water in such a way. Rossy, a pilot who normally flies an Airbus airliner, was dropped from an airplane over France and used his specially made jetpack, flying at speeds of up to 193 kph (120 mph) to make the crossing in 13 minutes. “Everything was perfect,” he said afterwards. “I showed that it is possible to fly a little bit like a bird.” See more images and video below.

The 22-mile flight from Calais to Dover took 10 minutes (National Geographic/BSkyB)

The 49-year-old Rossy, told the BBC the most tense moment was when he jumped from the aircraft “because I did have many problems during exits before.” He ignited the four kerosene-burning jets on the jetpack inside a plane before jumping out more than 2,440 meters (8,000 feet) above ground. He made a perfect exit and quickly set the correct course by aiming for the cliffs of Dover. After a period of free fall he opened the wing and soared across the water. With no steering controls, the only way to change direction was like a bird, moving his head and back.

About 15 minutes later Rossy parachuted towards his landing site near Dover after making the crossing (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty)

Rossy’s jet-powered wing, which spans eight feet, is made of lightweight carbon composite and weighs about 55 kg (120 lb) including fuel. Rossy has to wear a flameproof suit to help him withstand the jet exhaust around his legs.

When the white cliffs of Dover came into view, he opened a blue and yellow parachute and drifted down in light winds to land in a British field where he was mobbed by well-wishers.

The Swiss pilot Yves Rossy is sprayed with champagne near Dover after flying with jet-propelled wings across the Channel from France (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty)

Rossy celebrated his flight with a champagne shower. He had postponed the flight twice earlier this week due to poor weather.

His future plans include flying over the Grand Canyon, taking off from a standing position on the ground and performing acrobatics.

Watch a video of his landing here.

Previous Universe Today article on Fusionman.

Sources: Reuters, Times Online

September 26, 2008April 26, 2016 by Ian O'Neill

Astrophysicist’s South Pole Death Remains a Mystery After Eight Years

Rodney Marks (1997-1998 winterover) with the SPIREX telescope (D. A. Harper)

[/caption]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…

Dr Marks was employed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, working on the Antarctic Submillimetre Telescope and Remote Observatory project. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (pictured below) is maintained by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and US contractor Raytheon Polar Services, and is the southernmost continually inhabited settlement on Earth. With this exotic location comes a high degree of risk; after all, if there’s an accident or emergency, you can’t just find the nearest hospital. Although the facility has good medical support, should something unexpected happen, the scientists living right on top of the South Pole are at the mercy of the extreme weather and isolated location.

Aerial view the South Pole, including the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (NOAA)

In the month of May 2000, medical staff at Amundsen-Scott were confronted with a baffling problem when a distressed Rodney Marks came to them three times during a 36 hour period. On May 11th, he had felt sick and vomited blood when travelling back from the remote observatory to base. On returning, his condition took a rapid turn for the worse. Baffled by the situation, medical staff sought advice via satellite, but they were too late. On May 12th, the astrophysicist had died.

For six months, officials had to wait until Marks’ body could be flown to New Zealand for an autopsy where it was found that the 32 year old had suffered from acute methanol poisoning. As New Zealand has jurisdiction over the incident, investigators from the nation took on the task of working out how Marks could have become poisoned.

According to a recent article in the New Zealand Herald, the investigators may never get to the bottom of this Antarctic mystery. On September 24th, coroner Richard McElrea released his findings behind the death of Dr Marks, airing his frustrations that the police investigation had been hampered by the lack of co-operation by the NSF and Raytheon Polar Services.

The police officer assigned to investigating the case, Detective Grant Wormald, even remarked, “Despite numerous requests, I am not entirely satisfied that all relevant information and reports have been disclosed to the New Zealand police or the coroner.” Dr Marks’ family have also been disappointed by the lack of communication they have received by the organizations responsible for the safety of their researchers.

“And I don’t think we are going to try to find out any more in regards to how Rodney died. I’d see that as a fruitless exercise […] For heaven’s sake, a man has died in your care. Why wouldn’t you help the police? .” – Paul Marks, Dr Marks’ father.

Originally, suicide was thought to be at the root of this mystery, but it was quickly ruled out as it didn’t fit with Dr Marks’ profile. He was a happy scientist who was engaged to Sonja Wolter, a young maintenance specialist, who had signed up to the station to be with her fiancé. According to the Detective Wormald, “Sonja and Rodney were a great couple. It is so rare to see people that seem so perfectly matched. And they were extremely happy together.”

It was also suggested that Marks may have consumed the methanol deliberately, to get a “recreational high,” even though there was a plentiful supply of genuine liquor and beer at the facility. Dr Marks was a social young man who “always said was that the solution to any problem is to go down to the pub and have a few drinks,” according to one of his friends, Andrew Walsh. Even though he may have enjoyed a few drinks and could be considered to be a binge drinker, it is strange to think he would willingly consume the dangerous substance for fun.

There are some sinister overtones to this mystery however. According to a 1996 report, Dr Robert Thompson, the first doctor to examine Marks when he came to the medical facility for help, said the astrophysicist was “nervous, anxious and upset.” What’s more, he noted two needle marks on his arm, but decided not to ask about them.

Had Marks been murdered by one of the 49 members of staff at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station? Unfortunately, we may never know whether Marks’ death was deliberate or by accident. According to the US agencies, an investigation had been carried out, but Detective Wormald has not been privy to the conclusions. “It is impossible to say how far that investigation went or to what end,” he said.

The Herald reporter apparently approached Raytheon, but the company would not comment and an NSF spokesman referred any questions to the NSF offices in Washington DC.

It looks like everyone is remaining tight-lipped about the events on May 11th-12th 2000, ensuring the world may never get to the cause behind the tragic death of this talented and friendly astrophysicist.

Sources: NZ Herald, Ohmynews.com, Wikipedia

September 26, 2008December 24, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Sun and Moon Symbols

Astronomers and astrologists have used various symbols to depict all of the planets, and many of the minor objects in the Solar System. Perhaps two of the most commonly used are the Sun and Moon symbols.

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The symbol for the Sun looks like circle with a dot in the middle of it. Historians aren’t sure what it represents any more, but it’s the same symbol as the one used by the ancient Egyptians to represent Ra… the Sun god. It’s also possible that it looks like a shield.

The symbol for the Moon is… a picture of the Moon. Specifically, the symbol for the Moon looks like a crescent Moon in the last quarter. This symbol is very obvious, as it’s what ancient peoples saw in the sky for thousands of years, and it’s the same thing we see today.

Astronomers use both Sun and Moon symbols when they’re writing research journals. It’s much faster to just put in the symbol for the object.

Want more astronomical symbols? Here’s the symbol for the Earth, and here’s the symbol for Mars.

And Wikipedia has a great list of all the astronomical symbols.

We have recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast just about the Sun called The Sun, Spots and All.

September 26, 2008April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Future Moon Base Site Imaged in 3-D

Potential Moon Base? Credit: ESA/SMART-1/Space-X (Space Exploration Institute)

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Scientifically speaking, where is the best place on the Moon to set up a colony for research? Hands down, it has to be the Moon’s south pole. Mountainous areas near the rim of Shackelton Crater provide areas of almost continual sunlight, meaning solar power would be constantly available. In addition, the shadowed craters are in constant darkness and may hold water ice, a potential water supply that would be a vital resource for any lunar base. Plus it would be a great place to set up a lunar telescope. Recently, three-dimensional views of this region were released by the European Space Agency, taken by the SMART-1 spacecraft, providing unprecedented details of what has been called the “Peak of Eternal Light.” Moon base designers, take a look…

This image from the Clementine mission shows seven possible colony sites on the Moon’s south pole. Circled in red the highest mountain, the so-called “Peak of Eternal Light.”

View of “Peak of Eternal Light”. The Shackleton Crater is just off the image on the right hand side. Potential landing site 4 from the Clementine mosaic is on the left hand ridge of the peak. The small crater in the centre of the image is about 1 kilometre across. Credit: ESA/SMART-1/Space-X (Space Exploration Institute)

The images were taken by the AMIE camera on board the SMART-1, which has since plunged into the moon’s surface in a planned crash in 2006. The camera team has been working with the data to create digital elevation model of the peaks.

“AMIE is not a stereo camera, so producing a 3-D model of the surface has been a challenge,” said researcher Dr. Detlef Koschny. “We’ve used a technique where we use the brightness of reflected light to determine the slope and, by comparing several images, put together a model that produces a shadow pattern that matches those observed by SMART-1.”

View of “Peak of Eternal Light” from the rim of the Shackleton Crater. The peak is along the ridge in the centre of the image. The possible landing sites 1 & 2 from the Clementine mosaic are in the bottom right hand corner of the image. Credit: ESA/SMART-1/Space-X (Space Exploration Institute)

AMIE took a total of 113 images of the peak, located close to the rim of the Shackleton Crater. The team, led by Dr Bjorn Grieger of ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre in Madrid, took five of the best images showing the peak illuminated from different angles. They mapped all the pixels onto a grid, defining the bright and dark areas. The data from the five images were then compared to produce estimates of the slope angles and the rendered elevation model was iteratively adjusted to produce a shadow match. The original AMIE images were then projected onto the retrieved model. To clearly visualise the topography, the elevation has been exaggerated five times. Here’s the elevation map:

Digital elevation map. Credit: ESA/SMART-1/Space-X (Space Exploration Institute

Who’s ready to go?

Source: Europlanet Conference

September 25, 2008December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Ancient Groundwater Flows Revealed on Mars

Deformation bands on Mars. credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

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NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed hundreds of small fractures exposed on the Martian surface that billions of years ago directed flows of water through underground Martian sandstone. Researchers used images from the spacecraft’s HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera. Images of layered rock deposits at equatorial Martian sites show the clusters of fractures to be a type called deformation bands, caused by stresses below the surface in granular or porous bedrock. “Groundwater often flows along fractures such as these, and knowing that these are deformation bands helps us understand how the underground plumbing may have worked within these layered deposits,” said Chris Okubo of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Visible effects of water on the color and texture of rock along the fractures provide evidence that groundwater flowed extensively along the fractures. “These structures are important sites for future exploration and investigations into the geological history of water and water-related processes on Mars,” Okubo and co-authors state in a report published online this month in the Geological Society of America Bulletin.

Deformation bands in the Four Corners region of the US. Credit: Jon E. Olson

Deformation band clusters in Utah sandstones, as on Mars, are a few meters or yards wide and up to a few kilometers or miles long. They form from either compression or stretching of underground layers, and can be precursors to faults. The ones visible at the surface have become exposed as overlying layers erode away. Deformation bands and faults can strongly influence the movement of groundwater on Earth and appear to have been similarly important on Mars, according to this study.

“This study provides a picture of not just surface water erosion, but true groundwater effects widely distributed over the planet,” said Suzanne Smrekar, deputy project scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Groundwater movement has important implications for how the temperature and chemistry of the crust have changed over time, which in turn affects the potential for habitats for past life.”
Deformation bands form when sections of rock slide past each other and are similar to faults, such as the much larger San Andreas Fault in southern California. The discovery of deformation bands in HiRISE images advances understanding of how underground fractures would have affected the distribution and availability of ancient groundwater on Mars.

The HiRISE camera took the top image of layered rocks inside a crater in the Arabia Terra region of Mars on Feb. 13, 2007. The site is at 6.6 degrees north latitude, 14.1 degrees east longitude. Illumination is from the left. North is toward the top. The ground covered in this image spans about 150 meters (about 500 feet) east to west.

Source: NASA

September 25, 2008December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

New Search for Extraterrestrials Waits for No One, Er…, Everyone

In a bold move, astronomers have begun a new search to understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of intelligent life in the universe. Called WETI, which stands for Wait for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, the institute employs an entirely novel approach to achieve its goals. Instead of actively searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, the idea is to simply wait: Wait until the ETs find us. “Waiting is a notoriously underappreciated method in our efforts to search for extraterrestrial intelligence,” says the WETI website. “It is cheaper and less stressful than any other type of research. It is also environmentally friendly and does not cause global warming, terrorism or nuclear conflicts.” WETI’s overall objective? To set a new gold standard for scientifically meaningful waiting, and to provide humankind a new purpose as they wait.

The work of WETI was recently highlighted at the Dot Astronomy Conference on Networked Astronomy and the New Media. WETI officials overcame several problems, and were able to present a poster at the conference. Then they went out for drinks, presumably to make the waiting more enjoyable.

The poster introduces the very foundations of WETI, which includes the breakthrough “Brake Equation.” See the poster for more details.

In the near future, whenever they get around to it, WETI will provide a downloadable computer program that will make use of the idle time of your computer to very efficiently wait in the background. “Modern computers can wait several million times each second,” says WETI. “By exploiting this currently unused waiting potential we will collectively create the biggest waiting power ever applied to any problem on earth.”

I contacted the WETI Institute for more information and was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to wait very long for a reply. An Aleks Scholz, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of WETI, responded to my inquiries. When asked about the response WETI has received thus far, Scholz said,” Generally positive, with a slight inclination of being confused at first, plus occasional cases of consternation. So far, however, there were no medically relevant problems related to the responses to WETI.”

The history of the WETI Institute appears to be long and muddled. “We are still working on tracking down the roots of our organization,” said Scholz. “Most of us, however, believe that it was Knarps Hoselton who originally provided the stimulus for the WETI movement with his inspirational piece of research ‘On Some Philosophical Implications of Throwing Small Stones into a Big Body of Water’ in the early 80s. Today, Hoselton is Senior Astronomer and holds the Bruno Moravetz Chair Emeritus at the WETI Institute.” In more recent years, Scholz himself, an astronomer at the University of St. Andrews, picked up on Hoselton’s revolutionary ideas and suggested combining them with networking technology. This was the beginning of the WETI Institute.

When asked how long we may have to wait for results from this new initiative, Scholz said, “We prefer to see each day of WETI as a ‘result’, providing us with one bit of information about the nature of extraterrestrial intelligence– they are somewhere else. The non-presence of aliens on planet Earth is as useful for science as their presence would be. We will not accept any notion that waiting is only useful if, finally, something happens. Instead, we consider waiting a fulfilling scientific method in its own right.”

So, is this a joke? Maybe. Or maybe not. “It seems appropriate to ponder the actual usefulness of WETI” says the WETI website. “Where do we come from? Where do we go? Can we have coffee in between?” Well, thanks to the WETI Institute, the process of answering these questions turns into a social experience – a global, conscious waiting process. With WETI, everyone at least knows that they are waiting. This provides new purpose to humankinds’ seemingly eternal waiting. We can all now wait with fierce determination.

If you find yourself not very adept at waiting, Scholz offered a few tips. “With our expertise, we can suggest a number of things: The long-established technique of fiddling your thumbs, for example, is a good start. You might also want to take a sheet of graph paper and fill in all the squares with a soft pencil. When you are finished, you could arrange for a nice cup of tea, just for a change. Finally, procrastination is always a valid option. Surely there is something you should be doing right now. Concentrate your energies on not doing it.”

In the words of Galaxy Zoo’s Chris Lintott, “This is both brilliant, and completely mad.”

Update: You can now join WETI’s “think tank,” the Effortless Action Committee. When you do you can receive an attractive certificate suitable for framing immediately — no waiting!