It sure is amazing to think about the vastness and complicated nature of the universe.  Billions and billions of stars, planets, and unknown objects all behaving physical laws that we don’t even come close to fully understanding.  It is definitely cool to get little glimpses into the inner workings of the cosmos from technology such as the Hubble Space Telescope.  Recently it sent back some cool images of the remnants of a star gone supernova.  The information below regarding this event is from NASA’s website.

Credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA. Acknowldegement: Claude Cornen

These delicate wisps of gas make up an object known as SNR B0519-69.0, or SNR 0519 for short. The thin, blood-red shells are actually the remnants from when an unstable progenitor star exploded violently as a supernova around 600 years ago. There are several types of supernovae, but for SNR 0519 the star that exploded is known to have been a white dwarf star — a Sun-like star in the final stages of its life.

SNR 0519 is located over 150 000 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Dorado (The Dolphinfish), a constellation that also contains most of our neighboring galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Because of this, this region of the sky is full of intriguing and beautiful deep sky objects.

The LMC orbits the Milky Way galaxy as a satellite and is the fourth largest in our group of galaxies, the Local Group. SNR 0519 is not alone in the LMC; the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope also came across a similar bauble a few years ago in SNR B0509-67.5, a supernova of the same type as SNR 0519 with a strikingly similar appearance.

You can learn much more about Hubble, its operation, and its missions from the following link.  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Posted under astronomy, Space

When we began the blog, and even at times before when the “articles” were not officially titled blog entries, I used to share and discuss a little more space news. I did this because I find space exploration exciting and interesting (and a blogger is supposed to write about things that interest them – in general) and also because some people who read the articles told me they enjoyed reading about space. Lately, we don’t blog too much about space unless there is a big headline like the meteor over Russia last month. We don’t get much feedback about space-themed entries plus there are dedicated space websites where people can get more detailed and frequent information.

Still, I wonder if the lack of interest has a strong generational component. I grew up near the end of the classic “space age”, so I still got the vibe from older generations. Today’s youth have never seen anything more exciting than astronauts hanging out in the ISS. Even potential trips to Mars or bases on the Moon don’t seem to drum up much enthusiasm. It is all the older generations still pushing more human space exploration (whether privately or through NASA).

Would the discovery of life generate a buzz? It would for me, but maybe not for many other people. This recent article asked the same question. Would the discovery of life on Mars make headlines? Probably not as much as one would think. Part of the reason is generational, but maybe part of the reason can be tied to the fact that NASA has sent several crafts/rovers to the red planet and each time (even back to the Mariner and Viking programs) they have trumpeted “signs” and “evidence” that Mars might have supported life at some time in the past.

Viking craft on Mars

It has been said so many times that perhaps is just doesn’t register on anyone’s radar screens anymore. Plus, if there were signs of past life on Mars, even as far back as the 1970s, then why have we sent so many crafts to the red planet WITHOUT the capability of directly sensing biological material – remnants of that past life? Maybe there is some frustration as well.

I know that I am frustrated about the slow pace of private space development and tourism, but I still have hope. I am grateful that some people and companies with deep pockets are thinking long term about human space travel. I will continue to update the blog with any big developments.

Have a good Thursday! Meteorologist Justin Loew

Posted under Space

Space is a topic we touch upon once in a while here in the weather blog but it was not a topic mentioned very much in the State of the Union Address earlier this week. This might cause concern for some who hearken back to the glory days of NASA, the space race, and the space shuttle, but it is probably a good thing. As the country goes further into tremendous debt, a huge human space exploration budget is no longer viable.  There are a handful of millionaires and billionaires around the world that are hoping to fund human space exploration and they should be encouraged to continue their projects.

NASA does a great job with robotic exploration and I think they should continue on that path. More focus should be put on getting projects done on time and within budget. I don’t know about the rest of you but I am getting a little worried about the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could be a huge step up from the Hubble, but it has been beset by delays and cost overruns. When I first mentioned the JWST back in 2007, it was supposed to be completed and deployed in 2010. Now NASA expects it will not launch until 2018! Yikes. If other projects are delayed by as much, we won’t have too much heading into the depths of space anytime soon. The next Mars rover in the planning stages is expected to launch in 2020, but if cost over-runs and budget woes continue, we could be talking many years past 2020 for any new (NASA) rovers.

In the meantime enjoy some of the latest developments and pictures from the very successful Curiosity rover.

 In other news, how about that dramatic meteor explosion in Russia earlier today! “Scientists” have been quick to say that it has nothing to do with the asteroid that is expected to fly by the earth in the next day, but I kind-of wonder. Large comets leave debris trails which we see as meteors and it is not out of the question that asteroids could conglomerate together in larger and smaller units. I wouldn’t completely rule out the Russian meteor explosion as being related to the bigger asteroid flyby, however, make it be noted that I have not analyzed the trajectory or done any other in depth analysis that would prove it. I am just saying it is possible on a theoretical basis.

Have a nice Friday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Space

On Friday February 15th the Earth will have a visitor, well sort of.  The asteroid 2012 DA14 is predicted to pass as close to Earth as 17, 150 miles.  That would be closer than some satellites orbiting the Earth.  This asteroid is about half the size of a football field and this will be the closest encounter observed for an object of its size.  Asteroid 2012 DA14 was discovered by La Sagra  Sky Survey on February 23rd, 2012.  It is operated by Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca, Spain.

Now NASA experts say don’t worry.  They have studied this asteriod and its track extensively and they say there is no chance it will plow into our planet we so much love.  NASA has put together some great articles regarding the February 15th asteroid and how they are studying asteroid impact hazards in general.  You can check them out from the following links.  http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroidflyby.html

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/osiris-rex-security.html

Posted under astronomy, Space

In a little follow-up note to the previous blog entry detailing  the complexity and confusion that sometimes follows the AGW topic, notice that many record low temps have been occurring in the desert southwest of the U.S. recently. As is usually the case, the cold snap is just due to “the weather pattern”. I have seen some people cry foul in the past, pointing to the fact that every time there is record cold on the planet, it is just due to “normal changes in the weather pattern”, whereas every hot spell with record high temps is evidence of AGW and environmental apocalypse – not just “a change in the weather pattern”. While there is certainly some evidence of bias creeping into research into reporting, the main theme is that over many years and decades, the number of record hot spells is increasing while the number of record cold spells is decreasing. If we would happen to see more cold spells and more new all time record low temps (more than record highs) over a few years time, then we might have to re-evaluate current climate theories involving greenhouse gasses. As is, we are setting new record warm months at a clip 5 times greater than record cold months.

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Mars as seen by Curiosity

A now a little follow up on a space story that I have been blogging about for a few years now. Did you see that NASA has contracted with Bigelow Aerospace to provide an inflatable module for the ISS? This is great news for all of those who have had dreams to travel in space someday. NASA is the unfortunate victim of budget cuts and with the U.S. trillions in debt and adding exponentially more every year (recently), the chance that NASA will get increased funding is rather slim. Even if they did get some funding, it would most likely be spent on robotic space flight instead of human space flight (which is fine and great for science). It will be up to wealthy private individuals and companies to keep the dream alive and send humans into space. Be sure to follow the likes of  Bigelow, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, etc… for the latest efforts. If you want be part of a risky space exploration mission, you don’t have to start your own company, or be a billionaire, you could always apply to be part of MarsOne. This is an effort to jump start the colonization of Mars, and will require very adaptable problem-solving people. They also would like to have people who have a deep capacity for self-reflection, because as currently designed, this would be a one way trip in 2023. You are expected to make Mars your home with no guarantee of a return to earth.

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And finally, another “other-worldly” story that is in need of an update – Lake Vostok, Antarctica (past blog information here). The Russian researchers drilling down to this ancient lake that hasn’t seen the light of day for hundreds of thousands of years claim to have retrived a “clean” ice core of frozen lake water. They will analyze it soon to see if there are any here-to-fore unknown life forms lurking two miles below the ice.

Have a swell Tuesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew

Posted under Arctic climate, Records, Space

If you haven’t checked it out yet, take a look at 2012 “by the numbers” in Northcentral Wisconsin. We had a lot of records including the warmest ever average max temperature in Wausau! Besides comparing the current year or month’s numbers against normal, I also try to find some interesting or odd patterns in the data. Given that weather is rather chaotic, most of the time the “numbers” seem to be random, but sometimes coincidences do happen. One interesting thing that happened this year is that the number 1.61 showed up 3 different times. We had 1.61 inches of precipitation in September, we had 1.61 inches of precipitation in December, and the largest record daily rainfall was also 1.61 inches and that occurred on July 19th.

One other little nugget for this blog post. Even though it might not feel like it, today the earth is at its closest orbital point to the sun. We are closer to the sun today than at any other point in the year. In fact, we are about 3 million miles closer to the sun than we will be on July 5th – when we are farthest away from the sun. Today’s date is the perihelion. July 5th is the aphelion (farthest point) of the earth’s orbit. So why is it cold this time of year? It is due to the tilt of the earth on its axis, a simple fact that many non-scientists do not understand. Most people think that we are closer to the sun in the Summer and that is why it is warmer, but that is not the case. During the winter we are on the hemisphere of the earth (northern) that is tilted away from the sun so the rays of sunlight do not hit us very directly (and they don’t hit the arctic at all) and it is not as warm. During the Summer, our hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and we receive more direct rays of light which warms things up more (and in the arctic they have 24 hours of sunlight).

Have a good Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Records, Seasonal Items, Space, Weather NEws

The International Space Station recently completed a remarkable bit of maneuvering to position a piece of sun monitoring equipment so that it could obtain an unobstructed view for a complete rotation of the sun.  It takes about 25 days for the sun to make one revolution.  The SPACE instrument attached to the ISS is from the European Space Agency and has been monitoring solar output for about the past 5 years.    Of course the operators of the ISS have to be careful that they keep the solar panels of the ISS at a proper angle to absorb sunlight.  Also communication antennas have to remain pointed at Earth to ensure vital data continues to flow.

Credit: NASA

How would you like to be the engineer or technician responsible for figuring out how to do this at just the right time and just the right angles of rotation.  This is especially true given the millions and millions of dollars worth of equipment being adjusted.  It must be a thrilling yet daunting feeling.

The observations from SOLAR are improving our understanding of the sun and allowing researchers to formulate better computer models to predict its behavior.  You can read much more about the SOLAR instrument and the ISS from the NASA link that follows.  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/SOLAR.html

SOLAR: ESA

Posted under astronomy, Science, Space, Technology

Perhaps one of your favorite smells is that of a new car, or for that matter of a new anything!  Well actually in most cases the little molecules floating around off the new substance aren’t that healthy for people.  In fact it turns out those gaseous molecules can be hard on sensitive equipment in high tech space machinery too.

Outgassed solvents, epoxies, lubricants, and other materials for example are tough on sensitive telescope mirrors, thermal-control units, high-voltage electronic boxes, cryogenic instruments, detectors and solar arrays, either.   As a result, NASA engineers are always looking for new techniques to prevent these gases from adhering to instrument and spacecraft surfaces and potentially shortening their lives.
A group of technologists has created a low-cost, easy-to-apply solution, which is more effective than current techniques.  Led by Principal Investigator Sharon Straka, an engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., the team has created a new, patent-pending sprayable paint that adsorbs these gaseous molecules and stops them from affixing to instrument components. Made of zeolite, a mineral widely used in industry for water purification and other uses, and a colloidal silica binder that acts as the glue holding the coating together, the new molecular adsorber is highly permeable and porous — attributes that trap the outgassed contaminants. Because it doesn’t contain volatile organics, the material itself doesn’t cause additional outgassing.

Credit: NASA/Pat Izzo

Learn much more about how this odor absorbing paint has been developed and other interesting aspects of its application by checking out the full news release from NASA.  http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/outgas-tech.html

Posted under Space, Technology

It looks like we will set a new record for rainfall today in Wausau. The old record is 1.30 inches, set in 1899. As of earlier this morning we had already received a bit over an inch. With the rain last night and today, October will end up being the wettest month of the year with over 4 inches of precipitation. Previously, the wettest month was June with 3.94 inches. Many people have been commenting that this rain would have served us better back in July. That is definitely correct, but we got to take what we can get, whenever it falls, this year.

The storms also produce some high wind, hail, and heavy downpours at times, prompting some severe storm warnings during the mid-morning hours. There was one report of some power lines and a barn being blown down in the Colby area. It is a very strong cold front which generated the heavy rain and the severe weather and we will really feel the difference after the front moves through. After high temps in the 60 during the morning, temps will fall into the 40s by late afternoon. High temps will then be stuck in the low to mid 40s from Friday all the way through the middle of next week. Low temps will be in the 20s. It will be some chilly Fall weather. It will be colder, but the weather should be dry with some sunshine on most days.

The bigger weather story developing in the country that you will hear a lot about over the next few days is hurricane Sandy. It is moving northward and might merge with the strong front moving through our area. Once these two weather systems merge of at least interact with each other along the east coast, a bigger storm could develop. This could mean some high wind, high surf, and heavy rain for parts of the mid-Atlantic region all the way up to New England.

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In random bits of space news. It looks like Virgin Galactic will be delayed once again before offering sub-orbital flights. It now looks like it will be 2014 before they will have paying customers in the sky. They were originally supposed to be launching earlier this year. No word on what the hold-up is. They had better watch out. Technology might pass them by. Pretty soon we might have orbital (a true trip to space) rides for the same price.

One other sub-orbital hopeful, XCOR, showed off their space plane recently. It looks cool. It would be even cooler if it does not get delayed as much as Virgin Galactic.

Have a swell Thursday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Rainfall Reports, Records, Space

With fairly clear skies expected Saturday night into Sunday morning around Wisconsin, be sure to take advantage and try to see some of the Orionid meteor shower.  The best viewing window is between midnight and 7 a.m., with 2 or 3 hours before dawn normally the optimal.  The moon is in the crescent phase and will be setting Saturday evening before 11 p.m.  This is good news as the overnight sky should be good and dark to best see the meteors.  You want to get out of the city to get away from as many lights as possible.  It is estimated that potentially as many as 15 meteors per hour may be seen.

The Orionid meteors are debris left behind in the orbit of Halley’s Comet.   The debris streak from the comet is about 90,000 miles long.  It strikes atmosphere and it reaches its peak magnitude every year around October 20-22.  This is when the Earth intersects the comet’s orbit.  The meteors in the Orionid shower appear to come from just north of the constellation Orion’s brightest start, Betelgeuse.  They often radiate outward from that point in all directions.  So it is possible to see them in several quadrants of the sky.

Meteors are often called shooting stars, but they are really not stars in any way.  Rather they are space rocks and debris burning up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere some 60 miles above Earth’s surface.  It is this “burning up” of the debris that gives us the streaking glow that we can see.   The Orionids are very fast meteors, zipping into the Earth’s atmosphere at about 41 miles per second. About half of the Orionid meteors leave persistent trains – ionized gas trails that last for a few seconds after the meteor itself has gone.

Of course you will have to have a good warm coat, gloves, and hat handy to go out and watch in the wee hours of Sunday morning as temperatures will be in the mid or upper 30s.  Well, good luck!  I hope you see a bunch of shooting stars this weekend.  

Posted under astronomy, Space