Science

World Cups and Solar Eclipses

Pete Baker on July 11, 2010, 6:44 pm

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As the crowds gather in Johannesburg for the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and the Netherlands an estimated 4000 umbraphiles are hoping for clear skies over Easter Island – and no vuvuzelas. They’ve travelled there to be able to observe 4 min 41 secs of the total solar eclipse of July 11, 2010, which is due to occur at the same time that 22 men are chasing after a very round ball on a large patch of grass… 9.11pm BST start for the Easter Island hopefuls. In the New …

Asteroids Rock! – redux – Updated

Pete Baker on July 10, 2010, 3:12 pm

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[Updated with images from the fly past] Japan’s Hayabusa probe looks like it might have successfully returned material from the asteroid Itokawa, if not as much as they had hoped. Meanwhile Esa’s Rosetta probe, last seen [on Slugger] in 2008, is taking time out from its mission to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to take a look at the asteroid Lutetia. Artist’s impression of Lutetia. Image credits: ESA – C. Carreau. At 4.44pm [BST] today Rosetta will fly past the 100km wide Lutetia …

It’s Science Friday!

Pete Baker on July 9, 2010, 12:32 pm

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Here’s a short interesting video, with stunning images, on the solar weather under investigation with the help of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Pete Baker

“it’s a thing of beauty”

Pete Baker on July 5, 2010, 1:36 pm

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Launched in May 2009 ESA’s super-cool Planck observatory achieved first light in September. Now, as the BBC’s Jonathan Amos notes, ESA have released Planck’s first all-sky image. “This is the moment that Planck was conceived for,” says ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, David Southwood. “We’re not giving the answer. We are opening the door to an Eldorado where scientists can seek the nuggets that will lead to deeper understanding of how our Universe came to be and how it …

I wonder what they’ll spend the money on……

Moochin Photoman on June 30, 2010, 8:09 pm

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It’s just been announced that the Ulster Museum has won the Art Fund prize of £100,000. Congratulations are in order but it does beg the question can the Museum and trustees spend the prize as they wish or does the Minister for Culture & Arts Nelson McCausland have the final say so? Moochin PhotomanPhotographer and visual artist based in Belfast. I have facilitated community based workshops with groups as diverse as visually impaired individuals in Dungannn, Travellers across Northern Ireland, …

Fireball on Jupiter!

Pete Baker on June 4, 2010, 12:39 pm

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Via Space Weather. Amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley was the first to observe the Great Black Spot [of Jupiter]. Now he’s gone one better and recorded an actual impact on the gas giant. The resulting fireball was independently confirmed by Christopher Go in the Philipines – his video can be viewed here. Here’s the full processed image of the impact, visible in bottom right. Image credit: Anthony Wesley, Broken Hill Australia. And here’s the raw video observation. The impact occurs in the top left in …

Venter’s ‘artifical’ life “interesting but not profound”

Pete Baker on May 25, 2010, 9:13 pm

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Controversial scientist Craig Venter grabbed the headlines last week when it was reported that his team of researchers had created “artifical” life. But, as Dick Ahlstrom noted in Saturday’s Irish Times, several scientists [in Ireland] were not as enthusiastic. “I think it has been exaggerated. He has a reputation for showmanship,” Prof Wolfe, professor of genome evolution, said yesterday. “He hasn’t created life, he has mimicked life. It is a technical achievement to synthesise a piece of DNA that size,” he added. “It …

Atlantis and ISS in solar transit

Pete Baker on May 23, 2010, 4:45 pm

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Via Space Weather. “Yesterday (May 22nd) in Switzerland, Thierry Legault photographed the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttle Atlantis passing directly in front of the sun.” He’s making a habit of this. The small image here doesn’t do justice to the astounding images he’s taken during the 0.49 second solar transit. You have to go to his website to see those in full. Equally astounding are the images of a transit 50 minutes before Atlantis docked with the ISS. …

Last Flight of Atlantis

Pete Baker on May 14, 2010, 6:34 pm

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After almost 25 years in service, at 7.20pm [BST] tonight Nasa’s Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift-off from Kennedy Space Center on its last ever flight – Mission STS-132. There’s Nasa’s launch blog and the usual online NasaTV coverage. Only two more missions remain in the Space Shuttle programme. Meanwhile Congress continues to hear from opponents of US President Obama’s new policy for Nasa, including, in a rare public appearance, moonwalker Neil Armstrong. Adds Via NASAtelevision And perhaps I should have said First Last Flight… …

Herschel’s anniversary and Dawn’s destinations

Pete Baker on May 7, 2010, 10:19 pm

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As I mentioned when noting a previous wondrous image, ESA’s cool infrared Herschel observatory sent its first images back in October last year, just after its launch companion, the even cooler Planck observatory achieved first light. Both are twittering away – Planck and Herschel. And ESA have released another stunning image as Herschel nears its first anniversary in orbit. There’s also an ESA video to mark the anniversary The BBC’s Spaceman, Jonathan Amos, has been contemplating Herschel’s images. He recommends the …

‘No fly zone’ over Ireland tomorrow

Pete Baker on May 3, 2010, 7:03 pm

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RTÉ reports that the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has warned Irish-based airlines that a ‘no fly zone’ may have to be imposed over Ireland tomorrow because of an ash cloud drifting down from Iceland. From the IAA statement The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has informed Irish-based airlines that it is concerned that Irish Airports may be impacted by the drift south of the volcanic ash cloud caused by the north easterly winds. Current information from the Volcanic Ash Advice Centre …

SDO Observes Massive Eruption, Scorching Rain

Pete Baker on April 28, 2010, 8:43 pm

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Nasa have followed up the stunning first light images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory [SDO] with equally impressive footage of a magnetic filament erupting on April 19th. Here the Solar Dynamics Observatory zoomed in on a magnetic filament erupting on April 19th. The black “hair-like object” is a speck of dust on the CCD camera. Credit: SDO/AIA. From the Nasa podcast “SDO has just observed a massive eruption on the sun—one of the biggest in years,” says Lika Guhathakurta of NASA headquarters in Washington …

Raise a glass to Hubble!

Pete Baker on April 24, 2010, 2:35 pm

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On the 24th April 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope was launched from the Kennedy Space Center and to mark the orbiting observatory’s 20th anniversary they’ve released this suitably stunning image – there’s a Hubblecast video outlining the telescope’s history here. And the BBC have put together a wondrous Hubble 20th anniversary audio-slideshow with Professor Alec Boksenberg. Hubblecast gets in on the act with a tribute to the telescope’s discoveries in those 20 years. And here’s an approximated 3-D view into a giant …

Solar Dynamics Observatory First Light

Pete Baker on April 22, 2010, 2:26 pm

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STEREO isn’t the only spacecraft staring at the sun right now. Nasa’s new Solar Dynamics Observatory has successfully achieved first light and they’ve released some stunning videos of recent solar activity as a result. Including this one of an erupting solar prominence on March 30. BBC report here. Also from the SDO YouTube Channel This movie starts with a magnetogram from HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) and moves on to 7 different wavebands observed by AIA’s (Atmospheric Imaging Assembly) telescopes. …