Jupiter's Missing Stripe

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 30, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

JUPITER'S MISSING STRIPE: A disturbance in Jupiter's atmosphere thought to herald the return of the planet's missing stripe is growing rapidly and now stretches almost halfway around Jupiter's globe. It is so big, novice observers are beginning to notice it in the eyepieces of backyard telescopes. Visit http://spaceweather.com for latest images and a sky map.

Are We Alone for 11/29/10 - Extreme Geology

Are We Alone - Extreme Geology

ENCORE We think of major geologic events as taking place a long time ago – but the Earth is just as active as it ever was. We’re a planet in motion. Discover why earthquakes might be increasing worldwide… descend into daring cave exploration… and take a trip to Hawaii where new volcanoes are gurgling up right now.

Plus – the supervolcano under Yellowstone Park… when might it erupt again?

Guests:

• Robert Nadeau – Geologist, University of California, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory and part of a team from Rice University researching the San Andreas Fault
• Joel Achenbach – Reporter, author of “When Yellowstone Explodes”, August 2009 National Geographic cover story
• Jim Kauahikaua – Scientist-in-Charge, United States Geologic Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
• Pat Kambesis – Geologist, Assistant Director of the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute at Western Kentucky University

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Extreme_Geology

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show

Strong Solar Farside Activity

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 26, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR FARSIDE ACTIVITY: The Earth-facing side of the sun is relatively quiet, but the farside is alive with activity. On Nov. 26th, NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) observed eruptions from multiple farside blast sites. Visit http://spaceweather.com to view movies of these events and for more information about when the active regions might turn to face Earth.

RADAR MOON: Earlier this week, the Moon passed through the beam of the US Air Force Space Surveillance Radar in Texas. An electrical engineer in Georgia recorded the echo and made a simple image of the Moon based on the reflection. Sights and sounds of the "radar Moon" are featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

The Sun Steals Comets from Other Stars

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 23, 2010

Some of the comets in our Solar System probably came from other stars, according to new research by NASA-supported scientists. Studying these 'alien' comets, they say, could reveal new information about stellar systems far, far away.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/23nov_aliencomets/

Are We Alone for 11/22/10 - Humans Need Not Apply

Are We Alone - Humans Need Not Apply

You are one-of-a-kind, unique, indispensible… oh, wait, never mind! It seems that computer over there can do what you do … faster and with greater accuracy.

Yes, it’s silicon vs. carbon as intelligent, interactive machines out-perform humans in tasks beyond data-crunching. We’re not only building our successors, we’re developing emotional relationships with them. Find out why humans are hard-wired to be attached to androids.

Also, the handful of areas where humans still rule… as pilots, doctors and journalists. Scratch that! Journalism is automated too – tune in for a news story written solely by a machine.

Guests:

• Clifford Nass – Social psychologist at Stanford University and Director of the Communication Between Humans and Interactive Media Lab
• Tom Jones – United States astronaut, space consultant, and veteran of four Space Shuttle flights
• Chris Ford – Business director at Pixar Animation Studios
• Eric Van De Graaff -Cardiologist at Alegent Health
• James Bennighof – Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and professor of music theory at Baylor University in Texas
• Kathy Abbott – Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Flight Deck Human Factors at the Federal Aviation Administration
• Kristian Hammond – Co-founder, Narrative Science

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Humans_Need_Not_Apply

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Comet Snowstorm Engulfs Hartley 2

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 18, 2010

At a press conference today at NASA headquarters, researchers released beautiful new images of an unprecedented snowstorm engulfing Comet Hartley 2.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/18nov_cometsnowstorm/

Youngest-Ever Nearby Black Hole Discovered

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 15, 2010

An amazingly young black hole--only 30 years old--has been found in a nearby galaxy by astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/14nov_babyblackhole/

Are We Alone for 11/15/10 - Skeptic Check: Saucer's Apprentice

Are We Alone - Skeptic Check: Saucer's Apprentice

They’re here! About one-third of all Americans believe we’re being visited by extraterrestrial spacecraft. But wait, you want evidence?

UFO sighting are as prevalent as flies at a picnic. But proof of visitation – well, that’s really alien.

Hear why belief in extraterrestrial UFOs persists … and why military sightings that “can’t be explained” don’t warrant rolling out a welcome mat for ET.

Plus, the most fab UFOs in the movies!

It’s Skeptic Check… but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

• Phil Plait – Keeper of the skeptical website badastronomy.com
• Benjamin Radford – Research Fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and managing editor of “Skeptical Inquirer Science Magazine”
• Leslie Kean – Journalist, and author of UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record
• Susan Clancy – Psychology Researcher, Harvard University
  and author of Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens
• Thomas Bullard – Folkorist at Indiana University and author of The Myth and Mystery of UFOs

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Skeptic_Check_Saucer_s_Apprentice

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Earth's Dust Tail Points to Alien Planets

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 12, 2010

Did you know Earth has a long tail of dust? It's real, and it could lead researchers to the discovery of distant alien worlds.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/12nov_dusttail/

Jupiter's Missing Stripe, Returning?

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 11, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

JUPITER'S MISSING STRIPE, RETURNING? Earlier this year when Jupiter's great South Equatorial Belt (SEB) vanished, researchers urged amateur astronomers to be alert for its eventual return. The SEB had come and gone before, they noted, and the revival was something to behold. Alert: It might be happening now. An energetic white plume is rising above Jupiter's cloudtops, possibly heralding the return of the giant planet's missing stripe. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

SPACE STATION FLYBY ALERT: The International Space Station is about to begin a series of bright evening flybys over North America. It's easy to see. Let your cell phone tell you when to look using our Simple Flybys app for Android and iPhone: http://simpleflybys.com/

The International Space Weather Initiative

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 8, 2010

Prompted in part by a recent increase in solar activity, more than a hundred researchers and government officials are converging on Helwan, Egypt, this week to discuss a matter of global importance: storms from the sun.

FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/08nov_iswi/

Possible Comet Outburst in Progress

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 8, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

POSSIBLE COMET OUTBURST: A comet discovered just a few days ago by amateur astronomers in Japan is gliding by Saturn in the pre-dawn sky. Comet Ikeya-Murakami (C/2010 V1) is not visible to the unaided eye, but observers say it is a fairly easy target for backyard telescopes. Images obtained over the weekend reveal what appears to be an outburst in progress. The comet's coma (atmosphere) bears a striking resemblance to the coma of Comet Holmes, which famously exploded in 2007. Check http://spaceweather.com for photos and more information.

SOLAR ACTIVITY UPDATE: After unleashing one of the brightest X-ray flares in years on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 6th, sunspot 1121 took Sunday off. No strong flares were recorded for the rest of the weekend. Nevertheless, the active region's magnetic field is complex and harbors energy for more eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate an 85% chance of M-flares during the next 24 hours.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar storms hit Earth? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Are We Alone for 11/08/10 - Found in Space

Are We Alone - Found in Space

If someone asks where you get off, you can now respond with precision. Satellites and computers spit out coordinates accurate to a few paces. And digital maps stand the Copernican principle on its head – putting you at the center of everything (how does it feel?).

Find out how today’s maps are shuffling our world view. Also, how does a rat navigate a maze without GPS? Hear of the plotting that goes on in that tiny rodent brain.

Plus, mapping the universe and pinpointing just where we are in cosmic time – lucky for us, human evolution is right on schedule.

Guests:

• Josh Winn – Astronomer, MIT
• David Redish – Neuroscientist, University of Minnesota
• Mario Livio – Astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute and author of Is God a Mathematician?
• Mike Goodchild – Professor of Geography, Center for Spatial Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Found_in_Space

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Bright X-ray Solar Flare

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 6, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

BRIGHT SOLAR FLARE: Active sunspot 1121 has just unleashed one of the brightest x-ray solar flares in several years, an M5.4-class eruption at 15:36 UT on Nov. 6th. Radiation from the flare created a wave of ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere that altered the propagation of low-frequency radio waves. There was, however, no bright CME (plasma cloud) hurled in our direction, so the event is unlikely to produce auroras in the nights ahead. Visit http://spaceweather.com for a movie of the eruption and more information about this increasingly active sunspot.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar storms hit Earth? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Fantastic Images of Comet Hartley 2

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 4, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

COMET FLYBY A BIG SUCCESS: This morning's Deep Impact (EPOXI) flyby of Comet Hartley 2 was a success. The probe is transmitting data to Earth and, even without processing, the first raw images of the comet's core are spectacular.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

Farside Solar Flares

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 3, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

FARSIDE SOLAR FLARES: An active region just over the sun's eastern horizon is crackling with solar flares and hurling material high above the stellar surface. One of today's flares, a C4-class event, created a wave of ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere despite the fact that the blast site was not directly visible from Earth. The source of this activity appears to be old sunspot 1112, which has spent the last ~12 days transiting the far side of the sun, and is now about to turn back toward our planet. Visit http://spaceweather.com for movies of today's activity and updates.

COMET HARTLEY UPDATE: NASA's Deep Impact (EPOXI) probe is closing in on Comet Hartley 2 for a daring flyby on Nov. 4th. The small but active comet is full of surprises, with spinning jets, geysers of cyanide gas, and a strangely pickle-shaped core. Mission scientists expect to reveal first images from the flyby during a press conference on Thursday afternoon, around 4 pm EDT. Tune into NASA TV to follow events live, and meanwhile read this story for a preview:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/02nov_epoxi2/

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar storms erupt? Sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Cometary Poison Gas Geyser Heralds Surprises to Come

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 2, 2010

A surge of cyanide gas from the nucleus of Comet Hartley 2 has researchers wondering, what is going on in the core of this small but active comet? Answers are in the offing as NASA's EPOXI mission prepares for a daring flyby on Nov. 4th.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/02nov_epoxi2/