Universe Today

February 27, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

UK Reinstated as Full Member of Gemini Project

It is official: the UK is back as a full member of the Gemini Observatory international partnership. At the beginning of the month, The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) signalled that the UK would partially return to the project after January’s shock announcement that Britain was going to pull all its financial support out of the observatory. Today, the STFC has reinstated the UK as a full member of the Gemini Project. What a rollercoaster ride…

An official joint statement from the Gemini partners reads:

“The Science and Technology Facilities Council has reaffirmed the UK’s position as a full member of the Partnership under the terms of the current Gemini Agreement. The Gemini Board welcomes this statement. The Board acknowledges the STFC’s need to address its budgetary constraints and notes that, under the terms of the Agreement, the UK is entitled to seek to sell some of its telescope time both within the partnership and, subject to the approval of the Board, outside the current partnership.”

This is obviously welcomed news, but the astronomers who were outraged by the initial withdrawal are frustrated as to why selling telescope time wasn’t an option in the first place. Allowing other groups (inside and possibly outside the partnership) to buy campaign time on Gemini is a far better solution to the STFC funding crisis. Wasting the money already invested in the project (over Â£70 million to develop the project alone) and pulling out entirely seemed a very extreme measure, prompting some UK astronomers to say the UK astronomy community was being “sabotaged”.

This debacle resonated with the other partners of Gemini (including the US, Canada, Chile, Australia, Brazil and Argentina) who responded angrily to the news that the UK was suddenly withdrawing funding (understandable really). Any mention of the UK was quickly removed from the Gemini observatory locations and the official website.

Today’s announcement has reinstated the UK as a full partner once more to the Gemini project. According to a source, the UK flag has even been returned to the Gemini Northern Operations Center in Hilo, Hawaii.

But there is still a problem. The situation has not changed, the STFC still has to plug its funding deficit, and government assistance is still not forthcoming. There are concerns for other UK physics and astronomy projects, as the Â£15 million ($30 million) savings from cancelling involvement in Gemini will need to be cut from elsewhere.

It would appear that the outrage caused by the STFC’s initial plans to cancel its subscription to Gemini was instrumental in the funding decision U-turn, so the UK physics and astronomy community will have to fight just as hard when more cutbacks are announced in the future. Keep an eye on the STFC Funding Crisis: Astronomy website for updated news on the problems facing physics and astronomy in the UK.

In case you missed the Universe Today coverage of the funding crisis:

UK Astronomy Community “Deliberately Sabotaged” By Funding Cuts To Gemini Observatories (January 28th, 2008)
Cautious Welcome for UK Research Council U-Turn on Gemini Observatory Funding (February 12th, 2008)

Source: Gemini Observatory

February 27, 2008December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

An Entire Galaxy, Seen in Ultraviolet

NASA’s Swift satellite is pretty jittery as space telescopes go. It’s designed to wait until it detects a gamma ray burst, and then swing around quickly to start observing. But it’s actually equipped with some sensitive instruments, including a wonderful telescope designed for observing in the ultraviolet. In between searching for gamma ray bursts, Swift found the time to build up the most detailed ultraviolet image of an entire galaxy ever taken.

The ultraviolet spectrum is outside the normal range of visual light that we can see with our eyes. But it can sure affect you. Spend to much time out in the sunlight, and the ultraviolet radiation will give you a sunburn.

Young, hot, newly forming stars also give off a tremendous amount of ultraviolet radiation. Look at a galaxy in the ultraviolet, and you see the regions of star formation.

And that’s just what Swift did. The space telescope zeroed in on M33 – the Triangulum Galaxy. The galaxy is about half the size of the Milky Way, and located about 2.9 million light-years from Earth.

Even though it’s relatively small, M33 is awash in star formation.

“The ultraviolet colors of star clusters tell us their ages and compositions,” says Swift team member Stephen Holland of NASA Goddard. “With Swiftâ€™s high spatial resolution, we can zero in on the clusters themselves and separate out nearby stars and gas clouds. This will enable us to trace the star-forming history of the entire galaxy.â€?

This image is actually a mosaic of 13 individual images, captured between December 23, 2007 and January 4, 2008. Astronomers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center then stitched the individual pieces together into a single image. It’s the most detailed ultraviolet image ever taken of an entire galaxy.

Original Source: NASA News Release

February 27, 2008December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

NASA’s Ultimate Off Road Truck – For the Moon

It won’t just be astronauts returning to the Moon in the next decade. They’re also going to be bringing their equipment, including shelters and vehicles. And NASA’s working on the ultimate off-road vehicle. It’s a six-wheel drive lunar truck reminiscent of the Mars rovers, but designed to carry astronauts and their equipment.

Oh, and you can have any colour you like, as long as it’s gold.

When designing a new vehicle for human planetary exploration, the NASA engineers threw out all their old assumptions and started from a clean slate.

“To be honest with you, it was scary when we started,” said Lucien Junkin, a Johnson robotics engineer and the design lead for the prototype rover. “They tasked us last October to build the next generation rover and challenge the conventional wisdom. The idea is that, in the future, NASA can put this side-by-side with alternate designs and start to pick their features.”

Right away, they challenged the concept that a vehicle should have 4 wheels. The Mars rovers, still going after all these years have demonstrated that 6 wheels, capable of independent steering, work well in a rough environment. And if one wheel goes, you can still get by just fine with the other 5.

With the ability to travel in any direction, the lunar truck will let the astronauts drive down into very steep craters. It can crawl down sideways, maintaining the lowest centre of gravity. It can turn around in any direction to maneuver around rocks and smaller craters.

On the Apollo rover, the astronauts couldn’t go in reverse because they couldn’t see where they were going. They couldn’t turn around or look over their shoulders like you would in a car. But with the lunar truck, the astronaut can turn completely around on the vehicle – backwards is the new forwards.

The purpose of the lunar truck is to serve as a technology demonstration. Some, all, or none of its developments will actually find their way to the final lunar surface. But until then, some engineers are going to have off-road fun, working on the unique challenges of driving on the Moon.

If you’d like to see some videos of the rover in action, check out this site.

Original Source: NASA News Release

February 27, 2008December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Your Eclipse Photos, Part II

Like I said, you buried me with photos of last week’s total lunar eclipse. So here’s another batch. Thanks to everyone who went outside and remembered to bring a camera.

If you’re a budding (or veteran) astrophotographer, I highly recommend you check out the Bad Astronomy/Universe Today forum. We have a section just for people to post their astrophotos.

This first photograph comes from Joe from Michigan State University with a digital camera and a 4″ telescope.

Beth Katz

Brian Galka – Saskatoon

Rob Ratkowski – Maui

John Lyder – Trinidad and Tobago

Simone Bolzoni – Italy

Rick E. – Toronto

Joseph GuzmÃ¡n – Chicago

February 27, 2008April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Earth Life Forms Ejected on Asteroid Impact Could Survive and Return Again

Does this mean that, perhaps, we can go home again?

If an asteroid or comet impacted Earth, the resulting ejection of materials could contain life forms. According to a study published in the journal Astrobiology, these life forms could survive and then seed another planet or moon with life. Additionally, Earth could also be re-seeded with life by those same life forms.

Ah, there’s no place like home.

If rock fragments containing embedded microorganisms were ejected into space, at least some of those organisms might survive and reseed Earth or seed another planetary surface able to support life. This scenario, which is called lithopanspermia was examined in studies called systematic shock recovery experiments designed to simulate this type of situation where microorganisms are transported between planets via meteorites.

The researchers sandwiched dry layers of three kinds of biological test ingredients, including bacterial endospores, endolithic cyanobacteria, and epilithic lichens, into rocks analogous to rocks from Mars. They then simulated the shock pressures Martian meteorites experienced when they were ejected from Mars and determined the ability of the organisms to survive the harsh conditions.

The organisms are hardy examples of microbes that can withstand extreme environmental stress and represent potential ‘hitchhikers’ within impact-ejected rocks.

“Given that impacts have occurred on planetary bodies throughout the history of our solar system,” says Sherry L. Cady, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State University, “the hypothesis that life in rock could have been transferred between planets at different times during the past 3.5 billion years is plausible.”

And not only is it plausible that Mars rocks could be transferred to Earth and vice versa, but ejected rocks from Earth could possibly return and land back on their home planet. Given the contemplation of the destruction of life on Earth, it’s somewhat comforting to think that we could perhaps start over again from our own ingredients.

Original News Source: Astrobiology Press Release

February 27, 2008December 26, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Nano-Engineered Liquid Mirror Telescopes

Some astronomers feel that rotating liquid mirror telescopes (LMT) may revolutionize astronomy. LMTs work because the basic laws of nature — gravity and centrifugal force — conspire together to give LMTs the perfect, parabolic shape needed for astronomical observing. And unlike ordinary telescopes with glass mirrors that are expensive to make and maintain, LMTs are quite cost effective because of low construction costs (current estimates have liquid mirrors at 1% the cost of a glass mirror) and they don’t need to be polished or housed in an expensive mount.

Ermanno Borra from Canada is one of the foremost experts on LMTs, and he has been constructing and testing different types of these telescopes since the early 1980’s. His latest research involves creating a tiltable LMT — previously thought to be almost impossible — by using a thin, reflective layer of self-assembling metallic nanoparticles.

LMTs are made by spinning a reflective liquid, usually mercury, on a bowl-shaped platform to form a parabolic surface, perfect for astronomical optics. A handful of LMTs are being used today, including a 6-meter LMT in Vancouver, Canada, and a 3-meter version that NASA uses for its Orbital Debris Observatory in New Mexico.

Borra and his colleagues have been experimenting by using different liquids to create LMTs, since part of their research has been geared toward studying the feasibility of constructing a large LMT on the Moon, and mercury freezes at temperatures found at the lunar poles. Since low temperature liquids like small hydrocarbons (such as ethane) are not shiny, Borra has been trying to deposit a reflective metal on the surface of these liquids. In 2007 Borra and his team successfully coated a low temperature ionic liquid (contains essentially only ions, such as ethylammonium nitrate) with silver by vaporizing it in a vacuum, something thatâ€™s never been done before in the field of optics.

But more recently, Borra’s team has used silver nano-particles known as Metal Liquid-Like Films, or MELLFs to coat hydrophilic (water bondable) liquids like ethylene glycol. In a recent paper outlining their research, the team says this is a significant improvement over their previous work where the reflecting layer was deposited on hydrophobic (water resistant) oils. Usually, creating MELLFs is very labor intensive and time consuming. But the team even created a small, simple, motorized, computer-controlled MELLF machine and can now make enough MELLF for a 1 meter mirror in about 30 hours. Through further tests and trials, the team found that spraying the highly reflecting MELLFs on the surface of the hydrophilic liquid produces the best results.

Usually, liquid mirrors have the limitation of that they can only point straight up, so it’s not like a standard telescope that can be pointed in any direction and track objects in the sky. It only looks at the area of sky that is directly overhead. But Borra has been working on creating a tiltable LMT, and by using the MELLF nanoparticles, has now been successful in producing an LMT that can be tilted 45 arc seconds.

Their goal is to be able to tilt the LMT by 10 degrees. To do this, they must find a higher viscosity hydrophilic liquid, which might have them returning again to try ionic liquids, of which there are wide variety to choose from.

“It will be worthwhile making the effort because, based on our experience so far, tiltable liquid mirrors promise to be very inexpensive and easy to make, ushering in an era of inexpensive telescopes and readily available telescope time.”
–from a paper by Borra, Gagne and Ritcey providing an update on their LMT research

A liquid mirror envisioned for a lunar telescope would be 20 to 100 meters in diameter, making it up to 1,000 times more sensitive than the proposed next generation of space telescopes. As Borra and his team continue their research, look for more updates from their work in the future.

Original News Source: Astronomy & Astrophysics

February 26, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

Pluto’s Moons, Nix and Hydra, may have been Adopted

The discovery images of Nix (and Hydra) obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (JHU/APL), A. Stern (SwRI)

How many moons does Pluto have? The mini-moons of Pluto, Nix and Hydra, were discovered in 2005 (but named in 2006) during an observation campaign by the Hubble Space Telescope. The discovery of these mini-moons increase the number of natural satellites orbiting Pluto to three (including larger moon Charon). But where did these satellites come from? The current accepted theory on the formation on the large moon, Charon, is much like the theory supporting the creation of Earth’s Moon. It is thought that a large impact between two Large Kuiper Belt Objects chipped Charon away from a proto-Pluto, putting the chunk of Pluto mass into orbit. Over the years, tidal forces slowed the pair and Charon was allowed to settle into its present-day orbit. Recent theory suggests that Nix and Hydra are a by product of this collision, merely shattered fragments of the huge impact. But there are problems with this idea. Could Nix and Hydra have come from somewhere other than the Pluto-Charon impact?

The small moons that orbit the Large Kuiper Belt Object (formerly classified as a planet) can be found about 48,700 kilometers and 64,800 kilometers from the surface of Pluto. The closest moon is called Nix and the farthest, Hydra. Nix has an orbital resonance of 4:1 with Charons orbit and the larger moon Hydra has a resonance of 6:1 (i.e. Nix will orbit Pluto once for every four of Charons orbits; Hydra will orbit Pluto once for every six of Charons orbits).

The reasons behind these mini-moon orbits are only just beginning to be understood, but it is known that their resonances with Charons orbit is rooted way back during the Pluto-system evolution. If we assume Hydra and Nix were formed from a massive Kuiper Belt Object collision, the easiest explanation is to assume they are whole fragments from the impact caught in the gravity of the Pluto-Charon system. However, due to the highly eccentric orbits that would have resulted from this collision, it is not possible that the two little moons could have evolved into a near-circular orbit, in near-corotational resonance with Charon.

So, could it be possible that the moons may have formed from the dust and debris resulting from the initial collision? If there was enough material produced, and if the material collided frequently, then perhaps Nix and Hydra were born from a cold disk of debris (rather than being whole pieces of rock), eventually coalescing and forming sizeable rocky moons. As there may have been a disk of debris, collisions with the orbiting Nix and Hydra would have also reduced any eccentricity in their orbits.

But there is a big problem with this theory. From impact simulations, the post-impact disk of debris surrounding Pluto would have been very compact. The disk could not have reached as far as the present-day orbits of the moons.

One more theory suggests that perhaps the moons were created in a post-impact disk, but very close to Pluto, and then through gravitational interactions with Charon, the orbits of Nix and Hydra were pulled outward, allowing them to orbit far from the Pluto-Charon post-impact disk. According to recent computer simulations, this doesn’t seem to be possible either.

To find an answer, work by Yoram Lithwick and Yanqin Wu (University of Toronto) suggest we must look beyond the Pluto-Charon system for a source of material for Nix and Hydra. From simulations, the above theories on the creation of the small moons being started by material ejected from a large collision between two Large Kuiper Belt Objects (creating Pluto and Charon) are extremely problematic. They do not correctly answer how the highly eccentric orbits Nix and Hydra would have from a collision could evolve into the near-circular ones they have today.

Lithwick and Wu go on to say that the circular, corotational resonant orbits of the two moons could be created from a Plutocentric disk of small bits of rock scooped up during Plutoâ€™s orbit around the Sun. Therefore Nix and Hydra may have been formed from the rocky debris left over from the development of the Solar System, and not from a collision event creating Charon. This may hold true for the countless other Kuiper Belt Objects in orbit in the far reaches of the Solar System, no impact is necessary for the creation of the tiny moons now thought to be their satellites.

It is hoped that the New Horizons mission (launched January 21st, 2006) to the far reaches of the Solar System will reveal some of the questions that remain unanswered in the depths of our mysterious Kuiper Belt. Hopefully we will also find out whether Nix and Hydra are children of Pluto and Charon… or whether they were adopted.

Source: arXiv

February 26, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

“Foresight” Wins First Prize in Apophis Asteroid Tagging Competition

The Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Apophis is expected to flyby the Earth in 2029. However, this flyby will be more of a “fly-very-close” as the lump of rock will miss the Earth by only a few thousand kilometers. This near-miss isn’t worrying scientists too much, but should the asteroid tumble through a 400 meter gravitational “keyhole”, there is concern that the asteroid could swing by and risk another collision in 2036. Although the odds are fairly slim, astronomers need better precision in calculating Apopis’s orbital trajectory.

How can this be done? Why not send a spaceship to shadow the asteroid on its journey? The Planetary Society has announced just that. The winning design of the Apophis Mission Design Competition will send a probe and tag Apophis to gain more details about this interplanetary vagabond, and has been awarded a healthy $25,000 to help the development of the US “Foresight” mission…

99942 Apophis (otherwise known as asteroid 2004 MN4) caused quite a stir back in 2004 when it was discovered. Lacking detailed observation at the time, the probability of the 270 meter long piece of rock hitting the Earth was around 2.7% – a large risk in astronomical terms. Now we are sure the asteroid will fly straight by, albeit rather close. It is estimated that Apophis will pass within the orbit of geostationary satellites located at 35,786 km above Earth, allowing amateur astronomers a great opportunity to observe the NEO (it will be possible to see the asteroid with the naked eye at night), whilst being secure in the knowledge that it’s not going to come any closer.

So, panic over? Not quite. Although Apophis will miss us on its first approach in 2029, we might not be so lucky on one of its return trips in 2036. During its flyby in 2029, should the asteroid pass through a critical gravitational “keyhole” measuring only 400 meters across, the gravitational deflection applied to the Apophis asteroid may adjust its orbit, setting it up for a collision course with Earth seven years later.

This is the reason for events such as the Planetary Society’s Apophis Mission Design Competition, to raise awareness of the risk posed by NEOs. Although the winning entry, designed by SpaceWorks Engineering Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia) in conjunction with SpaceDev Inc. (Poway, California), is in the design phase, it is hoped that the completed project could launch by 2012. “Foresight” is intended to fly to Apophis and tag the rock with tracking equipment. The orbiter will continue to study the asteroid and follow it on its orbit around the Sun, gathering valuable information about its composition, center of mass, surface features and, most importantly, its trajectory.

Missions plans such as Foresight are required by the international community to be used should the threat of an asteroid collision become reality (and not remain in cheesy sci-fi movies like Deep Impact or Armageddon).

“Apophis isn’t science fiction, it isn’t a blockbuster Hollywood movie; it is very real.” – Dan Geraci, the Planetary Society’s board chairman.

For more information on the winning entry and the other award winning designs, see the Planetary Society’s Apophis Mission Design Competition website.

February 26, 2008December 26, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Your Photos of the Total Lunar Eclipse

I asked and you delivered. Here is just a fraction of the eclipse photos Universe Today readers sent in. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Up first, here’s a mosaic of six images of the Moon captured by Thomas Jacobs using a 4.5″ reflector from Woodstock, Georgia in the US. The photos were captured through a pretty heavy cloud cover.

Rick Stankiewicz captured this photo of the eclipse from Thunder Bay at -24 degrees Celsius. Outside, watching the eclipse for almost 5 hours – now that’s dedication. You can see Saturn and Regulas in the image as well.

An image of the eclipse captured by John Gianforte at the University of New Hampshire observatory. They had more than 100 people on site, visiting the observatory during the eclipse. And I’m jealous to report… they had perfect weather for viewing.

Edward Willett captured this image from Regina, Saskatchewan. He says this was the best he could do under the frigid conditions, with a frozen 6-year old tugging at his arm to go back inside, but I think it’s pretty great.

And from South Africa, here’s Philip van Heerden’s photograph, taken near twilight.

Julia Tchervova

Dean and Betty Johnson

February 26, 2008December 26, 2015 by Mark Mortimer

Book Review: Final Countdown

Flying bricks shouldn’t invoke glamorous images, but NASA’s space shuttle does just that. Its bright white paint glowing over a heavy matt black base conveys the sense of majesty and strength that well belongs to this craft. Pat Duggins’ book Final Countdown â€“ NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program builds on this impression, even if it contains an undertone similar to an eulogy.

With NASA setting a hard deadline finalizing the flights of the space shuttle, we know the end is near. After tens of years and wild swings of fortune, this dream of ready space transportation is being laid to rest. Many reasons accompany this decision, from political shenanigans to technical tom foolery, and many other options in between. Perhaps, though, it’s just the lack of public interest that’s doomed this endeavour.

In Duggins’ book, many of the reasons for the end of the shuttle program get mentioned. As well, it covers major milestones for the program. But, it’s not a concise history nor a program review. Rather, Duggins book takes the reader on a human perspective. In it, the social issues come more to the fore than those of a technical nature. As such, he places no expectations on the reader being enamoured by the technology. But, Duggins apparently has great fondness for the space industry, admiration for the practitioners and lofty dreams of humanity’s capabilities. Thus, the book reflects Duggins appreciation of the space shuttle program, from its early inception of being an inexpensive replacement for Apollo to its present being the fundamental tool for space station construction. Though he acknowledges the shuttle’s shortcomings, he also lauds it successes.

Central to Duggins’ discussion is the dramatic influence of politics upon the space shuttle. Whether as a sword to impress foreign nations, a bribe to placate trade partners or a means toward global peace, the shuttle is shown to have had its part to play. This forms the basis of the book’s reasoning. The shuttle, upon inception, had no real purpose, so one had to be found. But, even with a purpose, constant public support was crucial. A reader’s interest in this play and counter-play of politics and public support will easily extend to an interest in this book.

However, while Duggins brings the reader along for the ride that’s been the space shuttle program, he doesn’t venture beyond. Yes, the space shuttle now has a final countdown and much discussion and effort is ongoing to regarding its successor. And, as shown, not only must the protege meet mission requirements, it must also have a mission. Nevertheless, aside from reciting some lessons learned, Duggins adds little to this. Hence, a reader looking for an enjoyable read that encompasses the space shuttle program to date will find this book warm, provoking and encompassing. Those looking for depth and deductions will be less rewarded.

Space travel has always forced harsh cold reality onto brave dreams. The space shuttle is a continuance of the dream of humankind’s aspirations to readily fly away from Earth. Pat Duggins in his book Final Countdown â€“ NASA and the End of the Space Shuttle Program shows the results of our best attempt, to date, to make ready space travel a reality. And, the end of the space shuttle program is just the beginning of another chapter of our space fairing dream.

Click here to read more reviews online, or purchase a copy from Amazon.com.