jtotheizzoe: approachingstarlight: Sorry neutrinos, just doin’ my job! http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/faster-than-light-neutrino-result-apparently-a-mistake-due-to-loose-cable.ars  He also checked his plugs, every time. View high resolution

jtotheizzoe:

approachingstarlight:

Sorry neutrinos, just doin’ my job!

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/02/faster-than-light-neutrino-result-apparently-a-mistake-due-to-loose-cable.ars 

He also checked his plugs, every time.

(Reblogged from the-star-stuff)

scienceisbeauty:

It may be pretty relaxing.

(Reblogged from scienceisbeauty)
View high resolution

(Source: kqedscience)

(Reblogged from the-star-stuff)
intothecontinuum: Hi-res: 800x800 Mathematica code: Graphics[ Table[ {Thickness[.005], Circle[{80*Cos[i*Pi/4], 80*Sin[i*Pi/4]}, .5 + (100 - n) (1 + Sign[100 - n])/2]}, {n, 0, 100, 1}, {i, 0, 7, 1}], PlotRange -> 30, ImageSize -> 800] View high resolution

intothecontinuum:

Hi-res: 800x800


Mathematica code:

  Graphics[
     Table[
       {Thickness[.005],
        Circle[{80*Cos[i*Pi/4], 80*Sin[i*Pi/4]},
        .5 + (100 - n) (1 + Sign[100 - n])/2]}, {n, 0, 100, 1}, 
     {i, 0, 7, 1}], 
    PlotRange -> 30, ImageSize -> 800]
(Reblogged from proofmathisbeautiful)

(Source: mesohigh)

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
thenewenlightenmentage: The Many Moods of Titan (PhysOrg.com) — A set of recent papers, many of which draw on data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, reveal new details in the emerging picture of how Saturn’s moon Titan shifts with the seasons and even throughout the day. The papers, published in the journal Planetary and Space Science in a special issue titled “Titan through Time”, show how this largest moon of Saturn is a cousin - though a very peculiar cousin - of Earth. “As a whole, these papers give us some new pieces in the jigsaw puzzle that is Titan,” said Conor Nixon, a Cassini team scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., who co-edited the special issue with Ralph Lorenz, a Cassini team scientist based at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. “They show us in detail how Titan’s atmosphere and surface behave like Earth’s - with clouds, rainfall, river valleys and lakes. They show us that the seasons change, too, on Titan, although in unexpected ways.” A paper led by Stephane Le Mouelic, a Cassini team associate at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the University of Nantes, highlights the kind of seasonal changes that occur at Titan with a set of the best looks yet at the vast north polar cloud. Read More View high resolution

thenewenlightenmentage:

The Many Moods of Titan

(PhysOrg.com) — A set of recent papers, many of which draw on data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, reveal new details in the emerging picture of how Saturn’s moon Titan shifts with the seasons and even throughout the day. The papers, published in the journal Planetary and Space Science in a special issue titled “Titan through Time”, show how this largest moon of Saturn is a cousin - though a very peculiar cousin - of Earth.

“As a whole, these papers give us some new pieces in the jigsaw puzzle that is ,” said Conor Nixon, a Cassini team scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., who co-edited the special issue with Ralph Lorenz, a Cassini team scientist based at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. “They show us in detail how Titan’s atmosphere and surface behave like Earth’s - with clouds, rainfall, and lakes. They show us that the seasons change, too, on Titan, although in unexpected ways.”

A paper led by Stephane Le Mouelic, a Cassini team associate at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the University of Nantes, highlights the kind of seasonal changes that occur at Titan with a set of the best looks yet at the vast north polar cloud.

Read More

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
nooriginalideasever: A sunset postcard and a special shadow from Opportunity View high resolution

nooriginalideasever:

A sunset postcard and a special shadow from Opportunity

(Reblogged from astrotastic)

jtotheizzoe:

Soviet Space Propaganda of the ‘50’s and 60’s

Via Retronaut, we are treated to a brilliant collection of Soviet space propaganda posters from the peak days of the space race. Hot on the heels of Sputnik in 1957, the Soviet Glory Machine was on full tilt. There’s something about artwork from this era of the USSR that is just stunning. 

We may have beat them to the moon, but I think they beat us in the “National Pride Artwork” category. I highly recommend perusing the whole collection. Goodness knows, after the failure of Phobos-Grunt, the modern Russian space program might benefit from a little propaganda pat on the back.

But hey, at least our astronauts like to skip and sing! WHEEEE!!!!

(Reblogged from jtotheizzoe)
moltres: Artist’s conception of the process of terraforming Mars.  The terraforming of Mars is the hypothetical process by which the climate, surface, and known properties of Mars would be deliberately changed with the goal of making it habitable by humans and other terrestrial life, thus providing the possibility of safe and sustainable colonization of large areas of the planet. View high resolution

moltres:

Artist’s conception of the process of terraforming Mars. 

The terraforming of Mars is the hypothetical process by which the climate, surface, and known properties of Mars would be deliberately changed with the goal of making it habitable by humans and other terrestrial life, thus providing the possibility of safe and sustainable colonization of large areas of the planet.

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
unknownskywalker: Missing dark matter located It is well known that there is a large amount of unseen matter called dark matter in the universe. It constitutes about 22 percent of the present-day universe while ordinary matter constitutes only 4.5 percent. An important question still remains - Where is most of the dark matter in the universe? Researchers at IPMU and Nagoya University used large-scale computer simulations and recent observational data of gravitational lensing from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to reveal how dark matter is distributed around galaxies over a distance of a hundred million light years from their center. Galaxies have no definite “edges”, the new research concludes. Instead galaxies have long outskirts of dark matter that extend to their nearby galaxies. More interestingly, the estimated total amount of dark matter in the outskirts of the galaxies explains the gap between the global cosmic mass density and that derived from galaxy number counting weighted by their masses. A long standing mystery on where the missing dark matter is now solved by the research. There is no empty space in the universe. The inter-galactic space is filled with dark matter. Above: A computer simulation shows dark matter is distributed in a clumpy but organized manner. In the image, high density regions appear bright whereas dark regions are nearly, but not completely, empty. View high resolution

unknownskywalker:

Missing dark matter located

It is well known that there is a large amount of unseen matter called dark matter in the universe. It constitutes about 22 percent of the present-day universe while ordinary matter constitutes only 4.5 percent. An important question still remains - Where is most of the dark matter in the universe?

Researchers at IPMU and Nagoya University used large-scale computer simulations and recent observational data of gravitational lensing from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to reveal how dark matter is distributed around galaxies over a distance of a hundred million light years from their center.

Galaxies have no definite “edges”, the new research concludes. Instead galaxies have long outskirts of dark matter that extend to their nearby galaxies. More interestingly, the estimated total amount of dark matter in the outskirts of the galaxies explains the gap between the global cosmic mass density and that derived from galaxy number counting weighted by their masses.

A long standing mystery on where the missing dark matter is now solved by the research. There is no empty space in the universe. The inter-galactic space is filled with dark matter.

Above: A computer simulation shows dark matter is distributed in a clumpy but organized manner. In the image, high density regions appear bright whereas dark regions are nearly, but not completely, empty.

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
thenewenlightenmentage: New Telescope To Make 10-Year Time Lapse Of Sky Every 10 years, about two dozen of this country’s top astronomers and astrophysicists get together under the auspices of the National Research Council and make a wish list. The list has on it the new telescopes these astronomers would most like to see built. At the last gathering, they said, in essence, “We most want the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.” Here’s why. A synoptic survey is a comprehensive map of every square inch of the night sky. The Large Synoptic Survey — LSST — will do that multiple times. “We want to scan the entire sky over and over again for 10 years,” says Sidney Wolff, president of the LSST Corp., who is in charge of building the new telescope. “And we will get over 800 images of every patch of the sky.” Read More View high resolution

thenewenlightenmentage:

New Telescope To Make 10-Year Time Lapse Of Sky

Every 10 years, about two dozen of this country’s top astronomers and astrophysicists get together under the auspices of the National Research Council and make a wish list. The list has on it the new telescopes these astronomers would most like to see built. At the last gathering, they said, in essence, “We most want the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.”

Here’s why. A synoptic survey is a comprehensive map of every square inch of the night sky. The Large Synoptic Survey — LSST — will do that multiple times.

“We want to scan the entire sky over and over again for 10 years,” says Sidney Wolff, president of the LSST Corp., who is in charge of building the new telescope. “And we will get over 800 images of every patch of the sky.”

Read More

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
(Reblogged from astrotastic)

Huygens’ comparison of Saturn’s size with that of Earth (Tellus) and the Moon (Luna).

(Source: lookatthesefuckinstars)

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
the-star-stuff: The Large Magellanic Cloud Southern Hemisphere observers definitely enjoy the sky’s better half. Below the celestial equator lie the brightest stars, the center of our galaxy, the best dark nebulae, and the most brilliant celestial wonder — the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). If we lived on a planet within the LMC, the Milky Way would dominate the sky. Our galaxy would shine with a magnitude of –2 and would measure 36° long. by Kfir Simon from Gan Yavne, Israel View high resolution

the-star-stuff:

The Large Magellanic Cloud

Southern Hemisphere observers definitely enjoy the sky’s better half. Below the celestial equator lie the brightest stars, the center of our galaxy, the best dark nebulae, and the most brilliant celestial wonder — the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). If we lived on a planet within the LMC, the Milky Way would dominate the sky. Our galaxy would shine with a magnitude of –2 and would measure 36° long.

by Kfir Simon from Gan Yavne, Israel

(Reblogged from astrotastic)
scinerds: Top 8 Closest Stars to Our Solar System According to the About Astronomy and Space Online Dictionary, stars are: “A ball of mostly hydrogen and helium gas that shines extremely brightly. Our Sun is a star. A star is so massive that its core is extremely dense and hot. At the high core temperatures of a star, atoms move so fast that they sometimes stick to other atoms when they collide with them, forming more massive atoms and releasing a great amount of energy. This process is known as nuclear fusion.” Here are the Top 8 Closest Stars to our solar system. 1. Proxima Centauri The closest star to our our own solar system will not always be closest, but it will be a long time before that happens. Proxima Centauri is the third star in the Alpha Centauri star system, also known as Alpha Centauri C. Distance: 4.2 LY Spectral Type: M5.5Vc 2. Rigil Kentaurus The second closest star is a tie between the sister stars of Proxima Centauri. Alpha Centauri A and B make up the other two stars of the triple star system Alpha Centauri. Distance: 4.3 LY Spectral Type: G2V 3. Barnard’s Star A faint red dwarf star, discovered in 1916 by E. E. Barnard, recent efforts to discover planets around Barnard’s Star have failed. Distance: 5.9 LY Spectral Type: M3.8V 4. Wolf 359 Known to many as thelocation of a famous battle on Star Trek the Next generation, Wolf 359 is a red dwarf. It is so small that if it were to replace our sun, an observer on Earth would need a telescope to see it clearly. Distance: 7.7 LY Spectral Type: M5.8Vc 5. Lalande 21185 While it is the fifth closest star to our own sun, Lalande 21185 is about three times too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Distance: 8.26 LY Spectral Type: M2V 6. Luyten 726-8A and B Discovered by Willem Jacob Luyten (1899-1994), both Luyten 726-8A 726-8B are red dwarfs and too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Distance: 8.73 LY Spectral Type: M5.5 de & M6 Ve 7. Sirius A and B Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the sky. Sirius B, the companion, has received considerable attention itself, since it is the first white dwarf with a spectrum to show a gravitational red shift as predicted by the general theory of relativity. Distance: 8.6 LY Spectral Type: A1Vm 8. Ross 154 Ross 154 appears to be a flare star, which means that it can increase its brightness by a factor of 10 or more before reverting to its normal state, a process which takes only a few minutes. Distance: 9.693 LY Spectral Type: M3.5  View high resolution

scinerds:

Top 8 Closest Stars to Our Solar System

According to the About Astronomy and Space Online Dictionary, stars are:
“A ball of mostly hydrogen and helium gas that shines extremely brightly. Our Sun is a star. A star is so massive that its core is extremely dense and hot. At the high core temperatures of a star, atoms move so fast that they sometimes stick to other atoms when they collide with them, forming more massive atoms and releasing a great amount of energy. This process is known as nuclear fusion.”

Here are the Top 8 Closest Stars to our solar system.

1. Proxima Centauri

The closest star to our our own solar system will not always be closest, but it will be a long time before that happens. Proxima Centauri is the third star in the Alpha Centauri star system, also known as Alpha Centauri C.

  • Distance: 4.2 LY
  • Spectral Type: M5.5Vc

2. Rigil Kentaurus

The second closest star is a tie between the sister stars of Proxima Centauri. Alpha Centauri A and B make up the other two stars of the triple star system Alpha Centauri.

  • Distance: 4.3 LY
  • Spectral Type: G2V

3. Barnard’s Star

A faint red dwarf star, discovered in 1916 by E. E. Barnard, recent efforts to discover planets around Barnard’s Star have failed.
  • Distance: 5.9 LY
  • Spectral Type: M3.8V

4. Wolf 359

Known to many as thelocation of a famous battle on Star Trek the Next generation, Wolf 359 is a red dwarf. It is so small that if it were to replace our sun, an observer on Earth would need a telescope to see it clearly.
  • Distance: 7.7 LY
  • Spectral Type: M5.8Vc

5. Lalande 21185

While it is the fifth closest star to our own sun, Lalande 21185 is about three times too faint to be seen with the naked eye.
  • Distance: 8.26 LY
  • Spectral Type: M2V

6. Luyten 726-8A and B

Discovered by Willem Jacob Luyten (1899-1994), both Luyten 726-8A 726-8B are red dwarfs and too faint to be seen with the naked eye.
  • Distance: 8.73 LY
  • Spectral Type: M5.5 de & M6 Ve

7. Sirius A and B

Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the sky. Sirius B, the companion, has received considerable attention itself, since it is the first white dwarf with a spectrum to show a gravitational red shift as predicted by the general theory of relativity.
  • Distance: 8.6 LY
  • Spectral Type: A1Vm

8. Ross 154

Ross 154 appears to be a flare star, which means that it can increase its brightness by a factor of 10 or more before reverting to its normal state, a process which takes only a few minutes.

  • Distance: 9.693 LY
  • Spectral Type: M3.5 
(Reblogged from astrotastic)