Astronomy

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/37988-did-life-emerge-from-physical-laws.html

This question about the origins of life suggests that it may emerge where sufficient elements are found together, like water, hydrogen, moderate temperatures, and other elements. I suspect that "life" - at least in unicellular bacterial form - many well be found to exist where such elements are found together.

[Danik 2016]

There is a feeling that a new era is beginning in astronomy. Its best expressed in Astronomy Now: https://astronomynow.com/2017/10/16/gravitational-waves-from-colliding-neutron-stars-usher-in-new-era-of-astronomy/. I'm still not sure what this new era is. Perhaps it will gradually clear as more such colliding neutron stars become more frequent and more understood:

"A neutron star is formed when a massive star many times the size of our Sun explodes as a supernova, and what remains of the star’s core collapses under its own gravity. Neutron stars are only 20 or 30 kilometres across, but they pack the mass of an entire star inside them, with matter crushed so densely that all the protons and electrons merge to form neutron particles, hence their name. It’s often said that a teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh the same as Mount Everest. The estimated masses for the two neutron stars that merged in GW 170817 range between 0.86 and 2.26 times the mass of the Sun."

OK, Einstein predicted this almost exactly a century ago.

A kilonova is smaller and more concentrated than a supernova...

I have the same feeling, DW. That´s what makes me so curious about astronomy. It is presently one of the fields that generates most futuristic fantasies and expectations and that what reminds me so much of the Renaissance. And we know the result of the Renaissance explorations.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.space.com/37988-did-life-emerge-from-physical-laws.html

This question about the origins of life suggests that it may emerge where sufficient elements are found together, like water, hydrogen, moderate temperatures, and other elements. I suspect that "life" - at least in unicellular bacterial form - many well be found to exist where such elements are found together.

And it seems that these researches aren´t limited by religious orientations.

[Dreamwoven]

Mars was this morning very bright, and its light steady, just above the horizon. Beautiful.
That was not Mars, it was Venus, its atmosphere reflects light back to the observer! It was there again early this morning, together with the moon showing a very narrow sliver...

[Dreamwoven]

I've been checking up on the general theory of relativity that Albert Einstein discovered some 100 years ago. You will find it here: https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html

[YesNo]

I just finished Sabine Hossenfelder's post in Backreaction about inflation solving the flatness problem: http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2017/10/i-totally-mean-it-inflation-never.html

I follow her blog because it gets me thinking. In this case it is experts saying things that aren't true at least by her assessment. Inflation is what is supposed to have happened immediately after the big bang.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137535/metal-eating-bacteria-left-fingerprints-mars-proving-hosted-life/

This is a bacterial life form that may have existed on Mars. It also shows how alien the Mars environment is to even bacterial life. Metal-eating bacteria sounds really bizarre.

[Danik 2016]

"According to a new study by a team of European researchers, extreme lifeforms that are capable of metabolizing metals could have existed on Mars in the past. The “fingerprints” of their existence could be found by looking at samples of Mars’ red sands.

For the sake of their study, which recently appeared in the scientific journal Frontiers of Microbiology, the team created a “Mars Farm” to see how a form of extreme bacteria might fare in an ancient Martian environment. This environment was characterized by a comparatively thin atmosphere composed of mainly of carbon dioxide, as well as simulated samples of Martian regolith."
https://www.universetoday.com/137535/metal-eating-bacteria-left-fingerprints-mars-proving-hosted-life/

Bizarre indeed and I hope it doesn´t find it´s way to earth. Currently I am struggling against a very resistant sort of mites, I suppose they are bird mites. No disinfection seems to work with them. It made me think that one is surrounded by more invisible predators than one usually thinks.

[Danik 2016]

I just finished Sabine Hossenfelder's post in Backreaction about inflation solving the flatness problem: http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2017/10/i-totally-mean-it-inflation-never.html

I follow her blog because it gets me thinking. In this case it is experts saying things that aren't true at least by her assessment. Inflation is what is supposed to have happened immediately after the big bang.

I couldn´t follow the argument very well as it seems to be based on mathematical calculations. The one thing I suppose is that one probably must also have other kinds of evidence beside the mathematical one.

[YesNo]

I think Hossenfelder was trying to warn people to be wary of what one is being told even by experts. I may have misunderstood her post but I think one of her justifications was the use of probability claims (to make the claim sound mathematical and therefore authoritative) when there is no probability distribution justifying that claim.

I think those metal eating bacteria are on Earth. They are being used to see what traces they leave behind when in a simulated Martian environment on Earth. Given that information, one can look on Mars for similar traces and try to conclude, if those traces are found, that they were caused by some extinct Martian life form rather than an inanimate chemical reaction. I was hoping the current mission to Mars would have shown by now that there was life there, at least in the past. Apparently more study needs to be done.

[Danik 2016]

I believe that much that is said, written and forecasted by astronomy and cosmology still belongs to the realm of fantasy and speculation. But that´s what makes it so interesting from a literary point of view.

[YesNo]

It is story telling even when it is not viewed as science fiction.

[Danik 2016]

Yes, I believe there is a relation between science fiction and science itself. Some actual experiments probably gave rise to imaginary situations in the past.

[Dreamwoven]

Now I suddenly have several posts to contribute from one of the websites I am following.

[Dreamwoven]

http://earthsky.org/earth/whales-dolphins-live-human-like-lives. I thought this was interesting.

[Danik 2016]

Whales and dolphins live ‘human-like’ lives
"The long list of behavioral traits dolphins and whales share with humans and other primates includes:

– Working together for mutual benefit
– Teaching others how to hunt and cooperative hunting
– Using tools
– Complex vocalizations -‘talking’ to each other – including regional group dialects
– Signature whistles that are unique to individuals
– Name recognition
– Interspecific cooperation (working with humans and other species)
– Adult animals looking after youngsters that aren’t their own
– Social play"
http://earthsky.org/earth/whales-dolphins-live-human-like-lives

Sure. I'm linking it to the thread "About animals" that is buried somewhere.

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, you should do that!

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137566/comets-come-exploring-oort-cloud/

The Oort Cloud is the vast region of space beyond the Kuiper Belt. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oort_cloud.

"The Dutch astronomer Jan Oort calculated that there must be an even vaster cloud of ice even farther out beyond the Kuiper Belt – between 5,000 and 100,000 astronomical units from the Sun. Just a reminder, 1 astronomical unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, so we’re talking really really far away."

The Kuiper Belt, where Pluto is, is currently being explored by the New Horizons probe. This will take it some years to do a simple investigation into objects in the Kuiper Belt. But beyond the Kuiper Belt is the Oort cloud, much more vast still. Kuiper Belt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt

[Danik 2016]

I didn´t know about the Oort cloud. Noticed that the Kuiper Belt has become an important exploration area.

As for the moon, gone are the times, when the moon was an object of the nostalgia of the romantics. Currently moons are proliferating. These Saturn moons at least gained decent Greek names:

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/10/saturns-rings-taken-seven-siblings-to-stay-in-place

[Dreamwoven]

The Oort Cloud is much to far away and large for us to explore it. Even Kuiper Belt is too far away, which is why the New Horizons probe was sent further into it after having sent back the first ever image of Pluto. That was, what, 3 or 4 years ago? Continuing its fast rate of travel it has still not reached its first target, never mind explored anything beyond Pluto. There are thousands of KBOs (Kuiper Belt objects) to investigate. New Horizons will just begin this task.

Your post about the 7 rings of Saturn which keep that planet's rings in place is also interesting. It shows the importance of the moons for keeping the rings in place. I didn't know that.

[Danik 2016]

I didn´t use the word explore correctly. I meant that they had become an object of interest for the scientists.

[Dreamwoven]

This is interesting: http://earthsky.org/space/near-earth-quasi-satellite-2016-ho3-confirmation

The quasi-satellite is in a sense Earth's second moon. Even though its very tiny and can't be seen without advanced equipment.

EarthSky has some interesting space topics in it.

[Danik 2016]

That´s very curious indeed. Moons are suddenly proliferating.

That is curious too.
:NASA's MAVEN mission finds Mars has a twisted magnetic tai:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171019181855.htm

[Dreamwoven]

That is quite bizarre, a twisted magnetic tale, and its invisible! I find it hard to believe.

[Danik 2016]

They probably used some special kind of measurement for magnetic fields to detect it.

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, it must be possible. Is Mars the only place in the universe that has this, I wonder?

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137609/electric-sail-another-exotic-way-explore-solar-system/

[Danik 2016]

Amazing, DW though the invention is still at its beginning. I wonder also which of these new transportation systems might substitute the obsolete car transport.

[Danik 2016]

I found that interesting too:

Spots on supergiant star drive spirals in stellar wind
Date:
October 24, 2017
Source:
Royal Astronomical Society
Summary:
Astronomers have recently discovered that spots on the surface of a supergiant star are driving huge spiral structures in its stellar wind.
"Zeta Puppis is an evolved massive star known as a 'supergiant'. It is about sixty times more massive than our sun, and seven times hotter at the surface. Massive stars are rare, and usually found in pairs called 'binary systems' or small groups known as 'multiple systems'. Zeta Puppis is special however, because it is a single massive star, moving through space alone, at a velocity of about 60 kilometers per second. "Imagine an object about sixty times the mass of the Sun, travelling about sixty times faster than a speeding bullet!" the investigators say. Dany Vanbeveren, professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, gives a possible explanation as to why the star is travelling so fast; "One theory is that Zeta Puppis has interacted with a binary or a multiple system in the past, and been thrown out into space at an incredible velocity."

Using a network of 'nanosatellites' from the "BRIght Target Explorer" (BRITE) space mission, astronomers monitored the brightness of the surface of Zeta Puppis over a six-month period, and simultaneously monitored the behavior of its stellar wind from several ground-based professional and amateur observatories.

Tahina Ramiaramanantsoa (PhD student at the Université de Montréal and member of the Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique du Québec; CRAQ) explains the authors' results: "The observations revealed a repeated pattern every 1.78 days, both at the surface of the star and in the stellar wind. The periodic signal turns out to reflect the rotation of the star through giant 'bright spots' tied to its surface, which are driving large-scale spiral-like structures in the wind, dubbed 'co-rotating interaction regions' or 'CIRs'."

"By studying the light emitted at a specific wavelength by ionized helium from the star's wind," continued Tahina, "we clearly saw some 'S' patterns caused by arms of CIRs induced in the wind by the bright surface spots!." In addition to the 1.78-day periodicity, the research team also detected random changes on timescales of hours at the surface of Zeta Puppis, strongly correlated with the behavior of small regions of higher density in the wind known as "clumps" that travel outward from the star. "These results are very exciting because we also find evidence, for the first time, of a direct link between surface variations and wind clumping, both random in nature," comments investigating team member Anthony Moffat, emeritus professor at Université de Montréal, and Principal Investigator for the Canadian contribution to the BRITE mission."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171024115613.htm

[Dreamwoven]

Amazing, DW though the invention is still at its beginning. I wonder also which of these new transportation systems might substitute the obsolete car transport.

I think that is unlikely. The "sail" is driven by solar power but the size of the sail would make it impractical for auto transport. Its mainly an outer space means of propulsion.

[Dreamwoven]

It is also a very slow form of acceleration. You can't just go from standing to max speed in moments. Well suited to space travel but not on roads.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137580/looking-signs-life-distant-planets-just-got-easier/

[Dreamwoven]

This is a good idea!
https://www.universetoday.com/137618/project-blue-building-space-telescope-directly-observe-planets-around-alpha-centauri/

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137580/looking-signs-life-distant-planets-just-got-easier/

They are already talking about greenhouses. I wonder if future scientists will discover any kind of vegetation.

[Danik 2016]

This is a good idea!
https://www.universetoday.com/137618/project-blue-building-space-telescope-directly-observe-planets-around-alpha-centauri/

Certainly. One significant difference for me has come from this thread. When I look at the seemingly empty sky I imagine it crowded with suns, moons, planets, stars and splintered celestial bodies.

[Dreamwoven]

I often think about how many of the planets have bits of space machinery circulating them in orbit (Ceres) - or on the surface (moon, Mars). One day, perhaps, this will become a history of space exploration.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137621/first-interstellar-comet-discovered/

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137615/neptune-sized-exomoon-found-orbiting-jupiter-sized-planet/

[Danik 2016]

I often think about how many of the planets have bits of space machinery circulating them in orbit (Ceres) - or on the surface (moon, Mars). One day, perhaps, this will become a history of space exploration.

I think that in a certain way this thread is partly documenting this history.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137621/first-interstellar-comet-discovered/

Wow. The Solar System is shrinking to a spacial district:

"Astronomers from the Minor Planet Center sent out an announcement today, hoping for astronomers to do followup observations on the comet C/2017 U1 PANSTARRS. That’s because this strange comet seems to be on a trajectory that originated outside our Solar System. Not just from the Oort Cloud, but from another star."
https://www.universetoday.com/137621/first-interstellar-comet-discovered/

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137615/neptune-sized-exomoon-found-orbiting-jupiter-sized-planet/

Ditto:
Finding planets beyond our Solar System is already tough, laborious work. But when it comes to confirmed exoplanets, an even more challenging task is determining whether or not these worlds have their own satellites – aka. “exomoons”. Nevertheless, much like the study of exoplanets themselves, the study of exomoons presents some incredible opportunities to learn more about our Universe."

https://www.universetoday.com/137615/neptune-sized-exomoon-found-orbiting-jupiter-sized-planet/

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, it seems to be so. I have never heard of the Minor Planet Center. Couple of post being advertised. I'm too old for that, happy enough to be retired and with a pension I can live on.

[Danik 2016]

And now that:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/27/mysterious-object-detected-speeding-past-the-sun-could-be-from-another-solar-system-a2017-u1

[Dreamwoven]

I thought this was interesting!
https://www.universetoday.com/137642/astronomers-start-mapping-structure-far-side-milky-way/

[Dreamwoven]

Those patches of snow are probably the remnants of Ceres' ocean.

https://www.universetoday.com/137656/wow-asteroiddwarf-planet-ceres-ocean/

[Danik 2016]

Yes, where there is snow there is water. At least, that´s how it used to be.
This article is related, what regards the constitution of planets.
"Astronomers discover sunscreen snow falling on hot exoplanet
Date:
October 26, 2017
Source:
Penn State
Summary:
Astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to find a blistering-hot giant planet outside our solar system where the atmosphere 'snows' titanium dioxide -- the active ingredient in sunscreen. These observations are the first detections of this 'snow-out' process, called a 'cold trap,' on an exoplanet. The research provides insight into the complexity of weather and atmospheric composition on exoplanets, and may someday be useful for gauging the habitability of Earth-size planets."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171026135325.htm

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, its strange how we keep getting caught out by such phenomena like snow falling on a planet that is very close to its star...

[Dreamwoven]

There are quite advanced plans to build a space telescope whose main task would be to investigate the planets round the nearest star to us Alpha Centauri: https://www.universetoday.com/137618/project-blue-building-space-telescope-directly-observe-planets-around-alpha-centauri/

[Danik 2016]

Again a very expensive project.

About the blue moon...

"What Is a Blue Moon?

A "Blue Moon" is a fairly infrequent phenomenon involving the appearance of an additional full moon within a given period. But which period — there are two definitions of the term, and one was borne out of a misunderstanding of the other.

The older meaning defines a Blue Moon as the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Called a seasonal Blue Moon, this occurs about every 2.5 years, according to NASA. Why the third moon? There are roughly 29.5 days between full moons, making it unusual for two full moons to fit into a 30- or 31-day-long month. (This means that February will never have a blue moon.) Seasons normally have three full moons, and some of them, for traditional and religious reasons, must occur at specific times of the year. So, the "Moon Before Yule" is always the one before Christmas.

The other meaning is that a Blue Moon is the second full moon within a single calendar month. This definition — a monthly Blue Moon — has gained popularity in recent years because of a misinterpretation of an almanac's original definition... "

https://www.space.com/15455-blue-moon.html

[Dreamwoven]

This is a neat topic, thank you, Danik!

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137641/x3-ion-engine-test-break-thrust-records/

This is a post that indicates savings in both power and thrust while doing so very effectively. Just a small advance, perhaps but never the less worth noting.

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/10/26/hubble-discovers-wobbling-galaxies/

This is unexpected but potentially exciting. Evidence of the new physics?

[Danik 2016]

Just registering:

"If this “wobbling” is not an unknown astrophysical phenomenon and in fact the result of the behaviour of dark matter, then it is inconsistent with the standard model of dark matter and can only be explained if dark matter particles can interact with each other – a strong contradiction to the current understanding of dark matter. This may indicate that new fundamental physics is required to solve the mystery of dark matter."

https://astronomynow.com/2017/10/26/hubble-discovers-wobbling-galaxies/

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137641/x3-ion-engine-test-break-thrust-records/

This is a post that indicates savings in both power and thrust while doing so very effectively. Just a small advance, perhaps but never the less worth noting.

Well, off to Mars!
"When it comes to the future of space exploration, a number of new technologies are being investigated. Foremost among these are new forms of propulsion that will be able to balance fuel-efficiency with power. Not only would engines that are capable of achieving a great deal of thrust using less fuel be cost-effective, they will be able to ferry astronauts to destinations like Mars and beyond in less time.
...
Hall-effect thrusters have garnered favor with mission planners in recent years because of their extreme efficiency. They function by turning small amounts of propellant (usually inert gases like xenon) into charged plasma with electrical fields, which is then accelerated very quickly using a magnetic field. Compared to chemical rockets, they can achieve top speeds using a tiny fraction of their fuel."

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, that is my view too. It can still revolutionise our thinking.


Just registering:

"If this “wobbling” is not an unknown astrophysical phenomenon and in fact the result of the behaviour of dark matter, then it is inconsistent with the standard model of dark matter and can only be explained if dark matter particles can interact with each other – a strong contradiction to the current understanding of dark matter. This may indicate that new fundamental physics is required to solve the mystery of dark matter."

https://astronomynow.com/2017/10/26/hubble-discovers-wobbling-galaxies/

[Danik 2016]

'Monster' planet discovery challenges formation theory
Date:
October 31, 2017
Source:
Royal Astronomical Society
Summary:
A giant planet, which should not exist according to planet formation theory, has been discovered around a distant star.

"The existence of the 'monster' planet, 'NGTS-1b', challenges theories of planet formation which state that a planet of this size could not be formed around such a small star. According to these theories, small stars can readily form rocky planets but do not gather enough material together to form Jupiter-sized planets."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171031105158.htm

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, this was interesting. The original post can be found here:
https://www.universetoday.com/137706/monster-planet-discovered-makes-scientists-rethink-theories-planetary-formation/

"If this “wobbling” is not an unknown astrophysical phenomenon and in fact the result of the behaviour of dark matter, then it is inconsistent with the standard model of dark matter and can only be explained if dark matter particles can interact with each other – a strong contradiction to the current understanding of dark matter. This may indicate that new fundamental physics is required to solve the mystery of dark matter."

https://astronomynow.com/2017/10/26/hubble-discovers-wobbling-galaxies/[/QUOTE]

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137706/monster-planet-discovered-makes-scientists-rethink-theories-planetary-formation/

Some basic truths are starting to be questioned...

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137736/using-atmospheric-beacons-search-signs-extra-terrestrial-life/

"Despite the thousands of exoplanets that have been discovered by astronomers in recent years, determining whether or not any of them are habitable is a major challenge. Since we cannot study these planets directly, scientists are forced to look for indirect indications. These are known as biosignatures, which consist of the chemical byproducts we associate with organic life showing up in a planet’s atmosphere.

A new study by a team of NASA scientists proposes a new method to search for potential signs of life beyond our Solar System. The key, they recommend, is to takes advantage of frequent stellar storms from cool, young dwarf stars. These storms hurl huge clouds of stellar material and radiation into space, interacting with exoplanet atmospheres and producing biosignatures that could be detected."

[Danik 2016]

The first sign of exoplanets?
Overlooked Treasure: The First Evidence of Exoplanets
Date:
November 1, 2017
Source:
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Summary:
Mount Wilson is the site where some of the key discoveries about our galaxy and universe were made in the early 20th century. But there is a far lesser known, 100-year-old discovery from Mount Wilson -- one that was unidentified and unappreciated until recently: the first evidence of exoplanets.
"A detective story

It started with Ben Zuckerman, professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was preparing a talk about the compositions of planets and smaller rocky bodies outside our solar system for a July 2014 symposium at the invitation of Jay Farihi, whom he had helped supervise when Farihi was a graduate student at UCLA. Farihi had suggested that Zuckerman talk about the pollution of white dwarfs, which are faint, dead stars composed of mainly hydrogen and helium. By "pollution," astronomers mean heavy elements invading the photospheres -- the outer atmospheres -- of these stars. The thing is, all those extra elements shouldn't be there -- the strong gravity of the white dwarf should pull the elements into the star's interior, and out of sight.

The first polluted white dwarf identified is called van Maanen's Star (or "van Maanen 2" in the scientific literature), after its discoverer Adriaan van Maanen. Van Maanen found this object in 1917 by spotting its subtle motion relative to other stars between 1914 and 1917. Astronomer Walter Sydney Adams, who would later become director of Mount Wilson, captured the spectrum -- a chemical fingerprint -- of van Maanen's Star on a small glass plate using Mount Wilson's 60-inch telescope. Adams interpreted the spectrum to be of an F-type star, presumably based on the presence and strength of calcium and other heavy-element absorption features, with a temperature somewhat higher than our Sun. In 1919, van Maanen called it a "very faint star."

Today, we know that van Maanen's Star, which is about 14 light-years away, is the closest white dwarf to Earth that is not part of a binary system.

"This star is an icon," Farihi said recently. "It is the first of its type. It's really the proto-prototype."

While preparing his talk, Zuckerman had what he later called a "true 'eureka' moment." Van Maanen's Star, unbeknownst to the astronomers who studied it in 1917 and those who thought about it for decades after, must be the first observational evidence that exoplanets exist."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171101175446.htm

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137706/monster-planet-discovered-makes-scientists-rethink-theories-planetary-formation/

Some basic truths are starting to be questioned...

When it comes to how and where planetary systems form, astronomers thought they had a pretty good handle on things. The predominant theory, known as the Nebular Hypothesis, states that stars and planets form from massive clouds of dust and gas (i.e. nebulae). Once this cloud experiences gravitational collapse at the center, its remaining dust and gas forms a protoplanetary disk that eventually accretes to form planets.

However, when studying the distant star NGTS-1 – an M-type (red dwarf) located about 600 light-years away – an international team led by astronomers from the University of Warwick discovered a massive “hot Jupiter” that appeared far too large to be orbiting such a small star. The discovery of this “monster planet” has naturally challenged some previously-held notions about planetary formation.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137739/check-nasas-new-instrument-will-look-life-enceladus/

Ever since the Cassini mission entered the Saturn system and began studying its moons, Enceladus has become a major source of interest. Once the probe detected plumes of water and organic molecules erupting from the moon’s southern polar region, scientists began to speculate that Enceladus may possess a warm-water ocean in its interior – much like Jupiter’s moon Europa and other bodies in our Solar System.

In the future, NASA hopes to send another mission to this system to further explore these plumes and the interior of Enceladus. This mission will likely include a new instrument that was recently announced by NASA, known as the Submillimeter Enceladus Life Fundamentals Instrument (SELFI). This instrument, which was proposed by a team from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, recently received support for further development.

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/10/14/intense-storms-batter-saturns-largest-moon-scientists-report/

Titan, the largest of Saturn’s more than 60 moons, has surprisingly intense rainstorms, according to research by a team of UCLA planetary scientists and geologists. Although the storms are relatively rare — they occur less than once per Titan year, which is 29 and a half Earth years — they occur much more frequently than the scientists expected.

“I would have thought these would be once-a-millennium events, if even that,” said Jonathan Mitchell, UCLA associate professor of planetary science and a senior author of the research, which was published Oct. 9 in the journal Nature Geoscience. “So this is quite a surprise.”

[Danik 2016]

When it comes to how and where planetary systems form, astronomers thought they had a pretty good handle on things. The predominant theory, known as the Nebular Hypothesis, states that stars and planets form from massive clouds of dust and gas (i.e. nebulae). Once this cloud experiences gravitational collapse at the center, its remaining dust and gas forms a protoplanetary disk that eventually accretes to form planets.

However, when studying the distant star NGTS-1 – an M-type (red dwarf) located about 600 light-years away – an international team led by astronomers from the University of Warwick discovered a massive “hot Jupiter” that appeared far too large to be orbiting such a small star. The discovery of this “monster planet” has naturally challenged some previously-held notions about planetary formation.

Interesting links, DW. I`ll come back for a closer reading after breakfast.
Anyway it looks as if the current stage of astronomy is one more of new discoveries than one of definite conclusions.

[Dreamwoven]

I agree there is very little about which we can draw definite conclusions. The last week has been particularly poor in that respect.

[Danik 2016]

A very interesting feature of Astronomy is the comparative method, which in your last links refers to wheater. Who would have thought two decades ago that it would be able to compare the weather on distant moons?

[Dreamwoven]

Good point, Danik. We take such things for granted.

[Dreamwoven]

Another query. I don't understand the carnival of space item: https://www.universetoday.com/137741/carnival-space-532-2/

[Danik 2016]

I suppose its this:
"If you run a space/astronomy related blog, and would like to get more awareness, participate in the Carnival of Space. Every week, a different webmaster or blogger hosts the carnival, showcasing articles written on the topic of space. It’s a great way to get to know the community, and to help your writing reach a wider audience. If you’d like to be a host for the carnival, please send email to [email protected]" Its followed by several topics.

https://www.universetoday.com/12019/carnival-of-space/

[Dreamwoven]

OK, thanks, that was similar to my impression.

[Dreamwoven]

Another Popular Astronomy Note. More will follow.

DAWN MISSION TO CERES EXTENDED
NASA

NASA has authorized a second extension of the Dawn mission at Ceres, the
largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. During
this extension, the spacecraft, which has been orbiting Ceres since 2015
March, will descend to lower altitudes than ever before. The spacecraft
will continue at Ceres for the remainder of its investigation and will
remain in a stable orbit indefinitely after its hydrazine fuel runs out.
The Dawn flight team is studying ways to manoeuvre Dawn into a new
elliptical orbit, which may take the spacecraft to less than 200 km from
the surface of Ceres at closest approach. Previously, Dawn's lowest
altitude was 385 km. A priority of the second Ceres mission extension
is collecting data with Dawn's gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer,
which measures the number and energy of gamma rays and neutrons. That
information is important for understanding the composition of Ceres'
uppermost layer and how much ice it contains. The spacecraft will also
take visible-light images of Ceres' surface with its camera, as well as
measurements of Ceres' mineralogy with its visible and infrared mapping
spectrometer.

The extended mission additionally allows Dawn to be in orbit while Ceres
goes through perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, which will
occur in 2018 April. At closer proximity to the Sun, more ice on Ceres'
surface may turn to water vapour, which may in turn contribute to the
weak transient atmosphere detected by ESA's Herschel space observatory
before Dawn's arrival. Building on Dawn's findings, the team has
hypothesized that water vapour may be produced in part from energetic
particles from the Sun interacting with ice at shallow depths in Ceres'
surface. Scientists will combine data from ground-based observatories
with Dawn's observations to study these phenomena further as Ceres
approaches perihelion.

[Dreamwoven]

Popular Astronomy Note: Electronic News Bulletin No. 456 2017 November 5


FRESH FINDINGS FROM CASSINI
NASA

The Cassini spacecraft ended its journey on Sept. 15 with an intentional
plunge into the atmosphere of Saturn, but analysis continues on the
mountain of data the spacecraft sent during its long 'life'. The
spacecraft's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) returned a lot
of direct measurements of the components in Saturn's upper atmosphere,
which stretches almost to the rings. From those observations, the team
sees evidence that molecules from the rings are raining down onto the
atmosphere. That influx of material from the rings was expected, but
INMS data show hints of ingredients more complex than just water, which
makes up the bulk of the rings' composition. In particular, the
instrument detected methane, a volatile molecule that scientists would
not expect to be abundant in the rings or found so high in Saturn's
atmosphere.

Chief among the questions that scientists hope to answer by using data
from Cassini is the age and origin of the rings. Theoretical modelling
has shown that, without forces to confine them, the rings would spread
out over hundreds of millions of years -- much younger than Saturn
itself. Such spreading happens because faster-moving particles that
orbit closer to Saturn occasionally collide with slower particles on
slightly farther-out orbits. When that happens, some momentum from the
faster particles is transferred to the slower particles, speeding the
latter up in their orbit and causing them to move farther out. The
inverse happens to the faster, inner particles. Previous research had
shown that gravitational tugs from the moon Mimas are solely responsible
for halting the outward spread of Saturn's B ring -- that ring's outer
edge is defined by the dark region known as the Cassini Division. Ring
scientists had thought that the small moon Janus was responsible for
confining the outer edge of the A ring, but a new modelling study shows
that the A ring's outward creep is kept in check by a confederation of
moons, including Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Janus, Epimetheus and
Mimas.

[Danik 2016]

Thanks, DW. There are so many new findings. I had to google Ceres and Dawn.

Ceres:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)


Dawn:
(old article)
http://earthsky.org/space/dawn-at-ceres-reveals-mystery-features

[Dreamwoven]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 456 2017 November 5

ASTEROID VISITS FROM BEYOND SOLAR SYSTEM
NASA

A small, recently discovered asteroid -- or perhaps a comet -- appears
to have originated from outside the Solar System, coming from somewhere
else in our Galaxy. If so, it would be the first 'interstellar object'
to be observed and confirmed by astronomers. The unusual object -- for
now designated A/2017 U1 -- is less than 400 metres in diameter and is
moving remarkably fast. Astronomers are using telescopes around the
world and in space to observe this notable object, in an effort to learn
about the origin and possibly composition of the object. A/2017 U1 was
discovered on October 19 by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1
telescope during the course of its nightly search for near-Earth objects.
Astronomers immediately realized that it was an unusual object. Its
motion could not be explained as either a normal Solar-System asteroid
orbit or a comet orbit. Combined data from follow-up images taken at
the ESA telescope on Tenerife proved that the object came from outside
the Solar System. It is the most extreme orbit that NASA scientists
have ever seen. The object is moving extremely fast, and on such a
trajectory that we can say with confidence that it is on its way out of
the Solar System and will not come back. The team plotted the object's
current trajectory and even looked into its future. A/2017 U1 came from
the direction of the constellation Lyra, cruising through interstellar
space at a brisk 25.5 km/s.

The object approached the Solar System from almost directly 'above' the
ecliptic, the approximate plane in space where the planets and most
asteroids orbit the Sun, so it did not have close encounters with any
of the major planets during its plunge toward the Sun. On Sept. 2, the
small body crossed under the ecliptic plane just inside Mercury's orbit
and then made its closest approach to the Sun on Sept. 9; answering to
the Sun's gravity, it made a hairpin turn under our Solar System,
passing under the Earth's orbit on Oct. 14 at a distance of about 24
million kilometres -- about 60 times the distance to the Moon. It has
now shot back up above the plane of the planets and, travelling at
44 km/s with respect to the Sun, is speeding toward the constellation
Pegasus. Astronomers have long suspected that such objects should
exist, because during the process of planet formation a lot of material
should be ejected from planetary systems. What is surprising is that we
have never seen interstellar objects pass through before. Since this is
the first object of its type ever discovered, rules for naming such
objects will need to be established by the International Astronomical
Union.

[Dreamwoven]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 456 2017 November 5
AMATEUR DETECTS COMET ORBITING DISTANT STAR
RAS

A 'citizen scientist' was the first to detect tell-tale signs that a
comet was orbiting a distant star monitored by the Kepler space
observatory. The discovery marks the first time that the presence of an
object as small as a comet has been inferred by observing dips in the
intensity of light from a star. Such dips usually signal crossings of
planets or other objects in front of the star, which briefly block a
small fraction of its light. In this case things were different: the
researchers were able to pick out the comet's tail, a trail of gas and
dust, which blocked about 0.1 per cent of the star's light as the comet
streaked by. The data came from the Kepler space telescope, a stellar
observatory that was launched in 2009. For four years, the spacecraft
monitored about 200,000 stars for dips in brightness caused by transit-
ing exoplanets. To date, the mission has identified and confirmed more
than 2,400 exoplanets, mostly orbiting stars in the constellation
Cygnus, with the help of automated algorithms that quickly sift through
the data, looking for the characteristic dips. The smallest exoplanets
detected thus far measure about one-third the diameter of the Earth.

Comets, in comparison, are only the size of a small city at their
largest, making them much more difficult to detect. But on March 18
this year Thomas Jacobs, an amateur astronomer who makes it his hobby to
comb through Kepler's data, was able to pick out several curious light
patterns amid the noise. Jacobs is part of the 'Planet Hunters'
citizen-scientist project established by Yale University, which enlists
amateur astronomers in the search for exoplanets. The idea was that the
human eye might be able to notice things that a computer would miss.
Astronomers could name 10 types of objects that those people have found
in the Kepler data but that algorithms could not find, because of the
pattern-recognition capability of the human eye. During the search, the
amateur observed three unusual dips in the light coming from KIC
3542116, a faint star located 800 light-years away - he flagged the
events and alerted a professional astronomer with whom he had collab-
orated in the past to interpret his findings. A further three transits
were subsequently found. The asymmetry in the light curves resembled
disintegrating planets, with long trails of debris that would continue
to block a bit of light as the planet moves away from the star.
However, such disintegrating planets orbit their star, transiting
repeatedly. In contrast, no such periodic pattern had been observed in
the transits identified. The only kind of body that could do the same
thing and not repeat is one that probably gets destroyed in the end. In
other words, instead of repeatedly orbiting the star, the objects must
have transited, then ultimately flown too close to the star, and
vaporised. The only thing that fits the bill, and has a small enough
mass to be destroyed, is a comet.

[Danik 2016]

Interesting links, DW! Now comes an astronomical crime story!

The brown dwarf that killed its brother

"How do you kill a star? Apparently, all it takes is a nearby companion, astronomers have found. After spotting a system consisting of a low-mass white dwarf (a stellar remnant from a star 0.5-8 times the Sun’s mass) and a “failed star” or brown dwarf, a Brazilian team of astronomers determined that the white dwarf was the result of a normal star’s “premature death” brought about by its tiny companion.

The work, published September 21 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, explores a low-mass binary system consisting of a 0.2-0.3-solar-mass white dwarf, and a 34-46-Jupiter-mass brown dwarf. Located in the constellation Perseus, this binary once held a normal, Sun-like star and a small substellar object, perhaps a brown dwarf (depending on its initial mass). But as the normal star began to swell into a red giant , the smaller object was engulfed — and instead of being destroyed, it triggered a massive ejection of material from the red giant that killed it instead."

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/brown-dwarf-brother

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137778/new-study-says-enceladus-internal-ocean-billions-years/
This is hardly surprising, but I look forward to the more detailed study of Enceladus in the decade or so to come. I won't be around then, but the thought is nice.

[Dreamwoven]

I was going to write about this, but Danik beat me to it... Five spaces too short I am told!

[Danik 2016]

Sorry, DW! Anyway, its the dialogue that matters.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137783/proxima-centauri-cold-dust-belt-indicate-even-planets/

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137782/just-began-casting-giant-magellan-telescopes-5th-mirror-monster-job/

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/38690-oldest-spiral-galaxy-ever-seen-detected.html

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137783/proxima-centauri-cold-dust-belt-indicate-even-planets/
"Proxima Centauri, in addition to being the closest star system to our own, is also the home of the closest exoplanet to Earth. The existence of this planet, Proxima b, was first announced in August of 2016 and then confirmed later that month. The news was met with a great deal of excitement, and a fair of skepticism, as numerous studies followed t were dedicated to determining if this planet could in fact be habitable.

Another important question has been whether or not Proxima Centauri could have any more objects orbiting it. According to a recent study by an international team of astronomers, Proxima Centauri is also home to a belt of cold dust and debris that is similar to the Main Asteroid Belt and Kuiper Belt in our Solar System. The existence of this dusty belt could indicate the presence of more planets in this star system."
https://www.universetoday.com/137783/proxima-centauri-cold-dust-belt-indicate-even-planets/

They are so desperately after habitable planets that they are going to find something soon, which they think habitable. Anyway, I am sorry in advance for whoever is going to undego thr test of living on those celestial bodies. Back after breakfast to read the other links.

[Dreamwoven]

I am going to try out starting a discussion of what we already know of Enceladus, the icy moon of Saturn, and one of the moons of Jupiter, Europa. I provide some links for discussion: NASA is planning to do a special study of these moon using a new probe, to see if this moon's oceans may contain life, because of the plumes of water breaking through Enceladus' icy surface. The Europa clipper probe is being planned for the 2020s. These links provide some of the background.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6942
https://www.nasa.gov/europa
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/index.html

[Danik 2016]

Great, DW. Before we start the discussion itself I will try to sum up some of the research trends I observed in the links we posted lately in order not to get lost with so many discoveries.

I have noticed three major trends:
-The first one is a general exploration of the celestial realm that exists beyond the solar system. Recent expeditions and more powerfull instruments have led to astonishing discoveries.The former all dominating solar system appears now as a small? part of a bigger mostly unknown whole.
-Another major focus is the interaction between celestial bodies, specially in regard of originating or destructing each other. I think this concern is related to the query how the earth itself was created and how easily it could be destructed by another celestial body.
-Last but certainly not least there is an intense interest in the study of the constitution of celestial bodies and their atmosphere. The foremost interest is this obsessive search for an habitable planet.

[Dreamwoven]

1. I Agree
2. You are probably right.
3. Yes, but I don't think anyone is expecting to find a habitable planet, more interested in finding primitive forms of life (probably single cell).

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6942

I didn't know that Jupiter's moon Europa, showed similar signs of activity similar to Enceladus.

Checked it out and it is indeed true. See https://www.universetoday.com/134116/nasas-plans-explore-europa-ocean-worlds/. This was in the late 1990s.

Onward to Europa

"Jupiter's moon Europa has been a prime target for future exploration since NASA's Galileo mission, in the late 1990s, found strong evidence for a salty global ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust. But the more recent revelation that a much smaller moon like Enceladus could also have not only liquid water, but also chemical energy that could potentially power biology, was staggering.

"Many lessons learned during Cassini's mission are being applied to planning NASA's Europa Clipper mission, planned for launch in the 2020s. Europa Clipper will fly by the icy ocean moon dozens of times to investigate its potential habitability, using an orbital tour design derived from the way Cassini has explored Saturn. The Europa Clipper mission will orbit the giant planet -- Jupiter in this case -- using gravitational assists from its large moons to maneuver the spacecraft into repeated close encounters with Europa. This is similar to the way Cassini's tour designers used the gravity of Saturn's moon Titan to continually shape their spacecraft's course."

[Dreamwoven]

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/whatisaplanet

This website is interesting for its broad historical approach to space exploration, and how NASA has been operating. It has changed from just visiting planets and moons to longer and more detailed studies of these bodies.

See also https://www.universetoday.com/129594/7-days-out-from-orbital-insertion-nasas-juno-images-jupiter-and-its-largest-moons/

[Dreamwoven]

“Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system,” says Bolton. “It is by far the oldest planet, contains more material than all the other planets, asteroids and comets combined and carries deep inside it the story of not only the solar system but of us. Juno is going there as our emissary — to interpret what Jupiter has to say.”

https://www.universetoday.com/129594/7-days-out-from-orbital-insertion-nasas-juno-images-jupiter-and-its-largest-moons/

[Danik 2016]

I am going to try out starting a discussion of what we already know of Enceladus, the icy moon of Saturn, and one of the moons of Jupiter, Europa. I provide some links for discussion: NASA is planning to do a special study of these moon using a new probe, to see if this moon's oceans may contain life, because of the plumes of water breaking through Enceladus' icy surface. The Europa clipper probe is being planned for the 2020s. These links provide some of the background.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6942
https://www.nasa.gov/europa
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/index.html

Sorry, DW. I had an appointment this morning and am several links behind. I´ll try to catch up, but I have to do this slowly.

[Danik 2016]

So first:

After Cassini: Pondering the Saturn Mission's Legacy

"As the Cassini spacecraft nears the end of a long journey rich with scientific and technical accomplishments, it is already having a powerful influence on future exploration. In revealing that Saturn's moon Enceladus has many of the ingredients needed for life, the mission has inspired a pivot to the exploration of "ocean worlds" that has been sweeping planetary science over the past decade."

I think this exploration of "ocean worlds" is related to the atmospheric and planet weather studies.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6942

I didn't know that Jupiter's moon Europa, showed similar signs of activity similar to Enceladus.

Checked it out and it is indeed true. See https://www.universetoday.com/134116/nasas-plans-explore-europa-ocean-worlds/. This was in the late 1990s.

Onward to Europa

"Jupiter's moon Europa has been a prime target for future exploration since NASA's Galileo mission, in the late 1990s, found strong evidence for a salty global ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust. But the more recent revelation that a much smaller moon like Enceladus could also have not only liquid water, but also chemical energy that could potentially power biology, was staggering.

"Many lessons learned during Cassini's mission are being applied to planning NASA's Europa Clipper mission, planned for launch in the 2020s. Europa Clipper will fly by the icy ocean moon dozens of times to investigate its potential habitability, using an orbital tour design derived from the way Cassini has explored Saturn. The Europa Clipper mission will orbit the giant planet -- Jupiter in this case -- using gravitational assists from its large moons to maneuver the spacecraft into repeated close encounters with Europa. This is similar to the way Cassini's tour designers used the gravity of Saturn's moon Titan to continually shape their spacecraft's course."

Europa Clipper is a significant name for a Spacecraft. What fascinates me here is the use of "moon energy" to maneuver the spacecraft.

[Dreamwoven]

This post of mine was put back into draft mode, it happens often, so I always copy th post before refreshing the page.

“Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system,” says Bolton. “It is by far the oldest planet, contains more material than all the other planets, asteroids and comets combined and carries deep inside it the story of not only the solar system but of us. Juno is going there as our emissary — to interpret what Jupiter has to say.”

https://www.universetoday.com/129594/7-days-out-from-orbital-insertion-nasas-juno-images-jupiter-and-its-largest-moons/

[Dreamwoven]

We are going to have to reconsider how supernovae work. One has been spotted which shows the star still active. See https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/09/astronomers-discover-a-star-that-would-not-die/

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137803/building-electronics-can-work-venus/ Venus and other extremely hot environments, like Mercury.

The record is held by the Soviet Venera 13 lander that survived on the surface of Mercury transmitting data for 127 minutes. NASA are experimenting with more durable technology, with the aim of operating on Mercury or Venus much like lander explorers work on Mars.

[Danik 2016]

This post of mine was put back into draft mode, it happens often, so I always copy th post before refreshing the page.

“Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system,” says Bolton. “It is by far the oldest planet, contains more material than all the other planets, asteroids and comets combined and carries deep inside it the story of not only the solar system but of us. Juno is going there as our emissary — to interpret what Jupiter has to say.”

https://www.universetoday.com/129594/7-days-out-from-orbital-insertion-nasas-juno-images-jupiter-and-its-largest-moons/

Yes, I noticed that.

[Danik 2016]

We are going to have to reconsider how supernovae work. One has been spotted which shows the star still active. See https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/09/astronomers-discover-a-star-that-would-not-die/

"Astronomers discover a star that would not die
Supernovae, the explosions of stars, have been observed in the thousands and in all cases they marked the death of a star. Astronomers at Las Cumbres Observatory have discovered a remarkable exception — a star that exploded multiple times over a period of more than fifty years. Their observations are challenging existing theories on these cosmic catastrophes."
https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/09/astronomers-discover-a-star-that-would-not-die/

Wow! Like those birthday candles that repeatedly explode in fireworks. They will have to discover first if
there are more of them.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137803/building-electronics-can-work-venus/ Venus and other extremely hot environments, like Mercury.

The record is held by the Soviet Venera 13 lander that survived on the surface of Mercury transmitting data for 127 minutes. NASA are experimenting with more durable technology, with the aim of operating on Mercury or Venus much like lander explorers work on Mars.

Yes. Much more advanced technology is certainly indispensable for the exploration of Venus.

[Danik 2016]

Attempted explanation on the phenomena of the star that survives explosions:

Puzzling new supernova may be from star producing antimatter
"An exploding star that continued to shine for nearly two years — unlike most supernovae, which fade after a few weeks — is puzzling astronomers and leading theorists, including UC Berkeley astrophysicist Daniel Kasen, to suggest that the event may be an example of a star so hot that it produces antimatter in its core."

https://www.technology.org/2017/11/10/puzzling-new-supernova-may-be-from-star-producing-antimatter/

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137820/life-mars-can-survive-millions-years-even-right-near-surface/

Life on Mars in the form of micro-organisms surviving beneath the surface: I've always thought that must be possible. Seems like much ado about nothing, even if almost nothing...

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/10/twinkle-in-a-forming-star-suggests-existence-of-a-very-young-planet/

Possibly. Certainly worth investigating further.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137838/nasa-moving-ahead-deployment-orion-capsule-space-launch-system/

This is part of the plan for NASA to set up a deep space gateway using the Moon as a starting point. It is expected to be ready by 2020.

"These latter two components are what will allow for missions beyond the Earth-Moon system. Whereas the combination of the SLS, Orion and the DSG will allow for renewed lunar missions (which have not taken place since the Apollo Era) the creation of a Deep Space Transport and Martian Basecamp are intrinsic to NASA’s plans to mount a crewed mission to the Red Planet by the 2030s."

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/10/twinkle-in-a-forming-star-suggests-existence-of-a-very-young-planet/

"An international team of researchers have found an infrequent variation in the brightness of a forming star. This 18-month recurring twinkle is not only an unexpected phenomenon for scientists, but its repeated behavior suggests the presence of a hidden planet.

This discovery is an early win for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Transient Survey, just one-and-a-half years into its three-year mandate to monitor eight galactic stellar nurseries for variations in the brightness of forming stars. This novel study is critical to understanding how stars and planets are assembled. The survey is led by Doug Johnstone, Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada and Greg Herczeg, Professor at Peking University (China), and is supported by an international team of astronomers from Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

“This variation in the brightness or twinkle of the star EC 53 suggests that something large is disrupting the gravitational pull of the forming star. The fact that it recurs every 18 months suggests that this influence is orbiting around the star — it’s quite likely a hidden, forming planet,” says Doug Johnstone. It is thought that a companion planet is orbiting the star, and its passing gravitational pull disrupts the rate of the gas falling onto the forming star, providing a variation in the observed brightness, or light curve, of the star."

[Dreamwoven]

On a more personal note, I saw Jupiter just below Venus, briefly on Friday 9th November, early in the morning. This is one of the nice things about the EarthSky website.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137820/life-mars-can-survive-millions-years-even-right-near-surface/

Life on Mars in the form of micro-organisms surviving beneath the surface: I've always thought that must be possible. Seems like much ado about nothing, even if almost nothing...

The interesting part of it is that they are investigating for us unusual forms of survival. Traditional knowledge is being rewritten.

[Danik 2016]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/10/twinkle-in-a-forming-star-suggests-existence-of-a-very-young-planet/

"An international team of researchers have found an infrequent variation in the brightness of a forming star. This 18-month recurring twinkle is not only an unexpected phenomenon for scientists, but its repeated behavior suggests the presence of a hidden planet.

This discovery is an early win for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Transient Survey, just one-and-a-half years into its three-year mandate to monitor eight galactic stellar nurseries for variations in the brightness of forming stars. This novel study is critical to understanding how stars and planets are assembled. The survey is led by Doug Johnstone, Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada and Greg Herczeg, Professor at Peking University (China), and is supported by an international team of astronomers from Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

“This variation in the brightness or twinkle of the star EC 53 suggests that something large is disrupting the gravitational pull of the forming star. The fact that it recurs every 18 months suggests that this influence is orbiting around the star — it’s quite likely a hidden, forming planet,” says Doug Johnstone. It is thought that a companion planet is orbiting the star, and its passing gravitational pull disrupts the rate of the gas falling onto the forming star, providing a variation in the observed brightness, or light curve, of the star."

LoL. Moment of cuteness: a stellar nursery with twinkling stars.

[Danik 2016]

On a more personal note, I saw Jupiter just below Venus, briefly on Friday 9th November, early in the morning. This is one of the nice things about the EarthSky website.

Have you got a telescope?

I live among skyscrapers. One even forgets to look at the sky.

[Dreamwoven]

No I don't have a telescope, only a pair of binoculars,7x50, but without a stand for them image is rather wobbly...

[Dreamwoven]

Yay, I saw this early in the morning. I didn't see the proper conjunction, only the two planets close together: http://earthsky.org/tonight/venusjupiter-conjunction-on-november-13

[Danik 2016]

No I don't have a telescope, only a pair of binoculars,7x50, but without a stand for them image is rather wobbly...

Have you tried fixing it somewhere high enough, on a ladder for example?

[Danik 2016]

Yay, I saw this early in the morning. I didn't see the proper conjunction, only the two planets close together: http://earthsky.org/tonight/venusjupiter-conjunction-on-november-13

The conjunction should be visible today or tomorrow before sunrise, depending on where you live.

[Dreamwoven]

http://earthsky.org/space/shadows-planet-forming-star-hd135344b Here EarthSky explains, simply, the way stars create planets.

[Danik 2016]

Now a bit more about the star of the day the "zombie star":

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/zombie

[Dreamwoven]

How mountains can cast shadows on clouds: http://earthsky.org/todays-image/photo-cloud-shadow-mystery

[Dreamwoven]

Have you tried fixing it somewhere high enough, on a ladder for example?

that wound take time to set up, depending on where the planet(s) happen to be. I don't have a step-ladder in the house.

[Dreamwoven]

We have had a zombie star before, though never called that. I tried "reply with quote" but after 20 minutes spinning I gave up. It seems the new slower LitNet internet connection can't handle this.

Now a bit more about the star of the day the "zombie star":

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/zombie

[Danik 2016]

that wound take time to set up, depending on where the planet(s) happen to be. I don't have a step-ladder in the house.

I see. Yes, it would have to be prepared before the happening of the phenomena you want to watch.

[Danik 2016]

We have had a zombie star before, though never called that. I tried "reply with quote" but after 20 minutes spinning I gave up. It seems the new slower LitNet internet connection can't handle this.

Now a bit more about the star of the day the "zombie star":

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/zombie

Never mind, DW.

[Danik 2016]

Seems the solar system has got a visitor:
Update on `Oumuamua, Our First Interstellar Object
"When the first-known object from interstellar space slipped through the inner solar system last month, the welcoming party wasn't quite ready. It passed within 0.25 astronomical unit (37,600,000 km) of the Sun on September 9th — yet it wasn't discovered until October 25th."
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/update-on-interstellar-object-oumuamua/

[Dreamwoven]

We also live in a small house, don't have space for a stepladder to stand in the living room.

[Dreamwoven]

http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/asteroids.html

This is a helpful article on asteroids.

[Danik 2016]

We also live in a small house, don't have space for a stepladder to stand in the living room.

Yes, I see.

[Danik 2016]

http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/asteroids.html

This is a helpful article on asteroids.

Sure. Their existence, variety and composition is attracting attention.

Asteroids: the rocky debris of space

"Historically, asteroids have given us clues as to how our solar system was formed. According to a popular theory, the four inner planets were formed when asteroids of different sizes all clumped together and over time became round, forming Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Beyond that, many astronomers hypothesize that all or most of the asteroids making up the contents of the asteroid belt were actually all a part of a planet � probably rocky � that was ripped apart due to the gravitational effects of Jupiter (yes, it's that strong!). In our day-to-day world, asteroids inspire both awe and fear."

http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/asteroids.html

[Dreamwoven]

China seems to be forging ahead: see http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/chinas-tiangong-1-set-to-reenter-in-the-coming-months/.

Acing Man has today published a post on how China is doing well with its own research. Worth reading...http://www.acting-man.com

[Danik 2016]

China seems to be forging ahead: see http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/chinas-tiangong-1-set-to-reenter-in-the-coming-months/.

Acing Man has today published a post on how China is doing well with its own research. Worth reading...http://www.acting-man.com

Very interesting articles, DW, from the astronomical as well as from the political point of view. It´s certainly no coincidence that they appear after the US president´s visit to China. China indeed forges ahead, without calling to much attention on its conquests.

[Dreamwoven]

China seems to be forging ahead: see http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/chinas-tiangong-1-set-to-reenter-in-the-coming-months/.

Acing Man has today published a post on how China is doing well with its own research. Worth reading...http://www.acting-man.com

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137856/tritons-arrival-chaos-rest-neptunes-moons/

This was an interesting article. They argue that Triton became a moon of Neptune by being caught in its orbit, and Triton is bigger than the rest of the moons of Neptune combined, and is caught in retrograde motion:

"The study of the Solar System’s many moons has revealed a wealth of information over the past few decades. These include the moons of Jupiter – 69 of which have been identified and named – Saturn (which has 62) and Uranus (27). In all three cases, the satellites that orbit these gas giants have prograde, low-inclination orbits. However, within the Neptunian system, astronomers noted that the situation was quite different.

Compared to the other gas giants, Neptune has far fewer satellites, and most of the system’s mass is concentrated within a single satellite that is believed to have been captured (i.e. Triton). According to a new study by a team from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado, Neptune may have once had a more massive systems of satellites, which the arrival of Triton may have disrupted.

The study, titled “Triton’s Evolution with a Primordial Neptunian Satellite System“, recently appeared in The Astrophysical Journal. The research team consisted of Raluca Rufu, an astrophysicist and geophysicist from the Weizmann Institute, and Robin M. Canup – the Associate VP of the SwRI. Together, they considered models of a primordial Neptunian system, and how it may have changed thanks to the arrival of Triton."

[Danik 2016]

Discoveries increase almost on a daily basis, I feel. But it probably will take a lot of time until they are able to systematize this new knowledge.

[Dreamwoven]

I agree with that cautious view. Until then, this remains only a theory.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137872/closest-potentially-habitable-world-found-around-quiet-star/

There are lots of these near our solar system. Still a long way away, though...

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137872/closest-potentially-habitable-world-found-around-quiet-star/

There are lots of these near our solar system. Still a long way away, though...

[Danik 2016]

"CLOSEST POTENTIALLY-HABITABLE WORLD FOUND AROUND “QUIET” STAR

Astronomers also anticipate that more temperature exoplanets will be discovered in the coming years, and that future surveys will be able to determine a great deal more about their atmospheres, composition and chemistry."
https://www.universetoday.com/137872/closest-potentially-habitable-world-found-around-quiet-star/


Maybe not so long, DW. They won´t rest as long as they haven´t found something habitable more or less around the corner.

[Dreamwoven]

So you think the search for a "habitable" planet will continue until they find one? It is likely to be a long drawn out search, as the only space telescope actually in space and operable we have is Hubble, which is old and venerable. The Spitzer will be a while yet before it ready and launched.

[Dreamwoven]

There are a lot of space-based telescopes up there. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_telescopes. But with differing capabilities, and orbits. I had no idea there were so many!

[Dreamwoven]

I know too little about astronomy to be able to judge. But see https://www.space.com/6716-major-space-telescopes.html

[Dreamwoven]

Truly this is the golden age of astronomy!

[Danik 2016]

Just having a look, before breakfast. My only readings about astronomy are these articles we most. But I noticed this urge to dominate the stellar world. I think the search for habitable worlds is the most important part of it. And again, it reminds me strongly of the Renaissance when the domain to be explored was the ocean and its hitherto unknown continents.

[Dreamwoven]

Very true, Danik. I also like to understand the present interest in astronomy in relation to past examples of the search for habitable worlds. Love it!

[Dreamwoven]

This article in Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/137884/antarctica-huge-mantle-plume-beneath-might-explain-ice-sheet-unstable/ may contribute to our understanding of what is happening in Antarctica.

[Danik 2016]

A new form of registering telescopic images. Meet the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF).

"Sky-sweeping Telescope Sees First Light

The Zwicky Transient Facility has taken its first image, covering an area equivalent to 247 full Moons in a single shot. This beginning is part of an ongoing sea change in astronomy.

Pictures have long served as a foundation of astronomy. But very soon astronomers will be turning to videos. Humans have always known that the seemingly eternal sky changes from night to night — Aborigines even incorporated such changes into their mythology — but for the most part studying celestial transience has required a great deal of patience or a willingness to trawl the archives. Only in the 21st century, in the era of Big Data, has astronomy had the capability to truly step into the time domain.

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a part of that sea change: It just took the first image of many, a 47-degree field of view equivalent to the area of 247 full Moons, captured in 24,000 by 24,000 pixels. The scene holds a chunk of Orion, showing the Orion, Flame, and Horsehead nebulae. This image precedes the facility’s science phase, which is set to begin in February 2018 and complete by 2020."
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/sky-scanning-telescope-sees-first-light/

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, I'm sure this will be an important change, when it happens. No doubt we will see...

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137892/james-webb-finally-reaches-space-heres-itll-hunting/

Update on the Webb telescope due to be launched in 2019. This is the planned successor to Hubble.

Lots of information in this post.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137872/closest-potentially-habitable-world-found-around-quiet-star/

Closest potentially habitable planet.

"In August of 2016, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced the discovery of a terrestrial (i.e. rocky) extra-solar planet orbiting within the habitable zone of the nearby Proxima Centauri star system, just 4.25 light-years away. Naturally, news of this was met with a great deal of excitement. This was followed about six months later with the announcement of a seven-planet system orbiting the nearby star of TRAPPIST-1.

Well buckle up, because the ESO just announced that there is another potentially-habitable planet in our stellar neighborhood! Like Proxima b, this exoplanet – known as Ross 128b – is relatively close to our Solar System (10.8 light years away) and is believed to be temperate in nature. But on top of that, this rocky planet has the added benefit of orbiting a quiet red dwarf star, which boosts the likelihood of it being habitable."

[Danik 2016]

Another link on Ross 128:
"Astronomers are now detecting more and more temperate exoplanets, and the next stage will be to study their atmospheres, composition and chemistry in more detail. Vitally, the detection of biomarkers such as oxygen in the very closest exoplanet atmospheres will be a huge next step, which ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is in prime position to take " i suppose that´s the point.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171115091747.htmAnother article on Ross 128:

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137904/clandestine-zuma-spysats-spacex-liftoff-postponed-indefinitely-resolve-payload-fairing-issue/

For a top secret exercise this gets a lot of publicity. I was not going to publish this but decided to anyway. Space X is a private company.

"KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Liftoff of the clandestine spy satellite codenamed ‘Zuma’ on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has been postponed indefinitely to resolve a lingering issue with the testing of a payload fairing for another customer.

SpaceX announced today, Friday, Nov 17, that they will ‘stand down’ to allow engineers the additional time needed to carefully scrutinize all the pertinent data before proceeding with the top secret Zuma launch.

“We have decided to stand down and take a closer look at data from recent fairing testing for another customer,” said SpaceX spokesman John Taylor.

The super secret ‘Zuma’ spysat is a complete mystery and it has not been claimed by any U.S. government entity – not even the elusive NRO spy agency ! The NRO does claim ownership of a vast fleet of covert and hugely capable orbiting surveillance assets supporting US national security."

[Dreamwoven]

http://earthsky.org/earth/letter-scientists-warn-environmental-dangers

Yes, I agree with this.

[Danik 2016]

For a top secret exercise this gets a lot of publicity. I was not going to publish this but decided to anyway. Space X is a private company.

I quite agree with you. I am full of mistrust regarding Zuma. I specially disliked this statement:

"Zuma’s goals are veiled in virtually complete darkness. And as far as the taxpaying public is concerned its ownerless."

This has probably only been made public because it has been called off.

[Danik 2016]

One excerpt of the letter:

"To prevent widespread misery and catastrophic biodiversity loss, humanity must practice a more environmentally sustainable alternative to business as usual. This prescription was well articulated by the world's leading scientists 25 years ago, but in most respects, we have not heeded their warning. Soon it will be too late to shift course away from our failing trajectory, and time is running out. We must recognize, in our day-to-day lives and in our governing institutions, that Earth with all its life is our only home."

One good reason for this frantic search for an habitable planet.

[Dreamwoven]

I agree, except that the definition of "habitable" is far to wide to be at all useful. Hopefully once the new Spitzer telescope is up and running it will become easier, possible to zoom in to discover temperate zones. What is needed is a planet where humans can move without radiation protection and that has a breathable atmosphere without using oxygen tubes.

[Dreamwoven]

But this combination of Earth-like conditions is very hard to find. I don't think any of the new "Earth-like" planets that we have discovered in recent years meet these criteria. So Mars, where you need to wear a space-suite, and protection from radiation, is still the most likely candidate.

[Danik 2016]

I agree with you, DW. Also one must consider the great distance of the exoplanets a distance that is measured in light years. So I think that they either must discover a planet with earth like living conditions, that is near enough to the earth or they must create artificially the means of survival in very different conditions. Both of these possibilities demand time, high financial and technological investments.

[Dreamwoven]

Thanks Danik. This is a quiet period for astronomy posts, but I stay on the lookout for new ones.

[Dreamwoven]

Just got a new monthly series of Popular Astronomy posts. This one shows developments in cameras (lighter weight and better quality pictures).

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 457 2017 November 19

Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular
Astronomy. The SPA is arguably Britain's liveliest astronomical
society, with members all over the world. We accept subscription
payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit
cards. You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how
much we have to offer by visiting http://www.popastro.com/

NEXT MARS ROVER WILL HAVE 23 EYES
NASA

When the Mars Pathfinder touched down in 1997, it had five cameras: two
on a mast that popped up from the lander, and three on NASA's first
rover, Sojourner. Since then, camera technology has seen appreciable
improvement. Photo-sensors that were improved by the space programme
have become commercially ubiquitous. Cameras have shrunk in size,
increased in quality and are now carried in every cellphone and laptop.
That same evolution has returned to space. The Mars 2020 mission will
have more 'eyes' than any rover before it -- a grand total of 23, to
create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles, study the atmosphere, and
assist instruments. They will provide dramatic views during the rover's
descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it
opens in the atmosphere of another planet. There will even be a camera
inside the rover's body, which will study samples as they are stored and
left on the surface for collection by a future mission. They represent
a steady progression since Pathfinder: after that mission, the Spirit
and Opportunity rovers were designed with 10 cameras each, including on
their landers; Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover has 17. Camera
technology keeps improving; each successive mission is able to utilize
the improvements, with better performance and lower cost. The cameras
on Mars 2020 will include more colour and 3-D imaging than on Curiosity.
On the new rover, the engineering cameras have been upgraded to acquire
high-resolution, 20-megapixel colour images.

[Danik 2016]

Thanks Danik. This is a quiet period for astronomy posts, but I stay on the lookout for new ones.

Me too.Yes, themes tend to repeat themselves.

[Danik 2016]

Just got a new monthly series of Popular Astronomy posts. This one shows developments in cameras (lighter weight and better quality pictures).

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 457 2017 November 19

Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular
Astronomy. The SPA is arguably Britain's liveliest astronomical
society, with members all over the world. We accept subscription
payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit
cards. You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how
much we have to offer by visiting http://www.popastro.com/

NEXT MARS ROVER WILL HAVE 23 EYES
NASA

When the Mars Pathfinder touched down in 1997, it had five cameras: two
on a mast that popped up from the lander, and three on NASA's first
rover, Sojourner. Since then, camera technology has seen appreciable
improvement. Photo-sensors that were improved by the space programme
have become commercially ubiquitous. Cameras have shrunk in size,
increased in quality and are now carried in every cellphone and laptop.
That same evolution has returned to space. The Mars 2020 mission will
have more 'eyes' than any rover before it -- a grand total of 23, to
create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles, study the atmosphere, and
assist instruments. They will provide dramatic views during the rover's
descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it
opens in the atmosphere of another planet. There will even be a camera
inside the rover's body, which will study samples as they are stored and
left on the surface for collection by a future mission. They represent
a steady progression since Pathfinder: after that mission, the Spirit
and Opportunity rovers were designed with 10 cameras each, including on
their landers; Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover has 17. Camera
technology keeps improving; each successive mission is able to utilize
the improvements, with better performance and lower cost. The cameras
on Mars 2020 will include more colour and 3-D imaging than on Curiosity.
On the new rover, the engineering cameras have been upgraded to acquire
high-resolution, 20-megapixel colour images.

An important development!

[Danik 2016]

I found this article on aboriginal observation of stars interesting:

"
How Variable Stars Shine in the Oral Traditions of Aboriginal Australians

Are there any clear records from oral or Indigenous cultures that demonstrate knowledge of variable stars?

Emerging research reveals two Aboriginal traditions from South Australia that show the answer is a clear 'yes.'"

https://www.space.com/38789-variable-stars-aboriginal-australians-traditions.html

[Dreamwoven]

I had no idea that stars vary in their magnitude, and that the variability follows clear patterns. Very interesting.

[Dreamwoven]

I guess that not all stars vary like this, ours, the sun, does not as far as I know? Variability is frequent, like every 4 years. I'm puzzled...

[Danik 2016]

Neither had I.

[Danik 2016]

"Meet 'Oumuamua! The 1st Interstellar Visitor Ever Seen Gets a Name
We now know what to call the mysterious object from interstellar space that zoomed past Earth last month.

The interloper — the first known interstellar body observed within our own solar system — has been named 'Oumuamua, which means "a messenger from afar arriving first" in Hawaiian, representatives of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced yesterday (Nov. 14).

The IAU also approved an official scientific designation for 'Oumuamua: 1I/2017 U1. This is a first-of-its-kind moniker; the "I" stands for "interstellar." Previously, small objects like 'Oumuamua have received standard comet or asteroid designations, which sport a "C" or "A," respectively, in place of the "I." [Solar System Explained from the Inside Out (Infographic)]"

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?80444-Astronomy&p=1345697

[Dreamwoven]

The link for Oumuamua on universe today is https://www.universetoday.com/137944/interstellar-asteroid-probably-pretty-strange-looking/.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137892/james-webb-finally-reaches-space-heres-itll-hunting/

[Danik 2016]

The link for Oumuamua on universe today is https://www.universetoday.com/137944/interstellar-asteroid-probably-pretty-strange-looking/.

The visualization is better on your link. It looks like a log. Maybe its just a piece of celestial debris.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137892/james-webb-finally-reaches-space-heres-itll-hunting/

"Ever since the project was first conceived, scientists have been eagerly awaiting the day that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will take to space. As the planned successor to Hubble, the JWST will use its powerful infrared imaging capabilities to study some of the most distant objects in the Universe (such as the formation of the first galaxies) and study extra-solar planets around nearby stars."

https://www.universetoday.com/137892/james-webb-finally-reaches-space-heres-itll-hunting/

[Dreamwoven]

EarthSky has a more detailed presentation of Oumuamua. See http://earthsky.org/space/1st-interstellar-asteroid-named-oumuamua-1i2017-u1. It is certainly weird and an object from beyond the solar system, from interstellar space.

[Danik 2016]

Yes, indeed. And they have now classified it as an interstellar asteroid.

[Dreamwoven]

It is like a long thin sausage, very odd! There may be other wonders in interstellar space.

[tailor STATELY]

Pardon my irreverence, but does anyone else have this song in their head as they imagine Oumuamua flying through space... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQrQjNNZCAo

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Danik 2016]

The astronomers probably not. But I think Oumuamua would welcome the fitting sound track.:lol:

[Dreamwoven]

I've often wondered how one of those sails heading fast to a rendezvous with a target object would slow down. The answer is not obvious, though it is good that they are beginning to consider it:


https://www.universetoday.com/137942/magnetic-sails-slow-interstellar-spacecraft-enough/

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137954/galactic-panspermia-interstellar-dust-transport-life-star-star/

Is this how life spread through the universe? its just a theory and the microbes that could be the means of transport are indeed tiny.

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/20/nasa-confirms-contribution-to-japanese-led-mars-mission/

"NASA announced Thursday it will fund development of a scientific instrument that will fly on Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration mission, a robotic probe set for launch in 2024 to bring back the first samples from Mars’ largest moon Phobos."

[Dreamwoven]

There are, of course, only 2 moons circling Mars, Phobos being the larger.

[Danik 2016]

"GALACTIC PANSPERMIA: INTERSTELLAR DUST COULD TRANSPORT LIFE FROM STAR TO STAR

The theory of Panspermia states that life exists through the cosmos, and is distributed between planets, stars and even galaxies by asteroids, comets, meteors and planetoids. In this respect, life began on Earth about 4 billion years ago after microorganisms hitching a ride on space rocks landed on the surface. Over the years, considerable research has been devoted towards demonstrating that the various aspects of this theory work.

The latest comes from the University of Edinburgh, where Professor Arjun Berera offers another possible method for the transport of life-bearing molecules. According to his recent study, space dust that periodically comes into contact with Earth’s atmosphere could be what brought life to our world billions of years ago. If true, this same mechanism could be responsible for the distribution of life throughout the Universe."
https://www.universetoday.com/137954/galactic-panspermia-interstellar-dust-transport-life-star-star/

A very curious theory. Maybe the existence of almost invisible organism like mites would be a proof of the pudding. But all that remains to be proved. What we have currently is the fertile imagination of the astronomers.

[Dreamwoven]

I didn't know that the interstellar interloper Oumuamua, had already passed us by in 2017. Here is a project proposal to study such phenomena in detail:
https://www.universetoday.com/137960/project-lyra-mission-chase-interstellar-asteroid-1/

[Danik 2016]

"Observations of the asteroid’s orbit have also revealed that it made its closest pass to our Sun back in September of 2017, and it is currently on its way back to interstellar space. Because of the mysteries this body holds, there are those who are advocating that it be intercepted and explored. One such group is Project Lyra, which recently released a study detailing the challenges and benefits such a mission would present."
https://www.universetoday.com/137960/project-lyra-mission-chase-interstellar-asteroid-1/

I wonder if Oumuamua is worth the expenditure. It was only a courtesy call, it´s already traveling back.

[Dreamwoven]

Unless its second visit was just the first the astronomers had noticed. Perhaps it comes back every other year?

[Danik 2016]

If it does it won´t pass unoticed any more I think. The astronomers are fascinated by it:
"Surveys like Pan-STARRS and the future Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST, currently under construction near the Gemini South telescope in Chile) will undoubtedly increase the detections of these interstellar wanderers. “The discoveries of rare surprises like ‘Oumuamua from outside our Solar System will be greatly accelerated by the power and grasp of the LSST,” said Richard Green of the US National Science Foundation (NSF). “LSST is going to produce a torrent of data and revolutionize this sort of time domain astronomy when it begins operations early in the next decade,” adds Green. LSST is funded by a partnership with the NSF, the Department of Energy, and the LSST Corporation.

‘Oumuamua loosely means “a messenger that reaches out from the distant past,” fitting the nature of the object’s interstellar origin. In Hawaiian ‘ou means “to reach out for,” while mua means “first” and is repeated for emphasis." "
https://www.technology.org/2017/11/23/first-known-interstellar-visitor-is-an-oddball/

[Dreamwoven]

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will broaden our view of space beyond th solar system:

"The goal of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project is to conduct a 10-year survey of the sky that will deliver a 200 petabyte set of images and data products that will address some of the most pressing questions about the structure and evolution of the universe and the objects in it. The LSST survey is designed to address four science areas:

• Understanding the Mysterious Dark Matter and Dark Energy
• Hazardous Asteroids and the Remote Solar System
• The Transient Optical Sky
• The Formation and Structure of the Milky Way

The scientific questions that LSST will address are profound, and yet the concept behind the design of the LSST project is remarkably simple: conduct a deep survey over an enormous area of sky; do it with a frequency that enables images of every part of the visible sky to be obtained every few nights; and continue in this mode for ten years to achieve astronomical catalogs thousands of times larger than have ever previously been compiled."

[Dreamwoven]

So the sighting of the Oumuamua is redirecting attention to the larger issues around our interest in Space. That is a major step.

[Danik 2016]

I agree with you. I think this is true specially for the celestial bodies that don´t fit into the usual categories as planets, stars, suns, moons, asteroids, etc.

[Dreamwoven]

I thought this was interesting: we still do not have a clear understanding of dynamics of the life-cycle of stars

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/shrinking-white-dwarf

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/38880-james-webb-emerges-90-day-freeze.html

The launch is scheduled for mid-2019.

[Danik 2016]

I thought this was interesting: we still do not have a clear understanding of dynamics of the life-cycle of stars

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/shrinking-white-dwarf

"Consider a Sun-like star, a red giant, and a white dwarf. They all seem pretty different. But really, one star can be all three of these throughout its life. In about 5 billion years, the Sun will turn into a red giant, bloating until it swallows the Earth. Then about a billion years after that, it will expand too far and lose its outer layers, leaving just its hot, dense core behind. This core will be a white dwarf. "
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/shrinking-white-dwarf
I am astonished at this sistematization of processes that started so many billions of years ago.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/38880-james-webb-emerges-90-day-freeze.html

The launch is scheduled for mid-2019.

[Danik 2016]

That might be interesting too.
"Unexpected atmospheric vortex behavior on Saturn's moon Titan
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, is bigger than the planet Mercury, and is the only moon in our solar system to have a substantial atmosphere.

Usually, the high altitude polar atmosphere in a planet's winter hemisphere is warm because of sinking air being compressed and heated -- similar to what happens in a bicycle pump.

Puzzlingly, Titan's atmospheric polar vortex seems to be extremely cold instead."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171121121510.htm

[Danik 2016]

https://www.space.com/38880-james-webb-emerges-90-day-freeze.html

The launch is scheduled for mid-2019.

It´s probably going to be a big event. Hopefully the results will justify it.

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, that's the general idea. But it is complicated by the variety of situations the white dwarf can be in:

"This simplified graphic displays the different evolutionary pathways stars can take depending on their mass. Sun-like stars (top) typically end up going through a red giant phase before eventually forming a white dwarf."

and:

"A lot of white dwarfs have been spotted over the years, but a study published this week in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society presented the first observational evidence of a shrinking white dwarf, which they found has been consistently contracting for the past 2 million years.

According to theory, a typical white dwarf can shrink its radius by several hundred kilometers during its first million years, but astronomers have never actually witnessed this behavior before. “For decades it has been theoretically clear that young white dwarfs are contracting,” said astrophysicist and lead author of the study, Sergei Popov, in a press release. “Yet, that very phase of contraction has never been observed in ‘real time.’”

The sheer variety of different situations within which the star can be in will require observations of different situations enough times to develop the empirical validation.

[Danik 2016]

This shrinking of white dwarfs (and maybe of other celestial bodies) takes million years. Our planet might be shrinking and expanding and with our current technology we might not notice it.

Another interesting question:

Will the tardigrade be the first interstellar pet?

"Since some bacteria, plants, and even small animals — known as tardigrades — can survive in space, it is possible that these organisms could also get caught in the dust conveyor belt and hitch a ride to another planet. The same mechanism outlined in the study also allows for distant planets within the same solar system to exchange atmospheric particles with one another. "

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/life-in-dust

I´m linking this to the video about the tardigrade from the link "About Animals":
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?86705-About-animals&p=1336621&viewfull=1#post1336621

[Dreamwoven]

Tardigrades are tiny, under 0.5 of a millimetre long: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade. They are very tough, so they can likely survive anywhere. How much wiser would we be if their presence were confirmed on other planets/moons? Unless also other animals were discovered there as well...

[Danik 2016]

Tardigrades are tiny, under 0.5 of a millimetre long: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade. They are very tough, so they can likely survive anywhere. How much wiser would we be if their presence were confirmed on other planets/moons? Unless also other animals were discovered there as well...

I think they are more developed forms of life than bacterias:

"Tardigrades are strangely adorable microscopic creatures that are capable of withstanding some of the worst that nature can throw at them. Classified as “extremophiles,” they can survive freezing, total dehydration, radiation, and even the vacuum of space. Tardigrades are an ancient species that diverged from ancestral animals back in the pre-Cambrian period (~600 million years ago), and likely evolved their own unique genes over a protracted period of time.

Earlier this year, scientists successfully revived a tardigrade that had been frozen solid for more than three decades—a new record for this durable species. Needless to say, scientists are understandably curious about tardigrades; research into these ancient creatures could tell us something about alien life on other planets, and how we might be able to leverage tardigrade biology in medicine and genetics."

https://gizmodo.com/genes-hold-the-key-to-the-water-bears-indestructibility-1786814698

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, but is not that very point we are discussing? Yes, if there are more developed species also in those waters but not otherwise.

[Danik 2016]

What I mean is that the tardigrades,even if they are small, are complex organisms. I suppose the initial expectation of the scientists is to discover more simple forms of life. But in fact one doesn´t have any idea, what forms of life may be discovered.

[Dreamwoven]

No, I guess that is so. Looking at specific examples, where would the best place to look be? Saturn is a bit far away, but Enceladus is one moon that is promising. I believe there are plans to return there and investigate. Otherwise there are planets and moons around Jupiter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(moon)#Exploration.

Plans are in a very preliminary phase, so that limits discussion of them. What ideas do you have for future exploration?

[Danik 2016]

I don´t know, as you say, we are still in a very preliminary phase, with researches heading in several directions. I think the scientists themselves will probably surprised with unexpected findings but when and where is difficult to predict.

[Dreamwoven]

There is really very little new in astronomy. According to EarthSky it should be possible to see the planet Saturn near the horizon. Its been overcast for more than week, so I can't check that out.

[Danik 2016]

I have no idea what Saturn looks like or I would check from my location, in spite of all the sky scrapers that surround me.

Now this must be of global interest:

An all-new weather prediction system is on its way
"NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have teamed up to increase the accuracy of weather forecasts down on Earth.
The Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), the first of the series to be launched, was sent into space at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on November 18, 2017. After it completes a three-month period of polar orbiting and the advanced instruments are confirmed to be fully functional, the satellite will be ready for weather prediction.

JPSS-1, which will share an orbit with the joint National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, has the potential to increase reporting accuracy of upcoming atmospheric events. Its instruments will be able to observe and collect weather pattern data, such as sea-ice cover, fire detection, volcanic ash, and atmospheric temperature. The satellite is also designed to capture post-storm imagery, including storm damage extent and power loss, which could prove beneficial for storm damage recovery efforts."
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/an-all-new-weather-prediction-system-is-on-its-way

[Dreamwoven]

Its still overcast here, so still can't check anything. You won't see Saturn's rings, just a star in the sky that does not blink, a point of light.

[Dreamwoven]

I've just been reading about pulsars: http://earthsky.org/space/2017-marks-50-years-since-pulsars-were-discovered. Weird!

[Dreamwoven]

Here is something else http://earthsky.org/space/small-magellanic-cloud-new-radio-image-atomic-hydrogen

I have to admit I don't really understand this one.

[Dreamwoven]

Astronomers at Australian National University (ANU) said on November 28, 2017 that they’ve created the most detailed radio image yet of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a famous sky-sight from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere and a dwarf galaxy orbiting our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The image shows the galaxy not in terms of its stars and dust, as optical images do, but in terms of its hydrogen gas. ANU astronomer Naomi McClure-Griffiths, who co-led the study, said:

Hydrogen is the fundamental building block of all galaxies and shows off the more extended structure of a galaxy than its stars and dust.

She said the image reveals distortions to the Small Magellanic Cloud, which likely occurred because of its interactions with the larger galaxies and because of its own star explosions that push gas out of the galaxy:

The outlook for this dwarf galaxy is not good, as it’s likely to eventually be gobbled up by our Milky Way.

Together, the [Large and Small] Magellanic Clouds are characterised by their distorted structures, a bridge of material that connects them, and an enormous stream of hydrogen gas that trails behind their orbit – a bit like a comet.

[Dreamwoven]

Well, I guess this was not so bad as an explanation.

[Danik 2016]

Here is something else http://earthsky.org/space/small-magellanic-cloud-new-radio-image-atomic-hydrogen

I have to admit I don't really understand this one.

Indeed!
Did you notice there is quite a vocabulary of recent astronomy:
exoplanet
Kuiper belt
Red dwarf
White dwarf
Magellanic Cloud
Pulsar
Oort Cloud
Hot Jupiter
etc.

[Danik 2016]

Well, I guess this was not so bad as an explanation.

It´s ok. A lot of new informations.

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, it fine. There are other as well, like Oort Cloud, and Hot Jupiters.

[Danik 2016]

I have included them. We are getting quite a list.

[Dreamwoven]

http://earthsky.org/todays-image/can-you-see-an-aurora-borealis-when-theres-a-full-moon

Enhanced by moonlight, apparently! Nice images...

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137981/genesis-project-using-robotic-gene-factories-seed-galaxy-life/

I wonder what people think of this? I think the idea needs considering much more carefully. As for seeding life in the entire galaxy, I am not happy with it, as it would risk creating a uniformity rather than diversity.

[Danik 2016]

"But perhaps the most daring proposal comes in the form of Project Genesis, which would attempt to seed distant planets with life.

This proposal was put forth by Dr. Claudius Gros, a theoretical physicist from the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt. In 2016, he published a paper that described how robotic missions equipped with gene factories (or cryogenic pods) could be used to distribute microbial life to “transiently habitable exoplanets – i.e. planets capable of supporting life, but not likely to give rise to it on their own."
https://www.universetoday.com/137981/genesis-project-using-robotic-gene-factories-seed-galaxy-life/

Ai, ai,ai!I shudder when I think of the cosmic health of other galaxies!

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, Project Genesis is its name. I hope it comes to nought.

[Dreamwoven]

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/12/voyager-1

Voyager 1 fires dormant thrusters for the first time in 37 years. They made them tough and durable back then!

It is currently over 13 billion miles from Earth and travelling at 40,000 miles an hour. Read the article, it impressive!

[Danik 2016]

Yes, they have to adapt themselves to the old codes!

[Dreamwoven]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3

Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular
Astronomy. The SPA is arguably Britain's liveliest astronomical
society, with members all over the world. We accept subscription
payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit
cards. You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how
much we have to offer by visiting http://www.popastro.com/

FIRST INTERSTELLAR ASTEROID IS NOTHING LIKE SEEN BEFORE
ESO

On 2017 October 19 the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii observed a
faint point of light moving across the sky. It looked initially like a
typical fast-moving small asteroid, but additional observations over
the next couple of days allowed its orbit to be computed fairly
accurately. The orbit calculations revealed beyond any doubt that
that body did not originate from inside the Solar System, like all
other asteroids or comets ever observed, but instead had come from
interstellar space. Although it was originally classified as a comet,
observations from ESO and elsewhere revealed no signs of cometary
activity after it passed closest to the Sun in 2017 September. The
object was re-classified as an interstellar asteroid and named
1I/2017 U1 (`Oumuamua). ESO's Very Large Telescope was immediately
called into action to measure the object's orbit, brightness and colour
more accurately than smaller telescopes could achieve. Speed was vital
as `Oumuamua was rapidly fading as it headed away from the Sun and past
the Earth's orbit, on its way out of the Solar System. There were more
surprises to come. Combining the images from the FORS instrument on the
VLT through four different filters with those of other large telescopes,
the team of astronomers found that `Oumuamua varies dramatically in
brightness by a factor of ten as it spins on its axis every 7.3 hours.
That unusually large variation in brightness means that the object is
highly elongated, about ten times as long as it is wide, with a complex,
convoluted shape. They also found that it has a dark red colour,
similar to objects in the outer Solar System, and confirmed that it
is completely inert, without the faintest hint of dust around it.

Those properties suggest that `Oumuamua is dense, possibly rocky or with
high metal content, lacks significant amounts of water or ice, and that
its surface is now dark and reddened owing to the effects of irradiation
from cosmic rays over millions of years. It is estimated to be at least
400 metres long. Preliminary orbital calculations suggested that the
object has come from the approximate present direction of Vega. However,
it has taken it so long for it to make the journey to the Solar System,
even though it has been travelling at a speed of about 26 km/s (95,000
km/h), that Vega was not near that position when the asteroid was there
about 300,000 years ago. `Oumuamua may well have been wandering through the Milky Way, unattached to any star system, for hundreds of millions of years before its chance encounter with the Solar System. Astronomers estimate that interstellar asteroids similar to `Oumuamua pass through the inner Solar System about once a year, but they are faint and hard to spot and so have been missed until now. It is only recently that survey telescopes, such as Pan-STARRS, were made powerful enough to have a chance of discovering them. Astronomers are continuing to observe this unique object and hope to pin down more accurately where it came from and where it is going next on its tour of the Galaxy.

[Dreamwoven]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3


EXOPLANET 55 CANCRI e LIKELY TO HAVE ATMOSPHERE
NASA/JPL

Twice as big as the Earth, the super-Earth 55 Cancri e was thought to
have lava flows on its surface. The planet is very close to its star,
and the same side of the planet always faces the star, so the planet has
permanent day and night sides. On the basis of a 2016 study using data
from the Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists speculated that lava would
flow freely in lakes on the starlit side and become hardened on the face
in perpetual darkness. The lava on the day side would reflect radiation
from the star, contributing to the overall observed temperature of the
planet. Now, a deeper analysis of the same Spitzer data finds that the
planet probably has an atmosphere whose ingredients could be similar to
those of the Earth's atmosphere, but thicker. Scientists have said that
lava lakes directly exposed to space without an atmosphere would create
local hot spots of high temperatures, so they are not the best expla-
nation for the Spitzer observations. Using an improved model of how
energy would flow throughout the planet and radiate back into space,
researchers find that the night side of the planet is not as cool as
previously thought. Even the 'cool' side is still quite toasty by
Earthly standards, at an average of 1,300 to 1,400 Celsius, and the
hot side averages 2,300 Celsius. The difference between the hot and
cold sides would be more extreme if there were no atmosphere.

Researchers say that the atmosphere of the extraordinary planet could
contain nitrogen, water and even oxygen -- molecules found in *our*
atmosphere, too -- but with much higher temperatures throughout. The
density of the planet is also similar to that of the Earth, suggesting
that it, too, is rocky. The intense heat from the host star would be
far too great to support life, however, and could not allow liquid
water. Spitzer observed 55 Cancri e between 2013 June 15 and July 15,
using a camera specially designed for viewing infrared light, which is
an indicator of heat energy. By comparing changes in brightness
observed by Spitzer to energy-flow models, researchers realized that an
atmosphere with volatile materials could best explain the temperatures.
There are many open questions about 55 Cancri e, especially why the
atmosphere has not been stripped away from the planet, given the
perilous radiation environment of the star. Understanding that planet
could help us address larger questions about the evolution of rocky
planets.

[Dreamwoven]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3

SPACE DUST MAY TRANSPORT LIFE BETWEEN WORLDS
University of Edinburgh

Fast-moving flows of interplanetary dust that continually bombard our
planet's atmosphere could deliver tiny organisms from far-off worlds, or
send Earth-based organisms to other planets, according to new research.
The dust streams could collide with biological particles in the Earth's
atmosphere with enough energy to knock them into space. Such an event
could enable bacteria and other forms of life to make their way from one
planet in the Solar System to another and perhaps beyond. The finding
suggests that large asteroid impacts may not be the sole mechanism by
which life could transfer between planets, as was previously thought.
The research calculated how powerful flows of space dust -- which can
move at up to 70 km/s -- could collide with particles in our atmospheric
system. It found that small particles existing at 150 km or higher
above the Earth's surface could be knocked beyond retrieval by the
Earth's gravity by space dust and eventually reach other planets. The
same mechanism could enable the exchange of atmospheric particles
between distant planets. Some bacteria, plants and small animals called
tardigrades are known to be able to survive in space, so it is possible
that such organisms -- if present in the Earth's upper atmosphere --
might collide with fast-moving space dust and withstand a journey to
another planet. The proposition that space-dust collisions could propel
organisms over enormous distances between planets raises some exciting
prospects of how life and the atmospheres of planets originated. The
streaming of fast space dust is found throughout planetary systems and
could be a common factor in proliferating life.

[Dreamwoven]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3

DO DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY REALLY EXIST?
Universite de Geneve

For close on a century, researchers have hypothesized that the Universe
contains matter that can not be directly observed, known as 'dark
matter'. They have also posited the existence of a 'dark energy' that
is more powerful than gravitational attraction. Those two hypotheses,
it has been argued, account for the movement of stars in galaxies and
for the accelerating expansion of the Universe respectively. But --
according to a researcher at the University of Geneva -- those concepts
may not be valid: the phenomena that they are supposed to describe can
be demonstrated without them. The research exploits a new theoretical
model based on the scale invariance of the empty space, potentially
solving two of astronomy's greatest problems. In 1933, the Swiss
astronomer Fritz Zwicky claimed that there was substantially more matter
in the Universe than we can actually see. Astronomers called that
unknown matter 'dark matter', a concept that was to take on yet more
importance in the 1970s, when the US astronomer Vera Rubin called on
it to explain the movements and speed of the stars. Scientists have
subsequently devoted considerable resources to identifying dark matter
-- in space, on the ground and even at CERN -- but without success. In
1998 a second problem arose: a team of Australian and US astrophysicists
discovered the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, earning
them after some delay the Nobel Prize for physics in 2011. However, in
spite of much effort, no theory or observation has been able to define
the black energy that is allegedly stronger than Newton's gravitational
attraction. In short, dark matter and dark energy are two problems that
have stumped astronomersfor over 80 years and 20 years respectively.
The way we represent the Universe and its history are described by
Einstein's equations of general relativity, Newton's universal gravita-
tion and quantum mechanics. The model-consensus at present is that of a
big bang followed by an expansion. In that model, there is a starting
hypothesis that seems not to have been taken into account. That is the
scale invariance of the empty space; in other words, the empty space and
its properties do not change following a dilation or contraction. The
empty space plays a primordial role in Einstein's equations as it
operates in a quantity known as the 'cosmological constant', and the
resulting Universe model depends on it. On the basis of that hypothesis,
researchers are now re-examining the model of the Universe, pointing out
that the scale invariance of the empty space is also present in the
fundamental theory of electromagnetism.

When the researchers carried out cosmological tests on the new model,
they found that it matched the observations. They also found that the
model predicts the accelerated expansion of the Universe without having
to factor in any particle or dark energy. In short, it appears that
dark energy may not actually exist, since the acceleration of the
expansion is contained in the equations of the physics. In a second
stage, astronomers focussed on Newton's law, a special case of the
equations of general relativity. The law is also slightly modified when
the model incorporates the new hypothesis. Indeed, it contains a very
small outward acceleration term, which is particularly significant at
low densities. The amended law, when applied to clusters of galaxies,
leads to masses of clusters in line with that of visible matter
(contrary to what Zwicky argued in 1933): that means that no dark matter
is needed to explain the high speeds of the galaxies in the clusters.
A second test demonstrated that the law also predicts the high speeds
reached by the stars in the outer regions of galaxies (as Rubin had
observed), without having to turn to dark matter to describe them.
Finally, a third test looked at the dispersion of the speeds of the
stars oscillating around the plane of the Milky Way. That dispersion,
which increases with the age of the relevant stars, can be explained
very well by the invariant empty space hypothesis, while there was
previously no agreement on the origin of that effect.

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/10/hubble-spots-expanding-light-echo-around-supernova/

[Danik 2016]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3

Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular
Astronomy. The SPA is arguably Britain's liveliest astronomical
society, with members all over the world. We accept subscription
payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit
cards. You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how
much we have to offer by visiting http://www.popastro.com/

FIRST INTERSTELLAR ASTEROID IS NOTHING LIKE SEEN BEFORE
ESO

On 2017 October 19 the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii observed a
faint point of light moving across the sky. It looked initially like a
typical fast-moving small asteroid, but additional observations over
the next couple of days allowed its orbit to be computed fairly
accurately. The orbit calculations revealed beyond any doubt that
that body did not originate from inside the Solar System, like all
other asteroids or comets ever observed, but instead had come from
interstellar space. Although it was originally classified as a comet,
observations from ESO and elsewhere revealed no signs of cometary
activity after it passed closest to the Sun in 2017 September. The
object was re-classified as an interstellar asteroid and named
1I/2017 U1 (`Oumuamua). ESO's Very Large Telescope was immediately
called into action to measure the object's orbit, brightness and colour
more accurately than smaller telescopes could achieve. Speed was vital
as `Oumuamua was rapidly fading as it headed away from the Sun and past
the Earth's orbit, on its way out of the Solar System. There were more
surprises to come. Combining the images from the FORS instrument on the
VLT through four different filters with those of other large telescopes,
the team of astronomers found that `Oumuamua varies dramatically in
brightness by a factor of ten as it spins on its axis every 7.3 hours.
That unusually large variation in brightness means that the object is
highly elongated, about ten times as long as it is wide, with a complex,
convoluted shape. They also found that it has a dark red colour,
similar to objects in the outer Solar System, and confirmed that it
is completely inert, without the faintest hint of dust around it.

Those properties suggest that `Oumuamua is dense, possibly rocky or with
high metal content, lacks significant amounts of water or ice, and that
its surface is now dark and reddened owing to the effects of irradiation
from cosmic rays over millions of years. It is estimated to be at least
400 metres long. Preliminary orbital calculations suggested that the
object has come from the approximate present direction of Vega. However,
it has taken it so long for it to make the journey to the Solar System,
even though it has been travelling at a speed of about 26 km/s (95,000
km/h), that Vega was not near that position when the asteroid was there
about 300,000 years ago. `Oumuamua may well have been wandering through the Milky Way, unattached to any star system, for hundreds of millions of years before its chance encounter with the Solar System. Astronomers estimate that interstellar asteroids similar to `Oumuamua pass through the inner Solar System about once a year, but they are faint and hard to spot and so have been missed until now. It is only recently that survey telescopes, such as Pan-STARRS, were made powerful enough to have a chance of discovering them. Astronomers are continuing to observe this unique object and hope to pin down more accurately where it came from and where it is going next on its tour of the Galaxy.
Going by bits:
I think most questions about Oumuamua and similar heavenly objects have still to be answered.

[Danik 2016]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3


EXOPLANET 55 CANCRI e LIKELY TO HAVE ATMOSPHERE
NASA/JPL

Twice as big as the Earth, the super-Earth 55 Cancri e was thought to
have lava flows on its surface. The planet is very close to its star,
and the same side of the planet always faces the star, so the planet has
permanent day and night sides. On the basis of a 2016 study using data
from the Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists speculated that lava would
flow freely in lakes on the starlit side and become hardened on the face
in perpetual darkness. The lava on the day side would reflect radiation
from the star, contributing to the overall observed temperature of the
planet. Now, a deeper analysis of the same Spitzer data finds that the
planet probably has an atmosphere whose ingredients could be similar to
those of the Earth's atmosphere, but thicker. Scientists have said that
lava lakes directly exposed to space without an atmosphere would create
local hot spots of high temperatures, so they are not the best expla-
nation for the Spitzer observations. Using an improved model of how
energy would flow throughout the planet and radiate back into space,
researchers find that the night side of the planet is not as cool as
previously thought. Even the 'cool' side is still quite toasty by
Earthly standards, at an average of 1,300 to 1,400 Celsius, and the
hot side averages 2,300 Celsius. The difference between the hot and
cold sides would be more extreme if there were no atmosphere.

Researchers say that the atmosphere of the extraordinary planet could
contain nitrogen, water and even oxygen -- molecules found in *our*
atmosphere, too -- but with much higher temperatures throughout. The
density of the planet is also similar to that of the Earth, suggesting
that it, too, is rocky. The intense heat from the host star would be
far too great to support life, however, and could not allow liquid
water. Spitzer observed 55 Cancri e between 2013 June 15 and July 15,
using a camera specially designed for viewing infrared light, which is
an indicator of heat energy. By comparing changes in brightness
observed by Spitzer to energy-flow models, researchers realized that an
atmosphere with volatile materials could best explain the temperatures.
There are many open questions about 55 Cancri e, especially why the
atmosphere has not been stripped away from the planet, given the
perilous radiation environment of the star. Understanding that planet
could help us address larger questions about the evolution of rocky
planets.

Determine the atmosphere of 55 Cancri would indeed represent a considerable advancement.

[Danik 2016]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3

SPACE DUST MAY TRANSPORT LIFE BETWEEN WORLDS
University of Edinburgh

Fast-moving flows of interplanetary dust that continually bombard our
planet's atmosphere could deliver tiny organisms from far-off worlds, or
send Earth-based organisms to other planets, according to new research.
The dust streams could collide with biological particles in the Earth's
atmosphere with enough energy to knock them into space. Such an event
could enable bacteria and other forms of life to make their way from one
planet in the Solar System to another and perhaps beyond. The finding
suggests that large asteroid impacts may not be the sole mechanism by
which life could transfer between planets, as was previously thought.
The research calculated how powerful flows of space dust -- which can
move at up to 70 km/s -- could collide with particles in our atmospheric
system. It found that small particles existing at 150 km or higher
above the Earth's surface could be knocked beyond retrieval by the
Earth's gravity by space dust and eventually reach other planets. The
same mechanism could enable the exchange of atmospheric particles
between distant planets. Some bacteria, plants and small animals called
tardigrades are known to be able to survive in space, so it is possible
that such organisms -- if present in the Earth's upper atmosphere --
might collide with fast-moving space dust and withstand a journey to
another planet. The proposition that space-dust collisions could propel
organisms over enormous distances between planets raises some exciting
prospects of how life and the atmospheres of planets originated. The
streaming of fast space dust is found throughout planetary systems and
could be a common factor in proliferating life.
Yes, that would be the interstellar organic dust theory.

[Danik 2016]

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY

Electronic News Bulletin No. 458 2017 December 3

DO DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY REALLY EXIST?
Universite de Geneve

For close on a century, researchers have hypothesized that the Universe
contains matter that can not be directly observed, known as 'dark
matter'. They have also posited the existence of a 'dark energy' that
is more powerful than gravitational attraction. Those two hypotheses,
it has been argued, account for the movement of stars in galaxies and
for the accelerating expansion of the Universe respectively. But --
according to a researcher at the University of Geneva -- those concepts
may not be valid: the phenomena that they are supposed to describe can
be demonstrated without them. The research exploits a new theoretical
model based on the scale invariance of the empty space, potentially
solving two of astronomy's greatest problems. In 1933, the Swiss
astronomer Fritz Zwicky claimed that there was substantially more matter
in the Universe than we can actually see. Astronomers called that
unknown matter 'dark matter', a concept that was to take on yet more
importance in the 1970s, when the US astronomer Vera Rubin called on
it to explain the movements and speed of the stars. Scientists have
subsequently devoted considerable resources to identifying dark matter
-- in space, on the ground and even at CERN -- but without success. In
1998 a second problem arose: a team of Australian and US astrophysicists
discovered the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, earning
them after some delay the Nobel Prize for physics in 2011. However, in
spite of much effort, no theory or observation has been able to define
the black energy that is allegedly stronger than Newton's gravitational
attraction. In short, dark matter and dark energy are two problems that
have stumped astronomersfor over 80 years and 20 years respectively.
The way we represent the Universe and its history are described by
Einstein's equations of general relativity, Newton's universal gravita-
tion and quantum mechanics. The model-consensus at present is that of a
big bang followed by an expansion. In that model, there is a starting
hypothesis that seems not to have been taken into account. That is the
scale invariance of the empty space; in other words, the empty space and
its properties do not change following a dilation or contraction. The
empty space plays a primordial role in Einstein's equations as it
operates in a quantity known as the 'cosmological constant', and the
resulting Universe model depends on it. On the basis of that hypothesis,
researchers are now re-examining the model of the Universe, pointing out
that the scale invariance of the empty space is also present in the
fundamental theory of electromagnetism.

When the researchers carried out cosmological tests on the new model,
they found that it matched the observations. They also found that the
model predicts the accelerated expansion of the Universe without having
to factor in any particle or dark energy. In short, it appears that
dark energy may not actually exist, since the acceleration of the
expansion is contained in the equations of the physics. In a second
stage, astronomers focussed on Newton's law, a special case of the
equations of general relativity. The law is also slightly modified when
the model incorporates the new hypothesis. Indeed, it contains a very
small outward acceleration term, which is particularly significant at
low densities. The amended law, when applied to clusters of galaxies,
leads to masses of clusters in line with that of visible matter
(contrary to what Zwicky argued in 1933): that means that no dark matter
is needed to explain the high speeds of the galaxies in the clusters.
A second test demonstrated that the law also predicts the high speeds
reached by the stars in the outer regions of galaxies (as Rubin had
observed), without having to turn to dark matter to describe them.
Finally, a third test looked at the dispersion of the speeds of the
stars oscillating around the plane of the Milky Way. That dispersion,
which increases with the age of the relevant stars, can be explained
very well by the invariant empty space hypothesis, while there was
previously no agreement on the origin of that effect.

And one thing modern research demonstrates with the modernization of sky telescopes and other instruments, is that the sky contains much more heavenly bodies and debris than we thought before.

[Danik 2016]

https://astronomynow.com/2017/11/10/hubble-spots-expanding-light-echo-around-supernova/

Impressive to look at. Am also impressed how far reaching the modern instruments are.

[Dreamwoven]

reply to #1468

This intergalactic visitor has only been seen once, hopefully it will return each year, allowing more info to be gathered.

[Danik 2016]

Oumuamua looks more like an interstellar joke than anything else. Do you remember the UFOs?

[Dreamwoven]

Its well described in this post, especially how the co-operation between the various observation points is done to build up an image. And now that it has been studied, and its trajectory plotted, it will be interesting to watch for when it returns.

[Dreamwoven]

Hubble has done sterling work, and the supernova it spotted was an extra bonus.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137996/new-survey-takes-hubble-deep-field-next-level-analyzing-distance-properties-1600-galaxies/

This is another first for Hubble, looking back at the past.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/137995/hundreds-icy-worlds-life-rocky-planets-galaxy/

This is not about anything new, just a reaffirmation of what we know already.

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137996/new-survey-takes-hubble-deep-field-next-level-analyzing-distance-properties-1600-galaxies/

This is another first for Hubble, looking back at the past.

"Looking to this region of space, multiple teams of astronomers used the MUSE instrument on the ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to discover 72 previously unseen galaxies. In a series of ten recently released studies, these teams indicate how they measured the distance and properties of 1600 very faint galaxies in the Ultra Deep Field, revealing new information about star formation and the motions of galaxies in the early Universe.

The original HUDF images, which were published in 2004, were a major milestone for astronomy and cosmology. The thousands of galaxies it observed were dated to less than just a billion years after the Big Bang, ranging from 400 to 800 million years of age. This area was subsequently observed many times using the Hubble and other telescopes, which has resulted in the deepest views of the Universe to date."
To the astronomers this must be a feast!

[Danik 2016]

https://www.universetoday.com/137995/hundreds-icy-worlds-life-rocky-planets-galaxy/

This is not about anything new, just a reaffirmation of what we know already.

"In the hunt for extra-terrestrial life, scientists tend to take what is known as the “low-hanging fruit approach”. This consists of looking for conditions similar to what we experience here on Earth, which include at oxygen, organic molecules, and plenty of liquid water. Interestingly enough, some of the places where these ingredients are present in abundance include the interiors of icy moons like Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus and Titan.

Whereas there is only one terrestrial planet in our Solar System that is capable of supporting life (Earth), there are multiple “Ocean Worlds” like these moons. Taking this a step further, a team of researchers from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) conducted a study that showed how potentially-habitable icy moons with interior oceans are far more likely than terrestrial planets in the Universe."

I like the name the give to this kind of research: the “low-hanging fruit approach”.

[Dreamwoven]

Yes, its quite amusing.

[Danik 2016]

Now that´s not so amusing but it´s curious:

When Triton Crashed the Party at Neptune

" Neptune's original family of satellites may have been destroyed when its largest moon, Triton, entered the picture. New research suggests that the massive moon may have tossed some of the original satellites into the ice giant, kicked others out of orbit and swallowed up the rest, creating a new family that doesn't look much like those surrounding the other giant planets.

For years, scientists have suspected that Triton wasn't part of Neptune's original collection of moons. The massive moon has a backward orbit, and makes up over 99 percent of all the mass orbiting the planet. Instead, they thought it was a captured object whose orbit was circularized by debris disks created by impacts."
https://www.space.com/38959-when-triton-wrecked-neptune-moons.html

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.universetoday.com/138017/two-new-super-earths-discovered-around-red-dwarf-star/

Not much new atm, but this is an interesting post.

[Dreamwoven]

I copy the introduction to the above post. I'm coming round to your view that we might write more about the post than providing only the link:

"The search for extra-solar planets has turned up some very interesting discoveries. Aside planets that are more-massive versions of their Solar counterparts (aka. Super-Jupiters and Super-Earths), there have been plenty of planets that straddle the line between classifications. And then there were times when follow-up observations have led to the discovery of multiple planetary systems.

This was certainly the case when it came to K2-18, a red dwarf star system located about 111 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. Using the ESO’s High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), an international team of astronomers was recently examining a previously-discovered exoplanet in this system (K2-18b) when they noted the existence of a second exoplanet.

The study which details their findings – “Characterization of the K2-18 multi-planetary system with HARPS” – is scheduled to be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. The research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Institute for Research on Exoplanets – a consortium of scientists and students from the University of Montreal and McGill University."

[Danik 2016]

Thanks, DW. Yes, I think that at present there aren´t so many discoveries, maybe because of the holiday season.As for the excerpts I publish, I noticed that the opening paragraphs of the articles usually contain a summary of the whole text.

I found this post interesting, although only indirectly related to astronomy. Might interest also our LitNet mathematicians:

Mathematicians Awarded $3 Million for Cracking Century-Old Problem

"Two mathematicians have each earned the (massive but countable) sum of $3 million for a proof that could one day help scientists understand extra dimensions.

Christopher Hacon, a mathematician at the University of Utah, and James McKernan, a physicist at the University of California at San Diego, won this year's Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics for proving a long-standing conjecture about how many types of solutions a polynomial equation can have. Polynomial equations are mainstays of high-school algebra — expressions like x^2+5X+6 = 1 — in which variables are raised to the whole number exponents and added, subtracted and multiplied. The mathematicians showed that even very complicated polynomials have just a finite number of solutions. [Images: The World's Most Beautiful Equations]"

https://www.space.com/38989-2017-breakthrough-mathematics-awarded.html

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/38976-jupiter-moon-europa-plate-tectonics.html

"The case for plate tectonics on Jupiter's ocean-harboring moon Europa keeps getting stronger.

Scientists had already spotted geological signs that plates within the moon's ice shell may be diving beneath one another toward the moon's buried ocean. Now, a new study suggests that such "subduction" is indeed possible on Europa and shows how the phenomenon might be happening.

The new results should intrigue astrobiologists and anyone else who hopes that Earth isn't the only inhabited world in the solar system. [Photos: Europa, Mysterious Icy Moon of Jupiter]

"If, indeed, there's life in that ocean, subduction offers a way to supply the nutrients it would need," study lead author Brandon Johnson, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Brown University in Rhode Island, said in a statement.

Such nutrients include oxidants, electron-stripping substances that are common on Europa's surface and that could help provide an energy source for life, the researchers said. "

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/38982-no-big-bang-bouncing-cosmology-theory.html

Exploration of the Big Bang theory. I've always thought this was too simple:

"Was the universe created with a Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, or has it been expanding and contracting for eternity? A new paper, inspired by alternative explanations of the physics of black holes, explores the latter possibility, and rejects a core tenant of the Big Bang hypothesis."

[Danik 2016]

This link provides some more details on Neves Bouncing Theory

"Brazilian physicist Juliano Cesar Silva Neves part of a group of researchers who dare to imagine a different origin. In a study recently published in the journal General Relativity and Gravitation, Neves suggests the elimination of a key aspect of the standard cosmological model: the need for a spacetime singularity known as the Big Bang.

In raising this possibility, Neves challenges the idea that time had a beginning and reintroduces the possibility that the current expansion was preceded by contraction. "I believe the Big Bang never happened," the physician said, who Works as a researcher at the University of Campinas's Mathematics, Statistics & Scientific Computation Institute (IMECC-UNICAMP) in Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

For Neves, the fast spacetime expansion stage does not exclude the possibility of a prior contraction phase. Moreover, the switch from contraction to expansion may not have destroyed all traces of the preceding phase.

The article, which reflects the work developed under the Thematic Project "Physics and geometry of spacetime," considers the solutions to the general relativity equations that describe the geometry of the cosmos and then proposes the introduction of a "scale factor" that makes the rate at which the Universe is expanding depend not only on time but also on cosmological scale.

"In order to measure the rate at which the Universe is expanding with the standard cosmology, the model in which there's a Big Bang, a mathematical function is used that depends only on cosmological time," said Neves, who elaborated the idea with Alberto Vazques Saa, a Full Professor at IMECC-UNICAMP and also the supervisor for Neves' postdoctoral project, funded by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation -- FAPESP.

With the scale factor, Big Bang itself, or cosmologic singularity, ceases to be a necessary condition for the cosmos to begin universal expansion. A concept from mathematics that expresses indefiniteness, singularity was used by cosmologists to characterize the "primordial cosmologic singularity" that happened 13.8 billion years ago, when all the matter and energy from the Universe were compressed into an initial state of infinite density and temperature, where the traditional laws of physics no longer apply.

The Big Bang Theory has its origins in the late 1920s when US astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that almost all galaxies are moving away from each other at ever-faster velocities.

From the 1940s onward, scientists guided by Einstein's theory of general relativity constructed a detailed model of the evolution of the Universe since the Big Bang. Such model could lead to three possible outcomes: the infinite expansion of the Universe at ever-higher velocities; the stagnation of the Universe expansion in a permanent basis; or an inverted process of retraction caused by the gravitational attraction exerted by the mass of the Universe, what is known as Big Crunch.

"Eliminating the singularity or Big Bang brings back the bouncing Universe on to the theoretical stage of cosmology. The absence of a singularity at the start of spacetime opens up the possibility that vestiges of a previous contraction phase may have withstood the phase change and may still be with us in the ongoing expansion of the Universe," Neves said.

Neves conceptualizes that "bouncing cosmology" is rooted in the hypothesis that Big Crunch would give way to an eternal succession of universes, creating extreme conditions of density and temperature in order to instigate a new inversion in the process, giving way to expansion in another bounce.

Vestiges of contraction

Black holes are the starting point of Neves' investigations about "Bouncing Universe." "Who knows, there may be remains of black holes in the ongoing expansion that date from the prior contraction phase and passed intact through the bottleneck of the bounce," he said.

Consisted of the imploded core remaining after a giant star explodes, black holes are a kind of cosmic object whose core contracted to form a singularity, a point with infinite density and the strongest gravitational attraction known to exist. Nothing escapes from it, not even light.

According to Neves, a black hole is not defined by singularity, but rather by an event horizon, a membrane that indicates the point of no return from which nothing escapes the inexorable destiny of being swallowed up and destroyed by the singularity.

"Outside the event horizon of a regular black hole, there are no major changes, but inside it, the changes are deep-seated. There's a different spacetime that avoids the formation of a singularity."

The scale factor formulated by Neves and Saa was inspired by US physicist James Bardeen. In 1968, Berdeen used a mathematical trick to modify the solution to the general relativity equations that describe black holes.

The trick consisted of thinking of the mass of a black hole not as a constant, as had previously been the case, but as a function that depends on the distance to the center of the black hole. With this change, a different black hole, termed a regular black hole, emerged from the solution to the equations. "Regular black holes are permitted, since they don't violate general relativity. The concept isn't new and has frequently been revisited in recent decades," said Neves.

Since the insertion of a mathematical trick into the general relativity equations could prevent the formation of singularities in regular black holes, Neves considered creating a similar artifice to eliminate the singularity in a regular bounce.

In modern science, a theory is worthless if cannot be verified, however beautiful and inspiring it may be. How do you test the hypothesis of a Big Bang that did not start with a singularity?

"By looking for traces of the events in a contraction phase that may have remained in the ongoing expansion phase. What traces? The candidates include remnants of black holes from a previous phase of universal contraction that may have survived the bounce," Neves said.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. Original written by Peter Moon. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

J. C. S. Neves. Bouncing cosmology inspired by regular black holes. General Relativity and Gravitation, 2017; 49 (9) DOI: 10.1007/s10714-017-2288-6

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. "Possible vestiges of a universe previous to the Big Bang." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171127105935.htm>.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171127105935.htm
Exeptionally I copied the whole article. The article itself is not available.

[Dreamwoven]

I've never really considered the Big Bang Theory, it seems so abstract, a bit like the religious debates over how many angels can fit onto a pin-head!

I'm more comfortable with the theory of multiple big bangs, because it remains abstract and so doesn't need to be proved or disproved.

[Dreamwoven]

https://www.space.com/39008-bizarre-ancient-galaxies-in-dark-matter-sea.html

"Two enormous galaxies seen merging in the distant universe have astronomers rethinking the leading theory of how galaxies form.

When the universe was in its infancy, the very first galaxies were tiny "dwarf galaxies" that clumped together to form the larger galaxies seen today. Known as hierarchical formation, this theory suggests that galaxies form in a step-by-step process as smaller galaxies are pulled together by their mutual gravitational attraction.

But now, the recent discovery of two distant galaxies that are abnormally huge has led astronomers to rethink that theory because it suggests that those dwarf galaxies assembled into large galaxies a lot faster than previously thought."

[Dreamwoven]

http://earthsky.org/space/star-seasonal-appearance-brightness

"Consider the sky at the opposite time of year. In June, July and August, the evening sky seen from the entire Earth is facing toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The galaxy is about 100,000 light-years across, and its center is some 25,000 to 28,000 light-years away. We don’t see into the exact center of the Milky Way, because it’s obscured by galactic dust. But during those Northern Hemisphere summer months (Southern Hemisphere winter months), as we peer edgewise into the galaxy’s disk, we’re gazing across some 75,000 light-years of star-packed space (the distance between us and the center, plus the distance beyond the center to the other side of the galaxy)."

There is more but if interested visit the link above!

[Dreamwoven]

EarthSky is one of my all-time favourite websites to visit. This is about the oldest citizen project: http://earthsky.org/earth/audubons-christmas-bird-count-starts-december-14th

Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count is one of the longest-running citizen science projects in existence. Here’s how to participate (go to website above)

[Danik 2016]

Interesting links, DW, specially the last one that comments on the brightness of the stars:

"As seen during Northern Hemisphere winter (or Southern Hemisphere summer), the stars seem brighter. Why? It’s partly because – on December, January and February evenings – the part of Earth you’re standing on is facing into the spiral arm of the galaxy to which our sun belongs."

http://earthsky.org/space/star-seasonal-appearance-brightness

[Danik 2016]

About Big Bang. Until a short time ago I didn´t know what it was about. But I am also inclined to think that the origin of the universe was different. Big Bang somehow doesn´t fit whit what one knows about celestial bodies up to now.

[desiresjab]

Personally, I do not believe the big brains are real close yet. One reason for this is that we have not been at it with advanced technology for long enough. Our sample space is too small, to put it in statistical terms. During most of human existence, there might be a strong chance that a shift from contraction to expansion would not even have been noted by big brains, who were busy rubbing sticks together. I take it that now we would note such an occurrence. I am not smart enough to note subtle changes, but there are those about who are. Our sample space is too narrow, though. We have not been at it long enough. Imagine what we might see and figure out after a million years of steady scientific observation, when our sample space was not so small anymore nor statistically so likely to be devoid of big events.

One keeps hearing that the Webb telescope will transform astronomy again, as the Hubble did in its working life. I hope this is true and that I am still on top of the ground to receive the news.

[Dreamwoven]

The International Space Station can be read about here, and there is much information on it: I didn't know i was so big!

http://www.astronomytoday.com/exploration/iss.html

On November 2, 2010, the ISS marked its 10th anniversary of continuous human occupation. The ISS team includes the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and the 11 ESA nations, and the space station has been visited by 202 individuals. Four times bigger than Mir, the ISS is about the size of a football field. The ISS weighs 390,908 kg, or 861,8704 pounds and is larger than a five-bedroom house. Construction on the ISS was essentially completed in 2011. The ISS orbits at 402 kilometers above sea level with a 51.6� inclination, allowing easy crew and supply accessibility and coverage of 85% of Earth. People on Earth can see the ISS pass overhead as a bright point of light, looking similar to an airplane.

[Danik 2016]

Personally, I do not believe the big brains are real close yet. One reason for this is that we have not been at it with advanced technology for long enough. Our sample space is too small, to put it in statistical terms. During most of human existence, there might be a strong chance that a shift from contraction to expansion would not even have been noted by big brains, who were busy rubbing sticks together. I take it that now we would note such an occurrence. I am not smart enough to note subtle changes, but there are those about who are. Our sample space is too narrow, though. We have not been at it long enough. Imagine what we might see and figure out after a million years of steady scientific observation, when our sample space was not so small anymore nor statistically so likely to be devoid of big events.

One keeps hearing that the Webb telescope will transform astronomy again, as the Hubble did in its working life. I hope this is true and that I am still on top of the ground to receive the news.

The new instruments are already transforming astronomy. The sample space, as you call it, is still limited but broadening fastly IMO.

[Danik 2016]

The International Space Station can be read about here, and there is much information on it: I didn't know i was so big!

http://www.astronomytoday.com/exploration/iss.html

On November 2, 2010, the ISS marked its 10th anniversary of continuous human occupation. The ISS team includes the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and the 11 ESA nations, and the space station has been visited by 202 individuals. Four times bigger than Mir, the ISS is about the size of a football field. The ISS weighs 390,908 kg, or 861,8704 pounds and is larger than a five-bedroom house. Construction on the ISS was essentially completed in 2011. The ISS orbits at 402 kilometers above sea level with a 51.6� inclination, allowing easy crew and supply accessibility and coverage of 85% of Earth. People on Earth can see the ISS pass overhead as a bright point of light, looking similar to an airplane.
Just google the Brazilian part in the program:

"Brazil joined the ISS as a partner of the United States and this included a contract with NASA to supply hardware to the Space Station.[6] In return, NASA would provide Brazil with access to NASA ISS facilities on-orbit, as well as a flight opportunity for one Brazilian astronaut during the course of the ISS programme. However, due to cost issues, the subcontractor Embraer was unable to provide the promised ExPrESS pallet, and Brazil left the programme in 2007.[7] Regardless, the first Brazilian astronaut, Marcos Pontes, was sent to ISS in April 2006 for Expedition 13.[34] This was Brazil's first space traveler and he returned to Earth safely.[34] Marcos trained on the Space Shuttle and Soyuz, but ended up going up with the Russians, although he did work at the U.S. Johnson Space Center after returning to Earth."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_International_Space_Station

Marcos Pontes gave several interviews at the time as Brazil´s only space traveler.

[Dreamwoven]

https://astronomynow.com/2016/07/20/moons-imbrium-basin-formed-by-protoplanet-sized-asteroid-impact/

Around 3.8 billion years ago, an asteroid more than 150 miles across, roughly equal to the length of New Jersey, slammed into the Moon and created the Imbrium Basin — the right eye of the fabled Man in the Moon. This new size estimate, published in the journal Nature, suggests an Imbrium impactor that was two times larger in diameter and 10 times more massive than previous estimates.

“We show that Imbrium was likely formed by an absolutely enormous object, large enough to be classified as a protoplanet,” said Pete Schultz, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Brown University. “This is the first estimate for the Imbrium impactor’s size that is based largely on the geological features we see on the Moon.”

[Danik 2016]

Interesting post. Now we are adding lost giants to dwarf planets.
"“The Moon still holds clues that can affect our interpretation of the entire solar system,” he said. “Its scarred face can tell us quite a lot about what was happening in our neighbourhood 3.8 billion years ago.”