European Association for Astronomy Education

Source: NASA/CXC-Chandra

Image credits:X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Hamburg/S.Schröter et al;
Optical: NASA/NSF/IPAC-Caltech/UMass/2MASS, UNC/CTIO/PROMPT;
Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss

A nearby star, named CoRoT-2a,  has a planet in close orbit around it. The separation between the star and planet is only about 3 percent of the distance between the Earth and the Sun, causing some exotic effects not seen in our solar system. Chandra has now found that the planet is under heavy X-ray bombardment from its star. (Read more)

Source: NASA-Kepler Press Release

Artist's concept of Kepler-16b. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle.

The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now a scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet - a planet orbiting two stars - 200 light-years from Earth.

Unlike Star Wars' Tatooine, the planet is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it. (read source)

Source: NASA Press Release

The International Space Station with ATV-2 and Endeavour.
Image credits: ESA/NASA.

Three International Space Station crew members safely returned to Earth Friday, Sept. 16, wrapping up a six-month mission of research and exploration.

NASA's Ron Garan, Expedition 28 commander Andrey Borisenko and flight engineer Alexander Samokutyaev, both of the Russian Federal Space Agency, landed their Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan at midnight EDT (10 a.m. in Kazakhstan). The trio, which arrived at the station on April 6, had been scheduled to land on Sept. 8, but that was postponed because of the Aug. 24 loss of the Progress 44 cargo ship.

Before leaving the station, Borisenko handed over command to NASA's Mike Fossum, who leads Expedition 29. He and Flight Engineers Satoshi Furukawa of Japan and Sergei Volkov of Russia are conducting research and maintenance aboard the station. The launch date for the remaining Expedition 29 crew members, NASA's Dan Burbank, and Russia's Anatoly Ivanishin and Anton Shkaplerov, is under review.

Fossum is blogging about his experiences aboard the space station at:

http://blogs.nasa.gov

Source: IAU

The OAD is compiling list of potential volunteers willing to contribute to the IAU capacity building activities described in the IAU Strategic Plan. Astronomy for the Developing World 2010 – 2020: Building from IYA 2009.
http://iau.org/static/education/strategicplan_091001.pdf

It aims to use astronomy as a tool to stimulate development at all levels including primary, secondary and tertiary education, science research and the public understanding of science.

Present and planned activities include:
• Building Research Capacity and university education
# Schools for university students
# Long-term visits to institutes in developing countries
# Long-term institute twinning
# Inspirational lectures to students on astronomy and related technologies.
• Astronomy for Schools
# Teacher training courses
# Development and translation of educational material for children.
• Astronomy for the Public
# Inspirational semi-popular lectures on astronomy or related technologies
# Activities building on IYA2009 including stargazing and engagement with amateur groups

In addition to participation in the delivery or helping with the organization of activities there are several general areas in which volunteer assistance would be valuable, e.g. translation of the OAD website into several languages.

We are particularly interested in contacting expatriates who are prepared to help carry out development activities in their countries of origin.
Note that the strategic plan spans a ten-year period. Assessing the number of potential volunteers, will help us gauge the scale of possible activities, develop an effective organizational structure to run them and provide information for fund raising campaigns. We shall gradually increase the number of volunteers and expand the programmes in line with funding possibilities.

We would therefore be grateful if you would complete the questionnaire for potential volunteers at http://www.astronomyfordevelopment.org/index.php/volunteers.You can also reach us at info@astro4dev.org specifying as subject: “Call for Volunteers” or contact us personally.

Source: NASA/JPL

Go to video webpage.

NASA and JPL have just released a video about the close encounconter of space probe DAWN with asteroid Vesta. On the video one can notice that Vesta is not entirely lit up. There is no light in the high northern latitudes because, like Earth, Vesta has seasons. Currently it is northern winter on Vesta, and the northern polar region is in perpetual darkness. When we view Vesta's rotation from above the south pole, half is in darkness simply because half of Vesta is in daylight and half is in the darkness of night . (see video webpage).

Source: NASA

Image credits: NASA/Chris Gunn

James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major milestone in its development. The mirrors that will fly aboard the telescope have completed the coating process at Quantum Coating Inc. in Moorestown, N.J.

The telescope's mirrors have been coated with a microscopically thin layer of gold, selected for its ability to properly reflect infrared light from the mirrors into the observatory's science instruments. The coating allows the Webb telescope's "infrared eyes" to observe extremely faint objects in infrared light. Webb's mission is to observe the most distant objects in the universe. (read more)

Source: ESA

A galaxy accretes mass from rapid, narrow streams of cold gas.
Image credits: ESA–AOES Medialab

ESA's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that galaxies do not need to collide with each other to drive vigorous star birth. The finding overturns this long-held assumption and paints a more stately picture of how galaxies evolve.(read more)

Source: ESO Science Release eso1134

Artist’s impression of the planet orbiting HD 85512 in  Vela.
Image credits: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Astronomers using ESO’s world-leading exoplanet hunter HARPS have today announced a rich haul of more than 50 new exoplanets, including 16 super-Earths, one of which orbits at the edge of the habitable zone of its star. By studying the properties of all the HARPS planets found so far, the team has found that about 40% of stars similar to the Sun have at least one planet lighter than Saturn.(read more)

Source: NASA/SDO

Sun at 171 Angstrom. Image credit: NASA/SDO.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, has provided scientists new information about solar flares indicating an increase in strength and longevity that is more than previously thought.

Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. They are the solar system's largest explosive events and are seen as bright areas on the sun. Their energy can reach Earth's atmosphere and affect operations of Earth-orbiting communication and navigation satellites.

Using SDO's Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) instrument, scientists have observed that radiation from solar flares continue for up to five hours beyond the main phase. The new data also show the total energy from this extended phase of the solar flare's peak sometimes has more energy than the initial event. (read more)

Source: ESA

ERS-2. Image credit: ESA.

After a final thruster firing last week to deplete its remaining fuel, ESA's venerable ERS-2 observation satellite has been safely taken out of service. Ground controllers also ensured the space environment was protected for future missions. (read more)

Source: NASA

NASA's twin lunar Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:08 a.m. EDT Saturday to study the moon in unprecedented detail.

GRAIL-A is scheduled to reach the moon on New Year's Eve 2011, while GRAIL-B will arrive New Year's Day 2012. The two solar-powered spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field. GRAIL will answer longstanding questions about the moon and give scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.(read more)

Source: MESSENGER Mission

Image credit: NASA/MESSENGER

Data collected during MESSENGER’s first two months in orbit around Mercury have been released to the public by the Planetary Data System (PDS), an organization that archives and distributes all of NASA’s planetary mission data. Calibrated data from all seven of MESSENGER’s science instruments, plus radio science data from the spacecraft telecommunications system, are included in this release. (read more)

Source: National Maritime Museum

Jupiter with lo and Ganymede, September 2010.
Image credit: Damian Peach (UK).

The Royal Observatory Greenwich has presented Astronomy Photographer of the Year – a free exhibition showcasing some incredible images of the sky.Over 700 entries were in the competition for the 2011 Astronomy Photographer of the Year title, and the winners were announced last night at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. This is the third year for the competition, which is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich and Sky at Night Magazine.(learn more)

Source: MESSENGER

Image credit: NASA/MESSENGER

Last Wednesday, the MESSENGER spacecraft emerged unscathed from the second of four “hot seasons” expected to occur during its one-year primary mission in orbit around Mercury. Hours later, mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., successfully executed a maneuver to adjust the spacecraft’s trajectory. (read more)

Source: NASA Science News

Did our planet once have two moons? Some researchers say so. Moreover, the missing satellite might still be up there--splattered against the far side of the Moon. NASA's GRAIL mission, due to launch on Sept. 8th, could help confirm or refute the "two moon" hypothesis.(read more)

Source: ESO Photo Release eso1133

The brilliant star cluster NGC 2100 lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Image credits: ESO.

ESO’s New Technology Telescope (NTT) has captured a striking image of the open cluster NGC 2100. This brilliant star cluster is around 15 million years old, and located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The cluster is surrounded by glowing gas from the nearby Tarantula Nebula.(read more)

Source: NASA/LRO

Apollo17 landing site. Image credits: NASA/Goddard/ASU.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites. Images show the twists and turns of the paths made when the astronauts explored the lunar surface.

At the Apollo 17 site, the tracks laid down by the lunar rover are clearly visible, along with the last foot trails left on the moon. The images also show where the astronauts placed some of the scientific instruments that provided the first insight into the moon's environment and interior. (read more)

Source: ESA

Space dust coming off comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann.
Image credits: NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (APL/JHU), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay (STScI).

There’s just about nowhere that state-of-the-art space technologies cannot reach – from the martian atmosphere to those hard-to-clean spots under the couch. The search for space dust is giving us cleaner homes. (read more)

Source: NASA

Screenshot of Eyes on the Solar System.

NASA is giving the public the power to journey through the solar system using a new interactive Web-based tool.

The "Eyes on the Solar System" interface combines video game technology and NASA data to create an environment for users to ride along with agency spacecraft and explore the cosmos. Screen graphics and information such as planet  locations and spacecraft maneuvers use actual space mission data.

"This is the first time the public has been able to see the entire solar system and our missions moving together in  real-time," said Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "It demonstrates NASA's continued commitment to share our science with everyone."

The virtual environment uses the Unity game engine to display models of planets, moons, asteroids, comets and spacecraft as they move through our solar system. With keyboard and mouse controls, users cruise through space to explore anything that catches their interest.

A free browser plug-in, available at the site, is required to run the Web application.

"You are now free to move about the solar system," said Blaine Baggett, executive manager in the Office of Communication and Education at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "See what NASA's spacecraft see -- and where they are right now -- all without leaving your computer."

Users may experienced missions in real-time, and "Eyes on the Solar System" also allows them to travel through time. The tool is populated with NASA data dating back to 1950 and projected to 2050.

The playback rate can be sped up or slowed down. When NASA's Juno spacecraft launched on Aug. 5, 2011, users could look ahead to see the mission's five-year journey to Jupiter in a matter of seconds.

Point of view can be switched from faraway to close-up to right "on board" spacecraft. Location, motion and appearance are based on predicted and reconstructed mission data. Dozens of controls on a series of pop-up menus allow users to fully customize what they see, and video and audio tutorials explain how to use the tool's many options. Users may choose from 2-D or 3-D modes, with the latter simply requiring a pair of red-cyan glasses to see.

"By basing our visualization primarily on mission data, this tool will help both NASA and the public better understand complex space science missions," said Kevin Hussey, manager of Visualization Technology Applications and Development at JPL, whose team developed "Eyes on the Solar System."

"Eyes on the Solar System" is in beta release. It has been demonstrated at science conferences, in classrooms and at the 2011 South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas.

Designers are updating "Eyes on the Solar System" to include NASA science missions launching during the coming months, including GRAIL to the moon and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover.

"Eyes on the Solar System" and an introduction video are available at:

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes