Einstein was right!
Well, according to new observations of a double pulsar, he was at least 99.95% right. An international team of astronomers have been measuring the pulsar pair for three years, and have detected several effects that match Einstein’s theory of general relativity. It’s believed the two pulsars are losing energy through the radiation of gravitational waves, and will eventually spiral into each other.
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Dec 21, 2005 – NASA’s Grace Earth observation satellite has created the first, comprehensive survey of the entire Greenland ice sheet. The spacecraft found that the volume of ice is decreasing by 162 cubic kilometres per year (39 cubic miles), which is higher than all previously published estimates. This ice melt is contributing 0.4 millimeters (.016 inches) per year to global sea level rise. Grace was also able to measure detailed changes in the surface of the sea floor after the Sumatran earthquake and resulting tsunami that happened almost a year ago.
Decreasing levels of ice thickness from Greenland.
Image credit: NASA/JPL.
Dec 21, 2005 – One of the big problems with Earth-based observatories is our own atmosphere. It distorts the light from distant objects, always making them a little blurry.
The giant W.M. Keck observatory in Hawaii uses a laser to create a bright virtual star in the sky so astronomers can calculate and remove these distortions to create amazingly clear views of the night sky. Its latest target is the centre of our own Milky Way which is thought to hide a supermassive black hole.
The center of our Milky Way galaxy captured by Keck Laser Guide Star. Image credit: W.M. Keck Observatory/UCLA
Dec 21, 2005 – Astronomers have used the ESO’s Very Large Telescope to measure the stellar vibrations of a nearby star. The team studied Alpha Centauri B, one of our closest neighbours – only 4.3 light-years away – and relatively similar to our own Sun.
Churning gas in the star’s outer layers creates low-frequency sound waves that bounce around inside the star and cause it to pulse in and out slightly. The star only changes about a dozen metres every four minutes, but that makes enough of a change in the wavelength of light we see to be able to detect it.
Alpha Centauri and the Southern Cross.
Image credit: ESO
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Dec 21, 2005 – Scientists think they might have finally found the wreckage of the ill fated Beagle 2 Mars mission. Grainy photographs from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor show what could be the spacecraft and protective airbag system.
Instead of landing flat on the surface of Mars, it looks like it bounced into a crater and rolled around inside. Even though the lander was designed for a rough landing, this was probably more than it could have handled.
Artist’s impression of Beagle 2 lander. Image credit: ESA
Concordia Station in Antarctica. Image credit: IPEV Dec 21, 2005 – Italian and French researchers are about to spend a full year in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth: Antarctica. But it’s paradise compared to what astronauts would face if they stepped out on the surface of Mars.
As part of its Aurora Exploration Programme, ESA is considering a human mission to Mars by 2030. One stage of this exploration program is the Concordia station in Antarctica, which simulates many of the conditions and constraints that astronauts would face living on Mars.
Dec 21, 2005 – Cassini has captured this amazing image of two Saturian moons: Mimas and Helene, hiding behind the planet’s ringplane.
From Universe Today, this site continues to bring some of the most amazing photos I have ever seen of our little peek inside our visible universe.ÂÂ It’s astounding how amazing the solar system can appear when really looked at in wonder and amazement of it’s inner workings.
The large, bright moon is Mimas, illuminated on its right side by the Sun. The tiny dot to its left is the tiny Trojan moon Helene. This moonlet is only 32 kilometers (20 miles) across, and shares the same orbit as Dione. This image was taken on November 2, 2005.
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Mimas and the small Trojan moon Helene. Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI.
Dec 19, 2005 – This beautiful photograph shows Saturn’s moon Rhea, partially obscured by the rings. The material surrounding the ring is probably on the planet’s equatorial plane, extending farther out from the ring’s main core.
This image was taken on Oct. 30, 2005, at a distance of approximately 689,000 kilometers (428,000 miles) from Saturn.
UniverseToday is the BEST site I have ever found that provides the depth and variety of information that Universetoday.com does. Check them out if you have any interest in our galactic travels or would simply like to awe at the beauty of the stars.
