Comet ISON Lives!

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 29, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

COMET ISON LIVES:  Cancel the funeral. Comet ISON is back from the dead. Yesterday, Nov. 28th, Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere and appeared to disintegrate before the cameras of several NASA and ESA spacecraft. This prompted reports of the comet's demise. Today, the comet has revived and is rapidly brightening. 

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

Comet ISON Disintegrates

Source - Space Weather News for  Nov. 28, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

RIP, Comet ISON?:Evidence is mounting that Comet ISON did not survive its brush with the sun on Nov. 28th.  SOHO coronagraph images show the comet apparently disintegrating, while first-look images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory did not detect the comet moving along its expected path through the sun's atmosphere.

Check http://spaceweather.com for movies and updates.

Rock Comet Sprouts a Tail

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 27, 2013

"Rock comet" 3200 Phaethon has sprouted a tail, confirming that the mysterious object is the source of the annual Geminid meteor shower.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/27nov_rockcomet/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I80ZXrXucI



License: Standard YouTube License

"Genius Materials" on the ISS

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 27, 2013

Researchers working with magnetic fluids on the International Space Station are taking "smart materials" to the next level. With proper coaxing, molecules in microgravity can assemble themselves into "genius materials" with surprising properties. This is opening a new frontier in material science.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/27nov_genius/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgH8vmsvdxs



License: Standard YouTube License

Solar wind buffets Comet ISON--new movies from NAS

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 25, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

COMETS IN THE SOLAR WIND: NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is obtaining some marvelous footage of Comet ISON and Comet Encke being buffeted by gusts of solar wind.  So far the two comets have avoided a direct strike by a CME, but a solar storm in the days ahead could have dramatic effects.

For movies and more, visit:  http://spaceweather.com.

Comet ISON vs. the Solar Storm

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 24, 2013

On Nov. 28th, Comet ISON will have a perilous close encounter with the sun. In today's story from Science@NASA, experts discuss what might happen if the comet gets hit by a solar storm at point-blank range.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/24nov_isoncme/

Big Picture Science for 11/25/13 - Skeptic Check: Science Blunders

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Science Blunders

ENCORE: We’ve all had an “oops” moment. Scientists are no exception. Sometimes science stumbles in the steady march of progress. Find out why cold fusion is a premier example why you shouldn’t hold a press conference before publishing your results. Also, how to separate fumbles from faux-science from fraud.

Plus, why ignorance is what really drives the scientific method.

And our Hollywood skeptic poses as a psychic for Dr. Phil, while our Dr. Phil (Plait) investigates the authenticity of a life-bearing meteorite.

Guests:

• Phil Plait – Skeptic and author of Slate Magazine’s blog Bad Astronomy
• Michael Gordin – Historian of science at Princeton University, author of The Pseudoscience Wars: Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe
• David Goodstein – Physicist, California Institute of Technology
• Stuart Firestein – Neuroscientist, chair of the biology department, Columbia University, and author of Ignorance: How It Drives Science
• Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, Los Angeles

This encore podcast was first released on January 28, 2013.

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

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.

Amazing Photos of Comet ISON at Dawn

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 21, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

AMAZING COMET PIX: Comet ISON is plunging toward the sun for a perilous close encounter on Nov. 28th. Even experts aren't sure if the furiously vaporizing comet can survive its passage through the solar atmosphere on Thanksgiving Day.  Some of the final pictures from Earth may be coming in now--and they are amazing.  The comet, sporting a green head and streaming tail, is entering the rosy glow of dawn not far from the planet Mercury. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com to see the latest images from around the world.

Big Picture Science for 11/17/13 - The Heat is On

Big Picture Science - The Heat is On

After the winds and water of Typhoon Haiyan abated, grief and hunger swept though the Philippines, along with the outbreak of disease. Are monster storms the new normal in a warmer world? Some scientists say yes, and if so, climate change is already producing real effects on human life and health.

A hotter planet will serve up casualties from natural disasters, but also higher rates of asthma, allergies and an increase in mosquito-borne diseases. It is, according to one researcher, the greatest challenge of our time, straining health care efforts worldwide. But could a “medical Marshall Plan” save us?

Also, why the conservative estimates from the U.N.‘s climate change group don’t help people prepare for worst-case scenarios. And, a controversial approach to saving our overburdened planet: a serious limit on population growth.

Guests:

• Jeff Masters – Meteorologist, Wunderground
• Linda Marsa – Investigative journalist, contributing editor at Discover, author of Fevered: Why a Hotter Planet Will Hurt Our Health — and how we can save ourselves
• Fred Pearce – Freelance author and journalist, environment consultant for New Scientist. His article, “Has the U.N. Climate Panel Outlived It’s Usefulness?” appeared on the website Yale Environment 360
• Alan Weisman – Author, Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?

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

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.

Comet ISON Update

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 16, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

COMET ISON UPDATE: Comet ISON is now ten times brighter than it was on Nov. 13-14 when an unexpected outburst propelled the sundiver into the realm of naked-eye visibility. Observers around the world confirm seeing the comet as a faint smudge low in the eastern sky before sunrise.  Backyard telescopes reveal a riot of gaseous streamers trailing behind the comet's brightening (and possibly fragmenting) core. With almost two weeks to go before ISON plunges into the sun's atmosphere, it is already one of the most beautiful and active comets in years.

Current images and observing tips may be found at: http://spaceweather.com

Two Comets to Fly By Mercury on Nov. 18-19

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 15, 2013

On Nov. 18-19, two comets (ISON and Encke) are going to fly by the planet Mercury in quick succession. NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft will have a front-row seat for the rare double encounter.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/15nov_twocomets/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Wzlu5quTU



License: Standard YouTube License

Comet ISON: What's Next?

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 14, 2013

Comet ISON is plunging toward the sun for a perilous pass through the solar atmosphere on Thanksgiving (Nov. 28th). In today's story from Science@NASA, a leading expert lays out some possible outcomes for the sundiving comet--from premature disintegration to spectacular survival.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/14nov_whatsnext/

Comet ISON Outburst

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 14, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

COMET ISON OUTBURST: Observers around the world are reporting a sharp increase in the brightness of sundiving Comet ISON. Formerly dim, it is now on the threshold of naked-eye visibility. Comet ISON is plunging toward the sun for a perilous pass through the solar atmosphere on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28th).  This could be the first of many brightening events as intensifying solar heat erodes material away from the comet's nucleus.

For more information and updates, visit http://spaceweather.com

What Happened to Mars? A Planetary Mystery

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 12, 2013:

Mars was once on track to become a thriving Earth-like planet, yet today it is an apparently lifeless wasteland. A NASA spacecraft named MAVEN will soon journey to Mars to find out what went wrong on the Red Planet.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/12nov_maven/


A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etL2ZhqGNCs




License: Standard YouTube License

Big Picture Science for 11/11/13 - What the Hack

Big Picture Science - What the Hack

A computer virus that bombards you with pop-up ads is one thing. A computer virus that shuts down a city’s electric grid is another. Welcome to the new generation of cybercrime. Discover what it will take to protect our power, communication and transportation systems as scientists try to stay ahead of hackers in an ever-escalating game of cat and mouse.

The expert who helped decipher the centrifuge-destroying Stuxnet virus tells us what he thinks is next. Also convenience vs. vulnerability as we connect to the Internet of Everything. And, the journalist who wrote that Google was “making us stupid,” says automation is extracting an even higher toll: we’re losing basic skills. Such as how to fly airplanes.

Guests:

• Ray Sims – Computer Technician, Computer Courage, Berkeley, California
• Eric Chien – Technical Director of Security Technology and Response, Symantec
• Paul Jacobs – Chairman and CEO of Qualcomm
• Shankar Sastry – Dean of the College of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, director of TRUST
• Nicholas Carr – Author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains and the forthcoming “The Glass Cage”. His article, “The Great Forgetting,” is in the November 2013 issue of The Atlantic.

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

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.

Support Big Picture Science

Are you a fan of the SETI Institute's Big Picture Science Podcast?

If you are then click the link below to find out how you can support BiPiSci:

http://radio.seti.org/pages/support_the_show

Here are the different levels of support:

• Vertebrate – $10.00
• Tool User – $25.00
• Hairless Biped – $50.00 (includes photo)
• Council of Elders – $100.00 (includes photo and mug)
• Omniscient Being – $250 (includes photo, mug, and T-shirt)
• Sentient Being – other amount

Below is an image of the mug that great for holding coffee and other forms of rocket fuel 

(Image credit: SETI Institute/Big Picture Science)

 

Sungrazing Comet ISON now visible in binoculars

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 9, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

COMET NEWS: Observers around the world report that Comet ISON is now visible in binoculars.  The comet is brightening as it plunges toward the sun for a perilous pass through the solar atmosphere on Nov. 28th.  It is not, however, the brightest comet in the night sky.  As November unfolds, there is a rare gathering of four comets rising in the east before dawn.

Visit http://spaceweather.com to find out which one is outshining media-favorite ISON.

Solar Activity is High as a Big Sunspot Turns to Face Earth

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 8, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

HIGH SOLAR ACTIVITY: This week, Jupiter-sized sunspot AR1890 unleashed two brief but intense X-class solar flares and numerous M-class solar flares. More eruptions are in the offing as the sunspot turns to directly face Earth over the weekend.

X-flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Hubble Spots an Asteroid with Six Tails

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 7, 2013

The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a strange asteroid spewing six comet-like tails of dust. This could be a sign that the asteroid is breaking apart.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/07nov_6tails/

Big Picture Science for 11/04/13 - Life Back Then

Big Picture Science - Life Back Then

ENCORE: Time keeps on ticking, ticking … and as it does, evolution operates to produce remarkable changes in species. Wings may appear, tails disappear. Sea creatures drag themselves onto the shore and become landlubbers. But it’s not easy to grasp the expansive time scales involved in these transformative feats.
Travel through millennia, back through mega and giga years, for a sense of what can occur over deep time, from the Cambrian Explosion to the age of the dinosaurs to the rise of Homo sapiens.
Guests:

• Lorna O’Brien – Evolutionary biologist, University of Toronto
• Ivan Schwab – Professor of ophthalmology, University of California, Davis. His blog
• Don Henderson – Curator of dinosaurs, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Canada
• Gregory Cochran – Physicist, anthropologist, University of Utah
• Todd Schlenke – Biologist, Emory University

This encore podcast was first released on: April 2, 2012

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

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.

Solar Eclipse on Sunday, Nov. 3rd

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 2, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE: Early Sunday morning, Nov. 3rd, sky watchers along the east coast of North America might notice something missing--a piece of the sun. A partial solar eclipse will be underway at sunrise. In the United States, visibility stretches all the way from Maine to the southern tip of Florida. Later, the Moon will cover the entire sun producing a total eclipse over parts of the Atlantic Ocean and Africa.   Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and more information.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SOLAR FLARE: Lately, solar activity has been high. Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

The Sounds of Interstellar Space

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 1, 2013

As Voyager 1 recedes from the solar system, researchers are hoping the spacecraft will beam back tones from plasma waves, a form of "interstellar music" that reveals conditions in the realm of the stars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/01nov_ismsounds/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgQ9THRckJ0



License: Standard YouTube License