http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/science/space/07obtitan.html?ref=space

As a result of the Cassini mission, scientists have been able to study Titan, Saturn's largest moon. In addition to the sand dunes, lakes of liquid methane, and icy volcanoes, there is something to be said about its shape. Specifically, using radar instruments that are located on Cassini, Stanford University professors were able to obtain interesting information. From their findings, they believe that Titan bulges in the middle, and is "squashed" at its poles. Scientists believe that because the planet has such a strong gravitational pull, it has lead to this "bulge" in formation. Another theory, proposed by Dr. Zebker, leaves something to be desired in my opinion. He believes that there is an uneven distribution of heat within the core. He also thinks that the moon could have been neighboring Saturn at one point, resulting in it being "frozen." Thus concluding, it is riveting that missions like these could prove to be so beneficial. 

Most Distant Object in Space Spotted

Over the past few days, scientist have been observing an object that they believe is the most distant planet from our solar system. A gamma-ray burst came from about 13 billion light-years away, and represents a relic from when the universe was just 630 million years old. Gamma-ray bursts mark the dying explosion of large stars that have run out of fuel. The collapsing star cores form either black holes or neutron stars that create an intense burst of high-energy gamma-rays and form some of the brightest explosions in the early universe. NASA first discovered the object using their Swift satellite that detected an x-ray outer glow although no visible light. NASA found that the infrared light of the afterglow had the highest redshift ever measured, meaning that the wavelengths had been very stretched out during their long journey.Scientist hope to use the information gathered from the distant galaxy in hopes of learning more about the origin our own universe.

New Planet Discovery

A new planet has recently been discovered in a new galaxy, which is about the same size as our own planet. This planet discovery was found in the Gliese 581 galaxy by a group of European Astronomers. The planet is a little larger than our own and orbits a dim red star. This planet, which is 20 light-years away from our own planet, has no chance of life, or so scientists believe. The planet orbits to close to the sun, which would lead to heavy contact with deadly radiation. These results were announced at a conference at the University of Hertfordshire in England.

Massive Solar Storm could devistate Earth

Scientists predict that a huge solar storm could occur in the near future, causing chaos for the U.S., along with other countries, possibly shutting down power nationwide, leading to a nightmarish scenario that could include failures of transportation, communication and financial systems; shutdowns of government services; and a lack of safe drinking water, food and medication. Solar storms form when intense bursts of plasma erupt from the surface of the sun, creating what's called a coronal mass ejection (CME). These eruptions can produce electromagnetic interference that wreaks havoc with electricity-dependent technology on Earth. Even though the chances are low of such a thing happening,researchers say that our increasing reliance on technology makes it crucial to be prepared for such a calamity. If a big solar storm were to hit the nation, power grid operators could minimize the damage if they had enough of a warning.

How To Deflect Asteroids and Save The Earth

One of the largest threats to man kind is having the earth struck by a meteor. Scientist David French is working on a solution to this problem, he has found away to divert an asteroid by throwing it off course and sending it around the earth. This would be accomplished by placing ballast on the asteroid; ballast is something that is used on ships for keeping balance. Other methods would be to nuke the asteroid but this method would have to over come many political and technical barrios.

Meteor in Texas

This past February, people in Texas particpated in the Great Texas Fireball Hunt. One afternoon on February 15th, a cameraman filming a game in Austin caught sight of a spectacular fireball up in the sky. Although it wasn't known at the time, the fireball was about 120 miles away over Waco. Dozens of metorite hunters and geologists rushed towards the suspected crash site, hoping to find an impact crater. However, the meteorite broke up before landing, and thousands of fragments were found rather than a large rock. This was very exciting of the scientists, because finds such as this are surprisingly rare.