Dave Reneke's

'WORLD of SPACE and ASTRONOMY'

Weird, Wild & Breaking News Stories in Space and Astronomy from around the World 24/7 delivered free every week with regular updates as they happen

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Here’s a selection of Astronomy/Space related stories you may find interesting. Be sure to sign up for your own copy of Astro Space News. I absolutely do not disclose your address to anyone! There is no cost and no obligation for this service. Anyone can subscribe by completing the opt in form just over there on the right … see it, do it now! We work 24/7/365 to report the most relevant ‘Astro-Space’ news back to you … virtually as it breaks. Bookmark this page and check back regularly.

For The Media

If you are interested, an interview with astronomer, writer, educator and public lecturer representing Australasian Science Magazine and Editor of Astro Space News, Dave Reneke(Astro-Dave) can be arranged by contacting Dave by Phone/Fax(02) 65 85 2260 Mobile: 0400 636 363 or email Dave for an instant reply to davereneke@gmail.com. David is well experienced talking to the media and presents information in an easy to understand, up to date and informative manner. Interviews can be on any subject, tailored to your requirements.

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AUSTRALASIAN SCIENCE MAGAZINE

Get your science news straight from the scientists themselves. No hype, no spin, no bull: just the facts.Australia’s most inspiring scientists choose to write about their world-class discoveries in Australasian Science, Australia’s only monthly science magazine.

Australasian Science is dedicated to Australian and New Zealand science, providing a unique local perspective on scientific developments and issues that other science magazines can’t match. Australasian Science boasts Australia’s most experienced team of science journalists, including Australia's only two international Science Journalism Laureates.

Its Patrons are Nobel Laureate Prof Peter Doherty and renowned science broadcaster Robyn Williams, representing excellence in science and its communication. Written in simple language, Australasian Science is a unique and independent source of news and commentary on local scientific developments.

Check out the latest issue NOW: http://www.australasianscience.com.au/  For school & institution rates please contact Control Publications on 03 9500 0015. Fax: (03) 9500 0255 Email science@control.com.au

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 LETTERS TO DAVE

 * The following email is one I received from Julie Watson, Mum of lone sailor, 16 year old Aussie Jessica Watson, currently attempting the world record of becoming  the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world.    See Jessica's blog    http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/

Hi David

Just thought I'd fire a question off for Jess.  Last night we saw a spectacular moon rising over the ocean and it was beautifully orange.  We spoke to Jess out there and she said she also had a very beautiful orange moon.  We had thought that the colour was due to local atmospheric conditions but it cannot be so if Jess also saw it orange as there would be little chance of the same local atmospheric conditions?  She has partial views of the night skies, tonight as there are still some squalls going through.

Julie Watson for Jessica

     Hi Julie

Nice to hear from you again and thanks for keeping me in touch with Jessica's progress.  I do access her blog from time to time and when I speak on radio I like to pass the info along to the listeners. Now, your question.  Yep, it sure looks good a big orange Moon.  The colour you both see is real BUT the Moon has not changed it's actual 'whitish;' appearance…  it's just an optical effect of our low down atmosphere.  When rising, the light from the Moon has to pass through a thicker amount of air and this atmosphere of ours filters out most the colours except the red. 

Remember light is made up of many different colours, blended together by our brains to tell us it looks white.  SO, we see the Moon as looking slightly 'orangish' or 'reddish' – it's the same reason we see red sunsets, the light from the low down Sun is mainly red. The thicker atmosphere acting like a kind of telescope lens can also increase the apparent size of the Moon, making it look slightly bigger to our eye than it actually is. 

Being low down also gives a sense of perspective to the horizon and our brains can interpret this too as making the Moon look bigger.  NB/ This condition can change and not be as obvious at times, depending on lots of local weather conditions. 

Because she is a long way from us doesn't change things.  Whenever Jessica sees the Moon low down, and the air conditions are right, she'll spot it again.  Jess, you lucky adventurer, you are getting a much better view of the night sky than most of us so enjoy it, stay safe and come back to Aussie the hero you already are. Webpage: Jessicawatson.com.au

Regards Dave

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               Dave

Have heard you on the ABC.  Do you know if there is an amateur group that meets on the Central Coast that I could join?  Have a keen interest to know more with a similar group of people.

Barry H.

 

 Hi Barry

I think the Newcastle group would be your best shot.  See the website and give 'em a call.  http://www.nas.org.au/ A good bunch of people who will teach you a lot.  Let me know how you get on OK?

Dave

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         Good morning Dave. 

Just wondering if you can help with this query I recently heard about a CD on how to find constellations in south Australian skies.  The dialogue said in which direction to turn to see each constellation until a complete circle was completed.  I know this sounds a bit muddled but hope you can help me.  My son is forty and has just moved to the country where apparently the skies are a lot clearer and as he has just bought a telescope and very new to looking at stars. 

Thank you. Rhonda G.        

 Hi Rhonda

OK, based on what you've told me there is no good news here for you BUT I can save you some money.  If he is only new to the hobby there is NO WAY he's going to follow the Star CD.  The cheaper star map would help.  There are a few suggestions.  There is a good book I recommend that has all the months set out and tells you what's in the night sky.  It's called Astronomy 2010 – the new issue is due out now and I sell them from my webpage.  $24.95 Look on my home page on the top left.  Website: www.davidreneke.com

It's totally Aussie and has all our stars and planets in it PLUS the same star maps you were thinking of.  Ideally I'd like him to visit a local astronomy club and get the guys there to point out a few things to look at.  Tell me where you are from and I'll find one close to you.  The BEST solution is a gizmo called SKY SCOUT – now, not cheap… but when you point this to ANYTHING in the night sky it will tell you what it is!  It will also FIND anything in the sky you want to see… plus heaps more.  Yes, I also sell this so too so look on my home page for it. This advice is the best I can offer and the reason I now carry these products is from similar questions like yours over the years.

Dave.

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Hi. 

I have some UFO photos that you might like to see.  I was in Nepal about 2 months ago in a remote place not far from the Tibet border in central Nepal and I was taking shot of a 8000 meter high mountain peek and a string thing went across my field of view.  I have 2 shots of the thing it is a oblong orange glowing ball of light.  You can not see much it is just a orange ball of light but you can tell that it should not be there.
From Mervyn

Hi Mervyn I've had a good look at these images and cannot give you any explanation for them.  It looks like an artifact of the camera or the digital processing … similar to what we used to see using the old 35mm film – but you say this thing "…went across your field of view" which certainly adds to the mystery.  Sorry I can't take it much further but thanks for sending them in to me.

Dave 

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THIS WEEK'S TOP STORY

Was The Xmas Star Real?

The 'Star of Bethlehem' is one of the most powerful symbols of Christianity.  Was it purely a divine sign, or was it an astronomical event in its own right?  Astronomer David Reneke believes astronomers may have found the answer.

David Reneke, writer and publicist for Australasian Science Magazine, believes astronomers may have found the answer – or at least something that fits all the known facts.

It's generally accepted by most researchers that Christ was born between 3 BC and 1 AD.  David bases the research on the highly esteemed gospel according to Matthew, the first of the four gospels in the New Testament and, it seems, the first to be written.  It's also the only version placing the key players together in the same time period.

With modern astronomy software programs astronomers can reproduce the night sky exactly as it was, thousands of years ago.  Wouldn't it be good if astronomers could go back and have a look at the night sky of Christ's time – to see if they could spot the Xmas star?

"Well, we have, and we found out something startling.  From my research and based on earlier findings by New Zealand Astronomer John Mosley it looks like the 'Xmas star' really did exist," David said. Two thousand years ago, astronomy and astrology were considered one and the same.  The motions of the heavenly bodies were used to determine the events of history, and the fate of people's lives.

Of the various groups of priests and prophets of this period, those that garnered the most respect were the Magi.  The origins of the Magi are not entirely clear.  Known as 'wise men' – they were actually priests who relied on astrology.
Armed with an approximate date for the birth of Jesus we'll assume that the 'Star of Bethlehem' was not just a localised event and could be observed by sky-watchers elsewhere in the world, not just by the Magi.

Here is a screenshot using David's computer software 'Starry Night Pro'.  After changing the local viewing area to Bethlehem and dated it 17th June 2BC here's what the local western sky looked like at: 18:56:17 local time. Look towards the centre of the shot …see Jupiter and Venus "touching"?  As you can see, compared to the other 'stars' in the sky that night and in that location, it would have been pretty bright and distinct.  Credit Starry Night.

Now, historical records and modern-day computer simulations indicate that there was a rare series of planetary groupings, also known as conjunctions, during the years 3 B.C.  and 2 B.C.  In fact, this was one of the most remarkable periods in terms of celestial events in the last 3,000 years!

"Like the final pieces of a difficult jig-saw puzzle, our fabled biblical beacon is starting to reveal itself," David said.
On 12 August, 3 BC, Jupiter and Venus appeared very close together just before sunrise, appearing as bright morning 'stars.' It would have been visible in the eastern dawn sky of the Middle East from about 3:45 to 5:20 a.m. 

The crowning touch came ten months later, on 17 June 2BC, as Venus and Jupiter joined up again in the constellation Leo.  This time the two planets were so close that, without binoculars, they would have looked like one single brilliant star. Jupiter was known as the "planet of Kings" and Saturn as the "Protector of the Jews".  This could easily have been interpreted as a sign that the Jewish Messiah had been, or was about to be, born.  Also, Leo was thought to denote royalty and power.

The whole sequence of events could have been enough for at least three astrologers to see this as sign in the heavens and make their way Jerusalem to ask Herod: "Where is he that is born King of the Jews, for we have come to worship him." This conjunction itself was unprecedented.  It occurred during the evening and would have really lit up the night sky.  Was this the fabled Christmas star?  It seems so.

"Now, this doesn't mean that astrology works," David said.  "We haven't ruled out other possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem but it does make our search more rewarding to find a truly interesting astronomical event that happened during the most likely time for the Nativity."  David has produced an E-Book on the Xmas Star containing much more detail with video imagery showing the actual alignment in progress at his website: www.davidreneke.com .

Whatever the Star of Bethlehem was, it has had more impact on mankind than any star before or since.  It is also possible that the mystery of the Star will never be completely solved.  For many of us though, it is the mystery itself that drives us to find the solution.  For some though, they already have the answer.  Merry Xmas.Further information on this amazing rersearch can be found on David's website www.davidreneke.com. 

* To purchase Dave's E-Book "Was The Xmas Star Real?" and to receive the FREE "Kids Xmas' E-Book PLUS find out how to buy the fabulous DVD from Barry Setterfield 'The Christmas Star' simply click here:  http://www.davidreneke.com/was-the-xmas-star-real

  

    MORE ASTRO-SPACE NEWS  

 Stephen Hawking on "The Great Silence"

In his famous lecture on Life in the Universe, Stephen Hawking asks: "What are the chances that we will encounter some alien form of life, as we explore the galaxy?"

If the argument about the time scale for the appearance of life on Earth is correct, Hawking says "there ought to be many other stars, whose planets have life on them.  Some of these stellar systems could have formed 5 billion years before the Earth.  So why is the galaxy not crawling with self-designing mechanical or biological life forms?"

Why hasn't the Earth been visited, and even colonized?  Hawking asks.  "I discount suggestions that UFO's contain beings from outer space.  I think any visits by aliens, would be much more obvious, and probably also, much more unpleasant."

Hawking continues: "What is the explanation of why we have not been visited?  One possibility is that the argument, about the appearance of life on Earth, is wrong.  Maybe the probability of life spontaneously appearing is so low, that Earth is the only planet in the galaxy, or in the observable universe, in which it happened.  Another possibility is that there was a reasonable probability of forming self reproducing systems, like cells, but that most of these forms of life did not evolve intelligence."

We are used to thinking of intelligent life, as an inevitable consequence of evolution, Hawking emphasized, but it is more likely that evolution is a random process, with intelligence as only one of a large number of possible outcomes.

Intelligence, Hawking believes contrary to our human-centric existece, may not have any long-term survival value.  In comparison the microbial world, will live on, even if all other life on Earth is wiped out by our actions.  Hawking's main insight is that intelligence was an unlikely development for life on Earth, from the chronology of evolution:  "It took a very long time, two and a half billion years, to go from single cells to multi-cell beings, which are a necessary precursor to intelligence.  This is a good fraction of the total time available, before the Sun blows up.  So it would be consistent with the hypothesis, that the probability for life to develop intelligence, is low.  In this case, we might expect to find many other life forms in the galaxy, but we are unlikely to find intelligent life."

Another possibility is that there is a reasonable probability for life to form, and to evolve to intelligent beings, but at some point in their technological development "the system becomes unstable, and the intelligent life destroys itself.  This would be a very pessimistic conclusion. I very much hope it isn't true."

Hawkling prefers another possibility: that there are other forms of intelligent life out there, but that we have been overlooked.  If we should pick up signals from alien civilizations, Hawking warns,"we should have be wary of answering back, until we have evolved" a bit further.  Meeting a more advanced civilization, at our present stage,' Hawking says "might be a bit like the original inhabitants of America meeting Columbus.  I don't think they were better off for it."

Daily Galaxy.

 Plasma Rocket Could Help Pick Up Space Trash

 Franklin Chang Diaz's proposed VASIMR rocket engine could create very versatile spacecraft.  Not only does the plasma-fueled rocket have the potential to make a trip to Mars in just over a month, it could also help clean up space trash in Earth orbit. 

“Our goal is to be able to have a garbage truck that will be picking up all of these objects at various orbits,” astronaut Chang Diaz said.  The debris could put into an “orbital graveyard or we could actually launch them to the sun and drive them to the sun, which is kind of the ultimate, cosmic dump.” 

Space debris is becoming a growing problem.  The number of non-operating satellites in orbit has increased, as well as debris from spacecraft explosions and, as happened earlier this year, collisions between satellites.

“The Earth has become virtually a beehive,” Chang Diaz said.  “The number of satellites orbiting the Earth, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of these objects.  Some of them are just junk that’s floating there simply because these satellites have run out of fuel and they just remain in orbit dead.”

The rocket, called the VASIMR for "variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket," uses a high-power technology initially studied by NASA that turns argon into plasma.  Propelled by an exhaust gas at temperatures close to that of the sun, the VASIMR VX-200 engine would have the ability to change orbits and accelerate and decelerate in order to pick up space debris.

In September, Chang Diaz's company, Ad Astra, tested the rocket and achieved a milestone.  During the a test on in a vacuum chamber on Earth, the engine cranked at just over 200 kilowatts, becoming the world's most powerful electric rocket. VASIMR is not suitable to launch payloads from the surface of the Earth due to its low thrust to weight ratio and its need of a vacuum to operate. It would, however be ideal to function as an upper stage for cargo, drastically reducing the fuel requirements for in-space transportation.

Ad Astra has also signed an agreement with NASA to test a 200-kilowatt VASIMR engine on the International Space Station in 2013 to help keep it in orbit.  Chang-Diaz estimates that VASIMR could save NASA millions of dollars per year. Other uses of the plasma rocket engine would be lunar cargo transport, human missions to Mars or other destinations, and in-space refueling. 

Universe Today

Cosmonaut Says Russia Falling Behind in Space Race

Russia lacks a viable program for developing a new spacecraft and risks losing its place as a leader in space travel, a veteran Russian cosmonaut said in a reecent interview. Efforts to build a successor to the 40-year old Soyuz spacecraft have dragged on with no end in sight, Mikhail Tyurin told the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

Tyurin, a veteran of two missions to the International Space Station in 2001 and 2007, blamed the slow progress on a lack of clear goals and poor coordination. "They have issued an order for a new spacecraft without having any concept," Tyurin said.

He said officials' talk of using the ship to fly to the International Space Station, and then the moon and Mars, are unfeasible.  "One vehicle can't be both a steamroller and a Formula One racer," he said. Russia's Federal Space Agency had no immediate comment.

Last month, its chief, Anatoly Perminov, proposed building a new nuclear-powered spaceship for prospective manned missions to Mars and other planets.  He offered few specifics, and the proposal sounded more like a plea for funds than a specific project.

Tyurin said that work on the prospective ship has proceeded slowly, with engineers continuing to argue over such basic things as whether the new spacecraft should come back using parachutes, like the Soyuz, or land like a plane, similar to the U.S.  shuttles. Russia has used the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, whose design dates back to the 1960s, to send crews and cargo to the International Space Station.  It stands to take an even greater role in space exploration in the coming years.

NASA's plan to retire its shuttle fleet next year will force the United States and other nations to rely exclusively on the Russian spacecraft to ferry their astronauts to the station and back to Earth until NASA's new manned ship becomes available. But Tyurin warned that the failure to develop new space technologies would relegate Russia to a secondary role in the near future. "Very soon, no one will need the Russian space program," he said.  "Our partners already have got all they could from us.  They won't take us into the future."

 The Associated Press.

 What If Earth Had Rings?

While we're on the subject of Saturn ( we were??)….  I came across this video, and it poses — and answers — the interesting question, what would Earth look like if it had rings like Saturn? 

This animation was done by Roy Prol, and it shows not only how the rings would look from space, but also the view Earthlings would have of the rings.  Prol says the ring views from Earth's surface were created according to the location's latitude and the viewer's orientation, and that the size of the rings was calculated respecting the Roche limit for the Earth. 

A very intriguing concept, and the video is very well done.  The only bad thing about Earth having rings is that we probably wouldn't have our Moon, and we wouldn't have just found water on it!

Watch the video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT2sQ7KIQ-E

You can read a very old discussion in the BAUT forum on the prospect of Earth having rings.

Universe Today

 Can Hitchiking Microbes Survive Millions of Years of Space Travel?  Experts Say "Yes" 

In a unique experiment on a galactic scale, millions of bacterial spores were purposely exposed to space, to see how solar radiation affects them and the results supported the idea that not only could life have arrived on Earth on meteorites, but that considerable material has flowed between planets.

Closer to home, scientists have analyzed aerial dust samples collected by Charles Darwin and confirmed that microbes can travel across continents without the need for planes or trains – rather bacteria and fungi hitch-hike by attaching to dust particles.  Their results clearly show that diverse microbes, including ascomycetes, and eubacteria can live for centuries and survive intercontinental travel.

Researchers and their colleagues analyzed dust samples collected by Charles Darwin and others almost 200 years ago. Recent space-centric studies have shown that some rock-inhabiting organisms, known as "endoliths," might be able to survive a trip through space and a plunge through a planet's atmosphere to the surface.  However, nobody knew whether these organisms could survive the initial trip into space.

Recently, an international team of researchers, led by Gerda Horneck of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Cologne, Germany, selected a number of hardy microbes from Earth and tested their ability to hitchhike aboard rocks similar to Martian meteorites. The organisms used in the study included bacterial endospores, endolithic cyanobacteria and lichens.  This selection provided a wider range of organisms than in other studies performed to date, including not just simple bacteria but also more complex eukaryotic organisms.

The researchers looked at previous studies of Martian meteorites that provided information about the kinds of forces needed to eject rocks from a large planet.  Using this data, the researchers developed a series of tests designed to simulate these pressures on the selected organisms. By smashing the life-containing rocks between metal plates, the researchers were able to determine which organisms are capable of surviving different pressures caused by asteroid impacts and ejection into space.  Ultimately, they discovered that a wide range of organisms would be capable of surviving impacts on or Earth.

"Our results enlarge the number of potential organisms that might be able to reseed a planetary surface after early very large impact events, and suggest that such a re-seeding scenario on a planetary surface is possible with diverse organisms," the researchers report.

In earlier experiments, Horneck and her colleagues used the Russian Foton satellite to expose 50 million unprotected spores of the bacterium Bacillus Subtilis outside the satellite.  UV radiation from the Sun killed nearly all of the spores, and did so even when the spores were confined under quartz.

To test if meteorites might protect bacteria on their journey through space, Horneck and her colleagues mixed samples of 50 million spores with particles of clay, red sandstone, Martian meteorite, or simulated Martian soil and made small lumps a centimeter in diameter.  Between 10,000 and 100,000 spores of the original 50 million survived and when mixed with red sandstone, nearly all survived, suggesting that even meteorites a centimeter in diameter can carry life from one planet to another, if they completed the journey within a few years.  In a rock a meter across, bacteria could probably survive for millions of years.

Bacteria were even found in wreckage of the shuttle Columbia when it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in 2003.  And Earthly lichen survived when exposed to the harsh environment of space. Interesting stuff huh?

Daily Galaxy

Space Beer: Japan Unveils Beer Grown In Outer Space    

Is all this space travel worthwhile?  Will it really contribute to our civilization or our touchingly naive way of life?  Will it even lift our spirits? Of course I'm sure it will and I even have some space-sourced spirit lifting to share.

Japan's Sapporo Breweries, the entity that brings you those large silver tins of beer to complement your rainbow roll, announced this week that it is launching space beer. Yep, you (burp!) heard right!

Sapporo "Space Barley", with its cute outer-space sparkling starred label, has been created using barley grown on the International Space Station.
I am not sure what revolutionary taste values barley grown in the black beyond brings to a beer, but I'm concerned that it can't possibly be as fine as the Hahn Lite that got me through another bad day at this office last week.

I know you'll be wondering how to get your fingers around Space Barley's neck.  It seems you will have to trust your good fortune and your, um, trust fund.  There's a lottery.  The 250 winners will enjoy a six-pack.  Just one.  The approximate price of being able to drink in a little space is $115.  Which works out to about $19 for each 330 milliliter of celestial flavor.

You will be relieved to learn that this project is not for profit.  Instead, all the proceeds will go to an educational science charity for Japanese children. See, they're the good guys!!

You will be even more relieved that the noble forces of science are finally being put to this most elemental of human uses.  Indeed, if Space Barley reveals itself to have a taste somewhat superior to a Good Tooheys or American Budweiser (which I know is terribly tough to imagine), perhaps we might soon see an increase in space beer production. It is surely many a human being's dream: the Unidentified Flying Brewery. C/ya!

CNet News

 Is There A Photograph Of The Universe

Any baby photos of the Univers you ask? Yep, sure is. It's called the 'Hubble Ultras Deep Field'. Composed of 800 individual frames, acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope between 3 September 2003 and 16 January 2004.

It shows the most distant structures and gives the deepest view of the visible universe that has so far been obtained. 

 If the question means "Has anyone stepped outside of the universe with a camera and taken a picture of it?" then the answer is, of course, no, we used a telescope from orbit. 

The concept of 'universe' means the totality of all things, including space and time.  So logically, there can be no 'outside' to the universe…although speculative cosmological theories propose other concepts. One – very abstract – representation of the universe is the map of the cosmic background radiation. 

But again, the most graphic image is the picture of a small region of the sky taken by the Hubble Space Telescope: the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF). The region of space observed by the Hubble in the HUDF is very small – about as much of the sky as would be visible through a two and a half meter long drinking straw.  But the HUDF is by far the most detailed astronomical image ever created.

It shows the most distant structures and gives the deepest view of the visible universe that has so far been obtained.  The HUDF gives an idea of the size of the universe. It zooms in on an apparently uninteresting area of the sky and, where other telescopes would have shown us at most a couple of stars, it shows almost 10,000 galaxies.

Astronomers have found among them the darkest and most distant galaxies so far discovered – light from these objects takes over 13 billion years to reach Earth (and hence the lens of the Hubble). Image Credit: NASA, ESA,

Sky Nightly

Triangular UFOs Becoming More Common

On November 24 2009 at 9:45 pm, a commercial airline pilot in the Cordova area was looking to the north at departing air-traffic from the Memphis airport, when he saw what he described as a diamond-shaped craft pass directly under a CRJ-200 [Canadair Regional Jetliner]. 

This pilot who has asked to remain anonymous said the jet was flying at about 8000 feet and the Unknown flew under it at an approximate altitude of 6000 feet [a close call in terms of air-traffic safety regulations].  The pilot said the UFO was on a flight path from east to west and traveling at somewhere between Mach 1 and Mach 1.5.  He said that it was banking slightly to the north-west as it flew under the jet, so he got a view of its underside.

He described it as a perfect triangle with dim white lights at its corners and about 200 ft across, easily as large as a 747.  Though it was somewhat hazy in appearance, he said he saw it distinctly enough to make out that it was a solid body with the lights attached.  It had no stobe lights and was totally silent.  He observed it for about 20 seconds until it passed out of sight .
This man has been flying all his life and is very knowledgable about airplanes.  He said he has never personally witnessed any aircraft this strange before.  He commented in the interview the next day with investigators that he was very confident that it was nothing of ours, military or otherwise.  In his report he stated that this sighting left him feeling numb.

When interviewed, he admitted that he was still shaken by what he had witnessed. When asked if he experienced anything else strange or unusual in the immediate aftermath of this sighting, he mentioned that one hour after he saw the UFO, a helicopter flew directly over his house at about 3500 ft.  altitude coming from the same direction the triangle UFO had been heading when it departed.  He said this helicopter had no lights on it!  This is in serious violation of FAA regulations, especially as this was within a fifteen-mile radius of the Memphis airport.  He said that not even military aircraft can turn their lights off unless it is a combat situation.

He did say he was able to see a dim light in the cockpit of the chopper.  And he also said that it was a single prop and at least 80% certain that it was a Bell Jet Ranger which is used by not only the military but also by the police and hospitals. [This pilot sent an e-mail to the reporter after the interview with a link to some video footage of the Belgium triangle UFO that many observed flying in the night skies of that country in the early 90's and stated that this was exactly what he saw.]

Memphis UFO Examiner.

Robbie Williams wants to hunt UFOs in Australia

Robbie Williams is house hunting in Australia – so he can go UFO hunting. True!! The 'Bodies' singer arrived in Sydney last week with girlfriend Adya Field to promote his new album, 'Reality Killed the Video Star', and will also use the trip as an opportunity to find a property in the Australian Outback.

One of Robbie's team has already been to visit the Holiday Park, in Wycliffe Well, which has more reported UFO sightings than any other place in Australia.

Lew Farkas, the owner of the Holiday Park, told the Courier News newspaper: "A mate of his came and stayed here and was telling me how Robbie was right into UFOs and was a real buff on the subject.  He said he would let him know about Wycliffe Well and the UFO element.

"Being the UFO buff that he is, it would fit in with his way of thinking.  Maybe it could be a joint venture.  He might want to invest in it and I could look after it."
Wycliffe Well is ranked 5th in the world for reported UFO sightings which date as far back as World War II when serving armed forces recorded strange things in the sky. Robbie – who became interested in aliens while living in Los Angeles – recently revealed he had a premnition he would eventually live Down Under.

He said: "I'm thinking of coming down there.  I have been looking for places out in the Outback, maybe a farm.
Robbie, 35, claims he has had had three alien encounters in his lifetime.

He says the first was when he saw a "square thing" passed 300 feet above his head while he relaxed on a sun lounger at the Beverley Hills hotel in California.  The second was while he was playing a song he wrote about alien contact called 'Arizona'.
Robbie who also says while he was in a recording studio a "big strip of black light" miraculously appeared in the room.

Ireland On line

US To Continue Using Russian Spacecraft After 2010

 The U.S.  ambassador to Moscow confirmed on Tuesday that the United States will continue to use Russian Soyuz spacecraft after space shuttles retire from service in 2010.

"Soon, when space shuttles are taken out of operation, we will only be using your Soyuz rockets to put our astronauts into orbit," John Beyrle said in an online conference.

The new Orion spacecraft, still in development in the U.S., will not be put into service until 2014.

Soyuz spacecraft have been contracted to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA signed a contract with the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos to provide transportation services to the U.S.  segment of the ISS with Russian Progress freighters and Soyuz manned spacecraft in 2007.

Under the $700 million contract, Russia will build two Soyuz and four Progress spacecraft for NASA.

 RIA Novosti

"Hypernovas" – The Most Violent Object in the Universe

Most astronomers today believe that one of the most plausible reasons we have yet to detect intelligent life in the universe is due to the deadly effects of local supernova explosions that wipe out all life in a given region of a galaxy.

While there is, on average, only one supernova per galaxy per century, there is something on the order of 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe. 

Taking 10 billion years for the age of the Universe (it's actually 13.7 billion, but stars didn't form for the first few hundred million), Dr.  Richard Mushotzky of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, derived a figure of 1 billion supernovae per year, or 30 supernovae per second in the observable Universe!

Certain rare stars -real killers -type 11 stars, are core-collapse hypernova that generate deadly gamma ray bursts (GRBs).  These long burst objects release 1000 times the non-neutrino energy release of an ordinary "core-collapse" supernova.  On March 29, 2003, a burst went off close enough that the follow-up observations were decisive in solving the gamma-ray burst mystery.  

In addition, observations from x-ray satellites showed the same characteristic signature of "shocked" and "heated" oxygen that's also present in supernovae.  Thus, astronomers were able to determine the "afterglow" light of a relatively close gamma-ray burst (located "just" 2 billion light years away)

It isn't known if every hypernova is associated with a GRB.  However, astronomers estimate only about one out of 100,000 supernovae produce a hypernova.  This works out to about one gamma-ray burst per day, which is in fact what is observed. What is almost certain is that the core of the star involved in a given hypernova is massive enough to collapse into a black hole (rather than a neutron star).  So every GRB detected is also the "birth cry" of a new black hole. Who ever said science is boring!

Canadian trees destined for space.

 A Canadian botanical experiment aimed at seeing how trees grow in outer space was launched in  late November on the space shuttle Atlantisay from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The study, called APEX-Cambium, headed for the International Space Station where it will help determine how gravity plays a role in the formation of different kinds of wood and gain a better understanding of fundamental biological processes in trees.

The shuttle delivered 24 willow saplings to the orbiting station where Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk conducted the experiment. Thirsk created loops in the stems of some of the trees and let the others grow naturally.

After 30 days, the trees will be harvested and preserved for their journey back to Earth where they will be analyzed by University of New Brunswick professor Rodney Savidge, who is leading the experiment.

Canwest News Service 

Virgin Galactic Poised to Unveil World's First Private Spaceship

All is in readiness for Tomorrow's (Monday US Time) unveiling of SpaceShipTwo – the first-class space tourist's wonder machine at the core of the space tourism firm Virgin Galactic's suborbital fleet.

The scene is spacecraft manufacturer Scaled Composites at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.  No doubt, there's plenty of pomp and circumstance that's due this debut – although specific aspects about the rocket plane's rollout remain under wraps.

SpaceShipTwo is a carbon composite cousin in construction and design to SpaceShipOne – the privately financed, single-piloted spacecraft that bagged the $10 million Ansari X Prize purse by flying back-to-back treks to suborbital space in 2004.

That "Tier One" project was under the wing of veteran aerospace designer Burt Rutan, along with his team at Scaled Composites, and funded by greenbacks from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.  Over $100 million in cold cash was doled out in hot pursuit of the prize. Fast forward to the present. SpaceShipTwo is a six-passenger, two-pilot affair.  But this time, the endeavor is backed by British billionaire and knighted adventurer Sir Richard Branson.

Never short on entrepreneurial chutzpa, Branson created Virgin Galactic, a firm keen on cornering the public-travel-to-outer-space market – first to suborbital heights and then, given a follow-on spaceship design, onward to orbital jaunts. The suborbital SpaceShipTwo is powered by a hybrid rocket motor, with strap-in accommodations going for US$200,000 a seat.  Some 250 Virgin Galactic astronauts-in-training have already reserved tickets, according to the group's website.

The airliner-sized White Knight Two — painted in the livery of Virgin Galactic and dubbed VMS Eve — has also been built under contract by Scaled Composites for Virgin Galactic and will serve as the high-altitude mothership – not only for deploying the passenger-carrying SpaceShipTwo but also for lobbing satellites into low Earth orbit.

Branson's Virgin Galactic is establishing its headquarters to operate private space flights from Spaceport America, billed as the world's first "purpose built" commercial spaceport which is now under construction outside Las Cruces, New Mexico.

"Everyone at Scaled is looking forward to the Virgin Galactic 'unveil event' on December 7," said Rutan, who founded Scaled Composites and now serves as the firm's chief technology officer and chairman emeritus.

Space.Com

Amazing Hubble SpaceTelescope Fact

A Washington Post reporter was up in Baltimore at the Space Telescope Science Institute recently where famed astronomer Mario Livio was explaining the Hubble pics to him. 

"Mario knows everything about the universe, so far as I can tell.  He certainly knows the Hubble.  He was a terrific source for information as I prepared the story and he helped me with the fact-checking," the reporter said.

He asked Livio: "How much of the sky has the Hubble seen?  Like, what portion of the universe has been directly observed by the great space telescope?"

He conferred with a colleague and they did a rough, back of the envelope calculation (actually Mario did it in his head, but you know what I mean).

So what's your best guess? In 19 years…  What percentage of the heavens has Hubble observed?

The answer is: 1 percent.  What??? One percent?? Yep, not much is it!

Now, Mario may extend and revise his calculation at some point.  But the point is the same: Most of the universe has never been observed in Hubble-like detail. Infinite wonders await discovery.

Washington Post

Amazing Pics!!! : The latest Shuttle Landing Spotted By Keen Photographer Phil Kimbro.

 Occasionally I get sent some amazing pics of shuttle launches and the shuttle coming back to land but when a buddy takes some shots, and goes out on a limb to do it, I take notice! Well, last week I got some more  …and best of all – they were taken by a friend of mine, Phil Kimbro, from Florida.  He saw on TV that the Shuttle was about to land so he hopped in his car and hauled ass to the Shuttle landing facility (which he is badged to get close to, if not on the field itself) and took these amazing shots. 

   

On a  visit toFlorida last year, staying with my close friends Tom and Trish Savage from Merrit Island, I visited the Kennedy Space Centre for another look over this amazing complex. UnfortunatelyI I was a day or two away from a shuttle launch and had to move on to The Florida Keys…(poor dave) but before that I had the pleasure of spending a day with Phil accompanied by Tom and wife Trish who showed me around some of the old rocket launch sites, most now merely rusted relics of a once proud space program. Guys, I'll be back next year to watch the last launch of the shuttle so keep a spot warm for me OK?

Story and pics supplied by: Tom Savage, Florida USA.   Thanks Tom!!

 Northern Galactic: November Image Of The Month Winner Eddie Trimarchi!

Every month at Northern Galactic, members upload their completed imaging projects in order to give other members and International Media Publishers plenty of 'Eye Candy' to admire and the month of November was no exception. 

And again, this particular image just took the cake..40 Hours of exposure in the making, 3 part mosaic, 130 x 240 Arcminutes…geeze And WHO..is the culprit?  None other than Australias own, Eddie Trimarchi.

"This is another largish project for me.  So far totalling 40 hours of exposures over October 12, 22, 23 and November 2, 3, 12 and 13" Eddie remarked.

This is a 3-part mosaic taken with an FSQ106ED and f3.7 reducer (390mm), with an ST10xe and Baader Filters, covering around 130×240 arcminutes of the LMC centre.  There was several weeks of intensive processing in order to make it all come together, much of this was in gradient correction and colour balancing as the weather quickly deteriorated into our usual messy summer skies after mid November. http://www.northerngalactic.com/forum/news.php

Eddie…Youve done it again.  Congratulations…
 http://www.northerngalactic.com/

Spock's Astronomy Quiz 

Have you ever wanted to test your astronomy knowledge against the best? Then take the warp speed jump to Spock's Astro Quiz. It's more than just astronomy trivia, it's a great way to test your astronomy knowledge, learn more about astronomy related topics and interact via live chat with others interested in astronomy…

Welcome to Spock's Astro Quiz, a great place to see just how much you know about astronomy and to enjoy the company of astronomy minded individuals. No special knowledge, secret passwords, or fancy hoops to jump through to enjoy the fun… All you have to do is click Log In and get started!

While you're there, this interactive site will not only allow to test your astronomy skill against Spock's, but to chat live with astronomy-minded visitors and play against each other as well. Just a word of caution though… Spock plays a clean astronomy game. Use a swear word and you'll be warned once. Do it again and you're permanently beamed out. The astronomy quiz and astronomy chat board is continually monitored and safe for players of all ages. Solicitors of any type will be immediately banned. Test your astronomy skill… Enjoy the company of other astronomy friends during cloudy nights… And live long and prosper!

Brought to you by Macedon Ranges Observatory.      http://www.northerngalactic.com/forum/news.php

 

"The End of the World as We Know It" – The Rise of Google (VIDEO)

No, it's not what you think, BUT an amazing video to watch if you are interested in how GOOGLE operates. You will be surprised, as I was…watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbmogOWa6_4&feature=player_embedded

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 NEWS SNIPPETS

China to Launch New Moon Orbiter in 2010 The country's space agency has big plans

Native land agreement made for ASKAP astronomy project

New Zealand Enters Space Race

Mars Odyssey Orbiter Puts Itself Into Safe Standby

LHC Officially Becomes Most Powerful Accelerator

After 6 months in space, Robert Thirsk needs a 'long, hot shower'

Mars Meteorite Debate Continues

Data From Outer Space Opens New

World's largest telescope spells golden age of astronomy

ObsSolar Plant in Space Gets Go-Aheadervatory detects first water in distant galaxy

Britain shuts down UFO-hunting unit

                     

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    FEATURE STORY

ET: Check your voicemail

Alien beings on faraway planets may not have noticed, but it’s been 35 years since human beings made the first deliberate effort to send them a message.

In 1974, astronomers Carl Sagan and Frank Drake, both working at Cornell University, used the world’s biggest and most powerful radio telescope to transmit a one-of-a-kind three-minute message.  It consisted of 1,679 bits — ones and zeroes — and was cleverly designed to produce a simple image revealing something about humans’ size and shape, our solar system, the dish that sent the message, and even the biochemistry of our bodies.

Joe Davis, a research affiliate in MIT’s biology department and a former artist-in-residence at MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies, decided that the Earth’s first broadcast to aliens was an event worth commemorating, and set out to find an appropriate way of marking the occasion.

Earlier this month, a few days before the message’s Nov.  16 anniversary, he beamed a new message from the same telescope, the Arecibo dish in Puerto Rico — using his iPhone as an improvised source to get the new coded message modulated into the 1,000-foot-wide dish’s two- million-watt radio beam.

The iPhone wasn’t part of the original plan, but when Davis arrived at the radio telescope site, the director there told him that the encoder normally used to modulate the powerful beam was out of commission.  He suggested that Davis postpone the transmission.  Fearing that he might not get another chance, Davis and a friend worked through the night to create an alternative method.  They came up with a workaround using the iPhone’s audio-recording capability and some scrounged connector cables.

Afterward, Ann Druyan, Sagan’s widow, read about Davis’ transmission and sent him a note thanking him for commemorating the 1974 message, “and especially for doing it with such flair.” She added, “I know Carl would have loved the iPhone story.  (As did I.)”

For the message, Davis chose to represent RuBisCO (short for ribulose- 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase), which may be the most common protein molecule in all of Earth’s myriad life forms.  Not only is RuBisCO a ubiquitous biomolecule, Davis explains, it’s also a key to living beings’ very survival, since it’s a basis for photosynthesis, the energy source for nearly all terrestrial life forms.

The targets were carefully chosen, too — three nearby stars, ranging from 12 to 30 light years away, that are similar to our sun.  So, since radio waves travel at the speed of light, it wil take 12 to 30 years for the message to reach its destinations.  In contrast to the target of the Sagan- Drake transmission — a star cluster 25,000 light years away that will have moved far from its original location by the time the beam gets there, and therefore will never get the message — these stars will still be there when the radio waves arrive.

Davis calls the project “Rubisco Stars.” His detailed report of the process of getting his message beamed out to the three nearby stars has already been posted on several science blogs (including Centauri Dreams).

The message, like its predecessor 35 years ago, is really aimed more at earthlings than at aliens, whose chances of receiving the message, let alone interpreting it, are vanishingly small.  The real idea is to get people thinking about what it would mean to converse with beings whose nature and environment are far beyond our imagination.  As Davis points out, “there are intelligent beings on Earth we can’t communicate with.”

In that sense, this is, like most of Davis’ work, a blend of science and art.  For a project in the 1980s, for example, he arranged with NASA to create an artistic piece from the space shuttle’s payload bay.  The project would have used a high-powered electron gun to produce an artificial aurora, but it was one of many payloads canceled after the Challenger disaster in 1986.

In recent years, Davis has worked with the tools of genetic engineering to embed tiny artworks inside the genomes of microbes — creating sequences of DNA bases that can, with an appropriate translation scheme, be decoded into a series of binary numbers that, arranged in a grid, form simple line drawings.  He has also produced “DNA prayer flags,” colorful Tibetan-style patchwork designs decorated with the genetic codes (in standard ACGT notation) of known disease markers on the human genome.  The flags have been displayed by people all over the globe (at least three Nobel laureates among them), and are, Davis says, “kind of a cool connection between religion and molecular genetics that nobody can really argue with.”

The prayer flags are not Davis’ only attempt to meld science, art and religion.  In the biology labs of MIT professor emeritus Alexander Rich, where Davis often works on his projects, there are jars containing the parts of disassembled clocks, immersed in water.  Davis says, wryly, that if the molecules that form the basis of life could have spontaneously self-assembled in Earth’s primordial seas, as most biologists believe, why couldn’t a clock — a much simpler system — also spontaneously assemble itself?  The jars have been sitting there for a few years.  So far, Davis says, he’s seen no signs of self-assembly.

Davis moved from the Center for Advanced Visual Studies to the biology department in 1986.  He had been discussing some of his ideas for microbial art with Rich when, as Davis describes it, Rich asked him, “What are they paying you over there?” “Nothing,” Davis replied.  Rich immediately said, “I’ll match it!” Davis has been working in the biology department ever since.

While much of his work is microscopic, transient or inscrutable, perhaps his most visible creation was a large stainless-steel globe surrounded by steam jets.  This work is located prominently in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., next to the MIT campus.

But the microbial artworks — though they’re invisible to the eye, and though their jars have only once been publicly displayed outside Rich’s lab in building 68 — are self-reproducing.  And therefore, Davis explains with a grin, they’ve become the most-reproduced artworks in the world, with billions of copies.

"I'm probably the most successful publisher in history," Davis told a writer for Scientific American a few years ago, referring to his exponentially reproducing microbial art.  And now, with Rubisco Stars, he may also be responsible for the most widely disseminated artwork ever produced on Earth — even if nobody ever sees it.

Besides, he adds, he now owns what he calls the world’s coolest phone.  “Who knows who’s going to be calling back?”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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 == IN THE SKY THIS WEEK ==

 The last quarter Moon is Wednesday December 9.  In the morning, Mars is readily visible in the eastern sky.  Red Mars is now the constellation of Leo.  Mars is a distinct gibbous disk in a small telescope, and becomes bigger and brighter during the week in the lead up to opposition in January.  On Monday December 7 the Moon is close to Mars, then on Tuesday December 8 the Moon is close to the bright star Regulus.  Saturn is visible low in the morning sky between the bright stars Regulus and Spica.  On Thursday December 10 the crescent Moon is close to Saturn.

Mercury can be seen above the south-western horizon between half an hour to an hour after sunset.  This week it moves into the 'teapot' of Sagittarius, on Thursday December 10 it is very close to the star Lambda Sagittarii, the 'lid' of the teapot.  Jupiter is easily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky and its moons are readily visible in binoculars or a small telescope.

The annual Geminid meteor shower, which will reach its maximum on the night of December  13-14 and probably the 15th, usually offers the best show of the year, outperforming even the Perseid shower of August.  This year the Geminids will peak three days after new moon, so viewing conditions should be favorable.  In a clear sky, observers may see more than 100 meteors per hour. 

 http://abcmail.net.au/t/729199/682450/11560/0/

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ASTRO PIC OF THE WEEK

A Stunning View of an Ancient, Violent Event -The Orion Nebula

 This stunning, new NASA image of the Orion Nebula highlights the region of massive star formation closest to Earth.  Formally known as the M42 nebula, it is estimated to be 24 light years across, the nebula is a living lab of protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, intense and turbulent motions of gas, and photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars.  There are also supersonic "bullets" of gas piercing the dense hydrogen clouds believed to have been formed one thousand years ago from an unknown violent event -each are ten times the diameter of Pluto's orbit and tipped with iron atoms glowing bright blue.

Daily Galaxy

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