Using the Eye of Sauron to see Great Distances

Summary: Two of my geeky obsessions have overlapped at long last. And in an exciting way too. As we strive to learn more about the beginnings of our universe, astronomers need new ways to measure distances to distant galaxies. The galaxy NGC4151, nicknamed The Eye of Sauron, has provided that.
The method relies on measuring the size of the supermassive black holes found at the center of all big galaxies. These black holes swallow up a huge about of gas and end up spewing emissions back out to become an AGN. The hot dust becomes a ring around the black hole which the astronomers used for measuring distance. By measuring the time delay between the emission of light from very close to the black hole and the infrared emission of the dust ring, we are able to know the distance the light has had to travel from the black hole to the ring.
Knowing the physical size and the apparent size of the ring means astronomers have a new method of measuring distance with only a 10% uncertainty. Not the most precise method we have but it is one that can be easily applied to many other galaxies out there.


AlphaGalileo
Nature

Lonely Stars

Summary: Two missions in 2010 and 2012 saw a rocket launched for a ten minute look at the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) from above the atmosphere. What is the EBL? Professor Jaime Bock of JPL puts it this way: "It's very faint - but basically the spaces between the stars and galaxies aren't dark. And this is the total light made by stars and galaxies during cosmic history."

Having two separate data collecting missions that looked at different area of the sky allows the scientists to rule out fluctuations due to dust within our solar system. Even with this precaution, there was still extra light. The team believes that based on the brightness and blueness of the EBL, it shows that stars exist outside of galaxies. There might even be just as many stars outside galaxies as inside; it's that bright.

Of course other astronomers are skeptical of this conclusion. They concede it may be possible but are leaving their minds open for new and different possibilities.


BBC News
Science Mag

Two New Particles

Summary: You read that correctly. Amid all the excitement about the comet landing, researchers at CERN have detected two new particles with the LHCb experiment. These particles were predicted to exist by the quark model but had never been observed. And now we are pleased to introduce yo to Xi_b' and Xi_b*. Super exciting names I know but maybe they will become fancier in the future.
Both of these particles contain one beauty quark, one strange quark, and one down quark. They are more than six times as massive as the proton. They have different spins (a weird quantum mechanical property that describes their angular momentum).

So this is super exciting, because finding more proof for your theories is always good. And now I am off to find out why I have never heard of a beauty quark before. UPDATE: Apparently it is another name for the bottom quark.


Symmetry Mag

Where no Rover has gone Before

Summary: The landing was a success. Philae has landed on the comet 67P and is now confirmed to be stable. Scientists had been waiting overnight for this confirmation since it was known that the rover had some issues in landing. It actually landed three times due to one of the harpoons failing to attach to the surface. But all is now well and the mission can proceed. One of the main goals is to determine the composition of the comet and use this to learn more about the origins of our Solar System. Especially the question of whether it was from comets that we got our water and the beginnings of life. For a journey that took 10 years, an idea that was born 25 years ago, I hope everyone involved is proud of their success.


BBC News

To Boldly Go

Summary: The European Space Agency gave its final 'go' for the Rosetta satellite to release its robot to land on the surface of the comet. This is the first landing attempt on a comet so keep your fingers crossed. Already the mission has has some complications. This final 'go' was delayed because FIND REASON but the mission is going ahead. The team is putting its hopes in the screws, harpoons, and the potentially soft surface of the comet to keep PHILEA stable where it lands. Because of the signal delay, it's too late to do much else but hope.

Update: The rover has successfully landed!

Read more:
BBC News

You can also follow the mission on twitter @Philae2014

Conception art no longer

Summary: The Alma telescope has captured a first image of its kind. A picture of planetary formation. The star is HL Tau and here we can see the protoplanetary disk that has formed around the star. It is out of this that the planets are formed. The dark rings in the image are the paths carved out by new planets being formed. Astronomers were surprised by how quickly the process was taking place; HL Tau is only about a million years old. It was not expected to have planets forming yet. This adjustment in the timescale of planetary formation could have an impact on how we date our own solar system, and now that we know it forms faster than expected, we might train our telescopes on other stars around this age and hope for similar results.

BBC News

The Mystery of the Cosmic Cloud

Summary: Astronomers have been watching a cosmic cloud heading towards a black hole. They thought they knew what to expect, but once more nature has thrown us a surprise. They had expected some space fireworks but none occurred. As of this news article, scientists don't know what the cause of this is, but some are saying that maybe the gas cloud is not just gas. Others are thinking there is some kind of cloaking somewhere in the system. Either way it is a new mystery for us to find out.


BBC News

Scientific Halloween Prank

Summary: Sometimes, usually when people are alone at night, they report having felt a ghostly presence. But since no one was there it is passed off a trick of the mind. Now scientists have identified the part of the brain that is responsible for this feeling.
It's the part of your brain that is responsible for your self-awareness. Essentially, when you think someone else is in the room it is because your brain thinks you are somewhere else.The experiments used to test this were quite fascinating and I can't wait to try this on my friends.


BBC News

Scifi Short for a Comet

Summary: To promote the Rosetta mission, ESA has released a short scifi movie. It's about seven minutes; go and check it out.


Video
BBC News

Backlog of Articles

I've been really busy with my studies but I have been still finding articles. These are no longer recent but for the sake of record keeping I would still like to post them on here for your reading pleasure.

Giant Black Hole at the Heart of a Dwarf Galaxy
Physics World

Leap Forward in Quantum Teleportation
Business Insider

First Images from India's spacecraft
BBC News

Complex Organic Molecules, Now Found in Space
BBC News

The Water-ice of Mercury
BBC News

Death Star Moon has confusing innards
BBC News

New Distance Record for Tractor Beams
BBC News

Water on a Neptune sized exoplanet
BBC News

India and US to collaborate on Mission
NASA

Hidden Valleys of the Moon
BBC News

Comets, Coming to a Printer Near You

Have you ever bemoaned your lack of a model of a comet? Feel your bedroom is incomplete without one? Worry no more; you can now 3D print your own. The ESA has released a model of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the duck shaped comet Rossetta will be Landing on.
BBC News

Nobel Prize to Blue LEDs
BBC News

The Sounds of Space

Summary: To all my fellow NASA geeks: the space agency has now released free sound clips of historical moments in space history. Yup, you can hear "Houston, we have a problem," when your ex-boyfriend texts you or you can put authentic moans and groans of the space station into your next short film you made in your garage. All these sounds and more can be found on NASA's new Soundcloud. I'll see you over there!

BBC News

Virtual Lunar Reality

Summary: Virtual reality games are cool, right? But what about using that technology to further education? Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University are creating a lunar robot that will do just that. Using Oculus Rift technology, the controller will be able to see what the robot is seeing. With the goggles on, the user can turn their head to control the robot's cams and experience the moon as if they were really there. While this could be great for education, a fleet of these paired with museums will do wonders for reigniting the joy and wonder of outer space for the next generation. Maybe it is this that will inspire a future starship captain.


BBC News

All Eyes to the Skies

Summary: One really fascinating advantage of modern technology is that in a natural disaster, everyone takes out their cameras to document the event. Turns out scientists are not immune to this way of thinking. The Siding Spring Comet will be making a dramatic flyby of Mars and all cameras available will be watching.

This Oort Cloud object will be passing incredibly close to the planet; it will be just 139,000km above the surface. Okay, close in astronomer's terms. Because it will be so close, the rovers on the surface will be instructed to train their instruments upwards to study this comet. More importantly, the orbiters will also be watching. Only they must be extra careful. While not in danger of being smashed by the comet, the dust being shot off still poses a threat so they are going to be directed to the other side of the planet in order to avoid the tail.

I can't wait to see what new breakthroughs in comet research comes from this.



BBC News
SciShow Space
esa live Google hangout
NASA JPL

India in Orbit

Summary: Congratulations to India for becoming the fourth nation to have a satellite orbiting Mars. The satellite, Mangalyaan, is orbiting with the mission goal of studying the atmosphere of the planet.
I'm so proud of the country for reaching another milestone in their space program. We are on our way to making the exploration of space a worldwide initiative. That's one step close to me enrolling in the Starfleet Academy.


BBC News

I'm Not the Only Crazy One

Summary: Brian Cox, cute and funny English physicist, has recently spoke on BBC radio about his belief in the multiverse theory. This is the fun theory that there are infinitely many worlds in existence. This would be such that there is a world in which Schrodinger's cat is alive, one in which he is dead, and a world for every other state of well being in between. This generally makes physicists happy because that means the wave form does not have to collapse. Sure, some outcomes are more likely to happen, but there is a world for each and every outcome.

Personally, I love this theory and am constantly trying to plan a short sci-fi novel around that idea.


BBC News

Ig Noble awards once more

Summary: It's that time of year again. The Ig Noble awards are back. For those who do not know, these are mock Noble prizes given to silly science. Only, it's not just any silly science. There is always some deep studies going on in the research that initially seems very funny.

The award this article focuses on, demonstrates this well. The prize is for the studying the phenomenon of the slippery banana peel. And though this is an oft used comedy gag that will inevitably lead to much laughter, the research team did not set this as their main goal. The friction between the peel and other surfaces is analogous to the friction between the membranes at the joints in the human body. As a result of this study, the scientists will be able to help design better joint prosthesis. And the rest of us will learn the science behind the age old gag.
I would encourage you to follow the link to read more about this project and, all the way at the end, to see the rest of the Ig Noble awards.




BBC News

A Peek at the Earliest Stars

Summary: At the beginning of our universe, stars were not made of the same elements that they are today. Everything in the early universe was composed of completely hydrogen and helium. It is the very first stars that created the heavier elements like carbon, oxygen, and iron. The supernovae from these stars are what spread these elements throughout the rest of our universe. But what about these first stars that were formed before these heavy elements were common? Scientists have just maybe found some hints of these that confirm this theory. A team of astronomers has found one of these low-metallicity stars.

Using spectroscopy to look at the elements in the star with the Japanese Subaru telescope, the scientists noticed that some colors, visual representations of elements, were missing. It had very low levels of heavy metals.

With the available telescopes on earth, we cannot get much more than the barest hints of these early stars. We wait, instead, for the future and the James Webb Space Telescope to look back far into the past and help cement our current observations and find stars from even earlier times.


BBC News
Science Mag

Rosetta updates

Summary: Rosetta is a esa spacecraft that is currently trailing behind a 10-ton comet. The spacecraft with later touchdown and begin studying the object in detail, but important parameters still need to be found out about the comet first. In order to determine a perfect landing spot, there are currently five remaining candidates, the exact center of mass needs to be determined. This means finding out information about the size and material makeup of the celestial body. So far most of the data has confirmed what the scientists already knew and hopefully should not delay the initial touchdown in November of this year.


BBC News

Holodeck in the making

Summary: This article is for all my fellow Trekkies. Star Trek has inspired many of the technologies we enjoy now, but it seeks that the show hasn't stopped inspiring. One scientist has created his own holodeck to enjoy. Using Kinects and a head mounted camera he created a virtual reality for himself.

There are still glitches in the program but he is proud to say it feels real. I am constantly amazed by what people have been able to create with these Kinects cameras and I look forward to traveling to Middle Earth on my personal holodeck. 

BBC News

A few Updates regarding Mars and Space Travel

Martian Fashion:
Because eventually humans may colonize Mars (despite that one Doctor Who episode that clearly warned us against it), NASA has begun planning what its astronauts would need to wear. And they are trying to make it fashionable. Personally, they look like Cybermen from the '70s but I suppose as long as they keep our scientists safe, I'm okay with it.

BBC News


Curiosity:
The rover has begun drilling into the surface of Mars again. Just as a test right now,  but this does mean more data is on its way down to us.

BBC News


The Future of Space Travel:
The UK government has backed plans that would expand its space industry four-fold. This includes possible plans of a bigger space tourism industry. Already the ESA have had a major part to play in outer space exploration, but with more money being available, their part should expand and more can be accomplished. It seems to be good news for everyone.

BBC News

The Secret of the Super Bright Supernova

Summary, almost four years ago, astronomers found a supernova, PS1-10afx, that was 30 times brighter than any other of it's class. They didn't see any abnormalities that would account of this huge magnitude difference and were confused. However, this mystery has now been solved. Then Dr Robert Quimby and his team had an idea that proved fruitful. They looked to see if we were seeing this supernova through a gravitational lens. As it turns out, there was an entire galaxy directly in from of the supernova that was bending the light around it and magnifying it. PS1-10afx is just a normal Type 1A supernova. 

This is will be useful knowledge for measuring cosmic distances since objects of known brightness like Type 1A supernovae are a good constant against which we can measure other objects in the night sky.


BBC News
Science

Infant Moon of Saturn

Summary: Hiding in the images of Saturn's outermost rings, a new moon is being formed. Or at least it looks like it might be a new moon. It's only a slight bump in the images but it does give hints of being a new moon. It's not inconceivable either. The rings are made up of many particles of ice and rock which can start to clump and form a new moon. While it has not been officially confirmed as the start of a new moon yet, the object has been nicknamed Peggy.

Astronomers hope that Cassini's final orbit in 2016 will be able to get higher quality images to verify if it is indeed the beginnings of a new moon. If so, we then just have to cross our fingers to see if it will survive it's infancy. If it stays within the rings, it will have a constant barrage or rocks that could break it apart while it is still forming. If it moves out beyond the rings, Peggy will have to dodge the larger moons.

Even if it does not end up becoming a fully fledged moon, it is still a great opportunity to observe the creation of a new celestial object.

BBC News

Two New Discoveries in the Solar System

There's not too much to say about these. The first one is an asteroid that has been discovered to have it's own rings. This is the first asteroid we have found that has its own ring system.

BBC News
Nature


The second one is a new dwarf planet that has been discovered outside of Pluto's orbit. There's two main theories on its formation, but it has still yet to be officially confirmed.

BBC News
Nature

Cosmic Waves of Discovery

Summary: Scientists at the BICEP2 collaboration at the South Pole have detected signal that confirm theories of the rapid expansion of the universe immediately after the big bang. If validated by other experiments (which is likely to happen as the signal found is actually stronger than predicted) this confirms a super-rapid expansion within the first instants of the universe before "slowing down" to rapid expansion. What they found were twists in Cosmic Radiation Background that could have only been produced by gravitational waves.

So what does this mean? These signals tell astronomers that gravity was present during this time in which quantum effects dominated the, then very tiny, universe. This gives us greater hope that the Four Fundamental Forces can be one day combined into a unified Theory of Everything which could better describe conditions at the big bang.


BBC News
Minute Physics video explaining the discovery
Discussion on background and implications
Video of the founding scientists hearing the news
SciShow

First Gaia Telescope Image

Summary: The telescope Gaia has released its first test image of a star cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This is only a test image though, Gaia's real job is to track and characterize points of light moving across its big detector. These points of light could be anything from a star, an asteroid, or even flashes of light caused by explosions such as supernovae. The test image simply verified that all the electronics are working and communicating with each other properly.

Gaia will be making a 3D map of a small area of the sky over five years. Ideally, at the end of the mission, it will know the coordinates of the brightest stars to within an error of seven micro-arcseconds. This angle is the same angle as viewing a small coin like a euro on the surface of the moon from earth; incredibly small! Currently, the best precision is to within 1%, and as astronomers try to measure stars farther away, this error will become more noticeable. Gaia will double check our current methods of measurement and help limit the amount of error when measuring other stars. This means that our future measurements can be more accurate and we will be able to, hopefully, have a more accurate estimate of how fast our universe is expanding.


BBC News

BOSS Data

Summary: The BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey) collaboration has released a new report with record precision of 1% and a more accurate measure of w, Dark Energy's pressure to density ratio. If this number is simply Einstein's cosmological constant, then w=-1. The new data seems to provide solid proof for this theory as their results yielded w= -1.03±0.06.

The overall purpose of the collaboration is to more precisely determine the redshift of galaxies so that astronomers can connect this measurement with other measurements of cosmological distance. This correlation can then be applied to galaxies that are too far to measure distance by anything other than redshift.


Physics Today

Chasing Our Dreams

Summary: The replacement for the shuttles, now has a predicted launch date. The Dream Chaser, looking like a mini space shuttle, will liftoff on top of an Atlas V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on November 1st, 2016. The first mission will be an unmanned flight although the space craft is designed to carry seven astronauts into low-Earth orbit. This is one of three models being developed for future space travel and although it may not continue to be funded by NASA, the company says they will continue developing their design. Personally, I am excited and think it will do well, but I wish they were more creative in their design. It does look almost exactly like a mini shuttle.


BBC News

No Black Holes?

Summary: In an article I cannot quite wrap my head around, Stephen Hawking has now proposed that the black holes we know (well, sorta know) and love, don't actually exist. I don't really understand the article but it seems to me that he is proposing a different definition of black holes. That they still exist, but just need to be defined differently. If anyone can summarize the article better, please leave a summary in the comments.


Nature

The Future of African Astronomy

Summary: Due to a new radio telescope array in Africa, scientists are predicting a burst of enthusiasm for my favorite branch of physics. Right now, the challenge is to nurture the African scientists and make sure it is not just a flood of US scientists who happen to be in Africa. A long-term relationship with the country needs to be built up. South Africa is also hoping to use this project to inspire future generations of scientists in their country to boost their country's economy and world standing.

The telescope array will contain 3,000 radio dishes and will be able to scan the sky faster than any previous instruments of the kind. The headquarters of this project is in South Africa who took the other countries by surprise when they won the bid. They won the scientific community with clear skies and legislation that strictly limits the amount of radio noise in that area surrounding the telescope which will make the data incredibly accurate and meaningful.


Nature
Square Kilometer Array (SKA)

Water Vapour of Ceres

Summary: The Herschel Telescope has detected unmistakable water vapours spewing off of the asteroid Ceres. The vapours had been previously seen and suspected to be water vapours, but it wasn't until Herschel looked at the streams with its instruments designed specifically to detect water molecules in space. 

How the fountains are created is still a bit of a mystery. The two competing theories are that either it works like geysers on Earth (energy within the asteroid pushes the water to the surface and the low pressure on the surface yields vapours) or the Sun's heat warms the surface ice and converts it into steam. Either way, we will have to wait until next year when DAWN flys by and will be able to get better images. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25849871

Brand New Supernova

Summary: A new supernova has been discovered by undergraduates at the University of London just yesterday during their class. Upon realising what they saw, the astronomy world was alerted and many telescopes immediately trained their eye upon the sight. 

It is expected to grow brighter before dimming again to obscurity in the next two weeks. If you are feeling ambitious, you can look for the bright star in between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25860454

New 1% Accuracy of Universe

Summary:  Set by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), astronomers now have a new standard for measuring distances in the universe. Using baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs), they have created a standard ruler of half a billion light years long which they can use to measure distances in the universe to a 1% accuracy.
With incredibly accurate measurements, astronomers can calibrate fundamental cosmological properties that were wishy-washy at best before. The most exciting one for me, is being able to pin down how dark energy accelerates the expansion of the universe. It also can help provide a better estimate of the curvature of the universe. The latest estimates of which, seem to indicate that the universe is flatter than we previously thought. If it gets much flatter, we may find out we are living in an infinite universe.


BBC News

New Stellar Dust

Summary: A telescope in Chile has captured images of an incredibly young supernova with tons of fresh dust surrounding it. This is the first time astronomers have been privileged enough to see the beginnings of this cosmic dust. These observations help confirm the theory that cosmic dust can form as the result of a supernovae.


BBC News

Geometric Sweets

Summary: The wonders of 3D printing are never ceasing. Not only is the simple concept of being able to print parts in 3D amazing, but we are now able to print guns, toys, and now food. Yes, from the comfort of your own home, you can now print beautiful little chocolate candies. Admittedly, it does have a high price, but I'm sure in the future the price will plummet.
Aside from being a crazy fun addition to parties, NASA is exploring the possibility of having a food printer for astronauts to use while in orbit.


BBC News

New Triple System

Summary: Astronomers have discovered a new triple system consisting of a millisecond pulsar in close orbit with a white dwarf. This pair is then in orbit around another white dwarf. The reason this is important is because it allows astronomers to test different theories of gravity. This particular system will be excellent for looking for violations in the equivalence principle as put forth by Einstein (the effect of gravity is independent of the nature or internal structure of the body). This is the principle we see when two balls of different weights take the same amount of time to hit the floor when dropped from the same height.
Because of the precision of the pulsar, astronomers will be able to have more accurate results than ever before.


BBC News