What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! Last Thursday Curiosity took photographs of one of its two moons, Phobos  partially eclipsing the Sun. The photos have not been completely sent back or processed yet but the ones that have been released are pretty cool. The mast camera had to take precautions to make sure that a neutral density filter cut down the glare from the Sun. Thsi was a planned event by mission controllers and better photos will be forthcoming......but still an amazing feat. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! With hundreds of known exoplanets it is pretty obvious that planets are a natural byproduct of star formation. Researchers are finding out that planets can form in very extreme environments. Astronomers have discovered planets orbiting a double star system as depicted above -  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/12sep_weirdplanets/. What's more, planets have been discovered for the first time in a star cluster  http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-289 . I have no doubt that there are BILLIONS if not TRILLIONS of planets in our Milky Way Galaxy. Every star could have multiple planets....look at our own Sun and the solar system it spawned. The follow on to this plethora of planets is that life has plenty of places to start and evolve. This too I believe - life, including intelligent life, abounds in the Milky Way and Universe.  Remember, there are BILLIONS of galaxies out there and they all are t...

Hey Space Placers! With all of the deserved attention on Curiosity, our other operating Martian Rover, Opportunity, is preparing for another round of science due to the ever increasing levels of solar power available. Opportunity has been in Endeavour Crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars for an incredible 8 1/2 years! Solar powered she depends on sunlight levels to be high enough to charge her batteries via solar panels. The Sun is getting higher each day so her power levels are increasing accordingly. While venturing about Opportunity has discovered a mysterious outcropping that contain a high number of spherules. First thought to be like the famous "blueberries" discovered years ago, scientists are pretty sure this is something entirely different and therefore a new discovery. Read More About It:  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/14sep_mysteryspheres/ Sky Guy in VA

Hey SPace Placers! Curiosity is alive and well on Mars and is preparing for science. Check out the latest and greatest on Curiosity here: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-288 I ccan hardly wait for the sampling science to begin. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Yesterday, September 12, 2012, marked the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's "We choose to go the Moon" speech at Rice University - http://news.rice.edu/2012/08/30/sept-12-is-50th-anniversary-of-jfks-iconic-speech-we-choose-to-go-to-the-moon-at-rice-university/ . It seems appropriate that the very next day the Nation pays tribute to the 1st man who set foot on the Moon, Neil Armstrong - coverage begins at 10 a.m. EDT http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/armstrong_cathedral_memorial.html Neil will be buried at sea on Friday which is fitting for a naval avaiator who roamed the ocean of space. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Tune in today at 11 a.m. (PDT) to hear NASA JPL's latest update on Curiosity. As provided by NASA: Audio and visuals from the telecon will be streamed live to one of JPL’s Ustream.tv channels, at http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl Visuals only will be available at the start of the telecon: http://go.nasa.gov/ curiositytelecon Also this week, Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager Richard Cook will speak Thursday, Sept. 13 in JPL’s von Karman Auditorium. The lecture, which begins at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT), is open to the public and will be broadcast live with moderated chat, on JPL’s Ustream channel. Additional options to view live streaming video of Thursday’s talk: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ events/lectures_archive.cfm? year=2012&month=9#NASA More information about NASA’s Curiosity mission: http://www.nasa.gov/msl http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl Enjoy! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Don't miss the waning crescent Moon complete with Earthshine and brilliant Venus aligning in the eastern sky an hour before dawn tomorrow. This will be very pretty and the highlight of the week. Try your hand at taking a pic with your digital camera. It would be best mounted on a tripod and a time exposure of 1-2 seconds at ISO 200 should get you in the ball park. I hope to have one myself to share. Sky Guy in VA