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

 Your letters are welcome on any subject covered by the scope of this newsletter or any aspect of astronomy/space in general. All letters requesting help or advice will be answered personally by me.

 

Please take me off your list. 

I DO NOT want to get your news I took your advice and purchased one acre on the Moon from The Lunar Real Estate Company after seeing a story you wrote some time back in your newsletter.  I paid $29.95 over the internet for the land via credit card.
Now, I'm told I really don't own it – I cannot legally claim it.  I was counting on this and now I'm not happy.  They won't even give me a refund.

Leon B.

Well, Leon.  All I can say is that P.T.  Barnum was right……..  Sorry to lose such a valued subscriber but I will take you off the mailing list.  BY the way, the Flat Earth Society are looking for members…

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 Hi Dave,

Merry Xmas.  Keep up the good work on Astro Space News.

Regards.  Peter K.

Hi Peter

You too mate.  All the best and MERRY EVERYTHING!  :
(At least he likes me. 

Regards.  Dave

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Dave

Your web page misspells "Celestron".  Sorry, I have this pedantic eye problem; I see a typo and feel I have to do something about it. 

Doug

WOW…Yep, thanks Doug.  I'll fix that ASAP.  I too hate these errors so happy to have anything like this pointed out.  Ta

 Dave

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Dave

A simple question – Do you think we can predict the future?

Doug

Hi Doug

Damn gooood question and I have a simple answer – I think not because, how can one predict something that hasn't happened.  If you could predict it – to me – it must have actually 'happened'…  somewhere…and that's not only a contradiction in terms, it's also ridiculous. I believe we all make the future, from micro-second to micro-second as we move through life.  The actions of one determine how another reacts/moves/thinks/acts etc…  if you get my meaning.  The future to me is where we are going, not something that is 'there' and 'laid' out for us to come across.  I like you.  You remind me of me

Regards.  Dave 

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Dave

Thanks for your reply, I greatly appreciate your openness.  I'm a practising Christian so we may see things in the light of different final outcomes but as you are not an expert on global warming neither am I a scientist and there is much to learn. As for global warming, it is quite possible that things are changing and man certainly is accountable for his stewardship of the planet, but as you have observed, this current phenomenon is more likely to be the result of something that is going on with the sun. Once again, thanks, will continue listening.

Kindest regards. 

Brad

Hi Brad

You're very welcome.  I appreciate the tenor of your email and respect your opinion.  The climatic issue will no doubt continue on and all sides will have their say…  that's good.  I only hope common sense prevails, that all issues are investigated according to their own individual merits and I hope too that dialogue like ours continues.  That is the true road to finding an answer.

Regards.  Dave. 

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Hi Dave,

Thought you might be interested in the link below.  This may help you to understand that the biblical account does state that the star was around for a bit longer than a few days.  Note that the Magi took a few months to get to see the baby Jesus and by that time it rested over Jerusalem – he was few months old by then – unbelievably coincidental.

Regards Brett.

Hi Brett

Nice to hear from you and thanks for that link.  Yes, I'm, familiar with this, in fact I've had corresondence between us while I was compiling my E-Book.  I agree with you about the co-incidences in all this.  It amazes me sometimes.  There is so much conjecture in biblical accounts of dates, times and the people involved, I simply had to selct one account to work from and base all reseach on that.  Again, this exercise wasn't to validate anyone's birthdate.  It was simply a scientific project to try and validate the reported sighting of a 'star' – and we found it.  All the best.

Regards.  Dave 

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Thanks for the reply Dave,

By the way, have you heard about the new earth like planet that was discovered?  its been dubbed "super earth".  quite exiting really.  here's a link. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/984735/scientists-discover-earth-like-planet-study Also what's your professional opinion on that strange spiral over Norway?  I don't believe its a rocket malfunction, smells like a cover up to me.
here's another link.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1234430/Mystery-spiral-blue-light-display-hovers-Norway.html

Hi Daniel

Yep, the new 'Super earths' are certainly encouraging.  These are of course inhospitable for life as we know it BUT they are a precursor for what's to come – the day is close when we'll find earth sized worlds, with atmospheres conducive to life. Regarding the 'Norway Phenomena' – unfortunately no mystery as far as I'm concerned and really no valid reason to suspect any more than an errant missile.  Media reports claimed a missile had indeed been launched from the White Sea.  Test firings are usually made from the White Sea, close to the Norwegian Arctic region.  Newspapers reported that a test-firing before dawn on the Wednesday coincided with the light show in the northern sky. So Daniel, no need to invoke a mystery to solve a mystery.  Ten years of being a UFO investigator taught me that.  : Best for Xmas to you and yours as well.

Dave

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 Hi David,

I read your post about Victoria Principal's intergalactic vacation, I think you and your readers will find the following video interesting:
http://www.newsy.com/videos/the_dawn_of_space_tourism The video uses news coverage from different sources to describe the Virgin Galactic space chip from specs to mission .  I hope you will consider embedding the video in your post. Newsy.com videos combine and analyze news global news coverage to highlight new perspectives and to give users a well-rounded view of issues and events. Please let me know if you have any questions. Rosa

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  THIS WEEK'S TOP STORY

 

Astronomers Find Super-Earth With An Atmosphere       TTH 

   

This artist's conception shows the newly discovered super-Earth GJ 1214b, which orbits a red dwarf star 40 light-years from our Earth.  Credit: Credit: David A.  Aguilar, CfA

More exoplanets this week!  Today astronomers announced the discovery of so called super-Earth around a nearby, low-mass star, GJ1214.  The newly discovered planet has a mass about six times that of Earth and 2.7 times its radius, falling in between the size of Earth and the ice giants of the Solar System, Uranus and Neptune.  But this latest exoplanet, GJ1214b, has something else, too: an atmosphere about 200 km thick.

"This atmosphere is much thicker than that of the Earth, so the high pressure and absence of light would rule out life as we know it," said David Charbonneau, lead author of a paper in Nature reporting the discovery, "but these conditions are still very interesting, as they could allow for some complex chemistry to take place." GJ1214b is also a very hot place to be.  It orbits its star once every 38 hours at a distance of only two million kilometres — 70 times closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun.  "Being so close to its host star, the planet must have a surface temperature of about 200 degrees Celsius, too hot for water to be liquid," said Charbonneau.

However, another member of the team said water ice could possibly be present on GJ1214b, deep inside the heart of the planet.  "Despite its hot temperature, this appears to be a waterworld," said graduate Zachory Berta who first spotted the hint of the planet among the data.  "It is much smaller, cooler, and more Earth-like than any other known exoplanet." The star is a small, red type M star about one-fifth the size of our Sun.  It has a surface temperature of only about 2,700 C (4,900 degrees F) and a luminosity only three-thousandths as bright as the Sun.

Calçada Charbonneau compared this new exoplanet to Corot-7b, the first rocky super-Earth found using the transit method, when the planet's orbit is takes it across the face of its parent star, from our vantage point.  The astronomers were also able to obtain the mass and radius of GJ1214b, allowing them to determine the density and to infer the inner structure.

Although the mass of GJ1214b is similar to that of Corot-7b, its radius is much larger, suggesting that the composition of the two planets must be quite different.  While Corot-7b probably has a rocky core and may be covered with lava, astronomers believe that three quarters of GJ1214b is composed of water ice, the rest being made of silicon and iron.

"The differences in composition between these two planets are relevant to the quest for habitable worlds," said Charbonneau.  "If super-Earth planets in general are surrounded by an atmosphere similar to that of GJ1214b, they may well be inhospitable to the development of life as we know it on our own planet."

"Because the planet is too hot to have kept an atmosphere for long, GJ1214b represents the first opportunity to study a newly formed atmosphere enshrouding a world orbiting another star," said Xavier Bonfils, another member of the team.  "Because the planet is so close to us, it will be possible to study its atmosphere even with current facilities."

The planet was first discovered as a transiting object within the MEarth project, which follows about 2000 low-mass stars to look for transits by exoplanets, and uses a fleet of eight small, (16-inch) amateur-sized ground-based telescopes.

The next step for astronomers is to try to directly detect and characterize the atmosphere, which will require a space-based instrument like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.  GJ1214b is only 40 light-years from Earth, within the reach of current observatories. 

 Universe Today      

    MORE ASTRO-SPACE NEWS   

 

 Alien Star Sigourney Says""No" To Space Flight

 ALIEN star Sigourney Weaver has turned down an invitation from Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson to join him on a journey into space.The 60-year-old actress issued a public plea to Branson in 2008, begging the British entrepreneur to let her be the next celebrity to venture into space.

She said, "I'd love to go (to space).  Sure, if I had the opportunity.  I read somewhere that I was going…  I apparently was on the passenger list.  I was apparently on the invitation (from Branson)."

The invitation eventually turned up on her doorstep, but Weaver admits she chose to decline the offer because the sci-fi icon, who famously battled extraterrestrials in space as Lieutenant Ellen Ripley in the horror franchise, didn't want to scare other passengers on the Virgin Galactic 'spaceliner'.

She says, "Richard Branson was kind enough to invite me but I thought the last thing people who pay that kind of money want to see is me, coming out, looking in the overhead rack looking for God knows what.  There might be an alien aboard!  'What's she doing here?  What does it mean?!'"

A trip on the first privately developed carrier is estimated to cost $200,000 (£125,000). Bosses at Branson's Virgin Galactic will begin testing the craft early next year (10), with the first flights due to launch in 2011

ContactMusic.Com 

YouTube SciFi Video Snags Big Hollywood Contract

A producer from Uruguay who uploaded a short film to YouTube in November 2009 has been offered a $30 million contract to make a Hollywood film. 

The movie will be sponsored by director Sam Raimi, whose credits include the Spiderman and Evil Dead films. 

Fede Alvarez's short film "Ataque de Panico!" (Panic Attack!) features giant robots invading and destroying Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. 

This is amazing and it contains some really well done animation of characters. This year has seen the emergenc of many sci-fi related themes and that trend looks set to continuue well into 2010.

View here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk

 NASA to Get Bigger Budget and New Launcher
OK, I guesswe were wrong yesterday when we said nothing happened during the meeting between President Obama and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. 

Science Magazine has now published this:

President Barack Obama will ask Congress next year to fund a new heavy-lift launcher to take humans to the moon, asteroids, and the moons of Mars, ScienceInsider has learned.  The president chose the new direction for the U.S.  human space flight program Wednesday at a White House meeting with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, according to officials familiar with the discussion. 

NASA would receive an additional $1 billion in 2011 both to get the new launcher on track and to bolster the agency’s fleet of robotic Earth-monitoring spacecraft.

If this is true, it would mean Ares would be scrapped for another, simpler heavy-lift vehicle that could be ready to fly as early as 2018.  Science News also said that European countries, Japan, and Canada would be asked to work on a lunar lander and modules for a moon base, saving the U.S.  several billion dollars, and commercial companies would take over the job of getting supplies to the international space station.

So, what about the "flexible path" suggested by the Augustine Commission?  If this plan is implemented, U.S.  partners focus on lunar exploration, and NASA — while helping out with the Moon missions, might also focus on missions to asteroids and Phobos and Deimos to prepare for a later human landing on the Red Planet in the distant future. 

To prepare for human visits, NASA may order additional robotic missions to the martian moons and asteroids in coming years. Nothing's official yet; we'll have to wait and see what actually transpires….

Universe Today

Solar Activity is Picking Up

The current solar cycle (24) has been pretty boring, but a new sunspot — 1035 — is growing rapidly and now is seven times wider than Earth. 

Solar astronomers are predicting it could grow to be the largest sunspot of the year.  There's not been a lot of competition for the biggest sunspot, though: for 259 days (or 74%) of 2009, the sun has been spotless.  But maybe the (solar) tide is turning. 

There's been other action recently besides the new sunspot.  A long-duration C4-class solar flare erupted this morning at 0120 UT from around the sunspot, which hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) towards Earth.  

Observers at high-latitude could see some aurora action when the CME arrives on or about Dec.  18th.  Keep cheering; maybe the sun will come out of its doldrums.

Remember, don't look at the Sun directly to try and see the sunspot.  NASA has a great site that gives real-time data and updated images of the Sun from SoHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.) Or check out Spaceweather.com, , which also provides updates.

Universe Today  

Couple Plans to Get Married in Space – But Will it Be Legal?
Cindy Cashman and Mitch Walling of Texas, will travel to Oklahoma in a couple of years, board a craft operated by Rocketplane Inc., and become the first couple to be married in space. 

It will be an expensive trip, but  the couple have already begun paying for it. Cashman, a speaker, author and entrepreneur, thinks, as they liked to say back in the '90s, "outside the box" and looks beyond what's immediately available. 

She conceived the idea for a wedding in space while meditating in 2005.  She needed a way to get there and she needed a boyfriend.

She found the boyfriend through Match.com, an Internet dating site.  After 33 dates, she knew Walling was the one.  Walling, a pilot for American Eagle airlines, asked Cashman to marry him as the two were riding a motorcycle.  A couple of weeks later, she broke the news to him that she wanted to get married in space.  He gave her a look that said, "Yeah, right."

After doing some research, they settled on Rocketplane, which was incorporated in 2001.  The company plans to begin test flights in 2008 or 2009.  After 25 such flights, the company wants to begin taking tourists into space.  The cost is $250.000 per person.  Cashman and Walling have already made a deposit and are looking to be on the second or third flight, sometime in 2009.

According to the Statesman the craft will take off on the wedding day and climb to a distance of more than 300,000 feet.  At that point, the couple will be weightless.  Cashman and Walling will both be dressed in Nomex suits.  Walling's suit will have 9 pockets ("for barf bags" he says), and Cashman will have a worldwide contest to design her ouitfit.  The vows will be timed to last about 30 seconds.  There will be an officiant on hand and a videographer to record the event (for a possible big financial deal). 

After the vows, the couple will have approximately four minutes of weightlessness to look out the window.  Then back to earth.
An awesome wedding?  Yes, but there is a drawback.  The couple, says the Statesman, might not be legally married.  It depends on with whom you talk.  A family lawyer said, "Whatever happens on this space trip is not going to have a legal effect on marital status.  

There is no body of law or jurisdiction that exists in space to confer recognition on a marriage ceremony." Cashman disagrees and says that if their county clerk issues a wedding license, then they will be considered married. In reality, the couple could spend a half million dollars and stll not be able to open a joint checking account.

Assoc. Content 

Blue Moon For New Year's Eve

A New Year's Eve like this one comes around once in a blue moon.  Look up at the sky Dec.  31 and see for yourself.

Pic right: Astro Dave's mockup 'Blue Moon'

For the first time since 1990, revelers will be able to ring in the new year under the light of a blue moon, popularly understood as the second full moon in a month. Just don't expect the light itself to be blue.

The moon is virtually never blue. Blue moons are rare, and that's where the phrase comes from, "once in a blue moon".  How rare?  They always happen once every 2-3 years (2.72 years, to be exact).  It's this second moon in the month that's considered the blue moon.

It's not at all clear where the term blue comes from.  Does the blue moon actually turn blue?  No. 

A blue moon is exactly the same color as a regular full moon – yellow.  The Moon can turn blue when there's a certain amount of dust or pollution in the air.  The extra dust scatters blue light, making the Moon appear more blue.  For example, the Moon appeared blue across the entire Earth for about 2 years after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.There are occasions when scattering in the Earth's atmosphere can make the moon look particularly bluish.

The key to this blue coloring is the presence of large numbers of particles in the air that are slightly wider than the wavelength of red light with no other sizes present, according to NASA.  When that happens, as with some volcanic eruptions or forest fires, red light is scattered and the white moonlight shining through appears blue.  The most notable example of this was in 1883 when the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa exploded, spewing ash into the atmosphere and giving the moon a blue appearance for years.

Those types of blue moons can't be predicted, but the ones measured purely by the calendar come like clockwork.  There are 29½ days between full moons, so while most months only have one, every two or three years there are bound to be two full moons in a single month even though it's a tight fit.   February is the only month that can never have a blue moon by this definition. This month features full moons on Dec.  2 and Dec.  31.

Today the phrase "once in a blue moon" suggests something that happens very rarely, but back when the connection between the moon and the color blue first made it into print – all the way back in 1528 – it meant something that never happened at all, according to Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins.Who knows exactly how the meaning changed with the years or precisely why the color became associated with the moon in the first place.

What can be said with more assurance is that blue moons today occupy a more prominent standing in popular culture than astronomy, where it's seen as more of a calendrical quirk. "It doesn't have any real significance scientifically," said Dave Weinrich, president-elect for the International Planetarium Society. Still, he's glad the colorful phrase captures the public's imagination, and not just by inspiring popular, poetic songs but by getting people interested in the heavens – at least for one night every couple of years.

"Anytime you can get people out to look at the real sky to me is a great plus," he said. Enjoy it while you can this New Year's Eve.  Australia will technically get the 'Full Moon ' just before dawn on New Year's day but hey, it'll still look cool as you welcome in the 2010l! You won't see another blue moon until 2028. * You can listen to a very interesting podcast about the formation of the Moon from Astronomy Cast, Episode 17: Where Did the Moon Come From?

 Toledo Mag. 

 Signs of Life Detected on the Moon?
A website based in India has reported researchers with the Chandrayaan-1 mission may have found "signs of life in some form or the other on the Moon."

DNAIndia.com quoted Surendra Pal, associate director of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satellite Centre as saying that Chandrayaan-1 picked up signatures of organic matter on parts of the Moon's surface. 

"The findings are being analyzed and scrutinized for validation by ISRO scientists and peer reviewers," Pal said. Sources in India say Chandrayaan project director M.  Annadurai later commented that the story was broken very prematurely.  However, he did not dismiss the idea.

At a press conference last week scientists from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter also hinted at possible organics locked away in the lunar regolith.  When asked directly about the Chandrayaan-1 claim of finding life on the Moon, NASA's chief lunar scientist, Mike Wargo, certainly did not dismiss the idea either but said, "It is an intriguing suggestion, and we are certainly very interested in learning more of their results."

Chandrayaan-1's Moon Impact Probe, or MIP impacted the within the Shackleton Crater on the Moon's south pole on Nov.  14, 2008.  An anonymous Chandrayaan-1 scientist said MIP's mass spectrometer detected chemical signatures of organic matter in the soil kicked up by the impact.

"Certain atomic numbers were observed that indicated the presence of carbon components.  This indicates the possibility of the presence of organic matter (on the Moon)," a senior scientist told DNAIndia. The scientist added the source of the organics could be comets or meteorites which have deposited the matter on the Moon's surface but the recent discovery by another impact probe — the LCROSS mission — of ice in the polar regions of the Moon also "lend credence to the possibility of organic matter there."

Undoubtedly, getting from carbon compounds directly to organics is a bit of a stretch, but amino acids have been detected in comets and were also found in pieces of the asteroid 2008 TC3 that landed in Africa over a year ago.  Over the millennia, the Moon has been bombarded by comet and asteroid hits.

Universe Today 

 A Flash of Light from Titan

 NASA's Cassini spacecraft has photographed a flash of sunlight reflecting from a lake on Saturn's moon Titan, confirming the presence of liquid hydrocarbons on a part of the moon dotted with many lake-shaped basins. 

Right: This image, obtained using Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), shows the first observed flash of sunlight reflected off a lake on Saturn's moon Titan.  Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/DLR. 

Cassini scientists had been looking for the glint, also known as a specular reflection, since the spacecraft began orbiting Saturn in 2004.  But until recently Titan's northern hemisphere, where most of the lakes are located, had been veiled in winter darkness. 

Now, however, the seasons are changing and sunlight has returned to the north, allowing Cassini to capture this serendipitous image:  

The picture, which shows sunlight reflecting from the smooth surface of a liquid on July 8, 2009, was presented  at the Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. "This one image communicates so much about Titan — a thick atmosphere, surface lakes and an otherworldliness," says Bob Pappalardo, Cassini project scientist, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  "It's an unsettling combination of strangeness yet similarity to Earth.  This picture is one of Cassini's iconic images." 

Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has captivated scientists because of its many similarities to Earth.  Scientists have theorized for 20 years that Titan's cold surface hosts seas or lakes of liquid hydrocarbons, making it the only other planetary body besides Earth believed to have liquid on its surface.  While data from Cassini have not indicated any vast seas, they have revealed what appeared to be large lakes near Titan's north and south poles.

In 2008, Cassini scientists using infrared data confirmed the presence of liquid in Ontario Lacus, the largest lake in Titan's southern hemisphere.  But they were still looking for the smoking gun to confirm liquid in the northern hemisphere, where the basins are larger and more numerous. Katrin Stephan, of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin, an associate member of the Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team, was processing the initial image and was the first to see the glint on July 10, 2009.

"I was instantly excited because the glint reminded me of an image of our own planet taken from orbit around Earth, showing a reflection of sunlight on an ocean," Stephan said.  "But we also had to do more work to make sure the glint we were seeing wasn't lightning or an erupting volcano."

Team members at the University of Arizona in Tucson processed the image further.  They were able to pinpoint the reflection at the southern shoreline of a lake called Kraken Mare.  The sprawling Kraken Mare covers about 400,000 square kilometers (150,000 square miles), an area larger than the Caspian Sea, the largest lake on Earth.

By comparing this new image to radar and near-infrared images acquired since 2006, scientists were able to show that the shoreline of Kraken Mare has been stable over the last three years and that Titan has an ongoing hydrological cycle that brings liquids to the surface.  Of course, in this case, the liquid in the hydrological cycle is methane rather than water, as it is on Earth.

"These results remind us how unique Titan is in the solar system," says Ralf Jaumann, who leads the scientists at the DLR who work on Cassini.  "They also show us that liquid has a universal power to shape geological surfaces in the same way, no matter what the liquid is." For more discoveries from Titan and the rest of the Saturn system, visit the Cassini home page.

NASA 

 Website Launched For Astronomers To Report Observations Of Unexplained Aerospace Phenomena

A website has been launched giving amateur and professional astronomers a formal mechanism for reporting any unexplained phenomena they observe when studying the night sky. 

Initiated within the framework of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), the Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena (UAP) Observations Reporting Scheme aims to provide a global focus for sightings by astronomers and contribute toward a better understanding of transient phenomena occurring in the atmosphere.

The reporting scheme has been set up by amateur astronomer Philippe Ailleris, who proposes to use the IYA2009's network of professional and amateur astronomers to collect additional and more rigorous information on UAPs, more popularly referred to as UFOs.

"These phenomena are mainly seen in the night sky, a domain that astronomers have long considered their own, and it is important to collect testimonies from members of the population that are trained observers.  We aim to approach this controversial field of UAP sightings from a professional, rational point of view and without any preconceived ideas.  Certainly whenever there are unexplained observations, there is the possibility that scientists could learn something new by further study," said Ailleris.

Ailleris has developed a questionnaire that requests precise details of the sightings, including the location, time, elevation, velocity, apparent size and distance of the UAP, as well as a description of the terrain and weather conditions at the observation point and any sketches, photos, audio or video footage.  A short and long version of the questionnaire in English and French can be downloaded from a dedicated website, www.uapreporting.org.

The website provides detailed information on common nocturnal and daytime misidentifications, such as sightings of satellites, weather balloons, rockets and natural phenomena such as meteors, planets, ball lightning, sprites and mirages.  There are also links to relevant websites where people can further check charts and details.

"As well as allowing people to double check their sighting against explainable causes, we hope that the website will be a useful tool for the astronomy community to redirect enquiries from the general public and to help engage with the public in discussions about the science behind what is seen in the sky.  Many professional and amateur astronomers are scanning the skies with all kinds of technical equipment — telescopes, binoculars, video-cameras, cameras with spectrographs — which creates an excellent opportunity to obtain supplementary data related to UAP sightings. 

This is also a great opportunity to engage with the general public and discuss some of the challenges astronomers face in determining various parameters such as coordinates, altitude, distance, speed and size.  I hope we can use this opportunity to enthuse young (and not so young) people and prompt them to start looking upwards and outwards to make sense of their place in the Universe," said Ailleris.

Spandau Ballet to become first band in space

Of all the bands in the world, which one have you given the least amount of thought to this millennium?  I can't say for certain, but I'll bet romantic British New Wavers Spandau Ballet are pretty damn close to the top of my list. 

Be that as it may, it looks like they are not only going to venture into outer space before all of us, they're also going to be the first band to perform there.  No shit.  From Daily Mail:

The aging rockers, who reformed the band this year, have reportedly signed up to perform outside the Earth's atmosphere on Sir Richard Branson's new commercial spacecraft, Enterprise. 

They will have five minutes of weightlessness to perform one of their greatest hits, either 'I'll Fly For You', 'Gold' or 'True', to become the world's first group in space.  As only six passengers and two pilots are permitted to be on board for the flight, cameras, microphones and equipment for the performance will all be automated and operated from earth.

"Automated and operated from earth" is a bit curious, right?  Maybe the instruments themselves will be played remotely by a better band.  Hey, at least, for one brief moment, it will be impossible for anyone to say Spandau Ballet is the most boring band on the planet. Now, I imagine the fact that Spandau Ballet just reunited and released a "comeback" record–which consists of two new songs and 11 re- recordings of their classics–has a lot to do with this out-of-this-world publicity boost. 

But here's what surprised me: They're not on Virgin Records!  Of course Virgin CEO Richard Branson isn't going to be super hands-on with his record label–he's got aliens to attempt coitus with–but wouldn't you expect him to pull an act from his own roster rather than reviving this old Mercury Records fossil?

Nashville Scene 

 Absolutely Amazing Shuttle Ascent Video

This video compilation of the STS-129 ascent is incredible!  (and is it now available again after a short hiatus.) It includes video highlights from ground, air, SRB and external tank cameras during the launch of Atlantis on Nov.  16, 2009.  It will give you a new appreciation for the space shuttle.  The music is great, as well.  Not to be missed!

Universe Today

 

The Known Universe (Video)

Take a 6 minute tour of the known universe in this video from the American Museum of Natural History.  Start on Mt.  Everest, and get pulled through the Earth’s atmosphere to glimpse the inky black of space.  Then zoom through the solar system and the Milky Way to mysterious quasars and supernovae, all the way back to the to the afterglow of the Big Bang.  The Known Universe is based on precise, scientifically- accurate observations and research.

“I liken the Digital Universe to the invention of the globe,” says Curator Ben R.  Oppenheimer, an astrophysicist at the Museum.  “When Mercator invented the globe, everyone wanted one.  He had back orders for years.  It gave everyone a new perspective on where they live in relation to others, and we hope that the Digital Universe does the same on a grander, cosmic scale.”
 

  

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  NEWS SNIPPETS

o        Another 'UFO' from Russia

o        Icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter may have conditions needed for life

o        New planet discoveries suggest low-mass planets are common around nearby stars (w/ Video)

o        WISE satellite blasts off on space-map mission

o        New planet discoveries suggest low-mass planets are common around nearby stars (w/ Video)

o        Northern Lights burst captured on film

o        Obama and NASA's Bolden discuss space exploration

o        A star is born? Herschel space observatory captures the birth of stars

o        How to Find Signs of Life on Mars

o        Spirit Rover: Right-Front Wheel Rotations

o        Calif. space tourism firm launches S. Korea deal

                          

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Book Review    

Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America's First Women in Space Program

Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America's First Women in Space Program
ISBN 0801883946
By Margaret A. Weitekamp
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006, $25

 How Women in Space Failed to Take Off
Think of America's "First Women in Space" program during the early 1960s like this: you light the fuse of what promises to be spectacular fireworks, stand back ready to admire – and absolutely nothing happens.  No launch, no dazzle, no show. 

You don't know what to make of it.  Did it fizzle?  It is a dud?  Is it dangerous?  Will it explode without warning?  What do we do with it?

Historian Margaret A. Weitekamp knows exactly what to do with such an incendiary story.  Weitekamp writes a solidly researched, fact-driven account of the brief flameout known as the Women in Space program in her book, "Right Stuff, Wrong Sex." 

After winning the 2005 Literature Award from the American Astronautical Society, the book has been issued in paperback by its publisher.  This is a welcomed edition, as the hardback predecesor was priced at a rather prohibitive US$45 cover price.

As a curator of the Division of Space History at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., Weitekamp is particularly qualified to explain this tension of gender politics in the U.S.-Soviet space race.  As a storyteller, she is savvy enough to follow the money as it leads to the apogees and perigees of the quest.

With the end of World War II, the U.S. government saw no value in space research expenditures.  "Fearful of an economic downturn as the wartime economy made the transition back to peacetime production," Weitekamp writes, "government officials hesitated to spend money on research into otherworldly pursuits such as space travel.  Although resistance to space research existed well before 1952, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower an especially hostile environment took hold." 

Such research was dismissed as "Buck Rogers nonsense."  Weitekamp cites a 1957 speech given by the ranking General of the Ballistic Missile Division "emphasizing the importance of space supremacy for national security.  The next day he received a wire from the Pentagon requesting that he not use the word space in his speeches."

Scientific curiosity was not quelled and during this era, many researchers volunteered themselves as guinea pigs.  One such true believer was Dr. William Randolph "Randy" Lovelace II, a key character in Weitekamp's history.  Lovelace personally performed a record breaking 40,000 foot parachute jump to test his own invention – an oxygen mask – at extreme bailout speeds and altitudes.  The blast of freezing atmosphere tore off his protective gear and knocked him unconscious for much of the descent, proving that astronauts did not have a monopoly on the right stuff.

The 1957 Soviet launch of Sputnik opened the spigots of government space spending full bore, but it wasn't until President Kennedy's 1961 mandate to send and retrieve a man from the moon prior to 1970 that the spending was directed in a cohesive manner.  Dr. Lovelace was one of the few visionaries who foresaw women in space and he began physical and psychological screening tests of female pilots at his renowned clinic in anticipation of providing qualified candidates.  But the military powers of the day and NASA would not underwrite programs testing women.  Such activity was seen as a diversion of, not an adjunct to the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo progression.

Enter famous pilot Jacqueline Cochran – another of Weitekamp's primary characters.  Not only did Ms. Cochran hold many aviation records, she owned a line of cosmetics and perfume and was known to remain in her airplane cockpit applying lipstick after an air race for the benefit of photographers.  Ms. Cochran directed much of her personal wealth toward Dr. Lovelace's program with the caveat that she be recognized as the squadron leader, so to speak.  Author Weitekamp does a deft job of portraying Cochran's ego as big as all outdoors.

It is important to note that in the heat of the space race, the United States scrambled to answer all of the Soviet Union's space "firsts" except for one.  The U.S. played catch-up when it came to the first object in space, the first animal, the first human, the first to orbit, the first rendezvous, the first space walk and other challenges, but when it came to matching the first woman in space, the U.S. said it wasn't interested.  The domestic confusion over a female space traveler was evident in the weird list of euphemisms appearing in the news: "astro-nette," "astronautrix," "feminaut" and the popular "space girl."  Therefore, the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova held the record as the only woman in space for some 20 years since her launch in 1963.

"Right Stuff, Wrong Sex" is published by Johns Hopkins University Press as part of its Gender Relations in the American Experience academic series.  While there is no doubt that Weitekamp is an advocate of women's rights, she is a level-headed advocate.  Her judiciousness is most evident in her handling of Jerrie Cobb, one of the more difficult characters in this tale.  Cobb was one of the first female volunteers to pass the same medical and psychological tests as those administered to the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts.  She had ample flying hours in prop planes, but because she lacked the requisite jet flight experience, she was never considered as a NASA candidate. 

Cobb persisted as a vocal thorn in the side of NASA and the agency ultimately co-opted her by making her a consultant to the program who was never consulted.  Weitekamp handles Cobb's ultra Christian zealotry admirably and suggests that Cobb's own tendency to lose touch with political reality was her undoing.

Weitekamp is the rare historian who sees the big picture as well as the fine detail.  Leave it to Weitekamp to put Jerrie Cobb's 1962 testimony before a congressional subcommittee on Science and Astronautics in perspective.  During the course of giving testimony regarding gender discrimination in the space program, Cobb slipped off her high heel pumps under the witness table.  A keen eyed UPI wire service photographer snapped a shot of Cobb in her stocking feet and many news services ran the photo. 

Weitekamp writes, "Similar shots, which distracted from the substance of a woman's contributions by focusing on a momentary slip of etiquette, had been used for years to make military women and other women who challenged traditional men's realms look ineffective.  The shot undercut Cobb's message about women's competence."

Come to think of it, many twentieth century figures have been defined by their shoes.  The photograph of Adlai Stevenson with a hole in his sole nailed him as the proverbial absent minded and penurious professor.  Broadway Joe Namath introduced new gridiron talent when he wore white shoes on the football field, as flashy as spats.  Imelda Marcos faced international shame when her closet revealed surfeit for the feet. 

Given such context, this fine detail identified by Weitekamp isn't so incidental after all.  "Right Stuff, Wrong Sex" will have you thinking on all sorts of levels.More resources www.press.jhu.edu  www.nasa.gov The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

Eve Lichtgarn  

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 FEATURE STORY  

 How Close Are We To Colonising Space?

How close are we to long-term human habitation beyond low-Earth orbit? Colonies on the moon or Mars are still many years off, but the good news is there are several serious efforts underway to make it happen.

The ISS. The closest thing we currently have to a space colony is the International Space Station. While it can be considered a success in terms of international cooperation and scientific research, the ISS far from self-sufficient. Sweat and urine can be recycled into fresh water and filters and scrubbers keep the air breathable, but without regular resupply missions, the station's occupants wouldn't last long. Still, the future looks bright up there – NASA has several ISS missions scheduled for 2010, expanding the station and adding new components (as well as spare parts).

Lunar Colonization. The best prospect for a human colony on the moon seems to be NASA's Constellation project. The Altair Lunar lander will be able to carry a crew of four astronauts to the moon and support them there for a seven-day mission. Alternately, it can descend robotically to the moon carrying critical infrastructure for a longer-term lunar outpost. When completed, that outpost will support a crew of four for up to 180 days. NASA has a slick interactive website that explains Constellation.

A great deal of thought is being put into what astronauts will live in on the moon. The first moon base will likely be an inflatable dome. NASA has been testing such a design at McMurdo Station in Antarctica to see how it deals with extreme cold. Although there are no blizzards on the moon, the test will also prove whether or not the "lunar bounce house" is tough enough for a long-term mission. An inflatable habitat has the advantages of being light-weight and only requiring a few hours to set up.

Beyond that preliminary outpost, lunar settlers will require something a bit more sturdy and permanent. Rigid, durable building materials are too heavy to send from the Earth's surface to the moon – it would be impossibly expensive. The best option, then, is to create building supplies from the raw materials already present on the moon. The recent discovery of a large amount of water on the moon makes the production of concrete using lunar regolith much more feasible, but even without water, it's possible. In 2007, a paper published in the Journal of Aerospace Engineering explained how the regolith could be processed into sulfur, which could then be mixed with regolith to make waterless concrete. They even examined the physical properties of said concrete, and proposed a cylindrical habitat structure.

A more recent paper in the same journal studied potential lunar colonization in-depth, examining potential structural designs, insulation, power needs and other factors. If you're not willing to take the researchers' word for it, you could always study space architecture yourself. The University of Houston College of Architecture boats the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSAl). Students design and model space vehicles, orbital stations, and lunar and Martian habitats. Many of their designs come directly from NASA requests. While fun, it is a challenging curriculum, since designers must incorporate radiation shielding and variations in gravity, problems terrestrial architects rarely have to consider.

Martian Colony. We're a long way from colonizing Mars – decades, at least. However, NASA's Constellation program does have a Martian outpost as its ultimate goal. Creating a colony on the moon will generate an enormous amount of data that will directly aid the quest to put humans on Mars.

The European Space Agency isn't waiting around, though. They're currently screening volunteers to take part in a 520-day simulated mission to Mars. This year, they wrapped up a 105-day precursor simulation. The long-term test will examine the physical and psychological effects of such a mission. Candidates should be aged 20-50, motivated, in good health and no taller than 185 cm. They should speak one of the working languages: English and Russian. Candidates must have a background and work experience in medicine, biology, life support systems engineering, computer engineering, electronic engineering or mechanical engineering.

Beyond. The "moon to Mars" path for human colonization of space isn't the only idea out there. In 2008, a group of researchers proposed a "company town" model for creating a space mining colony. What would they be mining? Water. Where would they be mining it? From the inside of comet 4015 Wilson-Harrington. Sometimes considered an asteroid, 4015 may in fact be a burned-out or intermittently active comet. The researchers believe that finding a large supply of water somewhere other than Earth is the key to post-Earth survival of the human race. Their company town model proposes an entire economic system that would support up to 10,000 colonists.How close are we to long-term human habitation beyond low-Earth orbit?  Colonies on the moon or Mars are still many years off, but the good news is there are several serious efforts underway to make it happen.

The ISS.  The closest thing we currently have to a space colony is the International Space Station.  While it can be considered a success in terms of international cooperation and scientific research, the ISS far from self-sufficient.  Sweat and urine can be recycled into fresh water and filters and scrubbers keep the air breathable, but without regular resupply missions, the station's occupants wouldn't last long.  Still, the future looks bright up there – NASA has several ISS missions scheduled for 2010, expanding the station and adding new components (as well as spare parts).

Lunar Colonization.  The best prospect for a human colony on the moon seems to be NASA's Constellation project.  The Altair Lunar lander will be able to carry a crew of four astronauts to the moon and support them there for a seven-day mission.  Alternately, it can descend robotically to the moon carrying critical infrastructure for a longer-term lunar outpost.  When completed, that outpost will support a crew of four for up to 180 days.

A great deal of thought is being put into what astronauts will live in on the moon.  The first moon base will likely be an inflatable dome.  NASA has been testing such a design at McMurdo Station in Antarctica to see how it deals with extreme cold.  Although there are no blizzards on the moon, the test will also prove whether or not the "lunar bounce house" is tough enough for a long-term mission.  An inflatable habitat has the advantages of being light-weight and only requiring a few hours to set up.

Beyond that preliminary outpost, lunar settlers will require something a bit more sturdy and permanent.  Rigid, durable building materials are too heavy to send from the Earth's surface to the moon – it would be impossibly expensive.  The best option, then, is to create building supplies from the raw materials already present on the moon.  The recent discovery of a large amount of water on the moon makes the production of concrete using lunar regolith much more feasible, but even without water, it's possible.  In 2007, a paper published in the Journal of Aerospace Engineering explained how the regolith could be processed into sulfur, which could then be mixed with regolith to make waterless concrete. They even examined the physical properties of said concrete, and proposed a cylindrical habitat structure.

A more recent paper in the same journal studied potential lunar colonization in-depth, examining potential structural designs, insulation, power needs and other factors.  If you're not willing to take the researchers' word for it, you could always study space architecture yourself.  The University of Houston College of Architecture boats the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSAl).  Students design and model space vehicles, orbital stations, and lunar and Martian habitats.  Many of their designs come directly from NASA requests.  While fun, it is a challenging curriculum, since designers must incorporate radiation shielding and variations in gravity, problems terrestrial architects rarely have to consider.

Martian Colony.  We're a long way from colonizing Mars – decades, at least.  However, NASA's Constellation program does have a Martian outpost as its ultimate goal.  Creating a colony on the moon will generate an enormous amount of data that will directly aid the quest to put humans on Mars.

The European Space Agency isn't waiting around, though.  They're currently screening volunteers to take part in a 520-day simulated mission to Mars.  This year, they wrapped up a 105-day precursor simulation.  The long-term test will examine the physical and psychological effects of such a mission. Candidates should be aged 20-50, motivated, in good health and no taller than 185 cm.  They should speak one of the working languages: English and Russian.  Candidates must have a background and work experience in medicine, biology, life support systems engineering, computer engineering, electronic engineering or mechanical engineering.

Beyond.  The "moon to Mars" path for human colonization of space isn't the only idea out there.  In 2008, a group of researchers proposed a "company town" model for creating a space mining colony.  What would they be mining?  Water.  Where would they be mining it?  From the inside of comet 4015 Wilson-Harrington.  Sometimes considered an asteroid, 4015 may in fact be a burned-out or intermittently active comet. 

The researchers believe that finding a large supply of water somewhere other than Earth is the key to post-Earth survival of the human race.  Their company town model proposes an entire economic system that would support up to 10,000 colonists.

iO9

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 == IN THE SKY THIS WEEK == 

 The Moon: First quarter is Friday 25 December, full Moon is Friday 1 January, last quarter is Thursday 7 January.  On the morning of January 1 there will be a partial eclipse of the Moon, visible from Western Australia only.  Mid eclipse is 3:22am AWST, and viewers will see a small section of the Moon's north pole darken.

Evening planets: Mercury starts off being visible above the western horizon in the evening twilight.  On December 18 Mercury is close to the crescent Moon.  By the end of December Mercury is lost in the twilight, to reappear in the morning sky mid-January.  Jupiter is easily recognisable as the brightest object above the western evening sky.  The waxing Moon is close to Jupiter on Monday December 21.  Jupiter gradually comes closer to the horizon, eventually setting shortly after twilight.  Mars begins to rise before midnight in January and by January 14 Mars can be seen rising as Jupiter sets at around 11pm AEDT.

Our world: On December 22 Earth is at solstice, when the day is longest, and on January 3 the Earth is at perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun.  The Moon is furthest from the Earth on Monday December 21 and closest on Saturday January 2.

Morning Planets: Ruddy Mars is the standout planet of the morning.  Now high in the northern sky in the early morning, the bright red world is now an easily recognisable disk in even small telescopes.  Mars will continue getting brighter in the lead up to its closest approach in late January.  On Sunday January 3 Mars is near the waning Moon.  Saturn can be easily seen as the second brightest object above the north-eastern horizon almost two thirds of the way between the bright stars Regulus and Spica.  Saturn's yellow colour distinguishes it from these two stars.

Saturn's rings are slowly opening up again.  On Thursday, January 7 the Moon is near Saturn.  The line-up of Mars, Regulus, Saturn and Spica is particularly lovely when joined by the Moon.  Mercury joins the morning line-up in mid January, and is near the thin crescent Moon on Thursday, January 14.

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

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ASTRO PIC OF THE WEEK 

   Hubble's Deepest View of Universe Unveils Never-Before-Seen Galaxies    

  

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made the deepest image of the universe ever taken in near-infrared light.  The faintest and reddest objects in the image are galaxies that formed 600 million years after the Big Bang.  No galaxies have been seen before at such early times.  The new deep view also provides insights into how galaxies grew in their formative years early in the universe's history.

The image was taken in the same region as the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), which was taken in 2004 and is the deepest visible-light image of the universe.  Hubble's newly installed Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) collects light from near-infrared wavelengths and therefore looks even deeper into the universe, because the light from very distant galaxies is stretched out of the ultraviolet and visible regions of the spectrum into near-infrared wavelengths by the expansion of the universe.

This image was taken by the HUDF09 team, that was awarded the time for the observation and made it available for research by astronomers worldwide.  In just three months, 12 scientific papers have already been submitted on these new data.

The photo was taken with the new WFC3/IR camera on Hubble in late August 2009 during a total of four days of pointing for 173,000 seconds of total exposure time.

 NASA 

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       ASTRONOMY – SPACE PODCASTS   

  

If you stand on the equator, you are spinning at about 1,000 mph in as the Earth turns, as well as charging along at 67,000 mph round the sun.

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EVENTS

  "Summer School Holiday Tours at Siding Spring"

Donna Burton invites you to "Summer School Holiday Tours at Siding Spring" on Sunday, December 27 at 10:30am.

Donna says, "Please feel free to pass onto anyone you think may be interested thanks a lot!".

Event: Summer School Holiday Tours at Siding Spring What: Festival Start Time: Sunday, December 27 at 10:30am End Time: Sunday, December 27 at 1:30pm Where: Siding Spring Observatory Coonabarabran

 

Astronomy Weekend at Wiruna

Host: The Astronomical Society of New South Wales (ASNSW)
Type: Meetings – Club/Group Meeting Network: Global Start Time: Friday, December 18, 2009 at 7:00pm End Time: Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 3:00pm Location: "Wiruna" – Ilford, NSW

Description: Astronomy Weekend at Wiruna – Friday 18 November and Saturday 19 November, 2009.  All Welcome!

Each month, over the weekend closest to New moon, the ASNSW holds an Astro-Camp or mini star party for ASNSW members, prospective members and guests.

These weekends are the perfect opportunity for members and guests to get together with other amateur astronomers, to look through a wide range of different types and sizes of telescopes, and are perfect for those new to astronomy to determine what type of telescope is best suited to their own personal needs.

Anyone hoping to join us at any one of these weekend, can Email us to make any arrangements.  Info@asnsw.com

This weekend, I will be bringing along a massive 30" f/4.5 telescope which I will use to share the splendours of the southern skies with all those present. Why not come along for the weekend and see what astronomy is all about.  I guarantee you won't regret it.

NASA Has Released a Freebie Calendar

Ourf riends over at SCP Forum have alerted me to this.But WARNING!  Large file size (10.2MB)

Download at: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/402659main_2010%20ISScalendar.pdf

 

   

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Story Opportunities from Australasian Science, January 2010

 

The Birth of Our Solar System (and Life as We Know It)
When the Sun was born, the radioactivity pervading the material around it may have helped to create conditions for life in the rocks that formed the planets. Understanding the origin of this radioactivity could tell us how likely it is that life could exist elsewhere in the Universe. 

Black Holes: The Missing Link
Evidence for the existence of small and very large black holes is quite convincing, and now there is strong evidence for one in the “medium” range.

The Myopia Epidemic
The prevalence of myopia is increasing in children and adolescents, but pharmaceutical intervention is on the horizon. 

Humpback Love Songs
New insights into the context of when humpback whales sing and with whom suggest that a function of the song could be as a courtship display to females. 

Food Security in a Changing World
Increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 will change the nutritional value of food for both people and livestock – and even lead to higher levels of toxic cyanide in some staple foods and pastures.

A Sticky Lunar Problem
A dusty problem for the Apollo astronauts has taken on new significance with US plans to return to the Moon by 2020.

Switches for the Gene Machine
We share the same number of genes as simple roundworms. Newly discovered systems of gene control explain why.

Quantum Memory
New models of human cognition inspired by quantum theory could underpin information technologies that are better aligned with howwe recall information.

The Light Fantastic
By controlling how individual wavelengths of light diffract, researchers are harnessing the power of white light lasers that open up the visible spectrum in optical chips.

Message from a Refugee
One of the least recognised issues faced by refugees is access to technologies enabling them to keep in touch with their families.

Left for Dead
The discovery that a man who had been in a coma for 23 years was still conscious has raised questions over the treatment of people who are in a permanent vegetative state.

Curbing Population Growth Limits Global Warming
Few can have any doubt that halting population growth in developed and developing countries is the greatest challenge now facing our world.

  Please cite AUSTRALASIAN SCIENCE MAGAZINE as the source of these stories    

 

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