Deep Astronomy

The Square Kilometer Array is currently being designed and construction will start soon on a radio telescope that promises to revolutionize our understanding of the universe by looking at radio wavelengths in the highest resolution ever obtained.

#astronomy #telescopes

Detailed scenarios for human exploration of Mars have been developed and debated for decades, although many of them have been too technically challenging or unambiguously unaffordable. However, are there scenarios that are specifically developed to be affordable and less technically challenging? We’ll see . . .

The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is making progress. The James Webb Space Telescope has suffered many cost overruns and delays but the mission is now ontrack for launch in March 2021. Let's see how things are going...

Telescope Talk is back! Are you interested in getting started in the awe-inspiring hobby of amateur astronomy? If so, this hangout is for you! Every other Tuesday, we get together and give advice to beginners and advanced amateurs alike to help get them started and improve their observing experience. This week, we discuss imaging with advanced amateur Tom Pickett who tells his amazing story of how he takes images through his telescope.

The International Space Station (ISS) has been the first successful step in long-duration human operations in space. If astronauts are to travel eventually to Moon, Mars, and deep space, technical capabilities must be developed beyond those demonstrated on ISS. This is one of the priority goals of the Gateway, a facility and human operations site in the vicinity of the Moon, which in addition offers multiple opportunities for scientific programs that require the presence of astronauts.

Please join our Hangout, when our regular moderators, Tony Darnell and Harley Thronson will discuss with Nicole Herrmann and Ben Bussey, both of NASA Headquarters, current plans and schedule for this next step in humanity’s journey into space.

Is climate change inevitable on worlds with technological civilizations? Is planetary feedback from such a civilization a great filter? Our guest Dr Adam Frank will discuss his paper on the effects of planetary feedback on any possible alien civilizations out there. Could it be possible that many (or even all) technological civilizations out there must face the consequences of climate change brought on by their technology? Does this prevent galactic colonization?

Please join Tony Darnell and Adam Frank as we explore this very interesting topic. We invite you to interact with us as well and provide questions and comments!

Astronomers believe there is an undiscovered super-Earth Sized planet lurking in our outer solar system.

If it exists, then astronomers think it would have an estimated mass of ten Earths, a diameter two to four times that of Earth, and an elongated orbit lasting approximately 15,000 years. So far, efforts to find this planet have failed.

They are calling it Planet Nine and astronomers are seriously trying to find it. Our guests today have written a paper outlining efforts to locate this planet using WISE and NEOWISE data. They think that Planet Nine, if it exists, should be self-luminous enough and potentially bright enough in the near infrared that the NEOWISE telescope should be able to see it.

Today we’ll talk about those efforts along with what WISE and NEOWISE is, why we think Planet Nine is there in the first place, and whether or not it will have any adverse effect on the Earth anytime soon.