Question 16: 30 June 2012 (Week 26)

Q16: What percentage of universe contains Dark Matter?


Hint: today article about Dark Matter.

Answer to Question 15

A15:

The visible part of the sun is roughly 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C), while temperatures in the core reach more than 27 million degrees F (15 million degrees C), driven by nuclear reactions.


Also See Article of facts about Sun.

Dark Matter

www.gktoday.in

Man Mission to moon and Mars: Kalam

Former President and Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology A.P.J. Abdul Kalam arrives for the first convocation ceremony of the institute in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. With him are Srikumar Banerjee, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, left, and K. Radhakrishnan, ISRO chairman. Photo: S. Mahinsha

Former President and space scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has proposed that India take up a manned space mission to the moon and Mars.

Addressing the first convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) here on Thursday, he suggested that the country take up the development of hypersonic reusable vehicles for cost-effective space transportation and solar satellites to harness energy for power and drinking water.

He also proposed the development of solar sails for interplanetary missions and an integrated disaster management system using space technology.

Mr. Kalam, who is the Chancellor of the IIST, said India could come up with navigational satellites and a mechanism for refuelling, repair, and maintenance of satellites in geostationary orbit.

Vision plan

He told the gathering of students, parents, faculty of the IIST, and scientists from ISRO that the new programmes, if taken up under the ISRO vision 2030 plan, could open up new opportunities and challenges for the scientific community and the youth of India.

Mr. Kalam said fully reusable space transportation systems with high payload efficiencies were essential for space missions in future. Such systems, he added, depended on critical technologies such as in-flight air collection and oxygen liquefaction, ram/ scramjet engines, ascent turbojet/turbofan ramjet engines, and advanced lightweight high temperature materials.

Global demand

Highlighting the need to bring down the iron curtain between technological groups, Mr.Kalam said the global demand was shifting towards the development of ecologically sustainable systems integrating science, technology, and environment.

“The real challenge for the scientific community is to use technology to enrich the life of 750 million rural people.”

He said research in basic sciences was crucial if India was to remain competitive at the global level and develop cost-effective technologies for the common man.

Earlier, Mr. Kalam conferred the B.Tech. degree on 125 students of the first batch of the IIST who graduated in Aerospace Engineering, Avionics, and Physical Sciences.

He also released a book A Brief History of Rocketry in ISRO authored by P.V. Manoranjan Rao and P.Radhakrishnan. Former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Srikumar Banerjee was the chief guest at the convocation ceremony.

ISRO chairman K.Radhakrishnan, who is also the chairman of the board of management, IIST, Director of the institute K.S. Dasgupta, and former director B.N.Suresh addressed the gathering.

Source: The Hindu News

Super-Close Asteroid: 2012 KT42

Last month's flyby of Earth by asteroid 2012 KT42 was the sixth-closest asteroid encounter on record. It whizzed by inside the orbital distance of Earth geosynchronous satellites.

Asteroid KT42 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey project in Tucson, Ariz., which spotted the object a scant 23 hours before its closest approach on May 29.

The object's color signature indicates it has a carbon-rich composition, perhaps analogous to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites found on Earth, from which a moderately dark reflectivity (albedo) is inferred.

By knowing both the reflectivity and visible brightness of the object, the deduced size of asteroid KT42 is about 7 meters (23 feet) across, about the size of a duck boat.

Had 2012 KT42 actually entered the Earth's atmosphere, its relatively small size and likely weak structure probably would have caused it to be destroyed before it had a chance to cause damage on the surface. Perhaps only a few fragments would have reached the ground as meteorites.

Source: www.space.com

Question 15: 29 June 2012 (Week 26)

Q15: What is temperature of visible part of sun?

Hint: Post on 16th June

Answer to Question: 14

A 14:
It could go up to 30 million mph.

Question 14: 28 June 2012 (Week 26)

Q14: What could be the speed of a runaway planet?

Answer t0 Question 13

A13:
There are about 500,000 pieces of space junk, down to items about 0.5 inches (1.27 centimeters) wide in orbit. Of those, about 21,000 objects are larger than 4 inches (10.1 cm) in diameter, and are being constantly tracked by the Department of Defense's U.S. Space Surveillance Network. These are items like spent rocket stages and broken satellites such as Galaxy 15.

Runaway Planet - Interesting Facts

Astronomers have discovered that the incredible gravitational strength of supermassive black holes can tear planets away from their star systems and hurl them through space at incredible speeds -- as fast as 30 million mph.

They noted that this is "a few percent" of the speed of light, a theoretical constant of 186,000 miles per second or about 670 million mph.

Called hypervelocity planets, the speedy worlds vastly outrace runaway stars that scientists found flying out of our galaxy seven years ago at the tortoise-like pace of just 1.5 million miles per hour.

"These warp-speed planets would be some of the fastest objects in our Galaxy. If you lived on one of them, you'd be in for a wild ride from the center of the galaxy to the Universe at large," said astrophysicist Avi Loeb of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

artist’s conception, a runaway planet zooms through interstellar space.

For this study, the researchers simulated a double-star system that wanders too close to the supermassive black hole at the galactic center. They had already known that the black hole’s gravitational forces could rip the stars apart -- sending one away at high speed while the other is captured into orbit around the black hole.

But what would happen if each star had a planet or two orbiting nearby?

The researchers found that the star ejected outward could carry its planets along for the ride. The second star, as it's captured by the black hole, could have its planets torn away and flung into the icy blackness of interstellar space at tremendous speeds.

A typical hypervelocity planet would slingshot outward at 7 to 10 million miles per hour. However, a small fraction of them could gain much higher speeds under ideal conditions.

Source: www.foxnews.com

Space Junk-A serious Problem

Space debris, also known as orbital debris, space junk, and space waste, is the collection of objects in orbit around Earth that were created by humans but no longer serve any useful purpose. These objects consist of everything from spent rocket stages and defunct satellites to erosion, explosion and collision fragments. As the orbits of these objects often overlap the trajectories of newer objects, debris is a potential collision risk to operational spacecraft.

The vast majority of the estimated tens of millions of pieces of space debris are small particles, less than 1 centimetre (0.39 in). These include dust from solid rocket motors, surface degradation products such as paint flakes, and coolant released by RORSAT nuclear powered satellites. Impacts of these particles cause erosive damage, similar to sandblasting. This damage can be partly mitigated through the use of the "meteor bumper", which is widely used on spacecraft such as the International Space Station. However, not all parts of a spacecraft may be protected in this manner, e.g. solar panels and optical devices (such as telescopes, or star trackers), and these components are subject to constant wear by debris, and to a much lesser extent, micrometeorites.

A much smaller number of the debris objects are larger, over 10 centimetres (3.9 in). Against larger debris, the only protection is to maneuver the spacecraft in order to avoid a collision. If a collision with larger debris does occur, many of the resulting fragments from the damaged spacecraft will be in the 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) mass range, and these objects become an additional collision risk. As the chance of collision is a function of the number of objects in space, there is a critical density where the creation of new debris occurs faster than the various natural forces remove these objects from orbit.

Source: Wikipedia.com

Answer to Question:12

A12:

An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to the surface.

On Top in Google Search - Our Club - Congs to members

Thank to all club members and those who support the "DMR's Astronomy Club".
Rgards
DMR

Question 12: 26 June 2012 (Week 26)

Q12: Who is known as Aquanauts. Give some detail.

Hint: today's post "neemo" 

Answer to Question 11

A11: Tiangong is a space station program of the People's Republic of China.

NEEMO - NASA WATER MISSION

NEEMO, an acronym for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a NASA program for studying human survival in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in preparation for future space exploration.

Aquarius, an underwater habitat located near Key Largo, Florida, is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington as a marine biology study base. Located roughly 62 feet underwater,NASA has used it since 2001 for a series of missions, usually lasting 10 to 14 days, with research conducted by astronauts and other NASA employees.

The crew members are called aquanauts instead of "divers", and they perform EVAs in the underwater environment.Groups of NASA employees and contractors live in Aquarius for up to three weeks at a time. For NASA, Aquarius provides an environment similar to space living, and NEEMO crew members experience some of the same tasks and challenges underwater as they would in space.

Question 11: 25 June 2012 (Week 26)

Q11: What is the name of china's Space Laboratory? Also provide some details about it.

Hint: Today Post " Shenzhou 9: China's 1st Manned Space Docking Mission "

Shenzhou 9: China's 1st Manned Space Docking Mission

The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft grasp hands to celebrate their successful manned docking with the Tiangong 1 orbiting module on June 24, 2012. At right is astronaut Liu Wang, who piloted the successful docking. Mission commander Jing Haipeng is at right with astronaut Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut, at center.




Credit: Space.com

Answer to Question 10

A10.

Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR)

Read article published on Friday 22 June

RESULT OF QUIZ - WEEK-25th

Dear Members,
This week quiz was really competitive. This time we got over 50 answers with lot of extra space information. Thanks for the participation and keep it up.
I am really thankful to all those who are supporting the activities of this club from outside INDIA.

Thank You

Regards

DMR

Question 10: 23 June 2012

Q10: Which Telescope Observatory NASA sent to space recently to study about Black Holes.

SIMPLE TELESCOPE MAKING COMPETITION

ANswer to Question 9

A9:

Venus is the second planet from the sun and a close neighbor to the earth. It was named after the Roman Goddess of Beauty. Venus is usually one the brightest objects in the sky, which might be the reason it got its name. It is quite similar to the planet earth mainly in its size and a few other characteristics which is why it is often considered the Earth's twin. However, surface conditions are not nearly the same making it a quite inhospitable environment.

Here is some general information on Venus:

Diameter (miles)= 7,521

Mass (trillion trillion lbs)= 10.738

Density (earth=1)= .95

Gravity (earth=1)= .88

Period of Rotation (hours)= 5,832.2

Escape Velocity (mph)= 23,042

Major Atmospheric Gas= Carbon Dioxide

Inclination of Equator (degrees)= 2.6

Known Moons= 0

Mean Orbital Velocity (mph)= 78,364

Minimum Distance From Sun= 66.8 (millions of miles)

Maximum Distance From Sun= 67.7 (millions of miles)

Mean Distance From Sun= 67.2 (millions of miles)

Period of Revolution (earth years)= .63

Black Hole: Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR)

NASA's newest space telescope — a black hole-hunting observatory — unfolded a giant mast in orbit Thursday (June 21), one of the final steps before it can begin peering deep into the universe.

The $165 million Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is an X-ray observatory designed to study some of the most energetic and mysterious places in the universe through X-ray light. In order to focus these very short-wavelength, high-energy light rays, the telescope must separate its light-gathering optics from a focal point a distance away.

That's where NuSTAR's mast comes in. The 33-foot (10-meter) boom made of stackable cubes formed by carbon fiber rods serves to distance the telescope's two X-ray optics from the focal point where its camera is placed.

NuSTAR will point its X-ray eyes at the nearby black hole Cygnus X-1, which is in our own galaxy. These observations should allow mission controllers to test the telescope's focus, and also gather better pictures of Cygnus X-1 than have been available before in this energy range.

Question 9: 22 June 2012

Q9: Why Venus is also known as Twin of Earth?

Hint: Post "Solar System: Facts about Venus"

Answer to Question 8

A8:
Yes its 107,300 km/h.
Please read the comment posted by Bhupendra Kumar

Solar System: Facts about Venus

Credit: www.Space.com

June 20: June Solstice

June 20: June Solstice

 

The June solstice occurs at 23:09 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

 

DMR

Question 8: 21 June 2012

Q8: At what speed we are revolving around the sun in km/h (Approximately).

Answer to Question 7

A7: Gravity on Mercury is  38% the gravity on earth.

Question 7: 20 June 2012

Q7: What is the gravity of Mercury as compare to Earth.

Answer to Question 6

A6:
Messenger probe

Question 6: 19 June 2012

Q6: Which  Probe has taken best photo of Mercury till yet?

Hint: Article " Solar System: Facts about Mercury"

Answer to Question 5

A5:
Hydrogen, followed by helium. Nearly all the remaining matter consists of seven other elements — oxygen, carbon, neon, nitrogen, magnesium, iron and silicon.
 

Solar System : Facts about Mercury

Winner of Last Week Quiz: Joheb & Pranav

Question 5 - 18 June 2012

Q5: What are the gases found in sun?

Hint: Article "Solar System - facts about Sun " Sun posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012

Answer to Question 4

Q4:What do you understand by opposition of a planet in solar system?

A4: In positional astronomy, two celestial bodies are said to be in opposition when they are on opposite sides of the sky, viewed from a given place (usually the Earth).

A planet (or asteroid or comet) is said to be "in opposition" when it is in opposition to the Sun. Since most orbits in the Solar System are nearly coplanar, this occurs when the Sun, Earth, and the body are approximately in a straight line, that is, the Earth and the body are in the same direction as seen from the Sun. The instant of opposition is defined as that when the apparent geocentric celestial longitude of the body differs by 180° from the apparent geocentric longitude of the Sun.

Source: Wikipedia

Solar System - Facts about Sun

Question 4: 16 June 2012

Q4: What do you understand by opposition of a planet in solar system?

Answer to Question 3

A3:


1. Eclipse glasses or the goggles used by Welders with the specific rated figure.

2. Solar telescopes or binoculars.

3. cameras, binoculars with approved solar filters.

4. Pinhole projector.

5. Visit a nearby planetorium.

Question 3: 15 June 2012

Q3: What are best methods to look the sun?

Hint: Article: Venus Transit of the Sun: A 2012 Observer's Guide (Infographic), Post on 2 June 2012

Answer to Question 2 : 14 June 2012

A2: "The sun's diameter, 1,380,000 kilometers, is about 110 times Earth's diameter."

Question 2: 14 June 2012

Q2: What is the approximate diameter of Sun?

Answer to Question 1

Q1: What is Parallex Method?

A1:

The parallax method is a way of measuring distances of far-away objects. Astronomers use parallax to measure the distance to stars.

Parallax is a measurement of the shift of a nearby object compared to distant objects when observed from two different positions.

You can see this effect for yourself. Cover your right eye and look directly at something some distance away, like a tree or house. Hold your hand at arms' length and stick up one finger, and cover the tree with your finger.

Now uncover your right eye and cover the left eye, WITHOUT moving your hand. Your finger is no longer covering the tree. The "parallax shift", the distance that your finger appeared to move (relative to the tree in the background) can be used to measure how far away things are.

For nearby objects in the solar system - for example, a comet or an asteroid - two observatories can observe the same object at the same time, and measure the "parallax angle" between the comet and a distant star. Knowing how far apart the two observatories are will let you calculate the distance to the comet.

For other "nearby" stars, we assume that the stars themselves aren't moving quickly. Take one measurement today, and another measurement exactly six months later. We know the distance between the two observations is 184 million miles (twice the Earth's orbital radius). If our reference star is far enough away, we can use the parallax angle to calculate the nearby star's distance.

For VERY distant objects, this doesn't work, for two reasons.
1. The parallax angle is too tiny to be measured accurately
2. We cannot be sure that the reference star in the background is far enough away from the "nearby" star to accurately calculate the distance.

Question 1 - 13 June -2012

Q1: What is Parallex Method?

Quiz - To Enhance your knowledge of space

Dear All,

Let’s enhance your knowledge of space. I am starting a quiz session on this blog. I will be posting some articles related to the space every week, I will post a quiz based upon the articles posted on every friday/Saturday. There will 10 simple questions and you have to answer those questions by sunday . Best three highest marks getter will get assured gift and a title.

So, keep reading and enhancing your space knowledge.  :)

DMR

Up Coming - Space Events in 2012

June 19: New Moon

The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth.

June 20: June Solstice

The June solstice occurs at 23:09 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

July 3: Full Moon

The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.

July 19: New Moon

The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth.

July 28, 29: Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower

The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on July 28 & 29, but some meteors can also be seen from July 18 - August 18. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. The near first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

August 2: Full Moon

The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.

August 6: Curiosity Rover at Mars

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is scheduled to land on the red planet between August 6 and August 20, 2012. Officially named Curiosity, it is an autonomous rover similar to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers that previously visited Mars. This much larger rover will carry many more instruments and experiments than its previous cousins. Curiosity’s high definition color cameras will photograph the Martian surface while a host of instruments will sample the soil and air and search for organic compounds.

August 12, 13: Perseids Meteor Shower

The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on August 13 & 14, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. The near last quarter moon will be hanging around for the show, but shouldn’t be too much of a problem for a shower with up to 60 meteors per hour. Find a location far from city lights and look to the northeast after midnight.

August 17: New Moon

The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 15:54 UTC.

August 24: Neptune at Opposition

The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Neptune. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

August 31: Full Moon

The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. Since this is the second full moon in the same month, it is known as a blue moon. This rare calendar event only happens once every few years, giving rise to the term, “once in a blue moon.”

September 16: New Moon

 The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth.

September 22: September Equinox

The September equinox occurs at 14:49 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.

September 29: Uranus at Opposition

The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

September 30: Full Moon

 The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.

October 20: Astronomy Day Part 2

Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is "Bringing Astronomy to the People," and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events. You can find out about special local events by contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium.

October 15: New Moon

The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth.

October 21, 22: Orionids Meteor Shower

The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 - 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. The first quarter moon will set by midnight, leaving a dark sky for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight. Be sure to find a dark location far from city lights.

October 29: Full Moon

The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.

November 13: New Moon

The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth.

November 13: Total Solar Eclipse

The path of totality will only be visible in parts of extreme northern Australia and the southern Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be visible in most parts of eastern Australia and New Zealand.

November 17, 18: Leonids Meteor Shower

The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The shower usually peaks on November 17 & 18, but you may see some meteors from November 13 - 20. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight, and be sure to find a dark location for viewing.

November 27: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn

 These two bright planets will be within 1 degree of each other in the morning sky. Look to the east around sunrise.

November 28: Full Moon

The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.

November 28: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America.

December 3: Jupiter at Opposition

The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.

December 13: New Moon

The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth.

December 13, 14: Geminids Meteor Shower

Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. This year the new moon will guarantee a dark sky for what should be an awesome show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.

December 21: December Solstice

The December solstice occurs at 11:12 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

December 28: Full Moon

The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.

Club Invitation

Venus Transit - Watched by Club Members

Dear members,

Thanks for making this event successful one. Members showed the enthusiam and participated actively. Here are few pictures taken during the event. Though in morning we are not able to see the venus accross the sun. But some of the members ( Kritisunder Giri, DMR and Gurpreet) confrmed the visit of venus accross the sun.

Sun behind the clouds in morning.

Club members ( from left to right) Abhishek, Naphees, Jaspreet, Pranav, Rajat, Shubham, Siddhant and Trivendra.

Members enjoying refreshment after the event.

Event discussion with team.

Club members ( from left to right) Pranav, Naphees, DMR, Shubham and Rajat

Thanks again...looking forward to support the club...together we can see unseen universe...DMR

Venus Transit of the Sun: A 2012 Observer's Guide (Infographic)

This picture is taken from www.space.com

Venus Transit Event in Govindpuram, Ghaziabad.

Dear Friends,

We are organizing Venus Transit Event in Govindpuram, Ghaziabad.
All of you are requested to be the part of this event.
Meeting Point : I-354, Govindpuram, Near DDPS, Ghaziabad.
Time: 5:15 AM ( 6 June 2012) sharp. We will move to another location to view the event.

Regards
DMR