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Space and Astronomy Thread
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jzee
03-04-2015
New photo released of comet 67P that looks like a river valley

https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/stat...79966038695936
TelevisionUser
12-04-2015
Originally Posted by jzee:
“New photo released of comet 67P that looks like a river valley

https://twitter.com/ESA_Rosetta/stat...79966038695936”

...and it's got dunes too https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yUD...44.53_AM.0.png so perhaps it'll become a tourist resort just like Weston-super-Mare! ()

Seriously, it's back to more astro news now:

A new view of the Moon’s formation
Within the first 150 million years after our Solar System formed, a giant body roughly the size of Mars struck and merged with Earth, blasting a huge cloud of rock and debris into space. This cloud would eventually coalesce and form the Moon.
For almost 30 years, planetary scientists have been quite happy with this explanation — with one major exception. Although this scenario makes sense when you look at the size of the Moon and the physics of its orbit around Earth, things start to break down a little when you compare their isotopic compositions—the geological equivalent of a DNA “fingerprint.” Specifically, Earth and the Moon are too much alike.

http://astronomynow.com/2015/04/08/a...ons-formation/

Stream of Comet Dust May Have 'Painted' Mercury Black
The mystery of Mercury's excessively dark surface may have just been solved. A team of researchers working at Brown University say the planet's inky appearance may be the result of a near constant rain of impacts from tiny specks of cometary dust that "painted" the planet black over billions of years. The research was published Monday in Nature Geoscience.
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story....d=021000GPCICF
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v.../ngeo2397.html

Mars has belts of glaciers composed of water ice
Mars has distinct polar ice caps, but Mars also has belts of glaciers at its central latitudes in both the southern and northern hemispheres. A thick layer of dust covers the glaciers, so they appear as surface of the ground, but radar measurements show that underneath the dust there are glaciers composed of frozen water.
http://astronomynow.com/2015/04/08/m...-of-water-ice/

Young star system found to be host to organic molecules
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array have found a complex carbon-based molecule in a protoplanetary disc around a young star – in quantities enough to fill all of Earth’s oceans – hinting that prebiotic chemistry is indeed universal and not limited to our Solar System. Methyl cyanide (CH3CN), along with hydrogen cyanide (HCN) were both detected in the cold, outer regions of the nascent disc surrounding MWC 480, a million-year-old protostar at the heart of the system. These species are of particular interest as molecules such as cyanides contain carbon-nitrogen bonds, pathways that assist in the production of amino acids – the structural elements from which proteins are built.
http://astronomynow.com/2015/04/10/y...nic-molecules/

I think it's also worth mentioning a couple of other pieces of research because of the implications of that research:

Planet population is plentiful: Planets around stars are the rule rather than the exception
Astronomers have used the technique of gravitational microlensing to measure how common planets are in the Milky Way. After a six-year search that surveyed millions of stars, the team concludes that planets around stars are the rule rather than the exception.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0111133530.htm
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...ture10684.html
http://www.eso.org/public/archives/r...04/eso1204.pdf

Planets in the habitable zone around most stars, calculate researchers
Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets in our galaxy, the Milky Way, using the Kepler satellite and many of them have multiple planets orbiting the host star. By analysing these planetary systems, researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen have calculated the probability for the number of stars in the Milky Way that might have planets in the habitable zone. The calculations show that billions of the stars in the Milky Way will have one to three planets in the habitable zone, where there is the potential for liquid water and where life could exist. The results are published in the scientific journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
http://news.ku.dk/all_news/2015/03/p...e-researchers/
TelevisionUser
12-04-2015
Hubble: The Five Greatest Images of the Cosmos
For 25 years the Hubble Space Telescope has been showing us the cosmos as we've never seen it before. The team reveals the 'top five' greatest images Hubble has produced, images that have astounded us, transforming our understanding of the universe and our place in it.
BBC Four, 10pm, this evening

This radio dramatisation might also be of interest:

Far Side of the Moore
t's 1957 and the little known Patrick Moore is living with his mother in East Grinstead, from where he studies the heavens and writes popular factual works on astronomy, as well as science fiction under a pseudonym. When Moore's latest book 'Suns, Myths and Men' gets a terrible review from the stuffy academic Dr Henry King, Patrick is in despair and, when the phone rings, he braces himself for more bad news. Sean Grundy's drama is both a moving and at times laugh out loud funny telling of a key moment in the life of Patrick Moore.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nt1vb
Keyser_Soze1
12-04-2015
Originally Posted by TelevisionUser:
“Hubble: The Five Greatest Images of the Cosmos
For 25 years the Hubble Space Telescope has been showing us the cosmos as we've never seen it before. The team reveals the 'top five' greatest images Hubble has produced, images that have astounded us, transforming our understanding of the universe and our place in it.
BBC Four, 10pm, this evening

This radio dramatisation might also be of interest:

Far Side of the Moore
t's 1957 and the little known Patrick Moore is living with his mother in East Grinstead, from where he studies the heavens and writes popular factual works on astronomy, as well as science fiction under a pseudonym. When Moore's latest book 'Suns, Myths and Men' gets a terrible review from the stuffy academic Dr Henry King, Patrick is in despair and, when the phone rings, he braces himself for more bad news. Sean Grundy's drama is both a moving and at times laugh out loud funny telling of a key moment in the life of Patrick Moore.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nt1vb”

A lot of very interesting links - thanks.

Not long now before Pluto gets it's time in the limelight!

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...counter-planet
Rich Tea.
13-04-2015
Watching a BBC4 programme about the Voyager probes tonight which always fascinate me as they were launched when I was in primary school and I did lots of school work at the time about their ultimate missions to the planets and beyond. However now they have finally left the solar sytstem and are travelling through interstellar space and will not meet the nearest star system for around 40,000 years has made me wonder just how long they will take to exit the Milky Way Galaxy itself? Presumably very many millions of years to come. Any rough ideas?
balthasar
13-04-2015
Thanks for the links, TelevisionUser.
Heston Veston
13-04-2015
Originally Posted by Rich Tea.:
“Watching a BBC4 programme about the Voyager probes tonight which always fascinate me as they were launched when I was in primary school and I did lots of school work at the time about their ultimate missions to the planets and beyond. However now they have finally left the solar sytstem and are travelling through interstellar space and will not meet the nearest star system for around 40,000 years has made me wonder just how long they will take to exit the Milky Way Galaxy itself? Presumably very many millions of years to come. Any rough ideas?”

I can't find a reference but I think neither of the Voyagers is going fast enough to escape the galaxy. Even JPL's web site is vague on the matter, saying "The Voyagers are destined—perhaps eternally—to wander the Milky Way".
atg
13-04-2015
Originally Posted by Heston Veston:
“I can't find a reference but I think neither of the Voyagers is going fast enough to escape the galaxy. Even JPL's web site is vague on the matter, saying "The Voyagers are destined—perhaps eternally—to wander the Milky Way".”

I'd agree with that, no way will they have enough speed to escape the Galaxy, even if either of them were on an optimal path to do so. Does anybody know which directions they are heading in in relation to the galactic centre? I seem to recall they are moving in opposite directions.

The alternative is they get a lucky slingshot from a passing massive star at some point, in which case their fate is anybody's guess.
Rich Tea.
13-04-2015
Originally Posted by Heston Veston:
“I can't find a reference but I think neither of the Voyagers is going fast enough to escape the galaxy. Even JPL's web site is vague on the matter, saying "The Voyagers are destined—perhaps eternally—to wander the Milky Way".”

Originally Posted by atg:
“I'd agree with that, no way will they have enough speed to escape the Galaxy, even if either of them were on an optimal path to do so. Does anybody know which directions they are heading in in relation to the galactic centre? I seem to recall they are moving in opposite directions.

The alternative is they get a lucky slingshot from a passing massive star at some point, in which case their fate is anybody's guess.”

It did indeed occur to me that the Voyager's might infact end up on nothing more than an eternal tour of the Milky Way rather than ultimately exit the galaxy at some point but I had no idea they would not have the ability to escape the Milky Way's gravitational pull. There is a website - http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/ that shows their current distance from Earth which at times has them actually getting slightly closer again, rather than on a constant distancing trajectory as logic for most people might dictate.
atg
13-04-2015
Originally Posted by Rich Tea.:
“It did indeed occur to me that the Voyager's might infact end up on nothing more than an eternal tour of the Milky Way rather than ultimately exit the galaxy at some point but I had no idea they would not have the ability to escape the Milky Way's gravitational pull. There is a website - http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/ that shows their current distance from Earth which at times has them actually getting slightly closer again, rather than on a constant distancing trajectory as logic for most people might dictate.”

That would perhaps imply Earth's orbital speed is greater than Voyager's speed of recession. The apparent discrepancies would be due to Earth moving in opposite directions 6 months apart, catching up for a while during part of each year.

Although they both appear to be approaching Earth at the moment, which seems slightly strange if that were the explanation.
Eddie Badger
13-04-2015
Mars Curiosity Rover finds liquid water below the surface

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...mars?CMP=fb_gu
njp
13-04-2015
Originally Posted by atg:
“That would perhaps imply Earth's orbital speed is greater than Voyager's speed of recession. The apparent discrepancies would be due to Earth moving in opposite directions 6 months apart, catching up for a while during part of each year.

Although they both appear to be approaching Earth at the moment, which seems slightly strange if that were the explanation.”

It's not strange. Although heading off in different directions, both Voyagers are exiting from the same side of the solar system, so the Earth is currently closing in on both of them, albeit at different speeds.
Eddie Badger
14-04-2015
Latest Ceres news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32290122
Eddie Badger
14-04-2015
First colour images of Pluto http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32311907
Keyser_Soze1
14-04-2015
Originally Posted by Eddie Badger:
“First colour images of Pluto http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32311907”

Thus we are about to see the Plutonian system in all it's glory - very intriguing especially the colours on the surface.
HenryGarten
14-04-2015
Did anyone see the Space X come over the UK at about 9.33pm?
WhatJoeThinks
15-04-2015
Launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 with CRS-6 & 2nd Barge Landing for 1st Stage (14mins)
Gay Hermit
17-04-2015
Some sunset pictures from Mars, only thumbnails so far

http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/sol/00956.html
TelevisionUser
18-04-2015
Originally Posted by Eddie Badger:
“Latest Ceres news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32290122”

Originally Posted by Eddie Badger:
“First colour images of Pluto http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32311907”

2015 is indeed going to be a good year for astronomy when we get to see the close ups of both minor worlds.

Originally Posted by Gay Hermit:
“Some sunset pictures from Mars, only thumbnails so far

http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/sol/00956.html”

That's really good and thanks for posting the link. My favourites included solar eclipses by the moon Phobos https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ph...P&ved=0CCAQsAQ although Deimos' 'eclipses' are more like transits as we can see here: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...11_634x432.jpg

Originally Posted by Eddie Badger:
“Mars Curiosity Rover finds liquid water below the surface

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...mars?CMP=fb_gu”

That's salty brine and while I don't think there's any particular implications for life on that planet, such a find could be useful to future human missions to Mars as a potential water source using reverse osmosis.

And now for some more astro news:

North pole of spinning dwarf planet Ceres glows in the sunlight


Dark energy could signal collapse of the universe

Is this ET? Mystery of strange radio bursts from space

Twin Earths may lurk in our nearest star system (sadly, it appears that they are Mercury-style roasters though )

New, longer video hits Internet and shows Falcon’s landing demise


ULA Vulcan launcher will return to Earth by helicopter
Rich Tea.
18-04-2015
I find the mystery of the "radio bursts" really intriguing. Even faced with possible strong or even incontrovertible evidence of a synthetic non-natural signal we might still be in ultimate denial about what genuinely is, or was millions or billions of years ago, out there.
TelevisionUser
19-04-2015
Originally Posted by Rich Tea.:
“I find the mystery of the "radio bursts" really intriguing. Even faced with possible strong or even incontrovertible evidence of a synthetic non-natural signal we might still be in ultimate denial about what genuinely is, or was millions or billions of years ago, out there.”

That report is indeed fascinating since they said that "They claim there is a 5 in 10,000 probability that the line-up is coincidence.".

However, at this stage we ought to be cautious about the cause of these signals because we've been here before with the discovery of pulsars which were also first picked up by radio telescopes:

http://www.bigear.org/vol1no1/burnell.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016812j
Eddie Badger
20-04-2015
Ceres' bright spots back in view
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4558
Eddie Badger
20-04-2015
Latest from Rosetta
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32380793
pericom
23-04-2015
I think what looks like Jupiter looks pretty bright I can see it through my kitchen window with my naked eye. According to my app. Im no astronomer.
atg
23-04-2015
Originally Posted by pericom:
“I think what looks like Jupiter looks pretty bright I can see it through my kitchen window with my naked eye. According to my app. Im no astronomer.”

Yep, probably Jupiter, if your kitchen window faces west. Look out about 3 hours earlier and you should see Venus which is even brighter. Wait until July 1st and both will be so close together that the full Moon would cover them. This will be quite spectacular.
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