A newly discovered, roughly Earth-sized planet orbiting our nearest
neighboring star might be habitable, according to a team of astronomers
using the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-meter telescope at La
Silla, Chile, along with other telescopes around the world.
Facts from the article
The exoplanet is at a distance from its star that allows temperatures mild enough for liquid water to pool on its surface.
The new planet circles Proxima Centauri, the smallest member of a
triple star system known to science fiction fans everywhere as Alpha
Centauri. Just over 4 light-years away, Proxima is the closest star to
Earth, besides our own sun.
"The closest star to us has a possible rocky planet in the
habitable zone.
The science team that made the discovery, led by Guillem
Anglada-Escudé of Queen Mary University of London, will publish its
findings Aug. 25 in the journal Nature.
The team traced subtle wobbles in the star revealing, the presence of a star-tugging planet.
They determined that
the new planet is dubbed Proxima b.
It is at least
1.3 times the mass of Earth.
It orbits its star far more closely than
Mercury orbits our sun.
Proxima b takes 11 days to complete a single orbit. [a "year" on Proxima b.]
Long list of unknowns
the new planet lies within its star's "habitable zone" -- a distance at which temperatures are right for liquid water -- scientists do not yet know if the planet has an atmosphere.
It also orbits a red-dwarf star, far smaller and cooler than our sun.
The planet likely presents only one face to its star, as the moon does
to Earth, instead of rotating through our familiar days and nights.
Proxima b could be subject to potentially life-extinguishing stellar
flares.
Elizabeth Landau
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6425 elizabeth.landau@jpl.nasa.gov
Written by Pat Brennan
NASA Exoplanet Program
2016-218
Proxima is the closest star to Earth, besides our own sun.
From today onward over the next month of January through to the 20th February 2016, all five visible planets will sit in a
line from the horizon to the moon. The last time this occurred was back in 2005.
"There will be another chance to view the planets lined up
in August, but then not again until October 2018". ~ Dr Tanya Hill~ Senior Curator Melbourne
Planetarium
From Wednesday 20th January, start looking up because the window of opportunity moves fast and so you will have a 5.30am -5.40am AEDT
(Australian Eastern Daylight Time) window to get a view of the
alignment. Mercury is closest to the sun and therefore it will be difficult to see this planet unless you have a really good view of the horizon just before dawn.
2014 will be an interesting time up in the sky above us here in Australia . There will be two total eclipses of the
Moon and a partial eclipse of the Sun.
The first event is a Moon eclipse in
April on the and people all over Australia will see a predicted shade of
red, and fully eclipsed Moon rising in the eastern sky. This will be a sight to behold when this happens. We see the physical evidence of the universes power with our own eyes. This is calculated on Sydney time
Moonrise
15 Apr at 5:27 PM
102°
0.0° below
Not directly visible
Under horizon
Maximum Eclipse
15 Apr at 5:46 PM
99°
3.3°
Moon is closest to the center of the shadow.
Moon close to horizon, so make sure you have free sight to East.
Pleides visible in the early morning sky in Urunga
A shark in the stars: astronomy and culture in the Torres Strait
By Duane Hamacher
Technology has, without doubt, expanded our understanding of space. The Voyager 1 space probe is on the brink of leaving our solar system. Massive telescopes have discovered blasts of fast radio bursts from 10 billion light years away. And after a decade on Mars, a Rover recently found evidence for an early ocean on the Red Planet.
But with every new advance, it’s also important to remember the science of astronomy has existed for thousands of years and forms a vital part of Indigenous Australian culture, even today. As an example, lets explore the astronomy of the Torres Strait Islanders, an Indigenous Australian people living between the tip of Cape York and Papua New Guinea.
Torres Strait Islanders are a Melanesian sea-faring people whose traditional country comprises 48,000 square kilometres of shallow waters and more than 250 islands of differing geological formation, of which 14 are inhabited.
Culturally, the islands are divided into five groups, represented by the five-pointed star on the Torres Strait flag:
Torres Strait flag. Wikimedia Commons
Top Western Islands
Western Islands
Lower Western Islands
Central Islands
Eastern Islands
There are two distinct language groups:
Meriam Mir, part of the Papuan language family, is spoken in the eastern islands
Kala Lagaw Ya, part of the Australian language family, is spoken in the western, central, and northern islands
Islander culture stretches back nearly 8,000 years, when rising sea levels flooded the land bridge between Australia and Papua New Guinea at the end of the last Ice Age.
Islanders in the northern and eastern island groups are primarily farmers. Those in the western groups rely heavily on hunting and fishing, and those in the central group rely mostly on trade with the other island groups.
Torres Strait and islands. Wikimedia Commons
This shows us that while Islanders share a common way of life, they are a diverse people spread out over a diverse geographic region with very long ancestral links to their country.
Torres Strait Islander culture is closely linked to the stars. They inform Islander laws, customs and practices that are recorded and handed down in the form of story, song, dance, ceremony and artefacts.
Islander astronomy also contains practical information about the natural world, which is essential for survival and cultural continuity. Islander culture is linked to Tagai – the creation deity that is represented by a constellation of stars that spans across the southern sky.
Tagai’s story
Tagai was a great fisherman. One day he and his crew of 12 were fishing from their outrigger canoe. They were unable to catch any fish, so Tagai left the canoe and went onto the nearby reef to look for fish there.
Tagai. Glen Mackie
As the day grew hotter and hotter, the waiting crew of Zugubals (beings who took on human form when they visited Earth) grew impatient and frustrated. Their thirst grew, but the only drinking water in the canoe belonged to Tagai. Their patience ran out and they drank Tagai’s water.
When Tagai returned, he was furious that the Zugubals had consumed all of his water for the voyage. In his rage he killed all 12 of his crew. He returned them to the sky and placed them in two groups: six men in Usal (the Pleiades star cluster) and the other six Utimal (Orion). He told his crew to stay in the northern sky and to keep away from him.
Tagai can be seen in the southern skies, standing in a canoe in the Milky Way. His left hand is the Southern Cross holding a spear. His right hand is a group of stars in the constellation Corvus holding a fruit called Eugina. He is standing on his canoe, formed by the stars of Scorpius.
Tagai, today
Islanders today still consider Tagai and astronomy to be an important aspect of daily life. Tagai is important for navigation, as the Southern Cross (his left hand) points in the direction of south.
The stars tell Islanders when to plant their gardens, when to hunt turtle and dugong, when the monsoon season arrives, when the winds change, and many other important aspects of daily life.
Deep exposure of the Southern Cross – Tagai’s left hand. Wikimedia Commons
For example, when Tagai’s left hand (the Southern Cross) dips into the sea, Islanders know the wet season (Kuki) is about to begin. The rising of Usal and Utimal (Pleiades and Orion) in mid-November tells Islanders that turtle and dugong are mating and that it’s time to plant their gardens in anticipation of the coming Kuki season.
The shark constellation, Baidam, is made up of the stars in the Big Dipper, part of the constellation Ursa Major (the “Big Bear”). When these stars appear in the north over New Guinea, Islanders know the mating season of the shark is starting and that they should plant banana, sugar cane, and sweet potato. Lunar phases inform the Islanders of the best times to fish.
Islander astronomical knowledge is deep, and we are currently trying to better understand it for the benefit of future Islander generations.
A very bright and very big light was reported hurtling through the skies of SE Queensland and Northern NSW all the way to the Hunter region. That light was none other than the decomissionioned Soviet Satellite Molniya 3-53.
I missed the action. I really really missed this! I eagerly ventured outside last night when I heard there was action up in the sky over SE Queensland around Nanango and Kingaroy area in Queensland. I went outside up into the back yard for a look, I didn't stay long enough though it seems. I should have stayed longer. I didn't see anything so I abandoned it all and went to bed almost straight away after coming back inside frozen to the core. Isn't it always the way, what do you know, it was all going on and I didn't know a thing. I was oblivious to what sight everyone was seeing. So Yes, I am disappointed slightly.
Today was a flurry of reporting. There were reports from all up and down the eastern seaboard of Australia from North of Brisbane all the way down to Port Macquarie and down as far as the Hunter Valley. In our area here there were Hundred's of reports from the Coffs Harbour surrounding districts.
I think the funniest report was from my great friend Gail. Yes Gail saw it! She witnessed this entire event while she was having a cigarette on her verandah. The sky started to go strange and suddenly it was lit up everywhere with a peculiar light and then she saw it sailing in over the top of her from the west.
She was convinced it was going to hit Fuller's Fruit Barn on Waterfall Way. She said she was waiting for the siren's but they never happened. I laughed with her picturing all of this. I think Gail was very lucky.
Reports today also say it was Space Junk and not an actual meteorite after all. Either way it gave lots of people a site they will never forget.
Event into space in Australia on Friday, 14 June, 2013 at 04:39 (04:39 AM) UTC.
Description
A former Soviet satellite that burned up in the earth's atmosphere
is thought to have been the bright burning light spotted by thousands
across the East Coast last night. A US-based observer who spotted the
Coff's Coast Advocate's online article shortly after the sighting on
Thursday night used social media to quiz witnesses. NASA projections
showed the decommissioned satellite Molniya 3-53 had a trajectory right
over Australia and was due to crash into the Pacific Ocean off the East
Coast. Around 6pm, a large white light with a burning tail was seen to
cross the sky. The satellite was reportedly sighted from the Central
Coast to the Hunter Valley, Mid North Coast, and throughout South-East
Queensland. After the Advocate posted the story online, it went viral on
social media with upwards of 100 people confirming they saw the flying
object which was initially thought to be a meteorite.
