Astronomy

[Opus106]

Have you found any other life out there yet?

Life... um, that's difficult to say. But squishy green/grey beings in scuba gear? Nope.

[Benji]

Facelifts - mankind's gift to the universe.

[Dr. Dread]

Facelifts - mankind's gift to the universe.

[Opus106]

A couple of blobs: That is a clip of one of the Jovian satellites eclipsing another one of its kind. And it was all captured by an amateur astronomer from his backyard! That's Europa -- which is one of the most likely places where we could find life beyond the Earth in the solar system -- and Ganymede, the largest among the natural satellites of the Solar System

[Source]

[Guido]

Awesomeness Alert

This composite image of the Tycho supernova remnant combines X-ray and infrared observations obtained with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively, and the Calar Alto observatory, Spain. It shows the scene more than four centuries after the brilliant star explosion witnessed by Tycho Brahe and other astronomers of that era.

Click here for more information and image options

Obviously these images are put into the visible spectrum from the xrays and whatever other wavelengths they are spewing out, bu do we have any idea of the real colours these exhibit in the visible spectrum? i.e. is this like a picture of a dinosaur where an artist has had to interpret or invent the colours?

[Opus106]

Obviously these images are put into the visible spectrum from the xrays and whatever other wavelengths they are spewing out, bu do we have any idea of the real colours these exhibit in the visible spectrum? i.e. is this like a picture of a dinosaur where an artist has had to interpret or invent the colours?

Hubble's website has a very good section on how the team processes images by taken by the telescope, which are actually taken in grayscale. http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/meaning_of_color/index.php

Of course, if we were to use only our human eyes to view an extended object such as a nebula or a galaxy up close, it would appear pretty dull, since all all the (visible) light emitted is spread across a large area. Here's the Bad Astronomer talking about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/utbZkesp81M

[Opus106]

Two of the most exciting missions of recent years lifted off, today. Herschel, out to look at the universe at infra-red wavelengths, and Planck, which will study the cosmic microwave background with better accuracy than previous missions, rode aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou in French Guiana.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMK2AZVNUF_index_0.html

[mahler10th]

Planck, which will study the cosmic microwave background with better accuracy than previous missions.

Hopefully the well named Planck will show something more exciting going on in the background.
Exciting stuff.

[Opus106]

The Hubble repair mission on The Big Picture.

[mahler10th]

Whats happening with sunspots this cycle?
There are only a few dots, not the great black oceans like there were not so long ago.

[Opus106]

Whats happening with sunspots this cycle?

It definitely is a weird one. They seem to be hidin' in the Year of Haydn. Actually, one just made it to the news (space news, that is) because it was one of the more "noticeable" spots in a long time ever since cycle 24 began. (AR 11019) [Oxymoron alert] And a recent press release from NASA states that this cycle's maximum, which they predict will occur in May 2013, will be one of the lowest on record.

There are only a few dots, not the great black oceans like there were not so long ago.

Oh, I remember those monsters of late 2003 very well. I used to follow the activity at SOHO's website with their near real-time data: that was exciting!

As regards number and size -- and I could be wrong here -- I do not think there is a correlation between the number (the point in the cycle) and the size of the sunspots. We could be near the low yet witness a 'spot capable of an X-class flare. At least that's what I remember reading somewhere. I shall need to verify this. 

[mahler10th]

Sun.  Near spotless.  Today (in B&W).
This is grim.  Changes of this magnitude could also spell an extremely hot period of Earth time to come.  No-one seems to take sunspots into account when assessing Global environment.
Or, even more disturbing, solar flares!

[Opus106]

Sun.  Near spotless.  Today (in B&W).
This is grim.

Why?

[mahler10th]

Solar Flares

[mahler10th]

Why?

Er...  ...I got my science mixed up.  There is nothing grim about it.  In fact, no sunspots are welcome...a safer world!!  Or is it?  No spots = higher heat radiation.  
It's just our poor solar Goddess up there looks a bit naked without a few humungous spots scattered across her girth.

[Opus106]

It's just our poor solar Goddess up there looks a bit naked without a few humungous spots scattered across her girth.

Are you an Amazon? I don't think I have ever come across a culture which personified the Sun as female.

[Opus106]

Whats happening with sunspots this cycle?

A possible answer, perhaps?

[Sean]

Interesting that astronomy and music often come up together- I used to be in the local astro society and their were some serious listeners to meet there occasionally: the connection is that the universe has aesthetic great character; the most beautiful object still being Saturn, when the rings are open- such stillness, remoteness and understated cloud bands, the bringer of old age indeed.

[Elgarian]

Interesting that astronomy and music often come up together

Let's fondly remember Johannes Kepler, for his contribution to the music of the spheres. I forget the details, but I believe that in between wanting to prove that the orbits of the planets were determined by the geometrical properties of nested perfect solids (and failing), and not wanting to prove that they travelled in elliptical orbits (but succeeding - such is life), he managed to use the laws of musical harmony to predict their mean orbital radii with remarkable precision - within 1 or 2% or something, unless my memory completely fails me.

[Sean]

Sure thing. This science stuff never did us any good anyway.

Wasn't it Brahe though (or whatever his name was) who was the conservative character?