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Researchers at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA-CSIC), led by Luisa Maria Lara, develop an excellence project aimed at analyzing the data of some of the most important missions of space exploration in which the institution involved (Mars and Venus Express Cassini-Huygens Rosetta), and design the hardware of a special laser altimeter for the BepiColombo probe, one of the first observation of Mercury missions.
Mercury is one of the most mysterious planets in the Solar System. Observers of Ancient Greece was called in two ways: Apollo when it was visible at dawn, and Hermes when it was at dusk. However, Greek astronomers realized that relate to the same celestial body, with Pythagoras first proposed the idea.
Thousands of years later, our understanding of this rocky planet like Earth, is not a challenge to explore, but also it is a challenge of high technological capacity, its orbit is much closer than Earth to the Sun and to study their specific site of a probe must travel more than 90 million miles.
“The study of Mercury we should provide basic knowledge to lay the foundations for a landing mission. Understanding of Mercury will provide a quantum leap in understanding the formation and evolution of the solar system,” says the researcher. BepiColombo consists of two probes: MPO (Mercury Planetary Orbiter) and MMO (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter).
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An asteroid discovered more than 100 years may actually be an extinct comet that has “risen” again committed to acquire their status, according to recent observations.
One night last December, Steve Larson of astronomical observation equipment Catalina Sky Survey, part of the University of Arizona, was looking for potentially dangerous asteroids when he came across what looked like a comet: a faint trail projected from a bright nucleus like a star. Four images taken over 30 minutes revealed that the object was moving in relation to background stars.
Larson suspected that it was a comet known, but in reviewing the database of comets found none that suited the mysterious object.
Further investigation revealed that the object is the asteroid known as Scheila, discovered in 1906 by German astronomer August Kopff and shown with the number 596 in the international catalog of asteroids.
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Recently, the theory precedes observation in the sciences of the universe.
It allows to make predictions, which can be verified only when the technical means used to achieve sufficient accuracy. Like the gravitational lensing predicted by Einstein in 1936 and observed only in 1979, he became a scientist has the rare opportunity to see proof of his hypothesis in his lifetime.
So while the team of Peter Goldreich predicted the presence of oscillations in the year of Saturn’s B ring in 1985, it took the sending of a probe to prove it. The latter, named Cassini in reference to the Franco-Italian astronomer who was the first to observe four of Saturn’s moons in the seventeenth century, began its journey through the solar system in 1997 and is currently orbiting Saturn.
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The European Space Agency (ESA ) has made the video Tracing the galaxy : from Hipparcos to Gaia (Charting the Galaxy – from Hipparcos to Gaia) to explain the details of the Gaia mission , a satellite that will map nearly a thousand million stars in the Milky Way. Now a group of researchers from the Department of Astronomy and Meteorology at the University of Barcelona has translated the video, which is distributed podcast, So that is already available in Castilian and Catalan.
The video Tracing the galaxy : from Hipparcos to Gaia (Charting the Galaxy – from Hipparcos to Gaia) the ESA said that the satellites the Gaia, which is slated for 2012 , will map more than a thousand million stars in space with an unprecedented degree of accuracy , and test theories about the origin and evolution of our galaxy. For each object , calculated parameters (position, speed, distance, physical, etc.). and give us a map of our galaxy in six dimensions.
Currently, the Gaia satellite is in the final stages of construction, assembly and testing. Some of the mirrors are finished others are being polished. In the central structure has a bull riding three feet in diameter and 80 % of the detectors also are ready.
In this project, working together over 400 European scientists, involved thirty researchers and technicians of the Department of Astronomy and Meteorology of the UB. Since this group has been carried out with the collaboration of the Generalitat of Catalonia , the translation and dubbing of video to bring the mission to the public.
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About U.S. physicists Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are using a technique based on ultrafast laser and definable as “nanosacudidas” to make interesting experiments.
The nanosacudidas Operate on a spatial scale so small That dog Scientists use to study the Behavior of tiny samples, Such as thin films or structures Other dimensions of the order of tens of micrometers.
In particular, Have Used this technique to shake materials under static high pressure in a diamond anvil cell (DAC for short en Español).
Using a DAC, SERVES Which, Among Other Things, to verify Behavior of materials under ultrahigh pressure, and That Suitable for working with small samples, researchers statically compressed argon Until a sample of 78 000 atmospheres pressure, and Then, Through the effects of shocks , the compressed to 280.000 atmospheres. Using a technique Analyzed Interferometric ultrafast shock waves propagate. “In these experiments, the researchers Were Able Combinations of time scales, temperatures and pressure That Otherwise how are unattainable.
In Some experiments, we observed to special state of argon it has a pressure and a temperature at Which, in normal Conditions, would be liquid. However, the time scale is so brief the argon That Does Not Have enough time to melt.
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In the past the planet Venus, the water was much more abundant than today.
Venus is now a furnace uninhabitable: the greenhouse effect caused by its atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide is its surface temperature over 400 ° C , and any water present in the atmosphere is equivalent to a layer of only three inches thick on the surface of the planet ( Earth, the amount of water in the oceans is equivalent to a layer of three kilometers …).
This has not always been the case. The data collected by the European probe Venus Express indicate that there are billions of years , Venus would have been much richer in water than today. Indeed , the probe was measured as hydrogen (H2) escapes from the atmosphere into space twice in quantities larger than oxygen ( O2) . These molecules would come from the dissociation of water vapor (H2O ) contained in the atmosphere by solar ultraviolet radiation . The water leaking continuously into space , we deduce that there must be many more on Venus in the past now.
This does not mean that the second planet in the solar system was once covered by oceans. Thus , Eric Chassefière , Laboratory Interactions and dynamics of surface environments of the University Paris- Sud, has developed a numerical model of the evolution of Venus, showing that in his childhood , when the surface was still completely melted , the Water was probably present mainly in the atmosphere . As the water has dissociated under the effect of solar radiation, the greenhouse effect it produced decreased , and the temperature dropped .
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Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid ( UAM ( have contributed to a review by the fascinating field of astrobiology to detect Earth-like planets has published the journal Astrobiology. The analysis of physical- chemical properties is one of the current challenges of science.
The Volume 10 / 1 Magazine 2010 Astrobiology presents the results of work done over several years by the committee, ” Terrestrial Exoplanet -Scientific Advisory Group ” Euripea Space Agency (ESA) , with the collaboration of other scientists including researchers from the Department are of theoretical physics at the UAM. The various contributions suggest that it is feasible to detect ” Land “and build the tools to analyze and characterize them.
Michelle Swiss astronomers Mayor and Didier Queloz announced in 1995 the discovery of a Jupiter-like planet orbiting the star 51 Peg. That is, just 15 years ago we know for sure that there are planets orbiting around stars like the Sun With this verification responded to a question asked of humanity for over 2000 years .
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NASA gave up efforts to re-establish contact with Phoenix, which appeared on the surface of Mars traces of water ice. Laboratoř Jet Propulsion (JPL) in American Pasadena announced that retries establish probe contact were unsuccessful.
Images from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, the fourth planet orbiting the solar system, showing that Phoenix’s solar panels during the Martian winter, apparently damaged by frozen carbon dioxide. JPL scientists expect that the probe survived the winter, however, attempted to intercept any transmission Phoenix.
Phoenix landed on Mars in May 2008. Originally the three-month mission, the probe but work lasted two months longer than scientists expected.
In examining the Mars Phoenix was able to detect traces of water, even more from the previous period. On Mars are now operating in the state of two probes NASA – Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Landed on the planet at the beginning of 2004 and exceeded the expected life of several years, although the Spirit last year, stuck in the sand.
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The discovery of six planets retrograde throws a stone into the pond theories of planetary formation.
All the planets of the Solar System orbit the Sun in the same direction as it rotates around its axis. We thought it was the same for extrasolar planets around their stars, but six planets come to be caught spinning in the opposite direction to the rotation of their stars. The discovery of these so-called retrograde motion is in response to observations made largely by Amaury Triaud and Didier Queloz of the Geneva Observatory, and Andrew Cameron of the University of St Andrews (Scotland). It poses a serious problem for theories of planetary formation, which predict that planets in retrograde motion should not come into being.
Indeed, a planetary system is born from a cloud of gas and dust that spins as it contracts and flattens. At the center star is born, and the residual disk formed later planets. These must therefore rotate in the same direction as the star, and have orbits roughly in the same plane.
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Almost 37 years after loss of contact with the Russian lunar rover Lunokhod 2 probe was able to reappear. The images of the Moon, LRO satellite which acquired U.S. agency NASA, he found a Canadian astronomer Phil Stooke.
Stooke on slides feet first recognized that Lunokhod 2 left on the moon. Of monitoring, he managed to find a small point on the lunar surface area svetlesede – Russian monthly rover. Experts are now able to focus with laser pinpoint where Lunokhod 2 is located.
The first ever mobile labs for the Exploration of space foreign body was Lunokhod 1, which landed on the moon in 1970 and worked 11 months. In January 1973 landed on the natural planet Earth probe Luna 21, with second Lunokhod. He operated in the crater Le Monnier about four months and have traveled over 37 kilometers – more than any other mobile robot on various celestial bodies of the solar system.
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It allows to make predictions, which can be verified only when the technical means used to achieve sufficient accuracy. Like the gravitational lensing predicted by Einstein in 1936 and observed only in 1979, he became a scientist has the rare opportunity to see proof of his hypothesis in his lifetime.
Venus is now a furnace uninhabitable: the greenhouse effect caused by its atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide is its surface temperature over 400 ° C , and any water present in the atmosphere is equivalent to a layer of only three inches thick on the surface of the planet ( Earth, the amount of water in the oceans is equivalent to a layer of three kilometers …).