The 2009 Orionid Meteor Shower

Source - NASA Science News for October 19, 2009

Caused by debris from Halley's Comet, the 2009 Orionid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday, Oct. 21st, and forecasters say it could be an unusually good show.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/19oct_orionids.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

LCROSS Debris Plume Photographed

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 17, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

LUNAR IMPACT PLUME: NASA has just released pictures of infrared flashes and a visible plume of debris produced by a Centaur booster rocket hitting the Moon on Oct. 9th. The images confirm that the LCROSS experiment was a success despite the fact that the impacts were visually unimpressive from Earth.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for images of the plume and commentary from mission scientists.

Giant Ribbon Discovered at the Edge of the Solar System

Source - NASA Science News for October 15, 2009

NASA's IBEX spacecraft has discovered a vast, glowing ribbon at the edge of the solar system. One mission scientist calls the discovery "shocking" and says theorists are "working like crazy" to explain the finding.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/15oct_ibex.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Lunar Lander Floats on Electric-blue Jets

Source - NASA Science News for October 15, 2009

How do you fly on a world with no atmosphere? Wings won't work and neither do propellers. The space agency is perfecting the art of "airless flying" using a prototype lunar lander at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/15oct_lunarlander.htm?list894285

Are We Alone for 10/13/09 - Extreme Geology

Are We Alone - Extreme Geology

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
• Joel Achenbach – Reporter, author of “When Yellowstone Explodes”, August 2009 National Geographic cover story
• Jim Kauahikaua – Geologist, United States Geologic Survey Hawaii Volcano Observatory
• Pat Kambesis – Geologist, Assistant Director of the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute at Western Kentucky University

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.

NASAtelevision: LCROSS Lunar Impact

Here is some great video from the LCROSS Spacecraft just just before impacting on the Lunar surface courtesy of NASAtelevision:

Lunar Impact Update

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 8, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

LUNAR IMPACT UPDATE: NASA's LCROSS spacecraft and its Centaur booster rocket are on course for a Friday morning impact in crater Cabeus near the Moon's south pole. The Centaur will strike first on Oct. 9th at 11:31:19 UT (7:31:19 EDT, 4:31:19 PDT), followed by the LCROSS mothership at 11:35:45 UTC (7:35:45 EDT, 4:35:45). The spectacular double-impact, designed to excavate water frozen in the crater's shadowy depths, will be broadcast live on NASA TV. Amateur astronomers with 10-inch class backyard telescopes may be able to see debris billowing over the crater's rim. This is a big event! Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and full coverage.

Microwaving Water from Moondust

Source - NASA Science News for October 7, 2009

NASA scientists have figured out how to extract water from lunar soil. Their approach is as easy as using a microwave oven.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/07oct_microwave.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Giant Ring Discovered Around Saturn

Source - NASA Science News for October 7, 2009

Just when you thought every big thing in the Solar System had already been discovered, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found an extraordinary new "supersized" ring around Saturn.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/07oct_giantring.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

The Fall of the Maya--New Clues Revealed

Source - NASA Science News for October 6, 2009

Archeologists are using NASA satellites and supercomputers to crack the mystery of the ancient Maya. New findings suggest the Maya may have played a key role in their own downfall.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/06oct_maya.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Lunar Impact This Friday

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 6, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

LUNAR IMPACT: This Friday morning, Oct 9th, at approximately 4:30 am PDT, NASA's LCROSS spacecraft and its Centaur booster rocket will plunge one after another into a shadowed crater near the Moon's south pole. The spectacular double-impact will be shown live on NASA TV from the point of view of the LCROSS spacecraft. Meanwhile, impact debris plumes emerging from the crater may be visible through backyard telescopes. North American sky watchers west of the Mississippi river are favored with darkness and good views of the Moon at the time of impact.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and full coverage.

Lunar Impact Viewer's Guide

Source - NASA Science News for October 5, 2009

On Friday morning, Oct. 9th, you can watch a pair of spacecraft crash into the Moon with your own eyes. The purposeful impacts are the climax of NASA's LCROSS mission to unearth signs of water in lunar soil. Today's story tells how and where to look.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/05oct_lcrossvg.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Are We Alone for 10/05/09 - Say What?

Are We Alone - Say What?

There’s no escape from the chattering classes – they talk, squawk, squeal and sing all around us. Every animal communicates in some form – it’s essential for survival. They’ve evolved to understand each other … but do we understand them?

Find out what’s coded in humpback whale song and whether human-cetacean dialogue is possible… how information theory reveals communication patterns within the animal kingdom… how plants call out to animals to protect them… and why only humans evolved language.

Guests:

• Douglas Carlton Abrams – Author of Eye of the Whale: A Novel
• Laurance Doyle – Scientist at the SETI Institute
• Douglas Vakoch – Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute
• David DeGusta – Anthropologist at Stanford University

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.

See the Harvest Moon this Weekend

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 2, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

HARVEST MOON: This weekend's full Moon has a special name--the Harvest Moon. It's the full moon closest to the northern autumnal equinox (Sept. 22). In years past, farmers depended on the light of the Harvest Moon to gather ripening crops late into the night. Now we appreciate it mainly for its beauty. Go outside this weekend and enjoy the moonlight.

SOLAR MINIMUM RETURNS: Two sunspots, which appeared on the autumnal equinox to break several months of extreme solar quiet, have faded away, leaving the sun blank once again. The deepest solar minimum in nearly a hundred years appears poised to continue. NASA spacecraft are now reporting a surge in cosmic rays around Earth caused, somewhat ironically, by this low solar activity. The full story may be found at http://spaceweather.com.

UW Astrobiology Public Lectures Autumn 2009

The UW Astrobiology Program is presenting a series of free public lectures celebrating Galileo and Darwin and their ideas.

The series begins October 6, and examines how these monumental ideas have led to the emerging interdisciplinary science of astrobiology.

The lectures are free but require a reservation.

Go to this URL for more information: http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/PubLec_tickets.html