Top 11 in 2011, 12.30.11

2011 has been a tremendous year for astronomy. It has been a marvelous year for discoveries, yet we look forward to the future as the space program evolves to continue without the space shuttles. Here at the Wetherbee Planetarium, we would like to take a moment to reflect on some of our favorite stories we covered this past year.


11. Diamonds in the Sky, originally published 08.29.11. A diamond planet companion was found orbiting J1719-1438. How is that for twinkle?


10. De Blob, it glows!, originally published 08.19.11. Lyman-alpha blob 1 (LAB-1), a giant, intergalactic green blob, was discovered. No one knows what it is, but it is big, it glows, and it is green. We think that is pretty awesome.


9. The sky is falling!, originally published 09.14.11. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) took a spiraling descent back to Earth over late September-early October, mostly breaking apart and burning in the atmosphere.


8. A Geriatric Non-Planet, Non-Asteroid…Thing…, originally published 04.04.11. The gargantuan asteroid Vesta was visited by NASA’s Dawn mission in July of this year for a photoshoot rendezvous.


7. “Spinstars” May Have Helped Seed the Universe, originally published 05.02.11. Astronomers working with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) theorized the existence of “spinstars,” possibly the fastest rotating objects in the universe.


6. Gamma Ray Flares in Binary Star are a Mystery, originally published 07.07.11. A binary star system in January and February of this year was found emitting gamma ray flares as a companion pulsar grazed through the Be-class star’s gaseous disc.


5. “It’s Alive!” Zombie Satellite Galaxy 15 Springs Back to Life, originally published 01.04.11. Rebellious satellite-gone-rogue Galaxy 15 came to its senses and rebooted after months of failing to respond to commands and joyriding.


4. Life-Friendly Zones in the Galaxy?, originally published 09.30.11. Astronomers theorized the possibility of a “life zone” or area in galaxies that is most likely to support life as we know it.


3. Hubble Celebrates Millionth Observation, originally published 07.12.11. The Hubble Space Telescope made its historic millionth observation of outer space, a spectroscopic observation of planet HAT-P-7b.


2. The Star of Bethlehem, originally published 12.20.10, reprinted 12.20.11. The staff at the Wetherbee Planetarium delved into possible explanations for one of the most iconic symbols of the Christmas season.


1. Launch Week: Last Flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour Scheduled Friday, originally published 04.25.11. NASA set the launch date for the last flight of space shuttle Endeavour, one of the final missions for the shuttle program.


So, what do we expect for 2012? NASA’s Dawn mission will wrap up its study of Vesta, the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission will make its descent back to Earth after its failed launch, Kepler is confident about the odds of finding an Earth-like planet in the life zone, and the biggest non-event: the supposed “alignment with the core of the galaxy” on December 21. Here’s to 2012!

The sky is falling...again, 10.21.11

Not only is another meteor shower coming this way, but yet another gargantuan satellite is making its way back to Earth this weekend.

The Orionids meteor shower began about three or four days ago, and will continue to build until its climax on the morning of October 22^nd, just before sunrise. Called the “Orionids” because the meteors seem to be falling out of the constellation Orion the hunter, the bright streaks and fireballs are actually created by detritus from Halley’s comet, burning up in our atmosphere.

Like a trail of fairy dust behind the Pigpen of fairies, the comet leaves a long, filthy (but sparkly—it is mostly ice) trail behind it. When Earth passes through the trail of dirt, dust, and ice, the resulting friction created by the pieces scrubbing against our atmosphere causes them to burn up.

Do not expect the meteor shower to blow you away, though. The Orionids is only expected to produce about 20-25 meteors per hour. In the past, the Orionids have also been very dim, so do not expect to see any if you are in an urban area with lights on at night. The best place to observe a meteor shower (or anything in astronomy, really), is to find a safe, dark, wide-open field in a rural area. The less light from nearby cities and towns you see on the horizon, the better. The Orionids are perfect for a nice calm, quiet evening of sky watching.

You may also want to keep an eye out for ROSAT, the 2.7-ton German X-ray satellite. Remember UARS, which fell to its death in the Pacific Ocean late last month? Well, it seems another one of the mechanical behemoths has bit the dust and is in the process of winding its way down to Earth.

Unlike UARS, which mostly broke up or burned up in our atmosphere, ROSAT is expected to have over 1 ton of its pieces survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. While the chances for getting hit by it are higher than they were for UARS, they are still only about 1 in 2000. It may look great if you happen to catch a glimpse of it through a nice pair of binoculars, but the odds are far against it doing any real damage.

While it is impossible at this point to predict exactly when or where ROSAT will make its final resting place, scientists do guesstimate this it should make landfall over the weekend, either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. The best predictions they can manage are about 5 or 6 hours before it hits the ground.

Credit: SPACE.com. 

The sky is falling! 08.15.11

*UPDATE: NASA is now saying that they expect UARS to make impact at some point late tonight or early tomorrow morning. While it is impossible to pinpoint its exact crash site now, they estimate it will be somewhere off the coast of the Philippines. For NASA’s information about the UARS mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html.


The sky is falling! Well, not exactly. Something in the sky is falling, though. A 13,000-pound research satellite, to be precise. The word from NASA is to keep an eye out for falling debris.

UARS. Image credit: SPACE.com.

UARS, or the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, has said its farewells to space and will be returning to Earth. NASA is slightly nervous about the giant research satellite, though, because it will be a true free-fall back to earth. What is more: they have no idea where the pieces that survive re-entry back into earth’s atmosphere will land.


According to NASA, they estimate about 1,000 pounds of the satellite will crash back into Earth, but will probably break up in the atmosphere and descend in a rain of debris that could cover an area about 500 miles in length.


As of right now, they cannot predict where or even when the remains of the satellite should make it back to Earth, but should be able to begin calculating it’s projected landfall about four days before it lands. They estimate it should be “landing” at the end of this month, or in early October. As it becomes closer and closer to Earth, they will attempt to give proper warning about the projected landing area.


According to NASA, no injuries have ever been reported due to re-entering space program equipment, and only minor property damage has ever been reported.


Just the same, we recommend keeping your eyes and ears open just in case UARS decides to land near you.


Credit: SPACE.com.

Packing power, 09.07.11

NASA is working on a power source that could revolutionize space exploration. A nuclear reactor the size of a regular suitcase, it is strong enough to power eight average US homes, yet portable enough to travel in small, compact space craft. Designed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, the generator is not actually in production yet, but given that its true value is proven, it could be venturing outside Earth’s atmosphere in a few decades or less.

A concept lunar space station. Image credit: SPACE.com.

So, what could such a generator be used for? More dependable that solar power panels, the generators would be smaller, more durable, much easier to repair, and portable. They could be used on the “dark side” of whatever planet they happened to be stationed on (yes, we are dreaming about space stations on the Moon or Mars). They would also generate far more power than a solar cell of comparable size.

Wait a minute, what about nuclear meltdown? In light of disasters light Chernobyl and the recent leaks in earthquake and tsunami-wrecked Japan, would we really want to rely on nuclear reactors? Well, it turns out the suitcase-sized reactors would be much more stable than the monster, factory-sized reactors located throughout our nation and across the world. According to James Werner, the lead researcher on the project, “There would be no danger of meltdown… Because of the low power level…if we did have a situation where the power failed, the reactor itself would just shut down.”

Of course, one also has to take into consideration what sort of waste these things would generate, how often they would have to be refueled, and more. But, in light of the massive boost in exploration power they could provide (pun intended), such details seem to be exactly that: details. For now, researches are bent on thorough testing to see if these power packs are viable options.

Credit: SPACE.com.

Space junkies fed up with all the junk, 05.18.11

According to General William Shelton, commander of the U.S. Air Force Space Command, there are well over 20,000 man-made junk objects floating around earth, collectively referred to as “detritus.” Those pieces of trash are just the ones that have been logged and are being tracked. According to Gen. Shelton, it is possible that at least 10 times that much is out there now; we just cannot detect it.

Image credit: ESA.

So where did all of this space junk come from? It is not just dust and rocks floating around, but actual pieces of satellites, missiles, and space ships floating around planet earth. 50 years in the space program is a lot of time for garbage to build up. Some of the pieces are satellites that served their purpose and either “died” or were deactivated, some are extra parts that fell off or were blown off of spacecraft, and still other pieces came from satellites that collided with other objects or were blown up intentionally by missiles, as in a fairly recent test by China (their anti-satellite or ASAT test) in 2007. The pieces of detritus can vary in size from just a few millimeters to a few meters across, and can be travelling at dangerously high speeds in a geosynchronous orbit around earth. This creates serious headaches for operators of live satellites, space shuttles, and the International Space Station, because all active instruments in space must alter their orbit and stay at least one mile away from every single piece of debris orbiting our planet. This computer generated graphic is meant to illustrate the approximate density of the garbage at this point.

A problem created by the 50 or so individual nations now involved in space exploration, it is impossible to point the finger at any one group for causing the mess. Therein lies the problem in getting cooperation for cleanup. If something is not done soon to either alter practices or make a serious effort to reduce the trash, experts project the amount of detritus to triple by 2030.

 Credit: SPACE.com.

Secret satellites, 04.18.11

It goes without saying, but the Pacific Ocean is huge. So, it would make an excellent place to "de-orbit" classified government spy satellites, says Ted Molczan of Toronto, an expert satellite tracker and part of a global sky watching effort.


Lacrosse 2, a classified government spy satellite, is one of five extremely large instruments used to take special radar images- even through clouds. Supposed to be a secret, the Lacrosse 2 is covered in "gold-colored kapton insulation blankets," which makes it reflect light with an "orange-red hue." This not only makes it easy to spot with a decent telescope or binoculars, but also plain pretty to look at for sky watchers. Whoopsie. So much for secrets.

So, when reports slowly started coming in from around the world in March that the Lacrosse 2 had gone MIA, the hunt to spot it again began in earnest, but to no avail. While it is possible that the gigantic satellite had been drastically maneuvered to another orbit, that is not probable, said Molczan. According to him, big orbital changes usually are not made by such huge satellites. Molczan theorizes that the satellite was “de-orbited” back to Earth, most likely a remote region of the Pacific Ocean, where any surviving pieces could be recovered by reconnaissance teams.

So why carefully plot and direct their path instead of just dropping them to Earth or leaving them floating about in space? Well, they are spy satellites after all; to just drop it could compromise national security, according to Molczan. It would not be surprising if Lacrosse 2 had been retired, though; it has been in orbit for an astounding 20 years. The model depicted here is probably similar to the Lacrosse 2, according to SPACE.com.

Image credit: National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Credit: SPACE.com. 

Asteroid Apophis a threat in 2029? 03.14.11

Astronomers have been tracking a 900-foot wide rock that is hurtling towards earth. Will it strike us? Only the math can tell.

Image credit: SPACE.com.

Photographed on January 31, astronomers said on March 9 that this was the first clear shot they have been able to take of the approaching asteroid in at least 3 years. The photo was taken from atop one of Hawai’i’s dormant volcanoes, Mauna Kea, using a telescope. It was originally thought that the rock had a 1-in-37 chance of hitting earth, but new calculations made the number grow substantially; it now has a 1-in-250,000 chance of dashing earth to bits. Oh, joy!


All of the calculations are made by doing some careful comparisons with the “known” distances of stars near the asteroid. As stars move very slowly, they can be fairly reliable space-scale distance markers, but the passage of time still has to be taken into consideration upon each new measurement. 


If it does not smash into earth in 2029, it should pass by again in 2036 and 2068. The pass in 2029 will likely alter its path, too, making it slide ever so much closer to earth. The pass in 2029, in fact, will most definitely be closer to earth than a lot of communications satellites are! You can expect to see Apophis without the aid of a telescope or even binoculars, weather permitting. Until then, all we can do is sit, measure, and crunch some more numbers.


Credit: SPACE.com.

Meet O/OREOS, NASA's first nanosatellite, 03.09.11

NASA has put a loaf of bread in orbit around earth. Wait, no. Scratch that; they have put a satellite the size of a loaf of bread in orbit. Let us introduce you to NASA’s newest baby: a nanosatellite, O/OREOS. Isn’t it cute?

Image credit: NASA/Dominic Hart.

Weighing in at around 12 pounds and orbiting at approximately 400 miles above earth, O/OREOS (Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) is the first successful nanosatellite to reach orbit. What’s more, it is the first propellant-less mechanism NASA has used to conduct experiments. It went up in a USAF Minotaur IV rocket as part of the 4-stage payload, and was set in orbit on November 19 of last year. When it is finished with all of its experiments (in about, oh…25 years or so) it will just burn up in Earth’s atmosphere as it falls back towards land. It just drifts round and round the Earth’s orbit, from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic Circle. It launched from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska, too, so it’s got a good start on that north-south downward spiral.


This little loaf of bread—sorry, satellite—is special, too, because it is the first successful attempt by NASA to have two completely independent experiments running simultaneously in the same instrument. What sort of experiments, you ask? Biological and chemical ones. This nifty little satellite’s purpose, according to NASA, is “to answer astrobiology’s fundamental questions about the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.” Big goals for such a tiny little tool.


What’s more, Santa Clara University has invited the public to help them collect data from O/OREOS. If you are an experienced operator with a HAM radio, you can visit this link, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/ooreos/main, and get all the information you need to tune in to O/OREOS’ data stream.


Credit: NASA.

"It's alive!" Zombie satellite Galaxy 15 springs back to life, 01.04.11

Creators of Galaxy 15 have reported that the rebellious satellite-gone-rogue has reset itself and is now responding to commands from Earth.


Thronateeska Heritage Center reported on October 22 that Intelsat, a satellite command center, had lost control of a fairly young satellite. Investigation is still underway to determine what caused the satellite to cease responding to commands in the first place, although Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia now claims an intense solar storm may be to blame.

Image credit: SPACE.com.

Intelsat had program the satellite to automatically reset when its battery life drained, whereby causing communication lines to be restored. The satellite, which operates from a solar-powered battery, however, was using its programming “against” the programmers! It actually adjusted its power consumption levels so that it was using less power while not in the light of the sun, thereby extending its rogue lifespan considerably. This caused many headaches for Intelsat as the satellite was continuing to transmit signals, with no control capable of being placed on it. Intelsat had to work closely with television and radio companies to ensure that Galaxy 15’s transmissions would not interfere with their regular programming as it drifted by uncontrolled, and many intricate maneuvers had to be performed by other satellites to prevent their collision with the temporarily self-piloting satellite out on a joy ride.


Intelsat has reported the battery on Galaxy 15 has finally “died,” though, and the satellite has reset its operating system and restored communications as its designers had hoped would happen when they originally lost control of the satellite last April. 


The satellite, launched October 13, 2005 from an European Ariane rocket, was originally intended to serve until 2020. Needless to say, the recent “rebellion” of the satellite and curious technical behavior it exhibited are causing scientists to re-assess its shelf life and determine what course of action needs to be pursued. Galaxy 15 is currently on a course to rendezvous with an Intelsat orbital location to have its payload assessed and to determine if it is capable of being restored to full functionality.


Credit: SPACE.com

Geminid meteor shower promises to be year's best, despite mysterious origins, 12.10.10

The Geminids meteor shower has long been considered by astronomers to be the best meteor shower to see. Taking place just a few days before the winter solstice, the cold weather is usually accompanied by high pressure fronts and clear, high-visibility skies. The Geminids themselves usually bring well over 100 meteoroids per hour, and can be seen from any point on the planet. The Geminids are puzzling astronomers though; “they defy explanation,” says NASA’s Bill Cooke.


The problem, he says, is that most meteor showers’ point of origin is a comet. No matter how they do the math on the Geminids, though, the trajectories all point to an object that simply should not be putting off that volume of material: 3200 Phaethon, a “weird rocky object.”


This poses a problem because 3200 Phaethon is currently not shedding much debris at all. The way meteor showers usually work is that earth passes through a dust or debris field left by comets, and the debris is burnt up in our atmosphere as we pass causing streaks or “shooting stars” in the night sky. According to NASA Science, the Geminids are the “900-lb gorilla of meteor showers,” yet “3200 Phaethon is more of a 98-lb weakling.” It simply does not add up.


NASA discovered 3200 Phaethon in 1983 using its IRAS satellite and, according to NASA, “promptly classified it as an asteroid.” Astronomers believe the Geminids originate from debris that is left over from an orbital point when 3200 Phaethon was close to the sun. Astronomers believe the heat from the sun may have caused some dust and debris to have been blown off the side, and this is what causes the Geminids every year. This hypothesis was further strengthened last year during 3200 Phaethon’s observation by NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft. While extremely close to the sun, “3200 Phaethon unexpectedly brightened by a factor of two,” the only explanation being that it was ejecting material in response to a surface breakdown and reactions within its crust of possible moisture to the intense solar heat waves. Quite simply, it got too close to the sun and started to blow up (or blow off, really).


The best time for observing the Geminids this year is probably between 12-7AM on December 14^th. Gemini should be directly overhead as a good starting place to look. Thronateeska’s Jim Friese recommends going outside the city to a rural area with less atmospheric light pollution and an open sky view. Thronateeska Heritage Center wishes you happy hunting, and be sure to bundle up!


Credit: NASA Science.

Beware of zombies in space, 10.22.10

Think we are alone in space? Think again. It turns out there is a “zombie” of sorts orbiting Earth, and it is covered in solar panels. Meet Galaxy 15.

Image credit: SPACE.com

Galaxy 15 is a C-band telecommunications satellite that “went out of control.” The satellite ceased responding to commands on April 5^th and began to drift on its own. The builders of the satellite, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, VA, had expected it to “lose momentum control” by August since it was no longer responding to commands from its operators at Intelsat. They had hoped that it would run out of power and then they would essentially be able to perform a “reset” function on the satellite and resume control over it. If the reset failed, at least it would be out of power and would become just another piece of space junk floating around our planet.


The solar-powered satellite has surpassed its designers’ expectations, however, by actually conserving its own power supplies when it senses a drop in the sunlight it receives. According to Intelsat, it is “continuing to pose headaches” because not only is it not responding to commands, but it is also still transmitting. It has already caused satellite AMC-11 to have to perform evasive maneuvers to avoid having its own signal highjacked by the powerful C-band transmission of Galaxy 15. If it does interfere with the signals of other satellites, it has the power to disturb the transmissions of “HDTV programming for NBC, Discovery, Scripps, Comcast, MTV and iNDEMAND networks.” According to Thronateeska Heritage Center’s museum guide and staff astronomer Jim Friese, the computers on board are completely normal, yet “the satellite is just smart enough to keep itself alive.” He said a failsafe has already been installed in the next generation of satellites to prevent the same problem from occurring.

Credit: SPACE.com