“Graveyard” for Comets Discovered

Astronomers from the University of Anitoquia, Medellin, Colombia, led by Anitoquia astronomer professor Ignacio Ferrin, discovered the graveyard of the comets. They elucidated the way some of these objects have returned to life after having been inactive for millions of years. These objects are thus referred to as 'Lazarus comets'.

The asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars of Jupiter was examined in the study.12 active comets have been cited in the asteroid main belt region in the last decade. This actually surprised the team, leading to the investigation of the origin of these objects.

Professor Ferrín says that indeed, they found a graveyard of comets. The asteroids taking paths around the Sun for years which seemingly have no activity, could not be dead rocks at all. It was found that some of them are dormant comets that may be active again once the energy that they obtain from the Sun increases minutely.

The latter is most likely to happen, since the orbits of many objects in the asteroid belt are pushed by the gravitational force of Jupiter, subjecting their orbits to alteration, thus lessening the minimum distance of the object from the Sun (perihelion) and leading to an increase in average temperature.

An illustration depicting the models of the main asteroid belt found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The topmost image shows the traditional model, the second image shows the proposed model, and the last image shows how the belt looked like millions of years ago. (Ferrin, 2013)

Having this claim, it could be inferred that millions of years ago, the main belt was populated by thousands of active comets. Those active comets became mature and ceased from being active. Today, we are seeing the remnants of the active past. The 12 comets are true ones, which were “brought to life” again after their minimum distance from the Sun decreased. “The little extra energy they received from the Sun was then sufficient to revive them from the graveyard.”


The term Lazarus comets was used to describe those objects, having returning to life after being dormant for thousands or even millions of years.




Source:

Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) (2013, August 2). Astronomers discovery a graveyard for comets. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 6, 2013,


Prepared by: Ericka Jane Angeles

2013 Astronomical Events

     The highlights of year 2013 include two comets with the potential of being impressive naked eye objects on the first and last quarter of the year. Most of the comets are not bright enough to be seen by the unaided eye and thus rare. In the last two decades, there have been only four bright comets – Comet Hyakutake of 1996, Comet Hale Bopp of 1997,  Comet McNaught of 2007, and Comet Lovejoy of 2011. This year’s comets, Comet PanSTTARS and Comet ISON, could possibly be so bright with Comet ISON outshining the Moon.

Aside from the two would-be great comets, here are some of the most awaited sky events of 2013:

January 3-4 Quadrantid Meteor Shower

     After the spectacle of New Year fireworks in the sky, another show is yet to display on January 3 and 4. The first meteor shower of the year, Quadrantids, was named after an obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis which was once located between the constellations of Bootes and Draco. This shower display will offer up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The Quadrantids meteors peak for a very short time, lasting only hours, so it is advised to wait the whole night or after midnight and not miss them. They can be seen radiating near the constellation Bootes and the Big Dipper, rising northeast in the sky. The company of the waning gibbous Moon will make the faint meteors harder to spot but this annual meteor shower might still give a decent show as it can produce fireballs at above average hourly rates.

March Comet PanSTARRS

     

     The comet C/2011 L4 or comet PANSTARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) has a high chance of being a fine naked eye object on March. A comet is composed of rock and ice which vaporizes as it approaches the Sun. This causes the comet to become brighter and produce a bright tail which always points away from the Sun.  Although not as prominent as the much awaited comet ISON on November, comet PanSTARRS will still be a fantastic sight for enthusiasts and can be a warm-up observation for comet ISON. Because of the unpredictability of comets, expect Comet PANSTARRS to be as bright as Vega particularly on March 9 as it enters perihelion – point where it is nearest to the Sun.

     Observe Comet PanSTARRS in the west as it gets brighter as the Sun sets, leaving about an hour for a beautiful display before the comet finally sets. And if the comet tail develops well, expect it to extend above the horizon after the comet sets. On March 14, the crescent Moon will join the view and rest near the comet tail.

March 28 Occultation of Spica by the Moon

    There will be many instances where Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, will be occulted by the Moon this year. Occultation is a phenomenon where an object is hidden when another object passes between it and an observer. This time, the Moon will pass between us and the first magnitude star Spica. The star will hide behind the Moon and will appear on the thin dark limb of the Moon. Lunar occultations are often observed and timed by amateur astronomers to learn more about the topography of the Moon.

     In the Philippines, the most observable occultation of Spica will be on March 28.

April 21-22 Lyrid Meteor Shower

    

     After a long calm night sky for meteor showers, another shower is now ready for a show. This year’s Lyrid meteor shower might put up a great display despite the presence of the waxing gibbous Moon. Lyrids offers up to 20 meteors per hour at peak and can be best viewed hours after midnight and when the Moon sets. They can be seen radiating from the constellation Lyra, at northeast near the Milky Way band. Occasionally, the Lyrids intensifies and offers a meteor storm like the historical 700 meteors per hour of Lyrids 1803. 

April 25 Partial Lunar Eclipse

  

   A partial lunar eclipse, the first of the three lunar eclipses this year, will occur around 8PM UT on April 25. This event will be one of the shortest partial lunar eclipses, lasting less than 30 minutes, with just 0.5 arc minutes or about 0.3%  of the Moon entering the Earth’s umbra – darkest part of its shadow.

     In the Philippines, only the penumbral eclipse can be observed. This will cause a light dimming on the Moon as it enters the Earth’s penumbra – the lighter shadow. The greatest eclipse will occur at around 4:09AM (PHT) on April 26. The remaining two lunar eclipses of the year, May and October penumbral lunar eclipses, will not be visible in the Philippines. 

April 28 Saturn at Opposition

    

     Saturn will be at its brightest and will appear much larger when it reaches opposition – when the position of Saturn and Sun in the sky is directly opposite and when it is closest to the Earth. Saturn will be seen rising as the sun sets. This is the best time to take pictures of the stunning planet with its rings.

May 5-6 Eta Aquarids

    Eta Aquarid meteor shower usually produce about 10-20 meteors per hour at peak but can be unpredictable and reach a higher rate. They can be seen radiating from the constellation Aquarius, just look at the east from midnight to dawn. The crescent Moon will also give way for this spectacular show.

May 10 Annular Solar Eclipse

     An annular solar eclipse will occur on May 10 and will be visible from Northern Australia and Pacific Ocean. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun, allowing the Sun to look like a ring when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun.

     Observers from the southern part of Philippines can only witness a partial solar eclipse. Just wait an hour or less after the sun rises. Be careful in observing the eclipse and use proper viewing methods.

May 26 -31 Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus Planetary Grouping

   

     Three of the brightest naked eye objects in the night sky – Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus – will cluster in the last week of May to put a lovely view. These planets will be around 2 degrees away from each other and can be seen just after the sunset. There will be around 30 minutes leeway before the grouping set so watch out for the parade.

     On May 28, the two brightest night sky objects (aside from the Moon), Venus and Jupiter will shine very close together at only 1 degree apart.

     On May 31, the three can be seen lining up within 10 degrees looking like a bigger and brighter version of Orion’s belt.

November 3 Hybrid Solar Eclipse

     A special type of eclipse will occur on November 3. Hybrid solar eclipses are also called annular-solar eclipses. This kind of eclipse occurs when the vertex of Moon’s shadow is near the surface of the Earth. Observers from the central path of the shadow witness an annular eclipse, when the vertex of the Moon’s shadow fell short in reaching the Earth. It will become total when the vertex of the shadow eventually touches the Earth’s surface. This feature is also caused by the topography of the Earth – having low and high land areas.

     The path of the greatest eclipse will pass across the North Atlantic and equatorial Africa. Sadly, this is another event that will be missed by observers in the Philippines.

Comet C/1995 O1 or Comet Hale-Bopp  (1997)
(en.wikipedia.org)

Nov 28 Comet ISON

     Comet Hale-Bopp of 1997 will not be the brightest comet in our lifetimes if Comet C/2012 S1 or Comet ISON, named after International Scientific Optical Network, survives its close encounter with the Sun on November 28 to 29. Comet ISON will be a naked eye spectacle for weeks from November 2013 to January 2014 and it has a large potential of being so bright that it can outshine the Moon.

Dec 13 Geminid Meteor Shower

     One of the most anticipated meteor showers, Geminids, seems to be getting stronger every year. Geminids can offer up to 120 meteors per hour at their peak and can be seen radiating from the constellation Gemini. This years’ Geminids is best watched between midnight and dawn as the waxing gibbous moon exits the night sky at around 3:30AM. This will give us about 2 hours to enjoy a darker sky, thus a better show.

Prepared by Carlo Ray Selabao



Reference: 

http://earthsky.org/tonight/quadrantid-meteor-shower-before-dawn-in-early-january

http://www.space.com/15108-comet-panstarrs-skywatching-countdown-2013.html

http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/lyrids/lyrids.html

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2013.html

http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/astrocal2013pst.html

Dec 21, 2012 is Doomsday?

The frenzy regarding the end of the world is so wide-spread that it almost seems true. There are a number of "theories" all claiming that the world will end in 2012. The most popular doomsday predictions are as follows: The collision of planet Earth to another planet; planetary and galactic alignments; solar flares that could violently erupt; and the end of the Mayan Calendar. But before we start to hoard food and artillery, let us examine where all these rumors/theories are coming from and know what the experts (specifically, the scientists from NASA) have to say.

The first "threat" is the predicted return of the planet known as Nibiru (or Planet X). It is actually from the book called The Twelfth Planet by Zechariah Sitchin. It basically tells about how aliens from Nibiru, called Anunnaki, came to the Earth and mined our natural resources to supplement their own. People who believe in the existence of Planet Nibiru say that it is causing disruption in the orbit of planets Uranus and Neptune, meaning, it is really close at hand and humanity should prepare for their doom because a giant planet is on its way to Earth for a collision course. But, do not believe it yet. If something as massive as another planet like Nibiru is indeed coming its way, NASA would have no doubt alerted us. From a scientific point of view, Nibiru is a hoax (just look at the book's title; how many planets do we have in the Solar System?). Besides, it was predicted to hit the Earth as early as May 2003---nothing happened! Just in case, NASA have a program (a survey, actually) which watches out for meteors and other celestial objects that may threaten the Earth. It is determined that for now, Earth is in no danger.

The other threat related to astronomy is the predicted planetary alignment that might cause disasters on Earth. While we admitted that this is a rare occurence, and it still makes people anxious, planets have already aligned before. The most recent planetary alignment happened in the year 2000. Did we feel anything bizarre, then? Hardly any, if people actually did. It is because it is negligible. In other words, it is another thing that we should not worry about. NASA also warns the public against believing in the Polar Shift. There are no evidences to prove that it is possible and that it can happen in the near future.

Some people further insuniate that there is going to be a galactic alignment that will happen this December. This galactic alignment, by the way, is that the Solar System will align with the center of the Milky Way as it passes through the constellation Sagittarius. Since a black hole, so some people believe, is at the center of the universe, there is a chance that we will get sucked into it because of the black hole's vacuum-like gravity. However, like the planetary alignment, this is also negligible and not precise. A black hole exists but it is so, so far away (150 quadrillion miles) from the Solar System that even if we perfectly align with it (which will not happen because the Solar System's angle will not permit it to), the effects cannot be perceived by anything or anyone. It's another doomsday prediction which is not backed up with sufficient proof to worry ourselves about.

As for the solar flares, it had been erupting for so long that numerous doomsday predictions were made about it. Some people say that we are approaching the end of Sun's 11-year cycle; that it will happen on December 21. The cycle, observed and discovered by Samuel Schwabe in 1843, is the various changes in the sun's activities which include flares and strong coronal mass ejections. These kinds of solar activities affect the Earth's radio communications, the climate, and it damages the Earth's artificial satellites. The idea of having a major solar catastrophe this Friday, Dec. 21, is misleading. The end of the cycle periodically happens every 11 years; and, in the present decade it will be on 2013. Also, NASA assured us that their will be no total blackouts.

Finally, we go to the most popular: the end of the Mayan Calendar on Dec. 21. This has almost nothing in relation to astronomy besides that Mayans calculated the dates based on their concept of astronomy back then. For the record, the Mayan calendar is cyclical. It means that the "end" is just another beginning of another cycle. Though there might be changes, it is really connected to spirituality,according to Jaime Licauco. Spirituality and astronomy are on different fields.

So, in conclusion, there is really nothing to prove that the end of the world is near! But it is better to think about how the earth is changing gradually (have you noticed natural disasters are fiercer?) because we still have climate change. That's just a friendly reminder. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Prepared by Delwin Rose Villarey

References:

Labitzke K., Matthes K. (2003). "Eleven-year solar cycle variations in the atmosphere: observations, mechanisms and models". The Holocene 13 (3): 311–7.

Licauco, Jaime.Mayan Calendar and the end of the earth cycle. Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080630-145664/Mayan-calendar-and-the-end-of-earth-cycle

NASA. Beyond 2012: Why the World Won't End. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html

What is Planet Nibiru and is it Approaching? http://www.december212012.com/articles/PlanetX_Nibiru/What_Is_the_Planet_Nibiru_and_Is_It_Approaching.htm

Plait, Phil. "Worried About the ENd of the World on Dec. 21? Don't Be". Bad Astronomy. http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2012/12/18/maya_apocalypse_2012_doomsday_end_of_the_world_prophecies_are_nonsense.html

The Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminid meteor shower, commonly called the Geminids, is a yearly meteor shower seen from the Earth in December. It is named after the constellation Gemini where the radiant, the point from where the meteors seem to come from, is located. The Geminids are active every year from about December 6 to December 19 with the most active period at December 13 and 14.

The maximum rate, or the number of meteors that fall per hour when the shower is at its heaviest, has increased every year since the discovery of the Geminids in 1862. In 1877 the maximum rate was 15 meteors per hour, in the 1890s maximum rates reached 25 meteors per hour, and by the 1990s maximum rates were more than 80 meteors per hour.  Recent showers have seen 120-160 meteors per hour.

The meteors from the Geminids travel in relatively medium speed compared to other showers at about 35 kilometers per second making them fairly easy to spot. The meteors often appear yellowish in hue and disintegrate at heights above 38 kilometers.

This 2012, the maximum rate is predicted to be at around 120 per hour though on average it produces 50 or more meteors per hour. The new moon falls on December 13 ensuring dark nights for viewing the Geminids. The best place to view the Geminids is under a wide dark sky. It would be better if you let your eyes adapt to the darkness to better view the meteors. The Geminid radiant point lies close to the star Castor and would climb above the eastern horizon at about 7 pm. The greatest number of meteors fall at around 1 to 2 am when the radiant point is highest in the sky.

The Geminids were discovered by English and American observers in 1862. In 1947 Czechoslovakian astronomer Miroslav Plavec first determined the orbit of the stream of meteors that causes the shower He noted that the gravitational force of the planet Jupiter was causing the orbit to shift its position gradually. The earth first passed through the Geminid meteor stream in the 19th century, and the meteor stream will probably move out of the earth’s path after the 21st century.
The Geminid meteor shower is the only meteor showers to be linked to an asteroid. The parent object of the Geminid shower, 3200 Phaethon, was discovered and photographed in 1983 by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and has the appearances of a small Earth-crossing asteroid. This object does not exhibit the usual features of a comet such as the nebulous head and long tail and so was place among the asteroids. Most researchers believe that Phaethon is the burned-out remnant of a once-active comet.

 
Prepared by Peter Singer Jr.

References:
"Geminids." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
"meteor and meteoroid." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids retrieved on 12/12/2012http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/ten-tips-for-watching-the-geminid-meteor-shower retrieved on 12/12/2012

Blue Moon to Grace the Night Skies on August 31

August is a Blue Month.

Why is it so? We have a Blue Moon this month. Nevertheless, it must be noted that blue moons are not named for their color. They just look like any other full moon.

What is a Blue Moon, then? A Blue Moon can be defined as the second full moon in a month – or the third full moon of four in a season. Thus the name Blue Moon accounts for times when there are more full moons than is ordinary.

This month, we have TWO full moons. The first full moon is August 1. The second full moon is August 31, 2012. The time between one full moon and the next (Synodic Period) is nearly a calendar month, which is 29.53 days. Thus, two full moons in a month is possible if the full moon occurs in the first few days of the month. This happens every two to three years. We will have the next Blue Moon on July 3, 2015.

There can be two blue moons in a year. It happened in 1999, where January and March had two full moons each, and no full moon in February. January and March, for this reason, had Blue Moons. The next year of double blue moons is coming up in 2018.

Blue Moons aren’t blue: SpaceFellowship Moon Image by Rob Goldsmith. This photo was created using computer effects.

Blue Moon: The Definition

Blue moon was actually defined as the third full moon of four in a season. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a Blue Moon is an extra full moon that occurred in a season. One season – winter, spring, fall, summer – typically has three full moons. If a season has four full moons, then the third full moon may be called a Blue Moon.

The idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month started from the March 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine, which had an article called “Once in a Blue Moon” written by James Hugh Pruett. Pruett was using a 1937 Maine Farmer’s Almanac, but he simplified the definition. He said:

“Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.”

In the late 1970’s, Deborah Byrd got a a copy of this old 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope in the stacks of the Peridier Library at the University of Texas Astronomy Department. Later, she began using the term Blue Moon to describe the second full moon in a calendar month on the radio. This definition of Blue Moon was further popularized by a children’s book by Margot McLoon-Basta and Alice Sigel, “Kids’ World Almanac of Records and Facts,” which was published in New York by World Almanac Publications in 1985.The second-full-moon-in-a-month definition was also used in the board game Trivial Pursuit.

Some Other Facts You Might Want To Know

1)Second Full Moon: Blue Moon :: First full Moon: ?

If the second full moon if the month is called a Blue Moon, the first full moon of the month in August is called a Sturgeon Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Fishing tribes who live near the Great Lakes first named the first full moon of August as the Sturgeon Moon for it marks the season of a good sturgeon fish catch. (Please take note that the term is only applicable to the first full moon in August.)

2) Second Full Moon: Blue Moon :: Second New Moon: ?

We refer Blue Moon to the second full moon of the month, but no one has assigned a name for the second new moon of the month. However, these opposing phases appear to be connected with each other. If two new moons occur in a month, then in most cases, four years later, two full moons will also occur in that very same month.

For example, there were two new moons in August 2008. Now, four years later, August 2012 will have two full moons. 

We will see two full moons in July 2015 (July 1 and 31). On July 2011, we had two new moons.

3) Why BLUE moon?

One explanation says that it came from an Old English word “belewe” which means “to betray.” Haply, the Blue Moon was “belewe” because it betrayed the usual perception of one full Moon per month.

4) Are there real colored-blue moons?

At times, usually after vast forest fires or major volcanic eruptions, the Moon has reportedly seen in a bluish or lavender hue. Unusual sky conditions, larger-sized particles of dust or smoke can make the Moon look blue. However, Blue-colored moons aren’t predictable and are very rare.

Sources:

The Next Blue Moon is August 31, 2012. 2012. In: EarthSky: A clear voice of science article [Internet]. [Updated: 2012 August 21; Cited: 2012 August 23]; Available from: <http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/when-is-the-next-blue-moon

Mike Wall. August Sets Stage for ‘Blue Moon’ on Aug. 31. 2012. In: Space.com [Internet]. [Updated: 2012 August 01; Cited: 2012 August 23]; Available from: <http://www.space.com/16840-august-full-moons-blue-moon.html >

Blue Moon 2012: August to Bring Two Full Moons, Astronomical Rarity. 2012. In: Huff post SCIENCE: The Internet Newspaper [Internet]. Ed. U.S [Updated: 2012 July 30; Cited: 2012 August 23]; Available from: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/blue-moon-2012-august-two-full-moons_n_1718517.html>

What is a Blue Moon. 2012. In: Moon Giant [Internet].[Cited: 2012 August 25]. Available from: <http://www.moongiant.com/Blue_Moon_Calendar.php>

Lunar Calendar for 2011 Year. 2011. In: Lunaf.com[Internet]. [Cited 2012 August 25]; Available from: <http://lunaf.com/english/moon-phases/lunar-calendar-2011/>

Once in a Blue Moon. 2012. In: The Farmer’s Almanac [Internet]. [Cited 2012 August 25]; Available from: <http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/2012/08/20/once-in-a-blue-moon/>

Blaine Friedlander. 2012. Blue Moon and Sturgeon Moon in August 2012. In: The Washington Post [Internet]. [Updated: 2012 August 1; Cited 2012 August 23]; Available from: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/blue-moon-and-sturgeon-moon-in-august-2012/2012/08/01/gJQAzqZSPX_blog.html>

Photo credit:

Goldsmith, Rob. Blue Moon on New Year’s Eve. 2009. In: Space Fellowship [Internet]. [Updated: 2009 December 29; Cited: 2012 August 26]; Available from: http://spacefellowship.com/news/art17463/blue-moon-on-new-year-s-eve.html

Prepared by: Ericka Jane Angeles

What Makes Curiosity Rover Special?

On August 06, 2012 (1:09, Philippine time), the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover, or popularly known as the Curiosity Rover, landed successfully on the surface of Mars.

It is a great accomplishment to extol since NASA considers that the most difficult missions ever are in Mars. [Out of 39 missions, only 40% was successful and less than a third was successful in landing in Mars.]

The operation of Curiosity is automated- but it follows one script at a time, which is more or less patterned to the day and night in mars. The rover is expected to operate by itself in 5-6 hours every after it receives the command from Earth. The signals from Earth will reach the MSL mainly though communications relay satellites – the man-made satellites that currently orbit Mars.

Mars Science Laboratory is so far the best studied and best tested expedition. In fact, it is the most complex spacecraft ever built. It is different from the other landers, e.g. Spirit and Opportunity, on account of its new capabilities like: sampling capabilities, landing capabilities, and more efficient power source (solar panels that will actually last for two years). The car-sized rover is equipped with 17 engineering and navigation high resolution cameras which will soon help the rover devise a three-dimensional map of the Martian surface. It has a specialized gyroscope which would aid in maintaining the balance of the rover. It also has a chemistry laser instrument which would help it in microscopic work. Its landing capabilities are enhanced with an airbag system, a supersonic parachute which would slow down the spacecraft 200miles per hour upon its entry to a much thinner Martian atmosphere; a 21-feet sky maneuver which would facilitate a safe touchdown of the rover; a heat shield which can resist a very high temperature of 6000 degrees (C) and legged landers (like that of the Viking and Apollo missions).

Image from Wikipedia.org

The robot chemist will examine the atmosphere and rocks in Mars, and how the environment is changing through time. It will search for organic molecules, minerals that are oxidized, or any other big forms that tell something about the process of what MSL seeks to find out – life.

The rover will spend roughly two years analyzing the Martian environment for evidence that the planet is, or was, a habitable place for microbial life. It is intended to understand the environment of Mars, if ever the planet is compatible to life. It also seeks to study other environmental factors that could have allowed life in Mars, and if it could have ever supported life.

History

NASA called for proposals for the rover's scientific instruments in April 2004. Testing and design of components and instruments began in late 2004 to help design a new engine which will launch the Mars Science Laboratory rover and deliver it to the Martian surface. The rocket engine used in the test was originally built, tested and delivered in 1973 for the Viking program, which was put into storage after the successful landing of the Viking 1 and Viking 2 spacecraft on Mars in 1976. The tests done by Aerojet (under contract with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), proved that the key elements and features that make up the Viking engine are enough to equip the NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission. Other rocket engines were assembled by Aerojet to ensure increased mission flexibility and life capability. Eight more proposals were chosen by NASA to provide instrumentation and relevant scientific investigations for the rover. Design studies were done afterwards to find out how the mobile flatform can house the intruments. By November 2008, most hardware and software development was complete, but testing continued. On December 2008, however, NASA delayed the launch to late 2011, instead of 2009, due to inadequate testing time and budget issues.

On July 22, 2011, NASA announced that Gale Crater had been selected as the landing site of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. It is a depression 96 miles across, with a 3-mile high mountain formed together with the crater. The mountain is made of layered rock, like those found in Southern United States (Grand Canyon) which may allow for a better sampling of the Martian soil.

Finally on November 26, 2011, the spacecraft carrying the MSL left our planet and started its 400million miles of journey to Mars.

Curiosity will soon unleash Mars's secrets, and hopefully will pave the way for future human expeditions in Mars. It seeks to answer some questions like: Where else is life? Is there an analogy between Mars and Earth? What happened to Mars and its waters? -as it thrives to find out how life began, for the benefit of humanity.

Sources:

Retrieved from http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1318/1.

Retrieved from http://www.aerospaceguide.net/mars/science_laboratory.html

Retrieved from http://www.space.com/16868-mars-rover-landing-curiosity-events-webcasts.html

Prepared by: Ericka Jane Angeles

Earth Reaches Its Farthest point from the Sun this Year

July 5, 2012, Thursday, at exactly 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT), our planet reached its farthest point from the sun. This phenomenon that takes place every year is called aphelion in astronomical terms.
Because the orbit of the Earth around the sun is elliptical, The Earth has its farthest point and nearest point from the Sun and our planet reaches these points regularly every year. The nearest point from the Sun is termed as perihelion and it occurs between January 1-5, while aphelion takes place between July 2-5. Last year’s aphelion occurred on the 4th of july.

At aphelion the Earth is exactly located 4,996,435 km from the sun. This means that we receive 7 percent less radiant heat when we are at the farthest point than in the nearest point from our star.

Sources :
http://www.space.com/16425-earth-farthest-from-sun-2012-aphelion.html
John D. Fix. Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier ,2nd Edition. The Mcgraw-Hill Companies, 1999

Higgs-Boson….So, What Is It?

With all the excitement going around the scientific community and with all the news bombarding the attention of the public about the confirmation of the discovery of a Higgs-like particle last week, many are still baffled about the so called “God particle”.

The videos below explain what Higgs-Boson is and why it is the center of attention of the scientific community at present.

The first video was created by Jorge Cham of PhDComics, three months before the buzz about Higgs-Boson.



The Higgs Boson Explained from PHD Comics on Vimeo.
The second video was created by minutephysics the day after the now-famous particle was discovered.

The Much Awaited Higgs Boson Discovery

The search for the elusive and mysterious particle, the Higgs boson, may be finally over. Wednesday, July 4, 2012, Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator scientists reported the results leading to the discovery of the particle at the conference held at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CERN located near Geneva.
The results that were presented during the conference were only preliminary but the data that have been collected are satisfactorily consistent and these data are leading to the confirmation of the particle although the data gathered in 2012 are yet to be analyzed.
The particle Higgs boson is the missing particle from the “standard model” of the elementary particles that could possibly explain the nature of mass or why matter has mass.

Sources : 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120704124323.htm

http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2012/PR17.12E.html