Heart of the Atacama

Heart of the Atacama!
(News courtesy ESA)

This satellite image shows the heart-shaped Miscanti lake and smaller Miñiques lake in northern Chile.

The lakewater is brackish – meaning that it’s saltier than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. This is due to the salinity in the soil. Chile’s largest salt flat – the Salar de Atacama – lies to the west (not pictured). 

Two partially snow-covered volcanoes can be seen above and below the lakes on the right, while plains stretch out to the west in a nearly vegetation-free environment. 

The area pictured is part of the Atacama Desert, which runs along part of South America’s central west coast. It is considered one of the driest places on Earth, as moisture from the Amazon Basin is blocked by the Andes to the east, as well as from the Pacific Ocean by the Chilean Coastal Range to the west. Pacific Ocean currents and wind circulation also play a major role in the desert climate.

Because of the Atacama plateau’s high altitude, low cloud cover and lack of light pollution, it is one of the best places in the world to conduct astronomical observations and home to two major observatories.

Some areas of the desert have been compared to the planet Mars, and have been used as a location for filming scenes set on the red planet. Just last year, ESA tested a self-steering rover in the Atacama, which was selected for its similarities to martian conditions.

The Japanese Advanced Land Observation Satellite, or ALOS, captured this image on 30 May 2010.

Herschel solves mystery of Jupiter's water!!

(news courtesy ESA)

Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact site G

24 April 2013

Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, is mostly made of the gases hydrogen and helium. Tiny amounts of water have been found in its upper atmosphere, but, until now, no one was sure where this water came from. The answer to the long-standing mystery has been given by ESA’s Herschel space observatory, the most sensitive infrared telescope ever launched. Herschel has found conclusive evidence that the water was delivered by multiple comet impacts in July 1994!

Collisions with incoming cosmic debris are a continuous threat to the planets of the Solar System, including Earth. However, few impacts have actually been observed by scientists. The first direct observation of such an event occurred at Jupiter, 19 years ago. Astronomers watched in astonishment as 21 pieces of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 plunged into the planet’s upper atmosphere and exploded.

Water in Jupiter's Atmosphere

ESA’s Infrared Space Observatory, launched in 1995, was the first to detect and study water in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Scientists were able to exclude an internal source, such as water rising from below. But if the water was delivered from outside, where did it come from?

It was widely speculated that comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 may have been the origin of this water, but direct proof was missing. Now Herschel’s sensitive infrared eyes have solved the mystery. The space observatory has found 2-3 times more water in the southern hemisphere of Jupiter than in the northern hemisphere. The traces of water are only found at high altitudes and most of it is concentrated around the sites of the 1994 comet impacts.

Even more detailed observations of the gases that make up Jupiter’s massive atmosphere will be made by ESA’s JUICE mission, which is planned for launch towards the giant world in 2022.

Comets can do so much and more!! 

Here come the Perseids!

Here come the Perseids!
(news courtesy ESA)

Perseids meteor shower (Credits: Ali Jarekji, Reuters)

1 August 2013

Sky watchers will be in for a treat in mid-August, when the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak! If you have never before seen a meteor, this is the ideal opportunity. The shower lasts from late July until 20 August, with maximum activity expected between 11 and 13 August. The sky will be dark, as the crescent Moon will be setting below the horizon in mid-evening. And the night should also be warm, so you won’t even need to wrap up! Just keep away from bright lights, let your eyes adapt to the darkness, then lie back and stare at the sky.

Perseids are named after the constellation of Perseus, from which they seem to radiate outwards. However, they can appear anywhere in the sky. The best direction to look is wherever your sky is darkest, probably straight up. The constellation is low in the north-northeast before midnight and rises higher above the horizon during the early morning. The shower is best observed from 11 pm or midnight onward, when you may see 60-100 meteors per hour.

Credits: NASA

The Perseids are sand - to pea - sized bits of rocky debris that were ejected long ago by comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet is slowly disintegrating as it orbits the Sun. Over the centuries, its crumbly remains have spread along its orbit to form a stream of particles hundreds of millions of kilometers long.

Earth’s path around the Sun carries us through this comet debris every mid-August. The particles, or meteoroids, are travelling at 60 km per second with respect to Earth. When one of them hits the upper atmosphere, it creates a white-hot streak of super-heated air. Occasional brighter ones may survive for several seconds, leaving short-lived trails of glowing smoke and gas.

The Perseids are ideal for digital imaging. Attach your camera to a tripod, preferably with a wide angle lens and a high ISO (darkness) setting. Keep the shutter open for 10-15 seconds at a time (longer in a really dark place). With a bit of luck, you should capture one or more Perseids streaking across the photo!

Enjoy observing the August Night Sky!!

Space & Science Workshop Conducted at Delhi Public School, Nashik

Our team from Delhi was recently in Nashik to conduct a Science Workshop at the newly inaugurated Delhi Public School (Nashik). The school is nicely situated at the outskirts of the city with a fine infrastructure and a very cordial staff. ­

Around 40 students of 4th& 5th Standard attended this 3 day workshop. The aim of the workshop was to impart learning by involving kids in various hands on activities related to space and science like Circumference of Earth, Sun Spots Observation, Hydro Rocketry & Evening Sky Observation. Learning is always fun when you can practically apply what is taught to you!!


Day 1: 22nd May’13

The workshop started around 11:00 A.M and continued till 3:00 P.M, the first topic covered was Circumference of Earth – Kids used Eratosthenes primitive yet effective way to evaluate COE. 
Later the kids observed Sun Spots using Sky Watcher EQ 3-2 (telescope) securely covered by a solar filter as we should not see the sun through naked eye. (Viewing the sun directly through naked eye can permanently damage the eyes). 

Day 2: 23rd May’13

On the second day of the workshop the kids were introduced to Hydro Rocketry. The session started with a presentation where they learnt about the dynamics and trajectory of Rockets. 

Later the students applied the concepts learned during the presentation by designing their own Double Bottle Rockets. The whole group was divided into 4 teams while designing the rockets. The kids were at their creative best and had lots of fun designing their own rockets.

The last and the most exciting step was to launch those rockets. This final step hardly lasts a few minutes but is the most fun when you see the rockets going high above the ground and crashing 100 feet away!!

Day 3: 24th May’13
The last day of the workshop had the most interesting part - Evening Sky Observation which started around 6:00 P.M and went on till 9:00 P.M. The kids observed Saturn and Moon using the Sky Watcher EQ 3-2. On this final day the kids were accompanied by their parents and even the parents actively and excitedly participated in observing these celestial objects. 

During the first half of this workshop the kids were given a presentation to make them understand the working and handling of a telescope. Later the kids were divided into 4 teams and each team was given a 3.5 inch reflector telescope which they handled themselves and observed Saturn and Moon. As expected the kids and their parents were in awe when they observed the crater’s on the Moon and the Rings of Saturn.

Lastly there was a small closing ceremony where everybody together celebrated the successful completion of the workshop. We presented the kids with certificates & medals, and the school was given a memento and in return our team was presented with return gifts as an appreciation gesture.

Our Dear Uranus, How Is It Doing?

1. Uranus is the coldest planet in the Solar System

Uranus is the 7th planet from the Sun, orbiting at a distance of 2.88 billion km. But it’s still much closer than Neptune, which averages a distance of 4.5 billion km from the Sun. But there’s something strange about Uranus – it’s really cold. Unlike the other large planets in the Solar System, Uranus actually gives off less heat than it absorbs from the Sun. The other large planets have tremendously hot cores, and radiate infrared radiation. But something made the core of Uranus cool down to the point that it doesn’t radiate much heat. The temperature of the cloud tops on Uranus can dip down to 49 K (-224 °C).

2. Uranus is turned over on its side

All of the planets in the Solar System rotate on their axis, with a tilt that’s similar to the Sun. Sure, the planets are a little tilted. For example, the axis of the Earth’s rotation is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the Sun’s plane; and Mars is similar. But the tilt of Uranus is 98.3401 degrees. In other words, the planet is rotating on its side. All the planets look a bit like spinning top as they go around the Sun, but Uranus looks more like a ball rolling on its side.
And this leads to another strange fact about Uranus…

3. Summer on Uranus lasts one long day – 42 years

A day on Uranus is only about 17 hours. But the tilt of Uranus works out so that one pole or the other is usually pointed towards the Sun. This means that a day at the north pole of Uranus lasts half of a Uranian year – 84 Earth years. So, if you could stand on the north pole of Uranus, you would see the Sun rise in the sky, circle around for 42 years, and finally dip down below the horizon. Then you would have 42 years of darkness.

4. Uranus is the second least dense planet

The least dense planet in the Solar System is Saturn. In fact, Saturn has such a low density that it would float on water if you could find a pool large enough. Uranus comes in second as the least dense planets in the Solar System. The density of Uranus is only 1.27 g/cm3. In other words, Uranus would sink in water (water is 1 g/cm3. This low density has an interesting side effect. Even though Uranus is 14.5 times as massive as the Earth, you would only experience about 89% the force of gravity if you could stand on its surface.

5. Uranus has rings

Obviously Saturn has rings; you can see them in any backyard telescope. But Uranus has the second most dramatic set of rings in the Solar System. Unlike Saturn’s particles which are made of bright ice, the rings of Uranus are very dark. They’re also narrow, only measuring a few km wide. Astronomers think that the rings of Uranus are very young, and probably formed relatively recently, and not with the planet.

6. The atmosphere of Uranus is boring… or is it?

Seen in visible light, Uranus is a boring blue ball. You can’t see the amazing bands of clouds and storms that we see on Jupiter and Saturn. But look closer in other wavelengths, like infrared, and you’ll see that Uranus does have bands and cloud patterns. Early observations of Uranus didn’t show anything, but improved telescopes in the 1990s showed that Uranus has bright regions in its atmosphere. Some of these clouds only last for hours, while others have been around since the Voyager flyby in 1986. Astronomers have also been able to chart the wind speeds on Uranus, and have found they can 250 mtr/s.

7. Uranus has 27 moons

Like all of the giant planets, Uranus has its share of moons. Astronomers now count 27 natural satellites. But they’re actually a pretty lightweight group of moons. If you could add up all their mass, they would account for less than half the mass of Triton, Neptune’s largest moon. The largest moon, Titania, has a diameter of about half the diameter of the Earth’s moon.

8. Uranus was the first planet discovered in the modern age

Most of the planets are visible to the unaided eye, and were known in ancient times. Uranus was the first planet discovered after the invention of the telescope. It was first recorded in 1690 by John Flamsteed, who thought it was a star in the constellation Tauri. But it wasn’t until Sir William Herschel made his observations in 1781 that astronomers finally realized it was a planet. Herschel originally wanted to call Uranus “George’s Star” after King George III, the astronomical community settled on Uranus, and the name stuck.

9. You can see Uranus with the unaided eye

You might be surprised to know that you can see Uranus without a telescope; just with your eyes. At magnitude 5.3, Uranus is just within the brightness scale that a human eye can perceive. Of course, you’ve got to have extremely dark skies and know exactly where to look to see Uranus. Get a pair of binoculars, and Uranus is possible to see even in brighter skies. It’s amazing to think that Uranus was right there, ready for anyone to discover, but nobody knew what to look for.

10. Uranus has only been visited once

Only one spacecraft in the history of spaceflight has ever made a close approach to Uranus. NASA’s Voyager 2 zipped pass Uranus in January, 1986, coming within 81,000 km of the surface of Uranus. It took thousands of photographs of Uranus and its moons, and then sped off onto towards its next target: Neptune. No other spacecraft have ever been sent towards Uranus, and there are no plans to send any more. So get used to the few pictures we’ve got.

 

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