Space stuff thread

[Kari]

'Earth 2.0' found in Nasa Kepler telescope haul

A haul of planets from Nasa's Kepler telescope includes a world sharing many characteristics with Earth.

Kepler-452b orbits at a very similar distance from its star, though its radius is 60% larger.

Mission scientists said they believed it was the most Earth-like planet yet.

Such worlds are of interest to astronomers because they might be small and cool enough to host liquid water on their surface - and might therefore be hospitable to life.

Nasa's science chief John Grunsfeld called the new world the "closest so far" to Earth.

More: 'Earth 2.0' found in Nasa Kepler telescope haul - BBC News

 

[Anak]

Hmmm...With a ratio of Mass (m) 5 ±2 M⊕, I'd weigh anywhere from 3/4T to 1.5T; And no, I'm not tellin' my starting weight.

Humans could potentially survive in Kepler 452b's stronger gravity

The new planet is slightly larger than Earth, and is estimated to have twice the gravitational pull of our own planet. However, according to the scientists on the Kepler team, this doesn't mean it couldn't support life.

Kepler 452b was named after the telescope that spotted it, the Kepler space telescope Jon Jenkins said that humans could "adapt" to the gravity, possibly becoming "more stocky over many generations."

"People already adapt to heavy weights - humans are built to do this kind of thing. The human body has an amazing ability to repair itself - so over time, humans could adapt."

Source, 'bout half way down here: Earth 2.0: What we know about Kepler 452b, the most Earth-like planet ever discovered - Science - News - The Independent

Hell, I'm stocky enough as it is. :shock:

Source Of Mass ratio, right sidebar of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-452b

 

[ICIT2LOL]

See Kari anad Steve beat me to it (but I have been crook all day) have been watching this today and want to go there NASA: This planet is the closest thing to Earth yet - CNET

Freeze me up ready Scotty LOL!!

 

[Brink]

Get your name added.

NASA's giving you another chance to send your name to Mars - CNET

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[Kari]

Get your name added.

NASA's giving you another chance to send your name to Mars - CNET

Thanks for sharing Shawn

​

 

[Anak]

Save us a seat Kari, we might be running late:

 

[Anak]

A Solar, Then Lunar Eclipse

A rare occurrence having them both in a two week time frame. My apologies, the Solar eclipse should be over as I post this.

A partial solar eclipse will darken the skies above southern Africa early Sunday (Sept. 13), and the entire world can watch the spectacle live online.

Sunday's eclipse will be visible to observers throughout South Africa, as well as people in the southern parts of Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar. But wherever you are, you can view the eclipse live thanks to a free webcast hosted by the Slooh Community Observatory. The Slooh show begins at 12:30 a.m. EDT (0430 GMT) Sunday and can be viewed live on Slooh.com along with the observatory's archive of night sky webcasts. It will run through 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT), with the time of maximum eclipse expected at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT).

You can also watch the solar eclipse live on Space.com, courtesy of Slooh. The webcast will feature Slooh astronomer Bob Berman and solar researcher Lucie Green. [Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)]

The best time for Sunday's partial solar eclipse comes at 2:54 a.m. EDT (0654 GMT), when the moon will cover 79 percent of the sun's diameter as seen from one spot in Antarctica. But viewers in populated areas won't see such a dramatic effect. For example, NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak calculates that, above the South African city of Cape Town, the moon will blot out a maximum of 30 percent of the solar disk.

In Cape Town, incidentally, the eclipse will begin as the sun and moon are rising at 6:49 a.m. local time (12:49 a.m. EDT; 0449 GMT), reach its maximum extent at 7:43 a.m. local time and end at 8:49 a.m. For more information about timing in other parts of Africa, consult Espenak's eclipse site.


Source: http://Watch Sunday's Partial Solar Eclipse Live in Slooh Webcast | www.space.com

Then on the 28th.

The first "supermoon" lunar eclipse in more than three decades will grace Earth's skies this month, as will a partial solar eclipse that most of the world will miss.

The supermoon total lunar eclipse, which occurs on Sept. 27, features a full moon that looks significantly larger and brighter than usual. It will be the first supermoon eclipse since 1982, and the last until 2033, NASA officials said in a newly released video.

The total lunar eclipse will be visible to observers throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, western Asia and the eastern Pacific Ocean region. [‪How Lunar Eclipses Work (Infographic)]

Source:http://Rare 'Supermoon' Total Lunar Eclipse Coming This Month | www.space.com

 

[Anak]

I got to thinking my post of the upcoming Lunar eclipse may not be clear so here's an attempt to rectify that.

September 27 / September 28, 2015 — Total Lunar Eclipse

In the US, Canada, and Central and South America, this Total Lunar Eclipse
will begin on the evening of September 27, 2015.

In Europe, South/East Asia, Africa, the Arctic, and in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans it starts on September 28, 2015.

For about 1 hr and 12 minutes, this Blood Moon will be totally eclipsed. Is this Total Lunar Eclipse visible in Harrisburg?

The times displayed might be a minute or two off actual times.



* The Moon is above the horizon during this eclipse, so with good weather conditions in Washington DC, the entire eclipse is visible.

Total duration of the eclipse is 5 hours, 11 minutes.

Total duration of the partial phases is 2 hours, 8 minutes.

Duration of the full eclipse is 1 hour, 12 minutes.

Source: September 27 / September 28, 2015 ? Total Lunar Eclipse ? Where and when to see

To help figuring out what your time is compared to Washington DC you can use this calculator: Time Zone Converter ? Time Difference Calculator

 

[Kari]

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[ICIT2LOL]

Hmm I was just reading an article on Mars and those pics Kari has posted were featured. But being a rather cynical individual I still cannot see apart from some of the health tech stuff that comes out of space exploration why are we so intent on landing on Mars or any other body for that matter.

Three things occur to me and that is even if the planet was made of solid gold or some other valuable commodity and we needed it how do you get it back to Earth?
The other thing is also even if we could find some way of giving the planet a breathable atmosphere what effect would the lower gravity have on our bodies?
Lastly given the Sun is eventually going to give out swallow the Earth possibly melt Mars and then leave behind a space that is too cold for life why are we spending so much time, effort, resources, and money on these projects when those commodities could be better utilized on Earth to make life here better than it is?
We would be far better off putting all that effort into making power sources such as fusion and renewable ones - not to mention treating life threatening health issues a priority.

Sorry but again very interesting but useful not in my mind.

It just seems to me even though I find it interesting how they do thee things it is being done for the sake of plain curiosity on the part of the intellectual science community

 

[A Guy]

As much as it sounds like science fiction, the resources of Earth are finite, and we do not manage them well. At some point the human race will need to expand out into the solar system. For that water is a vital commodity. Obviously this will not be in any of our lifetimes, but some day... To infinity and beyond!

A Guy

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep Bill I get hat you mean but I think we are such a wasteful lot that it wouldn't matter where we went - if indeed we could because to get anywhere one needs to travel at close to the speed of light and I think out time could be better spent making the best of a bad job now.

 

[Anak]

Hi John,

I can see from your fixation on “making the best of a bad job now”, that there is nothing no one can say to change your thinking, and that is okay with me; After all, you are entitled to your opinion, right?

Allow me to offer mine...

It has always been in Homo sapiens (Sapiens) nature to explore. Archaeologists, anthropologists, geneticists, and biologists have discovered that Sapiens evolved some 200,000 years ago thru artifacts Sapiens unwittingly left behind. These artifacts show that around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago Sapiens emerged from Africa and traveled over three major and twelve sub routes, the question is, why did they do this?

These scientists have a theory; About that time the Earth was undergoing major climatic shifts driven by the onset of one of the worst parts of the last Ice Age. In other words, they migrated and explored other areas to find better living conditions. Ever since then Sapiens has gone on to populate and explore the world.

When did Sapiens lot turn into, as you say, “a bad job”? Do you mean Sapiens penchant for avarice and lack of compassion towards his fellow man?
I do not believe anyone can determine a starting point, we could speculate that it happened in the earliest of beginnings 200,000 years ago. Sapiens has always had in himself a want for sustenance and comfort and I can see this turning into a need for more in case of food or shelter shortages. Over time this need turned into desire and Sapiens started his downward spiral to malevolence towards other tribes.

How do we change generations of traditions that were originally meant to help and protect the people? I believe it begins with a change in not only the mindset of the worlds governments, but also in the mindsets of their populations; A tall order indeed!
Yes, the nations that can afford it do come together to fight problems like Ebola, potable water, CO2 emissions and terrorism, but when the threat is over they go back to their customary ways of who is top dog in their respective governments and fight over how they will doll out the funds available to their nation. In a manner of speaking; The dog that is biggest and barks the loudest gets the biggest bone.

I feel your frustration, but; I do not believe this exploration is being done for the sake of plain curiosity on the part of the intellectual science community; This curiosity to explore the Universe. Just imagine where we would be if it was not for that curiosity.
https://Bringing NASA Technology Down To Earth | spinoff.nasa.gov

I for one of many was sorry to see America stop going to the Moon, but at the time we reached our goals and there were more pressing matters to attend to, like racial discord, a war in Southeast Asia, and the beginnings of the OPEC crude oil rationing.
I agree with Bill, none of us will see major change in our lifetimes unless something cataclysmic happens, but with a bit of individual effort we can improve our station in life.


May you always have clear skies!

Steve

 

[Kari]

Hi John,

I can see from your fixation on “making the best of a bad job now”, that there is nothing no one can say to change your thinking, and that is okay with me; After all, you are entitled to your opinion, right?
...
...

I could not agree more. First time ever in Chillout section I am thinking it's a shame I cannot rep!

If you ask me what's the purpose of the life, your, mine and everyone's, I would answer that it is to find out more about our existence and universe.

I like the way of thinking in Eastern cultures: "I'll start building this garden now for posterity so my descendants in next millennium and millenniums after that can enjoy it". The same applies to exploring our universe; it's not done for us but for the generations to come.

Kari

 

[ICIT2LOL]

I have just lost two long replies and I am not going to retype them suffice to say I think we have our priorities wrong when it come to space exploration except for the health benefits that any come from it and the deplorable lack of health care delivery here on this spec of blue in the universe.

One only has to look at the state of the health system especially in the US and I am not having a go at that great country but you would have to agree that health care is so grossly money orientated and if one does not have the funds then the care is just unavailable.

So yes we are hell bent on avarice and apathy - sorry to be so cynical but being in health are for 40+ years I have seen it go from bad to even worse and it is not going to stop getting worse anytime yet. But we can see the hills and dinks in Plutos surface so I suppose we have to be happy a about something.

In a nutshell if it came down to the health of one of my family and sending some camera loaded vehicle to some planet we shall never get to then I know which I would pick.

 

[Brink]

Thousands of Nasa Apollo mission photos uploaded online - BBC Newsbeat

Images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/page1

 

[Anak]

Planetary Conjunction with Moon....

This has been happening since last week but tomorrow morning is the best. The Waning Crescent Moon will be 15% of full. All screenshots from Stellarium Planetarium program.

Guide to October’s Conjunction Mania, See Venus in Daylight

Tomorrow morning might be a good time to call for extra celestial traffic control. A slip of a crescent Moon will join a passel of planets in the dawn sky for the first of several exciting conjunctions over the next few days.

Source: http://Guide to October’s Conjunction Mania | www.universetoday.com

Tomorrow morning, October 9th at 5am EDT:



At 6am:



And 7am: You'll notice by 7am the bodies are starting to wash out due to Sunrise.



For London UK it's at midnight, other areas will need to adjust their times accordingly:



Clear Skies!

Steve

 

[Kari]

The Most Mysterious Star in Our Galaxy

Astronomers have spotted a strange mess of objects whirling around a distant star. Scientists who search for extraterrestrial civilizations are scrambling to get a closer look.

In the Northern hemisphere’s sky, hovering above the Milky Way, there are two constellations—Cygnus the swan, her wings outstretched in full flight, and Lyra, the harp that accompanied poetry in ancient Greece, from which we take our word “lyric.”

Between these constellations sits an unusual star, invisible to the naked eye, but visible to the Kepler Space Telescope, which stared at it for more than four years, beginning in 2009.

“We’d never seen anything like this star,” says Tabetha Boyajian, a postdoc at Yale. “It was really weird. We thought it might be bad data or movement on the spacecraft, but everything checked out.”

Kepler was looking for tiny dips in the light emitted by this star. Indeed, it was looking for these dips in more than 150,000 stars, simultaneously, because these dips are often shadows cast by transiting planets. Especially when they repeat, periodically, as you’d expect if they were caused by orbiting objects.

Full article: The Most Mysterious Star in Our Galaxy - The Atlantic

 

[cyclops]

Top 5 Reasons We Might Live in a Multiverse | Hidden Universes

 

[Anak]

Top 5 Reasons We Might Live in a Multiverse | Hidden Universes

Interesting..... There is also this: Is Our Universe a Fake?

On to my next post......