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World's Largest Annual Celebration of Astronomy Begins Today

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Global Astronomy Month 2015 (GAM 2015) fills the entire month of April again with exciting programs for astronomy enthusiasts worldwide. Whether its stargazing, sharing with the public, or the cosmos in art, there is something for everyone in GAM 2015.Global Astronomy Month (GAM), organized each April by Astronomers Without Borders, is the worlds largest annual global celebration of astronomy. Each GAM brings new ideas and new opportunities, and GAM 2015 is no exception, once again bringing enthusiasts together worldwide to celebrate Astronomers Without Borders motto One People, One Sky.Watch the HD Video Promo Trailer on AWBs YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Jx-tqtDE8&feature=youtu.beDozens of programs fill the month of April, with highlighted events worldwide, including these:* Stars For All! In what may be a world first, astronomical images created in real time will be downloaded and converted into tactile surfaces, allowing people with visual impairments around the world to experience the wonder of observing LIVE with the Virtual Telescope.* OPTICKS, a Cosmic Mail Art, transmits images to the Moon and back as radio signals in real time. This special event will see Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Dukes family photo (a print of which was left behind when Duke left the Moon) and Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Beans lunar paintings both making the round-trip to the Moon and back -- at least on radio waves.* Thousands will view the heavens through telescopes provided by amateur astronomers and science centers during the Global Star Party, SunDay, and other observing events.* The Moon takes center stage with a total lunar eclipse and other special programs.* Online observing with popular astronomer Gianluca Masi will feature live interaction with a worldwide audience in four special GAM events: a Lunar Eclipse, the hugely popular Online Messier Marathon, Stars for All, and Walking on the Moon.* AWBs wide-ranging AstroArts program connects art and culture with astronomy in exciting ways with blog posts and special live webcasts, including the annual Cosmic Concert with original music composed and performed by Giovanni Renzo.* Partner programs bring new audiences and participants: Measuring light pollution worldwide in Globe at Night, classrooms discovering asteroids in the International Asteroid Search Campaign, and more.* And theres an app for GAM! Alive Video Wallpaper for Android mobile devices from Bonne-App has a stunning line-up of GAM 2015 wallpapers anyone can download. Not only do they make a great souvenir of this years premier astronomical celebration but a portion of proceeds go to supporting AWBs worldwide outreach programs.The GAM 2015 website (http://www.gam-awb.org) is the hub of all activities, with galleries, articles, and fresh content continuously posted. GAM participants will be adding their reports and photos about their local GAM events and program from all parts of the world.Here is the schedule of our GAM happenings scheduled to date:March 1 - April 30 AstroPoetry ContestMarch 21 - April 25 IASC Asteroid Search CampaignMarch 22 - April 22 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest April 1 - April 30 Discovering the solar system (Observing Challenge)April 1 - April 30 Lunar Explorations (Observing Challenge)April 1 - April 30 The Undiscovered Universe (Observing Challenge)April 2 Shadows around Jupiter: Callisto eclipses Ganymede (Online Observing Event)April 4 Lunar EclipseApril 4 Lunar Eclipse (Online Observing Event)April 9-18 Globe at NightApril 11 Online Messier Marathon (Online Observing Event)April 12 SunDayApril 13-18 International Dark Skies WeekApril 16 Stars for All (Online Observing Event)April 21 Myths on the Birth of the universe (Hangout)April 21 The Moon plows through the Hyades (Observing Challenge)April 24 Walking on the Moon (Online Observing Event)April 25 Global Star PartyApril 25-26 CosmoQuest HangoutathonApril 26 AStroconcert Icy Rose 67PApril 28 Cosmic ConcertApril 30 OPTICKSContacts:Mike SimmonsPresident, Astronomers Without Borders+1 (818) 597 0223, cell: +1 (818) 486 7633mikes@astronomerswithoutborders.orgAndrew FazekasAWB Communications Manager+1 (514) 620 1672andrewsfazekas@gmail.comChristie McMonigalGAM 2015 CoordinatorSydney, Australiachristienelan@gmail.comAstronomers Without Borders (http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org) connects people worldwide through innovative programs that are accessible to everyone regardless of geography and culture. Combining local events with online technology and a global community, Astronomers Without borders is a leader in promoting understanding and peaceful international relations, while also supporting outreach and education in astronomy.

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World's Largest Annual Celebration of Astronomy Begins Today

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015

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With less than two weeks to go until the entry deadline for the 2015 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, we take a look at some of the best offerings so far.

For more information, or to enter your images, see http://www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto

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On hearing there was likely to be an aurora, and knowing that his normal viewing location was clouded out, the photographer drove south and found himself at the head of the Waldronville Lagoon in Otago, New Zealand, just as the sun set. This shot was taken at the height of the aurora, during which time, the International Space Station passed through the field of view.

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Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015

Deep Space Exploration Will Demand Artificial Gravity

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Long stays in space have a major hitch. Medical studies on the effects of microgravity on astronauts after many months in low-Earth orbit (LEO) cant get around one hard truth humans arent cut out for life without gravity. Thus, artificial gravity habitats are now being discussed as a crucial component of long-duration near-Earth asteroid (NEA) mining missions.

Artificial gravity will be particularly important for years-long commercial missions where real-time telerobotics will need to be performed by crews housed in close proximity to the asteroid itself. Such gravity habitats would also be useful for years-long exploration of low-gravity bodies such as the Moon, Mars Mars, or eventually even the moons of the outer planets.

William Kemp, a Washington, D.C.-area defense contractor, thinks he and business partner, Ted Maziejka, have come up with a design that offers a viable solution in such instances. Its a 30-meter diameter cylindrical space station, capable of creating variable artificial gravity by spinning the cylinder about its long axis.

If we want to stay in space longer than a year Kemp, Founder and CEO of United Space Structures in Falls Church, Va., told Forbes.

An artists concept of a cylindrical space station in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that would be capable of creating artificial gravity. Credit: William Kemp/United Space Structures

For more than three decades, Kemp has been working towards perfecting his ideas. The company is currently in the design patent-pending process and seeking funding and other partners for what would be a multi-billion dollar investment.

The idea is that artificial gravity is achieved through centrifugal force which requires spinning to create a downward pressure. A small 10-meter structure could, in theory, rotate fast enough for humans to feel gravity, but Kemp says astronauts using such a structure would have horrible inner ear problems as a result.

If the spin velocity were too great, your sense of balance would be thrown off and you would soon be on your hands and knees violently ill, said Kemp. However, a small cylindrically-shaped 30-meter diameter station, of the sort that Kemp is proposing, would create 0.6 gravity; the minimum needed to keep humans safely in a gravitational environment for at least two years. Astronauts would live both inside the cylinder and within the structures semi-hemisphere.

Kemp says a 30-meter diameter cylindrical station would need a spin rate of 5.98 revolutions-per-minute and is the minimum useful size to create artificial gravity. A spin rate any faster would be too uncomfortable for the astronauts.

The direction of the spinning cylinder is not important, said Kemp. The speed is based on the radius of the spinning object and the gravity you are attempting to achieve; the larger the radius; the slower the spin rate.

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Deep Space Exploration Will Demand Artificial Gravity

Mars As A Hothouse For Offworld Human Culture

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In an era when even in Antarctica researchers can tap into iTunes, its hard not to wonder if such connectivity is causing formerly seemingly remote parts of the world to lose their edgy sense of place. And thats just here on Earth. What happens when humans move offworld? Will Mars Mars pioneers want the Red Planet to remain as remote and untamed as when they first risked life and limb to get there?

After returning to her hometown of Oakland in the first half the last century, Lost Generation author Gertrude Stein famously wrote but there is no there there. Her observation wasnt a late nonsensical nod to Dadaism, but rather a statement about how development was skewing the landscape of her childhood. Thus, to paraphrase Stein, will the first Mars colonists find that the Red Planet is really there there? Or will interplanetary communication hinder the Red Planets own cultural evolution by continually tethering it to mother Earth? Even though [Mars colonists] will be fully committed to their vision of colonizing Mars, they will still experience the typical emotional change curve of shock, anger, rejection, acceptance, healing, astronaut trainer Mindy Howard, Founding Director of The Netherlands-based Inner Space Training, told Forbes. On the International Space Station (ISS ISS), astronauts are able to have real-time conversations with Earth and to speak with a psychologist in real time if needed. This will not be possible on Mars, because there will be about a seven minute time delay.

Even so, its likely that even a couple of decades after a Mars One-type colonization project makes its first inroads on that desolate red landscape, they will continue to cherish regular Earth contact. Thats something thats unlikely to change until a colonized Mars develops its own sense of culture in a way that may not be possible until the colonists overcome the physical constraints on offworld procreation. Or even until a portion of the planet is actually terraformed.

Howard says the full

This NASA image shows a view by the Mars Rover Spirit of a sunset over the rim of Gusev Crater, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Texas A&M/Cornell University)

How will the harsh Martian environment affect the evolution of a separate human culture on the Red Planet?

Although Martian environmental features will influence the new colonists culture as it evolves; they may talk about red mountains instead of blue ones, the environment itself will have no influence on the underlying cultural structure, Richard Handler, a professor of anthropology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, told Forbes.

Given ongoing [Earth] contact, it would [probably] take hundreds of years for a truly distinct separate Mars-based human culture to emerge, said Handler.

But that doesnt mean that once it does, it wouldnt have its own vibrancy.

[Mars culture] will start like Houston or Singapore, all squeaky clean and futuristic, and it will evolve into layered complexity like Mumbai and Rio with energy and color, Michael Fischer, a multi-disciplinary professor at MIT, told Forbes. Human Mars culture, he asserts, will either evolve to incorporate the Red Planets novel conditions or it will whither and collapse.

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Mars As A Hothouse For Offworld Human Culture

Colliding Black Holes and the Dawn of Gravitational Astronomy

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New simulations of the most energetic collisions in the universe are helping astrophysicists understand how gravitational waves are generated, possibly giving us an exciting glimpse into the future of gravitational astronomy.

Black hole mergers are thought to be the most energetic events the universe has seen since the Big Bang, nearly 14 billion years ago. These events occur when two (or more) spinning black holes become trapped in their mutual gravitational wells, orbit and then collide, merging as one. The energy generated in these merging events are thought to create a very specific signature of gravitational wave emissions.

VIDEO: Does Dust Cloud the Recent Big Bang Announcement?

According to Einsteins theory of general relativity, gravitational waves should be created when massive objects accelerate through space. However, they have not been directly observed. Indirectly, we can see their impact when white dwarf binaries, for example, orbit one another over time, as their orbits shrink, energy is lost. This energy must be carried away from the system by gravitational waves.

Although we have a pretty good idea about their properties, gravitational waves are notoriously difficult to detect directly, but should they become detectable in the future, a new era of gravitational astronomy may be possible. And black hole mergers could be the key to making this happen.

An accelerating charge, like an electron, produces electromagnetic radiation, including visible light waves, Michael Kesden, of the University of Texas at Dallas, said in a press release. Similarly, any time you have an accelerating mass, you can produce gravitational waves.

Kesden is the lead author of new research into black hole mergers published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

ANALYSIS: BICEP2 Gravitational Wave Discovery Deflates

Using gravitational waves as an observational tool, you could learn about the characteristics of the black holes that were emitting those waves billions of years ago, information such as their masses and mass ratios, and the way they formed, added co-author Davide Gerosa, of the University of Cambridge, UK. Thats important data for more fully understanding the evolution and nature of the universe.

Currently, there are several projects underway that are attempting to detect gravitational waves. Perhaps the most famous detector is the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) situated at two locations in the US in Louisiana and Washington. LIGO is set up to detect the passage of gravitational waves through our local volume of space.

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Colliding Black Holes and the Dawn of Gravitational Astronomy

San Francisco Amateur Astronomers Club Invites Public to View Total Lunar Eclipse on April 4, 2015

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San Francisco, California (PRWEB) March 31, 2015

The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA), based in San Francisco, California, announces an event for the general public to watch the upcoming Total Lunar Eclipse. The viewing party commences at 4.00am Saturday April 4th, with the eclipse reaching totality at 5:00 AM. Viewing will take place at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, where SFAA members will provide telescopes for viewing the spectacle.

The public viewing takes place next to the parking area at San Franciscos Ocean Beach on the Great Highway. The club members will set up telescopes along the walkway next to the Ocean Beach parking lot adjacent to walkway 17, opposite the Beach Chalet Restaurant. Starting at 4:00 am, totality is reached from 4:58 until 5:03 am, and the eclipse concludes at 6:00 am. The event is free-of-charge and is appropriate for all ages.

The April 4th Total Lunar Eclipse is the third in a series of four total lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015, an uncommon occurrence. Typically the Moon passes through the Earths shadow during a lunar eclipse for 1 to 2 hours, but on April 4th the Moon will be fully eclipsed for a mere 5 minutes, a condition that should lead to a unique view of the Moon with different shades due to the varying shadow cast from the Earth.

The general public has a fascination with celestial events such as eclipses, and the SFAA is excited to support this fascination with a fun event at the beach, said SFAA President Douglas Smith. We enjoy setting up telescopes to give people a chance to enjoy the cosmos up-close, and an eclipse is just the kind of show that gets people out of bed early in the morning.

For more information about this event, visit the SFAA website at http://www.sfaa-astronomy.org. Visitors are reminded to wear warm clothing, as the early morning weather will be quite chilly. The event is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather. For up-to-the-minute updates on the event, check the website (http://www.sfaa-astronomy.org), club Facebook page, Twitter (@sfaastronomy) or call the SFAA hotline at (949) 391-3604.

About the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers

The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA) is a San Francisco-based club for astronomy hobbyists and enthusiasts, committed to supporting and growing the field of astronomy for the general public and for its members. The SFAA hosts lectures by leading astronomers, star parties for the general public to view the sky through telescopes, offers educational outreach to schools and adult groups, and special events for astronomy hobbyists to learn about telescope making, borrow club telescopes, and to view the night sky in a shared environment for learning and discovery. For more information and a calendar of events sponsored by the SFAA, visit the website at http://www.sfaa-astronomy.org.

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San Francisco Amateur Astronomers Club Invites Public to View Total Lunar Eclipse on April 4, 2015

Celebrating 50 years of astronomy

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Celebrating 50 years of astronomy

A celebration of half a century of optical astronomy at New Zealands premier astronomical research facility is the focus of a new book published by Canterbury University Press (CUP) this month.

Mt John The First 50 Years: A celebration of half a century of optical astronomy at the University of Canterbury looks at the history of one of the most beautiful astronomical observatories in the world, Mt John University Observatory at Tekapo.

In this richly illustrated book authors Professor John Hearnshaw and Alan Gilmore explore the turbulent history of the observatory which was founded at Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie Basin and opened in 1965. The work carried out at Mt John, especially in stellar astronomy, is known and respected around the world.

I hope the book provides an engrossing and enthralling account of the development of an iconic New Zealand scientific institution, says Hearnshaw, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at the University of Canterbury.

There were personality battles, funding shortfalls, a student demonstration and even a destructive fire to contend with as the observatory grew in size and importance.

Astronomical research has thrived at Mt John over the past 50 years. In the past decade it has been complemented by the rise of astronomical tourism. Now Mt John is now both a research observatory and a mecca for stargazing astro-tourists, who come to see the pristine landscape and the amazing dark night skies.

In the past decade, Mt John and the Mackenzie region have become prominent in astro-tourism. They are both recognised as places to visit to see the natural night sky, says Gilmore.

There is an interest in the observatorys origins and development. It is also a tourist route and receives several hundred visitors a day.

The book is richly illustrated with almost 200 images, many of them outstanding landscape and nightscape photographs taken by the acclaimed Tekapo photographer Fraser Gunn.

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Celebrating 50 years of astronomy

Airframe Parachutes Might Have Prevented The Germanwings Crash

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The founder of an aerospace company dedicated to manufacturing airframe parachutes for general aviation and legacy aircraft says that eventually such technology could even guard against sabotage virtually preventing catastrophes like this weeks Germanwings A320 crash.

Even though IATA, the global trade association for the airline industry, reassured a jittery flying public that air remains the safest way to travel, perhaps its time to take a hard look at airframe parachutes for commercial aircraft. That is, not for passengers buckled into the fuselage, but the aircraft itself.

The sky is going to get more and more crowded and there are going to be even more and more accidents, Boris Popov, Founder and CEO of Minneapolis-based BRS Aerospace, told Forbes. At some point, he says, major airframe manufacturers will be forced to include them as standard operating equipment to mitigate situations including: pilot incapacitation; mid-air collisions; mechanical failure; bird strikes; structural failure; pilot error; and even sabotage. Since 1993, Popovs company has been providing general aviation and a few aircraft legacy manufacturers with options for airframe parachutes. BRS notes that FAA-certified tests have shown that full parachute inflation could occur at altitudes as low as 260 feet and, thus far, notes that aircraft using his system have saved well over three hundred lives.

A recent BRS airframe parachute deployment during an airshow in Argentina. The pilot walked away unhurt. Credit: BRS Aerospace

The secret to our system, says Popov, is that it opens almost instantaneously. BRS rocket-propelled parachutes deploy from the back of the aircraft and accelerate to 100 mph. In less than a second, they provide a canopy that stretches tightly over the airframe. Once the aircraft is stable descends at a rate of some 21 feet-per-second which enables it to touchdown with an impact force akin to leaping to the ground from a height of roughly seven feet.

Cirrus and Flight Design already have BRS products as standard equipment and Popov says Cessna has made it an option on two of its models. He says his company has also tested systems capable of deploying parachute systems that can safely bring down 12 passenger commuter aircraft.

As for costs?

If our parachute tech exceeds 15 percent of the airplanes value, then buyers start to back off very quickly, said Popov.

But is the tech available to equip large Airbus- or Boeing Boeing-built turbofan jet aircraft flying at high altitude with cruise speeds pushing that of sound?

It basically requires a square foot of material to bring down one pound of aircraft, said Popov. For a 500,000-pound Boeing 757, youll need half a million square feet of parachute cloth.

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Airframe Parachutes Might Have Prevented The Germanwings Crash


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