Daily Archives: May 4, 2017

Well now, this is an interesting discovery: astronomers have found what looks like a "super-Earth" a planet more massive than Earth but still smaller than a gas giant orbiting a nearby star at the right distance to have liquid water on it! Given that, it might might be Earthlike.

This is pretty cool news. Weve found planets like this before, but not very many! And it gets niftier: the planet has at least five siblings, all of which orbit its star closer than it does.

Now let me be clear: this is a planet candidate; it has not yet been confirmed. Reading the journal paper (PDF), though, the data look pretty good. It may yet turn out not to be real, but for the purpose of this blog post Ill just put this caveat here, call it a planet from here on out, and fairly warned be ye, says I.

The star is called HD 40307, and its a bit over 40 light years away (pretty close in galactic standards, but I wouldnt want to walk there). Its a K2.5 dwarf, which means its cooler, dimmer, and smaller than the Sun, but not by much. In other words, its reasonably Sun-like. By coincidence, it appears ot be about the age as the Sun, too: 4.5 billion years. It was observed using HARPS, the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (I know, it should be HARVPS, but thats harvd to pronounce). This is an extremely sensitive instrument that looks for changes in the starlight as a planet (or planets) orbits a star. The gravity of the star causes the planet to orbit it, but the planet has gravity too. As it circles the star, the star makes a littler circle too (I like to think of it as two kids, one bigger than the other, clasping hands and swinging each other around; the lighter kid makes a big circle and the bigger kid makes a smaller circle). As the star makes its circle, half the time its approaching us and half the time its receding. This means its light is Doppler shifted, the same effect that makes a motorcycle engine drop in pitch as it passes you.

Massive planets tug on their star harder, so theyre easier to find this way. Also, a planet closer in has a shorter orbit, so you dont have to look as long to find it. But in the end, by measuring just how the star is Doppler shifted, you can get the mass and orbital period of the planet. Or planets.

In this case, HD 40307 was originally observed a little while back by HARPS, and three planets were found. But the data are public, so a team of astronomers grabbed it and used a more sensitive method to extract any planetary signatures from the data. They found the three previously-seen planets easily enough, but also found three more! One of them is from a planet that has (at least) seven times the mass of the Earth, and orbits with a 198 day period. Called HD 40307g (planets are named after their host star, with a lower case letter after starting with b), its in the "super-Earth" range: more massive than Earth, but less than, say Neptune (which is 17 times our mass).

We dont know how big the planet is, unfortunately. It might be dense and only a little bigger than Earth, or it could be big and puffy. But if its density and size are just so, it could easily have about the same surface gravity as Earth that is, if you stood on it, youd weight the same as you do now!

But the very interesting thing is that it orbits the star at a distance of about 90 million kilometers (55 million miles) closer to its star than is is to the Sun but thats good! The star is fainter and cooler than the Sun, remember. In fact, at this distance, the planet is right in the stars "habitable zone", where the temperature is about right for liquid water to exist!

Thats exciting because of the prospect for life. Now, whenever I mention this I hear from people who get all huffy and say that we dont know you need water for life. Thats true, but look around. Water is common on Earth, and here we are. We dont know that you need water for life, but we do know that water is abundant and we need it. We dont know for sure of any other ways for life to form, so it makes sense to look where we understand things best. And that means liquid water.

Heres a diagram of the system as compared to our own:

Note the scales are a bit different, so that the habitable zones of the Sun and of HD 40307 line up better (remember, HD 40307g is actually closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun an AU is the distance of the Earth to the Sun, so HD 40307 is about 0.6 AU from its star). What makes me smile is that the new planet is actually better situated in its "Goldilocks Zone" than Earth is! Thats good news, actually: the orbit may be elliptical (the shape cant be determined from the types of observations made) but still stay entirely in the stars habitable zone.

And take a look at the system: the other planets all orbit closer to the star! We only have two inside Earths orbit in our solar system but all five of HD 40307s planets would fit comfortably inside Mercurys orbit. Amazing.

So this planet if it checks out as being real is one of only a few weve found in the right location for life as we know it. And some of those weve found already are gas giants (though they could have big moons where life could arise). So what this shows us is that the Earth isnt as out of the ordinary as we may have once thought: nature has lots of ways of putting planets the right distances from their stars for life.

Were edging closer all the time to finding that big goal: an Earth-sized, Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star at the right distance for life. This planet is a actually a pretty good fit, but we just dont know enough about it (primarily its size). So Im still waiting. And given the numbers of stars weve observed, and the number of planets we found, as always I have to ask: has Earth II already been observed, and the data just waiting to be uncovered?

Image credits: ESO/M. Kornmesser; Tuomi et al.

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Bad Astronomy - : Bad Astronomy

Astronomer David Trilling has a pragmatic perspective on the importance of his research

If an asteroids going to hit the Earth, you want to know how big it is, he said.

The Northern Arizona University professor of physics and astronomy measures asteroids that get close to Earthclose being roughly the moons distance away, more or less a few hundred thousand miles. However, one cant simply look at the space rock and estimating its size, though. To effectively measure the size of an asteroid, an astronomer uses an infrared camera to measure the amount of heat it emits: the bigger the asteroid, the more heat it gives off.

Usually that technology is not cheap. Its a large box filled with liquid nitrogen or helium that weighs so much scientists must invest in larger, heavier telescopes to accommodate the camera. The result has been fewer scientists using the technology at all.

To combat that, Trilling decided to get TIPSI.

After conversing with colleagues, he recruited seven NAU students to build the Thermal Infrared Planetary Sensing Imager (TIPSI), an infrared camera that weighs 70 grams, operates at room temperature and can be connected to a regular computer through a USB drive. It cost about $15,000 to make and regular maintenance is limited to needing a power source and access to the Internet. At this price point, this infrared camera is 20-50 times cheaper than the old type of infrared camera.

The project, which was unveiled at the Barry Lutz at NAU on May 2, started with a hallway conversation between astronomy professor Christopher Edwards and Michael Mommert, a physics and astronomy research associate. Although they advised the process, the students built the system, which included creating the computer program to collect and store data, finding a way to mount the camera on a telescope and figuring out how to get power and Internet to the camera.

The students are Bradley Moldermaker, Dan Avner, Daniel Krollman, Nathan Smith, Cheyenne Clutter, Corrie Vanlaanen and Zowie Haugaard. They came from physics and astronomy, computer science and mechanical engineering and include two graduate students and five undergraduates.

Smith, a masters student in applied physics, brought a critical expertise to the projectfamiliarity with the telescope and knowing what astronomers needed from an instrument like TIPSI. He helped with the design of the mounting hardware, helped debug the camera control software, developed and tested different ways to analyze the data and has been the guinea pig at the telescope making observations.

Members of the team who built TIPSI celebrate at the unveiling of the infrared camera at the Barry Lutz Telescope on May 2, 2017.

The team has such a diverse mix of engineering and computer science backgrounds, but many of the others didnt know much about astronomy or telescopes when we started, Smith said. Since I have some experience with the campus telescope already, I tried to bring a users perspective to the design and functionality of the instrument.

I dont have any background in engineering or design, so I learned a lot just seeing the process of turning an idea into a physical end product, he said. Especially with an instrument like this, there are a lot of considerations you might initially overlook. What I learned about instrument design will not only be useful to me if I go on to build more instruments later, but it will also make me a more informed user when I encounter new instruments in the future.

In addition to the real-world project management experience the students gained, the creation of TIPSI provides two significant benefits, Trilling said. One is this disruptive technology will allow more people to track and measure the size of asteroids that fly near the Earth, of which about five are discovered every night. It allows astronomers to learn more about the behaviors of these rocks in case astronomers discover a big one headed for Earth.

We want to understand the properties of asteroids so if we have to deflect or destroy an asteroid coming at us, we have some idea what its made out of, Trilling said. It turns out one of the most important things we want to know about asteroids flying by the Earth is how big it is.

The other is this technology can now be accessible. The uniqueness of TIPSI isnt what it does, its that it does it at a fraction of the cost of its fancier counterpart, making these kinds of measurements accessible to professional and student-level observatories for the first time.

The team plans to submit a paper for publication this summer that will include a shopping list and instructions for astronomers to make their own TIPSI telescopes.

TIPSI was made possible through the donations of NAU alumni Robert Mueller (1980 BS geology) and Jim Skelding (1993 BS physics).

Read this article:

Everybody in the lab gettin' TIPSI: NAU astronomy students build camera to track asteroids - NAU News

Massive galaxy clusters offer astronomers some amazing opportunities to study several aspects of the universe around us. From tracing close interactions between galaxies to using the cluster as a lens through which to view distant objects, high-quality images of these clusters provide valuable insight. Hubbles recent image of the galaxy cluster Abell 370 illustrates the value in such images beautifully.

Abell 370 is one of thousands of galaxy clusters originally compiled into a catalog by George Abell in 1958. The initial catalog included nearly 3,000 galaxy clusters visible in the Northern Hemisphere, and was updated in 1989 to include Southern Hemisphere clusters as well. At a distance of 4 billion light-years, Abell 370 is the most distant galaxy cluster in the catalog, but not the most distant cluster weve discovered. And even at this great distance, Abell 370 allows astronomers to probe galaxies that are even more distant through a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.

Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive object such as a galaxy cluster, rich in galaxies, gas, and dark matter sits in front of another object as viewed from Earth. The gravity of the cluster bends space in its vicinity, much like a bowling ball depresses a mattress. When the light encounters the bend in space, its bent as well, traveling around the cluster before it continues its journey to Earth. As a result, the light is both magnified and smeared out, creating arcs attributable to galaxies in the far background when the cluster is imaged. One of the best examples of this in Abell 370 is a feature called the Dragon, visible as a smeared trail streaming behind a spiral galaxy to the lower left of the center.

The Milky Way resides in a group of galaxies, aptly called the Local Group. Our Local Group contains a few tens of galaxies (somewhere between 30-50 or so), and could be considered a relatively small hamlet in the larger scheme of things. But huge galaxy clusters like Abell 370contain hundreds of galaxies or more, many of which reside in their dense centers.

Massive galaxy clusters also tend to accumulate their most massive and oldest galaxies in the center; these galaxies can be easily spotted by eye as yellow-red fuzzy spots, called elliptical galaxies. Unlike the Milky Way and Andromeda, which are spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies dont have arms and typically dont have any blue (young) stars; theyre also relatively devoid of dust and gas. Spiral galaxies tend to be bluer in color because they contain younger stars; they also contain more dust and gas, which gives rise to some of their most visually striking features.

This image of Abell 370 was taken as part of the recently concluded Frontier Fields project, with a goal of observing objects otherwise too far off to see by taking advantage of gravitational lensing around massive galaxy clusters. Viewing these very far-off, very young galaxies sheds light on how galaxies formed and evolved in the early universe. The project has thus far allowed astronomers to glimpse galaxies up to 100 times fainter than previously seen.

More here:

Hubble images the distant universe through a cosmic lens - Astronomy Magazine

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Senate Bill 1114, sponsored by Sen. Sonny Borrelli and Lamar Advertising and recently signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, allows electronic billboards within a 40-mile radius of Bullhead Cityin western Arizona. Working with the Arizona Astronomy Consortium, the Arizona Technology Council was successful in negotiating an amendment with Sen. Borrelli and Lamar Advertising that helped protect Arizonas famed dark skies while still accomplishing Lamars economic development goals in Mohave County.

The Council worked for an amendment which limits the number of billboards to 35, caps the level of illumination to 200 nits in the newly approved area, and restricts the areas in which the billboards will be permitted. With potential statewide implications, the amendment includes legislative intent language that encourages the advertising industry to try to limit light pollution and to use state-of-the-art technology to further mitigate the impact of the light from the electronic billboards.

The language of this bill allows Mohave County to have economic development in the form of electronic billboards but still helps protect our existing observatories, as well as potential future sites, said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. Because they are among the top-rated dark sky areas in the world, professional astronomers flock to Northern Arizona and Tucson, second to only the star-filled skies from Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which is now built out to capacity.

A study published a decade ago showed the industry had an economic impact of $250 million annually -- not including the synergistic and strong optics sector -- and has been on a sustained path of growth since. The University of Arizonas astronomy program alone has brought in over $100 million in sponsored research support every year for the last 12 years. That figure does not include the substantial NASA awards to the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab (OSIRIS-REX) or to the Arizona State Universitys School of Earth and Space Exploration.

Were pleased with the amended language in SB 1114 and thankful for the extensive work done by the Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Astronomy Consortium, said Jeffrey Hall, director of the Lowell Observatory. Artificial light at night is a threat to astronomical research, and it is crucial that we continue to protect the dark skies vital to Arizona's thriving astronomy industry."

On the strength of its still-dark skies, Kitt Peak National Observatory outside of Tucson recently was awarded major new research projects, representing investments of tens of millions of dollars by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and NASA. All these economic drivers are dependent on the states public commitment to protect Arizonas valuable asset of dark skies.

For more information on the Arizona Technology Council and its Public Policy Committee, visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org.

About the Arizona Technology Council

The Arizona Technology Council is Arizonas premier trade association for science and technology companies. Recognized as having a diverse professional business community, Council members work towards furthering the advancement of technology in Arizona through leadership, education, legislation and social action. The Arizona Technology Council offers numerous events, educational forums and business conferences that bring together leaders, managers, employees and visionaries to make an impact on the technology industry. These interactions contribute to the Councils culture of growing member businesses and transforming technology in Arizona. To become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council, please visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org.

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Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Astronomy Consortium ... - Yahoo Finance