Astro nerds April 2015 by David Bood

Peter Jenkins IC 1805 was taken using a William Optics FLT110 and Atik 383L+ on an NEQ6. Darks 12 x 5min and Bias frames (20 used) no flats. Scope with 0.7 x reducer flattener therefore Focal length = 616mm 20 x 5m each through Ha, OIII and SII filters i.e. 60 x 5 minutes total 5 hours. Guided using a William Optics ZS71 with QHY5LII guide camera. Captured and processed using Nebulosity 3.0 and Photoshop CC

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ASTRO NERDS Special Thanks: Liam Tomos Edwards Andrew Devey Cover Image: David Blanchflower

Welcome to another edition of Astro Nerds E-Magazine. This is the

last edition of Astro Nerds in its current format. Some changes are coming to the magazine. Firstly there will be a name change. We are changing the name to Stargazing magazine, this will be in two fromats, printed and has a download. A small charge will applied for the downloaded version. The printed version will be available on mail order, it can be ordered directly from our website www. icyscience.com . Why the change? Icy Science is looking into starting a project. The project is have a public observatory built in th Wolds of Yorkshire, UK. members of the public will be ble to come and view the wonders of the cosmos. More details coming soon on our website Editor: Dave

Bood

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CONTENTS.... 6. DAWN, Mission to the dwarf planets 12. Gravitational Waves 14. The Night Sky 24. Astronomical seeing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can we do anything about it 38. Astro news 42. The Gallery

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Dawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; mission

To The Dwarf Pla

Orbiting within the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, are two bodies of scientific interest. The first is the asteroid (protoplanet) Vesta and the other is the dwarf planet Ceres. Like most other objects in the asteroid belt they are the left overâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from the formation of our solar system. Dawn is designed to study the conditions and processes of the solar systems earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formation. ~ NASA The Dawn spacecraft was launched on 27th September 2007 and made its way towards Vesta, using Mars to sling shot it on its way to the asteroid belt. On the 16th July 2011 Dawn enters an orbit around Vesta. Dawn was going to do something that we have not done before, and that was to produce a comprehensive map of an asteroid. The intention along with other data collected, will help scientists unlock some of the solar systems earliest secrets.

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anets

Dawn used visible and infrared mapping spectrometer instruments to map Vesta, the result were unexpected and raised questions on the asteroids formation. Observations were made of huge craters in Vestaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s southern hemisphere and this is where the unexpected results occur. It was assumed that large asteroids formed much in the same way as the rocky planets formed. Our planet would have started with a series of collisions, the material clumped together and eventually the centre would have become hot forming the core as more material is added and liquid flows from the core layers are formed. So Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s composition consists

<<<<<<< Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAMPS/DLR/IDA

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of a core, mantle and crust. In the mantle you will find evidence of this process by the presence of Olivine. Scientists however found no evidence in the impact craters of Olivine where clear signatures of olivine were found in the Vestaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northern hemisphere. This indicates a more complex evolutionary process than first thought and models had shown. It is now thought Vesta may have had partial melting which would create pockets of olivine instead of a global distribution, it may also be that other material formed and covers the olivine in the southern hemisphere to which Dawn could not see below this layer. Ceres- goddess of agriculture Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt and is classified as a dwarf planet. It is composed of rock and ice and has a diameter of 950 Km (590 miles). In January 2014 water vapour emissions were detected in several regions of Ceres, which is strange as this is usually a hallmark of a comet. Scientists currently believe that Ceres contains a rock interior with a thick ice mantle; it is also thought that if you were to melt the ice that it would be more than all the fresh water on earth. The vapour given off is most likely ices that are on the dwarf planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface that melts when Ceres during its closest point A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

to the sun during its orbit. Water vapour was not really confirmed until Hershelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s far-infrared instrument got a clear spectral signature of water vapour. The Dawn Space Craft Dawn uses a combination of tried and tested technology mixed with new inventive instruments and equipment. Knowledge from previous missions has played a major part in the development, design and production of the spacecraft. Instruments Framing Camera (FC) captures images in three colours as well as black and white Visible & infrared Spectrometer (VIR) maps the surface of the intended targets; it measures the reflective light intensity in selected wavelength bands to determine composition, temperature and properties. Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND)- produces maps of the elements found on the surface. Gravimetry- Uses audio tracking signal returned from the surface of the targets to determine their respective mass, gravity, principle axes, rotational axis and moments of inertia.

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The Ion propulsion System Once the propulsion choice for science fiction, ion propulsion is now the choice for science fact. The Ion system makes more efficient use of the onboard fuel and electrical power; it enables spacecraft to travel further. The technology is used on communication satellites and as the main propulsion system on deep space probes. The thrusts expel ions to create thrust, which provides higher speeds than conventional rocket propelled systems. Ions are simply an atom or molecule that has been electrical charged. This process is done by adding or removing an electron. Positive ions gain one or more electron and negative when they lose one or more electron. A gas becomes ionized when some or all the atoms or molecules contained are converted into ions. Ion engines use electric fields instead of chemical reactions, as with conventional rockets. You can find more information on ION propulsion here: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/fs21grc.html

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Although less powerful than traditional rocket power, the fuel efficiency means fuel can last for years before running out.

DAWN orbit Ceres After a long journey DAWN, NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spacecraft entered orbit around Ceres on March 6th 2015. It is the first and hopefully not the last spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet.

ALL IMAGES: NASA

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In general relativity, gravity is explained through the curvature of space. Massive objects bend space, and the curvature of space

Gravit

tells objects how to move. It is the influence of curved space that we call gravity. When massive objects move, the curvature of space must change to follow their new positions. It takes time for space to react, as information can only propagate at the speed of light. There are therefore ripples in space, and these ripples are called gravitational waves. These waves squeeze and stretch objects as they propagate the space they occupy. A potential source of gravitational waves is a binary system that has two high mass objects (e.g. pulsars, neutron stars or black holes) orbiting a common centre of mass. The 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics was won for important measurements that were taken of a binary system that contained a pulsar and a neutron star. The measurements suggested that gravitational waves are more than mathematical anomalies. The measured orbital period of the binary system (called the Hulse-Taylor binary system after its discoverers) changes with time, and this change is in exact agreement with the prediction from general relativity, as you can see from the graph of the orbital decay of the two stars over time below:

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Diagrame Below: Hulse-Taylor binary system Image Credit: Credit: Weisberg & Taylor (2005)

tational Waves Gravitational wave detectors work by trying to measure the differences in length across a detector produced as a wave passes. The fractional changes in length are tiny so the effects are extremely difficult to measure, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like trying to measure the distance between the Earth and the Sun to the accuracy of the size of a hydrogen atom. Also there are factors such as noise and vibrations in the vicinity of the detectors that can mask or even imitate gravitational wave events. Gravitational waves havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been directly observed, but we do have indirect evidence to support the theory. Scientists have measured the energy and angular momentum they carry away. This indirect evidence is an important step forward to having hard evidence to support their existence.

Article: Liam Tomos Edwards

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14 14

LOOK UP IN WONDER - A GUIDE TO

As April begins, the Sun is in the constellation of

The Moon

The Moon is at apogee, its furthest from the ea 04h00 on the 17th.

Full Moon

is on the 4th at 12h06 an

664 A.D. The full moon may be seen rising aroun

to the lower left is Spica, (alpha Virginis), Virgo’s moon at this time .

April’s Full Moon undergoes a total eclipse for ob parts of eastern Asia. It is not visible in the UK.

Last Quarter Moon is at 03h4 low LastQ. moon.

April’s New

Moon is on the 18th at 18h

of the sun at their conjunction.

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THE NIGHT SKY BY JOHN HARPER F.R.A.S

f Pisces, but crosses the border into Aries at around 06h00 on the 19th.

arth, on April 17th at 07h00 and again at 04h00 on the 29th, and is at perigee, its nearest to the earth, at around

nd is the Paschal Full Moon, being the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox, as fixed by the Synod of Whitby in

nd 19h in the ESE sky in the constellation of Virgo. It culminates in the south, just after midnight; the bright star 4°

’s brightest star. (The name Spica means ‘ear of wheat’.) Try to locate it in the bright glow which may surround the

bservers in the eastern parts of North America, Hawaii, the whole of the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, Australia, and

45 of the 12th in the eastern part of Sagittarius, and may be seen rising at around 02h00 in the SE. This is another

h57, in the constellation of Pisces, near to the astronomical Aries border, when the moon passes just over 2° south

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Jupiter & M44 Taken In March 2015 Nikon D3200 Camer, 70-300mm lens

On the 25th at 23h56, the moon is at First Quarter, and is one of the highest FirstQ. moons of the year. It achieves an altitude, in Cancer, of 50° in the south at 18h00. As night falls, the very bright object you will notice, some 10° to its upper left, is Jupiter. Look for Earthshine’s faint illumination of the night hemisphere at the time of the waxing crescent moon from the 19th to the 24th, and on the night hemisphere of the waning crescent from the 13th to the 17th.

There is a final chance to see the evening cone of the Zodiacal Light on fine evenings during the first half of the month. Its appearance is that of a ‘cone’ of pale light, of less intensity than that of the Milky Way, rising up from the western sky at an angle of 60° towards the south. It is caused by the sun back-lighting a disc of fine particles surrounding the sun in the inner solar system - all that remains of the accretion disc , out of which the planets formed 4.5 million years ago.

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The Planets Around the middle of April Mercury begins its best evening apparition of the year, and by the end of the month sets just over two hours after the sun in the western sky. The best time to scan for the planet using binoculars is during the last week of April, when between 20h00 and 21h00, it is within 10° of the WNW horizon. If your binoculars are well-focussed and firmly fixed, at around 20h00, you may locate a much fainter object below Mercury (assuming you have found Mercury!); this fainter object is Mars. On the 22nd Mercury and Mars are in conjunction, separated by 1° of arc (two moon widths) and again at 20h on that date may be seen together in binoculars, 5° above the WNW horizon. The one day old waxing crescent moon lies to the lower left of the two planets on the 19th and should be looked for through binoculars, low in the WNW sky at around 19h45. This observation is in bright twilight, hence the necessity of using of binoculars and a clear horizon in that direction. Venus dominates the western sky during the evenings in April, setting at just after 22h at the start of the month and just before midnight at the end. It shines resplendently as the ‘Evening Star’ (Hesperus, as it was known to the ancients ). After Full Moon on the 4th, until the 19th, when the moon makes an appearance into the evening sky once again, there is a good opportunity to appreciate Venus’ qualification as the third brightest natural object

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in the night sky. If you can go to a place where there is no artificial light on a clear evening, when Venus is shining in a dark sky, hold your finger up, between Venus and a sheet of paper; you will see that Venus is bright enough to cast a shadow of your finger onto the paper. The only other objects in the sky able to do this are of course the Sun and the Moon. A treat is in store during the evening of the 21st, when the three day old crescent moon with earthshine illuminating its night hemisphere may be seen together with Venus in the western sky. The time to see this beautiful spectacle is around 21h, at which time the two bodies are some 7° apart. If you look carefully you will also see Aldebaran (alpha Tauri), the red ‘eye’ of Taurus the Bull, to the lower right of the moon, three moon widths away. Later in the year, this star undergoes a series of occultations by the moon. At the beginning of the month Mars sets just two hours after the sun. This is reduced to one hour as May begins. Apart from the opportunities described under the entry for Mercury, it is quite difficult to spot unless you are using binoculars in the bright Spring twilight. Mars is of a similar magnitude during April to the star Deneb in Cygnus the Swan. Jupiter is visible most of the night in the constellation of Cancer the Crab, and by the end of the month sets around 02h30. It lies to the east of the Praesepe open star cluster M44. The planet’s apparent retrograde motion ends on the 8th, after which it starts A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

moving to the east (prograde) and towards Leo the Lion once again. On the 26th, Jupiter lies 6° to the upper right of the gibbous waxing moon producing a pleasing spectacle. Don’t forget to look for the Galilean moons through well-focused and firmly fixed binoculars as they change position night by night. Saturn spends the month in the vicinity of the star Graffias (beta Scorpii) on the astronomical border between Scorpius and Libra, and when visible, remains no higher than 18° at the time when it culminates in the south at around 02h towards the end of the month. The rings are open wide to such an extent that the northern limb of the planet aligns with the edge of the ‘A’ ring (the outer visible ring) behind the planet. Saturn rises just before midnight on April 1st, but two hours earlier on the 30th. The gibbous waning moon may be seen approaching Saturn on the morning of the 8th, and to the east of Saturn on morning of the 9th, when at 02h, the moon, Saturn and Antares (alpha Scorpii, brightest star in Scorpius), form an isosceles triangle, with Antares, of the same magnitude as Saturn, forming the lower apex of the triangle, within 10° of the southern horizon. Uranus is in conjunction with the sun in Pisces on April 6th, and is not worth looking for this month. Neptune in Aquarius, is badly placed in the early morning sky due to its faintness and advancing morning twilight. The Lyrid meteor shower peaks overnight from the 22ndto the 23rd when up to 10 meteors an hour may be seen radiating from the vicinity of the bright A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

star Vega in the constellation of Lyra. The best time to look for them is during the two hours before dawn starts to b

The Lyrid meteor shower is associated with Thatcher’s Comet discovered in 1861. Conditions are favourable this ye

Meteor showers are naked eye events and can be seen without optical aid, but remember it can get very cold in Ap

Constellations visible in the south around midnight, mid-month, are as follows: The eastern part of Hydra, Corvus t All times are GMT

1° is one finger width at arm’s length

Image Credit: Jaspal Chadha- Cigar Galaxy

Imaged from London using Altair Astro RC 250TT ioptron CEM60 mount QSI 690 CCD L: 5 x 5 min RGB 3 x 10 min Ha 3 x 30 min

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brighten the sky in the early morning on the 23rd, and stray Lyrids may be seen for several days before and after this date.

ear as long as you are away from bright lights.

pril, so wrap up well!

the Crow, Virgo, Boรถtes and Coma Berenices. The Plough, in the constellation of Ursa Major, is still near the zenith.

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Astronomical seeing – can we do anything about it. By Andy Devey the solar explorer. Seeing is the term that we astronomers use to describe the optical quality of the Earth’s atmosphere. The optical quality is defined as the absence of distortion or steadiness in the image during the period of observation. Excellent seeing offers a motionless and optically perfect seeing where as a rapidly changing and grossly distorted image indicates poor seeing. Seeing affects every astronomer on the planet and is the limiting factor that will affect any telescope that we chose to use. Light traverses the universe in an almost pristine condition [except for any gravitational lensing – a fairly rare phenomenon] right up to the point where it reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, in the last nanoseconds of its journey and this has roughly the equivalent effect on it as if looking through about 10 m of water. Thermal turbulence in the atmosphere is the cause of degraded or poor seeing. It is a critical function of whether temperature differences in the atmosphere are in motion. The mixing of air at different temperatures such as hot air rising from a road or building causes convection currents that appear to make the image boil. This looks similar to viewing an object under rippling water. Further, atmospheric aerosols [dust, water vapour, combustion products and volcanic ash] can also significantly degrade astronomical images. Aerosols also create a diffused directional glow from objects such as the Moon, bright planets or bright stars even A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

when objects are completely outside the telescope or binoculars field of view. Aerosols also exaggerate any effects of light pollution. This can still be a significant factor even when the sky appears to be dark. When an object is placed in the field of view of an instrument, aerosols can contribute to image blurring and contrast reduction even when the amount of thermal turbulence is negligible. Robert Hook in 1665 was the first to attribute the twinkling of a star to â&#x20AC;&#x153;small, moving regions of the atmosphere having different refracting powers that act like lensesâ&#x20AC;?. A significant amount of research has been carried out since 1970 motivated by the need to improve the yield from optical surveillance and mapping satellites to analyze the turbulence. Turbulence develops as thermal energy increases [heat from the Sun or that rising from the Earth] breaks laminar air flows into very large cells that pass over themselves as eddies or whorls. These air currents are very poor at dissipating energy and the system breaks down into ever smaller whorls until the flow viscosity impedes any smaller divisions. The end result can be a very complex texture.

Next Page >>>>>>>>> The Komolgorov-Tatarski model represents turbulence at a single boundary between thermally different layers.

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Recent scientific papers now divide turbulence into four distinctive categories:

Instrument turbulence This occurs inside the telescope and any structure that may shelter it, and is most often produced by convection layers rising from the surface of reflecting mirrors [mirror seeing] by currents crawling along the sides of a closed telescope tube [telescope structure seeing] by convection currents from the observers body [especially in cold weather], by heat rising through the restrictive opening in an observatory dome [structural seeing] and by heat rising from the pavement metal or masonry immediately under the telescope [site seeing].

This is my recently constructed observatory. Any heat from the building is behind the telescopes and I would only consider observing/imaging north once ambient temperatures had been reached. The chippings on the floor are small and do not produce heat like a concrete surface would. Image credit Andy Devey.

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Surface Turbulence This extends from the ground up to a few hundred metres in the landscape around the telescope. When viewing above a zenith angle of 60ยบ is within about 500 m of the observing site and often represents up to 50% of all the observed optical distortion. It is largely due to heat stored on the sunlit earth/structures during the day. Strong currents can rise from concrete, residences, roads etc and that is why the initial choices we make when selecting a potential observing site are so important. The turbulence effects will vary through the full 24 hours of each day from a minimum just after sunrise steeply rising to a peak during early afternoon, declining to a secondary minimum shortly after sunset and increasing to a second maximum peak around midnight before returning to a second minimum in the hours just before sunrise. As can be seen, once we have chosen a location for observing the only way we can reduce the effects of surface turbulence is by making conscious choices for the times to observe or image that coincide with expected minimum surface turbulence periods.

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I have chosen a location surrounded by vegetation and this helps prevent the ground getting too hot in the blazing sunshine. Image credit Andy Devey.

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Geographic turbulence This extends from a few hundred metres to a few kilometres above the ground and when observing at a zenith angle of 60º or more a radius of up to 7 km will affect the site. This type of turbulence typically forms as several overlying layers of air about 100 to 200 m thick can extend for several kilometres. Above about 4 km the air is generally independent of the landscape and falls to a minimum at altitudes between 6 and 9 KM. Geographic turbulence is caused by air currents being forced upwards by mountainous terrain or by the disposition of other large landscape features – large bodies of water, urban developments, expanses of bare ground or large patches of snow as these affect the moisture and thermal content of the weather bearing atmosphere. There is very little we can do about the Geographical seeing once the observing site has been chosen except restrict our observing to favourable low wind weather conditions!

High atmosphere turbulence This is mainly associated with the jet stream that is normally confined to latitudes above 30º north or south of the equator and it flows at altitudes between 10 and 15 km. The stratospheric layers above this altitude are normally rarefied they are almost thermally homogenous and therefore have negligible effect on seeing. The jet stream affects seeing in two ways, one directly by high velocity movement against lower atmospheric layers and the other indirectly by bringing cold or moist air from northern latitudes and ocean surfaces. It forms high and low pressure areas creating an energetic mixture of barometric pressure, moisture and temperature. Further the jet stream his high enough that when observing at a 60º zenith angle it can cause disturbances within a radius of about 25 km of the observing site. It is now possible to see the position and predictions for the jet stream and decisions can be made as to when to observe/image or not.

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This shows the Jet stream forecast for 12 July 2014 here is the link to the website that gives forecasts out to 16 days in an animation set at 3 hour intervals (http://www.netweather.tv). There is no doubt that astronomical seeing plays a major part in visual and imaging astronomy. The top planetary imagers for example set up in Barbados to be surrounded by the thermally stable Caribbean Sea and close enough to the equator to image the planets at high zenith angles where the atmosphere is thinner and there are no jet stream effects. In such conditions any equipment will perform very close to its maximum potential.

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This is the BAA seeing scale image where P1 is terrible seeing and P10 is perfect. For more visit http:// www.baalunarsection.org.uk/topography.htm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; image credit BAA.

Please come along and visit us in southern Spain to enjoy the clear skies, to use some high specification equipment with generally good to excellent seeing conditions.

If we chose to image through our equipment then Andy Devey technology and the development of software has to some extent come to the rescue to limit the effects

http://www.thesolarexplorer.net/

of atmospheric seeing and this will form the second part of this paper.

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http://www.muralswallpaper.co.uk/space-walk-mural-wallpaper

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Space Mural Wallpaper and Space Wallpaper Murals Choose from our great selection of space mural wallpaper, space murals and space wallpaper murals below. From vast nebulas to floating astronauts, you can boldy go where no man has gone before! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS MURAL WALLPAPER Call Us +44 (0)151 708 5400 Email Us contact@muralswallpaper.co.uk Find Us 6 Watkinson St Liverpool Merseyside L1 0BE United Kingdom A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

G an ymed e ’ s Ocean?

De e p

The discoveries just keep coming, with news of hydrothermal vents on Enceladus, DAWN in orbit around Ceres and now compelling evidence of a sub surface ocean on the King of the Moons Ganymede. NASA has reported that data from the Hubble telescope, which has been studying how the aurora lights dance around the Jovian moon. The water under the moon’s surface is thought to be salty and contain more water than here on earth. What is also interesting is that Ganymede has a magnetic field, which interacts with the massive magnetic field of Jupiter. A team of scientists led by Joachim Saur of the University of Cologne, Germany, came up with the idea of using the Hubble telescope to peer at Ganymede. The team determined that if water was present under Ganymede’s surface then Jupiter’s magnetic field would create a secondary magnetic field in the ocean which would counter Jupiter’s magnetic field (with me so far?). The ‘magnetic friction’ caused would suppress the aurorae, which rocks from 6 degrees to 2 degrees. The 6 degree rocking would happen if

Image Source NASA

no liquid water is present.

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Observations were carried out in ultra violet light, scientist think that the ocean is 100km (60 miles) deep and is buried under a 150Km (95 mile) thick ice crust. While we hunt for exoplanetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that are earth like, maybe life will be found in our own back yard. And +if like on earth life began in the seas and oceans, then there is no reason why simple or more complex life have not developed and evolved in one of the sub surface oceans in one of the moons in our solar system. Such organisms could have adapted and evolved that are not dependant on sunlight.

Hydrothermal activity on Enceladus? NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cassini spacecraft and mission never fails to deliver, with valuable data about Saturn, the hazy world of Titan or the watery world of Enceladus. Recent studies have given scientists a clear indication that Enceladus exhibits signs of hydrothermal activity, this is not something from the past, but is happening now. The activity points to significant geologic activity. The activity could be that similar to Earth, and like Earth life could

exist and flourish. A paper released by NASA in the Journal Nature, relates to microscopic grains of rock detected in the Cassini Saturn system. The results are part of a four year study that data analysis, computer simulations and laboratory experiments have taken into consideration. Scientists think the grains occurred, when hot water containing dissolved minerals is forced upwards, the hot water meets cold water and the grains form, the interactions that produce the grains would be at about 90 Degrees Celsius. The grains are then spewed out through the geezers into space and join the rings of Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft using its cosmic dust analyzer, detected the grains before it entered orbit around Saturn. The samples detected were rich in Silica, which here on earth is found in sand and quartz. Here on earth the most common way these grains are produced is through hydrothermal activity. Enceledus could have the right ingredients for life, the moons outer thick ice crust will protect any life forms from A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

cosmic radiation, there is a source of energy, heat generated by tidal forces from Saturn and other moons acting on Enceledus, then there is a liquid solution. Other possible candidates are Europa, Possible Titan if a liquid water is below its surface and somewhere closer to home Ceres, the dwarf planets in the asteroid belt. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Growth spurt In Young Protostar observed Using an array of equipment and instruments astronomers have observed a ‘growth Spurt’ from a newborn Protostar. Data from NASA’s Spitzer space telescope and ground based telescopes, have aided the international team of astronomers in their findings. The young protostar known as HOPS 383 is thought to be an exceptionally young star. Astronomers class the young protostar as a ‘Class 0’ protostar; it was formed when a cold fragmented cloud of gas and dust began to collapse under its own gravity. When the cloud collapses the centre becomes more dense and hotter, as this continues fusion can take place. William Fischer a NASA Postdoctoral program Fellow at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in greenbelt, Maryland says “HOP 383 is the first outburst we’ve ever seen from a Class 0 object, and it appears to be the youngest protostellar eruption ever recorded.”

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The Class 0 protostar stage is quite short lived, 150,000 years and is considered the earliest development stafe of a star. HOP 383 is located near NGC 1977 (The running Man Nebula). NGC 1977 is located ½ degree northeast of the Orion Nebula

A paper has been published in the Astrophysical Journal; HOPS 383: AN OUTBURSTING CLASS 0 PROTOSTAR IN ORION

Infrared images from instruments at Kitt Peak National Observatory (left) and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope document the outburst of HOPS 383, a young protostar in the Orion star-formation complex. Credit: E. Safron et al.; background: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Toledo

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David Blanchflower Waxing Gibbous Moon It was taken at 2056UT (2156BST) on the 29th March 2015. Equipment: Sky-Watcher Explorer 200P telescope and Canon 1200D camera. It was taken at Prime Focus. Cropped and enlarged using Irfanview. Wavelet processing was done using Registax 6. Some final enhancing was performed using GIMP

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James Parker: Celestron Advanced VX8 SCT ,Nikon D3100 SLR ,1/250th second Frame ISO 100 White light filter, processed through Photoshop 6, Photoshop Express, Snapseed. 1.5 hours of processing through software to highlight the sun in the orange colour tone. A S T R O N E R D S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5 | w w w. i c y s c i e n c e . c o m

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