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SpaceEngine - A free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.
SpaceEngine - A free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.
SpaceEngine - A free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.
Leaks Found in Earth's Protective Magnetic Field
By Andrea Thompson
Senior Writer
posted: 16 December 2008
03:20 pm ET
Scientists have found two large leaks in Earth's magnetosphere, the region around our planet that shields us from severe solar storms.
The leaks are defying many of scientists' previous ideas on how the interaction between Earth's magnetosphere and solar wind occurs: The leaks are in an unexpected location, let in solar particles in faster than expected and the whole interaction works in a manner that is completely the opposite of what scientists had thought.
The findings have implications for how solar storms affect the our planet. Serious storms, which involved charged particles spewing from the sun, can disable satellites and even disrupt power grids on Earth.
The new observations "overturn the way that we understand how the sun's magnetic field interacts with the Earth's magnetic field," said David Sibeck of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., during a press conference today at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
The bottom line: When the next peak of solar activity comes, in about 4 years, electrical systems on Earth and satellites in space may be more vulnerable.
How it works
Earth's magnetic field carves out a cavity in the sun's onrushing field. The Earth's magnetosphere is thus "buffeted like a wind sock in gale force winds, fluttering back and forth in the" solar wind, Sibeck explained.
Both the sun's magnetic field and the Earth's magnetic field can be oriented northward or southward (Earth's magnetic field is often described as a giant bar magnet in space). The sun's magnetic field shifts its orientation frequently, sometimes becoming aligned with the Earth, sometime becoming anti-aligned.
Scientists had thought that more solar particles entered Earth's magnetosphere when the sun's field was oriented southward (anti-aligned to the Earth's), but the opposite turned out to be the case, the new research shows.
The work was sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation and based on observations by NASA's THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) satellite.
How many and where
Essentially, the Earth's magnetic shield is at its strongest when scientists had thought it would be at its weakest.
When the fields aren't aligned, "the shield is up and very few particles come in," said physicist Jimmy Raeder of the University of New Hampshire in Durham.
Conversely, when the fields are aligned, it creates "a huge breach, and there's lots and lots of particles coming in," Raeder added, at the news conference.
As it orbited Earth, THEMIS's five spacecraft were able to estimate the thickness of the band of solar particles coming when the fields were aligned — it turned out to be about 20 times the number that got in when the fields were anti-aligned.
THEMIS was able to make these measurements as it moved through the band, with two spacecraft on different borders of the band; the band turned out to be one Earth radius thick, or about 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers). Measurements of the thickness taken later showed that the band was also rapidly growing.
"So this really changes our understanding of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling," said physicist Marit Oieroset of the University of California, Berkeley, also at the press conference.
And while the interaction of anti-aligned particles occurs at Earth's equator, those of aligned particles occur at higher latitudes both north and south of the equator. The interaction is "appending blobs of plasma onto the Earth's magnetic field," which is an easy way to get the solar particles in, said Sibeck, a THEMIS project scientist.
Next solar cycle
This finding not only has implications for scientists' understanding of the interaction between the sun and Earth's magnetosphere, but for predicting the effects to Earth during the next peak in the solar cycle.
The Sun operates on an 11-year cycle, alternating between active and quiet periods. We are currently in a quiet period, with few sunspots on the sun's surface and fewer solar flares, though the next cycle of activity has begun. It is expected to peak around 2012, bringing lots of sunspots, flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). CMEs can interact with the Earth's magnetosphere, causing problems for satellites, communications, and power grids.
This upcoming active period now looks like it will be more intense than the previous one, which peaked around 2006, some scientists think. The reason is the changes in the sun's alignment.
During the last peak, solar fields hitting the Earth were first anti-aligned then aligned. Anti-aligned fields can energize particles, but in this case, the energy came before the particles themselves, which doesn't create much of a fuss in terms of geomagnetic storms and disruptions.
But the next cycle will see aligned, then anti-aligned fields, in theory amplifying the effects of the storms as they hit.
Raeder likens the difference to igniting a gas stove one of two ways: In the first way, the gas is turned on and the stove is lit and you get a flame. In the other way, you let the gas run for awhile, so that when you add the gas you get a much bigger boom.
"It should be that we're
SpaceEngine - A free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.
Space Shuttle Discovery in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Photo by Dane A. Penland, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Visual proof that space gets bent when time flies at a carnival.
No, I did not take a ride, but I see the possibilities. Maybe next time.
The Cyclone, Tigersharks Carnival at Pacifica, CA.
Thanks to Janet for the title: spacetimecurvature
From the Japanese series "Space Battleship Yamato," which saw a limited run in the USA as "Starblazers."
A replica of the Hubble Space Telescope at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.
The Hubble Space Telescope was carried into orbit by the space shuttle Discovery in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble. Although not the first space telescope, the Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well-known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The telescope is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency.
After 19 years in space Hubble is nearing the end of its life, but the STS-125 service mission (that we would witness the launch of the next day) has prolonged its life so that it should continue to provide us with an eye into deep space until the day the next generation telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, is operative.
Me buscas conflicto, yo te busco porque te tengo todavía. Eres el mejor de mis regalos.
Un gracias al editors (:
Seen at sunrise from a Lloyd Center parking structure.
Photo taken for Our Daily Challenge: Space
Explore: 27 June 2011, highest #318
Manufacturer: Rockwell International Corporation
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 57 ft. tall x 122 ft. long x 78 ft. wing span, 150,000 lb. (1737.36 x 3718.57 x 2377.44cm, 68039.6kg)
Materials:
Aluminum airframe and body with some fiberglass features; payload bay doors are graphite epoxy composite; thermal tiles are simulated (polyurethane foam) except for test samples of actual tiles and thermal blankets.
The first Space Shuttle orbiter, "Enterprise," is a full-scale test vehicle used for flights in the atmosphere and tests on the ground; it is not equipped for spaceflight. Although the airframe and flight control elements are like those of the Shuttles flown in space, this vehicle has no propulsion system and only simulated thermal tiles because these features were not needed for atmospheric and ground tests. "Enterprise" was rolled out at Rockwell International's assembly facility in Palmdale, California, in 1976. In 1977, it entered service for a nine-month-long approach-and-landing test flight program. Thereafter it was used for vibration tests and fit checks at NASA centers, and it also appeared in the 1983 Paris Air Show and the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans. In 1985, NASA transferred "Enterprise" to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Virginia
SpaceEngine - A free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.
"Shared Space" is a tool that allows scenographers to create virtual sound spheres in any space in a museum. This new experience offers the public the possibility to merge more deeply with works of art. While wearing headphones, the visitor is at the center of every sound. Depending on their location in the museum, the visitor can focus on a specific sound, story, or sound texture. In this way, senses other than sight, may be aroused and stimulated.
An exquisite piece reflecting a delicate balance of colour and grid based distribution that evokes an almost divine representation of an icon that defines an era.
that or a post it space invader
SpaceEngine - A free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.
This closeup photo shows the lower portion of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as the giant observatory is berthed in Discovery's cargo bay. The shielded apparatus at the bottom of the frame is the flight support system (FSS), a turntable device similar to a "Lazy Susan" because of its ability to rotate and tilt to assist the upcoming servicing tasks. The image was recorded on Dec. 21, 1999 and was downlinked at the completion of the third HST servicing mission's first spacewalk on the following day by the busy STS-103 astronauts.
Credit: NASA
During another edition of Deep Space LIVE in the course of Ars Electronica Home Delivery, astrophotographer Dietmar Hager talked about the geocentric, heliocentric and the cosmocentric system. Then he took the audience on a journey through the entire universe with the help of the program Uniview.
Find out more about Ars Electronica Home Delivery:
ars.electronica.art/homedelivery/en/
Credit: Ars Electronica - Robert Bauernhansl
Postcard had to include some sort of sewn element. Luckily it did not have to be perfectly rectangular or I would have failed...
The green background is a tyvek sort of material from an old bag - it does not hold up well to ironing! The astronaut and Saturn snippets are from the era when C-boy was obsessed with space; the gold strip is a scrap leftover from my Halloween cape. Stamp from stash.
Swapbot: That's SEW cool! (Handmade Postcard Club group)
Space Dwarves reporting for duty.
Absolutely admit to stealing the logo from MacLane's Wonderful work.
Beard by BrickForge.
Release Date: December 23rd, 2009
Colorways: Black/Varsity Royal-White
Product Model: 378037-041
Information: Air Jordan 11 Retro, Jordan Brand, Air
Jordan Shoes
Space Jam is one of the most popular science fiction which was played by Michael Jordan in 1996. Jordan Brand created an Air Jordan 11 shoe in memory of this film. This Space Jam Air Jordan shoes used the same design as the black/varsity red version. They both applied ballistic nylon and patent leather as the main material on shoes upper. The white sits on the icy translucent outsole which was contrasted well with the whole black upper. In addition, an eye-catching royal blue Jumpman logo appears on leather heel seems attractive and unique.
Space Shuttle Atlantis starts it's cross-country journey, on top of a modified 747, to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on May 24th.
The innovative Boeing Phantom Eye unmanned aerial vehicle conducted its first medium-speed taxi test on March 10, 2012.
Photo credit: NASA photo
Just a teaser. Tonight is the night launch and I am so excited. It is so wonderful living here on the space coast of Florida. There are so many photographic opportunities.
Check out the full project on Lego Ideas and support it!
ideas.lego.com/projects/f161a734-49fe-48a7-9c23-26df91ae5d04
The Endeavor space shuttle is currently at the California Science Center in (I suppose near) Los Angeles. Don't forget to check out this incredible piece of engineering and science before it's gone. The exhibit for this shuttle was detailed, informative, entertaining, and WELL worth the price of admission ($2).