Buying Your First Telescope
Hello Space Fans! If there #39;s one question that +Tony Darnell and +Scott Lewis have been asked more than any, it #39;s "what telescope should I buy?". With the ho...
By: Deep Astronomy
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Astronomy Forecast- Asteroids, Fireballs, live Asteroid, Milky Way Arms?, Moon – Video
Astronomy Forecast- Asteroids, Fireballs, live Asteroid, Milky Way Arms?, Moon
December 17, 2013 2013 XG17 0.0609 AU 23.7 LD Size 75-170m Estimated Close Approach 4:53 a.m. UT 2013 VC10 0.0361 AU 14.0 LD Size 32-71m Estimated Close Appr...
By: Sarah Hockensmith
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Astronomy Forecast- Asteroids, Fireballs, live Asteroid, Milky Way Arms?, Moon - Video
United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey, Inc.
United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey, Inc. (UACNJ) was formed in 1988 as a loosely associated networking group for New Jersey area amateur astronomy clubs. UACNJ itself is not a club, but a consortium of a dozen and a half clubs united to support, coordinate, and communicate ideas among over 1400 individuals who make astronomy their hobby, in and around the state. UACNJ helps promote and support amateur astronomy in the New Jersey area by representing its member clubs with its astronomical displays at major area events. UACNJ's presence has been seen regularly at the Rockland Astronomy Club's "Astronomy Forum" in the spring, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton's "New Jersey StarQuest" June camp weekend, Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association's "Stella-Della-Valley" camp weekend in the fall, as well as UACNJ's own April Astronomy Day and September Symposium events, held at the UACNJ Observatory. UACNJ maintains a Speakers' Bureau for member clubs, awards Messier, Asteroid and Spectroscopic Certificates to qualifying observers, and maintains this web site which provides information on member clubs and links directly to all their web sites.
We hope that you will consider making a donation to help maintain UACNJ facilities and provide programs for the public. A receipt for income tax purposes is available upon request. Donations can be sent to UACNJ at P.O. Box 150, Hope, NJ 07844 or placed in our donation jugs when you visit.
Want to help out with our equipment/outreach costs?
Link:
Astronomy – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Astronomy is a natural science that is the study of celestial objects (such as moons, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies), the physics, chemistry, mathematics, and evolution of such objects, and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth, including supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic background radiation. A related but distinct subject, cosmology, is concerned with studying the universe as a whole.[1]
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures left behind astronomical artifacts such as the Egyptian monuments and Nubian monuments, and early civilizations such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians, Iranians and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a modern science. Historically, astronomy has included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy, and the making of calendars, but professional astronomy is nowadays often considered to be synonymous with astrophysics.[2]
During the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects, which is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. The two fields complement each other, with theoretical astronomy seeking to explain the observational results and observations being used to confirm theoretical results.
Amateur astronomers have contributed to many important astronomical discoveries, and astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery and observation of transient phenomena.
Astronomy is not to be confused with astrology, the belief system which claims that human affairs are correlated with the positions of celestial objects. Although the two fields share a common origin they are now entirely distinct.[3]
The word astronomy (from the Greek words astron (), "star" and -nomy from nomos (), "law" or "culture") literally means "law of the stars" (or "culture of the stars" depending on the translation).
Generally, either the term "astronomy" or "astrophysics" may be used to refer to this subject.[4][5][6] Based on strict dictionary definitions, "astronomy" refers to "the study of objects and matter outside the Earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties"[7] and "astrophysics" refers to the branch of astronomy dealing with "the behavior, physical properties, and dynamic processes of celestial objects and phenomena".[8] In some cases, as in the introduction of the introductory textbook The Physical Universe by Frank Shu, "astronomy" may be used to describe the qualitative study of the subject, whereas "astrophysics" is used to describe the physics-oriented version of the subject.[9] However, since most modern astronomical research deals with subjects related to physics, modern astronomy could actually be called astrophysics.[4] Few fields, such as astrometry, are purely astronomy rather than also astrophysics. Various departments in which scientists carry out research on this subject may use "astronomy" and "astrophysics," partly depending on whether the department is historically affiliated with a physics department,[5] and many professional astronomers have physics rather than astronomy degrees.[6] One of the leading scientific journals in the field is the European journal named Astronomy and Astrophysics. The leading American journals are The Astrophysical Journal and The Astronomical Journal.
In early times, astronomy only comprised the observation and predictions of the motions of objects visible to the naked eye. In some locations, such as Stonehenge, early cultures assembled massive artifacts that possibly had some astronomical purpose. In addition to their ceremonial uses, these observatories could be employed to determine the seasons, an important factor in knowing when to plant crops, as well as in understanding the length of the year.[10]
Before tools such as the telescope were invented, early study of the stars had to be conducted from the only vantage points available, namely tall buildings and high ground using the naked eye. As civilizations developed, most notably in Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, Greece, India, and Central America, astronomical observatories were assembled, and ideas on the nature of the universe began to be explored. Most of early astronomy actually consisted of mapping the positions of the stars and planets, a science now referred to as astrometry. From these observations, early ideas about the motions of the planets were formed, and the nature of the Sun, Moon and the Earth in the universe were explored philosophically. The Earth was believed to be the center of the universe with the Sun, the Moon and the stars rotating around it. This is known as the geocentric model of the universe, or the Ptolemaic system, named after Ptolemy.[11]
A particularly important early development was the beginning of mathematical and scientific astronomy, which began among the Babylonians, who laid the foundations for the later astronomical traditions that developed in many other civilizations.[12] The Babylonians discovered that lunar eclipses recurred in a repeating cycle known as a saros.[13]
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Welcome to STAR Astronomy | STAR Astronomy
S*T*A*R , the Society of Telescopy, Astronomy, and Radio, is the focal point for amateur astronomy in Monmouth County, NJ, attracting members of all ages, occupations and backgrounds. Founded in 1957, the club holds regular meetings, observing nights, star parties, trips and special activities such as amateur telescope making and assisting local schools, scouts and park systems in conducting public astronomy programs. The club owns several telescopes available to members including a 25 aperture Dobsonian, the largest portable telescope in the tri state area.
S*T*A*R meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month from September to June, at 8 pm at the Monmouth Museum on the campus of Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ. Directions can be found here. Programs generally consist of lectures and discussions by members or guest speakers on a variety of interesting topics on astronomy. Refreshments are served during the meeting and, weather permitting, a short observing session may occur afterwards.
Everybody is welcome please come along! No telescope required!
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NAU partners in Lowell’s Discovery Channel Telescope
Northern Arizona Universitys already bustling astronomy program raised its profile this week by securing a place as partner in a world-class telescope.
The college is now an official partner with Lowell Observatorys Discovery Channel Telescope, the fifth largest telescope in the country.
In exchange for just over $1 million, NAU will receive 80 nights of telescope use over the course of five years. That works out to $12,500 per night on the $53 million telescope.
The DCT, which saw its first light last year, is located about 40 miles south of Flagstaff in Happy Jack.
NAU professors will use their nights to study Kuiper Belt Objects at the outer edge of the solar system. The instrument will also become a teaching tool for the schools growing body of astronomy students.
You dont just become a scientist doing bookwork, said Stephen Tegler, chair of the astronomy and physics department, citing the need for apprenticeship. Its working hands on with research grade equipment. That apprenticeship goes leaps and bounds ahead with the Discovery Channel Telescope.
Read more about it in Thursday's Arizona Daily Sun.
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Lick Observatory’s astronomy research could end
By Lisa M. Krieger lkrieger@mercurynews.com
SAN JOSE -- The future of astronomical research at the iconic Lick Observatory is in peril, as the University of California threatens to cut funding and perhaps even convert most of its once-cutting-edge Mount Hamilton telescopes into museum relics.
Now, alongside the search for new celestial frontiers, scientists must hunt for a new source of outside funding to keep the 125-year-old observatory from going dark.
"It's heartbreaking. We're collapsing like a house of cards," said Steve Vogt, who leads a team of planet-hunting astronomers at UC-Santa Cruz.
Perched on the 4,200-foot summit of Mount Hamilton east of San Jose, the UC-run observatory is home to six telescopes, which are increasingly upstaged by newer and larger telescopes in other parts of the world. When constructed in 1888, Lick was the first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory in the world; for almost a decade, its original telescope was the largest ever built.
It has made major contributions to the field of astronomy, discovering asteroids, moons of Jupiter and planets outside our solar system.
If it loses funding, Lick's sensitive new $10 million Automated Planet Finder, a decade in production, would no longer scan the skies for our galactic neighbors, bringing us closer to answering the profound question: Are we alone?
The observatory's surveys of supernovae and the future of astronomy education at UC-Santa Cruz are also under threat, because the campus relies on Lick to support its nationally-renowned academic program.
"UC wants it off the books," Vogt said. "They're shutting the door and turning out the lights."
The plan is based on the findings of two review committees -- one at UC, the second made up of independent experts -- that two other Hawaii-based sites, W.M. Keck Observatory and the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), deserve higher priority at a time of cost-cutting.
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Discovery Channel Telescope gets new partner
Northern Arizona Universitys already bustling astronomy program raised its profile this week by partnering with a world-class telescope.
The university has secured regular time on Lowell Observatorys Discovery Channel Telescope, the fifth-largest telescope in the country.
In exchange for a little more than $1 million, NAU will receive 80 nights of telescope use over the course of five years. That works out to about $12,500 per night on the $53 million telescope.
The DCT, which saw its first light last year, is located about 40 miles southeast of Flagstaff in Happy Jack.
NAU professors will use their nights to study Kuiper Belt Objects at the outer edge of the solar system. The instrument will also become a teaching tool for the schools growing body of astronomy students.
The way you become a scientist is by apprenticeship, said Stephen Tegler, chair of the astronomy and physics department, adding that students dont just learn through bookwork. When students see they have access to this kind of facility, thats a very big motivator.
Other schools already in the partnership include Boston University, the University of Maryland and the University of Toledo.
Lowell is delighted that NAU has agreed to become a DCT partner, said Lowell Observatory Director Jeff Hall. This is another example of our institutions working together for the advancement of science.
NAU students will now get the chance to accompany astronomers like Tegler on their trips to the telescope with the 4-meter lens (about 13 feet). The professor said that some students already spent time with the telescope in observational astronomy classes this semester, which were taught by a Lowell Observatory astronomer. Those chances will now become more frequent.
MORE STUDENTS, FACULTY
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Astronomy students observe heavenly views with high-tech telescope
PECULIAR, Mo. Science fiction fans arent alone in their interest in The Final Frontier. One group of astronomy students is exploring the stars, too. Raymore-Peculiar High School received a donated high-tech telescope.
Now, science classes at Ray-Pec High will never be the same again. A society of space exploration enthusiasts has donated the telescope that stands nearly 12-feet tall to the high school.
Its giving students a rare opportunity to see the cosmos as if the heavens sit in their own backyard.
Darrick Gray has spent 14 years teaching in Peculiar, Mo. The new 25-inch Dobsonian Telescope has been a game-changer for his students.
We looked at Jupiter, and there was no issue whatsoever looking at the bands. I point the telescope at it, and Bam! Theres the bands, Gray said.
Ray-Pec received the telescope after it was donated by the Star Garden. Its a non-profit astronomical society based in Warrensburg, Mo. The telescopes 25-inch mirror produces amazing images of heavenly bodies. Even the sight of the Orion Nebula, which is over 1,300 light years from Earth, came in crystal clear.
To my knowledge, its the biggest scope in the area outside of the Powell Observatory. Theyre the only one that I factually know is bigger than this one, Gray said.
The telescope is giving students a rare opportunity to step out of the classroom and apply the science theyve learned.
Its just crazy. You can see it in a book, and see all the different colors and stuff they do through Photoshop. You can actually see it through the telescope. Its intense, student Kat Pismenny said.
You see the beauty when you look at the stars and you see all of the colors and all of the patterns of everything thats out there. It just makes you feel small. You look at it and its glorious, student Brianna Grey said.
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Astronomy students observe heavenly views with high-tech telescope
Astrophysics – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Astrophysics (Greek: Astron - meaning "star", and Greek: physis - meaning "nature") is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior.[1] Among the objects studied are galaxies, stars, planets, extrasolar planets, the interstellar medium and the cosmic microwave background.[2][3] Their emissions are examined across all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the properties examined include luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition. Because astrophysics is a very broad subject, astrophysicists typically apply many disciplines of physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity, nuclear and particle physics, and atomic and molecular physics. Areas which astrophysicists work in include resolving questions on what constitutes dark matter and conducting research on black holes.[4] In practice, modern astronomical research involves a substantial amount of physics. The name of a university's department ("astrophysics" or "astronomy") often has to do more with the department's history than with the contents of the programs. Astrophysics can be studied at the bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. levels in aerospace engineering, physics, or astronomy departments at many universities.
Although astronomy is as ancient as recorded history itself, it was long separated from the study of terrestrial physics. In the Aristotelian worldview, the celestial world tended towards perfection. Bodies in the sky appeared to be unchanging spheres moving with unchanging circular motion, while the earthly world was the realm of change in which natural motion was in a straight line and ended when the moving object reached its goal. Consequently, it was held that the celestial region was made of a fundamentally different kind of matter from that found in the terrestrial sphere; either Fire as maintained by Plato, or Aether as maintained by Aristotle.[5][6]
In the 17th century, natural philosophers such as Galileo, Descartes, and Newton began to maintain that the celestial and terrestrial regions were made of similar kinds of material and were subject to the same natural laws.
At the end of the 19th century, it was discovered that, when decomposing the light from the Sun, a multitude of spectral lines were observed (regions where there was less or no light). Laboratory experiments with hot gases showed that the same lines could be observed in the spectra of known gases, specific lines corresponding to unique chemical elements. In this way it was proved that the chemical elements found in the Sun and stars (chiefly hydrogen) were also found on Earth. Indeed, the element helium was first discovered in the spectrum of the Sun and only later found on Earth, hence its name. During the 20th century, spectroscopy (the study of these spectral lines) advanced, particularly as a result of the advent of quantum physics that was necessary to understand the astronomical and experimental observations.[7]
See also:
The majority of astrophysical observations are made using the electromagnetic spectrum.
Other than electromagnetic radiation, few things may be observed from the Earth that originate from great distances. A few gravitational wave observatories have been constructed, but gravitational waves are extremely difficult to detect. Neutrino observatories have also been built, primarily to study our Sun. Cosmic rays consisting of very high energy particles can be observed hitting the Earth's atmosphere.
Observations can also vary in their time scale. Most optical observations take minutes to hours, so phenomena that change faster than this cannot readily be observed. However, historical data on some objects is available, spanning centuries or millennia. On the other hand, radio observations may look at events on a millisecond timescale (millisecond pulsars) or combine years of data (pulsar deceleration studies). The information obtained from these different timescales is very different.
The study of our very own Sun has a special place in observational astrophysics. Due to the tremendous distance of all other stars, the Sun can be observed in a kind of detail unparalleled by any other star. Our understanding of our own sun serves as a guide to our understanding of other stars.
The topic of how stars change, or stellar evolution, is often modeled by placing the varieties of star types in their respective positions on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, which can be viewed as representing the state of a stellar object, from birth to destruction. The material composition of the astronomical objects can often be examined using:
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Home Page – Astrophysics Science Division – 660
Astrophysics Science Division (660) Home
Hubble Peers at a Cosmic Optical Illusion: Are these two space giants entangled in a fierce celestial battle -- galaxies entwined and merging to form one? It's easy it is to misinterpret the jumble of stars and get the wrong impression.
The Astrophysics Science Division conducts a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, and fundamental physics. Individual investigations address issues such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which planets outside our solar system may harbor life, and the nature of space, time, and matter at the edges of black holes.
Observing photons, particles, and gravitational waves enables researchers to probe astrophysical objects and processes. Researchers develop theoretical models, design experiments and hardware to test theories, interpret and evaluate the data, archive and disseminate the data, provide expert user support to the scientific community, and publish conclusions drawn from research. The Division also conducts education and public outreach programs about its projects and missions.
About the ASD
Master Calendar: Seminars & Colloquia
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Swift Data Reveals 100K New Cosmic X-Ray Source Locations
December 17, 2013
Image Caption: An artist's rendering of the Swift spacecraft with a gamma-ray burst going off in the background. Credit: Spectrum Astro and NASA E/PO, Sonoma State University, Aurore Simonnet
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online
By analyzing data collected by NASAs Swift robotic spacecraft, astronomers from the University of Leicester have reportedly discovered the location of nearly 100,000 previously unknown cosmic X-ray sources.
The research team studied eight years worth of observations collected during the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission to compile a catalog of major celestial X-ray sources a list that includes more than 150,000 high-energy stars and galaxies and appears in the latest edition of The Astrophysical Journal.
In addition to providing the positions of almost a hundred thousand previously unknown X-ray sources, the team have also analyzed the X-ray variability and X-ray colors of the sources in order to help to understand the origin of their emission, and to help in the classification of rare and exotic objects, the university said in a statement Monday. All of the data, including light curves and spectra are available online.
The Swift satellite was originally launched back in November 2004, and since then it has been studying the immensely powerful stellar explosions, which date back to the earliest days of the universe. The study authors have called it one of the most productive observatories, ever since its launch.
Over the past eight years, Swift has helped revolutionize gamma ray burst (GRB) research thanks largely to its powerful X-ray telescope, which was built at the UK university. In addition to finding the afterglows of these gamma-ray bursts, the telescope can also detect several other types of x-ray sources located within its field of view.
In order to be able to respond quickly to the rapidly fading GRBs, Swift is uniquely agile and autonomous, able to point within a minute or so at a new target, the university said. Because of its science remit and this unusual ability, the Swift XRT has observed a much larger fraction of the sky than the larger European and US X-ray observatories. For this reason it has found a vast number of extra sources in spite of its much lower cost.
Most of the newly discovered X-ray sources are expected to signal the presence of super-massive black holes in the centers of large galaxies many millions of light-years from earth, but the catalogue also contains transient objects (short-lived bursts of X-ray emission) which may come from stellar flares or supernovae, the university said.
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So, You Want To Be An Astrophysicist? Part 0: redux [Dynamics of Cats]
What should a high school student do to get on a track to become an astrophysicist? Reworked from a rework from an oldie. Something prompted me to think it is time to lightly update and republish this series, possibly with added bonus parts!
So, youre in high school wondering what to do with yourself, and you think: hey, I could be an Astrophysicist!
So, what should YOU do, wanting to get into a good university and an astro/physics major?
1) Take all the math that is offered, and do well in it. The limiting factor for most students wanting to do astronomy or astrophysics is poor math preparation in school. You need to get as far and as fast in calculus as you can and be proficient and comfortable with advanced mathematics.
Astrophysics is a mathematical science. In principle, you can pick up the math you need as you go along, but in practise it is better to be as fluent as possible first, and most all math is of some use. My anecdotal observation is that a primary factor limiting peoples ability to progress in astrophysics is inadequate math preparation and insufficient capacity to get up to speed with the additional math needed when it is needed.
2) Take all the science on offer, and do well in that. In particular, take physics classes. One year of high school physics is Not Enough. Take physics, take as much physics as is offered and you have the opportunity to. The more and earlier exposure to introductory physics, the better. You need to have basic physical concepts deeply ingrained and intuitive and that is best done through overlapping repetition over time. It can all be done in the first two years of undergraduate study, but most people have a hard time getting comfortable when crammed with too many new concepts too rapidly.
There are great physical scientists that were English Majors (seriously)! But, that is not the optimal way to proceed for the average student. Figure you are better off taking physics early if you can, and that more is better, as long as it is not so dreadful as to permanently put you off the subject
3) Get good grades overall; preferably straight A, but B+ will do. It will get you far enough to have a chance to see if you can hack it at the next level. Lower grades can be overcome, there is no permanent record, but it makes it harder to get over the next hurdle, or even be allowed to attempt the next hurdle, if you go into it with below average grades.
4) Do all of this without overextending yourself; university is harder with much more intense workload, you need to be able to step up the pace (and again at grad school).
5) Jump through whatever hoops are needed, try to enjoy the process, or just grit your teeth and do it; the real world is worse that way.
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So, You Want To Be An Astrophysicist? Part 0: redux [Dynamics of Cats]
The Manifold Path to Millisecond Pulsars
16.12.2013 - (idw) Max-Planck-Institut fr Radioastronomie
Two astronomers from Bonn have proposed a new path for the formation of a newly discovered class of millisecond pulsars with similar orbital periods and eccentricities. In the scenario of Paulo Freire and Thomas Tauris, a massive white dwarf star accretes matter and angular momentum from a normal companion star and gro ws beyond the critical Chandrasekhar mass limit. The new hypothesis makes several testable predictions about this recently discovered sub-class of millisecond pulsars. If confirmed, it opens up new avenues of research into the physics of stars, in particular the momentum kicks and mass loss associated with accretion induced collapse of massive white dwarfs. Neutron stars can spin very fast with a record value of 716 rotations per second. Such extreme objects are known as millisecond pulsars. Ever since their first discovery in 1982, it has been thought that they are old dead neutron stars that are lucky enough to be in binary star system. As the companion evolves, it starts transferring matter onto the neutron star, spinning it up. This sort of system is known as an X-ray binary. Eventually the companion evolves into a white dwarf star, accretion stops and the neutron star becomes a millisecond pulsar, detectable through its radio pulsations. The orbits of these systems have very low eccentricities, meaning their orbits are extremely close to being perfect circles. This is a consequence of the tidal circularization that happens during the mass transfer stage. Such a scenario has been confirmed both in theoretical work and in the discovery of several systems in different stages of their evolution from X-ray binaries to millisecond pulsars.
However, recent discoveries like PSR J1946+3417 are hinting at the possibility of different formation paths to millisecond pulsars. This source is among 14 new pulsars recently discovered with the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope. Spinning 315 times per second, this is clearly a millisecond pulsar; however, its orbital eccentricity is 4 orders of magnitude larger than other systems with a similar orbital period. Its companion mass is about 0.24 solar masses, most likely a helium white dwarf. Interestingly enough, at about the same time, two systems with similar parameters were discovered using the Arecibo 305 m radio telescope.
It is quite possible that these binary systems started their evolution as triple systems which became dynamically unstable, as in the case of PSR J1903+0327, the first millisecond pulsar with an eccentric orbit. However, this process generates a wide variety of orbital periods, eccentricities and companion masses, quite unlike the three new discoveries, which are in everything very similar.
The new theory builds on previous extensive computational work lead by Tauris. It makes a prediction for the new type of systems: they should have orbital periods between 10 and 60 days, but with a concentration towards the middle of that range, almost exactly as observed for the new systems.
"Our new approach is very elegant", says the lead author, Paulo Freire from MPIfR. "But whether Nature is really making millisecond pulsars this way is not known yet.''
For the next few years, the pulsar team at the Fundamental Physics In Radio Astronomy Group at MPIfR will be involved in testing the predictions of this scenario, particularly by doing optical follow-up studies and by making precise mass measurements of the pulsars and their companions, a key feature of this study. They will also attempt to find more of these pulsar systems using the Effelsberg radio telescope.
"The neat thing is that if the theory passes these tests, it will allow us to learn much more about the kicks and mass loss associated with accretion induced supernovae, and even about the interiors of neutron stars. It might thus be an extremely useful piece of understanding", concludes Paulo Freire.
------------------------------
The paper appears as a Letter in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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James Barrat – Our Final Invention – The Risks of Artificial Intelligence – Video
James Barrat - Our Final Invention - The Risks of Artificial Intelligence
Interview with James Barrat, Author of "Our Final Invention" http://www.jamesbarrat.com Artificial Intelligence helps choose what books you buy, what movies ...
By: Adam Ford
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James Barrat - Our Final Invention - The Risks of Artificial Intelligence - Video
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Big Data Solutions – Video
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Big Data Solutions
Topic: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Big Data Solutions Speaker: Mr. Don Turner, President Chief Executive Officer at VELOXITI Host: Dr. Kambiz Kh...
By: Kambiz Khadem
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The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Big Data Solutions - Video
Artificial intelligence – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence exhibited by machines or software, and the branch of computer science that develops machines and software with intelligence. Major AI researchers and textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents",[1] where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success.[2]John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1955,[3] defines it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines".[4]
AI research is highly technical and specialised, and is deeply divided into subfields that often fail to communicate with each other.[5] Some of the division is due to social and cultural factors: subfields have grown up around particular institutions and the work of individual researchers. AI research is also divided by several technical issues. Some subfields focus on the solution of specific problems. Others focus on one of several possible approaches or on the use of a particular tool or towards the accomplishment of particular applications.
The central problems (or goals) of AI research include reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects.[6] General intelligence (or "strong AI") is still among the field's long term goals.[7] Currently popular approaches include statistical methods, computational intelligence and traditional symbolic AI. There are an enormous number of tools used in AI, including versions of search and mathematical optimization, logic, methods based on probability and economics, and many others.
The field was founded on the claim that a central property of humans, intelligencethe sapience of Homo sapienscan be so precisely described that it can be simulated by a machine.[8] This raises philosophical issues about the nature of the mind and the ethics of creating artificial beings, issues which have been addressed by myth, fiction and philosophy since antiquity.[9] Artificial intelligence has been the subject of tremendous optimism[10] but has also suffered stunning setbacks.[11] Today it has become an essential part of the technology industry and many of the most difficult problems in computer science.[12]
Thinking machines and artificial beings appear in Greek myths, such as Talos of Crete, the bronze robot of Hephaestus, and Pygmalion's Galatea.[13] Human likenesses believed to have intelligence were built in every major civilization: animated cult images were worshiped in Egypt and Greece[14] and humanoid automatons were built by Yan Shi, Hero of Alexandria and Al-Jazari.[15] It was also widely believed that artificial beings had been created by Jbir ibn Hayyn, Judah Loew and Paracelsus.[16] By the 19th and 20th centuries, artificial beings had become a common feature in fiction, as in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Karel apek's R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots).[17]Pamela McCorduck argues that all of these are examples of an ancient urge, as she describes it, "to forge the gods".[9] Stories of these creatures and their fates discuss many of the same hopes, fears and ethical concerns that are presented by artificial intelligence.
Mechanical or "formal" reasoning has been developed by philosophers and mathematicians since antiquity. The study of logic led directly to the invention of the programmable digital electronic computer, based on the work of mathematician Alan Turing and others. Turing's theory of computation suggested that a machine, by shuffling symbols as simple as "0" and "1", could simulate any conceivable act of mathematical deduction.[18][19] This, along with concurrent discoveries in neurology, information theory and cybernetics, inspired a small group of researchers to begin to seriously consider the possibility of building an electronic brain.[20]
The field of AI research was founded at a conference on the campus of Dartmouth College in the summer of 1956.[21] The attendees, including John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell and Herbert Simon, became the leaders of AI research for many decades.[22] They and their students wrote programs that were, to most people, simply astonishing:[23] Computers were solving word problems in algebra, proving logical theorems and speaking English.[24] By the middle of the 1960s, research in the U.S. was heavily funded by the Department of Defense[25] and laboratories had been established around the world.[26] AI's founders were profoundly optimistic about the future of the new field: Herbert Simon predicted that "machines will be capable, within twenty years, of doing any work a man can do" and Marvin Minsky agreed, writing that "within a generation... the problem of creating 'artificial intelligence' will substantially be solved".[27]
They had failed to recognize the difficulty of some of the problems they faced.[28] In 1974, in response to the criticism of Sir James Lighthill and ongoing pressure from the US Congress to fund more productive projects, both the U.S. and British governments cut off all undirected exploratory research in AI. The next few years would later be called an "AI winter",[29] a period when funding for AI projects was hard to find.
In the early 1980s, AI research was revived by the commercial success of expert systems,[30] a form of AI program that simulated the knowledge and analytical skills of one or more human experts. By 1985 the market for AI had reached over a billion dollars. At the same time, Japan's fifth generation computer project inspired the U.S and British governments to restore funding for academic research in the field.[31] However, beginning with the collapse of the Lisp Machine market in 1987, AI once again fell into disrepute, and a second, longer lasting AI winter began.[32]
In the 1990s and early 21st century, AI achieved its greatest successes, albeit somewhat behind the scenes. Artificial intelligence is used for logistics, data mining, medical diagnosis and many other areas throughout the technology industry.[12] The success was due to several factors: the increasing computational power of computers (see Moore's law), a greater emphasis on solving specific subproblems, the creation of new ties between AI and other fields working on similar problems, and a new commitment by researchers to solid mathematical methods and rigorous scientific standards.[33]
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Where The Future Of AI Is Headed – Video
Where The Future Of AI Is Headed
Artificial intelligence is a promising, kind of scary technology. And it #39;s set to become a huge part of YOUR life! Guest host Annie Gaus explains where AI is...
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Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
The leading textbook in Artificial Intelligence. Used in over 1200 universities in over 100 countries. The 22nd most cited computer science publication on Citeseer (and 4th most cited publication of this century). What's New Free Online AI course, Berkeley's CS 188, offered through edX. Comments and Discussion AI Resources on the Web Online Code Repository For the Instructor Getting the Book Table of Contents [Full Contents] Preface [html] Part I Artificial Intelligence 1 Introduction 2 Intelligent Agents Part II Problem Solving 3 Solving Problems by Searching 4 Beyond Classical Search 5 Adversarial Search 6 Constraint Satisfaction Problems Part III Knowledge and Reasoning 7 Logical Agents 8 First-Order Logic 9 Inference in First-Order Logic 10 Classical Planning 11 Planning and Acting in the Real World 12 Knowledge Representation Part IV Uncertain Knowledge and Reasoning 13 Quantifying Uncertainty 14 Probabilistic Reasoning 15 Probabilistic Reasoning over Time 16 Making Simple Decisions 17 Making Complex Decisions Part V Learning 18 Learning from Examples 19 Knowledge in Learning 20 Learning Probabilistic Models 21 Reinforcement Learning Part VII Communicating, Perceiving, and Acting 22 Natural Language Processing 23 Natural Language for Communication 24 Perception 25 Robotics Part VIII Conclusions 26 Philosophical Foundations 27 AI: The Present and Future A Mathematical Background [pdf] B Notes on Languages and Algorithms [pdf] Bibliography [pdf and histograms] Index [html or pdf]
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Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
Founded in 1979, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) (formerly the American Association for Artificial Intelligence) is a nonprofit scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines. AAAI aims to promote research in, and responsible use of, artificial intelligence. AAAI also aims to increase public understanding of artificial intelligence, improve the teaching and training of AI practitioners, and provide guidance for research planners and funders concerning the importance and potential of current AI developments and future directions. More
Major AAAI activities include organizing and sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops, publishing a quarterly magazine for all members, publishing books, proceedings, and reports, and awarding grants, scholarships, and other honors.
AAAI is pleased to announce the new member site for current and prospective members of the Association. From this location, you can join AAAI, change your address, and learn more about the advantages available only to members of AAAI!
It is the generosity and loyalty of our members that enables us to continue to promote and further the science of artificial intelligence. Membership dues and program fees and endowment income cover only a portion of the costs of our programs. Donations and grants must supply the rest. Your gift will help sustain the many and varied programs that AAAI provides. In todays economic climate, we depend even more on the generosity of members like you to help us fulfill our mission.
Contributions make possible projects such as the AI poster, the open access initiative, components of the AAAI annual conference, a lowered membership rate for students as well as student scholarships, and more. To enable us to continue these and other efforts, please consider a generous gift. For information on how you can contribute, please click on Gifts.
As of November 1, 2011, AAAI has officially moved its offices from Menlo Park to Palo Alto, California. Please make a note of our new address: Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence 2275 East Bayshore Road, Suite 160 Palo Alto, California 94303 USA Telephone: 650-328-3123 Fax: 650-321-4457
The major sections of this site (and some popular pages) can be accessed from the links on this page. If you want to learn more about artificial intelligence, you should visit the AI Topics page. To join or learn more about AAAI membership, choose Membership. Choose Publications to learn more about AAAI Press, AI Magazine, and AAAIs journals. To access AAAIs digital library of more than 10,000 AI technical papers, choose Library. Choose Awards to learn more about AAAIs awards and honors and fellows program. To learn more about AAAIs conferences and meetings choose Meetings. For links to policy papers, presidential addresses, and outside AI resources, choose Resources. For information about the AAAI organization, including its officers and staff, choose About Us (also Organization). The search box, powered by Google, will return results restricted to the AAAI site.
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