I have long wanted to host the Carnival of Space #30, at least as long as an hour ago when Fraser asked me to host it. So it’s a short-term dream come true. So without further ado, let’s get to the verbatim HTML code he sent me!
Spacefiles provides a collection of images documenting known activity on rocky bodies of the outer solar system.
If Bussard IEC fusion works (which could be as early as 2013) then it will enable fusion rockets with costs that are 100 times less than the best current chemical rockets. Here is an early glimpse of the minimum that would be possible.
The stunning images of Earth returned by the European Space Agency’s "Comet chaser" probe Rosetta have rightly been featured all across the Net, and inspired blog entries by hundreds if not thousands of bloggers. Stuart Atkinson was inspired to praise and commemorate the historic fly-past in a rather different way…
collectSpace has this piece about how one small silicon disc delivered a giant message to the Moon.
A Babe in the Universe writes about new evidence of planets forming in the Pleiades at this moment. This calls to mind mysteries of planet formation, and possible solutions.
Ian Musgrave at Astroblog talks about the recent occultation of Neptune.
The Planetary Society blog has a story about an unidentified object thought to be following Rosetta in for its recent flyby.
Centauri Dreams analyzes Drake Deming’s presentation at the recent astrophysics conference held at the Space Telescope Science Institute. It looks at the advances we can expect to see in coming years especially as we refine transit methods to find extrasolar planets.
The Space Cynics look at the issue of lender security in financing, and conclude that NewSpace, unlike RealSpace (a thriving multibillion dollar sector), is unlikely to gain from any international treaties or accords providing such security to the finance community.
Pamela Gay digs up research of a newly discovered planet orbiting a star with a binary partner.
Astronomy Picture of the Day is showing an amazing picture of a
green aurora above Juneau, Alaska.
Hobbyspace looks into Senator Obama’s positions on space policy.
Universe Today presents a new technique using neutrinos that could let scientists image the Earth’s interior.
And finally, we break away from the verbatim HTML code Fraser sent me because referring to myself that way would create a massive causality violation which would paradoxicate the entire Universe. So I’ll rephrase and say that Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy I finds a mistake in a comic about black holes and deal with it uproariously and brilliantly.
That’s it for this edition of the Carnival of Space. Stay tuned next time for the Carnival’s appearance wherever Fraser commands it to materialize!
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:29 pm
AAAAhhhhhh!
I have been paradoxicated, and mah head jus asploded.
(Either that, or I’ve been tangling with the eggnog again, I’m not sure.)
Kisses
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:56 pm
[...] Go. Now. Before I promise not to beat you. [...]
November 23rd, 2007 at 8:38 pm
If you are interested in the technical ins and outs of the Bussard reactor this is a good place to start:
IEC Fusion Technology blog
November 24th, 2007 at 1:50 am
Seems to me that the jump to Tokamok fusion power sorce is a bit of a stretch.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Phil, I love these carnivals of space, but they nearly always go by completely unadvertised by blogs other than the one hosting them.
Is there somewhere I can bookmark that will let me know where each one is hosted, or else would you be able to provide a brief post every week linking to each one? For me? Pretty please? *puppy eyes*
November 24th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Here’s something else for the carnival.
Seems you astronomers are destroying the universe!!!
November 24th, 2007 at 7:52 am
[...] Carnival of Space #30 over at Bad Astronomy [...]
November 24th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Nice stuff. Great job, BA.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Nice Carnival of Space Phil, and you did good this week.
Keep up the real science, and next year, you may actually win!
Phil, please quit grabbing the low fruit, and make us all proud of you!
November 24th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Phil, are you ready to do some ACTUAL science?
Over the last month, astronomers have documented the expansion of comet Holmes. We know it’s orbit and the exact distance between it and the Earth. We also know that the diameter of comet Holmes is larger than the Sun today.
Question: Given the measured diameter of comet Holmes, and knowing it’s actual location, what was the velocity of the coma’s expansion? How many minutes of arc per day did it expand?
Question: Knowing comet Holmes expansion rate, and the distance from the Earth, what mass ejection would be required to produce this effect?
Question: What density of gasses and dust would provide the albeto that we have observed from this comet? What albeto could have caused a comet to reach magnitude 2.5, and still expand to be larger than the Sun?
Question: With such outstanding astronomy questions, why am I asking them? Instead of bitching about religion, is this not what astronomy is all about?
Question: Phil, can you motivate our fellow astronomers to get busy with the analysis of this outstanding comet? This comet has done things that we have never observed before.
This is what TRUE science is all about!
November 24th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Can ANYONE that reads the Bad Astronomy blog, actually measure the albeto of comet Holmes?
At what density will it become too faint to be observed on Earth by the human eye?
When it gets too faint for the human eye, what telescopes will be needed to continue the scientific observations of this comet?
November 24th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
[...] a holiday extravaganza! A Carnival of Space! All for your Thanksgiving weekend [...]
November 24th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
[...] at Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy blog. Out of the Cradle will be hosting an upcoming Carnival, so stay [...]
November 25th, 2007 at 1:56 am
SteveH, why should Phil worry about us being proud of him. All that matters is that he is true to himself not what any number of arseholes on teh intraweb thinks of him, after all this is his blog not a science lecture/course. What you really mean is for him to stop posting things you don’t agree with and concentrate on what you like, how selfish.
November 25th, 2007 at 10:07 am
SteveH, here’s a thought: start your own blog.
I am one guy, and I write what I want to write about. Overwhelmingly this blog is about astronomy and science. Read this.
Incidentally, getting the albedo of an object, especially one that is so optically thin, is very difficult short of a professional observatory. Out of curiosity, do you know how to do it? You need good filters, the distance to the object and its distance from the Sun, as well as the filling factor of the particles. Plus there’s the difference between the albedos of the particles and of the cloud as a whole (though the filling factor compensates for that).
And also, the comet is being studied extensively by astronomers; did you miss my post on the Hubble observations of it?
November 25th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Really, that last sentence before the horizontal bar confused me a little with all that strikethrough text.
November 25th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
SteveH is funny. It looks like he knows something about astronomy, but can’t even spell ‘albedo’ correctly. I wonder if *he* can do all that stuff he’s challenged us to do.
November 25th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
[...] newest edition of the Carnival of Space is up at the Bad Astronomy Blog, and it brings several amazing pictures, lots of information on the recent Rosetta fly-by, and even [...]
November 26th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Great posting! I spent nearly two hours yesterday checking out all those links. Really enjoyed the Dr. Bussard articles.
I note there is a company in Phase three human trials for a Sirt1 stimulant, similar to Resveratrol but 1000 times more potent. It’s being billed as a treatment for type II diabetes, but those of us into life extension research are aware it may also extend the “good time” healty portion of our lives, perhaps to the point where we can still be reading these science Blogs for another 50 years and remembering what we read,,,
Cool!
Gary 7
November 27th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Thanks for the links to some great articles, Phil.
BA – Write about what you want, how you want, when you want its your blog and asIsee it yopudo atop-notch job! :up I imagine we’ll all read & check out and focus on what we want we can too .. Some folks love their astronomy (I’m one) & will love reading that. Others love their politics and philospohy and enjoy hearing you take on the nutters too – again, I’m one. Others again enjoy both. (& hey that’s me again!)
For my mind the best one there was the planet found around HD196885A aka HIP 101966 (& thus not properly named at all – just catalogued and no wonder people find it hard to recognise such ‘names’ .. grumble, grumble) an F-type star with a red dwarf binary & a link to the original paper. Fascinating stuff and a great possible setting for an SF novel!
November 27th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
# I -just above – wrote :
“BA – Write about what you want, how you want, when you want its your blog and asIsee it yopudo atop-notch job! :up”
When I meant to have spaces and a thumbs up icon /emoticon /thingummy ..
SIGH
Like this really :
“BA – Write about what you want, how you want, when you want it is your blog and as I see it you do a top-notch job! Thumbs up.”
Any chance of letting us edit these after we’ve posted them – please x infinity .. ?
November 28th, 2007 at 7:06 am
[...] Carnival of Space #30 [...]