Thursday 21 October 2010

Newly discovered massive galaxy cluster wins heavyweight title


Astronomers using the South Pole Telescope report that they have discovered the most massive galaxy cluster yet seen at a distance of 7 billion light-years. The cluster (designated SPT-CL J0546-5345) weighs in at around 800 trillion Suns, and holds hundreds of galaxies.

“This galaxy cluster wins the heavyweight title. It’s among the most massive clusters ever found at this distance,” said Mark Brodwin, a Smithsonian astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Brodwin is first author on the paper announcing the discovery, which appeared in the Astrophysical Journal.

Redshift measures how light from a distant object has been stretched by the universe’s expansion. Located in the southern constellation Pictor (the Painter), the cluster has a redshift of z=1.07. This puts it at a distance of about 7 billion light-years, meaning we see it as it appeared 7 billion years ago, when the universe was half as old as now and our solar system didn’t exist yet.

...read more
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Space Photos This Week: Cosmic Spiral, Eclipsed Sun, More...

Cosmic Pinwheel

Image courtesy ESA/NASA
In a blending of old and new, images from a camera recently removed from the Hubble Space Telescope were combined with pictures from its replacement camera to create this composite view of the spiral galaxy NGC 3982, released Tuesday.

The pictures, taken between March 2000 and August 2009, come together to reveal colorful details in the star-forming galaxy, which lies 68 million light-years away. The galaxy's dusty arms are lined with young star clusters (blue) and glowing hydrogen clouds (pink) where new stars are being born.


Published October 20, 2010
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Galaxy is most distant object yet

The faintest of faint dots - a signal from the edge of the observable Univers. A tiny faint dot in a Hubble picture has been confirmed as the most distant galaxy ever detected in the Universe.
This collection of stars is so far away its light has taken more than 13 billion years to arrive at Earth. 

Astronomers used the Very Large Telescope in Chile to follow up the Hubble observation and make the necessary detailed measurements. 

They tell the journal Nature that we are seeing the galaxy as it was just 600 million years after the Big Bang.

...read more
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In pictures: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010



A stunning silhouette of active leafcutter ants in Costa Rica wins the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. Earth News

Source: BBC News
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New International Standard For Spacecraft Docking


The initial IDSS definition document will be released into the public domain on 25 October. It will contain a preliminary description of the physical features and design loads of the standard docking interface.

by Staff Writers Paris, France (ESA) Oct 21, 2010 SpaceTravel.com
 Partners in the International Space Station programme have agreed on a new standard for docking systems, which will be capable also of implementing berthing. The agreement allows a range of compatible, but not necessarily identical, mechanisms for spacecraft docking. A first agreed version of the Interface Definition Document will be released on 25 October.
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Wednesday 20 October 2010

Donderdagaand is dit Sterre en Planete op RSG

Maak `n knoop iewers!


Donderdagaand om 20:30 is dit die Sterre en Planete uitsending op RSG.

Los bietjie die Televisie en trek die radio nader.

En as jy regtig nie kan luister nie, kan jy gerus die MP3 aflaai en later na die uitsending luister.

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Workers scramble to fix space shuttle leak

by Staff WritersCape Canaveral, Fla. (UPI) Oct 19, 2010
Workers at the Kennedy Space Center are working to stop a leak on the Discovery space shuttle that could affect its scheduled Nov. 1 launch, NASA says. A slight vapor leak in the shuttle's Orbital Maneuvering System tanks and lines was discovered, and technicians attempted to stop it by replacing a flight cap but the effort was unsuccessful, AviationWeek.com reported Tuesday.
On Monday launch managers ordered the tanks and lines drained of toxic fuels so workers could access flange seals in the system for possible replacement.

...further reading
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Green Comet Visible This Week

Comet's Green Halo

Photograph courtesy Gregg L. Ruppel


Blurred stars seem to cut through the green halo of comet 103P/Hartley 2 in a five-minute-exposure photograph taken through a backyard telescope in the United States on Saturday. In recent weeks the comet has been drawing closer to Earth, and Hartley 2 will make its closest pass tomorrow, offering prime viewing via binoculars and telescopes. (See comet pictures.)

More information 


Local information, from Skytools software with a 8 inch Orion Skyquest

On this night (20/21 October 2010)  103P/Hartley is best visible between 04:12 and 04:32, with the optimum view at 04:13. Look for it in Auriga, fairly high in the northern sky during morning twilight. It is easy visually in the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Dob. Use the Ultima 42mm for optimum visual detection. It is magnitude 6.2 with a diameter of 21.0'.


In the following 30 days this object is easy visually from October 21, and again from October 31 on, with the best view coming on November 3. During this period it will reach peak brightness of magnitude 6.2 on October 22 and rapidly move higher in the sky.

103P/Hartley will next reach perihelion in late October. Also in late October this comet will pass within 0.1 AU of the earth.


At this stage the almost full moon is a big factor in seeing this ball of ice. (Hannes Pieterse)
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Tuesday 19 October 2010

Astronomical Handbook for Southern Africa

Hierdie nuttige handleiding is November-maand op die rakke sê Struik-uitgewers. Dit is `n moet-hê publikasie. Dit gee vir jou maand-vir-maand inligting wat bo in die naghemel aangaan.  En nog baie meer.

Dit word vir R85.00 adverteer. Die Skyguide sal waarskynlik by die groter boekwinkels te koop wees. Ons sal laat weet as dit op die rakke is.
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Sunday 17 October 2010

Local Astronomy News

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