Space

The Fonz Of Cosmology: Ultra-Cool Companion Gets Planets Noticed Too

Giant planets have diverse chemistry; Jupiter, for example, first formed as a large solid core and then then accreted gas from the disk around it, which led to a different chemistry in its outer layers. When the Galileo spacecraft entered Jupiter’s atmosph ...

Article - News Staff - May 18 2012 - 5:00am

From Towel Day To SpaceX And Transparency Grenades

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Article - David Brin - May 25 2012 - 10:55am

Where Were You In 1882? The Transit Of Venus Wants To Know

June 5, 2012 you get to share a communal experience with scientists from hundreds of years ago.  No, I don't mean Calculus, I mean one of the rarest and more interesting recurring events science has been able to witness since the invention of the tele ...

Article - Hank Campbell - May 29 2012 - 7:02pm

Stars in Soft Focus

Recently I was taking pictures of the night sky.  My intention was to photograph the double star Epsilon Lyrae.  It’s actually a double-double, made of two closer pairs, as one can see through a telescope of three-or-more inches aperture.  However, the pai ...

Blog Post - Robert H Olley - May 31 2012 - 9:11am

The Science Of Lunacy- The Moon Has An Effect (Just Not On People)

The word 'lunacy' is derived from the longheld belief that people act a little crazier during a full moon.  We know the moon- Luna- effects us, its gravitational pull creates ocean tides and many ancient cultures thought it could also affect our ...

Article - News Staff - May 31 2012 - 10:11am

Venus Approaching The Sun

For the second and last time this century, the planet Venus will pass over the visible disk of our Sun for observers located in the Americas (in the evening of June 5th) and western Europe (in the morning of June 6th). The event has a noteworthy scientific ...

Article - Tommaso Dorigo - Jun 5 2012 - 9:23am

How To Use The Transit Of Venus To Determine The Astronomical Unit

Michael Richmond of  Rochester Institute of Technology created a simple example for how to determine the astronomical unit- the distance from Earth to the Sun and therefore the basis for all modern measurements in space  for the CLEA workshop in 2004, the ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 4 2012 - 10:56am

One view of Venus's transit of the Sun streamed live... I hope.

This afternoon I will attempt to stream the transit of Venus live on an embedded stream on this website.  Meanwhile here are some resources on observing the transit.   First a personal opinion, don't bother with using a so called "pinhole project ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Jun 5 2012 - 6:37pm

In case you ain't seen it yet

Well, so as predicted Venus passed over the disk of our Sun yesterday (this morning, if you live in Europe), and it produced quite a show, as many pictures and videos available around testify. To make the view more pleasing, our Sun was showing a discrete ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Jun 6 2012 - 7:59am

HD 189733b: Dramatic Change Spotted On A Faraway Exoplanet

The atmosphere of exoplanet HD 189733b, about 60 light-years from Earth, changed dramtically after a violent flare on its parent star bathed it in intense X-ray radiation. Result: A powerful burst of evaporation.  ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 28 2012 - 5:00am