Camera phone astronomy

Panzerkampfwagen · Sep 20, 2015

My niece said she wanted to look at space so I bought her a 60mm refractor. Decided to have a go taking a day time pic of the Moon with my Galaxy S5. Thought it turned out ok. Only had to take about 15 of them to get this pic.

Panzerkampfwagen · Sep 20, 2015

Was even harder at night because I couldn't see to line up the phone camera and the eyepiece.

Junkieturtle · Sep 20, 2015

Pretty good quality photos for an admittedly crude setup. I remember being in high school in the 90s and having one of my science teachers teach us about CCD cameras. It was absolutely amazing at the time that you could take digital photos and use that technology for space exploration and now our phones, 20 years later, do the same thing.

Panzerkampfwagen · Sep 20, 2015

Junkieturtle said: ↑

Pretty good quality photos for an admittedly crude setup. I remember being in high school in the 90s and having one of my science teachers teach us about CCD cameras. It was absolutely amazing at the time that you could take digital photos and use that technology for space exploration and now our phones, 20 years later, do the same thing.
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I belonged to an astronomy club back in the 90s. One of the guys in the club was buying CCD cameras. They were costing him a fortune. They were liquid nitrogen cooled. He owned a property in a rural area and built a dome for a......... pretty decent size telescope. 26inch or so from what I remember.

waltky · Jun 24, 2016

Hubble spots dark vortex on Neptune...

Hubble locates new dark spot on Neptune
June 23, 2016 - The last several Neptune vortices seen by astronomers have exhibited a wide range of sizes and shapes.

There's a new dark spot on Neptune, the farthest planet from the sun. Astronomers recently confirmed the presence of a dark vortex spinning across the planet's atmosphere after examining imagery collected by the Hubble Space Telescope last month. It's the first Neptune vortex discovered since 1994.

The high pressure system is accompanied by bright companion clouds. Researchers believe the clouds are formed as the vortex pushes ambient air higher into the atmosphere, forcing gases to freeze into methane ice crystals. "Dark vortices coast through the atmosphere like huge, lens-shaped gaseous mountains," Mike Wong, a researcher astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a news release. "And the companion clouds are similar to so-called orographic clouds that appear as pancake-shaped features lingering over mountains on Earth."

Wong led the investigation of Hubble data that yielded the discovery of the new dark spot. Jupiter hosts similar cyclone-like disturbances, but the gas giant's vortices are more uniform and sometimes persist, slowly evolving, for decades. Previous studies have proven Neptune's vortices to be a permanent feature, but the disturbances are shorter-lived.

The last several Neptune vortices seen by astronomers have exhibited a wide range of sizes and shapes, and have proven to be relatively unstable -- wandering north and south, speeding up and slowing down. Scientists hope further monitoring of Neptune's vortices will illuminate how they originate and the factors that influence their fluctuations.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...-spot-on-Neptune/6441466711695/?spt=sec&or=sn
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Dark Vortex Spotted on Neptune
June 24, 2016 - The vortex is about the same size as the US

Astronomers have spotted a dark vortex swirling in Neptunes atmosphere. Using high resolution images captured in May by the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers say the vortex is about the size of the continental United States.

The vortex is a high pressure system and is accompanied by bright clouds. In 2015, astronomers spotted clouds and later a dark spot nearby. The May 2016 images confirmed the presence of the vortex. "Dark vortices coast through the atmosphere like huge, lens-shaped gaseous mountains," said University of California at Berkeley research astronomer Mike Wong. "And the companion clouds are similar to so-called orographic clouds that appear as pancake-shaped features lingering over mountains on Earth." Vortices on Neptune have been spotted before. In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft saw one, and in 1994, Hubble pinpointed one.

A dark vortex was spotted on Neptune.

Astronomers say the vortices have exhibited surprising diversity over the years, in terms of size, shape, and stability (they meander in latitude, and sometimes speed up or slow down). They also have relatively short lifespans compared to anticyclones seen on Jupiter, which evolve over decades. Further study should yield a better understanding about how vortices develop, what causes them to move and how they interact with the environment, researchers said. Neptune is roughly 4.3 billion kilometers from the Sun, and it takes 165 Earth years to make one orbit of the sun.

http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-dark-vortex-spotted-on-neptune/3390910.html
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Taxonomy26 · Jun 29, 2016

`
No, this is not a 'selfie' - obviously - just a reminiscent cool one.

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waltky · Jul 9, 2016

Odd goin'-ons in outer space...

Astronomers Spy Giant Planet, Three Stars in Odd Celestial Ballet
July 07, 2016 Astronomers have discovered a planet unlike any other ever found, one that loops widely around one star that is locked in a gravitational embrace with two others in a triple-star system, creating a curious celestial ballet. The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, challenge current notions about what makes a planetary system viable.

With three stars in the system, the massive planet would experience triple sunrises and triple sunsets during one season and all daylight in another. Since the planet's orbit is very long, each season lasts for hundreds of years. "Depending on which season you were born in, you may never know what nighttime is like," lead researcher Kevin Wagner of the University of Arizona said. The planet, called HD 131399Ab, is about four times bigger than Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and is orbiting in a three-star system located about 340 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. Scientists are not sure how HD 131399Ab came to exist. It orbits its parent star about twice as far as Pluto circles the sun, needing 550 years to complete a single orbit.

This artist's impression shows a view of the triple star system HD 131399 from close to the giant planet orbiting in the system. The planet is known as HD 131399Ab and appears at the lower-left of the picture.

Astronomers have previously discovered planets in multi-star systems, but never one that circles a parent star with such a wide berth. It also is one of the few extrasolar planets those outside our solar system to be directly imaged by telescope. The planet's orbit is akin to the distance more typically seen when a star orbits another star, not a planet orbiting a star. "This is the first planet that we've found with an orbit that is comparable to that of the stars," Wagner said. If HD 131399Ab's orbit was just a bit wider, computer simulations show it could be gravitationally elbowed out of the system by the pair of smaller stars that orbit each other and the main star, which is about 80 percent bigger than the sun.

Though the planet is relatively young, around 16 million years old compared to the 4.5-billion-year-old Earth, it likely has had an eventful life. Scientists suspect it may have started off in a much closer orbit around two parent stars before it was gravitationally bounced to its extreme distance. Scientists plan additional observations to determine if the planet's orbit is actually stable. "It is not clear how this planet ended up on its wide orbit in this extreme system ... but it shows there is more variety out there than many would have deemed possible," Wagner said. The planet was detected using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in northern Chile.

http://www.voanews.com/content/astronomers-spy-giant-planet-three-stars-nasa/3408452.html
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Water Clouds May Float in Dwarf Stars Atmosphere
July 07, 2016 - Astronomers say theyve collected evidence that points to the existence of the first water, or water ice, clouds detected outside the solar system.

Writing in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, scientists from the University of California Santa Cruz say the brown dwarf called WISE 0855, which is a mere 7.2 light-years from Earth, likely has the clouds in its atmosphere. Using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, researchers scanned WISE 0855, the coldest known object outside the solar system, in the infrared spectrum, which yielded the first details of the object's composition and chemistry. "We would expect an object that cold to have water clouds, and this is the best evidence that it does," said Andrew Skemer, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz and first author of the study.

Brown dwarfs are often referred to as failed stars, because they never gained quite enough mass to cause the nuclear fusion reactions that make them shine. WISE 0855 is about five times the mass of the gas giant Jupiter. "WISE 0855 is our first opportunity to study an extrasolar planetary-mass object that is nearly as cold as our own gas giants," Skemer said.

Artist's rendering of WISE 0855 as it might appear if viewed up close in infrared light.

Because WISE 0855 is so faint, researchers had to look at thermal emission from the deep atmosphere at wavelengths in a narrow window to gain insight into the composition of its atmosphere. "It's five times fainter than any other object detected with ground-based spectroscopy at this wavelength," Skemer said. "Now that we have a spectrum, we can really start thinking about what's going on in this object. Our spectrum shows that WISE 0855 is dominated by water vapor and clouds, with an overall appearance that is strikingly similar to Jupiter."

The two bodies, researchers say, have strikingly similar spectra with respect to water absorption but that WISE 0855 likely has a less turbulent atmosphere than Jupiter.

http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-...n-dwarf-star-wise0855-atmosphere/3407842.html
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Saturns Moon, Titan, Could Support Life
July 06, 2016 - Titan, one of Saturns moons, could support a very different kind life, according to a new study.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Cornell University say that despite the moons harsh environment, a prebiotic chemical key likely exists in the form of hydrogen cyanide. The compound is produced when sunlight interacts with the moons toxic atmosphere made up of nitrogen and methane. The conclusion was reached based on data from NASAs Cassini and Huygens missions.

Titan is seen from the Huygens probe as it descended to the surface

Hydrogen cyanide is an organic chemical capable of reacting with other molecules, forming long chains, or polymers, one of which is called polyimine. Polyimine is flexible, which helps mobility under very cold conditions, and it can absorb the suns energy and become a possible catalyst for life, researchers said. Polyimine can exist as different structures, and they may be able to accomplish remarkable things at low temperatures, especially under Titans conditions, said Martin Rahm, postdoctoral researcher in chemistry and lead author of the new study. This paper is a starting point, as we are looking for prebiotic chemistry in conditions other than Earths. We are used to our own conditions here on Earth. Our scientific experience is at room temperature and ambient conditions. Titan is a completely different beast.

Other moons in the solar system have also been identified as having conditions that could support life, including Saturns Enceladus and Jupiters Europa. While both Earth and Titan have flowing liquids in the form of lakes, rivers and oceans, on Titan they are filled with liquid methane and ethane, not water. Also, the moon is too cold to have liquid water. We need to continue to examine this, to understand how the chemistry evolves over time. We see this as a preparation for further exploration, said Rahm. If future observations could show there is prebiotic chemistry in a place like Titan, it would be a major breakthrough. This paper is indicating that prerequisites for processes leading to a different kind of life could exist on Titan, but this only the first step, he added.

http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-saturns-moon-titan-could-support-life/3406796.html
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Sushisnake · Jul 12, 2016

Nice! Thanks for sharing them.

waltky · Sep 20, 2017

Very Large Array Antennas in New Mexico Search for Cosmic Discoveries...

Giant Antennas in New Mexico Search for Cosmic Discoveries
September 19, 2017 — Employing an array of giant telescopes positioned in the New Mexico desert, astronomers have started a massive surveying project aimed at producing the most detailed view ever made of such a large portion of space using radio waves emitted from throughout the Milky Way and beyond.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory announced the project this week, saying the Very Large Array will make three scans of the sky that's visible from the scrubland of the San Augustin Plains. It is one of the best spots on the planet to scan space, with 80 percent of the Earth's sky visible from the location. The array works like a camera. But instead of collecting light waves to make images, the telescopes that look like big satellite dishes receive radio waves emitted by cosmic explosions and other interstellar phenomenon. Astronomers expect the images gathered by the array will allow them to detect in finer detail gamma ray bursts, supernovas and other cosmic events that visible-light telescopes cannot see due to dust present throughout the universe. For example, the array can peer through the thick clouds of dust and gas where stars are born.

Scientists involved in the project say the results will provide valuable information for astrophysics researchers. "In addition to what we think [the survey] will discover, we undoubtedly will be surprised by discoveries we aren't anticipating now," project director Claire Chandler said in a statement. "That is the lesson of scientific history and perhaps the most exciting part of a project like this." The survey is possible because of a major technological upgrade at the Very Large Array, which was initially conceived in the 1960s and built in the 1970s. The antennas relied on their original electronics and processing systems for years until a recent overhaul made the system capable of producing much higher resolution images. The work done at the Very Large Array is similar to that of the Hubble Space Telescope — making high-quality images so scientists can better study objects in the universe and the physics of how they work.

A few of the radio antennas that make up the Very Large Array astronomical observatory, which are positioned on tracks on the Plains of San Augustin west of Socorro, N.M.

Research efforts elsewhere search the galaxy for signals or evidence of extraterrestrials, but the New Mexico operation would almost certainly get involved if signals are received, said Very Large Array spokesman Dave Finley. "I do think when the time comes that they find a signal that they think is the real thing, the first phone call they will make will be to us. They'll want an image of that region," Finley said. Astronomers using the array also expect to see more examples of powerful jets of superfast particles propelled by the energy of massive black holes at the center of galaxies. This could help in understanding how galaxies grow over time.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in 2013 invited astronomers from around the world to submit ideas and suggestions for the survey. Based on the recommendations, scientists and engineers designed the survey and ran a test in 2016. Approval for the full survey was granted this year. The survey will involve about 5,500 hours of observing time. Data from the three separate scans will be combined to produce the radio images. The scanning began Sept. 7 and the raw data will be available to researchers as quickly as the observations are made. The seven-year project will not come at an additional financial cost because the array already has a $15 million annual budget for making observations 24 hours a day for various scientific requests. More of that time will now be dedicated to the project.

https://www.voanews.com/a/giant-antennas-new-mexico-search-cosmic-discoveries/4035897.html
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Cassini Disintegrates in Saturn's Atmosphere, Ending 20-year Journey
September 15, 2017 — Tears, hugs and celebrations Friday marked the end of a 20-year mission to Saturn for the spacecraft Cassini.

In mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Cassini program manager Earl Maize's voice was heard loud and clear: "The signal from the spacecraft is gone, and within the next 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft." At a news conference afterward, Maize paid tribute to Cassini. "This morning, a lone explorer, a machine made by humankind, finished its mission 900 million miles away. The nearest observer wouldn't even know until 84 minutes later that Cassini was gone. To the very end, the spacecraft did everything we asked," he said.

The northern hemisphere of Saturn as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent toward the planet.

Launched in 1997, Cassini's trip to Saturn took seven years. "When I look back at the Cassini mission, I see a mission that was running a 13-year marathon of scientific discovery, and this last orbit was just the last lap," Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker said.

Saturn and its moons

Cassini has been exploring Saturn and some of its moons, making discoveries along the way. "The discoveries that Cassini has made over the last 13 years in orbit have rewritten the textbooks of Saturn, have discovered worlds that could be habitable and have guaranteed that we'll return to that ringed world," Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Michael Watkins said. Cassini discovered ocean worlds on the Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus. It also detected strong evidence of hydrothermal vents at the base of Enceladus' ocean. These discoveries prompted the decision to destroy Cassini as it ran out of fuel, so there would be no risk of contaminating these moons with bacteria from Earth.

Cassini's Amazing Photos of Saturn, Rings & Moons

In its last hours, Cassini took final images, including Enceladus setting behind Saturn; Saturn's rings; Titan's lakes and seas; and an infrared view of Saturn. As Cassini plunged into Saturn, its sensors experienced the first taste of the planet's atmosphere, sending critical information to Earth until it disintegrated. "It just really tells us about how Saturn formed and the processes going on and really how all the planetary bodies in our solar system have formed," said Nora Alonge, Cassini project science and system engineer.

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Camera phone astronomy

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