A well known polymath whose published works range far and wide, including (but not limited to) Archaeology, Paleontology, Astronomy, Space Propulsion systems, and Science Fiction.
Cool. It's hard to appreciate the 3-dimensionality of that effect when looking at bands that trick the eye into seeing it at 2 dimensions.
I assume the ripples are caused by the micro-gravity distortions of the asteroid-like object in the center ... causing nearby bands on either side to twist/spiral slightly in their endless spiral around Saturn (which looks like waves when viewed from an angle) ?
They showed an effect like that in last week's Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets and Beyond on The Discovery Channel. Anyone watch that ? Some of the segments were a little far fetched (landing a person on IO is just plain nuts), but it was interesting.
Two amateur astronomers in New Zealand helped find the world using "backyard" telescopes
Interesting article. Much of the grunt work in Astronomy is done by amateurs - including, for instance, most of the asteroids catalogued for the NEAR project.
Oh, before I forget - I heard on NPR radio earlier that one of the rover's panoramic cameras caught what appears to be a meteorite flashing across the sky. Either that or it was our old friend, the long lost Viking ... ahem ... UFO.
I'll try to find a picture/article sometime later today.
Titan's icy volcanoes may be releasing methane, scientists report this week in the journal Nature.
Looking at infrared data gathered by the Cassini spacecraft as it flew by Titan on October 26, 2004, Christophe Sotin and colleagues saw a 30-kilometer-wide feature that they believe is an ice volcano.
"We propose that the structure is a dome formed by upwelling icy plumes that release methane into Titan's atmosphere," the scientists write.
The surface temperature of Titan is about 94 degrees Kelvin (minus 291 Fahrenheit), so for a volcano to erupt, heat would be needed to melt Titan's icy crust. The scientists say that Titan's eccentric orbit around Saturn should tidally compress the moon, providing enough heat for such cryovolcanic eruptions.
Sure looks like the pingol-like structure on Enceladus on page 3 of this thread....Hmmmm.
Brad wrote:... relatavistic bombs and asteroid impacts ...
Oh, what my (evil) mind could do with that phrase ...
BTW, Brad, it's relativistic, unless science has a different spelling I never heard.
My name isn't on the CD, but a friend's son's 8th grade science class all signed up. Their teacher is hosting a party for the kids that night so they can watch the updates together and see themselves get blown to smithereens.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
At 3:51pm, EST tomorrow, the Space Shuttle is scheduled to return to space for the first time since the re-entry disaster in 2003. Good luck, and God speed.
A faulty fuel sensor aboard Discovery today forced NASA to scrub its first attempt to launch a space shuttle since the Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago. "A low-level fuel sensor in the external fuel tank, one of a set of four -- two of which are needed to work" forced mission controllers to postpone the launch for at least the day. "It will take some time really to understand what to do to remedy the situation," NASA said.
A faulty fuel sensor aboard Discovery today forced NASA to scrub its first attempt to launch a space shuttle since the Columbia disaster 2 1/2 years ago. "A low-level fuel sensor in the external fuel tank, one of a set of four -- two of which are needed to work" forced mission controllers to postpone the launch for at least the day. "It will take some time really to understand what to do to remedy the situation," NASA said.
Boo!
We want a shuttle launcher not a belly itcher (ok, that sounded much better in my head).....
I heard they've re-scheduled it for Saturday. I'm glad they're being extra careful ...
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Last I heard, Saturday isn't looking so hot ... I think there's one more launch window they can attempt sometime next week, after which they'll have to wait until September for the correct orbital trajectory in order to have enough fuel to reach the international space station.
Intermittant circuit errors are the worst, because they never seem to want to happen when you need them to.
According to the NASA website, if they can fix the sensor problem, Discovery will launch approx. 4 days later. The launch window closes July 31, so if the sensor can be fixed between now and July 26/27, they're good to go.
Hopefully nothing else will break down ...
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
