The Sky Tonight

December 11, 2013

Wake up, Rosetta!
Paris (ESA) Dec 11, 2013
Think it's tough getting up in the morning when the alarm clock sounds? Imagine what it must be like waking up 673 million kilometres from the warmth of the Sun and with no coffee. You might need some help --- Join the 'Wake Up Rosetta' campaign, an international video shout-out to celebrate the end of 31 months of deep-space hibernation endured by ESA's comet-chasing Rosetta. There are some fabulous prizes to be won. Rosetta was launched in 2004 and has since travelled around the Sun five t ... read more

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Quantum effects help cells capture light, but the details are obscure Sophisticated recent experiments with ultrashort laser pulses support the idea that intuition-defying quantum interactions between molecules help plants, algae, and some bacteria efficiently gather ... more		Neutron Stars' X-ray Superbursts Mystify, Inspire Los Alamos Scientists Massive X-ray superbursts near the surface of neutron stars are providing a unique window into the operation of fundamental forces of nature under extreme conditions. "Scientists are intrigued ... more		Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there An international team of astronomers, led by a University of Arizona graduate student, has discovered the most distantly orbiting planet found to date around a single, sun-like star. It is the first ... more
				You can't get entangled without a wormhole Quantum entanglement is one of the more bizarre theories to come out of the study of quantum mechanics - so strange, in fact, that Albert Einstein famously referred to it as "spooky action at a dist ... more		SST Australia: Signed, Sealed and Ready for Delivery As satellites become more common, they face growing risk of colliding with space debris and even each other. The U.S. Department of Defense has thus made space situational awareness a top priority t ... more

Silent Orbit for China's Moon Lander China's first Moon lander is in a stable orbit around that world, awaiting the command to lower its orbit and eventually descend to the surface. Judging by what little we know, the Chang'e-3 spacecr ... more		Hot Jupiters Highlight Challenges in the Search for Life Beyond Earth This week, the Goddard Center for Astrobiology celebrated the confirmation of atmospheric water on five exoplanets. This discovery heralds a new era in planet hunting at the same time as it acknowle ... more		Denmark closes airspace to civilian drones amid rise in sightings Top diplomats of North Korea, China agree to oppose 'hegemonism' What is the high seas treaty?		Subaru Telescope's Image Captures the Intricacy of Comet Lovejoy's Tail A team of astronomers from Stony Brook University (the State University of New York at Stony Brook), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), and others used Suprime-Cam, Subaru Telesc ... more
				The Sun's Magnetic Field is about to Flip Something big is about to happen on the sun. According to measurements from NASA-supported observatories, the sun's vast magnetic field is about to flip. "It looks like we're no more than thre ... more		Early Universe less dusty than thought Dust may be more rare than expected in galaxies of the early Universe, according to an international research team, led by Swinburne University of Technology astrophysicist Dr David Fisher. In ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

International Conference on Protection of Materials and Structures From Space Environment

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Image of sun shows two areas of sunspots, one arriving and one leaving NASA has released an image of the sun showing two sunspots - one "coming" and one "going" - both the size of Jupiter, astronomers say. ... more		Explosive growth of young star A star is formed when a large cloud of gas and dust condenses and eventually becomes so dense that it collapses into a ball of gas, where the pressure heats the matter, creating a glowing gas ball - ... more		The first animals on Earth may have been sea sponges, study suggests Wildfire-induced thunderstorms recreated in Earth system models for first time Fengyun satellite strengthens China global weather forecasting capacity		Supernova Blast Provides Clues to Age of Binary Star System Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed faint remnants of a supernova explosion and helped researchers determine Circinus X-1 - an X-ray binary - is the youngest of this class of a ... more
				Fledgling supernova remnant reveals neutron star's secrets With the help of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Australia Telescope Compact Array, an international team of astronomers has identified the glowing wreck of a star that exploded a mere 2,50 ... more		New comet gets astronomers' attention with intricate tail structure A telescope in Hawaii has captured images of the intricate tail of a comet named Lovejoy as it moves toward its closest approach to the sun, astronomers say. ... more

The Sounds of New Horizons

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing

SwRI study finds that Pluto satellites' orbital ballet may hint of long-ago collisions

Odds of alien life 'very high,' House panel hears

December Expedition to Explore Life in Hydrothermal Vent

Glassy Coating Keeps Viruses Happy In Harsh Environments

Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there

Hot Jupiters Highlight Challenges in the Search for Life Beyond Earth

Astronomers find strange planet orbiting where there shouldn't be one

Rover results include first age and radiation measurements on Mars

Bid to colonize Mars wins high-profile backing

Mars lake may have been friendly to microbes: NASA

	A Whirling Dervish puts physicists in a spin A force that intricately links the rotation of the Earth with the direction of weather patterns in the atmosphere has been shown to play a crucial role in the creation of the hypnotic patterns creat ... more		Quietly Cruising Through The Asteroid Belt Gliding smoothly through the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Dawn continues to make good progress on its ambitious mission of exploration. It is patiently but persistently pursuing Cere ... more		Astronomers find strange planet orbiting where there shouldn't be one A team of astronomers led by a U.S. graduate student has discovered a planet that shouldn't be where it is, raising questions about how planetary systems form. ... more		Odds of alien life 'very high,' House panel hears The likelihood of life on other planets is "very high," a planetary scientist told a House committee in a hearing some Democrats chided as evading U.S. issues. ... more

NASA ISRO radar satellite beams first Earth images from space

India plans mega-dam to counter China water fears

Breakthrough in UAV swarm intelligence as SRI redefines topology mapping

Controllers prepare for spacecraft's rendezvous with protoplanet Ceres		Earth's gravity scarred by earthquake		Cassini Spacecraft Obtains Best Views of Saturn Hexagon		Cloud firm Box raises $100 mn		Astronomers detect water in atmosphere of distant exoplanets
'Spooky action' builds a wormhole between 'entangled' particles		China's most moon-like place		NASA's Dawn Fills out its Ceres Dance Card		LADEE Instruments Healthy and Ready for Science		December Expedition to Explore Life in Hydrothermal Vent

Hubble Traces Subtle Signals of Water on Hazy Worlds

A Blast from Its Past Dates the Youngest Neutron-Star Binary

Model Suggests Ocean Currents Shape Europa's Icy Shell in Ways Critical for Potential Habitats

Comet ISON is confirmed dead after brush with Sun

The Bright Vortex Off Saturn Way

Telescope to track space junk using youth radio station

No qualms about quantum theory

A fiery drama of star birth and death

The mystery of neutron stars heats up

Zero Gravity Corporation Completes Microgravity Research Mission

Fast, Furious, Refined: Smaller Black Holes Can Eat Plenty

Uncovering hidden structures in massive data collections

China launches first moon rover mission

NASA Investigating the Life of Comet ISON

Physicists find a way to study coldest objects in the universe

Figures of Eight and Peanut Shells at the Galactic Center

The State of Super Earths

Flashes of brilliance

Google steps up its battle for Internet 'cloud'

Comet ISON probably did not survive Sun skirmish

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