CME Impact Sparks Geomagnetic Storm

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 1, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 30th.  At first, the impact was weak and produced little effect, but now (the early hours of Oct. 1st) moderately-strong geomagnetic storms are brewing in the CME's wake.  High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras, especially during the hours around local midnight.  Glare from the Harvest Moon will reduce visibility. Check http://spaceweather.com for photos and updates.

AURORA ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms are underway? Aurora alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Video: NASA's Curiosity Rover Finds Old Streambed on Mars

Source - NASAtelevision for Sep 27, 2012:

"NASA's newest Mars rover has found evidence that a stream once ran vigorously across the area on the Red Planet where the rover is now driving. The finding is a different type of evidence for water on Mars than ever found before. Scientists are studying Curiosity's images of rocks containing ancient streambed gravels. The sizes and shapes of stones cemented into a layer of conglomerate rock are clues to the speed and distance of a long-ago stream's flow."

This video is 51 minutes long so pop some popcorn before you start watching:

Big Picture Science for 10/01/12 - Skeptic Check: Mysterious Illness

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Mysterious Illness

Stuttering speech and facial tics are among the strange symptoms that swept through a New York high school. Discover what’s behind the odd outbreak, and why one sociologist sees parallels to Salem, Massachusetts 300 years ago.

Also, an update on the cellphone cancer debate, and why one congressman wants warning labels on all new phones.

Plus, the ultimate cleanse: giving up on food to survive on light and air. We investigate the claims of Breatharians.

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

Guests:

• Dennis Kucinich – U.S. Representative, Ohio’s 10^th congressional district
• Joshua Muscat – Epidemiologist, professor of public health sciences, Penn State at Hershey College of Medicine
• Michael Wyde – Toxicologist, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Robert Bartholomew – Sociologist, Botany College, Auckland, New Zealand, author of Outbreak! The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior
• Gordy Slack – Science writer
• Benjamin Radford – Deputy editor, Skeptical Inquirer magazine

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

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

Curiosity Finds Old Streambed on Mars

Source - NASA Science News for Sept. 27, 2012

Curiosity has found evidence that a stream once ran vigorously across the area on Mars where the rover is now driving.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/27sep_streambed/

Here is a quote from that article:

 "From the size of gravels it carried, we can interpret the water was moving about 3 feet per second, with a depth somewhere between ankle and hip deep," said Curiosity science co-investigator William Dietrich of the University of California, Berkeley. "Plenty of papers have been written about channels on Mars with many different hypotheses about the flows in them. This is the first time we're actually seeing water-transported gravel on Mars. This is a transition from speculation about the size of streambed material to direct observation of it."

Big Sun-diving Comet Discovered

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 25, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

SUNDIVING COMET: Astronomers are paying close attention to a newly-discovered comet, C/2012 S1 (ISON), which is heading for a remarkably close encounter with the sun.

Fierce solar heat could turn Comet ISON into a bright naked-eye object in Nov. 2013.  First images and speculation about the comet are highlighted on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

Big Picture Science for 09/24/12 - Big Data

Big Picture Science - Big Data

It’s all in the numbers. The trick is, finding what you’re looking for. But that’s the name of the game with big data. We have a giga-gigabyte of information, and combing through it will lead to new cures for disease, new discoveries about the cosmos, or clues to our social and economic behavior.

But is big data Big Brother? You leave a little bit of yourself behind with each mouse click. Discover how surveillance and privacy issues bubble out of the mix, as the terabytes keep flowing in.

Plus one man’s quest to know himself through the numbers as he records everything – and we do mean everything – about his body.

Guests:

• Atul Butte – Associate professor, division chief, systems medicine, Stanford University
• Larry Smarr – Professor of computer science, University of California, San Diego, director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, (Calit2)
• Karen Nelson – Microbiologist, director of the Rockville Campus of the J. Craig Venter Institute
• Gerry Harp – Physicist, and Director of the Center for SETI Research at the SETI Institute
• Deirdre Mulligan – Assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Information and faculty director of the Berkeley Center of Law and Technology
• Ken Goldberg – Professor of engineering, information and art at the University of California, Berkeley

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

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

Why Curiosity Matters

Source - NASA Science News for Sept. 21, 2012

A former rock-n-roller turned NASA engineer explains why he thinks Curiosity--both the Mars rover and the human desire to learn new things--matters to ordinary people on Earth.

The full story can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/21sep_curiositymatters/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sT6FOIfVOI



License: Standard YouTube License

NASA App Features Inflatable Spacecraft For Returning Station Cargo

Source: http://www.nasa.gov

"Want to try your hand at landing an inflatable spacecraft? All you need is a smart phone, a computer or a tablet."

"NASA's new educational computer game based on its Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) project can be played on the Internet and downloaded free on Apple and Android mobile devices."

The full story can be found here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/hiad_game.html

Endeavour Mated to SCA Time-Lapse

Source - NASA Kennedy Space Center for Sept. 18, 2012: 

At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, in preparation for its ferry flight to California. The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era. 



Standard YouTube License

Big Picture Science: Doomsday Live Kickstarter Project

Here's a shout out for the good folks of Big Picture Science and their Kickstarter "Doomsday Live" project!

Seth, Molly, Gary, Barbara, and the rest of the crew will be be participating in the Bay Area Science Festival by putting on a live show investigating "doomsday" and many of the current theories or conspiracies depending on how you look at them.

Check out the video below, and if you have a buck or two to spare then send it their way to help defray the costs of the show:

Rocket U: Engineers Push New Limits

Source - NASA Kennedy Space Center for Sept. 14, 2012:

Rocket University participants at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida created an instrumented capsule and dropped it from a high-altitude balloon during a recent test to find out how the aerodynamic payload would handle during free-fall. The engineering program allows participants to work in fields outside their specialties to broaden their experience base.



License: Standard YouTube License

Big Picture Science for 09/17/12 - Skeptic Check: Energy Vortex

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Energy Vortex

ENCORE “I feel your vibe!” Well, that describes a number of fabled locales that claim to pulse with mysterious energy – perhaps prompting books to fly across the room or airplanes to vanish into thin air. But what’s the science behind it?

We examine spots marked with an X, for “extraordinary” – from a haunted house to the Bermuda Triangle – to sort out natural from supernatural phenomena.

Plus, what causes the aurora borealis… a haywire Russian space probe… and just what the heck is an “energy vortex,” anyway?

Guests:

• Phil Plait – Skeptic and keeper of Discover Magazine’s blog: badastronomy
• Mike Borg – Group Sales Coordinator, Winchester Mystery House
• Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, Los Angeles
• Peter Williams – Hydrodynamicist at Agilent Technologies
• Guy P. Harrison – Writer and business owner in Southern California, author of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True
• Rob Lillis – Space and Planetary Physicist, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

First released January 25, 2012

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

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

A Celebration of the Life of Neil Armstrong

Source - NASAtelevision for Sep 14, 2012

"Held at the Washington National Cathedral Sept. 13 and broadcast live on NASA TV, this program honored the contributions to NASA, the nation and humanity of Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon. Armstrong died last month at 82"



 License: Standard YouTube License

Mystery Spheres on Mars

Source - NASA Science News for Sept. 14, 2012

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity, still active after all these years, has just discovered a dense accumulation of puzzling little spheroids in a rock outcrop on the Red Planet.

The full story can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/14sep_mysteryspheres/

Astronaut Greets YouTube Space Lab Participants

Source - ReelNASA Sept. 13 202: http://www.youtube.com/user/ReelNASA

"Expedition 32 Flight Engineer Suni Williams aboard the International Space Station talks with Bill Nye and the winners of the recent YouTube Space Lab experiment competition."



For more info, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/spacelab

NASA Accepting Applications for Aeronautics Scholarships

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/

"NASA expects to award 20 undergraduate and five graduate scholarships to students in an aeronautical engineering program or related field. Undergraduate students who have at least two years of study remaining will receive up to $15,000 per year for two years and the opportunity to receive a $10,000 stipend by interning at a NASA research center during the summer."

More information can be found here: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/sep/HQ_12-317_NASA_AERO_Scholarships.html

Weird Planets

Source- NASA Science News for Sept. 12, 2012

Once, astronomers thought planets couldn't form around binary stars. Now Kepler has found a whole system of planets orbiting a double star. This finding shows that planetary systems are weirder and more abundant than previously thought.

The full story can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/12sep_weirdplanets/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl5EknhEsSQ

Explosion on Jupiter

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 11, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

EXPLOSION ON JUPITER: Amateur astronomers are reporting a bright fireball on Jupiter--apparently the result of a small asteroid hitting the planet during the early hours of Sept. 10th.  As the fireball fades, attention turns to possible debris around the impact site.  Observers will be monitoring the region in the nights ahead to see what surfaces.  Check http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

AURORA ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms are underway? Aurora alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Big Picture Science for 09/10/12 - Oh, Rats!

Big Picture Science - Oh, Rats!

Before you chase it with a broom, consider this – without the rat, we might miss critical insights into the nature of stress, cancer … and even love. These furry, red-eyed rodents have a unique role in medical research – and a ubiquitous companion to our urban lives.

Discover the origins of the albino laboratory rat … what rat laughter sounds like, and why these four-legged fur balls don’t fall victim to the pressure of the rat race … but we do.

Guests:

• Kelly Lambert – Behavioral Neuroscientist, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia, author of The Lab Rat Chronicles: A Neuroscientist Reveals Life Lessons from the Planet’s Most Successful Mammals
• Michael Gould – Professor of Oncology and Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Jaak Pankseep – Neuroscientist, Veterinary College, Washington State University, author of The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology)
• Pico Iyer – Writer, author of The Man Within My Head and the New York Times article The Joy of Quiet

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

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

The Virtual Telescope Project: cultural and social activities (promo 2012)

"This video promotes the no-profit Social and Humanitarian activities of the Virtual Telescope Project. These activities are offered on a volunteer basis."

"The Virtual Telescope is proud to support Astronomers Without Borders and the StarPeace project."

"Since the Virtual Teleascope started in 2006 as a robotic facility offering cutting-edge technology telescopes online, its team coordinated, supported and cooperated with many events under the Patronage of Onu and Unesco, especially during the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). Later, many philanthropic activities started and continue in many places on the planet."

"The Virtual Telescope is supported by UnitronItalia Instruments, Software Bisque, Baader Planetarium, Santa Barbara Instrument Group and Planewave Instruments."



Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtualTelescope

License: Standard YouTube License

The Virtual Telescope Project: video promo

"This is the video promo of the Virtual Telescope, a project consisting in several cutting-edge technology telescopes accessible over the internet and making possible an unprecedent global science communication and cultural experience."



Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtualTelescope

License: Standard YouTube License

Video: Boeing honors Neil Armstrong

Here is a nice video tribute to Neil Armstrong from the Boeing Corporation:



"Boeing is remembering Neil Armstrong by recognizing and honoring his legacy. Members of the Commercial Crew Program, who are developing America's next space capsule, CST-100, share their memories of Armstrong and talk about his influence on their lives."

Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/Boeing


Many thanks to Boeing for this tribute.

CME Impact on Sept. 3rd

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 3, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

CME IMPACT: As expected, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 3rd at approximately 1200 UT (5 am PDT).  The impact induced measurable ground currents in the soil of northern Scandinavia and sparked bright auroras around the Arctic Circle.  At the time this alert is being issued, a moderately strong (Kp=6) geomagnetic storm is underway.  Check http://spaceweather.com for photos and updates.

STORM ALERTS:  Subscribers to our Space Weather Alert service were alerted by phone when the CME hit and when the subsequent storm began.  You can sign up for alerts at http://spaceweathertext.com (text) or http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Big Picture Science for 09/03/12 - The Invisible In-Between

Big Picture Science - The Invisible In-Between

To need air is human. Our lungs thank us for each breath we take. But air is more than a transporter of O². It shapes our weather, keeps birds aloft and moves spores from here to there. A cubic foot of air is anything but “empty” (hot dog grease particles, anyone?).

The same goes for space (minus the hot dog grease). It’s a happening place. Discover why interstellar space is more than a whole lot o’ nothing; and what happens when the Voyager spacecraft leaves our solar system. Plus, catch a skydiver in action!

Guests:

• Mako Igarashi – Skydiving instructor, Skydive Hollister, Hollister, CA
• Rhett Allain – Physicist at Southeastern Louisiana University, blogger for Wired.com
• William Bryant Logan – Author of Air: The Restless Shaper of the World
• Robert Wagoner – Emeritus professor of physics, Stanford University
• Alex Filippenko – Astronomer, University of California, Berkeley
• Ed Stone – Physicist at CalTech, former Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, project scientist for the Voyager mission

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

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

Magnificent Eruption on the Sun

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 1, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

MAGNIFICENT ERUPTION:  On August 31st, a magnetic filament on the sun erupted in spectacular fashion, producing a long-duration solar flare, a coronal mass ejection (CME) and one of the most beautiful movies of an explosion ever recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.  The CME propelled by the blast might deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field in the days ahead.  Check http://spaceweather.com for movies, forecasts and updates.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when explosions on the sun are underway? Solar flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).