Space and Astronomy Megathread (MERGED) - Part 1

[Breogan]

100 million worlds may have complex alien life in our galaxy



http://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/5/1/159

Sweet!

And chances we and our little planet are also a statistic in some aliens calculations? t:

 

[Alex_Spider]

How in the world does a galaxy formation have the symmetry of a snail's shell?
This makes you think wether there is a hidden pattern by design in nature.
Truly mind bending stuff.

 

[Marvolo]

How in the world does a galaxy formation have the symmetry of a snail's shell?
This makes you think wether there is a hidden pattern by design in nature.
Truly mind bending stuff.

Or that this symmetry is the logical and most likely conclusion in nature.

Why do so many natural patterns reflect the Fibonacci sequence? (Thats what that Golden Ratio is.)

Scientists have pondered the question for centuries. In some cases, the correlation may just be coincidence. In other situations, the ratio exists because that particular growth pattern evolved as the most effective. In plants, this may mean maximum exposure for light-hungry leaves or maximum seed arrangement.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/math-concepts/fibonacci-nature1.htm

 

[jmc]

The Golden Ratio is used in art, design and architecture all the time. It's a very pleasing ratio to the eye.

 

[Teelie]

The Golden Ratio is not always applicable and is not the same as Fibonacci numbers although they are connected.

Some specific proportions in the bodies of many animals (including humans) and parts of the shells of mollusks are often claimed to be in the golden ratio. There is a large variation in the real measures of these elements in specific individuals, however, and the proportion in question is often significantly different from the golden ratio. The ratio of successive phalangeal bones of the digits and the metacarpal bone has been said to approximate the golden ratio. The nautilus shell, the construction of which proceeds in a logarithmic spiral, is often cited, usually with the idea that any logarithmic spiral is related to the golden ratio, but sometimes with the claim that each new chamber is proportioned by the golden ratio relative to the previous one; however, measurements of nautilus shells do not support this claim.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

This Hubble's star explosion time-lapse video is real

I never imagined I was going to see something like this: A video of a star bursting in space, illuminating the interstellar dust around it at the speed of light. This is not a computer simulation. It's an actual time-lapse video taken over four years by the Hubble—and scientists don't know its origin yet.

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The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been observing the V838 Mon light echo since 2002. Each new observation of the light echo reveals a new and unique "thin-section" through the interstellar dust around the star. This video morphs images of the light echo from the Hubble taken at multiple times between 2002 and 2006. The numerous ****ls and eddies in the interstellar dust are particularly noticeable. Possibly they have been produced by the effects of magnetic fields in the space between the stars.

V838 Monocerotis—in the constellation Monoceros, 20,000 light years away from Earth—suffered a sudden outburst in 2002, catching astronomers by surprise. The variable red star got so big that it became one of the largest stars ever observed, producing 600,000 times more light that the Sun.

Scientists thought it was a nova, but then they realized they were wrong. The origin of this spectacular outbursts—which illuminated the interstellar dust around it at the speed of light—is still unknown. These are the current theories:

An atypical nova outbursts (this is very unlikely.)

A thermal pulse of a dying star (the new pulse illuminates the layers of star material previously ejected its previous outbursts.)

A thermonuclear event withing a massive supergiant (in which the helium in one of the layers of the massive star ignites and starts a fusion process.)

A mergeburst (the burst caused by the merge of two main sequence stars.)

A planetary capture event (in which the star has swallowed one of its giant gas planets.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V838_Monocerotis#Models

No mere words can describe how awesome this is

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

NASA releases spectacular X-ray image of an entire spiral galaxy

This is The Whirlpool—the common name of M51, a spiral galaxy estimated to be 50,000 to 100,000 light years across. The purple dots that make it look like the biggest neon sign in the Universe are X-ray sources as seen by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Hundreds of glittering x-ray stars are present in the above Chandra image of the spiral and its neighbor. The image is a conglomerate of X-ray light from Chandra and visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope. The number of luminous x-ray sources, likely neutron star and black hole binary systems within the confines of M51, is unusually high for normal spiral or elliptical galaxies and suggests this cosmic whirlpool has experienced intense bursts of massive star formation. The bright cores of both galaxies, NGC 5194 and NGC 5195 (right and left respectively), also exhibit high-energy activity. In this false-color image where X-rays are depicted in purple, diffuse X-ray emission typically results from multi-million degree gas heated by supernova explosions.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Freaking cool

 

[Bim]

The last two posts before mine are pure gold, awesome stuff

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The 600,000 asteroids that we've discovered so far is one scary view

Looking at this animation—which shows the discovery locations of around 600,000 asteroids spotted in the inner solar system since 1980—It seems like a miracle that we're still around. It's incredible to see how the number detected has increased so rapidly in recent years thanks to new tracking technology.

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Some estimates suggest this figure is still only around 1% of the total out there, but take some comfort that the scale of the asteroids in the video has been exaggerated many billions of times over to occupy a single pixel. Should we panic or is the threat overblown?

https://b612foundation.org/videos/scott-manley-video-asteroid-discovery-1980-2012/

Well it is comforting knowing most aren't that big it still blows my mind that is only 1% and it is rather hard to detect these suckers

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

No human has seen tonight's full honey moon in almost 100 years

As the clock ticks over to 12:11am (EDT) tonight, the world will experience the first full honey moon on Friday the 13th in almost 100 years. It will appear golden and huge in the sky, so pay attention because it will not happen again until June 2098.

This Friday the 13th will be extra-beautiful (or creepy, depending on your perspective) because this month's full moon coincides with its perigee—when it's closest to earth during its orbit—so it will appear super large on the horizon. Pair that with the June summer solstice—when the sun cuts its highest path in the sky—and a smattering of atmospheric dust and pollution, and the whole thing will give off an amber—or "honey"—hue.

Now, obviously this is just a coincidence. There is absolutely no reason to suspect that somehow this rare lunar alignment—which we'll next experience in in June 2098—will signal some kind of larger global mayhem. Just to be safe, however: Lovelorn, luck-averse lycanthropes are advised to stay indoors, as this seems like the perfect start to a Jason Voorhees vs. Teenwolf slasher flick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V5cFPmjdKg

Go to the link to catch it live if conditions in your area aren't favorable

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

How in the world does a galaxy formation have the symmetry of a snail's shell?
This makes you think wether there is a hidden pattern by design in nature.
Truly mind bending stuff.

That looks like two glaxies in the process of colliding.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

NASA found the anti-Sauron!

So a little while there was the big hubbub about finding Sauron's eye in space, but now we have the Anti-Sauron!

"Hubble Eyes Golden Rings of Star Formation"

Taking center stage in this new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is a galaxy known as NGC 3081, set against an assortment of glittering galaxies in the distance. Located in the constellation of Hydra (The Sea Serpent), NGC 3081 is located over 86 million light-years from us. It is known as a type II Seyfert galaxy, characterized by its dazzling nucleus.

NGC 3081 is seen here nearly face-on. Compared to other spiral galaxies, it looks a little different. The galaxy's barred spiral center is surrounded by a bright loop known as a resonance ring. This ring is full of bright clusters and bursts of new star formation, and frames the supermassive black hole thought to be lurking within NGC 3081 — which glows brightly as it hungrily gobbles up in-falling material.

These rings form in particular locations known as resonances, where gravitational effects throughout a galaxy cause gas to pile up and accumulate in certain positions. These can be caused by the presence of a "bar" within the galaxy, as with NGC 3081, or by interactions with other nearby objects. It is not unusual for rings like this to be seen in barred galaxies, as the bars are very effective at gathering gas into these resonance regions, causing pile-ups which lead to active and very well-organized star formation.

Hubble snapped this magnificent face-on image of the galaxy using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. This image is made up of a combination of ultraviolet, optical, and infrared observations, allowing distinctive features of the galaxy to be observed across a wide range of wavelengths.

I would now like an epic tale about this, please.

http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-eyes-golden-rings-of-star-formation/#.U5sJiZRdXU8

Space is just awesome

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

New beautiful photo reveals the violent birth of a star

This photo of the birth of a star—newly captured by the Hubble Space Telescope—is so beautiful that it seems unreal, like a picture-perfect matte painting for a science-fiction movie. But there's no fiction in here—it's all science.

This new Hubble image shows IRAS 14568-6304, a young star that is cloaked in a haze of golden gas and dust. It appears to be embedded within an intriguing swoosh of dark sky, which curves through the image and obscures the sky behind.

IRAS 14568-6304 is special because it is driving a protostellar jet, which appears here as the "tail" below the star. This jet is the leftover gas and dust that the star took from its parent cloud in order to form. While most of this material forms the star and its accretion disc — the disc of material surrounding the star, which may one day form planets — at some point in the formation process the star began to eject some of the material at supersonic speeds through space. This phenomenon is not only beautiful, but can also provide us with valuable clues about the process of star formation.

A very amazing thing to behold

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

A giant dragon just emerged from the Sun

Holy Mother of Dragons, a stream of plasma in the shape of a dragon flying at full speed has emerged from the Sun. According to NASA, the "eruption [tens of thousands miles long] was minor" and "most of it fell back into the sun." NASA, I love you, but you have no imagination.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/14251619410/?rb=1

Sweet pic!

 

[Breogan]

A giant dragon just emerged from the Sun

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The Famous "Eye of God" Nebula May Actually Be Weeping Tears Of Water

It's one of the most iconic celestial images in astronomy — the eye-like Helix Nebula. Ironically, the incredibly harsh conditions within this dying Sun-like star are producing a molecule integral for the formation of water, a process that could be repeated across the cosmos.

Planetary nebulas consist of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from old red giant stars late in their lives. The core becomes a hot white dwarf pouring out ultraviolet radiation into its surroundings. This radiation can be so intense that it can actually destroy molecules that have been thrown out by the star — molecules bound up in the rings of material seen at the outer edge of planetary nebulas.

Water-building molecule in Helix Nebula (Hubble image: NASA/ESA/C. Robert O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) Herschel data: ESA/Herschel/PACS & SPIRE/ HerPlaNS survey/I. Aleman et al.)

Astronomers surmised that this harsh radiation restricted the formation of new molecules in those regions. But it now appears that this is not only incorrect, it may contribute to a process that generates a molecule responsible for the formation of water, a molecule known as OH+ — a positively charged combination of a single oxygen and hydrogen atoms.

A new study by Isabel Aleman of the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, shows that planetary nebulas, when exceeding temperatures of 100,000 degrees Celsius, produce OH+.

"We think that a critical clue is in the presence of the dense clumps of gas and dust, which are illuminated by UV and X-ray radiation emitted by the hot central star," noted Aleman in an ESA statement. "This high-energy radiation interacts with the clumps to trigger chemical reactions that leads to the formation of the molecules."

(Hubble image: NASA/ESA/C. Robert O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) Herschel data: ESA/Herschel/PACS & SPIRE/ HerPlaNS survey/I. Aleman et al.)

A separate study by Mireya Etxaluze of the Instituto de Ciencia de los Materiales de Madrid, Spain, focused on the Helix Nebula — one of the nearest planetary nebulas to our Solar System, a distance of 700 light years.

This nebula, which burns at 120,000 degrees Celsius, contains a rich variety of molecules. Looking at Herschel data, Etxaluze's team found OH+ in locations where carbon monoxide molecules, previously ejected by the star, are most likely to be annihilated by the strong UV radiation.

Once oxygen atoms are free from the carbon monoxide, they're able to make the oxygen-hydrogen molecules — a process that bolsters the hypothesis that UV radiation promotes their creation.

These studies are the first to show how planetary nebulas may seed the cosmos with OH+, but the astronomers have yet to show that the conditions within would actually allow water formation to proceed.

http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/06/aa22940-13/aa22940-13.html

http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201322941

It's astounding how much we learn about the universe every day

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Happy 5th Anniversary, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter!

Five years ago today, NASA launched its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter into space. It's been snapping high-resolution images of the moon's surface ever since, revealing secrets about its true "dark side," scouting out landing sites for future missions, and returning gorgeous images the likes of which have never been observable from Earth.

Take the time-lapse featured above for example. Because the moon is tidally locked to Earth, 41% of its surface is perpetually hidden from our planet's view. But this time-lapse, created from images returned by LRO, provides us an entirely different view of our nearest celestial neighbor – one that brings its enigmatic far-side into clear (and, contrary to its misconceived "dark-side" moniker, clearly illuminated) view.

To celebrate LRO's fifth anniversary, NASA launched the Moon as Art Contest. The Agency describes the project on its website:

The public was asked to select a favorite orbiter image of the moon for the cover of a special image collection. After two weeks of voting, the public has selected this image [above] of Tycho Central Peak as its favorite moon image. The stunningly beautiful Tycho Central Peak rests inside an impact crater and has a boulder over 100 meters wide (about 328 feet) at its summit. It showcases a breathtaking view of the lunar landscape.

http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-lro-s-moon-as-art-collection-is-revealed/#.U6HUGo1dWj4

There some really cool pics at the link

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Elon Musk vows for 2026 manned Mars mission—wants self-sustaining city

Elon Musk just said that his SpaceX spaceships will get humans to Mars by 2026, with or without NASA. It may seem cocky, but coming from a man who has built this entire company so he can die on Mars—and to "help ensure the survival of humanity"—those words are not to be taken lightly.

Talking today to CNBC, Musk said that he's "hopeful that the first people could be taken to Mars in 10 to 12 years."

I think it's certainly possible for that to occur. But the thing that matters long term is to have a self-sustaining city on Mars, to make life multi-planetary.

A self-sustaining city... I like that he's thinking big. I also like that he is conscious of the challenges that lie ahead, but confident that these targets are possible. He will be 50 years old by the time this hypothetical mission launches, giving him plenty of time to go there and complete his life dream. That kind of drive and commitment is too personal to ignore. People who are mad enough to think in these terms—and have the necessary means—are the people who can make the seemingly impossible happen.

The right pieces are starting to fall in place

SpaceX already has the Falcon Heavy rocket in development, which has the power to lift the kind of load needed for a Mars mission and first settlement. It's expected to launch next year.

They are also working on Dragon V2, which is clearly designed with the idea of Mars (and Moon) landings thanks to a vertical rocket-based landing system that will allow for immediate fuel reload and relaunch.

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While Dragon V2 won't be the ship that will arrive to Mars, V3 will probably be the one. Space fans are already dreaming about this spaceship:

A fan sketch for a possible—albeit far-fetched—Mars vehicle.

Who will pay for it?

But who's going to pay for his Mars dream? According to Musk, future stockholders will. It's something ballsy, but he's confident that once they demonstrate the reality, people will long-term investment goals will buy in:

We need to get where things are steady and predictable. Maybe we're close to developing the Mars vehicle, or ideally we've flown it a few times, then I think going public would make more sense.

I never thought I'd say this about the man who created that hell on Earth that is PayPal, but I'm rooting for this guy.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/elon-musk-promises-spacex-will-stay-course-mars-n133971

THere is so much win and awesomeness with Elon it isn't even funny. This guy is what we need pushing us forward right now

 

[Piper Maru]

Astronomy is one subject that I am truly passionate about, it's good to see others interested in it.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I've always been fascinated with Space and Astronomy ever since I was little. It's amazing how large this universe is and what could be lurking in it.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I often stare up into the stars at night and try to get a glimmer of just how large and amazing this universe is. When you think about the scope of it and how small we truly are in the grand scheme of things it is absolutely humbling

 

[Piper Maru]

I often stare up into the stars at night and try to get a glimmer of just how large and amazing this universe is. When you think about the scope of it and how small we truly are in the grand scheme of things it is absolutely humbling

Carl Sagan: Pale Blue Dot

[YT]WmMUuR--Qvo[/YT]

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Love Carl, and Neil is the next generation!

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

First ever 360-degree time-lapse bends space and mind

I've never seen anything like this stunning 360-degree time-lapse videos by photographer Vincent Brady. I think it's the first one ever. He made them using a multiple camera 360-degree time-lapse panorama after years spent experimenting and customizing his kit. Incredible.

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The video was made with a four camera rig fitted with fish eye lenses and non-stop one In his own words:

While experimenting with different photography tricks and techniques back in 2012, I was shooting 360 degree panoramas in the daytime and long exposures of the stars streaking in the sky at night. It suddenly became clear that the potential to combine the two techniques could be a trip! Since the Earth is rotating at a steady 1,040 mph I created a custom rig of 4 cameras with fisheye lenses to capture the entire night-sky in motion. Thus the images show the stars rotating around the north star as well as the effect of the southern pole as well and a 360 degree panorama of the scene on Earth.

Each camera is doing nonstop long exposures, typically about 1 minute consecutively for the life of the camera battery. Usually about 3 hours. I then made a script to stitch all the thousands of these panoramas into this time-lapse. I created my rig in January of 2013 while in my final semester at Lansing Community College before receiving an associates degree in photography. Given it was winter in Michigan, I didn't get to chase the notorious clear moonless night sky as much as I had hoped as the region has lots of cloud cover that time of year. Though I was ready on the rare night to go experiment. After graduating in May I had built up quite the urge to hit the road. My rig has taken me to firefly parties in Missouri, dark eerie nights at Devils Tower, through Logan Pass at Glacier National Park, up the mountains of British Columbia, and around the amazing arches and sandstone monuments in the Great American Southwest.

http://www.vincentbrady.com/planetarypanoramas

Very cool

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

NASA wants to send a quadcopter drone to Titan

NASA wants to search Saturn's moon Titan for life but they're having trouble coming up with a good way to cover a large territory and obtain samples. Now they think they may have a good solution: A 22-pound quadcopter that will work from a mothership. After reading about it, it's a really cool idea.

Larry Matthies—a Senior Research Scientist and the supervisor of the Computer Vision Group, in the Mobility and Robotic Systems Section of the JPL in Pasadena, California—thinks that this may be the only solution that can achieve mission objectives—the search for life or prebiotic chemistry in one of the places in the solar system more likely to have it—safely and at low cost and low risk.

A lander will not cut it because it can't move. They need to explore this world. A balloon or an airplane can easily move, but they can't be the solution because they can't access the surface. And a large, long-range helicopter can work, but it is way too expensive and risky. So he combined all of these ideas and came up with something relatively low cost, low risk, and absolutely logical:

We propose a mission study of a small (< 10 kg) rotorcraft that can deploy from a balloon or lander to acquire close-up, high resolution imagery and mapping data of the surface, land at multiple locations to acquire microscopic imagery and samples of solid and liquid material, return the samples to the mothership for analysis, and recharge from an RTG on the mothership to enable multiple sorties.

Boom. He argues that this is only possible now because of the recent development in robotics and drones here on Earth:

Prior studies have shown the feasibility of aerial mobility on Titan for larger aircraft, from 10 to 400 kg, but none of these studies were in the size range we address and none addressed the daughtercraft, sampling, and recharging scenarios we address.

This concept is enabled now by recent advances in autonomous navigation and miniaturization of sensors, processors, and sampling devices. It revolutionizes previous mission concepts in several ways.

For a lander mission, it enables detailed studies of a large area around the lander, providing context for the micro-images and samples; with precision landing near a lake, it potentially enables sampling solid and liquid material from one lander.

For a balloon mission, it enables surface investigation and sampling with global reach without requiring a separate lander or that the balloon be brought to the surface, which has potential for major cost savings and risk reduction.

And the cool thing is that these drones will be able to fly back to base, return the samples or data, recharge their battery thanks to the nuclear power generator in the mothership, and take off for another flight.

The idea is pretty revolutionary in practice, but not something that we haven't seen in science fiction movies: Little drones quickly exploring large areas and returning with information to the mothership or base spaceship.

Matthies says that these low cost drones can change not only the exploration of Titan, but any other world. Imagine that Curiosity had a couple of these low cost drones on its back right now. Scientists could quickly fly them to recognize terrain ahead and even retrieve samples to bring back to Curiosity. Then researchers would be able to set new mission objectives according to this information.

And that, my friends, sounds like the future of autonomous planetary exploration to me.

Now that the tech is feasible this seems like the only way we should proceed