Extragalaxtic Planet Found

Scientists have recently (meaning in December of last year) discovered a planetary system that appears to have originated in another galaxy. The star, named HIP 13044, is part of the Helmi Stream, a satellite galaxy that was absorbed into the Milky way 6 to 9 billion years ago. It contains much less of the heavier elements than our sun does, and it is about the same size, but it is much older; scientists predict that it has already passed it’s red giant stage and contracted back down, and it is now burning helium.

The planet, which has the mass of about 1.25 Jupiters, orbits closer than Mercury does to our sun. This is surprising, because if the star had at one time been a red giant, it would have swallowed up a planet orbiting as close as this planet does. Researchers observing the planet hypothesize that the star’s expansion into a red giant caused a chaotic reaction with other planets that may have been orbiting the star, speeding its rotation, and knocking the large planet into a closer orbit. In any case, scientists hope to learn more about the contents of other galaxies by determining the composition of HIP 13044 and its planet.

Kennedy's Search For Antimatter

Kennedy Space Center is planning on sending a machine into space to search for antimatter and dark matter. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer or AMS was built at CERN in Switzerland where it was then sent to Noordwijk, Netherlands to be adjusted and searched for mistakes. There they decided to switch out the superconducting magnet with the magnet from the original AMS-01 wich was in space in 1998. After the netherlands it was sent back to CERN and then to the Keendedy Space Center in Florida. It lies resting there until its much antisipated launch later on. If you wish to read the article you can see the link here. --- link

This article seemed really interesting to me because it seems like our country's space program doesn't give or recieve any help from other country's space programs yet here we are working with switzerland and the netherlands to get an AMS into space. I was also captivated by the article because it was about antimatter which is kind of a weird thing to be in existence. If we do find that that there is a lot of darkmatter and antimatter in space we might have to rethink what our universe is made of because althought a lot of scientist say are universe is mostly hydrogen some say that 90% of our universe is made of dark matter.

Methane a sign of life on Mars?

Scientists have recently discovered Mars is a hot spot for Methane. Here on Earth, Methane is produced by many living organisms, and scientists believe that the release of methane proves that mars is alive. Whether alive biologically or geologically, scientists are still un-sure and it will take a while for NASA to investigate this methane release thoroughly and to discover the origin of this gas release. Recently, scientists at the observatories in mauna key, Hawaii have been observing the gas release over time, and they have noted the fact that the methane release seems to peak in the summer and spring like seasons on Mars. They believe that whatever is producing the gas lies far below the surface, and that when the planet is in the warmer months, ice beneath the surface evaporates and the gas release is stronger during this time. Could this lead to a discovery of live bacteria beneath the surface of Mars? Only time will tell.

People always wonder whether there is actually extraterrestrial life in the galaxy, or even our solar system. Many people doubt we will find life anywhere near Earth, but discoveries like this one suggest otherwise. We haven't contacted any alien Civilizations or little green men, but discoveries like these are the first steps in discovering life other than on our very own Earth.

To view the article, click here.

Mars: No Return Trip

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/human-mars-mission.html
    We are capable of sending humans to Mars soon.  However we cannot afford a return trip. According to the article I read, “A One-Way Trip to Mars”, it might be as much as ten times as expensive. There are many reasons to still send people though. Humans are far more effective at research than the machines we already have up there. There wouldn’t be a shortage of volunteers. Despite many assumptions, the people would not be left to die, supplies would be sent every few years and maybe more people. Some scientists have even gone as far too say that we might be able to colonize mars. There are others who point out that even at our science research centers in the arctic, there is a rotation of people. The conditions are just not hospitable enough to send someone to live on Mars.
    I found this article interesting because the idea of sending people to Mars is, well plainly put, exciting. Colonization almost sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. If they go through with this, I wonder who would really be willing to live out the rest of their life with very little companionship on an alien world. This is an important step in science because what humans might find on Mars would far surpass anything we’ve found thus far.
Mars: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mars.htm

Nuclear Explosions in Space

A few months ago, an article was written about Gamma-Ray Bursts. Gamma-Ray Bursts are basically "spot lights" made by a huge star having an extremely violent death. When a star eight times larger than the sun or bigger dies, a spectacular supernova occurs that is bright enough to temporarily outshine nearby galaxies. It was discovered in the 1960's by military satelites that were for looking for nuclear weapons. These satelites picked up on the gamma ray bursts becuase they carried gamma ray sensors because nuclear explosions produce gamma-rays. A Gamma-Ray Burst is very powerful, and scientists believe, if a nearby massive star were to experience such a death, because of the powerful spotlight like beams the stars give off, the Earth could be directly effected. scientists aslo speculate that these "spot lights" could knock electrons of atoms in the atmosphere, creating a blinding light that can last up to ten seconds. Brian Thomas believes this ultra violet flash is bright enough to blind someone if they happened to be looking up at the sky at the time of the Gamma-ray Burst. Many scientists also agree that photosynthesis would be chemically halted as a result of such intense light exposure. This is not substantially concerning because after the light burst subsides, plants would have no trouble picking up right where they left off with converting sunlight into energy. The most concerning thing about this prospect is that simple organisms such as plankton could be substantially effected by this burst. It is widely accepted that the plankton's DNA could be slightly damaged. Plankton play a vital part in the eco system of our oceans, and a loss in plankton could result in a hole in the food chain, which would effect fishing and other industrial companies, not to mention the wildlife in the water. There is also speculation that mass extinction in the Earth's past could have been partly caused by a particularly strong Gamma-Ray Bursts. The good news is the star has to be pretty close to the Earth, about 6,000 light years away. Scientists believe that a star that close will only create a Gamma-Ray Burst every 15 million years. So it is extrememly unlikely we will be effected anytime soon.

I think this article is really interesting. The subject of Gamma-Ray Bursts is a relatively new one and is stil being experimented and discussed. The fact that this can possibly explain mass extinction and it is capable of knocking electrons around to create a flash and halting photosynthesis is astounding. I also think this is a good example of how the cosmos can effect everyday life. although the chances are slim, a Gama-Ray Burst could effect our habitat, our economy and our market in the long run.

For other websites with information on this topic, click Here or Here

Solar Research

Ten years ago was the first time scientists made a direct connection between there being holes in the Sun’s corona and the possible climate changes. They conducted studies that looked deeper at the Suns magnetic activity, and how this effects an atmospheric change on Earth. There was, in fact a clear drop in temperatures on our atmosphere after the magnetic activity had peaked on the sun. This is linked to the holes found on the corona because with the gaps, supersonic particles, or otherwise known as solar winds pour into space. These solar waves stream in rings larger than the sun and sweep through space before finding their way back to the Sun’s surface, if they ever make it there. The clear effects this could have on earth are that the solar waves might have an effect on the proprieties of water clouds, influencing the lower troposphere, decreasing temperature as cloud coverage begins to grow. Another theory is that the charged particles may be disturbing the chemistry in our upper ozone.
The new study that is being conducted is N.A.S.A’s attempting mission to study our sun and the Earth-Sun relationships in our solar system. They have created a new instrument that allows us to see the inner-most corona on the sun; it actually allows us to see all the way to the earth’s surface. These new images that are being created separate between the gas being captured by the magnetic field of the sun, and the gas that is escaping out into space. CfA astronomer Steven Cranmer states that "The AIA solar images, with better-than-HD quality views, show magnetic structures and dynamics that we've never seen before on the Sun," and that "This is a whole new area of study that's just beginning."
The beginning of this field will be a great factor in how we view our relationship with the sun in the future. We have so much to learn about the realities of climate change, and what exactly is causing them that this will help narrow down the topic. In the first article I found on Earth-sun relationships, the scientists made sure that they weren’t discrediting the fact that their results do not rule out that Co2 levels are rising and the possible climate influence of man-made fossil fuels. I have evidence now to believe that there is much more to climate change then JUST the excess use of fossil fuels.


http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/news20110111-corona-hole.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000315080417.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110104114313.htm

Super Massive Black Hole found in Dwarf Galaxy

A supermassive black hole was discovered in a nearby dwarf galaxy. Henize 2-10, the Galaxy where the black hole was found, is 30 million light-years form Earth. Scientists have for a long time studied Henize 2-10, this galaxy has been forming stars extremely fast. This black hole is a million times bigger than the sun. Amy Reines of the University of Virginia stated; "This Galaxy gives us important clues about a very early phase of galaxy evolution that has not been observed before". Generally supermassive black holes exist in full sized galaxies. The size of the black hole usually related to the size of it's galaxies "bulge". A discovery a couple of years ago suggested that black holes form before the formation of the surrounding galaxy due to the fact that a galaxies off balance ratio to it's black hole. Another quote from Reines says, "Now, we have found a dwarf galaxy with no bulge at all, yet it has a supermassive black hole. This greatly strengthens the case for the black holes developing first, before the galaxy's bulge is formed."

The astronomers also found that radio waves are strongly emitted from an area near the center of the galaxy, which they say indicates a "black-hole-powered galactic nucleus". There have been black holes found that have been similar in size to this one, but the Henize 2-10 galaxy is of a very abnormal shape, small size, and also has a very strange star formation of very dense star clusters. This is an exciting discovery because it leads us closer to understanding how galaxies and black holes formed in a very young Universe.

"This galaxy probably resembles those in the very young Universe, when galaxies were just starting to form and were colliding frequently. All its properties, including the supermassive black hole, are giving us important new clues about how these black holes and galaxies formed at that time," Johnson said.

Thought To Have Never Been Possible
Max Nordby
A new star discovered in the Tarantula Nebula is the largest, heaviest, and hottest star ever discovered. It’s 265 times larger than our sun 10 million times brighter than it too, its surface can surpass 40,000c which is seven times hotter than our sun. Astronomers believed that stars were only able to get up to 150 solar masses but this new giant can be up to as much as 320 solar masses. It was discovered by Paul Crowther in Chili and by the Hubble telescope, 165,000 light years away. Crowther said that it doesn’t seem likely that this star was created jut by gas and dust but with other smaller stars to create one massive one. The star is middle aged and has actually been getting smaller. The largest of stars only live to about three million years old. Other people think that it could possibly be two very large stars right next to each other because it is so hard to differentiate from that far way.
The reason I think that this is important is because we were wrong about how large stars could get. So now we have to make sure that this star is for real and not two stars really close to each other, and it’s just awesome! Now we have a new scale that we have to use not 150 solar masses but now up to 320, that’s huge. It just shows how little we have actually found in the universe and how much more there is to discover. There is a cool little video that I am posting that shows just how tiny we are, but it doesn’t have this new star on it.

Web sites: http://www.news.com.au/technology/obese-star-r136a1-265-times-bigger-than-the-sun/story-e6frfro0-1225895352201
http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jan-feb/83
Sun Video http://megavideo.com/?v=4R2Y3TWF

Aminomen

In a recent article posted on ScienceDaily scientists have come through with a major breakthrough on how life came to this planet. The secret to this success is in a tiny acid called amino. Amino acids build proteans which in turn are used to create life. Their are two types of amino acids in the known universe, left handed and right handed. All life on earth uses left handed amino acids. Recent research has come to the conclusion that their is a large quantity of left handed amino acids in asteroids. Scientists believe that life on earth was created when asteroids containing left handed amino acids crashed on earth and deposited their life forming materials.
I think that this is astronomically important for one obvious reason. As this article implies it is possible that life on this earth was created by an amino acid carrying asteroid. If this is the case than it is nearly impossible for the rest of the universes planets to have escaped being visited by one of these asteroids. This article has lead me to start thinking of asteroids as transporters of life. I belive that this just one more step forward in the proof that their is life in our universe.

Unlimited Possibility's

In the article Odds of Finding Earth-Size Exoplanets Are 1-in-4 they talked about how they conducted there study about looking at stars with and without planets. In this study the stars that were examined were 120,000 stars in the Hipparcos Catalog. The study was to examine how many stars have planets orbiting. The study was using interments to see how much the sun wobbles when the planet moves around the star and interments to record to blink when the planet pass through the sun’s light. Using the information gathered from the interments they were able to calculate the distance and the mass of the planets. When they were looking at the stars with planets they found that there were a lot of earth mass planets near the sun. The planets are about 4 times closer to there star than the earth is to the sun. This was recorded at most of the suns that have planets around them. Scene earth mass planets are more common further from the star than the ones found they predict that one in four sun like stars are probably hosting earth size planets.
I think this is important because to find other planets that may host life is extraordinary and beneficial to the understanding how life works. This also led to a habitable planet, so one day we may go research or live on a new world. With every day I think its important to find new also because to see its past life's which I think is amazing in every way. To understand and what makes a planet have possible life is one of the best uses of astronomy. This is very valuable in the field because there is a far better chance of finding an exoplanet one that is similar in the earth in many ways.


By Adam Bowers

Dancing Galaxies

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/gallery/pia13454.html

NASA’S Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), recently took a picture of two galaxies—three, technically, with NGC 3077 on the bottom, but it’s fairly insignificant—and posted it to NASA.gov. Messier 81 is the “typical ‘grand design’” spiral galaxy on the bottom of the image. Messier 82, on the top, is also a spiral galaxy, but we can only see it edge-on, as seen in this image. Until 2005, when astronomers “teased out” evidence of its spiral structure from near-infrared images, Messier 82 was actually classified as an irregular galaxy. From our point of view, it seems to have a long, thin bar shape—hence its common name the Cigar Galaxy.

These two galaxies are called “dancing galaxies” because they brushed by each other a few hundred million years ago—a relatively recent meeting. They brushed close enough to trigger an amazing torrent of star formation in Messier 82, and a fair amount of star formation in Messier 81 as well. Messier 81’s gravitational influence made gas close to the centre of Messier 82 to precipitously compress, causing an explosion of star formation concentrated, obviously, near the core of the galaxy. This is why Messier 82 is currently also a starburst galaxy, because it is currently forming stars at an extraordinarily high rate. And as you can see, there are also yellow/orange areas around Messier 82 extending “up” and “down” in the photograph. These areas are what is known as a “superwind,” a massive amount of gas and dust blowing perpendicular to the plane of Messier 82. It’s caused by the intense radiation from all the newly formed stars. The superwind consists mostly of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, common products of combustion found here on Earth. In this case, it can be literally thought of as the smoke from the cigar.

As for Messier 81, is has more pronounced and well-defined spiraling arms than is usually seen in other isolated spiral galaxies—and they also show areas of compressed gas and dust, which is evidence of star. This has been caused by its gravitational interaction with Messier 82.

This image was made from all four infrared detectors on WISE, overlapped to make one image. Blue and cyan represent wavelengths 3.4 and 4.6 microns, which is typically light from stars. Green and red represent light at 12 and 22 microns, which is primarily emission from warm dust.