Astronomy Picture of the Day: 10/02/13 - Guiding Light to the Stars

Just before dawn, at Cape Palliser on the North Island of New Zealand, Mark Gee was in the perfect position to photograph this incredible image. It took 20 images for Mark to capture this panoramic shot of the New Zealand shore, crowned with a majestic night sky overhead.

To the right of the picture, a lighthouse can be seen standing guard over the shoreline. The Milky Way stretches low across the Southern sky as their winter comes to an end. On the left side of the image, high in the sky, you can see the Large Magellanic Cloud (bottom) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (top) - both Galaxies are about 163,000 and 200,000 light-years away respectively. Both galaxies are small satellites of the Milky Way and they are some of the closest galaxies to the one we call home. I think (and let me stress *think*) the bright star on near the horizon to the left is actually Jupiter. Don't quote me on that, unless it's right, then quote away.

References, sources, and further reading can be found here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-100213-guiding-light-to-the-stars/

Image Credit and Copyright: Mark Gee. Used with permission.

NASA Shut Down:

Today is NASA's 55th birthday, but there is no one around to celebrate. Why? Because today is also the day that NASA will shut down since the U.S. government failed to pass a budget. Ultimately, this shut down means that operations will stop in a variety of government sectors. All in all, 41% of federal employees will be furloughed (forced to take an unpaid leave of absence). This includes most of NASA's 18,000 employees. In fact, it includes 97% of them. Only 600 NASA employees are expected to continue their work.



Of course, the crew abroad the International Space Station will not be abandoned. Mission control will continue to operate to ensure the safety of the crew. Additionally, operations will continue on satellites already in orbit. NASA will continue to monitor this technology and ensure that it does not malfunction; however, if a satellite has not been launched, all work related to the project will generally cease. Case in point, NASA is planning to launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft in November to examine the Red Planet’s atmosphere. The government shutdown will cause a number of issues for this project, and NASA may miss their launch window. Since a specific planetary alignment is needed for the voyage to Mars, missing this date means that NASA wouldn't be able to launch until 2016. But what does all of this mean for the general public? How will the NASA shutdown impact us?

To find out, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/nasa-shut-down-2/

Image source: wikicommons

Diffusion of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide of our Oceans

With everything that has been in the news over the course of the past decade about climate change (and he horrendous consequences of global warming), most of us know (cannot possibly avoid knowing) that this is a hot topic that will rage on for years to come. Hopefully, we can find a long-term solution. In the mean time, we're still trying to understand how we can modify our lifestyles to slow down this process, which brings us to one avenue that might sound a little strange to some of you--Some scientists suggest that global CO2 levels could be lowered, thus cooling the planet, if we were to pump all of the excess CO2 into the world's vast oceans. Why haven't we done this yet?

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/diffusion-of-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-of-our-oceans/

How Infamous Hydroelectric Dam Changed Earth's Rotation

"Powerful" doesn't really do this amazing (and VERY controversial) structure justice. Since the $30-billion project was announced, Chinese officials have faced heavy scrutiny from both scientists and environmental activists like. Many believe that the dam will ultimately result in catastrophe. Some concerns include the dam trapping pollution, spawning Earth-quakes, landslides, uprooting citizens (more than 1.3 million people have already been forced to relocate), and destroying historical locations - along with the habitats of endangered animals. (The government finally conceded that the project was ill conceived - after years of dubbing the dam one of the most spectacular pieces of engineering in Chinese history - but the damage is already done.)

Reed the full article and see the references, sources, and further reading here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/how-infamous-hydroelectric-dam-changed-earths-rotation/

Cassowary: Australia's Velociraptor

Sometimes it seems that Australia is an evolutionary death factory. Pretty much anything can kill you. Even the birds. Meet the cassowary. This is a bright blue, ancient looking avian with an semi-armored crest on its head, which almost reminds you of some kind of dinosaur. An adult bird can reach almost 2 meters in height (6.5 ft) and weight 58.5 kilograms (130 pounds). Obviously, because of their large stature, they are a flightless bird. It is one of largest in the world (only the ostrich and emu are bigger), and they are generally pretty shy. Generally...

They are somewhat analogous to the velociraptor. Their notoriety stems mostly from their large, dagger-like middle toe, which can be up to 15 cm (6 inches) long. Ornithologist Thomas E. Gilliard notes that, "the inner or second of the three toes is fitted with a long, straight, murderous nail which can sever an arm or eviscerate an abdomen with ease. There are many records of natives being killed by this bird."

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/cassorwary-australias-velociraptor/

New Evidence: Life on Earth could have Started on Mars

There is a hypothesis that's gaining a little traction in the scientific community, which ultimately suggests that life on Earth could have originally come from Mars. Evidence in favor of this idea has been building over the last couple of decades, meaning it may soon evolve from the realm of viable hypotheses, to the realm of scientific theories.

This new breed of evidence comes from the Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology located in Florida after an analysis of a Martian meteorite. Today, (August 29; the time of this article's original publication), Professor Steven Benner will reveal his findings at a geochemist summit. The theory basically suggests that some 4-billion years ago, life started on Mars. A meteor then struck the planet; sending little chunks of Martian rocks - with bits and pieces of Martian microbes - into interplanetary space. One, or more, of these rocks then fell to Earth; seeding our planet with life. Billions of years later... BOOM, here we are. If true, it means that we... all... (could be)... Martians.

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/new-evidence-life-on-earth-could-have-started-on-mars/

Astronomy Picture of the Day: 10/01/13 - LDN 673

Happy October everyone! Can you believe it's already October? The year is nearly over - oh how time flies. To celebrate this spookily festive month, I thought you might enjoy LDN 673. Also known as Lynds' Dark Nebula 673, this is a haunting nebula located some 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Aquila. The nebula itself is situated in the center of the Aquila Rift, which comprises a dark molecular cloud - containing several dark nebulae. This particular region is home to enough material to spawn hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of baby stars. But since the region is dense in obscuring interstellar dust grains, the number of stars that are already in the process of forming remains unknown.

To get down to the bottom of the matter, astronomers probed the region using special tools - tools that are able to peek inside the stellar nursery, to reveal the ongoing activity inside of the clouds. One tell-tale sign of stellar activity comes in the form of energetic outflows; stellar winds emanating from a small, red-tinted nebula; known as RNO 109 (pictured in the top left). Another nearby nebula, called Herbig-Haro object HH 32, also exhibits signs of activity.

Overall, the nebula spans a stunning 7 light-years across. I use this comparison regularly, but it's always effective. So, to put this number in perspective. Our closest celestial neighbors are in the Alpha Centauri triple star system - located some 4.3 light-years from Earth. Light could travel from our solar system, to it and (almost) back, before light could travel from one side of this region to the other.

References, sources, and further reading can be found here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-100113-ldn-673/