Astronomy – Ch. 7: The Solar Sys – Comparative Planetology (23 of 33) The Large Moons – Video


Astronomy - Ch. 7: The Solar Sys - Comparative Planetology (23 of 33) The Large Moons
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will discuss the seven largest moons in our Solar System. Next video in this series can be seen at: http://yout...

By: Michel van Biezen

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Astronomy - Ch. 7: The Solar Sys - Comparative Planetology (23 of 33) The Large Moons - Video

Leonard Nimoy And Why Space Needs Real Spocks

Maybe it was those Vulcan ears. But news of Leonard Nimoys passing automatically triggered memories of the 83 year-old actors most celebrated role as Mr. Spock both the Starship Enterprises first officer and science officer.

Try as he might to break free of being typecast as the dispassionate half human/half Vulcan we all came to know and love, audiences never let Nimoy forget that it was his role as Mr. Spock that continually got under their skins.

How could such a cool customer like Spock capture the hearts and minds of so many over the last half century?

The short answer may be that Mr. Spock knew how to handle stress and pressure under fire in a decidedly non-human fashion. Spock was never so cold to resemble the Borg, but

Leonard Nimoy (Spock) at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention 2011. Credit: Wikipedia

Yet something else about Spock had great appeal in Star Treks original 1960s-era television incarnation. Simply that in such a tumultuous era, when centuries of gender bias and misogyny were gradually being rectified by the feminist movement, both genders may have secretly found Spocks ability to function above the societal fray refreshing. After all, for a generation or more, a large part of the gender conversation has been about two things how men should handle the everyday stresses and whether they should publicly express their emotional vulnerabilities in ways that their great grandfathers would have never dreamed. Nimoy, as Mr. Spock, avoided all such societal noise.

Although some audiences may like real sweat on their action heroes, Spock evoked cool simply because he was so detached. And while, to my knowledge, the 1960s-era Spock never got the girl, he did teach us all a bit more about the virtues of logical thinking in a pinch a trait thats sorely missing for most of us.

Does this mean that space generations of the far future will need to become dispassionate Spocks to deal with the weeks and months of inevitable boredom inherent in long-duration space travel?

Thats a distinct possibility, particularly on years-long space missions even to and from Mars Mars, but certainly on missions to the outer solar system.

And unless we get a leg up on travel approaching light speed, then Trekkian dreams of missions to to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations will be moot anyway.

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Leonard Nimoy And Why Space Needs Real Spocks

Why MH370 Will Likely Remain Lost

Despite protestations to the contrary, what remains of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will likely never be found. Thats the hard truth that the search crews and the families and friends of the victims have yet to fully embrace, but were getting there and fast.

After nearly three decades of journalism, Ive learned to follow my gut instinct. And theres something thats just off about this whole case. Its not simply a matter of following search arcs. Im just not 100 percent convinced engine ping satellite acquisition signals notwithstanding that this Malaysia Airlines Boeing Boeing 777-200 aircraft ultimately ended up along the primary 7th search arc in the southern Indian Ocean.

As Emirates Airline CEO Sir Tim Clark told Der Spiegel late last year, and as I noted in a previous Forbes column, We have not seen a single thing that suggests categorically that this aircraft is where they say it is, apart from this so-called electronic satellite handshake which I question as well. But nearly a year after disappearing, while carrying 239 passengers and crew en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, nor do I believe that the aircraft was hijacked and then secreted away for some sort of nefarious later use.

The flight deck of the missing Malaysian 777-200 as photographed in 2004. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Although the Australians have run a very professional search operation, their continual optimism about finding the wreckage from the Malaysian 777 at this late date is arguably misplaced. Or at least such optimism should be frequently leavened with the concession that despite their methodical search strategies,

In truth, finding the remains of MH370 is hardly just a matter of covering the remaining 60,000 square km of search area in the manner that one might look for a lost earring in the carpet of a living room floor. There are just too many variables that were used to track the aircrafts putative flight path south into the Indian Ocean not to wonder whether theres simply something very fundamental missing from the search calculus.

As for the Malaysians?

The manner in which the Malaysian government has communicated the facts over the past year has rightly or wrongly created the impression that something is being covered up. This makes fertile ground for conspiracy theorists. But it also seems like more than just a case study in bad crisis management public relations.

As Sir Clark told Der Spiegel last October, We need to know who was on the plane in detail and what was in the hold of the aircraft.

As for the media?

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Why MH370 Will Likely Remain Lost

Russian satellite support, wave search move Green Bank toward independence

While the staff of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank can detect no sign of the National Science Foundation changing its plan to drop the Pocahontas County research facilitys primary research tool the Green Bank Telescope from its portfolio of fully funded astronomy sites by 2017, new rays of hope for the facilitys future can be seen on the horizon.

I am optimistic, said the observatorys business manager, Mike Holstine. Weve been a part of the West Virginia landscape for almost 60 years, and I think that in some shape or form, well be here for a number of years more.

Holstines optimism has developed despite the fact that the NSF opted in 2012 to divest itself of the observatorys crown jewel the $100 million Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, along with the Very Long Baseline Array a network of 10 linked radio-telescopes headquartered in New Mexico and several other smaller telescopes. Facing a dwindling federal budget for astronomy, the NSF chose to focus on the funding of new projects, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA)in Chile, even though the West Virginia telescope was far from being outdated or idle.

Completed in 2000, the 450-foot-tall, 16 million-pound GBT is the worlds largest fully steerable telescope, capable of precisely directing its 2.3-acre light collecting surface to all but the southernmost 15 percent of the celestial sphere. Known for its wide range of observational wavelengths and its high resolution, the GBT is used by scientists to search the universe for the building blocks of life by detecting gases in distant galaxies and interstellar molecules. Considered one of the best pulsar telescopes in the world, the GBT is used by astronomers around the world to clock the millisecond flashes coming from the spinning neutron stars. Current pulsar research made possible by the huge radio-telescope is helping an international consortium of scientists search for evidence of gravitational waves, the presence of which were first postulated in Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity.

Not all of GBT-assisted discoveries take place in deep space. In January, the telescope produced detailed images of a 70-meter moon orbiting around an asteroid measuring 300 meters across, as the objects hurtled within 745,000 miles of the Earth.

Each year, the GBT provides researchers about 6,500 hours of observation time. That wont necessarily end when the 2017 divestiture date arrives, according to Holstine.

The NSF has said that if we can come up with half the cost of operating the GBT, they would continue to fund us at something almost up to but less than the remaining 50 percent,Holstine said. Right now, were operating at about 30 percent from external funding. So far, were doing pretty good.

Currently, West Virginia University is contributing about $500,000 annually to GBT operations, which now cost $6 million to $7 million annually. Other clients include the Russian space agency, which in 2013 retrofitted Green Banks 1965-vintage 43-meter telescope to serve as one of two Earth stations for the agencys orbiting RadioAstron satellite, the most distant element of an Earth-to-space spanning radio telescope. When the orbiting radio-telescope passes out of view from its Moscow Earth station, observations are downloaded to the Green Bank dish.

We started working with RadioAstron three years ago,said Holstine. Theyve been a great partner. In addition to paying for time on the 43-meter scope, RadioAstron uses the GBT as part of a linked array of radio-telescopes called an interferometer to get high-resolution data, Holstine said. When linked to the GBT,the satellite and other land-based radio-telescopes in the system, a virtual radio-telescope with a diameter of up to 220,000 miles is formed. RadioAstron is used to study quasars, cosmic masers and interstellar space in unprecedented detail.

Their contract runs out in June, but theyve indicated they have every intention of extending it, Holstine said. How long RadioAstron and the Green Bank observatory will remain partners, Holstine said, depends on the state of Russian affairs.

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Russian satellite support, wave search move Green Bank toward independence

Lowell curator and FALA teacher to fly on airborne observatory

Samantha Thompson of Lowell Observatory and Rich Krueger of the Flagstaff Arts & Leadership Academy (FALA) have been selected for the SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program. Later this year, they will take flight alongside scientists on NASAs flying observatory.

The Thompson/Krueger team was just one of 14 chosen from a highly competitive, nationwide field of educators. Each team of ambassadors will work with a professional astronomer to experience airborne astronomical research first-hand. Afterward, the educators share what they learned with their classrooms and local communities.

The goal of the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program is to increase scientific literacy. Each year, a new group of educator teams are chosen to fulfil this mission. Dana Backman, SOFIA Outreach Manager, said There are two components to the applications. The educators have to talk about how they are going to improve the science and STEM education within their institutions, plus they have to have a public engagement plan, a way to somehow leverage their experience into the local neighborhood.

Because of the limited number of opportunities to fly, many more applications come in than can be accepted. In evaluating the projects, Backman said, We want to see something thats innovative. All the ones that were selected had some interesting twists.

In the case of Thompson and Krueger, one unique aspect involved exhibits the team will build. Thompson said, We will create one exhibit here at Lowell and one that travels around to STEM fairs, the Festival of Science, schools and elsewhere.

Because these displays will be shown at both informal (Lowell) and formal (schools) education sites, they will reach a wide range of audiences. Plus, Kruegers students will gain valuable firsthand experience. Krueger said, When we take the exhibit to Wheeler Park and classrooms, my students will go and help teach the concepts in the exhibits.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a modified 747SP jetliner equipped with a 100-inch telescope. Flying at altitudes between 39,000 and 45,000 feet, the craft collects data from the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. One of the instruments on SOFIA is the High Speed Imaging Photometer for Occultation (HIPO), a device built by astronomer Ted Dunham and his engineering team at Lowell Observatory. Lowell director Jeffrey Hall said, Lowell Observatory has long been involved scientifically with SOFIA, so its very appropriate to have one of our staff members take part in the ambassador program.

Thompson is curator at Lowell Observatory. She manages the observatorys collection of historical artifacts and designs educational exhibits. She said, My goal is to make astronomy, and generally science, technology, and math, accessible to all. The SOFIA Ambassador program allows me to do this, and I am very grateful to have this rare opportunity that few people get.

Krueger teaches primarily high school science classes at FALA, a public charter school. He said, I teach from the phenomena basis, where I give the kids a phenomenon and ask them How do we understand that. Flying on SOFIA and participating in a research project gives me the tools to do so.

-- Sun staff reports

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Lowell curator and FALA teacher to fly on airborne observatory

See the solar eclipse from Ipswich Waterfront on March 20

19:45 05 March 2015

James Marston

David Murton (L to R) Paul Whiting and Bill Barton in front of the main telescope at the Orwell Astronomical Society. Photograph Simon Parker

Archant

Astronomy enthusiasts will be gathering outside Isaacs on March 20 to view the celestial event - and you are invited to join them.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth.

Each year there are between two and five solar eclipses.

The Suns corona extends millions of kilometres into space

Looking at the sun during an eclipse is dangerous and specialist equipment must be used.

The March 2015 eclipses longest duration of totality will be 2 minutes and 46 seconds off the northern coast of the Faroe Islands.

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See the solar eclipse from Ipswich Waterfront on March 20

Astronomy For Everyone – Episode 66 – Solar Eclipse Viewing November 2014 – Video


Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 66 - Solar Eclipse Viewing November 2014
Astronomy For Everyone is a TV series of monthly TV shows developed by members of the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club (FAAC) targeted to beginner and intermediat...

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Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 66 - Solar Eclipse Viewing November 2014 - Video

Will be rescheduled as soon as we get back on track! Astronomy Cast Ep. 370: KaufmannBuchererNe… – Video


Will be rescheduled as soon as we get back on track! Astronomy Cast Ep. 370: KaufmannBuchererNe...
Join +Fraser Cain and +Pamela Gay for a live episode of Astronomy Cast. We #39;ll record our 30-minute show, and then stick around to answer your questions about space and astronomy. Astronomy...

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Will be rescheduled as soon as we get back on track! Astronomy Cast Ep. 370: KaufmannBuchererNe... - Video

Astronomy at the bottom of the Earth – Aftershock: The Hunt for Gravitational Waves – Horizon – BBC – Video


Astronomy at the bottom of the Earth - Aftershock: The Hunt for Gravitational Waves - Horizon - BBC
Programme website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b055knk1 John Kovac describes what it #39;s like operating telescopes at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station...

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Astronomy at the bottom of the Earth - Aftershock: The Hunt for Gravitational Waves - Horizon - BBC - Video

St Luke's arts centre in $4.7m expansion

St Luke's principal Alanna Otway and Regional Development Minister Terry Redman (centre) with Pilbara Development Commision acting chief executive Tony Hill and chairman Chris Gilmour.

The St Luke's College art centre is to receive $4.69 million of Royalties for Regions funds to upgrade and accommodate an expanded performing arts program, digital photography and astronomy classes.

Regional Development Minister Terry Redman announced the funding for the state-of-the-art upgrade.

St Luke's principal Alanna Otway said the funding was timely given their new performing arts program had proved a hit.

"We were hoping we'd get about 30 students. We had 90 students audition, which was well above expectations," she said.

"We are hoping with the extension to this performing arts centre we can actually make it into a real hub and we can bring community groups in to be more involved.

"I think in terms of facilities we can offer to those community groups who are out there and may be struggling for their own facilities, it will be really good."

Ms Otway said building would start shortly, with doors expected to be open for the start of the 2016 school year.

Once complete, the building is earmarked to accommodate dance schools, community associations, hobby groups, a green room, dressing rooms, an observatory and a photography lab.

Students will be able to study courses such as acting, stage design, visual and multimedia arts and photography.

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St Luke's arts centre in $4.7m expansion

Local teachers headed toward space

Susan Oltman April Whitt

Posted: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 9:59 am | Updated: 10:01 am, Tue Mar 3, 2015.

Local teachers headed toward space

Kittredge Magnet School teacher Susan Oltman and April Whitt of the Fernbank Science Center were two of 28 ambassadors and the only from Georgia selected as 2015 Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors for NASAs Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy program, known as SOFIA.

The flying observatory is a highly modified Boeing 747SP jetliner carrying a 100-inch (2.5-meter) effective diameter telescope. Fitted with instruments that collect data at infrared wavelengths, SOFIA flies at altitudes between 39,000 and 45,000 feet (12-14 kilometers) on 10-hour overnight science missions.

Each educator team will complete a graduate credit astronomy course and then will be paired with a team of professional astronomers conducting science flights aboard SOFIA.

After their flight experiences, ambassadors take what theyve learned from the program into their classroom and communities to relate the scientific discovery process and its value to society.

2015 Dunwoody Crier. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted in News, Local news on Tuesday, March 3, 2015 9:59 am. Updated: 10:01 am.

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Local teachers headed toward space

Astronomy For Everyone – Episode 27 – Astronomy At the Beach 2011 August 2011 – Video


Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 27 - Astronomy At the Beach 2011 August 2011
Astronomy For Everyone is a TV series of monthly TV shows developed by members of the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club (FAAC) targeted to beginner and intermediat...

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Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 27 - Astronomy At the Beach 2011 August 2011 - Video

Astronomy For Everyone – Episode 55 – Curiosity Update & Questions from Viewers December 2013 – Video


Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 55 - Curiosity Update Questions from Viewers December 2013
Astronomy For Everyone is a TV series of monthly TV shows developed by members of the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club (FAAC) targeted to beginner and intermediat...

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Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 55 - Curiosity Update & Questions from Viewers December 2013 - Video