First Perseid fireballs reach Earth

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

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a broad stream of debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Although the shower won't peak until August 12-13, when Earth hits the densest part of the stream, the first Perseids are already arriving. Check http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

QUIET SUN: Many readers are asking about a recent media report, which stated that a Carrington-class solar storm narrowly missed Earth two weeks ago. That report is inaccurate.  Solar activity was low throughout July and remains low as August begins. Details at http://spaceweather.com.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: 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).

Big Picture Science for 07/29/13 - Long Live Longevity

Big Picture Science - Long Live Longevity

Here’s to a long life – which, on average, is longer today than it was a century ago. How much farther can we extend that ultimate finish line? Scientists are in hot pursuit of the secret to longer life.

The latest in aging studies and why there’s a silver lining for the silver-haired set: older people are happier. Also, what longevity means if you’re a tree. Plus, why civilizations need to stick around if we’re to make contact with E.T.

And, how our perception of time shifts as we age, and other tricks that clocks play on the mind.

Guests:

• Ted Anton – Professor of English, DePaul University, Chicago, author of The Longevity Seekers: Science, Business, and the Fountain of Youth
• Laura Carstensen – Psychologist, Stanford University, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity
• Peter Crane – Botanist, dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental studies, Yale University, and author of Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot
• Frank Drake – Astronomer, SETI Institute
• Claudia Hammond – BBC broadcaster and author of Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception

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

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.

Perseid Fireballs

Source NASA Science News for July 26, 2013

New research by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office shows that one annual meteor shower produces more fireballs than any other--the Perseids. This year's Perseid peak is just around the corner on August 12-13.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/26jul_perseids/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO83KP54YXs



License: Standard YouTube License

Pale Blue Dot: Distant Spacecraft Photograph Earth

Source - NASA Science News for July 23, 2013

Images of Earth taken by two interplanetary spacecraft show our planet and its moon as bright beacons from millions of miles away in space.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/23jul_palebluedot/

Big Picture Science for 07/22/13 - Rife with Life

Big Picture Science - Rife with Life

ENCORE “Follow the water” is the mantra of those who search for life beyond Earth. Where there’s water, there may be life. Join us on a tour of watery solar system bodies that hold promise for biology. Dig beneath the icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa, and plunge into the jets of Enceladus, Saturn’s satellite.

And let’s not forget the Red Planet. Mars is rusty and dusty, but it wasn’t always a world of dry dunes. Did life once thrive here? Also, the promise of life in the exotic hydrocarbon lakes of Titan.

Science-fiction author Robert J. Sawyer joins us, and relates how these exotic outposts have prompted imaginative stories of alien life.

Guests:

• Robert J. Sawyer – Hugo award-winning science fiction author
• Cynthia Phillips – Planetary geologist at the SETI Institute
• Alexander Hayes – Planetary scientist at the University of California, Berkeley
• Rachel Mastrapa – Planetary scientist for NASA and the SETI Institute
• Robert Lillis – Space and planetary scientist at the Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

This encore podcast was first released on February 27, 2012.

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

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 Mystery of the Missing Waves on Titan

Source - NASA Science News for July 22, 2013

Saturn's giant moon Titan is dotted with hydrocarbon lakes and seas that bear an uncanny resemblance to bodies of water on Earth. Strangely, though, on Titan there are no waves. In this week's story, planetary scientist Alex Hayes discusses the mysterious flatness of Titan's liquid bodies and predicts a sea-change in the near future.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/22jul_titan/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pj4G101o-M



License: Standard YouTube License

The First Interplanetary Photobomb (Wave at Saturn)

Source - NASA Science News for July 17, 2013

On Friday, July 19th, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will photograph Earth through the rings of Saturn--and NASA wants you to jump into the shot.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/17jul_waveatsaturn/

Hubble Discovers a New Moon around Neptune

Source - NASA Science News for July 15, 2013

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting the distant blue-green planet Neptune.

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

Big Picture Science for 07/15/13 - Getting a Spacelift

Big Picture Science - Getting a Spacelift

ENCORE: I need my space… but oh, how to get there? Whether it’s a mission to Mars or an ascent to an asteroid, we explore the hows of human spaceflight. Also, the whys, as in, why send humans to the final frontier if robots are cheaper? Neil deGrasse Tyson weighs in.

Plus, the astronaut who lived on the ocean floor training for a visit to an asteroid. Also, the 100YSS – the 100 Year Starship project – and interstellar travel.

And, as private rockets nip at NASA’s heels, meet one of the first tourists to purchase a (pricey) ticket-to-ride into space.

Guests:

• Neil deGrasse Tyson – Astrophysicst, American Museum of Natural History, and author of Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier
  
• Shannon Walker – NASA astronaut
• Nathan J. Strange – Formulation system engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• C. C. Culver – Former NASA mission controller, and motivational speaker with International Stars. How to contact: internationalstars@comcast.net
• Marc Millis – Physicist who has been NASA’s foremost expert on advanced propulsion concepts and founder of the Tau Zero Foundation

This encore podcast was first released on February 6, 2012.

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

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 Zero Gravity Coffee Cup

Source - NASA Science News for July 15, 2013

Drinking coffee in space is surprisingly tricky. Physicists researching the strange behavior of fluids onboard the International Space Station have invented a zero-g coffee cup to make the morning "cuppa Joe" a little easier to swallow.

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

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZYsOG60dKQ



License: Standard YouTube License

Hubble Observes a Cobalt Blue Exoplanet

Source - NASA Science News for July 11, 2013

Astronomers working with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have deduced the actual color of a planet orbiting another star 63 light-years away. The planet is HD 189733b, and its color is cobalt blue. If seen directly, this planet would look like a deep blue dot, reminiscent of Earth's color as seen from space.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/11jul_cobaltblue/

NASA Spacecraft Provides First View of the Solar System’s Tail

Source - NASA Science News for July 10, 2013

Like a comet, the solar system has a tail. For the first time, NASA's IBEX spacecraft has mapped out the structure of this tail, which is shaped like a four-leaf clover.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/10jul_ibex/

Big Picture Science for 07/08/13 - Material Whirl

Big Picture Science - Material Whirl

ENCORE What’s the world made of? Here’s a concrete answer: a lot of it is built from a dense, knee-scraping substance that is the most common man-made material. But while concrete may be here to stay, plenty of new materials will come our way in the 21^st century.

Discover the better, faster, stronger (okay, not faster) materials of the future, and Thomas Edison’s ill-conceived plan to turn concrete into furniture.

Plus, printing objects in 3D… the development of artificial skin… and unearthing the scientific contributions of African-American women chemists.

Guests:

• Darren Lipomi – Chemical Engineering post-doc, Stanford University’s “Skin Lab”
• Linda Schadler – Professor of materials science and engineering, and associate dean for academic affairs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
• Nicolas Weidinger – Research assistant at the Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, California
• Jeannette Elizabeth Brown – Retired research chemist; author of African American Women Chemists
• Robert Courland – Author of Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World’s Most Common Man-made Material

This encore podcast was first released on January 30, 2012

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

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.

Big Sunspot Turns Toward Earth

Source - Space Weather News for July 5, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

BIG SUNSPOT: One of the biggest sunspot groups of the current solar cycle has emerged in the sun's southern hemisphere.  AR1785 has an unstable magnetic field that harbors energy for strong solar flares, and it is turning toward Earth.

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

A Mars Rover's Improbable Anniversary

Source - NASA Science News for July 1, 2013

When Opportunity left Earth in 2003, many observers expected the rover to survive no more than a few months on the hostile surface of Mars. 10 years later, Opportunity is still going strong and could be poised to make its biggest discoveries yet at a place named Solander Point.

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