Science – Page 17 – Slugger O'Toole

Visions of Saturn

Pete Baker on June 24, 2009, 6:36 pm

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The National Maritime Museum exhibition, open until 31 August, of images from the Cassini-Huygens mission prompts the BBC to host an excellent audio slide-show narrated by Carl Murray, a member of the Cassini Imaging Team. Unfortunately it’s not embeddable so you’ll have to go there to view it. What is embeddable is a NewScientist video covering some of the same material, and more, selected and narrated by planetary scientist Carolyn Porco. Both feature the still stunning image of Sol eclipsed …

Everything lunar

Pete Baker on June 23, 2009, 12:55 am

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Nasa may have launched its latest lunar probes last Thursday – and there’s an informative video on that mission below the fold – but the Japanese JAXA/KAGUYA (SELENE) probe has just ended its lunar mission, with a “maneuvered falling” to the Moon’s surface on 11th June. A brief flash of light was observed. They got some great photos on the way down though [scroll down]. Via the Professor. And here’s the stunning KAGUYA Earth-rise footage from 5 April 2008 [with …

The Whirlpool Galaxy – Herschel’s first view

Pete Baker on June 21, 2009, 12:37 am

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ESA’s Herschel infrared observatory was launched back in May – I noted some relevant video clips at the time. The Planck microwave observatory, which was launched at the same time, successfully separated from Herschel and is due to arrive at L2, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system, early in July. It’s twittering as it goes.. Meanwhile, Herschel’s cryo-cover was removed on June 14 and, as the BBC report, ESA have released an initial test observation taken almost immediately …

Fly me to the moon..

Pete Baker on June 19, 2009, 6:30 pm

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The postponed Space Shuttle Mission STS-127 may have been further delayed until July, but yesterday the more conventional Atlas V rocket successfully launched Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter [LRO] and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite [LCROSS]. LRO is expected to reach the Moon on Tuesday at 5.43am [EDT]. LCROSS and the Centaur rocket will stay attached for a further 4 months when the empty upper stage will be guided on a collision course with a permanently shaded crater at the …

Space Shuttle Mission STS-127

Pete Baker on June 13, 2009, 2:54 am

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As the BBC report, it’s about to get crowded on the International Space Station. Nasa’s Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to launch tomorrow [Saturday 12.17pm BST] on Shuttle Mission STS-127 carrying seven astronauts and the final components of Japan’s Kibo laboratory. Launch blog here. There’s also twittering from astronaut Mark Polansky. And the launch will be broadcast on NasaTV. Update Launch postponed for at least 96 hours. Pete Baker

H1N1 virus at global pandemic phase 6

Pete Baker on June 12, 2009, 12:08 am

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As the BBC reports, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has upgraded the swine flu (H1N1) virus alert status to global flu pandemic phase 6 – full statement here. But, as the WHO official figures show, the fatality rate remains low. BBC medical corrrespondent Fergus Walsh gives his thoughts. People will want to know when they are likely to be exposed to H1N1. That’s impossible to say with any accuracy, but the summer months may suppress the virus somewhat in Britain, …

Atlantis in transit

Pete Baker on May 16, 2009, 6:13 pm

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As mentioned previously, you can catch up with the progress of the final Hubble Servicing Mission via NASAtelevision’s YouTube channel. In the meantime enjoy these stunning images of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the Hubble Space Telescope, silhouetted against the Sun – as captured in transit for the first time, from Florida, by French astrophotographer Thierry Legault. [whose website appears to be swamped currently]Here’s a slightly bigger version of that image And here’s a full image of the Sun. And …

All about [space] telescopes

Pete Baker on May 14, 2009, 8:27 pm

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NASA TV are providing updates on the recently launched final Hubble Servicing Mission via clips at their YouTube channel. Meanwhile European astronomers can breathe again. For now. As mentioned previously here, the 1.9bn-euro space observatories Herschel and Planck have been successfully launched on an Ariane 5 rocket – detailed BBC report here. And more from ESA here. Oh, and Planck’s twittering.. Added new video on the Planck Observatory. Credit ESA TV 2009. Here’s an informative ESA TV video from last …

STS-125: The Final Visit to Hubble

Pete Baker on May 11, 2009, 9:25 pm

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The Space Shuttle Atlantis is about to lift-off on mission STS-125, Hubble Servicing Mission 4, the last scheduled servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope – launch time 7.01pm [BST]. BBC report here. As usual, there’s a launch blog and NASA TV has live coverage. And, if you missed it, here’s my Hubble 19th anniversary post again. Update Added launch video. And Related BBC report on Hubble. Pete Baker

“We assume they’re working for the benefit of humanity..”

Pete Baker on May 2, 2009, 11:56 pm

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Never mind those telescopes. The Large Hadron Collider had a little hiccup when it started up last year, but it has been re-assembled and should be up and runnning properly soon. There’s a detailed report at Discover‘s cosmic blog. Or you could watch the Daily Show‘s John Oliver, ermm, visit “the doomsday machine threatening to destroy our planet.” Heh. Thanks Susan. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M – Th 11p / 10c Large Hadron Collider thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full …

“The situation continues to evolve rapidly.”

Pete Baker on April 30, 2009, 1:42 am

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According to the BBC report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the global pandemic alert to 5 [of 6], noting human-to-human transmission in at least two countries, after officials in Spain confirmed the first case of swine flu in a person who has not travelled to Mexico – WHO swine influenza website currently says level 4.. Now shows level 5. What is still not clear is how severe cases beyond Mexico will be – as noted previously, so far …

“a true blast from the past..”

Pete Baker on April 29, 2009, 2:16 am

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[Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech]. I had mentioned just how really big space is. Left is an image of M33, one of our closest galactic neighbours at just 2.9 million light-years away, viewed in ultraviolet – to show recent star formation – by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, celebrating 6 years in operation, and in infrared by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Below is an image of one of our most distant relatives, also from Spitzer. With a red shift of 8.2, corresponding to …

“Northern Ireland has robust plans in place for dealing with situations such as this..”

Pete Baker on April 28, 2009, 2:31 am

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The World Health Organisation has upgraded the pandemic alert level from 3 to 4 [of 6] over the human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) [WHO FAQs (pdf file)] that has hit Mexico hardest – apparently it’s some kind of human/avian/swine flu hybrid. There have been 2 confirmed cases in Scotland and 5 cases of suspected infection reported in Ireland, one of which has already tested negative. The only deaths, so far, have been recorded in Mexico, to date 149, …

Happy Birthday Hubble

Pete Baker on April 26, 2009, 3:35 am

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Via the Professor. This week saw the 19th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope – soon to be surpassed by the James Webb Space Telescope. The Hubble website essentials, rightly, name-checks Galileo Galilei, but a special mention should also go to one of Those [Royal Society] Guys, Robert Hooke – “Tis not unlikely, but that there may be yet invented several other helps for the eye, as much exceeding those already found, as those do the bare …

“the first serious ‘water world’ candidate..”

Pete Baker on April 23, 2009, 2:53 am

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Kepler’s seen ‘first light’ and is set to begin the search for ET’s potential home. Meanwhile, the JENAM conference has heard news of the lightest exo-planet yet at 1.9 Earth mass, inferred from old-stylee gravitational effects using the HARPS spectrograph attached to the 3.6-metre ESO telescope at La Silla, Chile – press release here. They’ve been uncovering a harvest of super-Earth’s there. The new planet is orbiting an old friend, Gliese 581, and it turns out there may be a …

“And, even if it weren’t so..”

Pete Baker on April 21, 2009, 2:30 am

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An interesting exchange today during questions to OFMDFM – Mark Devenport’s reaction is below the fold – when the Northern Ireland First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, denied that the NI Executive’s Programme for Government commitment to reducing CO2 emissions was being undermined by the NI Environment Minister’s repeated statements about his own views on anthropogenic climate change. The opinion of the Environment Minister is, apparently, “academic” and does not affect Executive policy, but the NI First Minister went further.. …

First Light for Kepler

Pete Baker on April 17, 2009, 12:21 am

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The Kepler Mission is safely in orbit and the search for ET’s potential home has begun with Nasa’s release of the telescope’s first light images. And here are some of the NASA scientists involved with Kepler on the background and science of the mission again. Pete Baker

[Science] Headline of the Day

Pete Baker on April 14, 2009, 10:09 pm

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From the BBC – “Thieving dwarves cause supernovae”. Tolkien was unavailable for comment.. The BBC link to a preprint of the study as well as the monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. More on Type 1A Supernovae here. And here. And here. And a 3D simulation of a type 1A supernova Pete Baker

Look to the skies!

Pete Baker on April 7, 2009, 12:49 am

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Apparently there was a fireball in the sky over Ireland at approx 12.30am on Sunday. The BBC report notes – “The last time a meteorite was seen over Ireland was in 1999 over Carlow and there was a similar event over the skies of Northern Ireland 30 years earlier.” Although I remember witnessing one here in 1982.. ANYhoo.. Astronomy Ireland want footage, if possible, and eyewitness accounts to help in the hunt for any fragments that might have made it …

Around the World in 80 Telescopes – online

Pete Baker on April 3, 2009, 7:20 pm

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Here’s a nicely informative diversion for a Friday afternoon. In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 – additional Nasa website – a “100-hour, round-the-clock, round-the-globe event that includes live webcasts from research observatories, public observing events and other activities around the world” – 100 Hours Of Astronomy. Current live 24-hour webcast, which began 03 April 09:00 (Universal Time) – Around the World in 80 Telescopes. And the webcast schedule [pdf file]. Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has more links. …