Slashdot Mirror
Domain: seds.org
Stories and comments across the archive that link to seds.org.
Stories · 12
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Rosetta Comet Chaser Images Earth and Moon
An anonymous reader writes "Using its navigation cameras at the end of July, the comet chasing probe, Rosetta, captured this photograph while looking back towards Earth. From a distance of over 42 million miles, the Earth and Moon look faintly like two headlights on a deserted road. The larger image particularly seems to underscore why Carl Sagan reflected (PDF) on all the battles fought for what?--to become 'the momentary masters of a fraction of a tiny dot.'" -
Ohio State SETI Wow Signal Revisited and Debunked
An anonymous reader writes "SETI's famous 1977 'Wow' signal has been discredited in the Astrophysical Journal, using the University of Tasmania Hobart 26 m radio telescope to search for intermittent and possibly periodic emissions at the 'Wow' locale. Of the many 'maybes' that SETI has turned up in its four-decade history, none is better known than the brief, powerful one that was discovered in August, 1977, in Columbus, Ohio. Marked by the signal's rise from zero, to '30-sigma' over background noise, and back to zero in 37 seconds, the famous Wow signal was found as part of a long-running sky survey conducted with Ohio State University's 'Big Ear' radio telescope. To quote from their article in The Astrophysical Journal, Robert Gray and Simon Ellingsen, of Australia's University of Tasmania, 'no signals resembling the Ohio State Wow were detected...' So until and unless the cosmic beep measured in Ohio is found again, the 'Wow' signal will remain a 'What' signal." -
Australian Spiders Travel To Space
Mike Parsons writes "CNN is reporting an interesting story on Australian spiders that will travel to space for a scientific experiment. Here is a quote: Eight spiders from Australia will make a trip to outer space to help the U.S. space agency test the effects of zero gravity. It's not the first time arachnids have been sent into space. In 1973, NASA sent Arabella, a common cross spider in the United States, into orbit on the Skylab space station." -
Overwhelmingly Large Telescope Closer to Reality
An anonymous reader submits: "The 100m OWL telescope proposed a few years ago by the European Southern Observatory group (ESO) may actually be built. Currently, the largest aperture for a telescope is the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at a 'very tiny' 16.4m by comparison. This monster is predicted to have a light gathering resolution of about 40 times the Hubble Space Telescope and a sensitivity several thousand times greater. Among many other things, it should be powerful enough to detect and gather spectroscopic data of extra-solar planets in order to determine the atmospheric composition and any signatures for life, like oxygen." We mentioned the OWL in this previous article too. -
Looking For Saturn's Lost Ring
An Onimous Cow Herd writes: "For the first time in 30 years, an occultation of Saturn will occur on Feb 20th (N.America/ W.Africa only). The occultation will allow observers to confirm the existance of Saturns fabled lost ring (Schaer's Ring), first detected (but not confirmed) in 1908.
This link gives more information and advice on finding the ring." -
Supernova Discovered
hey! writes: "A supernova was found last Wednesday in the M74 galaxy (announcment can be found here :http://www.aavso.org/newsflash/nf904.shtml. It is not visible to the naked eye, but was discovered with at 10 inch telescope and is getting brighter -- it may be visible in amateur instruments as small as 4", according to Lew Gramer of the IAAC list. More information is available at seds.org including a very nice before and after picture." -
Galileo's Final Blaze of Glory
EccentricAnomaly writes: "CNN reports that the Galileo spacecraft is about to perform its last flyby of Io. Galileo will skim a mere 100 km above Io to enter a trajectory that crashes into Jupiter in 2003. This is to avoid the spacecraft running out of fuel and accidentally crashing into Europa which might contaminate it with any bacteria spores on Galileo. This is a real concern - Apollo 12 found bacteria on Surveyor 3 that survived two and a half years on the moon." -
Galileo's Final Blaze of Glory
EccentricAnomaly writes: "CNN reports that the Galileo spacecraft is about to perform its last flyby of Io. Galileo will skim a mere 100 km above Io to enter a trajectory that crashes into Jupiter in 2003. This is to avoid the spacecraft running out of fuel and accidentally crashing into Europa which might contaminate it with any bacteria spores on Galileo. This is a real concern - Apollo 12 found bacteria on Surveyor 3 that survived two and a half years on the moon." -
Bright Asteroid Visible Tonight
Ender, Duke_of_URL writes: "NASA is reporting that 1998 WT24, a near Earth asteroid, will be easily visible (9th magnitude) to telescopes in Auriga and Perseus. This NEO will be passing within 5 lunar distances to Earth, so there's no danger of collision." -
Bright Asteroid Visible Tonight
Ender, Duke_of_URL writes: "NASA is reporting that 1998 WT24, a near Earth asteroid, will be easily visible (9th magnitude) to telescopes in Auriga and Perseus. This NEO will be passing within 5 lunar distances to Earth, so there's no danger of collision." -
Jupiter Moon Ganymede May Have An Ocean
matth writes: "This article talks about how Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, may have a salt water ocean on it. Kind of interesting in light of all we have been talking about with water on planets and what not. If NASA does find water on a planet, the implications could be outstanding, on the other hand, they have yet to find any water on any planet for sure.. yet.... More on Ganymede here." -
New Jovian Moon Discovered
Mr. GuySmiley writes: "Astronomers of the SpaceWatch Project have discovered a another moon orbiting Jupiter. It has been over 25 years since the last discovery of an outer Jovian satellite (Voyager found three inner moons in 1979). The moon has been designated S/1999 J 1. This brings the total number of moons orbiting Jupiter to 17. Hail the King of the Planets!"
