Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Snail Turns Flower Into An Umbrella, And Proves He's The Thriftiest Mollusk Out There (PHOTO)

Snail Turns Flower Into An Umbrella, And Proves He's The Thriftiest Mollusk Out There (PHOTO): Nobody likes to get rained on. This includes humans, this tree frog and especially this snail, even though some snails come out of their shells when it rains.

Vyacheslav Mischenko, a photographer from Ukraine, captured this stunning image in a forest near his home. This thrifty snail turned a flower into an umbrella, and sheltered there to protect himself from the rain. Snails aren't known for being the prettiest animals, but this photo definitely sheds light on how unique these creatures really are.

Mischenko said that the image's colors and setting reminded him of Monet's 1886 painting "Woman With A Parasol".



snail umbrella
Snail Turns Flower Into An Umbrella, And Proves He's The Thriftiest Mollusk Out There (PHOTO)



image/jpeg
s-SNAIL-UMBRELLA-mini.jpg

If You Didn't Catch The 'Blood Moon,' These Unbelievable Photos Show Exactly What You Missed

If You Didn't Catch The 'Blood Moon,' These Unbelievable Photos Show Exactly What You Missed: On Tuesday, April 15, skywatchers around the world were treated to 2014's first total lunar eclipse -- and the resulting "blood moon" was quite a thriller. Why "blood?" During the eclipse, the moon's hue ranges from bright orange to blood red, thanks to sunlight that seeps through the Earth's atmosphere onto the moon's face.

The eclipse, which peaked at 3 a.m. EDT, was visible from most of North and South America. It was the first of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, called a 'tetrad,' between April 2014 and September 2015.

If you missed the sky's show, find a stunning recap below:



Here's a time-lapse of the whole event.



Stabilized blood moon eclipse




This is the view of the blood moon from University of Arizona's Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter.







A shot of the moon through trees, via Joe Sheller on Flickr.



Blood Moon 4-15-14




The moon coming out of eclipse, via Leonardo Ezequiel Marques on Flickr.



Blood Moon




Three stages of the eclipse, via Shane422 on Flickr.



Lunar-Eclipse



Halfway through the eclipse, a view from Coffs Harbour, Australia via Frank on Flickr.



Lunar Eclipse




A close-up of the lunar eclipse, shot at an informal "star party" near the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Science City, in Kansas City, Missouri by John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images.

blood moon




A striking portrait by photographer Enrique Tubio.

moon






image/jpeg
s-BLOOD-MOON-mini.jpg

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Universe News : Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal

Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal:

Artist’s impression of a massive asteroid belt in orbit around a star. Credit: NASA-JPL / Caltech / T. Pyle (SSC)
Universe News : Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal
Artist’s impression of a massive asteroid belt in orbit around a star. Credit: NASA-JPL / Caltech / T. Pyle (SSC)
What’s with all the metals in the atmosphere of white dwarfs, those things that are corpses of stars like our own Sun? While before scientists had theories about levitating star layers that “polluted” the white dwarfs, new research shows it’s more likely due to rocky material. More specifically, material left over from planet formation.

(...)
Read the rest of Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal (235 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : Discovery! Possible Dwarf Planet Found Far Beyond Pluto’s Orbit

Discovery! Possible Dwarf Planet Found Far Beyond Pluto’s Orbit:



Artist's conception of Sedna, a dwarf planet in the solar system that only gets within 76 astronomical units (Earth-sun distances) of our sun. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Universe News : Discovery! Possible Dwarf Planet Found Far Beyond Pluto’s Orbit
Artist’s conception of Sedna, a dwarf planet in the solar system that only gets within 76 astronomical units (Earth-sun distances) of our sun. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
What is a dwarf planet? Some astronomers have been asking that question after Pluto was demoted from planethood almost a decade ago, partly due to discoveries of other worlds of similar proportions.

Today, astronomers announced the discovery of 2012 VP113, a world that, assuming its reflectivity is moderate, is 280 miles (450 kilometers) in size and orbiting even further away from the sun than Pluto or even the more distant Sedna (announced in 2004). If 2012 VP113 is made up mostly of ice, this would make it large (and round) enough to be a dwarf planet, the astronomers said.

Peering further into 2012 VP113′s discovery, however, brings up several questions. What are the boundaries of the Oort Cloud, the region of icy bodies where the co-discoverers say it resides? Was it placed there due to a sort of Planet X? And what is the definition of a dwarf planet anyway?

(...)
Read the rest of Discovery! Possible Dwarf Planet Found Far Beyond Pluto’s Orbit (1,056 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Aurora Borealis : Eye-Popping Aurora in Alaska

Eye-Popping Aurora in Alaska:



Aurora Borealis coronal display near Fairbanks Alaska, on March 25, 2014. Credit and copyright: John Chumack.
Aurora Borealis : Eye-Popping Aurora in Alaska
Aurora Borealis coronal display near Fairbanks Alaska, on March 25, 2014. Credit and copyright: John Chumack.
For the past several years, astrophotographer John Chumack has lead a tour to Alaska on how to photograph the northern lights and the night sky, and this year was a great success. “We experienced perfect weather this year: 10 clear nights in a row, with an aurora display every night,” John said via email. Last week, we featured some of images from this year’s trip, but here are some additional images that are really amazing, plus John has put together a stunning timelapse from images he took on March 26, see below:

(...)
Read the rest of Eye-Popping Aurora in Alaska (79 words)


© nancy for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Tranquil-Looking Galaxy Bears ‘Battle Scars’ From Ancient Struggles

Tranquil-Looking Galaxy Bears ‘Battle Scars’ From Ancient Struggles:



NGC 1316 (left) and its smaller companion galaxy NGC 1317. Image taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Credit: ESO
Tranquil-Looking Galaxy Bears ‘Battle Scars’ From Ancient Struggles
NGC 1316 (left) and its smaller companion galaxy NGC 1317. Image taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Credit: ESO
Shining 60 million light-years away all serene-looking is NGC 1316 (left) and a smaller galaxy NGC 1317. This new picture from the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, however, reveals “battle scars” of ancient fights, the observatory stated.

(...)
Read the rest of Tranquil-Looking Galaxy Bears ‘Battle Scars’ From Ancient Struggles (212 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : The Moon Is Just 95 Million Years Younger Than The Solar System: Study

The Moon Is Just 95 Million Years Younger Than The Solar System: Study:



An airplane at about 2,400 meters above the ground  passes in front of the Moon on its way to landing at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. Taken from about 70 km from Paris. Credit and copyright: Sebastien Lebrigand.
Universe News : The Moon Is Just 95 Million Years Younger Than The Solar System: Study
An airplane at about 2,400 meters above the ground passes in front of the Moon on its way to landing at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. Taken from about 70 km from Paris. Credit and copyright: Sebastien Lebrigand.
Stuff from Earth’s interior, combined with simulations, have one research team pinning down the Moon’s age to only 95 million years after the Solar System formed (which would make our closest satellite about 4.4 billion years old.)

The simulation involved replicating how the Earth and the other terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars) grew from a protoplanetary disc surrounding the young Sun. After 259 simulations, the researchers uncovered a link between when a Mars-sized object smacked Earth (eventually forming the Moon) and how much material Earth gained after the crash.

“This correlation just jumped out of the simulations and held in each set of old simulations we looked at,” stated Seth Jacobson of the Observatory of Cote d’Azur in France, who led the study.

(...)
Read the rest of The Moon Is Just 95 Million Years Younger Than The Solar System: Study (162 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Three NASA Telescopes Begin Hunt For Earliest Galaxies

Three NASA Telescopes Begin Hunt For Earliest Galaxies:



A grouping of galaxies, known as J0717 (center) is visible in this Spitzer Space Telescope image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Capak (Caltech)
Three NASA Telescopes Begin Hunt For Earliest Galaxies
A grouping of galaxies, known as J0717 (center) is visible in this Spitzer Space Telescope image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P. Capak (Caltech)
Talk about turning back time. Three NASA observatories — the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope — are all working together to look for the universe’s first galaxies. The project is called “Frontier Fields” and aims to examine these galaxies through a technique called gravitational lensing, which allows astronomers to peer at more distant objects when massive objects in front bend their light.

“Our overall science goal with the Frontier Fields is to understand how the first galaxies in the universe assembled,” stated Peter Capak, a research scientist with the NASA/JPL Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology and the Spitzer lead for the Frontier Fields.

(...)
Read the rest of Three NASA Telescopes Begin Hunt For Earliest Galaxies (151 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Cassini Spacecraft Confirms Subsurface Ocean on Enceladus

Cassini Spacecraft Confirms Subsurface Ocean on Enceladus:



Jets of icy particles bursting from Saturn's moon Enceladus are shown in this Cassini image taken on November 2005. Credit: NASA/ESA/ASI.
Cassini Spacecraft Confirms Subsurface Ocean on Enceladus
Jets of icy particles bursting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus are shown in this Cassini image taken on November 2005. Credit: NASA/ESA/ASI.
Ever since the Cassini spacecraft first spied water vapor and ice spewing from fractures in Enceladus’ frozen surface in 2005, scientists have hypothesized that a large reservoir of water lies beneath that icy surface, possibly fueling the plumes. Now, gravity measurements gathered by Cassini have confirmed that this enticing moon of Saturn does in fact harbor a large subsurface ocean near its south pole.

“For the first time, we have used a geophysical method to determine the internal structure of Enceladus, and the data suggest that indeed there is a large, possibly regional ocean about 50 kilometers below the surface of the south pole,” says David Stevenson from Caltech, a coauthor on a paper on the finding, published in the current issue of the journal Science. “This then provides one possible story to explain why water is gushing out of these fractures we see at the south pole.”

(...)
Read the rest of Cassini Spacecraft Confirms Subsurface Ocean on Enceladus (597 words)


© nancy for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The Universe News : El Gordo Galaxy Cluster Even Bigger Than Thought

El Gordo Galaxy Cluster Even Bigger Than Thought:



Hubble Space Telescope image of the El Gordo galaxy cluster. Credit:  NASA, ESA, and J. Jee (University of California, Davis)
The Universe News : El Gordo Galaxy Cluster Even Bigger Than Thought
Hubble Space Telescope image of the El Gordo galaxy cluster. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Jee (University of California, Davis)
The Hubble Space Telescope has a new calculation for the huge El Gordo galaxy cluster: 3 million billion times the mass of the Sun. This is even 43 per cent more massive than past estimates that examined the complex in X-rays, NASA stated.

(...)
Read the rest of El Gordo Galaxy Cluster Even Bigger Than Thought (133 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags:


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

AURORA BOREALIS : Stunning Aurora at Mount Kirkjufell in Iceland

Stunning Aurora at Mount Kirkjufell in Iceland:



Aurora and starry skies at Mount Kirkjufell, Iceland on April 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nanut Bovorn.
AURORA BOREALIS : Stunning Aurora at Mount Kirkjufell in Iceland
Aurora and starry skies at Mount Kirkjufell, Iceland on April 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nanut Bovorn.
Wow! Mount Kirkjufell is a well-known and often-photographed landmark, and there are many who say it is the most beautiful mountain in Iceland. Photographer Nanut Bovorn captured Kirkjufell in all its glory on April 2, 2014, surrounded by starry skies and an incredible aurora. Simply stunning.

Below is another image taken the same night which also shows the beautiful landscape that surrounds Kirkjufell, with a stream and waterfalls, all under the beautiful nights skies in Iceland.

Mount Kirkjufell sits on a little peninsula and is 463 meters high.

(...)
Read the rest of Stunning Aurora at Mount Kirkjufell in Iceland (66 words)


© nancy for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : Quasars Tell The Story Of How Fast The Young Universe Expanded

Quasars Tell The Story Of How Fast The Young Universe Expanded:



Artist's conception of how the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey uses quasars to make measurements. The light these objects sends out gets absorbed by gas in between the receiver and the source. The gas is then
Universe News : Quasars Tell The Story Of How Fast The Young Universe Expanded
Artist’s conception of how the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey uses quasars to make measurements. The light these objects sends out gets absorbed by gas in between the receiver and the source. The gas is then “imprinted with a subtle ring-like pattern of known physical scale”, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey stated. Credit: Zosia Rostomian (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) and Andreu Font-Ribera (BOSS Lyman-alpha team, Berkeley Lab.)
For those who saw the Cosmos episode on William Herschel describing telescopes as time machines, here is a clear example of that. By examining 140,000 objects called quasars (galaxies with an active black hole at their centers), astronomers have charted the expansion rate of the universe — not now, but 10.8 billion years ago.

This is the most precise measurement ever of the universe’s expansion rate at any point in time, the science teams said, with the calculation showing the universe was expanding by 1% every 44 million years at that time. (That figure is to 2% precision, the researchers added.)

(...)
Read the rest of Quasars Tell The Story Of How Fast The Young Universe Expanded (261 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : Comet Jacques Brightens Rapidly, Heads North

Comet Jacques Brightens Rapidly, Heads North:



On April 4, Comet C/2014 E2 Jacques had developed an ion or gas tail (extending to the right) in addition to its dust tail. The coma also glows a faint green from fluorescing carbon compounds. Credit: Damian Peach
Universe News : Comet Jacques Brightens Rapidly, Heads North
On April 4, Comet C/2014 E2 Jacques had developed an ion or gas tail (extending to the lower right of the hazy coma) in addition to its dust tail. The coma also glows a faint green from fluorescing carbon compounds – all good signs that’s it’s becoming more active on its journey toward the sun. Credit: Damian Peach
We’ve got a hot comet on our hands. Comet Jacques barely cracked magnitude +11 at the time of its March 13 discovery, but just three weeks later, amateur astronomers have already spotted it in large binoculars at magnitude +9.5. Expert comet observer Michael Mattiazzo, who maintains the Southern Comets Homepage, predicts that if Comet Jacques continues its rapid rise in brightness, it might become faintly visible with the naked eye by July. (...)
Read the rest of Comet Jacques Brightens Rapidly, Heads North (520 words)


© Bob King for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
One comment |


Post tags: , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Planet News : Mercury Had Quite The Explosive Past, Spacecraft Analysis Shows

Mercury Had Quite The Explosive Past, Spacecraft Analysis Shows:



The different colors in this MESSENGER image of Mercury indicate the chemical, mineralogical, and physical differences between the rocks that make up the planet’s surface.  Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Planet News : Mercury Had Quite The Explosive Past, Spacecraft Analysis Shows
The different colors in this MESSENGER image of Mercury indicate the chemical, mineralogical, and physical differences between the rocks that make up the planet’s surface. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Mercury — a planet once thought to have no volcanism at all — likely had a very active past, a new analysis of images from NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft shows. After looking at 51 vents across Mercury, the team concluded that they show different amounts of erosion — hinting that the explosions happened at different times in the planet’s history.

“If [the explosions] happened over a brief period and then stopped, you’d expect all the vents to be degraded by approximately the same amount,” stated Goudge, a graduate geology student at Brown University who led the research.

(...)
Read the rest of Mercury Had Quite The Explosive Past, Spacecraft Analysis Shows (291 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : Two Observing Challenges: Catch Venus Passing Neptune And Occulting a Bright Star

Two Observing Challenges: Catch Venus Passing Neptune And Occulting a Bright Star:



The Milky Way, The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, Zodiacal Light, and Venus as seen from the Karoo Desert in South Africa early this month. Credit: Cory Schmitz.
Universe News : Two Observing Challenges: Catch Venus Passing Neptune And Occulting a Bright Star
The Milky Way, The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, Zodiacal Light, and Venus as seen from the Karoo Desert in South Africa early this month. Credit: Cory Schmitz.
 Have you been following the planet Venus this season? 2014 sees the brightest planet in our Earthly skies spend a majority of its time in the dawn. Shining at magnitude -3.8, it’s hard to miss in the morning twilight. But dazzling Venus is visiting two unique celestial objects over the next week, and both present unique observing challenges for the seasoned observer.(...)
Read the rest of Two Observing Challenges: Catch Venus Passing Neptune And Occulting a Bright Star (845 words)


© David Dickinson for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

How CERN’s Discovery of Exotic Particles May Affect Astrophysics

How CERN’s Discovery of Exotic Particles May Affect Astrophysics:



The difference between a neutron star and a quark star (Chandra)
How CERN’s Discovery of Exotic Particles May Affect Astrophysics
The difference between a neutron star and a quark star (Chandra)
You may have heard that CERN announced the discovery of a strange particle known as Z(4430).  A paper summarizing the results has been published on the physics arxiv, which is a repository for preprint (not yet peer reviewed) physics papers.  The new particle is about 4 times more massive than a proton, has a negative charge, and appears to be a theoretical particle known as a tetraquark.  The results are still young, but if this discovery holds up it could have implications for our understanding of neutron stars.(...)
Read the rest of How CERN’s Discovery of Exotic Particles May Affect Astrophysics (617 words)


© Brian Koberlein for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : Supernova Sweeps Away Rubbish In New Composite Image

Supernova Sweeps Away Rubbish In New Composite Image:



The supernova remnant G352.7-0.1 in a composite image with X-rays from the Chandra X-Ray Telescope (blue), radio waves from the Very Large Array (pink), infrared information from the Spitzer Space Telescope (orange) and optical data from the Digital Sky Survey (white). Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Morehead State Univ/T.Pannuti et al.; Optical: DSS; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Radio: NRAO/VLA/Argentinian Institute of Radioastronomy/G.Dubner
Universe News : Supernova Sweeps Away Rubbish In New Composite Image
The supernova remnant G352.7-0.1 in a composite image with X-rays from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (blue), radio waves from the Very Large Array (pink), infrared information from the Spitzer Space Telescope (orange) and optical data from the Digital Sky Survey (white). Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Morehead State Univ/T.Pannuti et al.; Optical: DSS; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Radio: NRAO/VLA/Argentinian Institute of Radioastronomy/G.Dubner
Shining 24,000 light-years from Earth is an expanding leftover of a supernova that is doing a great cleanup job in its neighborhood. As this new composite image from NASA reveals, G352.7-0.1 (G352 for short) is more efficient than expected, picking up debris equivalent to about 45 times the mass of the Sun.

(...)
Read the rest of Supernova Sweeps Away Rubbish In New Composite Image (113 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Backup Computer Glitches On Space Station But Crew Safe, NASA Says

Backup Computer Glitches On Space Station But Crew Safe, NASA Says:



The International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Backup Computer Glitches On Space Station But Crew Safe, NASA Says
The International Space Station. Credit: NASA
A backup computer that controls “some systems associated with robotics” on the International Space Station is not “responding to commands”, NASA said in a late-night statement Eastern time Friday (April 11).

The crew is safe, there’s no “immediate” change to space station operations, and because the primary computer is working, there’s also no alteration to the SpaceX Dragon launch to the station on Monday – which requires the robotic Canadarm2 for berthing. NASA added, however, that there are “further evaluations” going on, meaning the date could change depending on what controllers figure out.

If the computer does need to be replaced, crew members of Expedition 39 will need to do at least one spacewalk, the agency added. NASA is allowing contingency spacewalks in American spacesuits to go forward as the agency addresses problems raised in a report about a life-threatening spacesuit leak in July.

Below the jump is the statement NASA put out tonight concerning the situation.

(...)
Read the rest of Backup Computer Glitches On Space Station But Crew Safe, NASA Says (217 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Failed Space Station Computer Spurs Contingency Spacewalk Plans

Failed Space Station Computer Spurs Contingency Spacewalk Plans:



A view of the International Space Station as seen by the last departing space shuttle crew, STS-135. Credit: NASA
Failed Space Station Computer Spurs Contingency Spacewalk Plans
A view of the International Space Station as seen by the last departing space shuttle crew, STS-135. Credit: NASA
NASA is preparing a contingency spacewalk to deal with a broken backup computer component on the International Space Station, the agency said in an update Saturday (April 12). While there’s no timeline yet for the spacewalk, the agency must consider carefully when to do it given a cargo ship is supposed to arrive at station on Wednesday.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft — already delayed due to an unrelated radar problem — is still scheduled to launch Monday at 4:58 p.m. EDT (8:58 p.m. UTC) to arrive at station two days later. Although the computer controls some robotic systems, NASA added the Canadarm2 that will grapple Dragon has other redundancies in place. The question is if the station itself has enough redundancy for the launch to go forward.

(...)
Read the rest of Failed Space Station Computer Spurs Contingency Spacewalk Plans (315 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
One comment |


Post tags: , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe News : Spin! Crab Pulsar Speed Jumps Linked To Billions Of Tiny Vortices

Spin! Crab Pulsar Speed Jumps Linked To Billions Of Tiny Vortices:



Artist's conception of a gamma-ray pulsar. Gamma rays are shown in purple, and radio radiation in green. Credit: NASA/Fermi/Cruz de Wilde
Universe News : Spin! Crab Pulsar Speed Jumps Linked To Billions Of Tiny Vortices
Artist’s conception of a gamma-ray pulsar. Gamma rays are shown in purple, and radio radiation in green. Credit: NASA/Fermi/Cruz de Wilde
Pulsars — those supernova leftovers that are incredibly dense and spin very fast — may change their speed due to activity of billions of vortices in the fluid beneath their surface, a new study says.

The work is based on a combination of research and modelling and looks at the Crab Nebula pulsar, which has periodic slowdowns in its rotation of at least 0.055 nanoseconds. Occasionally, the Crab and other pulsars see their spins speed up in an event called a “glitch”. Luckily for astronomers, there is a wealth of data on Crab because the Jodrell Bank Observatory in the United Kingdom looked at it almost daily for the last 29 years.

(...)
Read the rest of Spin! Crab Pulsar Speed Jumps Linked To Billions Of Tiny Vortices (131 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

ECLIPSE : Webcasts and Forecasts for Tonight’s Total Lunar Eclipse

Webcasts and Forecasts for Tonight’s Total Lunar Eclipse:



The December 21st 2010 Solstice eclipse. Photos by author.
ECLIPSE : Webcasts and Forecasts for Tonight’s Total Lunar Eclipse
The December 21st 2010 Solstice eclipse. Photos by author.
Are you ready for some eclipse action? We’re now within 24 hours of the Moon reaching its ascending node along the ecliptic at 13:25 Universal Time (UT)/ 9:25 AM EDT on Tuesday morning and meeting the shadow of the Earth just over seven hours earlier.(...)
Read the rest of Webcasts and Forecasts for Tonight’s Total Lunar Eclipse (1,004 words)


© David Dickinson for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Universe news : Comet ISON Photo Contest Winners Rock the House!

Comet ISON Photo Contest Winners Rock the House!:



Universe news : Comet ISON Photo Contest Winners Rock the House!
Universe news : Comet ISON Photo Contest Winners Rock the House!
“Comet ISON” — People’s Choice award winner: Eric Cardoso, Setúbal, Portugal. Credit: Eric Cardoso
Comet ISON’s gone but positively not forgotten. The National Science Foundation today shared the results of their Comet ISON Photography Contest. You’ll recognize many of the names because so many of their photos have graced stories written for Universe Today. (...)
Read the rest of Comet ISON Photo Contest Winners Rock the House! (164 words)


© Bob King for Universe Today, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh