Marc K. Boucher
CEO at @SpaceRef a new media company focused on the space sector. Entrepreneur, technologist, analyst, writer and publisher of @SpaceQuarterly magazine.
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- May 24, 13
The Astro2010 Decadal Survey recommended a Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) as its top priority for a new large space mission. The report of the AFTA-WFIRST Science Definition Team (SDT) presents a Design Reference Mission for WFIRST that employs one of the 2.4-m, Hubble-quality mirror assemblies recently made available to NASA.
The 2.4-m primary mirror enables a mission with greater sensitivity and higher angular resolution than the smaller aperture designs previously considered for WFIRST, increasing both the science return of the primary surveys and the capabilities of WFIRST as a Guest Observer facility. The option of adding an on-axis, coronagraphic instrument would enable imaging and spectroscopic studies of planets around nearby stars.
This short article, produced as a companion to the SDT report, summarizes the key points of the WFIRST-2.4 DRM. It highlights the remarkable opportunity that the 2.4-m telescope affords for advances in many fields of astrophysics and cosmology, including dark energy, the demographics and characterization of exoplanets, the evolution of galaxies and quasars, and the stellar populations of the Milky Way and its neighbors.
D. Spergel, N. Gehrels, J. Breckinridge, M. Donahue, A. Dressler, B. S. Gaudi, T. Greene, O. Guyon, C. Hirata, J. Kalirai, N. J. Kasdin, W. Moos, S. Perlmutter, M. Postman, B. Rauscher, J. Rhodes, Y. Wang, D. Weinberg, J. Centrella, W. Traub, C. Baltay, J. Colbert, D. Bennett, A. Kiessling, B. Macintosh, J. Merten, M. Mortonson, M. Penny, E. Rozo, D. Savransky, K. Stapelfeldt, Y. Zu, C. Baker, E. Cheng, D. Content, J. Dooley, M. Foote, R. Goullioud, K. Grady, C. Jackson, J. Kruk, M. Levine, M. Melton, C. Peddie, J. Ruffa, S. Shaklan
(Submitted on 23 May 2013)Comments: 15 pages, 9 figures, 1 table Companion article to the SDT report, arXiv
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
Cite as:
arXiv:1305.5425 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:1305.5425v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)Submission history From: Mark Melton [view email]
[v1] Thu, 23 May 2013 14:11:29 GMT (5466kb) - May 24, 13
We study the influence of outer Solar System architecture on the structural evolution of the Oort Cloud (OC) and the flux of Earth-crossing comets. In particular, we seek to quantify the role of the giant planets as "planetary protectors".
To do so, we have run simulations in each of four different planetary mass configurations to understand the significance of each of the giant planets. Because the outer planets modify the structure of the OC throughout its formation, we integrate each simulation over the full age of the Solar System. Over this time, we follow the evolution of cometary orbits from their starting point in the protoplanetary disk to their injection into the OC to their possible re-entry into the inner planetary region.
We find that the overall structure of the OC, including the location of boundaries and the relative number of comets in the inner and outer parts, does not change significantly between configurations; however, as planetary mass decreases, the trapping efficiency (TE) of comets into the OC and the flux of comets into the observable region increases. We determine that those comets that evolve onto Earth-crossing orbits come primarily from the inner OC but show no preference for initial protoplanetary disk location. We also find that systems that have at least a Saturn-mass object are effective at deflecting possible Earth-crossing comets but the difference in flux between systems with and without such a planet is less than an order of magnitude.
We conclude by discussing the individual roles of the planets and the implications of incorporating more realistic planetary accretion and migration scenarios into simulations, particularly on existing discrepancies between low TE and the mass of the protoplanetary disk and on determining the structural boundaries of the OC.
Alexia R. Lewis, Thomas Quinn, Nathan A. Kaib
(Submitted on 22 May 2013)Comments: 13 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Accepted to AJ
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:1305.5253 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:1305.5253v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history From: Alexia Lewis [view email] [v1] Wed, 22 May 2013 20:00:02 GMT (131kb) - May 25, 13
This Kompsat-2 image was acquired over southwestern Kazakhstan's Mangistau region east of the Caspian Sea. Along the top of the image we can see water and wetlands, with eroded areas at the top and on the right. The majority of the image is dominated by flatland covered with low-lying vegetation.
The bright web of roads in the lower left section of the image is the Karakuduk oil field. Soviet geologists discovered oil there in the early 1970s, and commercial production began in the 1990s. The white squares in this 'web' indicate where wells are located. We can also see buildings and other structures related to oil production.
Kazakhstan - and in particular, the Mangistau oblast - has large fossil fuel reserves and an abundant supply of other minerals and metals. Because of this, Mangistau is sometimes called the 'treasure peninsula' of Kazakhstan.
Earth-observing satellites - and in particular, high-resolution multispectral imagery - are useful for finding and monitoring natural resources like minerals and also for supporting the oil and gas industry. Satellites can directly identify different minerals and recognise large-scale geological structures related to mineral deposits that ground-based surveys may have difficulty detecting.
This image was acquired on 24 November 2012 by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Kompsat-2 satellite. Larger image
- May 24, 13
This image shows a cutting-edge solar-electric propulsion thruster in development at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., that uses xenon ions for propulsion. An earlier version of this solar-electric propulsion engine has been flying on NASA's Dawn mission to the asteroid belt.
This engine is being considered as part of the Asteroid Initiative, a proposal to robotically capture a small near-Earth asteroid and redirect it safely to a stable orbit in the Earth-moon system where astronauts can visit and explore it. This image was taken through a porthole in a vacuum chamber at JPL where the ion engine is being tested.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Larger image
- May 24, 13
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has used the drill on its robotic arm to collect a powdered sample from the interior of a rock called "Cumberland."
Plans call for delivering portions of the sample in coming days to laboratory instruments inside the rover. This is only the second time that a sample has been collected from inside a rock on Mars. The first was Curiosity's drilling at a target called "John Klein" three months ago. Cumberland resembles John Klein and lies about nine feet (2.75 meters) farther west. Both are within a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay."
The hole that Curiosity drilled into Cumberland on May 19 is about 0.6 inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter and about 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters) deep.
The science team expects to use analysis of material from Cumberland to check findings from John Klein. Preliminary findings from analysis of John Klein rock powder by Curiosity's onboard laboratory instruments indicate that the location long ago had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. The favorable conditions included the key elemental ingredients for life, an energy gradient that could be exploited by microbes, and water that was not harshly acidic or briny.
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to assess the history of habitable environmental conditions inside Gale Crater. After a few more high-priority observations by the rover within and near Yellowknife Bay, the rover team plans to start Curiosity on a months-long trek to the base of a layered mound, Mount Sharp, at the middle of the crater. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ . You can follow the mission on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .
- May 24, 13
It's Star Trek vs. Star Wars in the skies over San Francisco! Which would win in a battle, the Death Star or the Enterprise? Let us know in the comments!
Check out our Resident Evil IGN Original! http://bit.ly/13vIBBh
After Star Trek IV, the crew of the Enterprise needed more whales, so they came back to San Francisco again, except this time it's an alternate universe where Reagan's Star Wars defense initiative from the 80's is coming to fruition as the Death Star nears completion (superlaser already fully operational). Star Wars is our military
- May 23, 13
Liquid Robotics(R), an ocean data services provider and developer of the Wave Glider(R), announced it has been officially awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest journey of an unmanned autonomous surface vehicle. "Benjamin Franklin," the Wave Glider named in honor of one of the United States' founding fathers and the oceanographer who discovered and named the Gulf Stream Current, traveled farther than any other unmanned autonomous surface vehicle -- land or sea.
Amassing a total of 7939 nautical miles (14,703 km) for his trans-Pacific crossing, Benjamin is the second PacX Wave Glider (Papa Mau was the first) to complete the treacherous yearlong adventure to Australia. Ben began his journey on 17 November 2011 from California's San Francisco Bay and navigated on a pre-programmed route across the high seas battling shark attacks, overcame severe currents and ended his travels navigating through Cyclone Freda (a Category 4 cyclone) to reach the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef. He arrived at Lady Musgrave Island near Bundaberg, Queensland Australia on 14 February 2013.
A key to achieving this world record was the Wave Glider's revolutionary design that converts wave energy into forward propulsion and uses solar energy to power the onboard sensor payload, communications and computing. No fossil fuels are used. This energy independence enables Wave Gliders to stay out at sea for up to a year at time, through the harshest of weather, collecting, monitoring and transmitting data on everything from the weather, currents, fish migrations, water quality and security.
"It is very exciting for everyone at Liquid Robotics to be in a fast growing business that can also accomplish the achievement of receiving a Guinness World Record," said Bill Vass, CEO of Liquid Robotics. "Without a doubt this recognition attests to the long endurance capability of the Wave Glider to tackle the most challenging missions. I speak for everyone at Liquid Robotics and our PacX supporters that we are honored to be certified as a Guinness World Record holder."
The actual distance Benjamin traveled was 9,380.490 nautical miles (17,372.667 km), with 1,441.439 nautical miles (2,669.545 km) being the distance accumulated during the orbit and calibration of the Wave Glider sensors against scientific moorings located throughout the Pacific.
Along with the PacX Guinness World Record achievement, the PacX Wave Gliders have collected over 5.5 million discrete data points along their travels. This rich data set is being made available free to anyone who registers on www.liquidr.com/pacx/pacific-crossing.html.
About Liquid Robotics:
Liquid Robotics is an ocean data services provider and developer of the Wave Glider(R), the world's first wave powered, autonomous marine robot designed to help address the biggest challenges the world faces, including global climate change, national security, hurricane and tsunami warning, and offshore energy and resource management. For more information, visit www.liquidr.com.
Liquid Robotics and Wave Glider are registered trademarks of Liquid Robotics, Inc., in the United States and other countries.
Contact:
For media questions or interviews, please contact:
Joanne Masters
Liquid Robotics
C: 1-858-232-5538
Email Contact
www.liquidr.com - May 23, 13
A University of Alberta physicist brought together backyard astronomers and professionals to confirm the mysterious behavior of two stars more than 300 light-years from Earth.
U of A astrophysics researcher Gregory Sivakoff was part of an international team that re-examined an established theory about periodic bursts of light coming from a binary star.
The two stars are called a binary star because they rotate around each other. The accepted theory on why the binary star, named SS Cygni, emits periodic bursts of light involves an interaction between the pair.
Sivakoff explains that one of the stars, a normal star that is a lower-mass cousin to our Sun, loses bits of its outer envelope to its neighbor, a white dwarf, which is as massive as our Sun but squeezed down to the size of Earth.
"Gravity continuously draws material from the normal star's envelope, but it is only when the material rushes towards the white dwarf that we get an outburst of light," said Sivakoff. "We see these outbursts happen about every 35 to 65 days."
The periodic light flash theory of SS Cygni was developed in the early 80s. Sivakoff says a key factor in the theory's calculations is the distance between Earth and SS Cygni.
In 1999 researchers with NASA's Hubble telescope came up with a larger distance from Earth to the binary star. Sivakoff says that put the established theory into question.
To settle the distance issue Sivakoff and researchers from Australia, Britain, the Netherlands and the U.S. set out to re-measure the distance between Earth and the binary star.
Over the course of two years Sivakoff worked with a worldwide network of 180 amateur astronomers who used their optical telescopes to watch the night skies and report whenever SS Cygni began one of its outbursts.
The researchers then called on ground-based networks of radio telescopes to make the distance calculation. By the end of 2012, the researchers confirmed that a smaller distance of about 370 light-years from Earth to the binary star was correct.
"That was what we need to reconfirm the theory for periodic bursts of light from SS Cygni," said Sivakoff.
Sivakoff describes the research as a big win for citizen scientists.
"We would not have been able to vindicate the theory if dedicated amateur astronomers using their own equipment hadn't volunteered to help us," said Sivakoff.
Sivakoff is the second author of the research, which is published in the May 24 issue of the journal Science [http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6135/950].
Contact:
Brian Murphy
University of Alberta
Marketing and Communications
+1 780-235-6267
brian.murphy@ualberta.ca - May 24, 13
Though it moves just a tiny fraction of the water carried by the Amazon, Congo, or Niger rivers, the Nile is the world's longest river. Its main tributaries--the White Nile and the Blue Nile--meet in Khartoum, Sudan, a rain-poor city of nearly 2 million residents that relies on the Nile for irrigation. Well-watered crops line the river banks, and patchworks of croplands (including center-pivot irrigated fields) dot the city's outskirts.
The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this natural-color image on April 26, 2013, near the end of the region's dry season. Compared to the White Nile, the Blue Nile is skinny and its highly variable flow is near its lowest point at this time of year. Harsh dry seasons and droughts can periodically dry out the Blue Nile completely.
The White Nile and Blue Nile derive their colors from the sediments they carry. Originating in the Equatorial Lakes region, the White Nile is rich in light gray sediments. As this long river meanders over flat terrain, it loses over half of its water to evaporation.
Shorter than the White Nile, the Blue Nile starts in the highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea, picking up black sediment en route to Khartoum. The Blue Nile is fed by monsoon rains, and when rains are abundant, the Blue Nile can actually flow backward near its confluence with the White Nile.
Upstream from both rivers, residents rely largely on precipitation for farming. Most of the water extraction along the Nile occurs in Sudan and Egypt, where rainfall is too sparse to support crops. More than 120 millio people rely upon Nile waters for irrigation and other uses.
References
Trade and Environment Database (1997, November) Blue Nile. Accessed May 9, 2013.
UNESCO (2008, January) Sediment in the Nile River System. Accessed May 9, 2013.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data from the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Michon Scott.Instrument: EO-1 - ALI
- May 25, 13
A new animation of satellite observations shows the clouds associated with several outbreaks of severe weather from May 15 to May 21, 2013, over the south central United States. Over the course of seven days many tornadoes touched down including two EF-4 tornadoes and one EF-5 tornado.
All of the weather systems that spawned these outbreaks are shown in this video, which uses visible-light data of clouds from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite, overlaid on a U.S. map created with imagery from MODIS data, an instrument that flies aboard both the NASA Aqua and Terra satellites. This visualization was created by the NASA GOES Project at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project
- May 24, 13
With this new view of a spectacular stellar nursery ESO is celebrating 15 years of the Very Large Telescope -- the world's most advanced optical instrument. This picture reveals thick clumps of dust silhouetted against the pink glowing gas cloud known to astronomers as IC 2944. These opaque blobs resemble drops of ink floating in a strawberry cocktail, their whimsical shapes sculpted by powerful radiation coming from the nearby brilliant young stars.
This new picture celebrates an important anniversary for the Very Large Telescope - it is fifteen years since the first light on the first of its four Unit Telescopes, on 25 May 1998. Since then the four original giant telescopes have been joined by the four small Auxiliary Telescopes that form part of the VLT Interferometer (VLTI). The VLT is one of the most powerful and productive ground-based astronomical facilities in existence. In 2012 more than 600 refereed scientific papers based on data from the VLT and VLTI were published ([ann13009]).
Interstellar clouds of dust and gas are the nurseries where new stars are born and grow. The new picture shows one of them, IC 2944, which appears as the softly glowing pink background [1]. This image is the sharpest view of the object ever taken from the ground [2]. The cloud lies about 6500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur). This part of the sky is home to many other similar nebulae that are scrutinised by astronomers to study the mechanisms of star formation.
Emission nebulae like IC 2944 are composed mostly of hydrogen gas that glows in a distinctive shade of red, due to the intense radiation from the many brilliant newborn stars. Clearly revealed against this bright backdrop are mysterious dark clots of opaque dust, cold clouds known as Bok globules. They are named after the Dutch-American astronomer Bart Bok, who first drew attention to them in the 1940s as possible sites of star formation. This particular set is nicknamed the Thackeray Globules [3].
Larger Bok globules in quieter locations often collapse to form new stars but the ones in this picture are under fierce bombardment from the ultraviolet radiation from nearby hot young stars. They are both being eroded away and also fragmenting, rather like lumps of butter dropped into a hot frying pan. It is likely that Thackeray's Globules will be destroyed before they can collapse and form stars.
Bok globules are not easy to study. As they are opaque to visible light it is difficult for astronomers to observe their inner workings, and so other tools are needed to unveil their secrets -- observations in the infrared or in the submillimetre parts of the spectrum, for example, where the dust clouds, only a few degrees over absolute zero, appear bright. Such studies of the Thackeray globules have confirmed that there is no current star formation within them.
This region of sky has also been imaged in the past by the NASA/ESA [Hubble Space Telescope] [ opo0201a]. This new view from the FORS instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile [4] covers a wider patch of sky than Hubble and shows a broader landscape of star formation.
###
Notes
[1] The nebula IC 2944 is associated with the bright star cluster IC 2948 and both of these names are also sometimes associated with the whole region. Many of the bright cluster stars appear in this picture.
[2] The seeing of the blue image in this colour combination was better than 0.5 arcseconds, exceptionally good for a ground-based telescope.
[3] They were discovered from South Africa by the English astronomer [A. David Thackeray] in 1950.
[4] This picture comes from the [ESO Cosmic Gems programme], an outreach initiative to produce images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes, for the purposes of education and public outreach. The programme makes use of telescope time that cannot be used for science observations. All data collected may also be suitable for scientific purposes, and are made available to astronomers through ESO's science archive.
More information
ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world's largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning the 39-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".
Links
[ESO Cosmic Gems programme] - http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/gems.html
[Photos of the Very Large Telescope] - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=Very%20Large%20Telescope
[Photos from the Very Large Telescope] - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&facility=31
Contacts
Richard Hook
ESO, Public Information Officer
Garching bei Muenchen, Germany
Cell: +49 151 1537 3591 - May 23, 13
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) photographed this striking view of Pavlof Volcano on May 18, 2013. The oblique perspective from the ISS reveals the three dimensional structure of the ash plume, which is often obscured by the top-down view of most remote sensing satellites.
Situated in the Aleutian Arc about 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof began erupting on May 13, 2013. The volcano jetted lava into the air and spewed an ash cloud 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) high. When photograph ISS036-E-2105 (top) was taken, the space station was about 475 miles south-southeast of the volcano (49.1* North latitude, 157.4* West longitude). The volcanic plume extended southeastward over the North Pacific Ocean. Image Credit: NASA. Larger image
- May 23, 13
Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula. It is both relatively close to Earth and fairly bright, and so was first recorded in the late 18th century.
As is common with astronomical objects, its precise distance is not known, but it is thought to lie just over 2,000 light-years from Earth.
From Earth's perspective, the nebula looks roughly elliptical. However, astronomers have combined ground-based data with new observations using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to observe the nebula again, hunting for clues about its structure, evolution, physical conditions and motion.
It turns out that the nebula is shaped like a distorted doughnut. We are gazing almost directly down one of the poles of this structure, with a brightly colored barrel of material stretching away from us. Although the center of this doughnut may look empty, it is actually full of lower density material that stretches both towards and away from us, creating a shape similar to a rugby ball slotted into the doughnut's central gap.
The brightest part of this nebula is what we see as the colorful main ring. This is composed of gas thrown off by a dying star at the center of the nebula. This star is on its way to becoming a white dwarf -- a very small, dense, and hot body that is the final evolutionary stage for a star like the Sun.
The Ring Nebula is one of the most notable objects in our skies. It was discovered in 1779 by astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix, and also observed later that same month by Charles Messier, and added to the Messier Catalogue. Both astronomers stumbled upon the nebula when trying to follow the path of a comet through the constellation of Lyra, passing very close to the Ring Nebula [2].
Notes
[1] Planetary nebulae take their name from their roughly circular appearance through low-magnification telescopes. The phenomenon has nothing to do with planets.
[2] Messier 57 was not the only object to be discovered during the tracking of this comet, named C/1779 A1. Messier and other astronomers added a handful of other nebulae to the catalogue during this observing period -- Messiers 56, 58, 59, 60, and 61.
PIO Contact:
Nicky Guttridge
ESA/Hubble, Garching bei Muenchen, Germany
+49-89-3200-6855
nguttrid@partner.eso.orgScience Contact:
C. Robert O'Dell
Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, USA
+1 615-343-1779
cr.odell@vanderbilt.eduImage credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Robert O'Dell
The research on Messier 57 is described in a set of three papers, two published and one accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal:
* "Studies of NGC 6720 with Calibrated HST WFC3 Emission Line Filter Images -- I: Structure and Evolution" [http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/heic1310a.pdf]
* "Studies of NGC 6720 with Calibrated HST WFC3 Emission Line Filter Images -- II: Physical Conditions" [http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/heic1310b.pdf]
* "Studies of NGC 6720 with Calibrated HST WFC3 Emission Line Filter Images -- III: Tangential Motions using AstroDrizzle Images" [http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/heic1310c.pdf]
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations used in this image were led by C. R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University, USA), G. J. Ferland (University of Kentucky, USA), W. J. Henney (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico), and M. Peimbert (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico).
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Text, images, and video: http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1310/
- May 23, 13
It is difficult for even the most seasoned astronomer to resist taking time out of a busy observing schedule to stop and stare up at the gloriously rich southern sky. This image is a self portrait taken by astronomer Alan Fitzsimmons, who took this photo between observing sessions at ESO's La Silla Observatory.
This bold photo shows the contrast between a simple, still and dark figure on Earth and the brilliant and bright starry night sky. In this picture, the sky is dominated by the enormous splash of stars and dust which make up the centre of the Milky Way, our home galaxy.
ESO's observatories are located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, a region with very few inhabitants, which combines very dark nights with extremely clear atmospheric conditions, both factors conducive to making high quality observations.
La Silla is ESO's first observatory. Inaugurated in 1969, it is home to a number of telescopes with mirror diameters of up to 3.6 metres. With more than 300 clear nights every year, La Silla is in an ideal position to house advanced observing instruments, but it also makes it a fabulous place to just stop and gaze up into the sky.
Alan submitted this photograph to the Your ESO Pictures Flickr group. The Flickr group is regularly reviewed and the best photos are selected to be featured in our Picture of the Week series or in our picture gallery.
Credit: ESO/A. Fitzsimmons
Wallpaper downloads:
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- Larger images - May 23, 13
The Pleiades satellites, operated and built by Astrium, number three company in the world for space technologies, have captured this image of Moore, Oklahoma, which clearly shows the devastation caused by the massive tornado that swept through the region on May 20, 2013.
By comparing today's image with an image acquired on April 29, 2013, it is very easy to see that buildings, trees, cars and virtually everything else has been completed destroyed along the tornado's path.
First responders will use satellite imagery like this to assess the overall situation and coordinate their efforts.
The Pleiades constellation, operated by Astrium Services, is comprised of two identical satellites working together to provide a daily revisit capability that becomes extremely valuable in times of disaster. One of the two satellites is passing over the affected area every day, providing actionable intelligence to first responders and support planners on the ground. Working in a phased orbit with the Pleiades twins is the SPOT 6 satellite. Built by Astrium Satellites and operated by Astrium Services, SPOT 6 will be soon joined by its own twin. With the four-satellite constellation, Astrium Services will be able to image any area on Earth twice a day, providing information to disaster responders and others faster than ever before.
The high-resolution images can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.astrium-geo.com/Moore_Tornado_Pleiades
About Astrium
Together, pioneering excellence
Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and the third in the world. It is the only global company that covers the full range of civil and defence space systems, equipment and services.
In 2012, Astrium had a turnover over O5.8 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide.
Its three business units are: Astrium Space Transportation, the European prime contractor for launchers, orbital systems and space exploration; Astrium Satellites, a leading provider of satellite system solutions, including spacecraft, ground segments, payloads and equipments; Astrium Services, the Space services partner for critical missions, providing comprehensive fixed and mobile solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.
Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2012, the Group - comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter - generated revenues of O56.5 billion and employed a workforce of over 140,000.
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My Book
- My First BookI'm thinking of writing a book. I do a lot of writing and have for several years toyed with the idea of writing a book. Check this space to find if I decide to go ahead with the project.
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Info
- Summary
CEO at @SpaceRef a new media company focused on the space systems sector. Entrepreneur, technologist, writer, publisher of @SpaceQuarterly magazine and online since '91.
Longer Version:
I am an entrepreneur, technologist, explorer and bon vivant. I began work on my first Internet technology company in 1991 and haven't looked back since.
My first effort was SportsWorld BBS (1992), a bulletin board system. Some of you might remember those those ancient 2400 baud modems using dial-in systems of the early 90's. SportsWorld morphed into aTerra Technologies Corporation. After that I went on to create Maple Square Inc. - Canada's Internet Directory (1996), which I sold, I then co-found SpaceRef Interactive Inc. (1999). My most recent endeavour is Hyperix (2007).
I have also help build several non-profit organizations including the Mars Institute (2002) and the Canadian Space Commerce Association (2007) for which I serve as a director.
Expertise
I started developing online content in 1991 and honed my software development skills in the 90's which has served my businesses well since. While I still program almost daily, my expertise is best used to analyse current trends to formulate strategy and then lead a team to implement the strategy.
Through my 14 years of working within the space sector and with my natural analytical skills I've also become a space policy analyst able to interpret current policy primarily in the U.S. and Canada and with enough data other regions as well. I've made media appearances on CBC Radio, CTV, CNN (Web), the Space Show, in the Globe and Mail, MSNBC, USA Today and other outlets.
Experience- 2011 - PresentPresident and CEO / SpaceRef Canada Interactive Inc.
Canadian space news, analysis and reference source.
- Apr 2007 - PresentDirector / Canadian Space Commerce Association
The Canadian Space Commerce Association is a collaboration of Canadian entrepreneurs interested in the commercial opportunities available in the development of space and opening the space frontier. The CSCA exists to advance a favorable economic, legal and political environment for Canadian entrepreneurs in this field, and to promote positive public recognition of the socioeconomic benefits to all Canadians from investing in this development.
- Oct 2002 - PresentDirector / Mars Institute
I was a principal co-founder of the Mars Institute in 2002 along with Pascal Lee. The stated purpose of the Mars Institute is to further the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding of Mars.
- Jul 1999 - PresentCEO/Co-Founder / SpaceRef Interactive Inc.
Space news as it happens and space reference source.
- Jun 1993 - Jan 2011President / aTerra Technologies Corp.
Renamed company to SpaceRef Canada Interactive Inc. effective January 2011.
- May 2006 - May 2009CEO and Founder / Hyperix Search, Inc.
Hyperix is a real-time business intelligence provider with our advanced vertical search platform.
- 2005 - 2008Director / Moonviews LLC
- Jan 1999 - Feb 2003Founder / Maple Square
I launched Maple Square, Canada's Internet Directory in January 1996 as part of aTerra but spun it off into its own company in 1999 and sold it in 2003. During that time I secured deals to have the Maple Square search engine power the Sympatico and AOL Canada searches.
Education-
1981 - 1983CEGEP - John Abbott College
- Concordia University
Additional Information-
Honors:1996 - Awarded "Best On-line Service" in Canada at annual Canadian Internet Awards.
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Interests:vertical search, space exploration, mars
