The Space Station

We truly live in an amazing time for exoplanet research. It was only 18 years ago the first planet outside our solar system was discovered. Fifteen since the first confirmation of one around a main sequence star. Even more recently, direct images have begun to sprout up, as well as the first spectra of the atmospheres of such planets. So much data is becoming available, astronomers have even begun to be able to make inferences as to how these extra solar planets could have formed.

In general, there are two methods by which planets can form. The first is via coaccretion in which the star and the planet would form from gravitational collapse independently of one another, but in close enough proximity that their mutual gravity binds them together in orbit. The second, the method through which our solar system formed, is the disk method. In this, material from a thin disk around a proto-star collapses to form a planet. Each of these processes has a different set of parameters that may leave traces which could allow astronomers to uncover which method is dominant. A new paper from Helmut Abt of Kitt Peak National Observatory, looks at these characteristics and determines that, from our current sampling of exoplanets, our solar system may be an oddity.

New research from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. Like a piñata filled with everything from chocolates to fruity candies, these asteroids come in assorted colors and compositions. Some are dark and dull; others are shiny and bright. The Spitzer observations of 100 known near-Earth asteroids demonstrate that the objects’ diversity is greater than previously thought.

Racing is rarely the term that comes to mind when one considers astronomy. However, many events are a race to reach stability before a system flies apart or implodes. The formation of stars from gigantic interstellar clouds is just such a race in which stars struggle to form before the cloud is dispersed. Although a rough estimation of the requirements for collapse are discussed in introductory astrophysics classes (See: Jeans Mass Criterion) this formulation leaves out several elements that come into play in the real universe. Unfortunately for astronomers, these effects can be subtle but significant but untangling them is the subject of a recent paper uploaded to the arXiv preprint server.

Hurricane Earl (lower left), Tropical Storm Fiona located to Earl’s east, and Tropical Storm Danielle far in the Northern Atlantic. Credit: NASA/GOES Project

My father had a favorite adage when life was hectic: “There’s lots of commotion in the ocean.” That saying was never more true than the current situation in the busy Atlantic Ocean. The GOES-13 satellite captured this image earlier today (Tuesday Aug. 31) and visible are three areas of tropical commotion. The large and powerful Hurricane Earl (lower left) is passing Puerto Rico, Tropical Storm Fiona located to Earl’s east, and Tropical Storm Danielle far in the Northern Atlantic. Below is footage taken by the International Space Station of the action.

The center of the Milky Way containing Sagittarius A*. The supermassive black hole and several massive young stars in the region create a surrounding haze of superheated gas that shows up in X-ray light. Credit: chandra.harvard.edu and Kyoto University.

Many an alternative theory of gravity has been dreamt up in the bath, while waiting for a bus – or maybe over a light beverage or two. These days it’s possible to debunk (or otherwise) your own pet theory by predicting on paper what should happen to an object that is closely orbiting a black hole – and then test those predictions against observations of S2 and perhaps other stars that are closely orbiting our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole – thought to be situated at the radio source Sagittarius A*.

There is another Sun-like star out there with an intriguing family of planets orbiting about and it could be the closest parallel to our own solar system that astronomers have found yet. European astronomers discovered a planetary system containing at least five planets, orbiting the star HD 10180, with evidence that two other planets may be present. If confirmed, one of those would have the lowest mass ever found.

“We have found what is most likely the system with the most planets yet discovered,” says Christophe Lovis, who led the team. “This remarkable discovery also highlights the fact that we are now entering a new era in exoplanet research: the study of complex planetary systems and not just of individual planets. Studies of planetary motions in the new system reveal complex gravitational interactions between the planets and give us insights into the long-term evolution of the system.”

The most detailed sunspot ever obtained in visible light was seen by new telescope at NJIT’s Big Bear Solar Observatory. Credit: Big Bear Solar Observatory

A new type of adaptive optics for solar observations has produced some incredible results, providing the most detailed image of a sunspot ever obtained in visible light. A new telescope built by the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Big Bear Solar Observatory has seen its ‘first light’ using a deformable mirror, which is able to reduce atmospheric distortions. This is the first facility-class solar observatory built in more than a generation in the U.S.

The New Solar Telescope (NST) is located in the mountains east of Los Angeles. It has 97 actuators that make up the deformable mirror. By the summer of 2011, in collaboration with the National Solar Observatory, BBSO will have upgraded the current adaptive optics system to one utilizing a 349 actuator deformable mirror. The telescope has a 1.6 m clear aperture, with a resolution covering about 50 miles on the Sun’s surface.

The NST will be the pathfinder for an even larger ground-based telescope, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope to be built over the next decade. Philip R. Goode from NJIT is leading a partnership with the National Solar Observatory (NSO) to develop a new and more sophisticated kind of adaptive optics, known as multi-conjugate adaptive optics. This new optical system will allow the researchers to increase the distortion-free field of view to allow for better ways to study these larger and puzzling areas of the Sun, and a 4-meter aperture telescope will be built in the next decade.

Via Universe

Imagine a public eye scanner that can identify 50 people per minute, in motion. Now imagine that the government install these scanner systems all across an entire city. Or don’t imagine it, because it’s already happening, right now. The City of Leon, Mexico, is doing exactly that, installing real time iris scanners from biometrics R&D firm Global Rainmakers Inc. These scanners don’t require people to stop and put their eyes in front of a camera.

There are different kinds of machines being installed across Leon, from large scanners—capable of identifying 50 people per minute in motion— to smaller ones—like the EyeSwipe in the video above—that range from 15 to 30 people per minute. These devices are being installed in public places, like train and bus stations, and connected to a database that will track people across the city.

City officials and proponents of the system are hoping that public retinal scans will stop crime and fraud. According to Jeff Carter, CDO of Global Rainmakers:

If you’ve been convicted of a crime, in essence, this will act as a digital scarlet letter. If you’re a known shoplifter, for example, you won’t be able to go into a store without being flagged. Certainly for others, boarding a plane will be impossible.

The retinal scanning of Leon’s one million population has started already with its convicted criminals. Citizens with no criminal records have been offered the opportunity to “voluntarily” scan their eyes. This, however, is just the beginning. According to Carter, everyone in the planet should be connected to the iris tracking system in 10 years:

In the future, whether it’s entering your home, opening your car, entering your workspace, getting a pharmacy prescription refilled, or having your medical records pulled up, everything will come off that unique key that is your iris. Every person, place, and thing on this planet will be connected within the next 10 years.

Very few electric sports car concepts captivate attention while still on the design board and fewer still transform into head turning street legal versions. Izaro Gte promises to fall into the latter category with its seductive looks. Based on Factory Five Racing’s $19,990 GTM supercar Izaro GTe being developed by a Spanish company called Izaro Motors is an electric supercar which apparently it will also be sold with a hybrid power train.

In a shared office on the southern edge of Caltech’s campus, Robert Hurt and Tim Pyle are making art out of science. Armed with the industry standards–Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects–it’s their job to break down the Spitzer Space Telescope’s complex scientific data into visualizations that are accessible and meaningful to the average viewer. But their artistic challenge is unique: Human eyes have never seen the objects they are creating.

When the Robonaut shoots into space on its very first mission aboard STS-133, it will not do so in style.

As you can see from the photo, the Robonaut, or R2 as it is officially called for the mission, needs to be handled and packaged with care before it is subjected to the intense vibration and g-forces of a space shuttle launch. Hence, Sleepr, the R2’s special crate, which will blanket the 330-lb. robot with protection thanks to thick insulating foam and an aluminum frame.

Once R2 is unpacked, its arms will carry tools and perform some of the same tasks as its astronaut comrades via a remote link to Houston.

VIA Gizmodo

Here’s something we’ve not seen in a long while: five sunspots on the Sun at once. Is the Sun finally waking up from its unusually long and deep solar minimum slumber? While activity on the Sun usually ebbs and flows on a fairly predictable 11-year cycle, this current cycle has been anything but conventional. In 2009, there were 260 days (71% of the time) that the Sun was ’spotless,’ but now in 2010 so far, the Sun has had spots been spotless for only 35 days. With the last solar maximum occurring in 2001, maybe the Sun is just now ramping up to the next maximum, which is set for 2013. Recent solar flares on August 1 and 7, and now these sunspots may be signaling that the Sun is “throwing off the covers” and starting to wake up.

Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Echo 1, history’s first passive satellite. NASA’s Echo mission began rather poorly. A test launch had exploded so brightly, so spectacularly, that it prompted frightened calls up and down the entire eastern seaboard.

The Carrera Raptor RS by auto designer Adrian Carrera is a zero-emission racing motorcycle that gets powered by electric motors placed inside each wheel. Each of the visible rims in both the wheels has a static shape and holds an internal rim, which rotates along with the tire and the brake disk. The unique rotation of the inner rim creates a visual effect for the onlookers. The bike leans to the left or right to take curves at high speeds. Moreover, the front tire can also rotate in its own axis using a gyroscope rotation system. Unlike conventional motorcycles, the front tire here doesn’t move with the movement of the handlebar, but can be controlled electronically using the controls on the handle.

I wonder if this is what Kanye was talking about when him and T-pain made the song “Good Life”, This what happens when you work smarter not harder & your hard work pays off. Robles Arquitectos have built the Iseami House in an isolated region of Peninsula de Osa in Costa Rica, which is self-sufficient in terms of water and energy. Loaded with environmentally friendly technology, the house sits one meter above the surface to stay away from humidity and incorporates several energy-saving systems to reduce the load on its energy generators. The house uses water from the forest, which is also used as a power source by the two low-impact hydroelectric turbines that generate 800KWh of electricity. Additionally, 10,800KWh of electricity is provided by a rooftop solar array, which has been designed in order to have the orientation and position to maximize electricity generation.

A majestic face-on spiral galaxy located deep within the Coma Cluster of galaxies. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

The Coma Cluster is a huge, densely populated cluster, with thousands of galaxies closely bunched together. Amid the bedlam of ellipticals, lenticulars and irregulars is this majestic face-on spiral galaxy known as NGC 4911. Hubble stared long and deep to get this highly detailed image of this particular galaxy located deep within the Coma Cluster. Data from three different years and 28 hours of exposure time were combined to capture this breathtaking look at spiral arms, glowing newborn star clusters and iridescent pink clouds of hydrogen, meaning there is ongoing star formation.

Enormous chuck of ice breaks off the Petermann Glacier in Greenland. Credit: NASA. A huge ice island four times the size of Manhattan– and half as thick as the Empire State Building is tall– has broken off from one of Greenland’s two main glaciers. On August 5, 2010, an enormous chunk of ice, roughly 97 square miles (251 square kilometers) in size, broke off the Petermann Glacier, along the northwestern coast of Greenland.

Satellite images, like this one from NASA’s Aqua satellite show the glacier lost about one-quarter of its 70-kilometer (40-mile) long floating ice shelf. Located a thousand kilometers south of the North Pole, the now-separate ice island contains enough fresh water to keep public tap water in the United States flowing for 120 days, said scientists from the University of Delaware who have been monitoring the break.

While thousands of icebergs detach from Greenland’s glaciers every year, the last time one this large formed was in 1962. The flow of sea water beneath Greenland’s glaciers is a main cause of ice detaching from them.