September 2017 – Earl's Astro Site

Discovery alert! A nearby super Earth

Cool! A nearby “Super Earth” – only 21 light-years away in the inner habitable zone of its small, red ‘M dwarf’ star. Almost 3 times more massive than Earth, this exoplanet is 21 light-years away. It takes only two weeks to orbit its star, closer than Mercury is to the Sun. But since M dwarf stars are cool compared to our Sun, the planet still has the potential for water.

NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.

Source: exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1459/discovery-alert-a-nearby-super-earth/

Posted on September 30, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

New gravitational wave detection shows shape of ripples from black hole collision

Picked up from twin instruments, Ligo and Vigo.

For the first time, astronomers have detail on the 3D pattern of warping that occurs when black holes with masses of 31 and 25 times that of the sun collide

Source: www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/27/new-gravitational-wave-detection-shows-shape-of-ripples-from-black-hole-collision-ligo-virgo

Posted on September 28, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

Picked up from twin instruments, Ligo and Vigo. New gravitational wave detection shows shape of ripples from black hole collision For the first time, astronomers have detail on the 3D pattern of warping that occurs when black holes with masses of 31 and 25 times that of the sun collide Continue Reading

Next-generation U.S. Radio Telescope Development Begins – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Planning has started on the next generation of The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

NRAO and AUI are launching development of a new radio-telescope system with the advanced capabilities to answer critical scientific questions of the coming decades.

Source: public.nrao.edu/news/next-generation-radio-telescope/

Posted on September 21, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

Planning has started on the next generation of The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). NRAO and AUI are launching development of a new radio-telescope system with the advanced capabilities to answer critical scientific questions of the coming decades. Source: public.nrao.edu/news/next-generation-radio-telescope/

Possible explanation for the galaxy’s cosmic radiation

Discovery of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant as a natural particle accelerator of up to PeV energies (1 PeV = 1.000 TeV and implications of galactic radiation. Very interesting article.

https://phys.org/news/2017-09-explanation-galaxy-cosmic.html

Posted on September 20, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

Discovery of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant as a natural particle accelerator of up to PeV energies (1 PeV = 1.000 TeV and implications of galactic radiation. Very interesting article. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-explanation-galaxy-cosmic.html 400 Bad request 400 Bad request

CMOS vs CCD in the field of spectrography

Very detailed article about the differences between CMOS and CCD cameras.

Comparison of CMOS and CCD in the field of spectrography

For spectrographic applications in particular, I compare the performance of Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) sensor with the latest generation of Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors available to amateurs at the date (August 2017).

The focus is particularly on the Sony IMX290 CMOS detector and Panasonic MN34230PL detector that equips the ZWO cameras referenced ASI290MM and ASI1600MM. These detectors represents the state of the art, with performances close to the best scientific CMOS (sCMOS). In particular, the fact that the IMX290 readout noise (RON) is near 1 electron only give a real potential because this parameter is important in spectrography for detectivity. Also, this backside sensor type (i.e. electronic circuit not in the photo-sensitive side) display high quantum efficiency (QE), is attractive for faint detection applications.

The cameras concerned by this study are the ZW0 model ASI290MM-C00L, ASI1600MM-COOL (CMOS sensor) and the popular ATIK CCD cameras ATIK460EX and ATIK414EX. The detector chip (Panasonic origin) used in the AS1600MM cameras is the same one used in the Olympus OM-D E-M1 cameras (the monochrome version).

Source: www.astrosurf.com/buil/CMOSvsCCD/index.html

Posted on September 10, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

Very detailed article about the differences between CMOS and CCD cameras. Comparison of CMOS and CCD in the field of spectrography For spectrographic applications in particular, I compare the performance of Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) sensor with the latest generation of Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors available to amateurs Continue Reading

Earth’s carbon points to planetary smashup

Further evidence about the Earth being struck by a large, Mercury size object in the early life of the Solar System

Research by Rice University Earth scientists suggests that virtually all of Earth’s life-giving carbon could have come from a collision about 4.4 billion years ago between Earth and an embryonic planet similar to Mercury.

In a new study this week in Nature Geoscience, Rice petrologist Rajdeep Dasgupta and colleagues offer a new answer to a long-debated geological question: How did carbon-based life develop on Earth, given that most of the planet’s carbon should have either boiled away in the planet’s earliest days or become locked in Earth’s core?

Posted on September 6, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

Further evidence about the Earth being struck by a large, Mercury size object in the early life of the Solar System Research by Rice University Earth scientists suggests that virtually all of Earth’s life-giving carbon could have come from a collision about 4.4 billion years ago between Earth and an Continue Reading

Pluto’s Methane Snowcaps on the Edge of Darkness

The southernmost part of Pluto that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft could “see” during closest approach in July 2015 contains a range of fascinating geological features, and offers clues into what might lurk in the regions shrouded in darkness during the flyby.

Source: www.nasa.gov/feature/pluto-s-methane-snowcaps-on-the-edge-of-darkness

Posted on September 4, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl

Pluto’s Methane Snowcaps on the Edge of Darkness The southernmost part of Pluto that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft could “see” during closest approach in July 2015 contains a range of fascinating geological features, and offers clues into what might lurk in the regions shrouded in darkness during the flyby. Continue Reading

MAVEN Reveals Speed of Solar Wind Stripping Martian Atmosphere

The MAVEN mission has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the Martian climate from an early, warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold, arid planet Mars is today.

An artist’s rendition depicts a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the upper atmosphere. (Courtesy NASA GSFC)

Source: lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/2015/11/05/maven-reveals-speed-of-solar-wind-stripping-martian-atmosphere/

Posted on September 1, 2017February 25, 2018 by Earl