Category: Behind The Black
Strange craters on Vesta
The images from Dawn keep rolling in. The picture on the right, released two days ago, shows the asteroid’s terminator. What makes it intriguing is the weird looking crater near the bottom of the image. It appears to have formed at impact on the wall of a cliff, something that at first glance seems impossible.
This is what I think happened: The impactor sliced down the wall of the cliff, but because of Vesta’s low gravitational field the impact scar never collapsed downward, filling in.
I once wrote an article about asteroids for Astronomy where I described these objects as having the consistency of mashed potatoes and ice cream sundaes. This image illustrates this nicely. The asteroid’s weak gravitational field limits the density of its material, so that puffy strange formations such as this crater can form.
Obama’s clash with a Tea party activist during bus tour
About Obama’s clash with a Tea party activist during his bus tour this week: How long do you think it will take for the press to go after that activist to try to destroy him for daring to challenge this Democratic President?
I give it one week.
About Obama’s clash with a Tea party activist during his bus tour this week: How long do you think it will take for the press to go after that activist to try to destroy him for daring to challenge this Democratic President?
I give it one week.
“You may first beat them repeatedly with a tire iron.”
Union civility: “You may first beat them repeatedly with a tire iron.”
Union civility: “You may first beat them repeatedly with a tire iron.”
Guns permitted, crimes drop
All systems go on Juno
Things are so good on Juno ten days after launch that mission controllers have canceled a rocket burn to adjust the spacecraft’s course.
Things are so good on Juno ten days after launch that mission controllers have canceled a rocket burn to adjust the spacecraft’s course.
Russians to display new rocket and manned spacecraft at international air show today
Russians to display a new rocket and manned spacecraft design at an international air show in Russia today.
Russians to display a new rocket and manned spacecraft design at an international air show in Russia today.
Linda Ronstadt – Long long time
A map of the core region of the Milky Way
According to Russian space officials, the next Soyuz tourist flight will be in 2014
According to Russian space officials today, the next Soyuz tourist flight to ISS will be in 2014.
The article above contradicts yesterday’s story where the head of the Russian space agency suggested that Russia is going to shift its focus from manned space. I suspect both stories reflect an underlying political battle going on within the Russian government.
According to Russian space officials today, the next Soyuz tourist flight to ISS will be in 2014.
The article above contradicts yesterday’s story where the head of the Russian space agency suggested that Russia is going to shift its focus from manned space. I suspect both stories reflect an underlying political battle going on within the Russian government.
Questions raised about an endangered species listing by EPA
Serious questions raised about the EPA process that designates a species as endangered.
Serious questions raised about the EPA process that designates a species as endangered.
Saving a failed orbiting satellite with engineering
Saving a failed orbiting satellite with engineering.
Saving a failed orbiting satellite with engineering.
Russian space chief suggests a shift away from manned space for Russia
Remarks by the head of the Russian space agency on Thursday suggested Russia is going to shift its space effort away from manned space.
Remarks by the head of the Russian space agency on Thursday suggested Russia is going to shift its space effort away from manned space.
St. Olaf Chapel Choir – John Rutter’s What Sweeter Music
A blank sun during solar maximum
Though it is not yet official, it appears the sun is blank of sunspots today, for the first time since January 16.
Solar scientists have concluded that the solar minimum of the past four years has ended and that the sun is now moving towards solar maximum. The recent activity in August has seemed to confirm this. However, once the minimum has ended, the sun should not have any further blank days until the maximum is over and the sun is ramping back down to solar minimum. That the sun should appear blank again during its ramp up to solar maximum is quite unusual, probably unprecedented, and is further evidence that the sun is heading towards a period of little or no solar activity.
Though it is not yet official, it appears the sun is blank of sunspots today, for the first time since January 16.
Solar scientists have concluded that the solar minimum of the past four years has ended and that the sun is now moving towards solar maximum. The recent activity in August has seemed to confirm this. However, once the minimum has ended, the sun should not have any further blank days until the maximum is over and the sun is ramping back down to solar minimum. That the sun should appear blank again during its ramp up to solar maximum is quite unusual, probably unprecedented, and is further evidence that the sun is heading towards a period of little or no solar activity.
America’s first jet
A living room electon microscope
Thirty years ago IBM introduced its first pc
Another anniversary: Thirty years ago today IBM introduced its first PC.
Another anniversary: Thirty years ago today IBM introduced its first PC.
Fifty years ago tomorrow the Berlin Wall went up
Fifty years ago tomorrow the Berlin Wall went up. Two stories:
- The tunnel digger, about a man who helped dig tunnels to get East Germans to freedom.
- An archive reprinting of a Der Spiegel article published shortly after the wall was build, describing the tepid response of the Western powers to this act of oppression.
Fifty years ago tomorrow the Berlin Wall went up. Two stories:
- The tunnel digger, about a man who helped dig tunnels to get East Germans to freedom.
- An archive reprinting of a Der Spiegel article published shortly after the wall was build, describing the tepid response of the Western powers to this act of oppression.
Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law
The appeals court for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta today ruled that Obamacare is unconstitutional.
The appeals court for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta today ruled that Obamacare is unconstitutional.
The mystery of Vesta’s south pole depression
The mystery of Vesta’s south pole depression.
The mystery of Vesta’s south pole depression.
Who’s the real reporter?
Video: Who’s the real reporter?
Video: Who’s the real reporter?
How Iron Age people decorated their homes
Archeologists have discovered a 2,600-year-old wall mural used as a wall decoration during the Iron Age.
Archeologists have discovered a 2,600-year-old wall mural used as a wall decoration during the Iron Age.
Some questions about today’s hypersonic test flight
Here are some additional stories describing today’s test flight of the Hypersonic Test Vehicle.
- Los Angeles Times: Falcon hypersonic vehicle test flight fails
- Aviation Week: Telemetry Lost During Hypersonic Test Flight
- DARPA: HTV-2 collects unique data during several phases of second flight
I have several questions, and no answers:
Ray Lynch – The True Spirit of Mom and Dad
Legal rabbit farm raided and destroyed
The abuse of power: A legal rabbit farm raided and destroyed by Colorado police.
“They’ve destroyed me emotionally, socially and professionally,” Bell said, listing numerous ways in which local animal rights activists have publicized information about the case in an effort to make her and her four children — all adults who haven’t lived under her roof for several years — look bad. But that’s not all.
“They’ve made 4-H kids all across Colorado just sob,” she said, “because I am their 4-H connection.” Bell noted that 12 of the seized rabbits belong to 4-H kids who were planning to show them at upcoming fairs — two at the Jefferson County Fair that begins Thursday and the remaining 10 at the Colorado State Fair which runs from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5 in Pueblo.
The abuse of power: A legal rabbit farm raided and destroyed by Colorado police.
“They’ve destroyed me emotionally, socially and professionally,” Bell said, listing numerous ways in which local animal rights activists have publicized information about the case in an effort to make her and her four children — all adults who haven’t lived under her roof for several years — look bad. But that’s not all.
“They’ve made 4-H kids all across Colorado just sob,” she said, “because I am their 4-H connection.” Bell noted that 12 of the seized rabbits belong to 4-H kids who were planning to show them at upcoming fairs — two at the Jefferson County Fair that begins Thursday and the remaining 10 at the Colorado State Fair which runs from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5 in Pueblo.
Joe Wilson was right when he accused Obama of lying
It turns out that Joe Wilson was right when he accused Obama of lying about Obamacare.
It turns out that Joe Wilson was right when he accused Obama of lying about Obamacare.
“The left is going to have to compromise and cut some domestic welfare spending, and the right is going to have to compromise and cut some military spending.”
From a Tea party activist: “The left is going to have to compromise and cut some domestic welfare spending, and the right is going to have to compromise and cut some military spending.”
From a Tea party activist: “The left is going to have to compromise and cut some domestic welfare spending, and the right is going to have to compromise and cut some military spending.”
Contact quickly lost during third test flight of hypersonic plane
Contact was quickly lost today soon after a hypersonic glider was released by its rocket launcher during a test flight. More here.
Contact was quickly lost today soon after a hypersonic glider was released by its rocket launcher during a test flight. More here.
Hubble captures a necklace in space
Who needs aliens and imagined cities on the moon when you have a reality that produces such strange and beautiful things as the image on the right?
On July 2, the Hubble Space Telescope took this image of a planetary nebula, aptly dubbed the Necklace Nebula. As the caption explains,
A pair of stars orbiting close together produced the nebula, also called PN G054.2-03.4. About 10,000 years ago one of the aging stars ballooned to the point where it engulfed its companion star. The smaller star continued orbiting inside its larger companion, increasing the giant’s rotation rate.
The bloated companion star spun so fast that a large part of its gaseous envelope expanded into space. Due to centrifugal force, most of the gas escaped along the star’s equator, producing a ring. The embedded bright knots are dense gas clumps in the ring.
The binary still exists, and can be seen as the star in the center of the necklace. The two stars are now only a few million miles apart and complete an orbit around each other in about a day.