March 6: Dr. Dana Backman, SETI Institute and Santa Clara University, Free, Illustrated,

Non-technical Presentation, "Astronomy from the Stratosphere: NASA's SOFIA Mission,"

Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, 7 p.m.

POC: Andrew Fraknoi, email: mailto:fraknoiandrew@fhda.edu

This presentation is part of the 13th Annual Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series. Why would NASA buy a used passenger airliner, cut a 10-foot-by-10-foot hole in the fuselage, add a roll-back door and install a 17-ton telescope inside? In his lecture, open to the public, Backman will introduce you to the engineering marvel and international scientific facility called SOFIA -- the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. This remarkable airborne telescope began scientific research flights in 2010 and is already returning exciting discoveries about the birth of stars, interstellar chemistry, the atmospheres of giant planets, the environment around supermassive black holes and other branches of astronomy. Backman is the director of Education and Public Outreach for the SOFIA project at NASA Ames and an adjunct professor at Santa Clara University and the Stanford Continuing Studies Program.

Before joining the SOFIA team, he was professor of physics and astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He is coauthor of three college-level astronomy textbooks and a frequent public speaker on astronomy and SOFIA. His research specialty is infrared astronomy (the study of the universe by collecting heat rays), exactly the kind of work that the SOFIA telescope is designed to do.

Foothill College is just off the El Monte Road exit from Freeway 280 in Los Altos. For directions and parking information, see: http://www.foothill.edu/news/transportation.php For a campus map, see: http://www.foothill.edu/news/maps.php The lecture is co-sponsored by NASA Ames, The Foothill College Astronomy Program, The SETI Institute and The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. We expect large crowds, so please arrive a little bit early to find parking. Having exact change or bills for the $3 parking fee helps speed up the line. Past Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are available in MP3 format at: http://astrosociety.org/silicon-valley-astronomy-lectures/

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Astronomy from the Stratosphere: NASA's SOFIA Mission

Astronomy Workshop in Agram Foundation
Astronomy Workshop in Agram Foundation... on 1-March-2013 One day Astronomy Workshop for Agram Foundation Children in Pondicherry. By Mani.M Student Ambassador UNAWE India +919962327414 http://www.funtist.com

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Astronomy Workshop in Agram Foundation - Video

Photo by Bob Gent Students and members of the Huachuca Astronomy Club are shown in this photo taken during the 2012 Math and Science Experience. Many dozens of students from around Cochise County visited the Patterson Observatory in Sierra Vista.

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SIERRA VISTA The NASA Space Place, an education and outreach program of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has recognized the Huachuca Astronomy Club of Southeastern Arizona with a Certificate of Appreciation. The certificate acknowledges the clubs valuable contributions to its community in the areas of science, technology education,andinspiration.

Huachuca Astronomy Club members serve as volunteer operators of the Patterson Observatory on the University of Arizona Sierra Vista campus. The Patterson Observatory, which is a NASA Space Place Partner, is owned by the University SouthFoundation,Inc.

The Huachuca Astronomy Club (HAC) is based in Sierra Vista. Club members volunteer their time in a variety of ways to advance science education, encourage an understanding of astronomy, and promote responsible use of outdoor lighting to protect our dark night skies. As a NASA Space Place partner, the Huachuca Astronomy Club is especially able to reach out to young people with kid friendly hand-outs and interestingeducationalmaterials.

The club will partner with the Sierra Vista Public Library on April 20 to celebrate International Astronomy Day in a free, day-long event featuring solar viewing, a solar system walk, presentations by a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and lots of educational activities and materials. (All outdoor events areweatherdependent.)

For more information about the Huachuca Astronomy Club, and for a schedule of events, visit their website at http://www.hacastronomy.org/ or visit them on Facebook. All public events, including the monthly Public Night at the Patterson Observatory, are free of charge. Membership in HAC is open to anyone with an interest in astronomy and new members are always welcome. Visit the website for a membership application andmoreinformation.

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Local astronomy club earns NASA appreciation

Planetary Society Hangout: Asteroid Astronomy with Andy Rivkin
Emily Lakdawalla #39;s guest this week was Applied Physics Laboratory asteroid astronomer Andy Rivkin. We talked about the menagerie of rocks in the asteroid belt, how many of them travel in pairs and triples, how some of them are surprisingly wet, and how much you can learn about asteroids using Earth-based telescopes.

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Planetary Society Hangout: Asteroid Astronomy with Andy Rivkin - Video

American Cancer Society / Getty Images

Detail of breast cancer cells. Over a lifetime, one in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer.

At first sight, an image of deep space and a slide of cancer cells may not appear to have much in common. However by using technology used to identify distant galaxies to spot rogue cancer cells, a team of scientists in the U.K. have managed to bridge that gap.

Scientists at the charity Cancer Research UK teamed up with researchers from the Institute of Astronomy in 2010 in an unlikely collaboration that could radically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

(MORE: Among Breast Cancer Screens, Pricey Isnt Always Better)

The first results of that collaboration were published in the British Journal of Cancer on Wednesday. Researchers were able to adapt techniques used by astronomers for picking up faint objects of interest out of dense images of the night-sky to pick out differences in stained tumor samples.

Raza Ali, the lead author of the study from Cancer Research, said in a statement: Weve exploited the natural overlap between the techniques astronomers use to analyze deep sky imaged from the largest telescopes and the need to pinpoint subtle differences in the staining of tumor samples down the microscope.

Cancer Research say that spotting these differences is key to the understanding of why some cancers progress faster than others, as well as of why patients respond differently to treatments.

(MORE: Cancer Rates Dropping, But Not for All Tumor Types)

Up until now, the traditional means of picking out the differences in the staining of tumor samples required the trained eye of a pathologist looking down a microscope. This new automated system could dramatically speed up that process, analyzing up to 4,000 individual images a day.

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Astronomy Methods Used to Fight Cancer

An astronomy observation event will be held Saturday night at Pilot Mountain State Park.

Members of the Forsyth Astronomical Society, the rangers of Pilot Mountain State Park, and SciWorks Planetarium staff will host the event from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The public is invited to attend the free event. If weather conditions are favorable, the spring constellations and several deep-sky objects will be visible. It's an excellent opportunity to learn about astronomy and telescopes as there will be knowledgeable amateur astronomers on hand to answer questions.

Participants will meet in the summit parking lot of Pilot Mountain State Park. The park gates will remain open until the end of the event so that visitors may arrive or depart as they wish.

(As a courtesy to those present, visitors who arrive after dark should turn off their headlights and drive slowly using only parking lights once they reach the summit parking lot.)

Inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances may cancel the observation or cause it to end early. For cancellation information, please call SciWorks at (336) 767-6730 after 5:30 p.m. on March 2.

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Pilot Mountain to hold astronomy event

By RYAN REVOCK Published February 27, 2013 at 2:43am Updated February 27, 2013 at 2:43am

The UA Astronomy Club is researching planets light years away, helping in the search for life on other planets and offering valuable research experience to undergraduates.

In January, the club had its first peer-reviewed article published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The article reported research from an extrasolar planet project that began in 2009 and is still ongoing, according to Jake Turner, co-founder of the project and a 2011 astronomy and physics graduate. Turner is a research technician at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

The extrasolar planet project articles had 26 student authors, with student researchers contributing from New York, Indiana and England.

The goal of the research was to use the transit method to detect the magnetic fields of a planet called TrES-3b, which is 1,300 light-years away from Earth, Turner said. The planet is known as a hot Jupiter because it is extremely close to its star and it is bigger than Jupiter, according to Turner.

The transit method involves measuring the light given off by the star and then studying the light curve when the planet TrES-3b crosses in front of the star. By studying the difference in light, researchers are also able to study the magnetic field of the planet, according to Turner.

Studying the magnetic field of TrES-3b allows researchers to learn about the internal structure of the planet and figure out if it has moons. These are the building blocks for finding life outside our solar system, Turner added.

The magnetic field of Earth protects us from the solar radiation or the high particle solar radiation, and so without our magnetic field, Earth wouldnt be habitable, Turner said. We have not been able to detect the magnetic field in any planet outside our solar system. And so if we can detect them on the biggest planets, then that can be the foundation to detect them on the smaller planets, and then eventually we can search for life outside our solar system.

Allison Towner, a senior studying physics and astronomy and a member of the Astronomy Club, became involved with the extrasolar planet project in fall of 2010.

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UA Astronomy Club student research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Tim Clifton Video Clip for Week 3 Assignment -Astronomy
I clip from my introduciton to Astronomy video

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Tim Clifton Video Clip for Week 3 Assignment -Astronomy - Video

Five different astronomy programs designed for children and adults will be offered in March at Mt. San Antonio College's Randall Planetarium.

The planetarium is on the Mt. SAC campus, 1100 N. Grand Ave. in Walnut.

The series kicks off with "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure," a program designed for preschoolers, according to a statement from the college. Sesame Street characters will help children and adults to learn about the Big Dipper, the North Star, the sun and the moon.

The program will be offered at 4 p.m.March 1 and March 15.

Those who attend "Star Tales" will get a lesson on the stars, constellations and planets and how to see them from home. The program will be offered at 6 and 7:30 p.m. March 1.

With the help of an astronomer and binoculars, those attending "Deep Space: Binocular Astronomy" will have a chance to examine star clusters, galaxies and nebulas. Binoculars will be provided, the statement said. The program will be offered at 6 and 7:30 p.m. March 2.

"Stars of The Pharaohs" takes audiences to ancient Egypt for a lesson on astronomical phenomena and Egyptians' use of science in telling time, the development of a calendar and engineering.

"Starts of The Pharaohs" will be shown at 6 and 7:30 p.m. March 15.

The Big Bang and the origins of the universe will be explored in "Wonders of the Universe." The program will be offered at 6 and 7:30 p.m. March 16.

Tickets for each program are $6 for general admission; $4 for

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Mt. SAC offers astronomy series for children, adults

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Breast Cancer Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics;Cancer / Oncology;MRI / PET / Ultrasound Article Date: 22 Feb 2013 - 3:00 PST

Current ratings for: Astronomy Algorithms Help Diagnose Aggressive Tumors

The teams, from Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, and the Department of Oncology and the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge in the UK, describe how they adapted the astronomers' image analysis algorithms and tested them on 2,000 breast tumors in a study published online on 19 February in the British Journal of Cancer.

The current method of analyzing tumor aggressiveness relies on skilled pathologists looking down microscopes to spot subtle differences in staining of tumor samples. A computerized approach could speed up this process quite significantly.

The techniques are not unlike those used in immunohistochemistry (IHC), where pathologists gaze down microscopes to pick out subtle differences in staining of tumor cells to distinguish different proteins.

Lead author Dr Raza Ali, a pathology fellow from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, says in a statement:

"We've exploited the natural overlap between the techniques astronomers use to analyse deep sky images from the largest telescopes and the need to pinpoint subtle differences in the staining of tumour samples down the microscope."

Co-author Nicholas Walton, from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, says:

"It's great that our image analysis software, which was originally developed to help, for instance, track down planets harbouring life outside of our Solar system, is now also being used to help improve the outlook for cancer patients, much closer to home."

Each sample went through two assessments: one using manual image analysis with pathologists looking down microscopes, and the other where a computer, equipped with the adapted algorithms, analyzed the images automatically.

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Astronomy Algorithms Help Diagnose Aggressive Tumors

Cancer researchers are teaming up with astronomers using computerized algorithms designed for viewing distant galaxies to spot biomarkers that can indicate the aggressiveness of a tumor, Medical News Today reported.

The method pathologists currently use for finding out the aggressiveness of a tumor involves looking through a microscope at a stained tumor sample to identify different proteins and cell changes. A computerized system would speed up the process.

In a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, teams from the Cancer Research U.K. Cambridge Institute, and both the Department of Oncology and the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. looked at more than 2,000 breast cancer tumors to determine the levels of three proteins known to be biomarkers for aggressive cancer.

"We've exploited the natural overlap between the techniques astronomers use to analyze deep sky images from the largest telescopes and the need to pinpoint subtle differences in the staining of tumor samples down the microscope," lead author, Dr. Raza Ali, a pathology fellow from the Cancer Research U.K. Cambridge Institute, said in a statement.

Researchers analyzed each tumor sample both manually with a pathologist using a microscope and automatically with a computer using adapted algorithms. When they compared the results, they found the computer algorithms came to the same conclusion as the pathologists up to 96 percent of the time.

"The results have been even better than we'd hoped; with our new automated approach performing with accuracy comparable to the time-consuming task of scoring images manually, after only relatively minor adjustments to the formula," said Ali.

The researchers now plan to do a large-scale, international study, using tumor samples from more than 20,000 breast cancer patients.

"Modern techniques are giving us some of the first insights into the key genes and proteins important in predicting the success or failure of different cancer treatments, said senior author Carlos Caldas, a professor at the Cancer Research U.K. Cambridge Institute. But before these can be applied in the clinic, their usefulness needs to be verified in hundreds or sometimes thousands of tumor samples."

New methods are already helping researchers analyze up to 4,000 images a day, Caldas added.

Click here for more on this study from Medical News Today.

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Astronomy algorithms help detect aggressive cancers

Harlem Shake Astronomy feat. Entaneer CMU

By: Rujipas Yongsawas

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Harlem Shake Astronomy feat. Entaneer CMU - Video

Cancer scientists are turning to astronomy to identify the faint hallmarks of aggressive tumours.

Techniques developed to find distant galaxies have been adapted to look for indistinct biomarkers.

The research could lead to computers replacing the age-old practice of peering down a microscope to search for signs of deadly cancer.

Aggressive tumours are traditionally spotted by staining cells to show up specific proteins. The new approach employs an automated system originally developed to pick out far away objects in the night sky.

In tests, the technique was employed to measure levels of three proteins among tumour samples from more than 2,000 breast cancer patients. Researchers compared the accuracy of assessing the results manually or by computer. They found that the automated system was at least as accurate as the manual one but many times faster.

Lead scientist Dr Raza Ali, from Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Institute, said: "We've exploited the natural overlap between the techniques astronomers use to analyse deep sky images from the largest telescopes and the need to pinpoint subtle differences in the staining of tumour samples down the microscope.

"The results have been even better than we'd hoped, with our new automated approach performing with accuracy comparable to the time-consuming task of scoring images manually, after only relatively minor adjustments to the formula. We're now planning a larger international study involving samples from more than 20,000 breast cancer patients to further refine our strategy."

The research, conducted with the help of Cambridge University astronomers, was reported in the British Journal of Cancer.

Dr Nicholas Walton, from Cambridge University's Institute of Astronomy, said: "It's great that our image analysis software, which was originally developed to help track down planets harbouring life outside of our Solar System, is now also being used to help improve the outlook for cancer patients much closer to home."

Dr Julie Sharp, science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "This unlikely collaboration between astronomers and cancer researchers is a prime example of how, by working together, scientists from different disciplines can bring about innovative new solutions for beating cancer."

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Astronomy to help identify tumours

UP AstroSoc - National Astronomy Week 2013
The UP Astronomical Society in partnership with UP Science and Mathematics Majors Advocating Responsible Teaching, Silverworks and URC proudly present National Astronomy Week 2013 on February 23, 2013 In line with this are the following events: 1. Big Bang! An Astronomy Quiz Show - Benitez Theatre, College of Education | 8:00AM to 4:00PM - Contact Lei Motilla at 09058052777 2. Take-Off! A Rocket-making Contest - Training Center, College of Education | 10:00AM to 3:00PM - Contact Kristine Jane Atienza at 09152397942 3. Teachers #39; Seminar - Palma Hall Room 400 | 1:00PM to 5:00PM - Contact Ericka Jane Angeles at 0926425477 in cooperation with The Mind Museum also brought to you by Dgreat Rovers Cha Dao Reebok Manila Ocean Park Planet Slate Special thanks to: Pao Pao Xiao Chi Katipunan Our media sponsors: ClickTheCity.com Business World WhenInManila.com DZUP please like http://www.facebook.com and follow us on twitter @upastrosoc

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UP AstroSoc - National Astronomy Week 2013 - Video

English for kids. Astronomy. Learning about the solar system.
Spinning planets around the Sun

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English for kids. Astronomy. Learning about the solar system. - Video

February 19, 2013

Michael Harper for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

On this day 540 years ago, the revolutionary mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Toru, Poland. Throughout his life, he studied art, astronomy, economics, mathematics and physics. He is considered a founder of Heliocentrism, the belief the sun is at the center of the Solar System, a view which he presented in his iconoclastic book entitled De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) just before he died. It was this last work and his explanation of Heliocentrism that challenged the way we thought about our Solar System and the Earths place in it.

Many years after the release of his famous book, the world began to debate once more the notion of a system of planets which revolved around the sun as opposed to a system which revolves around the earth, known as geocentrism. Today, with the Suns place in our Solar System firmly established, we celebrate his work, his calculations and his mind in the most fitting way of our time: Via Google Doodle, the commemorative logos the search-engine giant uses on special holidays.

If you visit Googles main search page today, youll find a model of the Copernican planetary system placed on top of the traditional Google logo. Just as Copernicus suggested in his monumental writings, there are a host of planets slowly orbiting the sun, which is represented by the second o in Google.

Though Capernicus wasnt the first to suggest heliocentrism, the way he explained it and outlined it in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium caused scientists and other great thinkers to revisit the extremely controversial theory. Copernicus used mathematical terms rather than Aristotelian argumentation to explain his proposed (and correct) location of the sun at the center of the Solar System.

Despite its profound explanatory power, this new way of explaining an unpopular belief was not immediately accepted. Although he had finished his last book in 1530, it remained unpublished until 1543, just months before he passed away. And when it was finally released, most of the major thinkers of the day rejected his work and buried him in an unmarked grave.

Though he backed up his claims with hard mathematics, he made his initial observations by simply watching the sky and studying the sun with his naked eye, as he lacked the telescopic tools necessary for a more accurate study of the heavens.

More than 50 years following Copernicus death, Galileo became the first person to study the planets with a telescope. Though Copernicus thoughts on Heliocentrism remained unpopular, Galileo began using his telescope to prove the Earth did, in fact, revolve around the Sun just as his Polish predecessor had claimed many years before. Galileo also went on to prove the Earth rotated on an axis rather than the sky rotating around the Earth. This meant the apparent movement of the celestial bodies in the heavens was a result of our movement, not vice versa an observation that dealt yet another serious blow to the idea of geocentrism. Copernicus laid the groundwork for Galileo and other astronomers to develop the physics necessary to back up his original mathematics.

Copernicus died at 70 years of age from apoplexy and was buried in a cathedral in Frombork, Poland. Hundreds of years after his death, archaeologists began searching for his remains but were unsuccessful. In late 2005, however, a team of archaeologists led by professor Jerzy Gassowski began scanning the floor of Frombork Cathedral and discovered what they believed to be the bones of the legendary astronomer.

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Happy Birthday Copernicus! Remembering Astronomy’s Legendary Iconoclast

English for kids. Learning astronomy
meteorite hits the Earth

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English for kids. Learning astronomy - Video

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 19, 2013)] [Notices] [Page 11685] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2013-03691]

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee 13883; Notice of Meeting

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463, as amended), the National Science Foundation announces the following meeting:

Name: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (13883).

Date and Time: March 1, 2013 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EST.

Place: Teleconference National Science Foundation, Room 390, Stafford I Building, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230.

Type of Meeting: Open.

Contact Person: Dr. James Ulvestad, Division Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences, Suite 1045, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: 703-292-8820.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and recommendations to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on issues within the field of astronomy and astrophysics that are of mutual interest and concern to the agencies.

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Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee Meeting 1 March 2013

TULSA, Oklahoma -

The meteorite that crashed Friday morning in Russia had the world talking, including Tulsa.

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa said it's a rare event to have such good video footage of a meteorite strike.

We wanted to learn more about it and the asteroid that passed through its nearest distance from Earth Friday afternoon.

Astronomers say it usually takes high profile events like this to grab the public's attention. But they hope this fascination leads others to learn more about near Earth objects.

The meteor exploded with a blinding light over the Russian sky Friday morning, as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. The shock wave was deafening and was followed immediately by breaking glass and car alarms.

"Something like this will surprise the pants off you," said Lee Bickle, of the Astronomy Club of Tulsa.

He was up early watching the coverage closely when the meteor exploded over the Russian city of Chelybinsk.

2/14/2013 Related Story: Hundreds Injured As Meteorite Falls On Central Russia

He said it was traveling close to 20 miles per second.

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Tulsa Astronomy Club Gives Insight Into Near Earth Objects

The meteorite that exploded over Russia, traveling at a speed of 33,000 miles per hour, injured hundreds, blew out windows and sparked a discussion in Dr. John Feldmeier's astronomy class at Youngstown State University.

"I thought it was normal Russia, that's crazy," said Brandon Smith, a YSU sophomore.

"What's unusual about this meteorite today is it came very close to a pretty decent size city in Russia," said Dr. John Feldmeier, Youngstown State University professor of physics and astronomy.

Feldmeier told students that most of the time, rocks like this land in the ocean. Friday's meteorite actually blew up in the sky, thousands of feet above the Earth's surface.

"As it blew up and as it entered the earth's atmosphere, this huge shock wave blew out from all directions and anybody within that region felt that shock wave," said Feldmeier.

"We are bombarded by little particles of space dust every day, it happens all the time," said Dr. Patrick Durrell, assistant professor in the department of physics and astronomy. "People just have to remember there's a lot more small pieces than big pieces."

While the meteorite that hit Russia was large in force, Durrell said it was probably a small rock, making it hard to track.

"This one was probably the size of a small car," said Durrell.

Ironically, on the same day as the Russian meteorite, a much bigger rock, an asteroid about half the size of a football field passed by Earth. NASA was able to track this one when it was discovered about a year ago.

"It's not going to hit us, but it is just a reminder that there are lots of these little asteroids around and occassionally we're going to get close passes and yes, even occassionally get hit."

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Meteorite Sparks Discussion in Astronomy Classes