Space Science Thread

[Robertvincent]

Surprise! Alien Planet Made of Diamond Discovered

A newly discovered alien planet that formed from a dead star is a real diamond in the rough.

The super-high pressure of the planet, which orbits a rapidly pulsing neutron star, has likely caused the carbon within it to crystallize into an actual diamond, a new study suggests.

http://www.space.com/12731-diamond-a...tron-star.html

[Robertvincent]

NASA Needs More Astronauts, Report Says

The United States must maintain a strong astronaut corps, even though human space flight has been temporarily stalled for NASA and many astronauts have retired or quit this year, argues a new report from the National Research Council (NRC).

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...#ixzz1XN0ZF45e

[Robertvincent]

Meteors Delivered Gold to Baby Earth, New Study Hints‎

Not all that glitters is gold. But Earth would have a lot less of the glittery stuff if not for a massive rain of meteors about 3.9 billion years ago, according to a new study.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ature-science/

[Iconoclast]

NASA’s Cassini orbiter snaps unbelievable picture of Saturn!


(hi-res version here)


Sometimes reality is just as stunning as science fiction.



Science fiction movies have spoiled us on high definition views of our planetary neighbors, but real-life photographs with equal jaw-dropping potential are exceedingly rare. That's what makes NASA's awe-inspiring snapshot of Saturn (hi-res version here) such a stunning piece of eye candy.


Taken by NASA's Cassini robotic orbiter, the shot was captured from the dark side of Saturn as the Sun's bright rays illuminated every piece of dust and debris circling the planet. Cassini has offered astronomers a never-before-seen look at Saturn and revealed more information about the planet than any craft before it. The craft has taken so many pictures of the ringed wonder that they were recently made into a short flyby film that looks like it was created by George Lucas rather than a robotic space explorer.

Iconoclast

[Robertvincent]

Super-earth exoplanet found that could support life

Astronomers find a second planet outside our solar system which is the right distance from its star for life to exist

Super-earth exoplanet found that could support life | Science | guardian.co.uk

[Robertvincent]

Comet's water 'like that of Earth's oceans'

Comet Hartley 2 contains water more like that found on Earth than all the comets we know about, researchers say.

BBC News - Comet's water 'like that of Earth's oceans'

[Robertvincent]

160 Billion Alien Planets May Exist in Our Milky Way Galaxy

Alien planets are incredibly common in our Milky Way galaxy, outnumbering stars by a large margin, a new study suggests.

On average, each of the 100 billion or so stars in our galaxy hosts at least 1.6 planets, according to the study, bringing the number of likely alien worlds to more than 160 billion.

160 Billion Alien Planets May Exist in Our Milky Way Galaxy | Alien Planets & Solar Systems | Planet Detection & Gravitational Microlensing | Space.com

[Robertvincent]

Large Meteorite Likely Found in Druid Burial Site

Britain's largest space rock -- excavated 200 years ago by an archaeological dig -- was preserved by the Ice Age.



With a weight that rivals a baby elephant, a meteorite that fell from space some 30,000 years ago is likely Britain's largest space rock. And after much sleuthing, researchers think they know where it came from and how it survived so long without weathering away.

The giant rock, spanning about 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) across and weighing 205 pounds (93 kilograms), was likely discovered by an archaeologist about 200 years ago at a burial site created by the Druids (an ancient Celtic priesthood) near Stonehenge

Large Meteorite Likely Found in Druid Burial Site : Discovery News

[Robertvincent]

NASA's Chandra Finds Milky Way's Black Hole Grazing on Asteroids

ChandraThe giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be vaporizing and devouring asteroids, which could explain the frequent flares observed, according to astronomers using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.



NASA's Chandra Finds Milky Way's Black Hole Grazing on Asteroids | International Space Fellowship

[Robertvincent]

It's Alive! The Greatest Space Telescope Ever Built Survives

When last we heard about the James Webb Space Telescope, the souped-up, long-planned successor to the Hubble, the news was not good. Hard on the heels of a report blasting the Webb project for being badly behind schedule and over budget, a House committee voted to axe the partially completed telescope entirely.

Even a space nut could appreciate where they were coming from: originally envisioned in the 1990s as a monster scope 26 ft. (8 m) across, with more than 17 times the light-gathering power of the Hubble, the Webb was going to cost no more than $500 million and launch by 2007 — cross NASA's heart and hope to die!

Read more: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Survives Funding Battle - TIME

[Robertvincent]

Venus Spinning Slower Than Thought—Scientists Stumped

Mysterious decrease could affect future exploration missions.

Planet lovers take note: Venus is spinning even slower than astronomers thought, according to new data from a European space probe.

In the early 1990s scientists with NASA's Magellan mission calculated that a single rotation of Venus takes 243.015 Earth days, based on the speed of surface features passing beneath the orbiting spacecraft.

Venus Spinning Even Slower Than Thought

[Robertvincent]

1st Asteroid Samples Reveal Surprising Look at Space Rock Crashes

The first dust grains ever retrieved from the surface of an asteroid now confirm that these minor planets are constantly shaped by a continuous barrage of high-speed microscopic impacts, scientists find.

The Japanese asteroid probe Hayabusasucceeded in returning more than 1,500 grains of dustfrom the asteroid 25143 Itokawa when it parachuted into the Australian outback in June 2010. Already, the samples from this 1,800 foot-long (550 meter) rubble pile have helped solve the longstanding mystery of where most meteorites striking our planet come from.

1st Asteroid Samples Reveal Surprising Look at Space Rock Crashes | Japan Hayabusa Asteroid Sample Return Mission | Meteorites & Asteroids | Space.com

[Robertvincent]

Big Asteroid 2011 AG5 Could Pose Threat to Earth in 2040

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.

The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

A UN Action Team on near-Earth objects (NEOs) noted the asteroid’s repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility — however remote — that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now.

Big Asteroid 2011 AG5 Could Pose Threat to Earth, Experts Say | Asteroids, Comets & Near-Earth Objects | Potentially Hazardous Asteroids | Space.com

[Robertvincent]

NASA Mars Plans Uncertain As Budget Woes Grip Space Agency

LOS ANGELES -- Know how to go to Mars cheaply? NASA can use your help.

The space agency on Friday put out a call for ideas for the next Mars mission in 2018. The fine print: The cost can't be astronomical and the idea has to move the country closer to landing humans on the red planet in the 2030s.

"This is the kickoff," said NASA sciences chief John Grunsfeld.

NASA Mars Plans Uncertain As Budget Woes Grip Space Agency




Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration

[Iconoclast]

The solution to affordable space launches is simple, just eliminate all government regulation of private space launches, of whatever type and nature, and in a few years they will be able to buy affordable launch vehicles cheaply in the free market!!!

Iconoclast

[JamesinUSA]

I agree that 'Free Enterprise' could really speed up space exploration. There's nothing more motivating in innovation than the almighty dollar. Sad but true.

I'm just a little worried about all that 'junk' floating around our planet. Maybe we can get 'Waste Management' on board in solving this growing problem.

[Robertvincent]

Exoplanet 'Odd Couple' Defy Formation Theories

Discovery raises fresh questions about how planetary systems and their parent stars evolve.

The two planets circling Kepler-36, a sun-like star in its senior years, are as different as Earth and Neptune. But unlike the hundreds of millions of miles that separate our solar system's rocky worlds from its gas giants, Kepler-36's brood come as close as 1.2 million miles (1.9 million kilometers, or 0.01 AU) from one another -- about five times the distance between Earth and the moon.

"When they're at their closest, it presents a spectacular view in the sky," astronomer Josh Carter, with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Discovery News.

Exoplanet 'Odd Couple' Defy Formation Theories : Discovery News

[Robertvincent]

Scientists able to study atmosphere of planet outside our solar system using infra-red




An artist's impression released by the European Southern Observatory shows the exoplanet Tau Bootis b: One of the first exo-planets discovered, and one in which astronomers have measured the atmosphere

Scientists have detailed the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system - and a difficult one at that.

The team, based as the Very Large Telescope based in Chile, were able to measure the amount of carbon monoxide present on Tau Bootis b - one of the first 'exoplanets' to be discovered back in 1996 - as well as the temperature at different altitudes.

They were able to measure the atmosphere without relying on a 'transit' of the planet - where it passes in front of its star.

That is important as, up to now, astronomers and scientists have had to rely on transits to measure the atmosphere.

Read more: Scientists able to study atmosphere of planet outside our solar system using infra-red | Mail Online

[Robertvincent]

Most massive stars live as vampires in close stellar pairs

Binary stars have live short, violent lives, but play key role in evolution of galaxies




An artist's impression of a vampire star and its victim

A surprising number of massive stars in our Milky Way galaxy are part of close stellar duos, a new study finds, but most of these companion stars have turbulent relationships — with one "vampire star" sucking gas from the other, or the two stars violently merging to form a single star.

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile studied massive O-type stars, which are very hot and incredibly bright. These stars, which have surface temperatures of more than 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit (30,000 degrees Celsius) live short, violent lives, but they play key roles in the evolution of galaxies.

Most massive stars live as vampires - Technology & science - Space - Space.com - NBCNews.com

[Iconoclast]

Very informative post, I did not realize the question of what gamma ray bursts were caused by, had been answered.

Iconoclast