Picture of the Day 05/09/2013Spiral Galaxy NGC 1350NGC 1350 is a barred spiral galaxy of some 130,000 light-years across (slightly larger than our Milky Way), located about 87 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Fornax (the Furnace), while it is receding from us at approximately 1905 kilometers per second. This means that, 87 million years ago, when the light we now record left NGC 1350, the galaxy was 530,000 light-years closer to us.
Also, our Solar System, including the Sun, was – 87 million years ago – 60,000 light-years away from where it now stands. That is because the Sun rotates around the center of the Milky Way (it completes a full circle in about 200 million years).
NGC 1350 is classified as an Sa(r) type galaxy, meaning it is a spiral with tightly wound arms and large central regions. In fact, NGC 1350 lies at the border between the broken-ring spiral type and a grand design spiral with two major outer arms.
Its spiral arms, inhabited by young blue star clusters, form a prominent central ring and a rather faint outer ring. This outer ring originates at the inner main ring and can be traced for almost half a circle when they each meet the opposite arm, giving the impression of completing a second outer ring. The viewing angle and the two rings make NGC 1350 look somewhat like a cosmic “eye.”
Link/Picture: [
link to annesastronomynews.com]
San Diego and TijuanaThe metropolitan areas of San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, together form an international conurbation that crosses the USA-Mexico border at the northern end of the Baja Peninsula near the city of San Ysidro. In this photograph taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, urban and suburban areas appear light gray, speckled with white rooftops that indicate large industrial and commercial buildings. Vegetated areas—parks, golf courses, and the foothills of nearby mountains—appear green, in contrast to the tan and dark brown of exposed soils and bedrock in highland areas.
Link/Picture: [
link to www.redorbit.com]
Space News 05/09/2013Martian Snowstorms Can Be Forecast Weeks Before They OccurA new study from an international group of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) reveals that snowstorms that lash the northern hemisphere of Mars during the harsh winters may be predicted several weeks in advance.
The team’s calculations reveal a connection between the snowfalls and a weather phenomenon special to Mars: fluctuations of pressure, temperature, wind speeds and directions that in the northern hemisphere propagate in a wave-like manner and occur very regularly. Such weather forecasts are important for future missions to Mars that would be exploring this region with rovers. They would allow mission specialists the opportunity to choose a route that avoids heavy snow storms.
Similar to those on Earth, the Martian polar regions are an icy, cold world covered by cohesive ice caps. When temperatures in winter drop below -198.4 degrees Fahrenheit – the point at which carbon dioxide freezes – this ice layer is supplied by frozen co2 from the atmosphere. The ice caps cover a region reaching south to about 70 degrees northern latitude during the winter. During the Martian summer, which is comparatively warmer, the carbon dioxide sublimates to reveal the planet’s eternal ice. This cap is considerably smaller than the winter ice caps.
“Mars’ seasonal ice has two different origins“, says Dr. Paul Hartogh from the MPS. “A part of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere condensates directly on the surface – similar to the way a layer of frost forms on Earth in cold, clear weather. Another part freezes in the atmosphere.”Link: [
link to www.redorbit.com]
Scientists Gathering To Discuss Asteroid Threat MitigationScientists around the world are meeting in Spain this week to talk about the threat asteroids pose to Earth.
Deimos Space, an industrial partner working for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Situational Awareness (SSA) program, has invited researchers from universities, research institutes, national space agencies and space industry professionals to discuss Near-Earth Object (NEO) threat mitigation and effects. NEOs are asteroids that have paths that could potentially guide them into Earth.
“A great deal of work remains to be done, for example, in computer modeling of impact effects, how airbursts differ from ground strikes, kinetic versus explosive deflection strategies and much more,” says Gerhard Drolshagen, of the SSA Program Office. “The aim is to develop plans that will guide us in current and future NEO research and development.”
ESA said it hopes to develop the capability to integrate European assets like automated telescopes into a coordinated and more efficient NEO system. The space agency said it hopes a system like this would be able to provide nightly sky surveys and advanced warning of NEO impacts.
“With this, we can work with our partner agencies, scientists, industry and international bodies like the UN to offer firm options to national governments and political decision-makers,” says Nicolas Bobrinsky, Head of ESA’s SSA Program. “Events like the Chelyabinsk strike show that the NEO hazard is not just theoretical, and we need to invest in practical measures today to address tomorrow’s threats.”Link: [
link to www.redorbit.com]
Webb Telescope’s MIRI Thermal Shield Tested By NASANASA engineer Acey Herrera recently checked out copper test wires inside the thermal shield of the Mid-Infrared Instrument, known as MIRI, that will fly aboard NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The shield is designed to protect the vital MIRI instrument from excess heat. At the time of the photo, the thermal shield was about to go through rigorous environmental testing to ensure it can perform properly in the extreme cold temperatures that it will encounter in space.
Herrera is working in a thermal vacuum chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. As the MIRI shield lead, Herrera along with a thermal engineer and cryo-engineer verify that the shield is ready for testing.
On the Webb telescope, the pioneering camera and spectrometer that comprise the MIRI instrument sit inside the Integrated Science Instrument Module flight structure, that holds Webb’s four instruments and their electronic systems during launch and operations.
Webb is designed to obtain images and spectra in infrared light that is invisible to the human eye. As a consequence, the Webb telescope and ISIM must be cooled to a very low temperature (-383 F or -230 C) in order to avoid being blinded by their own infrared emission. The MIRI operates over longer infrared wavelengths than the other Webb instruments and, as a result, must be made approximately 35 degrees colder than the rest of the ISIM. The MIRI’s thermal shield is critical to achieving this lower temperature for the MIRI.
Link: [
link to www.redorbit.com]
Astronomers Asking Volunteers To Help Find ‘Space Warps’Volunteers are being summoned to help astronomers find “space warps,” leading to the discovery of faraway objects.
Space warps, more commonly known as “gravitational lenses,” allow objects in space to act as a giant lens to other objects even farther away. Studies have found that the human brain is much better at identifying lenses than current computer algorithms, so astronomers are asking volunteers to participate in the Space Warps project.
The project asks anyone to participate by spotting these rare objects using data from large astronomical surveys. Astronomers can use gravitational lensing to explore a variety of mysteries about the universe.
“Not only do space warps act like lenses, magnifying the distant galaxies behind them, but also the light they distort can be used to weigh them, helping us to figure out how much dark matter they contain and how it’s distributed,” Dr. Phil Marshall, co-leader of the project at the University of Oxford, said in a statement.
Link: [
link to www.redorbit.com]
Sun News 05/09/2013Product: Forecast Discussion
Issued:
2013 May 09 1230 UTCPrepared by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
Solar Activity.24 hr Summary...
Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest
event of the period was a C3 x-ray flare at 09/0523 UTC from Region 1736
(S08W78). Region 1736 is magnetically classified as a beta-gamma and the
only region on the disk that has shown growth in the past 24 hours.
Region 1738 (N15W21) and 1739 (N12W09) have both shown signs of decay.
Three new regions were numbered today as they rotated onto the visible
disk in the northeast quadrant, Region 1742 (N30E49), Region 1743
(N24E55), and Region 1744 (N05E61). These new regions are currently
simple beta groups, however true magnetic complexity is still hard to
determine due to limb proximity. There were no Earth-directed coronal
mass ejections (CMEs) observed in satellite imagery. .Forecast...
Solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a chance for M-class
flaring through the period (09-11 May). Probabilities have been slightly
lowered on 11 May as Region 1736 rotates off the visible disk.Energetic Particles.24 hr Summary...
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at
moderate levels. The greater than 10 MeV proton flux at
geosynchronous orbit was at background levels.
.Forecast...
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected
to be at moderate to high flux levels on days one, two, and three (09-11
May) in response to a coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS). The
greater than 10 MeV proton flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to
remain at background levels during the period.
Solar Wind.24 hr Summary...
Solar wind speed, as measured at the ACE spacecraft, started the period
at approximately 520 km/s and ended at approximately 500 km/s. This
gradual decrease can be attributed to waning effects of a positive,
polarity CH HSS. The total interplanetary magnetic field was steady at
around 4 nT while the Bz component fluctuated. The phi angle was
consistently oriented in a positive (away) sector.
.Forecast...
Solar wind speeds should continue their gradual decline towards
background velocity through the period (09-11 May).
Geospace.24 hr Summary...
The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours.
.Forecast...
The geomagnetic field is expected to be at mostly quiet levels, with a
slight chance for unsettled conditions, through the period (09-11 May)
Link: [
link to www.solarham.net]
Steamer: [
link to iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov]
[
link to www.gdgps.net]
Active Region Map: [
link to sidc.oma.be]
STAR Active region map: [
link to solen.info]
Magnetometer: [
link to www.swpc.noaa.gov]
EVE 3-Day: [
link to lasp.colorado.edu]
Ionospheric Electrons: [
link to www.ips.gov.au]
Ionospheric foF2: [
link to www.ips.gov.au]
Surface Heat Index: [
link to weather.unisys.com]
Sea Surface Temps: [
link to www.ssec.wisc.edu]
Estimated Planetary K-Index : [
link to www.solarham.net]
4MIN News May 9, 2013OFFICIAL TRAILER - How to Watch the Sun [
link to youtu.be]
Coming Soon - MAY 18, 2013
TODAY's New LINKS:Burn Scar: [
link to earthobservatory.nasa.gov]
Eclipses: [
link to eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov]
Radio Anomaly: [
link to iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu]
US TEC: [
link to www.swpc.noaa.gov]
US Windmap [
link to hint.fm]
US Severe Weather: [
link to www.weather.com]
UK/EU MET Office: [
link to www.metoffice.gov.uk]
NOAA: [
link to www.weather.gov]
EU Weather Alerts: [
link to www.meteoalarm.eu]
US Weather Warnings: [
link to www.weather.gov]
India: [
link to 202.54.31.51] [
link to www.imd.gov.in] [
link to www.imd.gov.in]
The REAL Climate Changer: [
link to youtu.be]
Ice Age Soon? [
link to youtu.be]
An Unlikely but Relevant Risk - The Solar Killshot: [
link to youtu.be]
REPEAT LINKS:WORLD WEATHER:NDBC Buoys: [
link to www.ndbc.noaa.gov]
Tropical Storms: [
link to www.wunderground.com]
HurricaneZone Satellite Images: [
link to www.hurricanezone.net]
Weather Channel: [
link to www.weather.com]
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: [
link to www.nnvl.noaa.gov]
Pressure Maps: [
link to www.woweather.com]
Satellite Maps: [
link to www.woweather.com]
Forecast Maps: [
link to www.woweather.com]
EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: [
link to www.eldoradocountyweather.com]
TORCON: [
link to www.weather.com] [Tornado Forecast for the day]
HURRICANE TRACKER: [
link to www.weather.com]
US WEATHER:Precipitation Totals: [
link to www.cocorahs.org]
GOES Satellites: [
link to rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov]
THE WINDMAP: [
link to hint.fm]
Severe Weather Threats: [
link to www.weather.com]
Canada Weather Office Satellite Composites: [
link to www.weatheroffice.gc.ca]
Temperature Delta: [
link to www.intellicast.com]
Records/Extremes: [
link to www.ncdc.noaa.gov]
SPACEWEATHER:Spaceweather: [
link to spaceweather.com]
SOHO Solar Wind: [
link to umtof.umd.edu]
HAARP Data Meters: [
link to www.haarp.alaska.edu]
Planetary Orbital Diagram - Ceres1 JPL: [
link to ssd.jpl.nasa.gov]
SDO: [
link to sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov]
Helioviewer: [
link to www.helioviewer.org]
SOHO: [
link to sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov]
Stereo: [
link to stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov]
SOLARIMG: [
link to solarimg.org]
iSWA: [
link to iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov]
NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: [
link to iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080]
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: [
link to www.swpc.noaa.gov]
GOES Xray: [
link to www.swpc.noaa.gov]
Gamma Ray Bursts: [
link to grb.sonoma.edu]
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: [
link to neutronm.bartol.udel.edu]
ISWA: [
link to iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080]
NOAA Sunspot Classifications: [
link to www.swpc.noaa.gov]
GONG: [
link to gong2.nso.edu]
GONG Magnetic Maps: [
link to gong.nso.edu]
MISC Links:JAPAN Radiation Map: [
link to jciv.iidj.net]
RADIATION Network: [
link to radiationnetwork.com]
LISS: [
link to earthquake.usgs.gov]
QUAKES LIST FULL: [
link to www.emsc-csem.org]
RSOE: [
link to hisz.rsoe.hu] [That cool alert map I use]
Moon: [
link to www.fourmilab.ch]
"Stay safe GLP and have a great day and make it your own"