Innehållsförteckning för No. 45 från All About Space

Cosmic ‘Death Star’ found destroying a planet NASA’s Kepler telescope catches a star destroying an alien world What happens to a solar system when the star at its centre dies? Astronomers generally assume that, in an average planetary system, worlds survive as orbiting cinders even after their star has passed through its red giant phase and dwindled to a burnt-out white dwarf. But new observations from NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope suggest that this is not always the case – some white dwarfs can still pack enough of a punch to have a devastating effect on their surviving planets. The star in question is a dwarf some 570 light years away in the Virgo constellation: Kepler’s sensitive instruments picked up periodic dips in its light that confirm a number of…

Giant lunar mound likely formed by volcanic process The mysterious Mafic Mound could be a side effect of a colossal asteroid impact early in the Moon’s history A strange 800-metre (2,625-foot) peak close to the lunar south pole could be the first example of a previously unknown type of volcanism, according to researchers from Brown University. Known as Mafic Mound, the mountain is about 75 kilometres (46.6 miles) across, and lies deep within the huge South Pole-Aitken Basin – the Moon’s largest, oldest and deepest impact crater. It gets its name from its unusual mineral composition, abundant in the calcium-enriched ‘mafic’ mineral pyroxene and very different from its surroundings. Planetary scientists Daniel Moriarty and Carle Pieters (who discovered the mound in the 1990s) took a fresh look at it using…

JUPITER PLANET KILLER From its impact on Mars to the destruction of super-Earths, did the gas giant greatly influence the Solar System as we know it? Written by David Crookes There are many things we know about Jupiter. It is a huge gas giant with a mass equivalent of 317.8 Earths. It is twice as massive as every other planet in the Solar System combined. It has four large moons and a number of smaller ones, and it spins at an incredible rate, which means a day lasts less than around ten hours. But there are also some things about Jupiter, which continue to surprise us. Who would have thought, for example, that this mass of hydrogen and helium could potentially have been a wrecking ball, helping to shape the…

NASA around you A great deal of space-inspired innovations can be found in your city and even at home Manufacturing Powdered lubricants Improved welding Power plant design Smokestack monitors Rapid prototyping Chemical detection Improved mine safety Protective cool vests Quick fasteners Sports & recreation Shock-absorbing athletic shoes Stadium material Plasma displays Protective padding Golf equipment Helmets Ingestible thermometers Protective cool vests Heart rate monitors Tennis rackets Medical Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) ER infrared ear thermometers Automatic insulin pumps Artificial limbs Clean room apparel Precision dialysis pumps and fibres Invisible braces Diamond coatings: artificial hip joints Corneal refractive therapy Ventricular assist device Dental waterline purification cartridge Gait analysis system Grocery Food safety systems Enriched baby food Packaging and freeze-drying Hyperspectral imaging of chicken Refrigeration showcase Household Ingestible toothpaste Cosmetics Memory metal alloys…

Supernova danger zone Fortunately, the Sun is not a big enough star to go supernova, but chaos would ensue if it did Planet sizes not to scale Pluto (39.5AU) The temperature on Pluto would quickly rise from its current -220°C to around 15,000°C ((27,000°F). If it isn’t also ejected from the Solar System it might be pushed to a much farther orbit. Kuiper belt (approx 30-50AU) Being banished to more distant orbits by the changing gravity at the heart of the Solar System means that these objects are far more susceptible to being stolen by other stars buzzing by our neighbourhood. Uranus There is the smallest chance that Uranus may remain intact. The supernova changes the mass at the centre of the Solar System and therefore the planet could be…

How high can I jump on other worlds? You’ve seen astronauts skip on the Moon, but what is low gravity like and how high could we leap on alien surfaces? © NASA; Pat Rawlings When watching films of the Apollo astronauts exploring the lunar surface, possibly the most striking thing is how they move in the lower lunar gravity. We’re quite used to seeing people working in microgravity conditions, whether on the International Space Station or experimental aeroplanes, but only 12 people have ever properly felt that curious low gravity of the Moon. Gravity is the force that occurs between any objects with mass, and the Moon has one-sixth the gravity of Earth because it has only one-sixth the mass of our planet. With less gravity, we get a combination…

SPACE EXPLORATION Can I contribute to space science? Olly Witney There are many ways to get involved in space science. There are a number of citizen science projects that are accessible online, from Galaxy Zoo and the Planet Hunters project, which allow you to analyse images and data and contribute to our understanding of our universe, to the SETI@home where you allow the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence group to use your computer processing power when you are not working on your computer. If you are a student, there is also a wealth of competitions and initiatives you can take part in. The European Space Agency run a 'Fly Your Thesis" competition, where university students can devise experiments that they would like to run in microgravity on a parabolic flight,…

SOLAR SYSTEM What does it mean when a planet ‘clears its orbit’? Tom Cambridge If a planet is said to have cleared its orbit, the planet’s gravity has ejected all the small bodies, like asteroids and comets, from its path and its gravity has complete dominion over its region of space. One of the reasons Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet was because it was said to have not ‘cleared its orbit’ - in other words, there are smaller bodies from the Kuiper belt that orbit the Sun close to Pluto’s orbital zone. However, this has caused great debate because it could be argued that several other planets have not cleared their orbits, including Jupiter which has the Trojan asteroids that precede and follow Jupiter in its orbit 60…

ASTRONOMY Would I be able to see the stars from the surface of Mars? James Tippett Our current understanding of the Martian atmosphere suggests that, just like here on Earth, you would be able to stargaze once the Sun had set. Mars would probably make a very good place to observe the heavens as you wouldn’t have to worry about light pollution from cities or roads. The stars would, however, appear to move differently to those on Earth, this is due to a different axial tilt on Mars. Not only would the path be different, but the stars would be in slightly different places. Mars' north pole does not point at the star Polaris like here on Earth. It points at a gap in space roughly between the constellations of…

All about filters Moon filter Moon filters simply reduce the amount of glare, giving greater contrast and enabling more lunar surface detail to be seen. Green (W58) Enhances subtle atmospheric features on Venus. Brings out contrast on Mars, brighter areas of Jupiter and greater detail in Saturn’s cloud belts; however, the relatively low light transmission of this filter means that it’s best employed on larger telescopes. Orange (W21) Useful for detecting Martian dust storms and enhances Jupiter’s red features and the Great Red Spot. Yellow Green (W11) Improves the visibility of darker features on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Light Red (W23a) Ideal for use when viewing Mercury and Venus in twilight/daytime conditions by increasing contrast with the sky. Because of the relatively low light transmission of this filter, it’s best…

Preparing for launch Remember! You must seek approval from your local aviation authority at least 24 hours before you plan to launch your balloon. Failure to do so could see you in court facing legal proceedings. Be safe and have fun! 1 Choose your launch site Your launch site will need to be fairly flat and without trees nearby if possible. You should also ensure that you have good visibility on the day you decide to release your balloon. 2 Test everything thoroughly It’s important that you check all the equipment you plan to use and then test it again right up until you launch your balloon. You’ll be extremely disappointed if something fails because you didn’t test it more than once. 3 Start early The flight could take two…

Astronomy kit reviews Stargazing gear, accessories and books for astronomers and space fans alike Eyepieces Olivon ED Cost: £90 (approx $140) each From: Optical Hardware Ltd Our first impressions of the Olivon ED eyepieces were good. While bulky, their sturdiness promises a long lifetime under harsh observing conditions. The 1.25” fitting is versatile and can be fitted to a wide range of telescopes and spotting scopes. Twisting up the eyecups, the Olivon ED eyepieces boast long eye relief, and, after combining them with an in-house telescope for a night of observations, we found our expectations of them to be true. Whilst touring the night sky, observing Jupiter, the Moon and the Andromeda Galaxy, we quickly found that the optics of these eyepieces were just as impressive as their build. Thanks…

LAUNCH PAD YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE UNIVERSE ©NASA The Red Planet’s sand dunes Recently taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on board NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, these Martian sand dunes were imaged to provide information on the wearing down and movement of surface material. Images like these can also tell us more about the wind and weather patterns, as well as the type of soil and grain sizes. Between the dunes lies a fractured ground, resistant to the harsh conditions that Mars has to offer. The eclipsed southern skies Shot during the 27/28 September lunar eclipse by astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky under the southern skies that hang over Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory, the Milky Way’s diffuse glow and dark rifts accompany the deep red glow of…

The making of gas planets How worlds like Jupiter are formed could be down to one of two theories Bottom-up model 1 The start of a planetary system Dust grains in orbit around a young star begin to coalesce into planetesimals. The clumping occurs through non-gravitational forces. 2 Growing into planets The size of the planetesimals begins to increase, moving in orbits, to form the planetary embryos. 3 The making of a gas giant Before the gas in the disk disappears, the planetesimals drag gas envelopes onto themselves that gives them their puffy layers. 4 Planetary scatter Some of the gas giants scatter and, due to their sheer size, accrete remaining planetesimals and embryos. Top-down model 1 In the beginning A disk of gas and dust - known as a…

HOW STARS EXPLODE All About Space witnesses the powerful, catastrophic explosions that mark the end of a stellar life Written by Colin Stuart Look down at your hands. It is likely that you can make out the intricate network of vessels carrying blood around your body. It is also possible that you are wearing some form of jewellery, a ring, bracelet or watch made from gold, silver or platinum perhaps. What do these things have in common? The unlikely answer is that without exploding stars – supernovae - none of them would exist on Earth. Those precious metals, along with the iron ferrying oxygen around inside you, were all forged during the death throes of a very big star. Compared with us mere humans, stars live incredibly long lives. Even…

Staring into the heart of supernova explosions Project manager of ASTRO-H, Tadayuki Takahashi, due for launch next year, tells us how the Japanese spacecraft will help us to understand more about how stars explode What are the scientific goals of ASTRO-H? ASTRO-H will measure dynamical processes taking place in wide categories of objects for the first time, using a combination of micro-calorimeters, X-ray CCDs and other two instruments that cover hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray bands. So it will open up high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. The mission will determine the velocity of the gas in clusters of galaxies and allow sensitive and precise measurements of how clusters grow and evolve. Measuring the chemical composition of the gas in active galaxies should allow measurements of the strength of the winds in these…

USER MANUAL The International Space Station Written by Dominic Reseigh-Lincoln THE SPECS Launch: 20 November 1998 Launch rocket: Proton-K Target: LEO (low Earth orbit) Operators: NASA/JAXA/CSA/ESA/ Roscosmos Orbital inclination: 51.6 degrees Component: Multiple international components First residents: November 2000 (arrival of Expedition 1 team) Mission ends: 2024 (pending) Time spent in orbit: 6,201 days Orbits per day: 16 on average Designed to replace the ageing Russian space station Mir, the International Space Station (ISS) remains a feat of space engineering like no other. The product of five space agencies working in unison – NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and the CSA (Canada) – it has been manned continuously for 15 years and is in a constant state of evolution as new parts, segments and components are replaced. Like…

Charon’s battered surface Pluto’s largest moon boasts a history of violence ©NASA Snapped by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft just before its closest approach to dwarf planet Pluto on 14 July this year, this is the best-colour- and highest-ever-resolution image to be taken of Charon. It reveals its surface as a landscape covered with mountains, canyons, landslides and craters, along with surface colour variations. This Pluto-facing hemisphere, which was transmitted to Earth on 21 September this year, shows off details of a belt of fractures and canyons just north of the moon’s equator. The great canyon system is thought to stretch across the entire face of Charon for over 1,609 kilometres (1000 miles) and around to the moon’s far side. Indicating a titanic geological upheaval in Charon’s past, these faults and…

SOLAR SYSTEM If Saturn collided with Jupiter would Earth be destroyed? Matthew Friend It's unlikely. A planetary collision within our Solar System probably wouldn't be too impactful on the other planets within it. Gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter would most likely merge immediately or 'splat' and then coalesce over a few thousand years. However, while the event of a planetary collision may not have too much effect on somewhere like the Earth, the conditions that caused it may have some profound effects. Our current understanding places the eight planets of the Solar System in established stable orbits for the last four billion years. The event that initially put Saturn and Jupiter on a collision course would pose more of a threat than any collisions between other planets. ZB…

DEEP SPACE Could dark matter be made up of black holes? Lynette Handson While it is possible that dark matter could be made up of black holes, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that this is the case. Dark matter is invisible and makes up roughly 80 per cent of all the matter in the universe. We only know dark matter is present in the cosmos because of the extra gravitational pull it exerts on stars and galaxies. One of the original possible solutions for dark matter were MACHOs (Massive Compact Halo Objects). These are things like black holes, neutron stars and cold white dwarfs that are small enough to be difficult to see but are massive enough, that if they existed in large numbers in the outer haloes of galaxies,…

SPACE EXPLORATION Are there any new missions to Venus? Michael Jamieson Yes, there are several missions planned to visit Venus in the next decade or two. Since Venus is the closest planet to Earth and the easiest to reach, space agencies around the world frequently send spacecraft there. The most recent mission has been the European Space Agency’s Venus Express, which ended its mission in 2014. Meanwhile, a Japanese mission called Akatsuki will attempt to enter into Venus' orbit in December next year. Following that, the next spacecraft to visit Venus will be BepiColombo, which is a European Space Agency mission set to launch for Mercury in January 2017. On the way there, the spacecraft will make two flybys of Venus. A year later, NASA will launch a Solar Probe…

DEEP SPACE Would it be fatal if the universe’s dark energy disappeared? John Hornet © NASA; NRAO; Roberto Mura; Subaru Telescope; Fred Espenak; Planet Hunters; SWRI It could collapse in on itself. Dark energy’s true nature still remains somewhat of a mystery to us. We are not sure exactly what dark energy is but we do know what it does. With our current understanding of the universe, dark energy provides the energy needed to power the universe’s expansion. Evidence shows that the universe is expanding, to do this there needs to be an energy source to power it. We do not know what this energy source is, so dark energy is the name given to this mystery source. If all dark energy was removed from the universe, under our current…

What’s in the sky? As we edge closer to winter, a menagerie of night sky wonders to pass the dark hours are ready to observe Using the sky chart Please note that this chart is for midnight mid-month and set for 45° latitude north or south respectively. 01 Hold the chart above your head with the bottom of the page in front of you. 02 Face south and notice that north on the chart is behind you. 03 The constellations on the chart should now match what you see in the sky. The Crab Nebula, M1 Viewable time: All through the hours of darkness The Crab Nebula is first entry in Charles Messier’s famous catalogue of deep sky objects. This is a supernova remnant – what remains after a star…

Meade Polaris 130MD Ideal for those on a budget, this well-made reflector is ideal for observing both Solar System and deep-sky targets Telescope advice Cost: £229 / $319 From: Hama UK Ltd Type: Reflector Aperture: 5.1” Focal length: 25.6” Best for... Intermediate Small budget Planetary viewing Lunar viewing Bright deep-sky objects If you’re on a strict budget but are looking for a telescope that’s a bit more advanced than a standard beginner’s instrument, then we highly recommend the Polaris 130MD. If you’re new to astronomy or have never owned a telescope before, we strongly suggest going for a telescope with a much more simple alt-azimuth mount – the Polaris 130MD employs an equatorial mount that a novice astronomer will find frustrating to use and set up. On the plus side…

Mysterious star sparks talk of ‘alien megastructure’ Astronomers struggle to understand behaviour from a remote star, while some suggest that an advanced civilisation may be the cause A team of amateur and professional astronomers have revealed the existence of a mystery star whose currently inexplicable behaviour has sparked talk of an alien megastructure in orbit around it. The star, catalogued as KIC 8462852, lies about 1,500 light years away from Earth, and was discovered amid data from the planet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope. What makes the star special is the unusual dips in its light output. Kepler, launched in 2009, was designed to stare continuously at a packed field of stars, looking for the small dips in their light. These dips occur when exoplanets pass in front of their parent stars,…

NASA reveals three-step route to Mars With The Martian still reeling in cinema audiences, the space agency is making surviving on the Red Planet a reality with its long-term strategy to reach Mars © NASA; NRAO;Harvard university A newly-published report from NASA outlines the US space agency’s plans to reach Mars in greater detail than ever before, perhaps putting astronauts on the surface of our neighbouring planet, or at least in it’s orbit by the 2030s. NASA’s Journey to Mars strategy document puts forward a three-step program – and the exciting news is that we are already a long way into the first phase. The first step is an 'Earth Reliant' phase, focused on the International Space Station. Here, astronauts are already testing the impact of long-duration spaceflight, and developing…

Timeline of events: How the king killed planets Jupiter's possible migration in and out of the Solar System would have had a major long-lasting effect @ Tobias Roetsch; Alamy; Nicholas Forder; NASA; freepik.com 0 years Jupiter forms In the early Solar System, thick gas and dust orbited the Sun in the protoplanetary disk. Jupiter was first to form within the protoplanetary disk at a distance of 3.5 Astronomical Units (AU). 70,000 years A major attraction Jupiter accretes gas from the disk, allowing it to become a gas giant. A massive gap opens in the disk and the planet then began to migrate inwards towards the Sun. 80,000 years Super-Earths smashed One theory claims Jupiter collided with super-Earths, formed close to the Sun. Debris spiralled into the Sun although sufficient material…

What has NASA done for you? Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on space exploration, All About Space uncovers what we got in return Written by Laura Mears Space suit materials protect firefighters The launchpad fire disaster that killed the three crewmembers of Apollo 1 triggered an intense period of investigation into new flame-retardant materials for space suits and vehicles to protect the future Apollo astronauts. This new technology rapidly made its way into industry and into the suits of firefighters, soldiers and racing car drivers. Spacecraft design software is used to prototype rollercoasters The 1968 computer program, NASTRAN, was originally written to help NASA engineers design spacecraft, but it was released to the public in 1971 and has since been used for a number of different applications.…

DARPA XS-1 spaceplane A secret US programme is leading the way in launching a winged craft into space © Northrop Grumman; DARPA While much of the press surrounding new ways of accessing space is focussed on Space X’s reusable rockets, and Virgin’s protracted struggles towards space tourism, the USA’s innovative Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is quietly drawing upon the best of new and old space companies to bring back the spaceplane. DARPA’s focus is on giving the US military the ability to launch a satellite on very short notice, sending a craft up in days rather than years so that they can respond quickly to international events. However, they have selected three teams of companies to compete for the contract and, if they can meet DARPA’s goals, the…

10 EXTRAORDINARY EXOPLANETS The planets in our Solar System have got nothing on these kings of the cosmos Written by Jonathan O'Callaghan Over the past 20 years we have found thousands of planets outside the Solar System, and many of those are turning out to be rather weird and wonderful. In fact, our eight major planets are starting to look rather mundane when you compare them to others. Nowhere in our Solar System does it rain glass sideways, nor do any planets swoop in huge elliptical orbits around the Sun. Also, we seem to lack any planets inside Mercury’s orbit, whereas other systems have planets extremely close to their parent star – some with a year lasting just a matter of a few hours. Arguably the most extraordinary planet of…

Become an ASTRONOMER Part 2 Take your interest a level further by getting to know your telescope and the amazing variety of objects that it reveals Written by Peter Grego A wonderfully rich, diverse and rewarding selection of celestial delights awaits those who take the time to get to know the night skies. In the last issue we saw how you can take your first steps in exploring the amazing variety of objects and phenomena visible in the skies. Here we look more closely at the practical side of being an active astronomer. We’ll explore telescopes and their many useful accessories – how they work, how to maintain them and how to use them to maximise your enjoyment. We’ll discover how to get to know objects in the night sky…

Planets through your telescope Mercury Date & time visible: Mid-to-late December, low southwest in the evening twilight. Magnitude: -0.6 to -0.5 Constellation: Sagittarius Right ascension: 18h 37m to 20h 05m Declination: -25º 27' to -21º 13' Venus Date & time visible: November through December, above east/southeastern horizon in the early hours, before dawn Magnitude: -4.3 to -4.1 Constellation: Leo, through Virgo, Libra, Scorpius and into Ophiuchus Right ascension: 11h 31m to 15h 57m Declination: 3º to -21º Mars Date & time visible: November through December, above southeastern horizon in the early morning before dawn Magnitude: +1.7 to +1.3 Constellation: Leo to Virgo Right ascension: 11h 35m to 13h 46m Declination: 4º 10' to -9º 19' Jupiter Date & time visible: Throughout November and December, high above the south east and…

How to star hop 1 Select a suitable star chart The chart should clearly show the skies to a reasonably large scale and the positions of the brightest deep-sky objects. Consult the chart using a red torch to keep your eyes dark-adapted. 2 Identify your targets Think about the deep-sky objects’ magnitude and height above your visible horizon – a high deep-sky object will be more easily seen than one buried in the atmospheric murk near the horizon. 3 A suitably-scaled template Draw a circle onto transparent plastic to create a simple reference template. When placed on the map, this should approximate to the field of view given by your finderscope or telescope eyepiece. 4 Plan your star-hop Use the template to identify the nearest bright star to the deep-sky…

Me & My Telescope Send your astronomy photos and pictures of you with your telescope to photos@spaceanswers.com and we’ll showcase them every issue Chris Grimmer Norwich, UK Telescope: Celestron C9.25 Schmidt-Cassegrain & William Optics GT-81 refractor "My route into astrophotography began at the pub a couple of years ago when I discovered that the landlord’s son owned a telescope. So, in the early hours of the morning, we headed outside to the car park to observe the night sky. "I soon paid a visit to my local astronomical society and, the following day, bought my first scope. I have always been interested in photography, so it wasn’t long before I had modified a cheap webcam to get my first picture of Jupiter. It was then that the astronomy bug really…

WIN A HOMESTAR ORIGINAL PLANETARIUM Bring the night sky into your home, courtesy of Sega Toys Enjoy the sight of thousands of twinkling stars from the comfort of your sofa with the Homestar Original planetarium, courtesy of Sega Toys. With its ultra-bright three watt LED and its rotating movement, this high-definition planetarium projects the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky onto your ceiling, enabling you to observe the heavens and map the constellations. A shooting star function provides a beautifully realistic nighttime experience, while a handy timer lets you fall asleep while gazing at the stars before turning off the planetarium automatically. Complete with AC adapter, exchangeable projection discs, a manual and astronomical background information, the Homestar Original is ideal for all of the family. To be in with a chance of…

Christopher Ferguson The last person to land a Space Shuttle, and is today laying the foundations for the next generation of US astronauts Not many people can lay claim to ending an era of space exploration, but that’s the unusual position astronaut Chris Ferguson found himself in, as commander of the very last Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011. Born in Philadelphia in 1961, Ferguson had a high-flying career as a pilot in the US Navy, training with the famous TOPGUN Navy Fighter Weapon School before being selected to become a test pilot in 1989. After rising to the rank of Captain, he was selected for NASA’s training program in 1998 as part of its “Group 17” astronaut intake – nicknamed the ‘Penguins’. He spent…