This Week's Sky at a Glance Nov 10, 2009
The Taurids are fragments of Periodic Comet Encke, and Earth plows through them every early-to-mid November. They should continue through at least Thursday, and (unlike most meteors) are as likely to be seen in the evening as the morning. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Will the Leonids Roar Again? Nov 7, 2009
The Leonids are bits of debris spread along the orbit of a periodic comet named , which has a 33-year-long orbit that can bring it rather close to Earth. (In 1366, for example, it passed only 2 million miles from us, one of the very closest passes that any comet has made in recorded history ... Each time it rounds the Sun, Tempel-Tuttle spews out a ribbon of dust that remains fairly concentrated for centuries as it follows the comet around in orbit. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Device like Star Trek replicator is in the works Nov 5, 2009
Taminger's project has undergone microgravity tests aboard NASA's "vomit comet" aircraft ... Testing in microgravity Early "vomit comet" tests on NASA's C-9 aircraft showed that EBF3 could work well in a zero-g environment. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Strong Leonid meteor showers expected Nov 3, 2009
2 mile dusty comet discovered by two astronomers in the late 19th century and christened Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonid meteors are thought to be the dusty legacy of because the dust is moving around the sun in virtually the same orbit as the comet ... As the Earth encounters the debris left behind by the comet's previous passes through our orbit, these tiny fragments of the comet typically no bigger than a sand grain or the occasional pea impact our atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 miles... (MSNBC -- Technology)
'Ultra-primitive' Particles Found In Comet Dust Nov 3, 2009
Ultra-primitive' Particles Found In Comet Dust ... Ultra-primitive' Particles Found In Comet Dust ... This "ultra-primitive" material likely wafted into the atmosphere after the Earth passed through the trail of an Earth-crossing comet in 2003, giving scientists a rare opportunity to study cometary dust in the laboratory. (Science Daily)
Leonids meteors light up November skies Nov 1, 2009
A meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the dusty debris left over from the passage of a comet. As the Earth moves through the debris field, tiny pieces of the comet enter our atmosphere ... The comet that left the debris of the Leonids was comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
Kepler and the Star of Bethlehem Oct 25, 2009
Now, other theories also compete with Kepler's theory: that it was (1) the planet Venus, (2) a supernova or exploding star, or (3) a comet. Whether there really was a new star a holy light that guided the three wise men to the manger in Bethlehem or a myth conceived by zealous partisans, only time will tell. (Suite101.com)
Last Visit Home For ESA's Comet Chaser Rosetta Oct 21, 2009
20, 2009) ESA's Rosetta comet chaser will swing by Earth on 13 November to pick up orbital energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to the outer Solar System. Several observations of the Earth-Moon system are planned before the spacecraft heads out to study comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko ... The spacecraft will then escort the comet on its journey toward the Sun, studying it closely for up to two years. (Science Daily)
> read more Oct 21, 2009
The seething nucleus of Halleys Comet, as photographed on May 8, 1910, by the 60-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory in California ... Like the Eta Aquarids of May, they are bits of debris shed long ago by Halley's Comet ... Halley's Comet last came through the inner solar system in 1985 86, and at that time its nucleus shed a layer of dirty ice about 20 feet (6 meters) thick on average. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Defense weather satellite launched Oct 19, 2009
Zadunaisky's math determined Halley's Comet orbit. Pedro Elias Zadunaisky, an Argentine astronomer and mathematician whose calculations helped determine the orbit of Saturn's outermost moon, Phoebe, as well as Halley's Comet, died Wednesday. (Fresno Bee -- State)
Cassini Helps Redraw Shape Of Solar System Oct 17, 2009
Images from one of the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument s sensors, the Ion and Neutral Camera (MIMI/INCA), on NASA s Cassini spacecraft suggest that the heliosphere may not have the comet-like shape predicted by existing models ... These images have revolutionized what we thought we knew for the past fifty years; the sun travels through the galaxy not like a comet but more like a big, round bubble said Stamatios Krimigis, principal investigator for MIMI, which is orbiting Saturn ... Images from... (Science Daily)
Orionids Meteor Shower Starts This Weekend Oct 17, 2009
The Orionid meteors are created by a band of small particles that circle through the solar system in the orbit of Halley's comet. The comet is visible to the naked eye, and in the 1700s astronomer Edmond Halley was the first to correctly predict its return, calculating that the comet comes back every 76 years ... Later studies revealed historical sightings of Halley's comet in circa-240 B.C. Chinese records and in medieval England's 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, for example. (National Geographic)
Giant asteroid named after Brisbane Oct 12, 2009
Brisbane 1988 was found by asteroid and comet hunter Robert McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran in northern New South Wales 11 years ago. Originally called 5277(1988DO) the asteroid was officially renamed after Brisbane last week. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
Moon Crash: Public Yawns, Scientists Celebrate Oct 12, 2009
"We've been brainwashed by Hollywood to expect the money shot, like 'Deep Impact' or when Bruce Willis saves us from a comet," said physicist and television host Michio Kaku, who was not part of the mission. "Science is not done that way.". (KCRA 3, CA)
Why NASA needs Steven Spielberg Oct 11, 2009
"We've been brainwashed by Hollywood to expect the money shot, like Deep Impact or when Bruce Willis saves us from a comet," said physicist and television host Michio Kaku, who was not part of the mission ... "We've been brainwashed by Hollywood to expect the money shot, like Deep Impact or when Bruce Willis saves us from a comet". (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
NASA probe hits moon south pole looking for water Oct 10, 2009
In theory, polar craters shadowed from the sun could contain water mixed with lunar soil, likely left over from comet impacts on the moon, which is what the scientists hope to observe. A preliminary observation suggests the booster rocket made a divot about the size expected in Cabeus crater, Colaprete says, which was 90 feet deep, predicted to kick up a plum more than 6 miles high. (USA Today -- Tech)
Moonstruck: making one giant thud for mankind Oct 10, 2009
No one personifies the blow-'em-up-in-the-name-of-science approach more than Brown University geologist Peter Schultz, who worked on NASA's similar crash into a comet in 2005. He's a regular cosmic crasher in the name of science - and fun. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
Scientists spot massive ring around Saturn Oct 8, 2009
Ring material may come from comet, meteor collisions with moon Phoebe ... As Phoebe collides with comets, it kicks up planetary dust. (CNN -- Tech)
Target: One of the moon's 'wettest spots' Oct 8, 2009
Dating back at least to 1999, when a lunar mission detected water signatures from the supposedly bone-dry moon, NASA scientists have pondered whether ice left from comet impacts may have pooled and cooled in the permanently shaded potholes probably strangers to sunlight for billions of years dotting the lunar poles. In 2004, when the Bush administration pushed for moon bases, glaciers hidden in those craters looked attractive as water and fuel sources for future moon colonists. (USA Today -- Tech)
Looking Up: Demolition derby in the sky Oct 3, 2009
The ice would have been deposited by the numerous comets believed to have crashed into the moon in millennia past. Ice from comets crashing where sunlight reaches would have quickly melted and vaporized ... or to have a nice cold glass of comet water. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
What (Maybe) Didn't Kill the Dinosaurs: Comets Oct 2, 2009
What (Maybe) Didn't Kill the Dinosaurs: Comets: Scientific American ... What (Maybe) Didn't Kill the Dinosaurs: Comets ... A new model for comet production revises the theory of their origins. (Scientific American)
'Walking with Dinosaurs' strides into Colonial Life Arena Oct 1, 2009
We see oceans, volcanoes and a forest fire sequence before the ultimate effect of the massive comet strike that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Seventeen life-like dinosaurs have been brought to life in the production by creature designer Sonny Tilders and a team of specialist engineers employing technologies and techniques from the world of film, animatronics, conventional puppetry and physical theater. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
World's Most Sensitive Astronomical Camera Developed Oct 1, 2009
(May 19, 2006) The continuing disintegration of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 has allowed ESA scientists to see into the interior of the comet. Using a revolutionary camera attached to the ESA Optical Ground. (Science Daily)
An unfamiliar neighbourhood Sep 30, 2009
Sometimes comets would appear, behave like streakers in a cricket match, and disappear ... As it warms up, the ice evaporates and trails behind it, giving it a glow and a tail - eventually becoming a comet. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Scientists announce evidence of water on Moon Sep 30, 2009
Scientists have also speculated that water molecules migrate from high latitudes to the polar regions where it is colder, especially to the deep, dark traps of ancient craters where the water inventory there has likely been supplemented by deliveries from comet impacts that dominated the early years of the Moon's existence. If the water molecules are as mobile as we think they are even a fraction of them they provide a mechanism for getting water to those permanently shadowed craters, says... (Astronomy Now Online)
Traces of water in lunar rocks may hint at more Sep 26, 2009
Today, in the journal Science, one team of scientists is reporting that signs of water molecules have been detected in lunar rocks, observed from a far-distant spacecraft named Deep Impact that is on its way to sample a comet named Hartley-2 next year. Another report came from the scientists monitoring the Cassini spacecraft that is orbiting Saturn. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Did comet crashes help spark Earth life? Sep 25, 2009
Did comet crashes help spark Earth life ... Did comet crashes help spark Earth life ... The Virginian-Pilot An artist's rendering shows a giant asteroid or comet plunged into Earth near what is now the Chesapeake Bay 35 million years ago. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Twin Keck Telescopes Probe Dual Dust Disks Sep 25, 2009
"Our new observations suggest 51 Ophiuchi is a beautiful protoplanetary system with a cloud of dust from comets and asteroids extremely close to its parent star," said Marc Kuchner, an astronomer at Goddard and a member of the research team ... Much of the dust in our solar system forms inward of Jupiter's orbit, as comets crumble near the sun and asteroids of all sizes collide ... As asteroid and comet collisions produce dust, the larger particles naturally spiral toward the star. (Science Daily)
Water Found on Moon, Probes Report Sep 25, 2009
Sunshine, who was on the team, had a similar instrument on NASA's Deep Impact probe, headed for a comet but swinging by the moon in June ... Pieters figures there are three possibilities: It came from comets or asteroids that crashed into the moon, those crashes freed up trapped water from below the surface, or the solar wind carries hydrogen atoms that binds with oxygen in the dirt. (CBS News)
water on the moon Sep 25, 2009
Finally, the Deep Impact spacecraft, as part of its extended EPOXI mission and at the request of the M3 team, made infrared detections of water and hydroxyl as part of a calibration exercise during several close approaches of the Earth-Moon system en route to its planned flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2 in November 2010. Deep Impact detected the signal at all latitudes above 10 degrees N, though once again, the poles showed the strongest signals. (Harper's Magazine)
Key process for space outpost proved on 'vomit comet' ride Sep 25, 2009
This was Fromwiller's first trip on the plane, which space researchers refer to as the "vomit comet," due to the unsettling ride ... She teamed with Kleinhenz, a veteran of more than 1,000 hours on the vomit comet. (EurekAlert!)
Scientists Plan Against Asteroid Attacks Sep 25, 2009
It is widely accepted that an asteroid or comet 30 to 50 metres across exploded over Tunguska in Siberia in 1908, flattening trees for dozens of kilometres all around. The chance of a similar impact is about 1 in 500 each year (). (Newsmax)
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LAMP Shedding Light On Permanently Shadowed Regions Of The Moon Sep 22, 2009
LAMP is nearly identical to the successful Alice instruments developed by SwRI, already flying aboard the joint NASA/ESA Rosetta spacecraft, which is targeting the ancient comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which will probe the atmospheric composition of Pluto and search for an atmosphere over its large moon Charon. LAMP weighs only 6. (Science Daily)
ESO unveils interactive 360 degree view of night sky Sep 22, 2009
A brilliant, emerald-green comet also flew by, although spotting it among a background of tens of millions of stars will be difficult (but rewarding). Overall, the creators of the GigaGalaxy Zoom project hope that these tremendous efforts in bringing the night sky as observed under the best conditions on the planet to stargazers everywhere will inspire awe for the beautiful, immense Universe that we live in. (Astronomy Now Online)
Astronomical birth event results in a multitude of 'baby' comets Sep 18, 2009
Astronomers who were dazzled by the 2007 explosion of a comet into the largest object in the solar system have discovered it gave birth to a bunch of baby comets. Reporting the "largest comet birth ever seen" were David Jewitt, Rachel Stevenson and Jan Kleyna, who observed the event through a Mauna Kea telescope ... They and others on an institute team observed the spectacular outburst of Comet 17P/Holmes in October and November 2007 from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Largest Comet Outburst Sent "Mini Comets" Flying Sep 17, 2009
September 16, 2009 Like a mushroom shooting out spores, a well-known was seen firing multiple "mini comets" that went sailing away at up to 280 miles (451 kilometers) an hour, astronomers have announced. The fragments were recently revealed in high-resolution images of comet Holmes, a relatively small body discovered in 1892 that mysteriously erupted in 2007, when the above images were taken ... 5-kilometer-wide) cloud of dust surrounding the comet swell to become larger than the sun. (National Geographic)
Mini-Comets Within A Comet Lit Up 17P/Holmes During Megaoutburst Sep 17, 2009
16, 2009) Astronomers from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii have discovered multiple fragments ejected during the largest cometary outburst ever witnessed ... Images and animations showing fragments rapidly flying away from the nucleus of comet 17P/Holmes will be presented by Rachel Stevenson at the European Planetary Science Congress in Potsdam, Germany, on Wednesday 16 September ... Stevenson, together with colleagues Jan Kleyna and David Jewitt, began... (Science Daily)
Jupiter Captured Comet For 12 Years In Mid-20th Century Sep 16, 2009
15, 2009) Comet 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu was captured as a temporary moon of Jupiter in the mid-20th century and remained trapped in an irregular orbit for about twelve years ... There are only a handful of known comets where this phenomenon of temporary satellite capture has occurred and the capture duration in the case of Kushida-Muramatsu, which orbited Jupiter between 1949 and 1961, is the third longest ... An international team led by Dr Katsuhito Ohtsuka modelled the trajectories of 18... (Science Daily)
Interactive, 360-degree Panoramic View Of Entire Night Sky Sep 16, 2009
A brilliant, emerald-green comet also flew by, although spotting it among a background of tens of millions of stars will be difficult (but rewarding) ... 26, 2006) On the night of April 23 to 24, ESO's Very Large Telescope observed fragment B of the comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 that had split a few days earlier. (Science Daily)
Gotcha! Jupiter turned comet into a moon Sep 15, 2009
Jupiter turned comet into a moon - Space ... Jupiter turned comet into a moon ... H.A. Weaver, T. E. Smith (STScI), NASASix exposures from the Hubble Space Telescope were combined to create this mosaic of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on May 17, 1994. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Jupiter Turned Comet Into "Moon" for 12 Years Sep 15, 2009
In 1949 the massive planet's gravity pulled in comet 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu and held it in orbit until 1961, according to an international team led by Katsuhito Ohtsuka of the Tokyo Meteor Network ... The 1,300-foot-wide (400-meter-wide) comet's stint as a so-called temporary satellite was revealed when the researchers used calculations taken since the comet's 1993 discovery to determine the space rock's past course ... "We can be fairly sure that the comet orbited Jupiter once or twice before... (National Geographic)
Water quality in orbit Sep 14, 2009
University of Utah chemist Lorraine Siperko experiences weightlessness during a flight aboard a NASA "vomit comet " aircraft ... From the 'Vomit Comet' to the Shuttle to the International Space Station ... During the past decade, the water quality monitoring method was developed and tested during about two dozen low-gravity flights on NASA's "vomit comet" research aircraft such as the KC-135 and C-9, which took off from Ellington Air Force Base in Texas. (EurekAlert!)
detailed new pictures of the universe Sep 12, 2009
Hubble snapped the impact zone after a collision with a possible comet. It is the dark blemish at the bottom. (Harper's Magazine)
Star performer Sep 11, 2009
Hubble's view of Jupiter taken on 23 July: a dark scar is visible near the giant planets southern pole, the result of an asteroid or comet impact. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Science)
After repairs, new space images from Hubble unveiled Sep 11, 2009
With the exception of a picture last month of the bruise on Jupiter caused by a comet, they were the first data obtained with the telescope since a crew spent 13 days in orbit last May replacing, refurbishing and rebuilding its vital components. "This is truly Hubble's new beginning," Edward Weiler, the associate administrator for science at NASA, said at a news conference in Washington. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Newly Fixed Hubble Telescope Shows Cosmic Beauty Sep 11, 2009
Earlier this summer, Hubble took pictures of Jupiter when an asteroid or comet hit it. View a slide show, and full resolution images with descriptions on NASA's Hubble page. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
Hubble pictures wow 'em Sep 11, 2009
With the exception of a picture last month of the bruise on Jupiter caused by a comet, they were the first data obtained with the telescope since a crew spent 13 days in orbit last May replacing, refurbishing and rebuilding its vital components. The images include gas flying from a dying star, creating what looked like a butterfly spreading its wings, and a galaxy nearly 10 billion light years away whose image had been stretched and magnified by the gravity of a cluster of galaxies into a... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
NASA Unveils Photos Sep 10, 2009
The WFC3 was actually used to take a picture of thought to have been caused by a comet collision back in July, but the camera wasn't yet fully calibrated then. Despite a few bumps in the three-month checkout, Hubble's systems and instruments are all up and running now. (Fox News)
Hubble Back in Action With New Space Shots Sep 10, 2009
The first photos from the repaired Hubble came earlier this summer, when the telescope took pictures of Jupiter when an asteroid or comet hit it. They were unscheduled quick black-and-white looks; the photos released Wednesday were planned, longer observations. (CBS News)
Newly Fixed Hubble's Initial Photos Again Amaze Sep 10, 2009
Earlier this summer, Hubble when an asteroid or comet hit it. Your Comments. (W-USA News, DC)
Hubble unveilsitsnew vision Sep 10, 2009
Although this was Hubble's official coming-out party, the first image from the upgraded telescope was , showing the aftermath of Jupiter's collision with a suspected comet. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Photos from Hubble expected Wednesday Sep 9, 2009
Mission managers did take one break to of a rare event, the comet that struck Jupiter in mid-July and left a dark bruise in the gas giant's roiling atmosphere. That image was taken with the brand new Wide Field Camera 3, which wasn't fully calibrated at the time, but is set to snap more pictures now. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Seeking Warning Signs for Catastrophic Tipping Points Sep 4, 2009
So IMHO it looks pretty ugly, forecast or no forecast - I ll take Ye Big Whipeout (be it comet, meteor, planetary heads on collision, black hole, Big Bang II) anyday. Posted by: NoahB416 09/3/09 11:24 am. (Newsmax)
Solar systems warped by interstellar wind Sep 2, 2009
Stars across the galaxy have generated by the collisions of small comet- and asteroid-like bodies orbiting each star. Astronomers have noticed that many of these debris disks are a bit wonky-looking, with lobes of dust sticking out in odd directions. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Warped Debris Disks Around Stars Are 'Blowin' In The Wind' Aug 29, 2009
"The disks contain small comet- or asteroid-like bodies that may grow to form planets," Debes said. "These small bodies often collide, which produces a lot of fine dust." As the star moves through the galaxy, it encounters thin gas clouds that create a kind of interstellar wind. (Science Daily)
Podcast: Ice Age Impact Aug 26, 2009
Shuffling into oblivion: Did a comet wipe out the great mammals of North America ... Or maybe a comet did it. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Five Amateurs Win Comet Prize Aug 26, 2009
Five amateur astronomers will share the 2009 for comets they discovered, according to an August 22nd announcement on IAU Circular 9066 from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (). On April 6th, a trio of Italian observers captured Comet Yi-SWAN with a 10-inch reflector operated by near Mayhill, New Mexico ... Dae-am Yi (Korea), who discovered C/2009 F6, also known as Comet Yi-SWAN, on March 26, 2009. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Saturns rings still puzzle scientists Aug 25, 2009
A large comet or asteroid collision could also explain the swarm of debris. Another theory proposes that the rings represent primordial throwbacks to an early disk of debris that failed to clump into moons, based on how Saturn's gravitational tidal pull constantly stirs the pot. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Extraterrestrial Building Blocks of... Aug 21, 2009
Glycene Amino Acids Found in Wild 2 Comet Samples. For the first time, life's building blocks have been found in a comet out in space ... This suggests that comets and meteorites could have prompted life on Earth. (Suite101.com)
Comet could hold key to life outside Earth Aug 20, 2009
Comet could hold key to life ... Nasa has discovered what could be evidence of life on other planets, in chemicals found in the dust cloud of a comet ... The Stardust spacecraft collected material containing a protein essential for the formation of life from Comet Wild-2, when it was millions of miles away from Earth in 2004. (BBC News -- Science)
New evidence that life may exist beyond Earth Aug 19, 2009
WASHINGTON - Scientists have uncovered fresh evidence that life could exist beyond Earth, with research published on Tuesday showing that comet dust contained traces of a compound vital to human existence. Researchers probing dust and gas collected from the Wild 2 comet by NASA's Stardust spacecraft in 2004 found traces of the amino acid glycine, lending credence to idea that there is life elsewhere in the universe ... "The discovery of glycine in a comet supports the idea that the fundamental... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Life-giving compounds found on comets Aug 19, 2009
Life-giving elements like those on Earth found on comets - Science - NEWS - The Times of India ... Life-giving elements like those on Earth found on comets ... WASHINGTON: Scientists have uncovered fresh evidence that life could exist beyond Earth, with research showing that comet dust contained traces of a compound vital to human existence. (India Times, India)
'Life chemical' detected in comet Aug 19, 2009
Life chemical' detected in comet. The detection was made in material that came off Comet 81P/Wild-2 ... Scientists have identified one of the fundamental chemical buildings blocks of life in a comet for the first time, the US space agency (Nasa) reports. (BBC News -- Science)
Building Block of Life Discovered on Comet Aug 18, 2009
Fundamental Ingredient for Life Discovered in Comet ... A fundamental ingredient for life has been discovered in a comet sample, supporting the idea that such icy objects seeded early Earth with the stuff needed to whip up living organisms ... "This is the first time an amino acid has been found in a comet," said lead researcher Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. (Fox News)
Life's Building Block Found in Comet Aug 18, 2009
Life's Building Block Found in Comet - Yahoo ... Life's Building Block Found in Comet. (Yahoo News -- Technology)
