Astronomers on Monday announced the discovery of a rocky exoplanet that is seventeen times the mass of Earth.
Worlds without end: Astronomers on Monday announced the discovery of a rocky exoplanet that is seventeen times the mass of Earth.
Tag: astronomy
Want to be an editor at Sky & Telescope? They have two positions open.
Want to be an editor at Sky & Telescope? They have two positions open.
Below the fold is the text of the message sent out today by the magazine and instructions for applying. They are not looking for science writers (like myself) but experienced amateur astronomers who are interested in writing about the field.
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The suspected gamma ray burst yesterday thought to occur in the galaxy Andromeda — which would have been the closest ever seen — has turned out to be a false alarm.
The suspected gamma ray burst yesterday thought to occur in the galaxy Andromeda — which would have been the closest ever seen — has turned out to be a false alarm.
A gamma ray burst possibly occurred in Andromeda only 2.5 million light years away today.
A gamma ray burst possibly occurred in Andromeda today, only 2.5 million light years away.
Swift spotted it, and astronomers are scrambling to study it. If it turns out to be a GRB, it would be the closest ever seen.
The predicted new meteor shower last night was less than hoped but intriguing nonetheless.
The predicted new meteor shower last night was less than hoped but intriguing nonetheless.
Based on a few reports via e-mail and my own vigil of two and a half hours centered on the predicted maximum of 2 a.m. CDT (7 UT) Saturday morning the Camelopardalid meteor shower did not bring down the house. BUT it did produce some unusually slow meteors and (from my site) one exceptional fireball with a train that lasted more than 20 minutes.
The largest new impact crater ever found on Mars.
The largest new impact crater ever found on Mars.
The impact was caused by an asteroid estimated to be less then 20 feet across, and occurred sometime between March 27 and March 28, 2012.
Will there be a meteor shower tonight?
Will there be a meteor shower tonight?
No one knows, though some scientists are hopeful the shower will be spectacular. Others are more cautious. If you have the chance to go out in dark skies tonight around midnight or later, you might be pleasantly surprised. Or not. More details here.
On Wednesday Rosetta successfully completed an almost eight hour engine burn to adjust its course to its comet rendezvous in August.
On Wednesday Rosetta successfully completed an almost eight hour engine burn to adjust its course to its comet rendezvous in August.
More here.
On the road
On Thursday and Friday I will likely not be able to do much posting, as I am heading up to Kitt Peak to watch an amateur astronomer do overnight observations using the 2.1 meter telescope on the mountain. I will also be taking a tour of the numerous facilities on the mountain top. All of this is in connection with an article I am writing for Sky & Telescope.
I am unsure if I will have internet service there. If I do, I will continue to post. Otherwise I will return Friday afternoon and pick up from there.
Update, Friday mid-day: I am back. Though I had access to the internet, I was too busy with other business to post. A lot of news stories since yesterday, so there will be a lot of posts in the next few hours.
NASA has approved a new mission for the crippled Kepler space telescope, allowing observations to continue for another two years.
Like a phoenix: NASA has officially approved the new mission for the crippled Kepler space telescope, allowing observations to continue for another two years.
During the K2 mission, Kepler will stare at target fields in the plane of Earth’s orbit, known as the ecliptic, during observing campaigns that last about 75 days each. In this orientation, solar radiation pressure can help balance the spacecraft, making the most of Kepler’s compromised pointing ability, team members said.
Hopefully the application of clever engineering will allow scientists to get data good enough to spot some more exoplanets.
Want to watch some astronomers blow up the top of a mountain? You can!
Want to watch some astronomers blow up the top of a mountain? You can!
Seriously, construction crews will in June begin blasting to prepare this mountain top in Chile for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), a gigantic optical telescope that will have a primary mirror 39 meters or 128 feet across and is scheduled for completion sometime in the next decade. To mark the event they will be providing a live stream for everyone worldwide to watch.
The best image yet of an exoplanet orbiting another star.
The best image yet of an exoplanet orbiting another star.