Canadian Satellite To Search For Asteroids

Canada is building the first space telescope designed to detect asteroids as well as satellites. Called NEOSSat (Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite), this spacecraft will provide a significant improvement in surveillance of asteroids that pose a collision hazard with Earth and innovative technologies for tracking satellites in orbit high above our planet. NEOSSat will be the size of a large suitcase. It is also very cost effective because not just with its small size but it can launch off the back of another spacecraft. The mission is funded by the Defence Research Development Canada, and Canadian Space agency. NEOSSat is expected to be launched into space in 2010. It will be able to search for blackness in space and for faint sighns of moving asteroids. The NEOSSat is generated by the sun.

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.

Minerals on Mars Point to More Recent Presence of Water

Scientists working in accordance with NASA have spotted "widespread deposits of opals and related minerals on the surface of Mars. An opal belongs to a class of minerals known as hydrated silicas, and in order to have an opal liquid water is needed. It is this finding that causes scientists to believe that the planet was relatively wet for the first two billion years of its existence. Probes on Mars have also found other water-bearing minerals such as clay that date back to about 3.5 billion years ago. This is relatively recent in comparison to the fact that Mars and many other planets in our solar system have only been around for about 4.5 billion years. What makes this so interesting is the possibility that Mars was once warm and wet enough to host life-forms, have lakes, and to maybe even have oceans; furthering the theory that there was once life on Mars.

Recovered Pieces of Asteroid Hold Clues to Early History

Scientists who for the first time tracked an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, and watched it explodes, found remnants from the asteroid on the ground. An article in Thursday's issue of Nature gave scientist data on the composition of meteorites that originate from one type of asteroid called the F-class. Millions of asteroids have whirled around the Solar System and many people have picked up thousands of meteorites. Although no one really knows where they come from. This changed when Petrus M. Jenniskens organized a search team to look through a Sudan desert for pieces of asteroid that had been spotted less then a day before it hit Earth last year. ABout 280 pieces were found of a rare meteorite known as ureilites. The minerals in ureilites indicate that they were heated up but not not fully melted suggesting that they were once part of a much larger asteroid.

Asteroid Strikes Sudan

Last year scientists spotted an asteroid falling to earth. The asteroid was only spotted a day before it struck the Sudanese desert, so the asteroid was not found until now. When the asteroid entered earth's atmosphere it was about 80 tons and the size of a car. The asteroid was broken down by earth's atmosphere and disintegrated about 23 miles over the Sudanese desert. The asteroid's collision with earth released about 1 to 2 kilotons of TNT. Scientists combing the desert in Sudan have found over 280 pieces of asteroid, weighing 10 pounds in total. The asteroid found was of a rare breed known as Ureilites, which are break offs from larger asteroids. The larger mass that the asteroid striking earth was once a member of actually was large enough to have geological processes. This asteroid is significant because scientists can analyze the elements and makeup of it to better understand where asteroids come from; containing some of the most primitive materials left over from our solar system's creation./

Jupiter's Great Red Spot Is Shrinking

While the hurricanes on Earth only last a matter of days, hurricanes on Jupiter are utterly different. The hurricanes on this Jovian planet can last for years, even centuries. For example, the Great Red Spot, a hurricane on Jupiter, has been raging for the last 300 years and is still going. However, this storm now seems to be shrinking while other spots seem to be forming on this planet. It is hard to observe the Great Red Spot because the planet Jupiter is surrounded in colorful clouds, however observations of cloud cover have suggested that the spot is indeed shrinking. The wind velocity data that has been collected form 1996 to 2006 allows scientists to analyze the wind speeds and directions, proving that the Red Spot has been shrinking along its major diameter by about 15 percent over that period.  Although it is unclear to scientists exactly why the storm is shrinking, they can be sure that there is no chance of it disappearing any soon due to the fact that its winds still get up to and exceed 300 mph. The Red Spot may be shrinking, but definitely is not slowing down. The imbalanced period of losing and gaining energy are most likely why the storm is slowly shrinking. Jupiter has also had some unusual climate changes which could also be a reason for the shrinking. The planet underwent unusual weather patterns and color changes from 2005 to 2007. From these climate changes came the birth of the Little Red Spot, a storm that could very possibly overcome the Great Red Spot.

Hearts Of Galaxies Close In For Cosmic Train Wreck

Today an image was taken in space revealing a collision between the cores of two merging galaxies. Both of these were powered by a black hole with millions of times the mass of the sun. Recently, the cores of these galaxies have been approaching each other at tremendous speeds and will soon experience a final cataclysmic collision. It is estimated that these two galaxies will crash into in a few million years. This amount may seem large to us, but in fact is a short period on a galactic timescale. Also, since these two galaxies are interacting, a lot of dust and gas has been swept up forming a burst of new stars that give off infrared light.
This is important because it displays an example of unique movement of the galaxies that is caught during a rare phase of their evolution.

Steam Pouring Out of Alaska's Mount Redoubt

In Anchorage, Alaska there is a volcano known as Mount Redoubt. The last time it erupted was in 1990. There have been steam plume was coming from above the 7000 foot level near a dome the formed because of the last eruption. Two weeks earlier to this there was a sharp increase in Earthquakes underneath the mountain and nearby citizens were warned that an eruption was eminent. Now scientists believe that Mount Redoubt could erupt at anytime, as steam plumes forth and increased seismic activity occurs.

This article is important to me and society because it points the danger of the mountains eruptions to the citizens nearby. It also informs people about volcanoes and help increase awareness of them. The article helped me learn about volcanoes and Mount Redoubt in Alaska.

The article was written well though it was rather short and things could have been explained much better. It assumes that the reader knows a lot of basic facts about volcanoes.

Semeru Volcano, Indonesia

Increased activity has been noticed at Semeru volcano in Indonesia. From the 6th of February to the 4th of March 2009 there have been 873 explosion earthquakes. There is an average of about 34 events each day. Semeru has been reported to have been making booming noises as its events occur.

Sermeru is at a level 2 of 4 alert watch. Explosions have been occurring in intervals of about 20 and 30 minutes. So far the erruptions have not been accompanied by pyroclastic flows, however scientists are still afraid that it might occur. Scientists are worried about the near by villages of Rowo Baung and Supit, for they could be negatively affected by the explosions. residents should be prepared for possible ash fall. Also air crafts should be on the look out for explosions and ash emissions.

Proof on the Half Shell: A More Acid Ocean Corrodes Sea Life

Recent studies made by scientists at the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Center (ACE) show that the shells of small sea organisms, called foraminifera, are becoming smaller due to the gradual acidification of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. These waters are becoming so acidified because of an increased level of CO2 levels in the atmosphere. The researchers found that modern foraminifera could not build shells as large as the ones their ancestors formed as recently as century ago. In fact, modern shells were 35 percent smaller than in the relatively recent past. Scientists go on to explain that they are not sure what this impact will have on the organisms' health and survival, but they are sure that these tiny creatures will not be able to store as much CO2 in their shells in the form of carbonate. William Howard, a marine geologist at ACE, says that CO2 emissions need to be decreased or cut alotgether in order to terminate the gradual acidification of the world's oceans. Howard also states that it is likely that other shell-building oceanic animals are suffering the same or similar difficulties as the foraminifera.

The strangest volcano on earth

In a remote corner of tanzaniastands an astonishing mountain called OL Doinyo Lengai where lava fountians harden in midair then shatter like glass. It can't be compared to a normal rock it is very fragile and extremly unstable. The cone rumbles and vibrates but rock plate was directing the lava in other directions. It erupts at around 1000 degrees C. that is roughly half the temp. of more common basalt laves. This volcano is closly inspected by volcanologists. Katie Kraff described it as the perfect labratory volcano. The shape and style of the extrusions exactly mimic the flows of basaltic volcanos except the latter are so much bigger. This is thought to be a truly amazing volcano and scientists wish to study it farther.

Cosmic Eye Photographed

Today a spectacular “cosmic eye” was photographed in space by a telescope in Chile showing a far away nebula where sun like stars are burning themselves out. The image of the Helix nebula which is 700 light years away in the constellation Aquarius, was photographed by the Wide Field Imager at La Silla in the atacama desert.

The Helix is planetary nebula that is the closest planetary nebulae to the Earth but it is hard to see visually because light is spread thinly over a large area of sky. The main ring of the Nebula is about 2 light years across or half the distance between the Sun and the nearest star. Around the run you can see small blobs that resemble droplets of water which are know are cometary knows which have tails that extend away from the central star.

Comet Lulin appears

Ahmed Ebrahim 2/25/08

Comet Lulin in the night sky
The article that I chose is about the comet Lulin that is currently in Earth’s sky. This article explains the location of Comet Lulin throughout January, February, and March. One way to find Comet Lulin is to look for the planet Saturn. Its path is very close to Saturn so if you know where to look you will be able to find it. Comet Lulin was found in July 2007 by Lulin Observatory. It is officially known as C/2007 (Lulin). The article says that the antitail of the comet has grown bigger than the gas tail, and it is not sure why. In February the comet will be the brightest. The article includes reports from other people who tell where they found it. This is good because then you can find the comet easier.

The information in this article will help people see Comet Lulin better. This does not really affect people but for those that have never seen a comet before will be very impress by the comet, So I think the article is going to help some people, but it will not help everyone since some have seen the comet already, also scientists have pointed out that the comet is going in a circular motion (elliptical) which is quite unusual for a comet. Also the gas tail is at a right angle to the comet which is strange

The one thing that I disliked about this article was that it did not go into much depth about what a comet is. It assumed that the reader already has an understanding of them. I think this would be bad if a young person read this article because they would be confused.

A look at the Moon's Farside

Febuary 13, 2008

For the first time, scientist and researches are able to see the second hemisphere of the moon which is not visible from earth. A Japanese space program called SELENE (“KAGUYA) launched a satellite that orbits the moon and slows down while passing over lower density regions and speeds up while passing over higher density regions, all the while broadcasting radio waves. The radio waves are then sent to the scientist on earth and are converted into a gravity map. These maps reveal striking differences between the lit side of the moon and the hidden side. While the lit side is covered with smooth, dark volcanic material, the dark side is covered with craters and highland rocks.

These discoveries could potentially give vital information to scientist concerning the creation of not only the moon, but planet earth. NASA is also excited about the findings and hope to converse with the Japanese concerning the maps. If NASA were to retrieve the maps, Scientist could potentially unlock vital clues to sending a man to mars as the moon serves as a substitute until the technology is developed to reach mars. These findings could potentially speed up the process of sending the man to mars and hopefully within our lifetime.

While I did enjoy this article a lot, I believe they could have explained what these findings really meant. While they did say finally, the language was unclear and someone without much knowledge of earth science would have trouble following what the author meant. I would have also liked if the author had given some background of the moon and how scientist have previously thought the earth and moon were created. Overall though, I thought it was an interesting and informing article.

Satellite Crash

This article is about two satellites, one American and one Russian, that collided while in orbit 500 miles over Siberia, Russia. This has been the first crash between man-made satellites ever, and poses new problems for scientists worldwide. The crash has created a large cloud of speeding debris that is a threat to other unmanned satellites in close orbits. The Russian satellite was an old military communications device that was unoperational. The American satellite was owned by a company called Iridium based in Bethesda, Maryland. It was also used for commercial reasons and by the US Department of Defense. Both parties deny responsibility for the crash. The Russians said they could not be responsible because they were not in control of their derelict satellite, and said that NASA and Iridium could have easily altered the course of their satellite in order to avoid the collision. Both the US and the Russians are monitoring the progress of the debris closely, to see if their will be any other collisions with other satellites. Their is concern from both governments that the debris will start a chain reaction of collisions and threaten manned craft such as the international spacestation Roscosomos, which has a crew of three. There is little chance of this, but the situation will require close observation.

This information affects anyone country that has satellites or spacecraft in orbit. The ever-growing wall of man-made debris and unoperational satellites is beginning to make a sort of second atmosphere of earth, which could make it difficult to launch more spacecraft in the future. Perhaps this is a message that science is progressing at a faster rate than man can handle.

yellow stone super volcano

Kevin Bisconti                                                                                                      2-11-09

Earth science                                                                                               current events     

 

                      

The article that I chose is about the super volcano that is in Yellowstone national park and how some believe that it is ready to blow within the next few years. This article goes into depth explaining what supper volcanoes are, they tell us that there is no exact definition for a super volcano but is used to describe volcanoes that have had rather large eruptions in the past. One way how to tell the difference between volcanoes and super volcanoes is that super volcanoes leave behind huge craters that are called caldera’s that can span to be 40 -50 miles wide. Also in a super volcano there is no mountain peak like in a normal volcano, normal volcanoes get their cone shape from magma flowing out and cooling eventually making a cone shaped peak. But with a super volcano magma is blocked from reaching the surface and eventually causes a massive explosion within the entire surface above the magma chamber. Also this article talks about Yellowstone in the past, and how 650,000 years ago it left a caldera 53 miles long and 28 miles wide and how the ash from the blast blanketed most of North America. And in 2003 a high-resolution sonar map found that at the bottom of lake yellow stone there was a bulge there that was 2000 feet long and 100 feet high and was being pushed up by volcanic forces, this caused great fear and many thought that by drilling holes to release pressure in the magma chamber they could prevent a huge explosion, but nothing was done. 

 

The information in this article affects humanity in many ways especially our country. If the yellow stone volcano was to blow up with a force10,000 times greater than that of the explosion at Mt. saint Helens than it would not only affect the immediate area but the entire country may be the world. Huge clouds of volcanic ash would cover our country and cause huge problems; planes would be stopped due to fear of having the engines clog up with ash as well as the air being unsafe to breath. These are just some of the problems that would occur.

 

The one thing that I disliked about this article was that it did not go into much depth about signs that the volcano would blow up. Also one thing that the writer could have done would have been to discus what would happen to the environment if it were to blow up.

Ice Melt Could Increase Sea Level Risks

Recently studies show that the melting of ice in Antarctica could cause sea level to rise drastically and devastate coastal areas such as New York, Florida, and California.

Over a long period of time, the sea level could rise up to 16 to 17 feet. The most recent climate change report stated that by the end of the century, sea level could rise up to 3 feet.

When an ice sheet melts, its gravitational pull on the ocean is reduced and water moves away from it. That means sea levels could fall near Antarctica and rise more than expected in the northern hemisphere. Antarctic bedrock that currently sits under the weight of the ice sheet will rebound from the weight, pushing some water out into the ocean. The melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet will cause the Earth's rotation axis to shift, potentially moving water northward. The net effect of all of these processes is that if the West Antarctic ice sheet collapses, the rise in sea levels around many coastal regions will be as much as 25% more than expected.

Also, A rise in methane has scientists worried that melting Arctic ice could be releasing ancient stores of the gas.