Kepler Telescope -- artist's rendering

BobbyDalePost1

During our Tuesday night May 1 discussion with Dr. Jocelyn Bell Burnell about her discovery of pulsars (rotating neutron stars) in 1967 while she was a graduate student at the University of Cambridge in UK, Dr. Bell talked about the Nobel Prize awarded her thesis supervisor Dr. Antony Hewish being the first Nobel Prize awarded an Astronomer. She also mentioned that Russell Hulse and Taylor soon followed.

This is the same Russell Hulse that was hired by UTD in 2007, as a co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in physics,” to devote his energies to a major challenge of tomorrow- “furthering the science and math education among our youth, from kindergarten through college, augmented by $1 million from the UT System Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention Program.” From the Dallas Morning News, August 19, 2007.

The project must have discover a “Large Black Hole” because I live within four miles of UTD and I have heard no further information since 2007, and I have searched for information at UTD?????????? As Teachers we hear many such dreams but we see
very few results. Maybe “Large Black Holes” are much more common than Physicist believe.

Our Physics 523 and Physics 526 Course Text, Modern Physics by Paul A. Tipler and Ralph A. Llewellyn, page 116, does have evidence of Hulse and Taylor as quoted below.

“The best experimental evidence that exists thus far in support of the gravitational wave prediction is indirect. In 1974 Hulse and Taylor discovered the first binary pulsar, ie, a pair of neutron stars orbiting each other, one of which was emitting periodic flashes of electromagnetic radiation (pulses). In an exquisitely precise experiment they showed that the gradual decrease in the orbital period of the pair was in good agreement with the general relativistic prediction for the rate of loss of gravitational energy via the emission of gravitational waves” from our Atomic Physic 526 and Advanced Atomic Physics 523 text Modern Physics by Paul A. Tipler and Ralph A. Llewellyn, page 116.

ultradense core of an exploded star contains a bizarre form of superconducting matter

Here's a news item I found yesterday on Space.com on the detection of a strange form of superconducting matter called a superfluid in Cassiopea A (Cas A) . Cas A is a neutron star and the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way and a distance of about 11, 000 light-yrs. The drop in temperatures is consistent with theory that predicts that a neutron star should undergo a sharp "cool-down" as it transforms to the superfluid state.
Neutron stars are dense objects, and models have been developed to predict how matter behaves at these high densities, including the possibility that super-fluids will form. In this report, NASA researchers found a huge temperature drop in Cas A. The drop in temperatures is consistent with theory that predicts that a neutron star should undergo a sharp "cool-down" as it transforms to the superfluid state. NASA suggests that Cas A can serve as a test case for studying the way ultra-dense matter behaves at the atomic level. The research provides the first direct evidence for superfluid neutrons and protons in the core of a neutron star.

I'm in

The Universe is shopping at the Big and Tall store

The Universe has tripled in size…… or at least our measurement of it.

The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is proving to scientists that the actual size of the universe is much greater than previously calculated and with much greater precision. The VLBA consist of 10, 25 meter diameter radio antennas that stretch from Hawaii to the Virgin Islands. The array acts together as a single large dish instead of ten separate units. This basically allows the system to observe in a stereo manner, instead of only seeing the image from one angle it has the ability to look at it from ten different angles that are spread out over 8,600 kilometers. The array can fine tune images several hundred times more detailed than the Hubble Space Telescope. It is able to distinguish minute movements and wobbles of galaxies and stars. The array has recently gone through an upgrade which has allowed it to increase its performance by 5,000 times.

The radio telescope array has detected a galaxy, NGC 6264, at a distance of 450 million light years, with an error of nine percent. This is three times farther than the previous record holder at 160 million light years. Greater measurements with greater precision will allow scientists to study universal expansion rate and the press forward the hunt for dark energy, which is estimated to be 70% of the universes. The array has also been working on the Milky Way, and has shown that our galaxy has four spiral arms instead of the previously supposed two. While being used to do so it has detected many new star birthing areas, doubling what was previously thought. The Milky Way is now considered to be much larger, containing many more stars and the environs. So large in fact that it is considered to be on par with the Andromeda galaxy which it will be targeting next.

Climate Changing Satellite

Article Link

A new satellite is being launched Feb. 23 at 2 AM local time (tonight!) with the intent of gathering information about the sun's radiation and its effects on our climate.

There has been a lull of solar activity for the last two years, and it has scientists wondering if the effects felt on earth are due to the sun cycles or environmental factors in our atmosphere. Dust particles and burning fossil fuels can absorb solar radiation and cause a drop in temperature. The satellite will measure incoming radiation from the sun and airborne particles absorbing the radiation. This will tell scientists whether the sun's low solar activity is even a factor on earth, and how much it will need to increase if the airborne particles are indeed absorbing too much radiation.

A long wait for target practice results.....

I didn't know this... but NASA uses comets for sniper practice!

Actually, that's not a completely true statement. NASA has used only one comet for target practice, Tempel 1, in the hopes of blasting the comet's secrets from it's core.

In 2005, Tempel 1 was visited by NASA's Deep Impact probe which slammed an 800 pound copper slug into the comet's surface. See pictures here. The slug was very carefully "aimed" to maximize the visibility of the resulting crater for future study and analysis. The whole point of this very long distance sniper shooting was to hopefully see the comet's internal make-up and thereby glean information about the solar system from it's infancy. Comets are commonly thought to hold the secrets of the universe at their cores. The problem, to date, has been how to extract that information.

The Deep Impact probe was completely successful... making a solid impact and creating a crater over 2 football fields long and 30 m deep (I believe.... seems I read those dimensions somewhere, but now cannot find the link). The impact probe was equipped with a spectrometer that was able to quickly relay a bit of initial information, but the resulting dust cloud from the impact completely blocked the view of the crater and photos of the event went unusable. This means that NASA and astronomers across the world have had to wait 5 long years to check their mark!

But the wait is over! On Valentine's Day 2011, NASA's Stardust spacecraft revisited the comet and took over 6 dozen high definition photos of the comet. You can read all about the early results on NASA's website here. There are photos, analysis, movies and even interactive features available for review and awe.

Once again, I'm in awe of astronomers and the folks as NASA. The patience these scientists exhibit in their everyday work is astonishing to me. I mean, having to wait FIVE YEARS to see the results of their efforts! Gracious! If I go to the range for a bit of target practice, you better believe I'm pulling the paper as soon as I empty the clip!