The Universe Made Simple

The End of Astroversity

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:36:00 +0000

I am ending this site. I enjoyed posting the latest astronomy news, and discussing astronomy topics that are not very popularized. I hope everyone appreciated my effort as much as I enjoyed your visits. This site was just taking too much of my time. This site has given me a lot of insight to other websites where they work almost non-stop. Because I did everything on this site own my own watch, I might look for an online writing position at some kind of astronomy site (I would love to be contacted here).

From here, I say good-bye, maybe when I have more time I'll open up the shop again, but for now, thank you.

To all of my daily visitors and subscribers, I would like to forward you to my absolute favorite astronomy site, Universe Today by Fraser Cain: and along with Dr. Pamela Gay, their weekly podcast Astronomy Cast.

And if you have any last-time comments, feel free to email me at the email above.

Carnival of Space 15

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:50:00 +0000

Dr. Pamela Gay is hosting this week's exciting Carnival of Space. I enjoyed it, and you will to.

Do You Really Know What NASA Is?

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:14:00 +0000

When most people think of NASA, they either think of the space shuttle, or the two Mars rovers. What the majority of people don't know is that NASA is not just one large building in Florida where they build, plan, and research everything on their agenda. NASA is like a tree with many branches. There are many different divisions and branches each specialize in something. Some cohorts research, while others may be construction, test, or administrative facilities.

I will just give you a brief summary of 5 of NASA's 'branches' and then I will direct you to other 'branches:'

Kennedy Space Center - The KSC is home to the three space shuttles. This is where they are stored, maintained, and repaired. The center is also a very popular tourist location to view space launches and tour the location. The KSC is most familiar to people because it is where space shuttles (and other orbital spacecraft) are launched from. As NASA puts it, "Kennedy Space Center is America's Gateway to the Universe."

Jet Propulsion Laboratory - JPL is located in La Cañada, California. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). JPL is NASA's main source of robotic vehicles sent into space. Some of the unmanned spacecraft by JPL include: Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Mars Rovers (Spirit & Opportunity). Spitzer Space Telescope, Mars Phoenix Lander, and many more.

Goddard Space Flight Center - The Goddard Space Flight Center is not as 'technological' as JPL, instead it is more study based. Goddard's missions is to study Earth, the Solar System, and the Universe as a whole to further increase man's knowledge of the Universe. Goddard's main study approach is through observations.

Dryden Flight Research Center - Dryden represents the 'A' (the first one) in NASA. Dryden is where the world's "...newest, fastest, [and]... highest," debut. Dryden is at the forefront in aeronautical research and performance. They have helped to create some of the world's most advanced aircraft and have applied their knowledge to space technologies.

Marshall Space Flight Center - The Marshall Center do a large variety of things. The Marshall Space Flight Center is mainly a propulsion center. They construct propulsion technologies such as rockets, Space Shuttle propulsion, and the external fuel tank. The MSFC also manages various scientific activities aboard the International Space Station. They utilize space research and apply them to life here on Earth for the benefit of people all over the world.

I just offered a small bit of what NASA really is. The underlying purpose of this article is for you to understand that NASA is not a single installation, but instead a group of many facilities all over the U.S that help NASA to do everything that NASA does.

To learn more about the different NASA centers, visit this list. And to visit the sites of NASA's major centers, go here.

Image Credits: Wikimedia & NASA

Space Exploration Is Important!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 17:48:00 +0000

In discussion, the topic sometimes arises to question the importance of space exploration and NASA. Explaining the importance of NASA over an over again can sometimes lose its meaning. Today, I came upon a very good article by Neil deGrasse Tyson [via Bad Astronomy (thanks for the post!)] explaining why America needs to continue space exploration.

According to the article, NASA is only .7% of the federal budget. Compare this to the $12,000,00o that is spent in Iraq every hour! NASA is a cause that actually provides a beneficial outcome, airplanes, plastics, communication, and the list goes on!

I highly recommend you read Tyson's article, and also read commentary provided by Phil Plait.

As the Space Shuttles Age...

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:47:00 +0000

As the day nears when the space shuttle program will be retired, NASA is already making final-end decisions about their Orion fleet.

NASA originally decided that when astronauts would return to Earth (Using Orion Spacecraft), the space vehicle would use air bags to land on the ground. NASA and their contractor Lockheed Martian have decided to scrap that concept and go back to using an Apollo-style landing by splashing into the oceans. This will cut weight of of the mass and in turn, cost less.

Because all three space shuttles will be retired, NASA has already made plans for the three Orbiter Processing Facilities to be demolished between 2010 and 2012.

Original Article: NASA Spaceflight

Carnival of Space #14

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:20:00 +0000

This week's Carnival of Space has rolled into Universe Today. I just checked it out and found a lot of interesting articles. You'll enjoy this week's large variety, so go check it out!

Best of Hubble: Nebula & Space Gas

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:04:00 +0000

The Best of Hubble Image Series theme today, is featuring various Nebula & Space Gas. I received a LOT of submissions. I had a very difficult time choosing the best, but I went with the images that were nonimated multiple times by different people. So here they are:

Image Credits: Hubble.

Explained: Why Pluto Is Not A Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:02:00 +0000

In August of 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) made a textbook altering decision. The IAU is the main naming and definition-making organization in the astronomical community. After much debate and discussion, scientists at the IAU meeting collectively decided that Pluto's planetary title would be removed, and it would be labeled as a dwarf planet.

While some people applaud the IAU's decision, others refuse to accept it. The decision was made in 2006, and although people know Pluto is not a planet, most people fail to understand why Pluto is not a planet.

The common belief is that the IAU simply stripped Pluto's planet status. However, in reality, the IAU just issued a new set of requirements that would define if an object were a planet or not. Pluto failed to meet these new requirements. Pluto is not a planet because it does not meet all of the criteria that it takes for an object to be labeled as a planet.

The IAU stated that a celestial body must meet the following conditions to be called a planet:

Orbits the Sun - The object should be orbiting the Sun. It cannot be orbiting another planet, or another object. It can only be a satellite of the Sun.
Be a sphere - The object's 'self-gravity' should be strong enough that it smooths out any (major) bumps or ridges to become a mostly spherical body.
Cleared its orbital neighborhood - There should not be any other bodies in the object's orbit. During the object's formation, it should have absorbed and cleaned out any debris in its orbit (with the exception of moons, because moons are gravitationally 'caught').

Pluto is not a planet because it fails to meet the third condition.

Compared to Pluto, Pluto's moon Charon, is pretty large because it is only about half Pluto's size. Both objects orbit a common center of gravity, but Pluto orbits this center of gravity at a much close distance than Charon, so that's why Charon is considered Pluto's moon.
For every three times Neptune orbits the Sun, Pluto orbits it only twice. This is called a 3:2 orbital resonance. In addition, there is a whole category of objects that do exactly this; they're called Plutinos. Pluto is also a Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) and these objects orbit the Sun at a farther distance than Neptune does.
Pluto is also on the borderline of a region in our Solar System known as the Kuiper Belt where many icy bodies (both big and small) orbit the Sun at a very large distance.

Pluto falls into a whole range of objects that it can be included into. It can be considered a Trans-Neptunian Object, Kuiper Belt Object, and a Plutino. Basically, Pluto has not really cleared its orbit. There are too many objects that are similar to Pluto and are both larger and smaller than it is, that share common characteristics.

Therefore, instead of being a planet, Pluto is a dwarf planet. Dwarf planets orbit the Sun, are nearly round, have NOT cleared its orbital neighborhood, and does not orbit any other body (not a satellite).

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Image Credits: IAU, The IAU Votes; NASA, Pluto's newly discovered Moons; Wikimedia, the New Solar System.

Additional Resource: AstronomyCast: Pluto's Planetary Identity Crisis (Why Pluto isn't a planet)

Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:13:00 +0000

Astroversity originally started out as an astronomy site where you could get the latest in space/astronomy news. Although I will still provide important news, I won't be reporting all of the news. This in effect is going to steer this site so it is more helpful and interactive with the daily visitor.

Like I said news won't be the main objective of this site, but if you're looking for astronomy news, visit my favorite website Universe Today where Fraser Cain is always reporting the latest.

Best of Hubble: Galaxies

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:35:00 +0000

The first edition of the Best of Hubble Image series will be Galaxies. When viewing the images, like I always say, my layout does not reveal the true beauty of these images, so click on them to view a hi-res version of the image. To learn more about the selected images, click its corresponding name at the bottom. The subject of the next set of images will be pictures that feature nebula (start sending in your favorites). Many of you submitted your favorite galaxies and here they are:

Image Credits: Hubble. Images in order: M51, NGC 1300, NGC 4038-4039, Hubble Ultra Deep Field, Hoag's Object Galaxy, M64

Perseid Meteor Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:29:00 +0000

The annual Perseid meteor shower will rain in the sights of sky watchers all on the Earth in two weeks on August 12. The best part of all is that there is a new moon on the 12th, meaning there will be no moonlight to obscure the view of the meteor shower.

The meteor shower is credited to the Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every year in August, the Earth moves through the debris left by the Comet's tail as it passes through our orbit. The small bits of the comet collide into the Earth's atmosphere at a whopping 132,000 mph so even the smallest objects light up in the sky.

Above: A Perseid fireball photographed August 12, 2006, by Pierre Martin of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada

The meteor shower starts at 9:00 to 10:00 on the 12th in the northeast(your local time) and you may see a a couple during an hour of sky watching. At the night unfolds, so will the amount of meteors. At around 2 AM of the 13th (still your local time) there may be dozens of meteors every hour. Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office estimates that at the shower's peak (before dawn), there will be one or two Perseids every minute.

Mars will also be observable. It will look like a bright red star in the northeast.

For optimal viewing of the meteors, it is best to be somewhere in the country or small suburbs where light pollution is not much of an interference.

Original Article: NASA

My Favorite Space Images

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:20:00 +0000

These are some of my favorite space images. Not all of the below pictures are taken by hubble. The compressed images below do not do these images the justice they deserve, so just click on them to view a higher resolution version of the picture. (The first three make good desktop backgrounds). Images: Mars, M51, NGC 6357, Saturn, Carina Nebula.

Just a head's up, my first feature of Hubble images are going to be galaxies. So send in your suggestions and favorites of galaxy images that the Hubble has taken (email is located at the top right).

Carnival of Space 13

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:19:00 +0000

This week's Carnival of Space is being held at the LiftPort Blog. Give it a visit. Read about astronomy, and get to know a couple of new sites.

The Best of Hubble Series

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:32:00 +0000

I'm going to start a series entitled, "Best of Hubble" in which I will feature the best of a certain type of Hubble image. So one theme might be "Best Nebula Images," or "Best Images From Our Solar System."

Pictured: The Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA

I want to let everyone know that I cannot do this alone. I will be accepting suggestions for each theme. I will let you know in advance what kind of images I'm looking for, and then you can suggest them to me. My first of the Hubble Image Series will not be all Hubble images. They will just be a few of my all-around favorite space pictures. Be on the lookout for that, and I will be anxious for all of your help!

Mars Rover Dust Storm Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:48:00 +0000

Conditions at Opportunity, which was facing a very dangerous part of the storm, is starting to see conditions better very slightly. Meanwhile, Spirit, which was seeing a calmer side of the storm, is now beginning to see the storm's violent side.

Power consumption is a major problem, because if the dust storm blocks out too much light, the rovers will die trying to absorb sunlight. A new problem faced by both rovers is the freshly settled dust on both rovers which blocks a lot of sunlight from reaching the solar panels. NASA has commanded Opportunity to communicate with Earth once every three days, while Spirit is communicating daily. Activity on Opportunity and Spirit has been almost completely suspended.

NASA is still hoping the best for their fighting rovers, which are continuing to survive through conditions which they were never meant to operate in.

Pictured: Opportunity's view, as the horizon becomes more opaque every day. Image Credit: NASA

Original Article: NASA

Where is today's Carnival of Space 13?

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:28:00 +0000

I'm always saying how much I enjoy the weekly Carnival of Space. But this week's edition seems to be missing! Both the official blog carnival website and the Carnival of Space schedule say it is supposed to be today at the LiftPort Blog, but it is not. There is a post on their blog that says they only received six entries, but that still means there were entries. So what happened? I'm just confused.

News From Around the Block

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:10:00 +0000

There has been a lot of astronomy news lately, so here it is:

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory has discovered, 'piranha' black holes that that voracious eaters and seem to go away. Chandra catches ‘piranha’ black holes

Our Sun goes through a solar cycle, and the Sun is currently reaching the apex of one of them. The Sun Loses its Spots

It's possible for a planet to have the remarkable view of four sunsets by its four parent stars. Quadruple Sunsets Possible on Other Worlds

A plan to send a robotic mission to Mars which could send back some surface samples are causing a stir and debate between NASA scientists. Mars-and-back plan sets scientists abuzz

Image Credit: NASA. Pictured: A potential Mars sample-return mission.

Fantastic Guide to Learn About the Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:24:00 +0000

I am very familiar with the many astronomy concepts of the Universe, but I know absolutely nothing about stargazing. I discovered a fantastic interactive guide, which will give anyone who goes through it a very basic understanding about watching the stars.

(This feature is intended for northern hemisphere skygazers)

Whenever I look up at the night sky (Chicago lights diminish the experience), I am always awed by the dim specks of light, and the infrequent visits of planets in my night sky. However, to actually understand what I am looking at, and how I can use the stars to my advantage is something I did not really know how to do.

By the end of the guide, you will be familiar with many different things, and will be able to identify:

3 Constellations

2 Stars

1 (or more) planet

And the useful ability to use the stars as a natural compass

Visit the Night Sky Feature Here

This excellent feature allowed me to learn about the stars in such a simple way. I never thought understanding the stars could be such an easy experience. I give this feature five stars (no pun intended).

Original Article: From LifeHacker, From Hackszine

Mars Rovers Dust Storm Upadate

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:10:00 +0000

Last week, NASA said that both of their rovers were in the midst of a dangerous sand storm and there was a chance that the rovers would become disabled. Today NASA updated the situation, by revealing that because they canceled communication sessions with Opportunity, (which is facing the brute of the storm) the amount of power (input and and usage) is better.

Image Credit: NASA

Spirit, on the other side of the planet, has reported that the weather has bettered there. Opportunity, which is in a low-power mode is currently instructed to communicate with NASA only once every three days to conserve energy. Today NASA received a signal from Opportunity confirming it is still active, and the next communication date is Thursday, but NASA might try to communicate with it tomorrow.

NASA is saying that there is only one factor that will decide if both rovers continue to service, or become nonfunctional. They are saying if the weather worsens, then there will be larger difficulties in the future, but if the weather says the same as it is now or eases , then the rovers will be okay.

Original Article: JPL News Release

It's Important to Capitalize in Astronomy

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:02:00 +0000

A small pet peeve of mine is capitalization. Many people fail to realize that astronomical objects such as the Earth or Sun should have their first letter capitalized. The most plain and obvious reason is that both of those words are proper nouns, and proper nouns should be capitalized because they can be seen as either a place or a thing.

I understand it is fairly simple to write something like, "The sun is at the center of the solar system." But I just feel those are large errors to commit when writing. Again, both the Sun and Solar System are proper nouns so they should automatically be capitalized.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), which is the official authority on naming celestial things, the structure of astronomical papers, and astronomical grammar, does not have the authority to fully demand capitalization all the time. Different countries have different rules in remarks to their grammar. The IAU Style Manual states, "The use of capitals for the initial letters of words is much more common in English (and German) than in French," but they do recommend that astronomical objects should be capitalized in both languages.

This is what the IAU recommends in reference to astronomy capitalization, "The initial letter of a word should be typed or printed as a capital in the following cases...individual astronomical objects (such as Earth, the Solar System, Orion, the Crab Nebula, Galactic Centre)...[and] names of individual objects or instruments (Voyager 2)."

I just wanted to address this because it is important to capitalize the Andromeda Galaxy just as its important to capitalize the White House. I am not going to end on a note saying thay, "To keep astronomy sacred and precious we must first correct our grammar." All that I am going to say is just capitalize those astronomical objects because all things in astronomy are wonders, are proper, and are worth the extra effort to be capitalized.

Afterthoughts:

Is it just me, or did I say 'astronomical objects' a lot?

I noticed that major writing applications such as Word, Open Office, and other online spell-check features do not automatically capitalize astronomical objects.

I recently discussed astronomical capitalization with Helium.com and since then, they have changed most of their space-related articles so words like the Sun and Solar System are capitalized.

The IAU does not say anything about capitalizing astronomical objects that are plural

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Links:

IAU Recommendation of Spelling (Online)
IAU Full Recommendation of Capitalization (In Print)

NASA Makes a 360: Atlantis to Retire in 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:23:00 +0000

I reported last month that NASA had decided that instead of originally retiring the space shuttle Atlantis in 2008, they changed their decision so it would retire in 2010 to ease the hectic burden off of Endeavour and Discovery. But NASA has made a complete U-Turn and in a recent manifest, have said that Atlantis will now retire in 2008.

Atlantis's last two mission will be STS-122, to add the Columbus Laboratory to the ISS and STS-125 will be a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Rumors (let me stress rumors) suggest that this early retirement was so that NASA doesn't have to pay the workers of the United Space Alliance who help to maintain the shuttle and many other tasks. The money saved by the reduced labor costs would most likely be put forth for the Constellation Space Program. This rumor is suggest by many sources because there is a lack of a better reason for this early retirement.

Because Atlantis will be retired two years before its counterparts, Discovery and Endeavour, Atlantis will most likely stripped down for spare parts.

Image Credit: NASA

Mars Rovers Face Destructive Dust Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:08:00 +0000

For about a month now, the Martian Rovers Spirit and Opportunity have been facing a series of dangerous dust storms. Opportunity, the rover in greater danger, is only receiving 1 percent of incoming sunlight because of the storm. Communications, observations and driving have been suspended for Opportunity in order to conserve power.

The storm over Opportunity has blocked out 99 percent of the sunlight, leaving the rover to draw on its battery for energy. NASA is hoping for the best outcome, but admit that the rovers were not designed to survive this kind of harsh environment. The two rovers were only supposed to last 90 days, but have been active for three and a half years; so NASA remains optimistic about its fighting rovers.

The above image shows images taken over a 30-sol day period by Opportunity. Visibility is currently very poor, and the heavy accumulation of dust is evident on the surface in the image. Image Credit: NASA

Before the dust storms, Opportunity's solar panels produced 700 watt hours of electricity a day, but after passing 148 watt hours (the lowest for either rover during their stay on Mars), Opportunity is down to 128 watt hours. Although Opportunity is facing the brute of the storm, NASA has reduced activity on Spirit which is also facing the storm in a less severe position.

NASA wants to conserve Opportunity's energy usage, so for the first time, it has cancelled communication session for two days (yesterday and today) in order to save whatever electricity it can.

This storm might last for days or even weeks, and one or both of the rovers might become damaged or unable to operate. And the settled dust on the rovers' solar panels might also prove to be a problem. NASA engineers will analyze the rovers when the storm settles to determine the condition of each rover.

Times are harsh for the two rovers, but the rovers have proved they can accomplish much more than expected of them, and NASA hopes the two rovers will do the same though this storm.

Original Article: JPL News Release

Explore the International Space Station

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:15:00 +0000

Today, NASA has launched an interesting interactive feature in which people can fully explore the International Space Station. It has many features and explains a lot about what the ISS's purpose is. Some features include:

How the crew lives: how they eat, sleep, and exercise
How the ISS: is operated, built, and supported
A 360 degree view of the space station
An explanation of the ISS's purpose
And a cool music video!

The ISS Interactive Reference Guide is a fund way to learn about, and explore the space station to achieve a better understanding of how it operates, and generally what it is. Here is a direct link the interactive ISS feature

Original Article: NASA

News From Around the Block

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:31:00 +0000

Here is the latest news in astronomy from around the web.

Astronomers Find Highly Elliptical Disk Around Young Star, Hubble

Traveling to space as a tourist has gone up from $25 Million to as high as $40 million, MSNBC

X-Ray satellites discover the largest collisions in the Universe, ESA

Saturn's 60th moon has been discovered! NASA

Carnival of Space #12

noreply@blogger.com (Jim) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:57:00 +0000

I'm a huge fan of the Carnival of Space because it allows be to check out websites and articles that I might have missed. This week's carnival is hosted at Music of Spheres. And one of my articles is also featured, so check it out!

(The Carnival of Space seriously needs a logo,)
[Imagine Cool Logo Pic Here]