the UNIVERSE TODAY Space Exploration News From Around the Internet Updated Every Weekday.
http://www.universetoday.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] An HTML version including pictures is available at: http://www.universetoday.com For information on unsubscribing or changing your email address, check the bottom of this newsletter. ************************************** WHAT'S UP THIS WEEK - NOV 8 - 14, 2004 Nov 8, 2004 - Greetings fellow skywatchers! We're in for more excitement this week as the Moon occults not one, not two, but three observable planets! But that's not all the action, while we're in a "planetary" frame of mind, we'll also study two planetary nebulae, the M57 and M27, as well as seek out a "planetary" located inside a globular cluster. Other studies for both telescopes and binoculars will include instructions for "visiting with Vesta" as we explore one of our Solar System's brightest asteroids. We'll learn about easily observed variable stars and double your pleasure - double your fun as we explore two open clusters instead of just one! This week will also include a minor meteor shower and things for the Southern Hemisphere skywatchers to do. There are challenges here, as well as a bit of history and a lot of fun! So mark your calendars - because here's "What's Up"! http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/whats_up_nov8_2004.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/whats_up_nov8_2004.html";>AOL Link</a> BOOK REVIEW: HOW NASA LEANED TO FLY IN SPACE Nov 8, 2004 - The early explorers sailed into a void not knowing what beasts, storms or cliffs might await their travels. Their shear audacity and pluck carried them through their adventures. The Gemini program is the equivalent for space travel and David Harland gives a great recount in his book ,How NASA Learned to Fly in Space. He takes the reader on a rollicking good drama of the pilots and support crew as their space vessels sail through the uncharted realms toward the stars. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/book_review_how_nasa_learned_fly.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/book_review_how_nasa_learned_fly.html";>AOL Link</a> SOMETHING OOZED ON TITAN'S SURFACE Nov 8, 2004 - NASA's Cassini spacecraft took this image of Titan as it sped past the moon on Oct. 26, 2004. It was taken from an altitude of 2,500 km (1,553 miles) using the spacecraft's aperture radar, which can penetrate thick clouds and reveal the texture of the ground underneath. The dark regions are areas which are smooth, and the bright areas are more bumpy. It could be that the smooth areas are cryovolcanic flows, where water-rich liquid has welled up from inside Titan's warmer interior and spread out on the surface. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/something_oozed_titan.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/something_oozed_titan.html";>AOL Link</a> ROVER TOOLKITS ARE STILL FULL Nov 5, 2004 - It's been 10 months since the Mars Exploration Rovers arrived at the Red Planet, and their full suite of scientific tools are still working perfectly. Spirit is now discovering further evidence of past water on a slope of layered bedrock, which was once layers of volcanic ash altered by water over a long period. Opportunity is heading towards the base of "Burns Cliff", a tall exposure of layered rock in wall of Endurance Crater. The rover is taking advantage of a mysterious power boost that happened about a month ago to get more scientific work done. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/rover_toolkits_still_full.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/rover_toolkits_still_full.html";>AOL Link</a> SECOND BLACK HOLE AT THE HEART OF THE MILKY WAY Nov 5, 2004 - A French/US team of astronomers have discovered a second black hole is lurking at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, completely separate from the supermassive black hole that we've known about for years. This new object, IRS 13E, contains only 1,400 stellar masses, which is much less that the 4 million stellar masses of our supermassive black hole. IRS 13E probably used to be located far away from the galactic centre, where a cluster of stars could safely form. All that's left now are a few massive stars whipping around the black hole as it spirals towards the centre of our galaxy. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/second_black_hole_milky_way.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/second_black_hole_milky_way.html";>AOL Link</a> INTERVIEW WITH DAVID A. HARDY Nov 4, 2004 - Futures: 50 Years in Space, The Challenge of the Stars, a superb new art book/astronomy guide by David A Hardy and Sir Patrick Moore was published in May 2004 (read the Universe Today review here). David took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with Richard Pearson about his passion for both art and space, and his long-lasting friendship and working relationship with Sir Patrick Moore. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/david_hardy_interview.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/david_hardy_interview.html";>AOL Link</a> TRIPLE ECLIPSE ON JUPITER Nov 4, 2004 - The Hubble Space Telescope took this rare picture of a triple eclipse on Jupiter, an event that only happens once or twice a decade. Io is near the middle, Ganymede on the planet's left edge, and Callisto is near the right edge. Astronomers tested a new technique with Hubble when taking this picture. They sped up Hubble's tracking system so that Jupiter passed through its field of view more quickly than normal. This allowed them to take rapid-fire snapshots of the planet and its moons to build into a single image that shows more detail than one single image. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/triple_eclipse_jupiter.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/triple_eclipse_jupiter.html";>AOL Link</a> FIRST GAMMA RAY IMAGE Nov 4, 2004 - European astronomers have produced the first image of an object using high energy gamma rays - the most penetrating form of radiation known. The image is of a supernova remnant called RX J1713.7-3946, which exploded 1,000 years ago. Over time, a ring of material has expanded to twice the diameter of the Moon in the sky. If you had gamma ray eyes, you would be able to see a large ring in the sky every night. This also helps solve a 100 year mystery about the origin of cosmic rays; the remnant seems to be acting as a particle accelerator. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/first_gamma_ray_image.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/first_gamma_ray_image.html";>AOL Link</a> EARTH WILL BE WATCHING WHEN HUYGENS ARRIVES Nov 4, 2004 - As the ESA's Huygens probe makes its descent into Titan's thick atmosphere in January, telescopes here on Earth will be watching carefully to help understand the global condition of the moon's atmosphere. Cassini's job will be to communicate with Huygens, so it won't actually be able to take pictures of the moon while it's performing this vital task, so it's up to the Earth-based telescopes. There's a remote possibility that Hubble or the giant 10-metre Keck observatory will see a tiny fireball as Huygens enters Titan's atmosphere. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/earth_watching_huygens_arrives.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/earth_watching_huygens_arrives.html";>AOL Link</a> BOOK REVIEW: SPACE - A HISTORY OF SPACE EXPLORATION IN PHOTOGRAPHS Nov 3, 2004 - The start of the winter season brings many unpleasant memories, but putting on a favourite, well worn glove helps diminish the spectre of the upcoming season. Andrew Chaikin's book Space - A History of Space Exploration in Photographs feels like one of these favourite gloves. Its many photographs engenders a warm, comforting feeling of the fantastic progression we've made. Just like a well worn glove, this book may not have many surprises but reading it can provide a warm feeling of what may be upcoming for humankind in space. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/book_review_space_history_photographs.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/book_review_space_history_photographs.html";>AOL Link</a> TITHONIUM CHASMA ON MARS Nov 3, 2004 - This image is of a region of Mars called Tithonium Chasma, which is at the western end of the enormous Valles Marineris Canyon system. The whole canyon system was created through a combination of geologic factors, including tectonic rifting, water, and wind action, volcanism, and glaciers. The canyon floors have a dark, layered material, which is probably sedimentary material, though it's still under much speculation from scientists. The picture was taken by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/tithonium_chasma_mars.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/tithonium_chasma_mars.html";>AOL Link</a> SWIFT PREPARES FOR FLIGHT Nov 2, 2004 - In two weeks, NASA's Swift observatory will take to the skies atop a Delta II rocket to scan the Universe looking for the most powerful known explosions. It's believed that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) happen when a new black hole is born - an event that typically happens once a day in our skies. Swift will be able to locate a GRB within 20 to 75 seconds, and then automatically turn its instruments on the explosion. It will also communicate the coordinates of the event to a network of observatories so they can also study the region and afterglow from the explosion. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/swift_prepares_for_flight.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/swift_prepares_for_flight.html";>AOL Link</a> BEAGLE 2 JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO SUCCEED Nov 2, 2004 - A new report by the UK House of Commons science and technology select committee pins the blame for the loss of the Beagle 2 lander on a lack of early money. Because the UK government failed to provide adequate funds early on in the lander's development, the developers had to chase celebrities for sponsorship when they should have been testing their equipment. The government eventually poured in �25 million as the project started to stall, but it was too late to make up time by that point as Mars Express had a firm launch date. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/beagle_2_no_money.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/beagle_2_no_money.html";>AOL Link</a> STROMLO OPENS UP AGAIN AFTER THE FIRE Nov 2, 2004 - Although Australia's Mt. Stromlo was devastated in January 2003 by wildfires, the first stage of reconstruction is complete, and the observatory is back in business. The observatory's visitor centre opened its doors to the public on October 30, and gave visitors a chance to explore the reconstruction and do a little skywatching with its rebuilt and brand new telescopes. Before the fire, Stromlo saw 70,000 visitors a year, and researchers used its instruments to make many important contributions to astronomy. Phase two of the reconstruction is now underway. http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/stromlo_open_again.html <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/stromlo_open_again.html";>AOL Link</a> ----------------------------------------------------- All contents copyright (c) 2004 Universe Today -- To unsubscribe from: Universe Today - Weekly Edition (Text), just follow this link: http://www.universetoday.com/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=u&l=wk%2dtext&[EMAIL PROTECTED]&p=4996766 Click this link, or copy and paste the address into your browser.
