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NEWS: Exoplanets, Guesstimated Better?
Post-Kepler. Mid-GAIA. Mid-TESS. Mid-CHEOPS.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/8-8-billion-habitable-earth-size-planets-exist-milky-way-f8C11529186
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/8-8-billion-habitable-earth-size-planets-exist-milky-way-f8C11529186
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TREK: Calypso - An Astronomical Aside
Alcor is real. And another Trekverse species lives near there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizar_and_Alcor
http://galaxymap.org/dr2/index.html?search=Alcor&tileset=SGD&distanceEstimator=bj
http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=g%20UMa
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Mizar_II
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Mizarian
And for the record: Fifteen minutes. Three actors. Only the standing sets, aside from the escape pod mockup.
Well done.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizar_and_Alcor
http://galaxymap.org/dr2/index.html?search=Alcor&tileset=SGD&distanceEstimator=bj
http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=g%20UMa
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Mizar_II
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Mizarian
And for the record: Fifteen minutes. Three actors. Only the standing sets, aside from the escape pod mockup.
Well done.
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Exoplanets and Other Stuff Across the Orion Arm
So here's some random stuff that's come across my screen lately:
Centauri Dreams is covering a handful of planets recently found in the open cluster Messier 67 about 2500 ly away in the direction of Cancer.
The Spitzer telescope gives us an image of the Orion Nebula, 1,500 ly away.
On GJ 1214b, Hubble is picking up weather patterns. Vague ones, yes, but still. 40 ly off in the direction of Ophiuchus.
Centauri Dreams is covering a handful of planets recently found in the open cluster Messier 67 about 2500 ly away in the direction of Cancer.
The Spitzer telescope gives us an image of the Orion Nebula, 1,500 ly away.
On GJ 1214b, Hubble is picking up weather patterns. Vague ones, yes, but still. 40 ly off in the direction of Ophiuchus.
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XKCD: A beautiful day in the neighbourhood
XKCD on the state of the exoplanet hunt:
To everyone who helped us figure out this much of the neighbourhood to date: thank you, one and all, from astronomers to janitors.
To everyone who helped us figure out this much of the neighbourhood to date: thank you, one and all, from astronomers to janitors.
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Question for the Space Exploration Watchers
According to exoplanet.eu - as of 8 August 2013 - we have evidence for 927 exoplanets so far.
Will we reach 1000 by this year's end or not?
Will we reach 1000 by this year's end or not?
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Sunshine and Snowflakes
That's what the weather was today here in Ottawa. Not much snowfall, and the sunlight dominated the day. All eleven hours, eighteen minutes of it.
(Yes, I keep track. It's useful for mental health maintenance measures. Like light-boxes serving double-duty as makeshift sun lamps. Also, for fanatically tracking the progress towards Spring 2012)
Meanwhile, there's a bunch of stuff Kepler's been digging up for humanity. Nice to have that info to file away for future ongoing research and exploration.
On the other hand, we've got this thing that's starting to look more and more like an organized attempt at voter suppression-style election fraud during last year's federal election being investigated by Elections Canada, the RCMP and CRTC. Some of you have already been discussing this elsewhere online.
We've had public protests complaining about it in Vancouver already, and Parliament Hill is next up tomorrow at noon.
(No, I won't be there. Got a day-job now and I want to keep it as long as I can. But good to see the self-organizing lack of apathy amongst my fellow citizens!)
So. Just a bit spooked, I suppose?
(Yes, I keep track. It's useful for mental health maintenance measures. Like light-boxes serving double-duty as makeshift sun lamps. Also, for fanatically tracking the progress towards Spring 2012)
Meanwhile, there's a bunch of stuff Kepler's been digging up for humanity. Nice to have that info to file away for future ongoing research and exploration.
On the other hand, we've got this thing that's starting to look more and more like an organized attempt at voter suppression-style election fraud during last year's federal election being investigated by Elections Canada, the RCMP and CRTC. Some of you have already been discussing this elsewhere online.
We've had public protests complaining about it in Vancouver already, and Parliament Hill is next up tomorrow at noon.
(No, I won't be there. Got a day-job now and I want to keep it as long as I can. But good to see the self-organizing lack of apathy amongst my fellow citizens!)
So. Just a bit spooked, I suppose?
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Kepler Hits the Jackpot!
Kepler-22b, to be precise! Right in the "Goldilocks zone" of its parent star.
Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
james_nicoll for the heads-up on this one!
Source: NASA/JPL.
Thanks to
james_nicoll for the heads-up on this one!Source: NASA/JPL.
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From Exoplanets to News Channels
Some interesting space exploration news today: the Kepler people just released a largish chunk of their first 43 days of observational data, along with their suspicion of having some 750 or more candidates for exoplanet-type objects. There seems to be some backtracking - IE the pulling from public access of a video related to the news item - but the data's still available for would-be fact-checkers at assorted observatories across the planet to do their own follow-ups and make sure of the reduction of error percentages in play here. More news on the subject at Centauri Dreams.
Meanwhile, exoplanet.eu puts the official confirmed total of known exoplanets - as of the moment I write these words - at 460. Apparently, CoRoT added a half-dozen new ones to the confirmed list this week.
Meanwhile, Quebecor - yes, the company that owns the company that prints much of Marvel and DC's lines for them - is looking to get into the news channel business. Which worries me. Some of the reasons why may be found here. (Needless to say, personal opinion in play here.) This new business development can be safely filed under "unintended consequences", I suppose.
Meanwhile, exoplanet.eu puts the official confirmed total of known exoplanets - as of the moment I write these words - at 460. Apparently, CoRoT added a half-dozen new ones to the confirmed list this week.
Meanwhile, Quebecor - yes, the company that owns the company that prints much of Marvel and DC's lines for them - is looking to get into the news channel business. Which worries me. Some of the reasons why may be found here. (Needless to say, personal opinion in play here.) This new business development can be safely filed under "unintended consequences", I suppose.
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Space Milestones: Kepler
To the people working the Kepler orbital telescope detail over the years to get to yesterday's point?
Congratulations, people!
Congratulations, people!
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Beta Pic b: On Camera?
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=27004
This makes for the fifth in little over a week, I believe...?
This makes for the fifth in little over a week, I believe...?
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Extrasolar Planets: A "Hot DAMN!" Moment!
Got this from james_nicoll:
They got pictures in infrared via telescopes in Hawai'i of three planets orbiting HR 8799!
Actual pictures!
(And yes, there's a Canadian connection. Go. Read. Party!)
james_nicoll:They got pictures in infrared via telescopes in Hawai'i of three planets orbiting HR 8799!
Actual pictures!
(And yes, there's a Canadian connection. Go. Read. Party!)
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(no subject)
Whirlwind of sorts.
Finished putting my latest APAzine for Legends together. It's being printed as I type this, although there's some weird and interesting font glitches occurring in the hardcopy. Random characters that should be bold printing as italic, unexpected font substitutions, and whatnot. Not quite sure why this is happening, but at least the actual text is still there, as are the photos and the map. Must've happened when I saved from Pages to PDF.
Rain's coming down here at the moment. Not too heavy, but just enough to make you go for the umbrella. Gentle film noir rain, if there's such a thing.
OSFS meeting tomorrow at the Dalhousie Community Centre on Somerset West and Empress. Details at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ottawa_sf for anyone interested, and the topic is extrasolar planets. Given the current count is a little over 300 such objects...ought to be fun for anyone who shows up!
Short story's past 5,500 and closing fast on 6,000. Here's hoping it's coherent when it's done...
Back to you.
Finished putting my latest APAzine for Legends together. It's being printed as I type this, although there's some weird and interesting font glitches occurring in the hardcopy. Random characters that should be bold printing as italic, unexpected font substitutions, and whatnot. Not quite sure why this is happening, but at least the actual text is still there, as are the photos and the map. Must've happened when I saved from Pages to PDF.
Rain's coming down here at the moment. Not too heavy, but just enough to make you go for the umbrella. Gentle film noir rain, if there's such a thing.
OSFS meeting tomorrow at the Dalhousie Community Centre on Somerset West and Empress. Details at
ottawa_sf for anyone interested, and the topic is extrasolar planets. Given the current count is a little over 300 such objects...ought to be fun for anyone who shows up!Short story's past 5,500 and closing fast on 6,000. Here's hoping it's coherent when it's done...
Back to you.
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Epsilon Eridani b
Well, I had a look at exoplanet.eu today.
Announced today: Astrometric comfirmation of a planet orbiting Epsilon Eridani.
Cool news.
Thanks to those responsible for confirming the fact for the rest of us here on Earth!
Announced today: Astrometric comfirmation of a planet orbiting Epsilon Eridani.
Cool news.
Thanks to those responsible for confirming the fact for the rest of us here on Earth!
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HAT-P-1
Well, what do you expect from a comics artist with a science fiction sideline to do but post on exoplanets? ;-)
Take this article on the latest announced and found in the constellation Lacerta, for instance...1.38 x Jupiter in size terms, half a Jupiter in mass. Almost bird-wing-bone hollow, that planet is.
That will get the attention of more than a few astronomers, won't it?
Take this article on the latest announced and found in the constellation Lacerta, for instance...1.38 x Jupiter in size terms, half a Jupiter in mass. Almost bird-wing-bone hollow, that planet is.
That will get the attention of more than a few astronomers, won't it?