astro
catdynamics | May 26, 2008The Phoenix mission will only last about 90 days.
Starting to feel like they will be very intense 90 days, for some people.
HIRISE camera on MRO capture Phoenix parachute descent through Martian atmosphere
Oblique view - 0.76 m resolution from 310 km
That's kinda cool.
catdynamics | May 25, 2008The Phoenix Mars Lander landed successfully.
Yay JPL...!
JPL press release
Phoenix mission page
The ground at the landing site...
The polygonal patterns, seen from orbit previously, are suggestive of subsurface water ice that may have melted and refrozen repeatedly.
The lander will dig under the soil and sample water ice and look for organics.
The View - big picture...
First look...
Close up.
GNXP got there first
catdynamics | May 23, 2008Yo XMM users.
The XMM Project Scientist wants feedback on Senior Review recommendations.
Now.
Here is the XMM proposal to the Senior Review Panel.
Here is a link (pdf) to the full text of the review, now up on nasa.gov
catdynamics | May 21, 2008Four new objects announced, three transiting planets and something peculiar from CoRoT a "compact brown dwarf" - or is it...
Four new planetary objects were announced this week: XO-5b is a normal "hot Jupiter" in a 4 day orbit around a solar like G star, maybe slightly bloated.;
CoRoT announced two hot Jupiters CoRoT-Exo4b and CoRoT-Exo5b 9 and 4 day orbits, respectively, around F stars, and both are undermassive and bloated - which is interesting, something going on there, although it could be selection effect dominated, since the bloated planets have the deepest transits are easiest to find…
catdynamics | May 19, 2008When I was a graduate student, my ambition was to redo a full sequence of the physics core courses as a TA.
Really. Truly.
I was sick.
I TA'd freshman physics my first year, sophomore quantum my second year, and had planned to request either Ph 106 (Classical) or Ph 125 (intermediate Quantum) for my third year, when I suddenly realised that there were only 168 hours in a week and I also was supposed to be doing research.
So I repeated sophomore quantum. This time I "got to" do some of the lectures.
For some bizarro reason that felt like a reward at the time...
Here you should realise that…
catdynamics | May 17, 2008Senior Review and rankings for the ten missions under evaluation for NASA Astrophysics in 2008 have been published.
Swift
Chandra
GALEX
Suzaku
(Warm) Spitzer
WMAP
XMM
INTEGRAL
RXTE
Gravity Probe-B
Bottom line here is that NASA funds are too tight, so some operating missions are being reviewed for descoping or shut down.
Looks like GP-B will close shop, and expect RXTE to shut down in early 2009 as tentatively scheduled.
Criterion included cost-effectiveness, not just science return.
Under this rank order, at nominal budget requests, the $ runs out at Spitzer.
So there is not enough funding…
catdynamics | May 17, 2008Since you asked... GLAST is at the Cape and being readied for launch, I gather.
Tentatively schedule for June 3rd, but if the Discovery launch scheduled the week before slips then GLAST gets pushed back. They're good through June 6th, don't know how their launch window is if they slip into the next week.
catdynamics | May 16, 2008NASA astrophysics mission Senior Review (2008) is apparently out
I hear Swift is #1 with Chandra second.
GP-B bottom.
What everyone wants to know is where Spitzer Warm Mission ended up and what funding level they'll get...
My mad skillz have failed to reveal a pdf copy on nasa.gov, so someone send me a copy.
catdynamics | May 16, 2008The NAS Assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, 2008, is out and available
The National Academy of Sciences did an assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, at the request of NASA, over the last year.
The report is out and available on the web
From the Executive Summary:
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall, the committee is unanimous in finding that the NAI has fulfilled its original mandate. The NAI has played a key role in supporting the development of astrobiology and has positively affected NASA's current and future missions. The committee recommends that the NAI should…
catdynamics | May 16, 2008Friday commences, and it rains.
So, Oh Mighty iPod - what is the deal with Oklo's dark cryptic hints?
A planet discovered, and where?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Rite of Spring 1 - Stravinsky
The Crossing: Ashes to Ashes - Bowie
The Crown: London Calling - Clash
The Root: One More Time - Clash
The Past: After the Ordeal - Genesis
The Future: Bush War Blues - Johnny Clash
The Questioner: I've Been Working on the Railroad
The House: Levi Stubb's Tears - Billy Bragg
The Inside: Kick Out the Jams (live) - Pearl Jam
The Outcome: Love - Building on Fire - Talking Heads
As…
catdynamics | May 15, 2008Greg Laughlin at Systemic has put out a teasing hint about a potential major extrasolar planet discovery.
There has been a rumour circling the community that a major extrasolar planet discovery was to be announced imminently.
I do not have any confidential or embargoed information regarding this.
Greg Laughlin in a classical astronomical tradition just posted an anagram allegedly hinting at the discovery - in part to stake turf in case of a scoop, I gather
The anagram is: Huge Applet, Unsearchable Terrestrials!
Go try your luck over at Oklo, report any successes here.
For what is it worth,…
catdynamics | May 13, 2008Hubble gallery of galaxy crashes, with added bonus simulations
Click here for astonishingly large version
Click here for video selection
This one gives a very nice set of transitions between a numerical simulation and the images, showing how they are representative of different stages of the merger process
After you've done that, trundle over to Hos's place and run your own simulations
PS: Hos hisself has the animation embedded from youtube, with added bonus history and context.
It is, after all, his simulation, and very nice it is too.
catdynamics | May 12, 2008NASA Ames is getting some new big iron
245 Teraflop Altix system from SGI
to be followed by the Petaflop Pleiades, also SGI architecture with Intel CPUs.
Given SGIs bankruptcy and continuous hemorrhage of cash, this will get interesting.
Now if they could only settle on a security system that was both secure and enables users to actually use the system...
Plan, allegedly, is to scale this up to 10 Petaflops in the surprisingly near future. like 2012.
At last, a use is found for the Hanger #1.
catdynamics | May 12, 2008CNN is surprised at how much astronomers make, and how few there are
personally I am surprised at how little paramedics make
On an unrelated note, the next Hubble servicing missions launch has slipped at least five weeks, from end of August to early October.
Given hurricane season, the delay in putting together the shuttle tanks and to have two shuttles on the pad, it is not unreasonable to expect additional delays.
As is, with the need for orbit verification, the next observing cycle is likely to slip into early 2009.
Ed Weiler is now permanent as the new associate administrator for…
catdynamics | May 11, 2008NASA EOS has some startling images
Flooding in Yangon, Burma
Chaiten Volcano, Chile - before eruption
catdynamics | May 11, 2008Julianne gets an invitation
I too got the invite, to the 11th Birmingham-Nottingham Extragalactic Workshop - 1st Announcement on "Semi-analytic models - are we kidding ourselves?"
Great title. Great topic. Nice lineup.
A workshop I'd truly like to be at. But I won't 'cause it conflicts with other obligations.
On a different note, driving through small town America this weekend, I saw a billboard ad for a new sub-urban McMansionish development.
The ad offered people a one year "mortgage holiday" if they'd buy and move in - the glimpse from the highway did not tell me if this was a genuine "…
catdynamics | May 9, 2008Nima Arkani-Hamed front pages cnn.com
Beating out Ashton Kutcher's surprising hit performance with Cameron Diaz, Mariah Carey's wedding, the green puppy and the Texas Giant Sink Hole.
W00.
It is also a not bad, by journalism standards, article on how the LHC may test speculation of Large Extra Dimensions.
Bit breathless, and I think a bit optimistic on just whether LHC can do more than cut some corners out of parameter space.
But it is a start.
of course the LED paper is very good, and 3000+ cites ain't bad.
The phenomenological followup paper was also very nice.
Although one should always…
catdynamics | May 8, 2008Now we know why Ron Weasley didn't like Astronomy
hos's world is turned upside down at Kitt Peak - extra bonus points for clicking through and figuring out the second photo...
A commenter there reminds of the classic: Pigwidgeon or Hedwig?