Sunday, April 5, 2015

Основатели X-Prize и Google откроют добычу ресурсов на астероидах

Основатели X-Prize и Google откроют добычу ресурсов на астероидах:

Ряд известных предпринимателей, учёных и инженеров, а также легендарный режиссёр Джеймс Кэмерон объявили о постановке грандиозной цели: в самое ближайшее время начать исследование околоземных астероидов с тем, чтобы вскоре перейти к добыче на них различных минералов, воды, а также драгоценных металлов.

Вся работа будет идти под эгидой компании Planetary Resources. Она была создана три года назад Питером Диамандисом (основателем фонда X-Prize, известного по ряду технических конкурсов, например – соревнованию первых в мире частных луноходов) и Эриком Андерсоном (Eric C. Anderson). Последний является одним из основателей компании Space Adventures, известной по продаже туристических билетов на МКС.

Неутомимый Кэмерон стал одним из главных моторчиков и консультантов проекта, только теперь «выходящего на свет». А среди ключевых спонсоров фирмы стоит отметить сооснователя компании Google Лари Пейджа, председателя совета директоров Google Эрика Шмидта и предпринимателя Чарльза Симони (Charles Simonyi). Он, заметим, побывал в космосе дважды, в качестве космического туриста в 2007 и 2009 годах.

Только один 500-метровый астероид, богатый платиной, содержит эквивалент всех металлов платиновой группы, которые люди когда-либо добыли за всю историю, — заявляют авторы проекта в своём обращении. Другие потенциальные ресурсы – палладий, осмий, рутений, иридий, родий, а также моно- и диоксид углерода, метан, азот… (иллюстрации Murphy Elliott, Planetary Resources, NASA).
По информации BBC News, стартовый проект «ресурсов» — запуск первого в мире частного космического телескопа. Если всё пойдёт по плану, этот аппарат должен выйти на орбиту через 18-24 месяца.

Спутник, который уже разрабатывается полным ходом, называется Leo (он же Arkyd Series 100). Этот небольшой аппарат будет использоваться для частных космических исследований (возможности аппарата будут открыто предлагаться публике). Но главная цель телескопа – изучение астероидов в поисках полезных минеральных ресурсов.

Со временем на низкой орбите должна оказаться целая серия таких «дозорных». Совместно они смогут внимательно осмотреть тысячи астероидов, подходящих к Земле достаточно близко, чтобы в будущем к ним можно было с умеренными затратами отправлять беспилотные миссии.

Разрешение нового телескопа должно составить одну угловую секунду (иллюстрации Planetary Resources).
Следующий шаг компании – постройка «перехватчиков» (Interceptor, Arkyd Series 200, рисунок внизу). Эти аппараты должны уметь близко подходить к астероидам для детального картографирования. Спроектированы эти машины будут на основе того же Leo. Только вдобавок телескоп получит двигательную установку и дополнительное научное оборудование.

«Перехватчики» смогут действовать в одиночку или парами. Они будут рассчитаны на полёты к астероидам, которые во время своего путешествия вокруг Солнца сближаются с Землей на расстояние порядка радиуса лунной орбиты. Таких объектов в Солнечной системе большое количество (причём новые открываются регулярно). Между тем они могут содержать немало ценных веществ.

Предварительная миссия к астероиду должна подтвердить, что объект представляет интерес для разработки недр (иллюстрация Planetary Resources).
Дальнейший план вновь предусматривает модернизацию уже освоенного аппарата. Прибавка новой авионики и лазерной системы связи превратит «Перехватчик» в Rendezvous Prospector. Этот аппарат сможет отправляться на исследование намного более далёких астероидов.

Компания Planetary Resources рассчитывает создавать и запускать такие машины по нескольку штук, что сократит расходы на изготовление и снизит риск провала миссии. «Изыскатели» смогут детально анализировать астероиды, их размер, массу и состав. На основе данных от роёв таких машин компания сможет принять решение о разумности посылки к тем или иным небесным горам добывающих роботов.

По идее, межпланетная станция Rendezvous Prospector или Arkyd Series 300 должна использовать основные узлы ранее неоднократно испытанных машин, а потому, по мнению владельцев компании, явит собой пример дешёвых планетарных исследований (иллюстрация Planetary Resources).
Интенсивная разведка ресурсов астероидов должна начаться через пять-десять лет. Вскоре после этого компания рассчитывает перейти к добыче на астероидах воды, а позже — драгоценных и редких металлов. Правда, несмотря на высокую цену платины и элементов-родственников, экономическая оправданность такого шага выглядит весьма спорной, ведь полёты в космос всё ещё дороги.

Но основатели Planetary Resources полагают, что со временем доступ в космос будет дешеветь. И к тому моменту нужно быть готовым перейти от чисто исследовательских полётов к промышленным.

Начнёт компания, по всей видимости, с воды. При благоприятном сочетании факторов (орбита астероида, его размеры и количество льда), привести энное число тонн воды с астероида на околоземную орбиту может оказаться выгоднее, чем поднимать эти тонны из «гравитационного колодца». А уже здесь, у Земли, при помощи солнечных батарей и электролизёров, воду можно разложить на кислород и водород – топливо для ракет, отправляющихся вглубь Солнечной системы.

Вода, доставка которой на орбиту стоит дорого, должна стать одним из первых ресурсов, добываемых в космосе. Учёные знают, что водяной лёд присутствует не только в ядрах комет, но и на астероидах (иллюстрация Planetary Resources).
Орбитальные АЗС могли бы стать опорой для более интенсивного исследования нашего космического окружения. Первый летающий склад горючего Planetary Resources предполагает создать к 2020 году. Некоторые эксперты считают такие сроки слишком оптимистическими. Но в целом картина, нарисованная Диамандисом, Кэмероном и его соратниками выглядит логично.

«Если оглянуться назад в историю, на то, что привело человечество к крупнейшим инвестициям в разведку и транспорт, то мы увидим — это ресурсы, — говорит Диамандис. — Европейцы осваивали новые маршруты ради специй. Первые американские поселенцы шли на запад из-за золота, нефти, древесины и земли».

Основатели «Планетарных ресурсов» не ждут баснословных прибылей в скором времени. Вложенные в проект деньги, по их оценке, начнут возвращаться через десятилетия. Зато потом перспективы открываются заманчивые. Те же драгоценные или редкоземельные металлы могут не только стать хорошим источником дохода. Их массовая добыча способна преобразить технику, сделать дешевле солнечную энергетику и электронику.

В общем, «дорожная карта» Planetary Resources предусматривает сочетание приземлённой коммерции с «возвышенным» научным познанием мира и заботой о прогрессе цивилизации. Любопытно, что в число участников проекта вошли планетолог MIT Сара Сигер (Sara Seager), ветеран NASA, астронавт Томас Джонс (Thomas Jones), ряд учёных и инженеров NASA, принимавших участие в миссиях агентства к астероидам и на Марс. В ролике ниже о планах компании рассказывают её основные фигуры.

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20 марта 2015 года — полное солнечное затмение

20 марта 2015 года — полное солнечное затмение:



total_sun_eclipse_20_march_2015_1_600.gi


20 марта 2015 года произойдет полное солнечное затмение. Его полную фазу можно будет наблюдать на севере Атлантического океана и в Арктике. Участков суши, на которых Солнце совсем пропадет из вида, совсем немного: это Фарерские острова и архипелаг Шпицберген. Максимальная длительность полной фазы составит 2 минуты 47 секунд. Следующее полное солнечное затмение будет почти через год — 9 марта 2016 года.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:55 PM 0 comments
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Don’t Blink! April 4th Lunar Eclipse Shortest of the Century

Don’t Blink! April 4th Lunar Eclipse Shortest of the Century:



The phases of a total lunar eclipse. Saturday's eclipse will see the briefest totality in a century. Credit: Keith Burns / NASA


As the Moon slips into Earth’s shadow it will undergo a total eclipse early Saturday morning April 4.  The partial phases will span some 3 1/2 hours, but totality lasts less than five minutes. Credit: Keith Burns / NASA
Get ready for one awesome total lunar eclipse early Saturday morning April 4th. For the third time in less than a year, the Moon dips into Earth’s shadow, its dazzling white globe turning sunset red right before your eyes.  All eclipses are not-to-miss events, but Saturday’s totality will be the shortest in a century. Brief but beautiful – just like life. Read on to find out how to make the most of it.



Four total lunars in succession is called a tetrad. During the 21st century there are nine sets of tetrads. Credit: NASA


Four total lunar eclipses in succession with no partials in between is called a tetrad. The April 4th eclipse is part of a tetrad that started last April and will wrap up on September 28. During the 21st century there will be eight sets of tetrads. Credit: NASA
Lunar eclipses don’t usually happen in any particular order. A partial eclipse is followed by a total is followed by a penumbral and so on. Instead, we’re in the middle of a tetrad, four total eclipses in a row with no partials in between. The final one happens on September 28.  Even more remarkable, part or all of them are visible from the U.S. Tetrads will be fairly common in the 21st century with eight in all. We’re lucky — between 1600 and 1900 there were none! For an excellent primer on the topic check out fellow Universe Today writer David Dickinson’s “The Science Behind the Blood Moon Tetrad“.



The Moon moves out of total eclipse and into partial phases during the second of the four tetrad eclipses on October 8, 2015. Credit: Bob King


The partially eclipsed Moon on October 8, 2015.  For skywatchers across the eastern half of North America, this is about how the Moon will appear shortly before it sets. Those living further west will see totality. Credit: Bob King
Lots of people have taken to calling the tetrad eclipses Blood Moons, referring to the coppery color of lunar disk when steeped in Earth’s shadow and the timing of both April events on the Jewish Passover. Me? I prefer Bacon-and-Eggs Moon. For many of us, the eclipse runs right up till sunrise with the Moon setting in bright twilight around 6:30 a.m. What better time to enjoy a celebratory breakfast with friends after packing away your gear?



Map showing where the April 4 lunar eclipse will be penumbral, partial and total. Inset shows a world map. Credit: Larry Koehn / shadowandsubstance.com


Map showing where the April 4 lunar eclipse will be penumbral, partial and total. World map shown in inset. Credit: Larry Koehn / shadowandsubstance.com Inset: Fred Espenak
But seriously, Saturday morning’s eclipse will prove challenging for some. While observers in far western North America, Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand and Australia will witness the entire event, those in the mountain states will see the Moon set while still in totality. Meanwhile, skywatchers in the Midwest and points East will see only the partial phases in a brightening dawn sky. Here are the key times of eclipse events by time zone:



A total lunar eclipse occurs only during Full Moons when the Sun, Earth and Moon form a straight line. The Moon slips directly behind Earth into its shadow. The outer part of the shadow or penumbra is a mix of sunlight and shadow. The inner cone, called the umbra, the Sun is completely blocked from view. However, light refracted by Earth's atmosphere is bent into the umbra where it colors the eclipsed Moon red.


A total lunar eclipse occurs only during full moon phase when the Sun, Earth and Moon lie in a straight line. The Moon slips directly behind Earth into its shadow. The outer part of the shadow or penumbra is a mix of sunlight and shadow and only partially dark. From  the inner shadow, called the umbra, the Sun is completely blocked from view. A small amount of sunlight refracted or bent by Earth’s atmosphere into the umbra, spills into the shadow, coloring the eclipsed Moon red.
Eclipse Events                                     EDT              CDT              MDT             PDT

Penumbra eclipse begins 5:01 a.m. 4:01 a.m. 3:01 a.m. 2:01 a.m.
Partial eclipse begins 6:16 a.m. 5:16 a.m. 4:16 a.m. 3:16 a.m.
Total eclipse begins ——– ——– 5:58 a.m. 4:58 a.m.
Greatest eclipse ——– ——– 6:00 a.m. 5:00 a.m.
Total eclipse ends ——– ——– 6:03 a.m. 5:03 a.m.
Partial eclipse ends ——— ——– ——– 6:45 a.m.
Penumbra eclipse ends ——— ——— ——– ——–
* During the penumbral phase, shading won’t be obvious until ~30 minutes before partial eclipse.



Partial eclipse, when the Moon first enters Earth's dark, inner shadow called the umbra, begins at 5:16 a.m. CDT near the start of morning twilight. Totality begins at 6:58 a.m. with the Moon already set for the eastern half of the country. Credit: Fred Espenak


Partial eclipse, when the Moon first enters Earth’s dark umbral shadow, begins at 5:16 a.m. CDT near the start of morning twilight. Totality begins at 6:58 a.m. with the Moon already set for the eastern half of the country. Credit: Fred Espenak
This eclipse will also be the shortest total eclipse of the 21st century; our satellite spends just 4 minutes and 43 seconds inside Earth’s umbra or shadow core. That’s only as long as a typical solar eclipse totality. Ah, the irony.

Better have your camera ready or you’ll miss it. The maps below show the maximum amount of the Moon visible shortly before setting from two eastern U.S. cities and the height of the totally eclipsed Moon from two western locations. Click each panel for more details about local circumstances.



The Earth's shadow will take only a small bite out of the Moon before sunrise (6:47 a.m.) as seen from Washington D.C. Source: Stellarium


The Earth’s shadow will take only a small bite out of the Moon before sunrise (6:47 a.m.) as seen from Washington D.C. From all mainland U.S. locations Virgo’s brightest star Spica will appear about 10° to the left of the Moon. Source: Stellarium


Here's the view from Chicago where sunrise occurs at 6:27 a.m. Source: Stellarium


Here’s the view from Chicago where sunrise occurs at 6:27 a.m.  Source: Stellarium


Totality will be visible From Denver, Colorado with the Moon low in the western sky. Source: Stellarium


Totality will be visible From Denver, Colorado with the Moon low in the western sky in morning twilight. Sunrise is 6:42 a.m. Source: Stellarium


Seattle and the West Coast get a great view of totality in a dark sky. The final partial phases will also be visible. Sunrise there is 6:40 a.m. Source: Stellarium


Seattle and the West Coast get a great view of totality in a dark sky. The final partial phases will also be visible. Sunrise there is 6:40 a.m. Source: Stellarium
Now that you know times and shadow coverage, let’s talk about the fun part — what to look for as the event unfolds. You’ll need to find a location in advance with a good view to the southwest as most of the action happens in that direction. Once that detail’s taken care of and assuming clear weather, you can kick back in a folding chair or with your back propped against a hillside and enjoy.



During the early partial phases you may not see the shadowed portion of the Moon with the naked eye. Binoculars and telescopes will show it plainly. But once the Moon's about 50% covered, the reddish-orange tint of the shadowed half becomes obvious. Credit: Jim Schaff


During the early partial phases you may not see the shadowed portion of the Moon with the naked eye. Binoculars and telescopes will show it plainly. But once the Moon is about 50% covered, the reddish-orange tint of the shadowed half becomes obvious. During total eclipse (right), the color is intense.  Credit: Jim Schaff
The entire eclipse can be enjoyed without any optical aid, though I recommend a look through binoculars now and then. The eclipsed Moon appears distinctly three-dimensional with only the slightest magnification, hanging there like an ornament among the stars. The Earth’s shadow appears to advance over the Moon, but the opposite is true; the Moon’s eastward orbital motion carries it deeper and deeper into the umbra.

Nibble by nibble the sunlit Moon falls into shadow. By the time it’s been reduced to half, the shaded portion looks distinctly red even to the naked eye. Notice that the shadow is curved. We live on a spherical planet and spheres cast circular shadows. Seeing the globe of Earth projected against the Moon makes the roundness of our home planet palpable.



Artist view of Earth totally eclipsing the sun as viewed from the moon. Low angled sunlight filtered by our atmosphere is reddened in exactly the same way a setting sun is reddened. That red light bathes the moon’s surface which reflects a bit of it back toward Earth, giving us a red moon during totality.


A simulated view looking back at Earth from the Moon during a total lunar eclipse on Earth. Sunlight grazing Earth’s circumference gets filtered by our atmosphere in exactly the same way the setting or rising Sun looks red. All the cooler colors have been scattered away by air and Red light, bent into the umbra by atmospheric refraction, bathes the lunar surface in red. As you might have guessed, when we see a total lunar eclipse on Earth, lunar inhabitants see a total eclipse of the Sun by Earth. Source: Stellarium
When totality arrives, the entire lunar globe throbs with orange, copper or rusty red. These sumptuous hues originate from sunlight filtered and bent by Earth’s atmosphere into the umbral shadow. Atmospheric particles have removed all the cooler colors, leaving the reds and oranges from a billion sunrises and sunsets occurring around the planet’s circumference. Imagine for a moment standing on the Moon looking back. Above your head would hang the black disk of Earth, nearly four times the size of the Moon in our sky, ringed by a narrow corona of fiery light.

Color varies from one eclipse to the next depending on the amount of water, dust and volcanic ash suspended in Earth’s atmosphere. The December 30, 1982 eclipse was one of the darkest in decades due to a tremendous amount of volcanic dust from the eruption of the Mexican volcano El Chichon earlier that year.

The more particles and haze, the greater the light absorption and darker the Moon. That said, this eclipse should be fairly bright because the Moon does not tread deeply into Earth’s shadow. It’s in for a quick dip of totality and then resumes partial phases.



The Moon's color can vary from yellow-orange to dark, smoky brown during totality depending on the state of the atmosphere. You can also see lots of stars in the sky right up to the Moon's edge when it's in Earth's shadow. This photo from last April's eclipse. Credit: Bob King


The Moon’s color can vary from yellow-orange to dark, smoky brown during totality depending on the state of the atmosphere. You can also see lots of stars in the sky right up to the Moon’s edge when it’s in Earth’s shadow. This photo from last April’s eclipse. Spica is below the Moon and Mars to the right. Credit: Bob King
It’s northern edge, located close to the outer fringe of Earth’s umbra, should appear considerably brighter than the southern, which is closer to the center or darkest part of the umbra.



Earth's shadow exposed! During a lunar eclipse that occurs at dusk or dawn (like the April 4th one and this one last October) we have the rare opportunity to see Earth's shadow on the distant Moon at the same time it's visible as a dark purple band cast on the upper atmosphere as seen here on October 8, 2015. Credit: Bob King


Earth’s shadow exposed! When a lunar eclipse occurs at dusk or dawn we have the rare opportunity to see Earth’s shadow on the distant Moon at the same time it’s visible as a dark purple band cast on the upper atmosphere as seen here on October 8, 2015. Credit: Bob King
Besides the pleasure of seeing the Moon change color, watch for the sky to darken as totality approaches. Eclipses begin with overwhelming moonlight and washed out, star-poor skies. As the Moon goes into hiding, stars return in a breathtaking way over a strangely eerie landscape. Don’t forget to turn around and admire the glorious summer Milky Way rising in the eastern sky.

Lunar eclipses remind us we live in a Solar System made of these beautiful, moving parts that never fail to inspire awe when we look up to notice.

In case you can’t watch the eclipse from your home due to weather or circumstance, our friends at the Virtual Telescope Project  and SLOOH will stream it online.



About 

I'm a long-time amateur astronomer and member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). My observing passions include everything from auroras to Z Cam stars. Every day the universe offers up something both beautiful and thought-provoking. I also write a daily astronomy blog called Astro Bob.

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Seeking Ceres: Following the Brave New World Through 2015

Seeking Ceres: Following the Brave New World Through 2015:



Credit:


A misshapen crescent Ceres as seen from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/UCLA/DLR/IDA
A little world is making big headlines in 2015. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft entered orbit around 1 Ceres on March 6th, 2015, gaving us the first stunning images of the ~900 kilometre diameter world. But whether you refer to Ceres as a dwarf planet, minor planet, or the king of the asteroid belt, this corner of the solar system’s terra incognita is finally open for exploration. It has been a long time coming, as Ceres has appeared as little more than a wandering, star-like dot in the telescopes of astronomers for over two centuries since discovery.



Untitled


The orbit of 1 Ceres. Credit: NASA/JPL
And the good news is, you can observe Ceres from your backyard if you know exactly where to look for it with binoculars or a small telescope. We’ll admit, we had an ulterior motive on pulling the trigger on this post three months prior to opposition on July 24th, as Dawn will soon be exiting its ‘shadow phase’ and start unveiling the world to us up close. The first science observations for Dawn begin in mid-April.



Credit


The path of Ceres through the remainder of 2015. Credit: Starry Night Software.
Ceres spends all of 2015 looping through the constellations of Capricornus, Microscopium and Sagittarius. This places it low to the south for northern hemisphere observers on April 1st in the early morning sky. Ceres will pass into the evening sky by mid-summer. Ceres orbits the Sun once every 4.6 years in a 10.6 degree inclination path relative to the ecliptic that takes it 2.6 AU to 3 AU from the Sun. The synodic period of Ceres is, on average, 467 days from one opposition to the next.



Ceres


Ceres, Vesta and Mars group together in 2014. Image credit and copyright: Mary Spicer
Shining at magnitude +8, April 1st finds Ceres near the Capricornus/Sagittarius border. Ceres can reach magnitude +6.7 during a favorable opposition. Note that Ceres is currently only 20 degrees east of the position of Nova Sagittarii 2015 No. 2, currently still shining at 4th magnitude. June 29th and November 25th are also great times to hunt for Ceres in 2015 as it loops less than one degree past the 4th magnitude star Omega Capricorni.



June 30


Ceres meets up with Omega Capricorni on June 29th. Credit: Stellarium.
You can nab Ceres by carefully noting its position against the starry background from night to night, either by sketching the suspect field, or photographing the region. Fans of dwarf planets will recall that 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta fit in the same telescopic field of view last summer, and now sit 30 degrees apart. Ceres is now far below the ecliptic plane, but will resume getting occulted by the passing Moon on February 3rd, 2017.



Left


The Palermo transit instrument used to discover Ceres. From Della Specola Astronomica (1792)
Ceres was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi on the first day of the 19th century on January 1st, 1801. Ceres was located on the Aries/Cetus border just seven degrees from Mars during discovery. Piazzi wasn’t even on the hunt for new worlds at the time, but was instead making careful positional measurements of stars with the 7.5 centimetre Palermo Circle transit telescope.



Credit


A 1802 publication by Piazzi describing his discovery of Ceres. Credit: Image in the Public Domain.
At the time, the discovery of Ceres was thought to provide predictive proof of the Titus-Bode law: here was a new planet, just where this arcane numerical spacing of the planets said it should be. Ceres, however, was soon joined by the likes of Juno, Pallas, Vesta and many more new worldlets, as astronomers soon came to realize that the solar system was not the neat and tidy place that it was imagined to be in the pre-telescopic era.

To date, the Titus-Bode law remains a mathematical curiosity, which fails to hold up to the discovery of brave new exoplanetary systems that we see beyond our own.



Credit


Piazzi’s 1801 log describing the motion of Ceres against the starry background. Credit: Monatliche Correspondenz
The view from Ceres itself would be a fascinating one, as an observer on the Cererian surface would be treated to recurrent solar transits of interior solar system worlds. Mercury would be the most frequent, followed by Venus, which transits the Sun as seen from Ceres 3 times in the 21st century: August 1st, 2042, November 19th, 2058 and February 13th 2068. Mars actually transits the Sun as seen from Ceres even earlier on June 9th, 2033. Curiously, we found no transits of the Earth as seen from Ceres during the current millennium from 2000 to 3000 AD!



From Ceres, Jupiter would also appear 1.5’ in diameter near opposition, as opposed to paltry maximum of 50” in size as seen from the Earth. This would be just large enough for Jupiter to exhibit a tiny disk as seen from Ceres with the unaided eye. The four major Galilean moons would be visible as well.



Credit


The 2033 solar transit of Mars as seen from Ceres. Credit: Starry Night Education Software.
The mysteries of Ceres beckon. Does the world harbor cryovolcanism? Just what are those two high albedo white dots? Are there any undiscovered moons orbiting the tiny world? If a fair amount of surface ice is uncovered, Ceres may soon become a more attractive target for human exploration than Mars.

All great thoughts to ponder, as this stellar speck in the eyepiece of your backyard telescope becomes a brand new world full of exciting possibilities.



About 

David Dickinson is an Earth science teacher, freelance science writer, retired USAF veteran & backyard astronomer. He currently writes and ponders the universe from Tampa Bay, Florida.

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Stunning Photo of Volcanic Lightning at Volcán de Colima in Mexico

Stunning Photo of Volcanic Lightning at Volcán de Colima in Mexico:



The Colima Volcano (Volcán de Colima) pictured on March 29, 2015 with lightning arcing through the ash plume. Credit and copyright: César Cantú.


The Colima Volcano (Volcán de Colima) pictured on March 29, 2015 with lightning arcing through the ash plume. Credit and copyright: César Cantú.
The Colima volcano in Mexico is active again, and has been spewing out large plumes of ash nearly 3 kilometers into the air. Astrophotographer César Cantú captured this spectacular picture of lightning slicing through the cloud of ash.

How can lightning strike in an ash cloud? Through friction, particles of the ash can charge each other by rubbing against each other during the eruption. When the energy is discharged, it can create lightning bolts.


The Colima volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, and is also called ‘Volcán de Fuego’ or ‘Fire volcano.’ It has erupted more than 40 times since the first documented eruption in 1576.

The latest news on this current eruption is that local authorities have put the volcano on a yellow alert, meaning the volcano is showing increased activity, and residents who live nearby should prepare for a possible evacuation.

Stay safe César, and thanks for sharing your image with Universe Today! See a larger version on his website here.



About 

Nancy Atkinson is currently Universe Today's Contributing Editor. Previously she served as UT's Senior Editor and lead writer, and has worked with Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

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A Red Moon – NOT a Sign of the Apocalypse!

A Red Moon – NOT a Sign of the Apocalypse!:



Composite picture of a dark red Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Credit: NASA/ Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)


Composite picture of a dark red Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Credit: NASA/Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)
Editor’s note: This is an article we wrote a few months ago, but are reposting it for the upcoming eclipse on April 4. Here is a complete guide on how to see this particular ‘red Moon’ lunar eclipse.

On most evenings, the Moon will appear as a bright yellow or white color in the night sky. But on occasion, the Moon can turn a beautiful and dramatic red, coppery color. Naturally, there are a number of superstitions associated with this stellar event. But to modern astronomers, a Red Moon is just another fascinating phenomenon that has a scientific explanation.

Since the earliest days of recorded history, the Moon has been believed to have a powerful influence over human and animal behavior. To the Romans, staring at a full Moon was thought to drive a person crazy – hence the term “lunatic”. Farmers in the past would plant their crops “by the moon”, which meant sowing their seeds in accordance with the Moon’s phases in the hopes of getting a better harvest.

So naturally, when the Moon turned red, people became wary. According to various Biblical passages, a Blood Moon was thought to be a bad omen. But of course, the Moon turns red on a semi-regular basis, and the world has yet to drown in fire. So what really accounts for a “Red Moon?” What causes Earth’s only satellite to turn the color of blood?

Ordinarily, the Moon appears as it does because it is reflecting light from the Sun. But on occasion, it will darken and acquire either a golden, copper, or even rusty-red color.

There are few situations that can cause a red Moon. The most common way to see the Moon turn red is when the Moon is low in the sky, just after moonrise or before it’s about to set below the horizon. Just like the Sun, light from the Moon has to pass through a larger amount of atmosphere when it’s down near the horizon, compared to when it’s overhead. The Earth’s atmosphere can scatter sunlight, and since moonlight is just scattered sunlight, it can scatter that too. Red light can pass through the atmosphere and not get scattered much, while light at the blue end of the spectrum is more easily scattered. When you see a red moon, you’re seeing the red light that wasn’t scattered, but the blue and green light have been scattered away. That’s why the Moon looks red.

The second reason for a red Moon is if there’s some kind of particle in the air. A forest fire or volcanic eruption can fill the air with tiny particles that partially obscure light from the Sun and Moon. Once again, these particles tend to scatter blue and green light away, while permitting red light to pass through more easily. When you see a red moon, high up in the sky, it’s probably because there’s a large amount of dust in the air.



Depiction of the Sun's rays turning the Moon red. Image Credit: NASA/Mars Exploration


Depiction of the Sun’s rays turning the Moon red. Image Credit: NASA/Mars Exploration
A third – and dramatic – way to get a red Moon is during a lunar eclipse. This happens when the Moon is full and passes into Earth’s shadow (also known as the umbra), which darkens it. At that point, the Moon is no longer being illuminated by the Sun. However, the red light passing through the Earth’s atmosphere does reach the Moon, and is thus reflected off of it. For those observing from the ground, the change in color will again be most apparent when the Moon appears low in the night sky, just after moonrise or before it’s about to set below the horizon. Once again, this is because our heavy atmosphere will scatter away the blue/green light and let the red light go straight through.

The reddish light projected on the Moon is much dimmer than the full white sunlight the Moon typically reflects back to us. That’s because the light is indirect and because the red-colored wavelengths are only a part of what makes up the white light from the sun that the Moon usually receives.

In other words, when you see a red Moon, you’re seeing the result of blue and green light that has been scattered away, and the red light remaining.



Path of the Moon through Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows during the Total Lunar Eclipse of April 15, 2014. Image Credit: NASA/Eclipse


Path of the Moon through Earth’s umbral and penumbral shadows during the Total Lunar Eclipse of April 15, 2014. Image Credit: NASA/Eclipse Website
And that’s the various ways how we get a Red Moon in the night sky. Needless to say, our ancient forebears were a little nervous about this celestial phenomenon occurrence.

For example, Revelations 6:12/13 says that a Red Moon is a sign of the apocalypse: “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.”

But rest assured that if you see one, it’s not the end of the world. The Sun and Moon will rise again.

We have covered lunar eclipses many times on Universe Today, and often explain the red Moon phenomenon. Here’s another good explanation of the science behind a Red Moon, and why the recent series of lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015 (known as a tetrad) do not mean anything apocalyptic, and here’s another article about how to see a lunar eclipse. Here’s an article that includes a stunning array of images of the Moon during an eclipse in 2014.

Of course, NASA has some great explanations of the red Moon effect during a lunar eclipse. Here’s another one.

You can listen to a very interesting podcast about the formation of the Moon from Astronomy Cast, Episode 17: Where Did the Moon Come From?

Sources: NASA Science: Lunar Eclipse, NASA: Mars Exploration, Discovery News, NASA: Eclipse Website



About 

Author, freelance writer, educator, Taekwon-Do instructor, and loving hubby, son and Island boy!

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Hangout with New Horizons on April 3, 2015

Hangout with New Horizons on April 3, 2015:

New Horizons
New Horizons spacecraft by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute


Are you excited about the upcoming NASA New Horizons flyby to Pluto? Even though the flyby will happen on July 14, 2015, Pluto is getting closer and closer in the spacecraft’s cameras. And there’s lots of science to be done between now and then.


Join me today, Friday April 3 at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT for a special Hangout with NASA and members from the New Horizons science team to discuss the state of the mission and what we can expect over the next few months as we finally meet Pluto up close. Ask the team your questions live.

We’ll be joined by:

Click here to learn more about the event, or watch it live at 10am PDT.

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A Flag Shaped Aurora over Sweden

A Flag Shaped Aurora over Sweden: APOD: 2015 March 30 - A Flag Shaped Aurora over Sweden


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 March 30


See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
A Flag Shaped Aurora over Sweden

Image Credit & Copyright: Mia Stålnacke
Explanation: It appeared, momentarily, like a 50-km tall banded flag. In mid-March, an energetic Coronal Mass Ejection directed toward a clear magnetic channel to Earth led to one of the more intense geomagnetic storms of recent years. A visual result was wide spread auroras being seen over many countries near Earth's magnetic poles. Captured over Kiruna, Sweden, the image features an unusually straight auroral curtain with the green color emitted low in the Earth's atmosphere, and red many kilometers higher up. It is unclear where the rare purple aurora originates, but it might involve an unusual blue aurora at an even lower altitude than the green, seen superposed with a much higher red. As the Sun continues near its top level of surface activity, colorful nights of auroras over Earth are likely to continue.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:42 PM 0 comments

Corona from Svalbard

Corona from Svalbard: APOD: 2015 March 31 - Corona from Svalbard


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 March 31


See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Explanation: During a total solar eclipse, the Sun's extensive outer atmosphere, or corona, is an inspirational sight. Streamers and shimmering features that engage the eye span a brightness range of over 10,000 to 1, making them notoriously difficult to capture in a single photograph. But this composite of 29 telescopic images covers a wide range of exposure times to reveal the crown of the Sun in all its glory. The aligned and stacked digital frames were recorded in the cold, clear skies above the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway during the Sun's total eclipse on March 20 and also show solar prominences extending just beyond the edge of the solar disk. Remarkably, even small details on the dark night side of the New Moon can be made out, illuminated by sunlight reflected from a Full Earth. Of course, fortunes will be reversed on April 4 as a Full Moon plunges into the shadow of a New Earth, during a total lunar eclipse.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:42 PM 0 comments

The Owl and the Galaxy

The Owl and the Galaxy: APOD: 2015 April 2 - The Owl and the Galaxy


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 April 2


See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Explanation:

The Owl and the Galaxy sail these skies

With blue and yellow star.


They go together beneath the Big Dipper,
If you wonder where they are.

The Galaxy's light shines through the night,
Ten millions of light-years away.

But never fear the Owl is near,
Inside the Milky Way.

A cosmic shroud, the Owl is proud,
its central star a must.

And the spiral Galaxy lies on edge
To show off all its dust,
Its dust,
Its dust,
To show off all its dust.
Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:41 PM 0 comments

Sun and Moon Halo

Sun and Moon Halo: APOD: 2015 April 3 - Sun and Moon Halo


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 April 3


See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Explanation: Two pictures captured on April 1 are combined in this creative day and night composite. Separated in time by about 10 hours the images otherwise match, looking along the coast at Östersund Sweden. The relative times were chosen to show the Sun and a nearly full Moon at the same place in the cold, early springtime sky. In the night scene Jupiter also shines above the waterfront lights, while Sun and Moon are both surrounded by a beautiful circular ice halo. The Sun and Moon halos really do align, each with an angular radius of 22 degrees. That radius is a constant, not determined by the brightness of Sun or Moon but only by the hexagonal geometry of atmospheric ice crystals and the reflection and refraction of light. Of course tomorrow, April 4, will find the Sun and Moon on opposite sides of planet Earth for a total lunar eclipse.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:40 PM 0 comments

Voorwerpjes in Space

Voorwerpjes in Space: APOD: 2015 April 4 - Voorwerpjes in Space


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 April 4



See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Explanation: Mysterious Hanny's Voorwerp, Dutch for "Hanny's Object", is really enormous, about the size of the Milky Way Galaxy and glowing strongly in the greenish light produced by ionized oxygen atoms. It is thought to be a tidal tail of material left by an ancient galaxy merger, illuminated and ionized by the outburst of a quasar inhabiting the center of distant spiral galaxy IC 2497. Its exciting 2007 discovery by Dutch schoolteacher Hanny van Arkel while participating online in the Galaxy Zoo project has since inspired a search and discovery of eight more eerie green cosmic features. Imaged in these panels by the Hubble Space Telescope, all eight appear near galaxies with energetic cores. Far outside their associated galaxies, these objects are also likely echoes of quasar activity, illuminated only as light from a core quasar outburst reaches them and ultimately fading tens of thousands of years after the quasar outburst itself has faded away. Of course a galaxy merger like the impending merger of our own Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy, could also trigger the birth of a quasar that would illuminate our distant future version of Hanny's Voorwerp.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:40 PM 0 comments

Monday, March 30, 2015

"Mini Supernova" Explosion Could Have Big Impact

"Mini Supernova" Explosion Could Have Big Impact:



GK Persei*


In Hollywood blockbusters, explosions are often among the stars of the show. In space, explosions of actual stars are a focus for scientists who hope to better understand their births, lives, and deaths and how they interact with their surroundings.

Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have studied one particular explosion that may provide clues to the dynamics of other, much larger stellar eruptions.

A team of researchers pointed the telescope at GK Persei, an object that became a sensation in the astronomical world in 1901 when it suddenly appeared as one of the brightest stars in the sky for a few days, before gradually fading away in brightness. Today, astronomers cite GK Persei as an example of a "classical nova," an outburst produced by a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star, the dense remnant of a Sun-like star.

A nova can occur if the strong gravity of a white dwarf pulls material from its orbiting companion star. If enough material, mostly in the form of hydrogen gas, accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf, nuclear fusion reactions can occur and intensify, culminating into a cosmic-sized hydrogen bomb blast. The outer layers of the white dwarf are blown away, producing a nova outburst that can be observed for a period of months to years as the material expands into space.

Classical novas can be considered to be "miniature" versions of supernova explosions. Supernovas signal the destruction of an entire star and can be so bright that they outshine the whole galaxy where they are found. Supernovas are extremely important for cosmic ecology because they inject huge amounts of energy into the interstellar gas, and are responsible for dispersing elements such as iron, calcium and oxygen into space where they may be incorporated into future generations of stars and planets.

Although the remnants of supernovas are much more massive and energetic than classical novas, some of the fundamental physics is the same. Both involve an explosion and creation of a shock wave that travels at supersonic speeds through the surrounding gas.

The more modest energies and masses associated with classical novas means that the remnants evolve more quickly. This, plus the much higher frequency of their occurrence compared to supenovas, makes classical novas important targets for studying cosmic explosions.

More information at http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2015/gkper/index.html

-Megan Watzke, CXC

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