Amateur Astronomers Catch Massive Jupiter Collision

Just when you think our tiny Solar System is at peace, news of rogue comets or ginormous asteroids hitting a nearby planet wipe all those thoughts away. Amateur astronomer Dan Peterson reported that he had captured a collision on Jupiter while doing routine observations the morning of September 10th. Dan Hall, another amateur astronomer who happen to be imaging the planet, posted this video on Flickr (seen above) showing the fiery impact.

I'm not a scientist nor a mathematician, but just mixing together a few Google image searches with a screen capture of the video leads me to believe that if we had a collision like this on Earth we would be adding ourselves to the fossil collections with the dinosaurs.

Someone tell me, is the below image pretty accurate? If it is we all owe Jupiter a huge thank you...

4 Awesome Curiosity Rover Replicas

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory costs $2.5 billion dollars (and some change) and just happens to be roving around the red surface of Mars - so your chances of ever owning it are slim to none. That is unless you happen to get your hands on one of these  awesome replicas.

If you are a LEGO enthusiast, you can get your hands on this kit or instructions on how to build this replica with your owns pieces. This was actually designed by a mechanical engineer that worked on Curiosity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory! This LEGO set doesn't stop with just a rover, you can even make the Sky Crane!

Of course when it comes to making models of out-of-this-world vehicles, your collection wouldn't be complete without a Hot Wheels car!

LEGO building is all fine and dandy, but where there real fun comes in are LEGO Mindstorms! I like to call these big boy LEGOS or LEGOS on steroids. Only thing this bad boy is lacking is a rock crushing laser!

When it comes to replicas, who wouldn't a full size one to park in your garage? Here is one that is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Did I miss one? Let us see it on the comments below!

They're NASA And They Know It

What do you get when you mix a hipster LMFAO video with a geeky NASA crew?

This awesome Mars Curiosity landing parody.

Mohawk guy? They nailed it.

Albert Einstein's 'God Letter' To Be Auctioned, Bidding To Start At A Hefty $3 Million

In 1954. a year before his death, Albert Einstein wrote a very open letter to author Eric B. Gutkind. The letter was a response to Gutkind's book titled, Choose Life The Biblical Call To Revolt. The letter is a no-holds-barred look at Einstein's own personal beliefs on religion and God. Those opinions were always a very hot topic and very much guarded by Einstein, which is why this document will probably sell for well more than the starting bid of $3 million dollars.

Here's an excerpt from the letter which contains a pretty famous quote:

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilised interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to do with the original text. For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them.

Got deep pockets and want a piece of history? Then go get prequalified to bid!

(via Ebay)

For Those Of You That Argue Against Science

I saw this picture today, and while it was so ridiculous that it was actually funny, the replies kind of pound home a pretty good point:

I'm not here to make fun of or shit on anyone's religion, but the root of the problem is clearly in our methods of taxation:

Staggering numbers, but are they legit? In the above graphic there are two sourcing links, did you try to click them (ha)? I took the liberty of following the first one for you, the second one appears to be dead. That first link takes you to a USA Today article that tackles this very subject; how much money does the U.S. government forgo by not taxing religious institutions?

In the article, Professor of Sociology Ryan Cragon and two students conducted research that says that the government could be losing out on as much as 71 billion a year. 71 billion...that is 71,000,000,000 dollars. That's a lot of rovers.

How can you justify that? Well, when asked, Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said that "Americans have made a democratic decision that religious institutions are good for our communities — believers and atheists alike."

Good for our communities? I can see 71,000,000,000 feeding a lot of people, paying for more police and fire men and women, paying our teachers more, improving road conditions, allowing for tax breaks for hard working middle class families. Yes, 71 billion dollars would benefit our communities far more than giving tax exemptions to religious organizations.

So, why does the fundamentalist right want to attack science every time a major achievement happens? Is it because of them that the funding for NASA has been sliding down hill since the 1960's? Here is another alarming graphic:

Graphic via MHBenton

In the 1960's NASA's budget peaked somewhere close to 4.3% of the Federal Budget. Now? 0.5%. That's sad. What's more sad? In 2012 NASA got just below 20 billion dollars, that is more than 3 times less than religion saved on tax breaks. Keep that in mind next time you want to cry about X amount of money going towards the next X scientific endeavor.

First Color Image From Mars Curiosity Rover

Yes this is a fantastic color image of the landscape of mars, but, just like the first images from Curiosity; it is distorted by it's clear dust cover. The cover will stay in place for about another week to let the proverbial dust settle. In the distance you can still see the north wall of the Gale Crater.

The picture was taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager, (MAHLI). The MAHLI is capable of taking images from as close as 0.8 inch to infinity (how ever far that is).

(via JPL)

CPOD 8.7.12: Mars From The Hubble Space Telescope

When I started CPOD I wanted to stick to images from amateur astronomers and astrophotographers, but in light of the recent Mars Curiosity news and all the excitement that comes with it; I found it only fitting to use this crystal clear image of the Red Plantet taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

This image was obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 as part of an observing program to monitor seasonal changes in the atmosphere and surface of Mars. The prominent dark feature in the center of the image is called Syrtis Major. The differences in color, which are exaggerated in this computer-enhanced image, are thought to be caused by differences in the deposits of dust and sand covering different regions. Features as small as 50 kilometers are seen in this image. The white region at the top of the image is the north polar cap. On the right, white clouds cover the Elysium volcanos.

(via LPI)

Amazing Footage of the Last 2 Minutes of Curiosity's Descent

Curiosity has been on Mars for almost one Earth day now and the news and footage just keeps getting more awesome.

Here is stop motion footage of the rover's last 2 minutes of descent. The footage was taken at a measly 4fps from the camera on the heat shield separator called The Mars Descent Imager (MARDI). Amazing.

(via Twitter)

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Snaps Amazing Pic of Curiosity as Parachute is Deployed

After the dust settled on this mornings Mars Curiosity landing (literally), I got to thinking how cool it would have been to see the amazing landing live. Although that would have been impossible (for this landing at least), we will at least get this amazing satellite picture of the MSL as the parachute slows it down so that the sky crane can take over.

And just when you think this landing can't get anymore amazing!

(via SpaceFlight101)

First Images From Mars Curiosity

This morning, at 00:31 CST, Mars Curiosity Rover successfully landed on Mars after 8 and a half months of anticipation which climaxed with 7 minutes of terror.

Imediately following the landing, the rover started sending images our way. These images were taken at one-quarter of full resolution and with a clear dust cover still intact. Higher resolution, color images will be seen later this week once the rover's mast cameras are deployed.

Shortly after the landing, President Obama made this statement:

Statement by the President on Curiosity Landing on Mars

Tonight, on the planet Mars, the United States of America made history.

The successful landing of Curiosity – the most sophisticated roving laboratory ever to land on another planet – marks an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future. It proves that even the longest of odds are no match for our unique blend of ingenuity and determination.

Tonight’s success, delivered by NASA, parallels our major steps forward towards a vision for a new partnership with American companies to send American astronauts into space on American spacecraft. That partnership will save taxpayer dollars while allowing NASA to do what it has always done best – push the very boundaries of human knowledge. And tonight’s success reminds us that our preeminence – not just in space, but here on Earth – depends on continuing to invest wisely in the innovation, technology, and basic research that has always made our economy the envy of the world.

I congratulate and thank all the men and women of NASA who made this remarkable accomplishment a reality – and I eagerly await what Curiosity has yet to discover.

So, where were you when we landed on Mars?

7 Minutes of Terror The Infographic

(via JPL)

Mars Curiosity's 'Seven Minutes of Terror'

Late tonight or early Monday morning (10:31 PST 1:31 EST) NASA will attempt one of the most complex spacecraft landings in humankind history.

As you will see in the video, the landing is no easy task. It will require slowing the rover from a speed of 2000+ to zero MPH in a matter of minutes. The process will use a 100 pound supersonic parachute, a state-of-the-art sky crane, and about 500,000 lines of code. All of this will take place in a 14 minute window where NASA brainiacs will have zero control. Sound intense? It will be. Make sure you stay up late or set your alarms; this will be worth losing sleep over!

Made-By-A-Homo Chicken

I think this pretty much ends the standoff.

CPOD 8.2.12: Plato Moon Crater

This image was shot in San Diego, CA on July 27, 2012, of the 101 km wide Moon crater Plato. It was taken using a DMK 21AU618.AS camera attached to a Celestron CPC 800 8" SCT fitted with a Tele Vue 2.5x Powermate and Astronomik #742 Planet filter. The video was captured with IC Capture.AS 2.2 and the 1002 frames were stacked using RegiStax 6.1.

(Astrophotographer Jim Pontarelli via Astronomy Cameras Blog)

Delicious View of the Milky Way as Seen From Mars

(via Reddit)

CPOD 8.1.12: Andromeda (M31) From Your Backyard

The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the Andromeda constellation. Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, it is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. (Wikipedia)

This stunning image was taken by astronomer Bob Anderson from his home in Southern England. Remarkably, this was Bob's first attempt at imaging M31, here are the details:

'Scope: TEC 140
Mount: ASA DDM60 Pro mount - an awesome bit of kit as even the 1,500 second subs were unguided!
Camera: FLI ML16803
Subs: 5 x 1,000 seconds using each of Astrodon Tru-Balance RGB filters plus 10 x 1,500 seconds using an Astrodon 3nm Ha filter
Software: PixInsight and Photoshop CS6

You can see more info on on his image and processing over at StarGazers Lounge.

We Could Have Been Exploring The Galaxy By Now

If it wasn't for the dark ages...

Cosmic Pic of the Day 7.31.12: Full Solar Disc

Image via AstroBin from astronomer Andrew Kwon.

This is the first in what I hope to be a daily "Cosmic" picture posting. The goal is to feature images  from amateur astronomers, but could (and will) include anything.

5 of The World's Largest Telescopes

Seeing pictures of our cosmos is a beautiful thing, it sparks the imagination and pushes us to do and see more. The magical thing about astronomy is how accessible it is to anyone that has the interest. Starting out it can be very inexpensive (looking up is free), but the sky (literally) is the limit to how far you take an astronomy hobby. Where it can get expensive and seemingly inaccessible to most, is when you start talking about the world's largest telescopes. Below are the world's top five largest telescopes in order from smallest to largest.

5.Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) Aperture Size: 8.4 meters

Located on Mt. Graham in Tucson, Arizona, the LBT is a joint collaboration between the Italian astronomical community and several universities including; The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, The Ohio State University, and The University of Notre Dame.

The telescope is unique in that it is actually two 8.4 meter mirrors on one mount. Working in tandem, the two mirrors actually have the light gathering capabilities of an 11.8 meter telescope and the resolution capabilities of a 22.8 meter scope.

Of course, at that size, images are simply astonishing...

Messier 1 - This color image of Messier 1, the Crab Nebula, was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope during November 2006 by Vincenzo Testa and collaborators from Rome Observatory.

Messier 1 - This color image of Messier 1, the Crab Nebula, was taken at the Large Binocular Telescope during November 2006 by Vincenzo Testa and collaborators from Rome Observatory.

4. Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) Aperture size: 9.2 meters

Built with a low cost in mind. the HET has a very unique hexagonal mirror array design. The scope has 91 identical hexagonal mirrors that measure 1 meter by 1 meter and weigh 250 pounds each. Ran by The University of Texas at Austin and located at the McDonald Observatory.

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope has started a 3 year observation called HETDEX (which stands for Hobby-Eberly Dark Energy Experiment) whose goal is to find the existence of dark energy.

A scientific revolution is underway. It will tell us more about the universe than we have ever known before, because it will tell us what makes up almost three-quarters of all the matter and energy in the universe. It will tell us if the laws of gravity are correct, and reveal new details about the Big Bang in which the universe was born.

In 2011 the HET and McDonald Observatory were threatened by the Texas wildfires, luckily it went unscathed.

3. Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) Aperture size: ~10 meters

The Southern African Large Telescope is located in, you guess it, South Africa. SALT is funded by several countries including South Africa, the United States, Germany, Poland, India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. After some minor imaging problems, SALT was fully operational in 2010. Much like HET, SALT uses a hexagonal design with 91 hexagonal mirrors that are 1.2 meters wide making the total aperture of the telescope nearly 11 meters wide.

First light image from SALT:  NGC 6530
(Lagoon Nebula 2)

2. Keck and Keck II Aperture size: 10 meters

The Keck and Keck II are twin 10 meter telescopes sitting atop of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano. Each scope has 36 hexagonal segments that work either as separate scopes or in tandem as one. Due to their altitude and position in the Pacific Ocean the Keck scopes are able to take some of the most clear images of any scope due to not fighting any atmospheric distortion.

A false-color composite near-infrared image of Jupiter and its moon Io, taken July 20 Hawaii time (July 21 UT) by the Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea using adaptive optics (AO) to sharpen the image.

1. Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) Aperture size: 10.4 meters

Currently the largest telescope in the world, the GTC is, to some degree, the last of it's kind. It has a total light collecting area spanning a whopping 75.7 square meters. Located in the Spanish Canary Islands and mostly funded by the Spanish government, the GTC will reign supreme as the largest telescope in the world until the revolutionary Extremely Large Telescope is functional.

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, in Canes Venatici is famous for its beautiful spiral structure, was discovered by Messier in October 1773.

Hell Seems Like A Pretty Awesome Place

It's like the Smithsonian of the make believe world.

Inspiring Time Lapse View Of Earth From The ISS

Here's is an amazing time lapse video showing Earth and the cosmos at night from the International Space Station. The video was produced entirely from NASA provided images by Knate Myers.

Want to learn how to make these awesome videos? Check out this mini-tutorial then get busy inspiring us!

Carl Sagan On Grasping The Universe

Incredible Jupiter Occultation

Here is an incredible Moon/Jupiter occultation using a Skywatcher 12" Dobsonian. I don't know much about the astronomer that shot the footage, other than his YouTube page, but I do know that it is awesome.

(via Google+)

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