Subject: [badastronomy] The Bad Astronomy Newsletter Issue #53 (Jan. 23, 2005) From: "Phil Plait" Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 06:30:06 -0000 To: badastronomy@yahoogroups.com X-Account-Key: account3 X-UIDL: <251178-2005-0124-003153-11865@st102mss.verizon.net> X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 Return-Path: Received: from n16a.bulk.scd.yahoo.com ([206.46.170.120]) by mta015.verizon.net (InterMail vM.5.01.06.06 201-253-122-130-106-20030910) with ESMTP id <20050124063153.TEBB16035.mta015.verizon.net@n16a.bulk.scd.yahoo.com> for ; Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:31:53 -0600 Received: from n16a.bulk.scd.yahoo.com (66.94.237.45) by sc019pub.verizon.net (MailPass SMTP server v1.1.1 - 121803235448JY) with SMTP id <2-20800-123-20800-42887-11-1106548313> for mta015.verizon.net; Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:31:53 -0600 Received: from [66.218.66.58] by n16.bulk.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 24 Jan 2005 06:31:46 -0000 Received: from [66.218.66.96] by mailer7.bulk.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 24 Jan 2005 06:31:46 -0000 X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: groups-email Received: (qmail 86240 invoked from network); 24 Jan 2005 06:31:44 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.166) by m13.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 24 Jan 2005 06:31:44 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO n19a.bulk.scd.yahoo.com) (66.94.237.48) by mta5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 24 Jan 2005 06:31:44 -0000 Received: from [66.218.69.4] by n19.bulk.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:32 -0000 Received: from [66.218.66.61] by mailer4.bulk.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:32 -0000 X-Sender: badastro@badastronomy.com X-Apparently-To: badastronomy@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 303 invoked from network); 24 Jan 2005 06:30:14 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.218) by m19.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:14 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO n13a.bulk.scd.yahoo.com) (66.94.237.24) by mta3.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:14 -0000 Received: from [66.218.66.58] by n13.bulk.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:07 -0000 Received: from [66.218.66.87] by mailer7.bulk.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:07 -0000 Message-ID: User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: Yahoo Groups Message Poster X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 66.94.237.24 X-Originating-IP: 67.180.52.176 X-Yahoo-Profile: thebadastronomer X-eGroups-Approved-By: thebadastronomer via web; 24 Jan 2005 06:30:31 -0000 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 66.94.237.48 MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list badastronomy@yahoogroups.com; contact badastronomy-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list badastronomy@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Reply-To: badastronomy-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit THE BAD ASTRONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #53 January 23, 2005 http://www.badastronomy.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badastronomy * * * * * * * * * * * * Bad Astronomy Newsletter #53 Contents: 0) Well, it's been a while! 1) Hubble trouble, again 2) Swift launches, bags bursts 3) Night Sky, and Brains on Vacation 4) Titanic images 5) Johnny Carson, 1925 - 2005 6) Galaxies, galaxies, galaxies! 7) Subscribe/Unsubscribe info * * * * * * * * * * * * 0) Well, it's been a while! So, I've been busy. Who hasn't been? But that's no excuse. I've been lazy, as well, and so many months have elapsed since I've sent out a newsletter. I've received mail from readers thinking they were dropped from the list! Sorry about that. But truly, I have been busy. I've been writing, as usual, and doing some other things here and there. I'll have more news as it develops over the next few months, I promise. I'll also try to get these newsletters out more often. I'm still on the lookout for new software, preferably something based in PHP and MySQL. Yahoo!Groups is awful. But I have news now, so lets go! * * * * * * * * * * * * 1) Hubble trouble, again You've probably heard already, but Hubble is in real trouble. With dying batteries and gyros (which enable its accurate pointing) about to fail, the Bush administration has told NASA to not fix Hubble. Instead, they told NASA to figure out how to cheaply and safely drop Hubble into the Pacific. I wrote about this on my main page, and my thoughts are there. Basically, I love Hubble, and what it has done not just for me (keeping me gainfully employed for ten years) but also what it has done to popularize astronomy. Any random member of the public can probably only name one telescope, and that's Hubble. The images returned have been awe-inspiring, and they are only a fraction of what scientists have gleaned from Hubble data. But also, Hubble is old. No use denying that: it was launched in 1990. For the money it takes to upgrade it, we could launch a new telescope. It has to end eventually, of course. This makes sense, except for one small problem: NASA has no plans to replace Hubble with a telescope that does similar science. Sure, the James Webb Space Telescope is slated to continue on after Hubble, but that does different science. It cannot see in the ultraviolet, for example, which is where Hubble excelled (until the camera STIS died last year, at least). We really have no replacement for Hubble. I hope that NASA sees this as a wake up call. We relied too heavily on the Shuttle, and without it space exploration is crippled. We have but one Hubble, and no replacement planned. Maybe it's time NASA thought differently. We need two independent man-rated vehicles, and when a telescope's lifespan is close to being over, a new one can be launched. It's not like Hubble observed everything it could! I wonder how this will play out. Is it just a political ploy by Bush, or is it a serious call for action? Will the new NASA administrator, whoever it will be, toe the party line or use this event to forge a new path for NASA? I guess we'll find out pretty soon. Stay Tuned. * * * * * * * * * * * * 2) Swift launches, bags bursts On November 20 of 2004, NASA launched the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer. Swift is designed to detect mysterious bursts of energy which have baffled astronomers since they were first discovered in the 1960s. Called Gamma-Ray Bursts, or GRBs for short, they are very intense but very brief flashes of energy. They give off a burst of gamma rays (hence the name, duh) and can be as short as a few milliseconds, or as long as minutes. Every one is different from the last, and they made astronomers nuts for decades. It's only until recently that people are starting to figure out what they are: the births of black holes. There are two basic scenarios. One is when a supermassive star (maybe 100 times the mass of the Sun) explodes. The outer layers are flung off as a supernova, but the inner core collapses to a black hole. This can release a LOT of energy, and focus it into beams. When the light reaches us, we see a GRB. The other scenario is that ultra-dense neutron stars collide (probably after orbiting each other for millions of years) and again release a vast amount of energy as they form a black hole. Either way, you get a black hole. Swift was launched specifically to target these things, and is so named because it can move pretty quickly, swinging around to focus its telescopes on a fleeting burst. Since launch, it's been performing really well, and it has already bagged quite a few GRBs. The story behind Swift and GRBs is really interesting stuff. At my school (Sonoma State University), my group has funding to do public outreach and education based on Swift science. We do a pretty good job, too! If you want to learn more, take a look at http://swift.sonoma.edu and you'll get an eyeful. And brainful! * * * * * * * * * * * * 3) Night Sky and Brains on Vacation Since the last newsletter (last July, yikes!) I have started writing for the magazine Night Sky, which is for people who are beginners in astronomy. I think it's a pretty cool magazine, and it's a fun gig. If you like astronomy, and want to learn how to go out and observe, give it a try: http://www.nightskymag.com I'm also doing a new, brief bit on the SETI radio show "Are We Alone?" with my friend Seth Shostak. The bit is called "Brains on Vacation", which is a short, humorous (I hope) story about someone who did something, well, stupid. But funny! The first segment was last month, and I talked about a company that sells somewhat dubious hair-care products. They claim their hair dryer uses infra-red technology! Duh. That's heat. I think all hair dryers do that. Maybe they should also say they use impelled molecular fluid dynamic technology as well (in other words, using a fan to blow air). I'm not sure when we're doing this bit next, but check back at http://www.seti.org and click on the "Are We Alone?" link to see more info. * * * * * * * * * * * * 4) Titanic images You've no doubt heard all about Titan. I can't add much, except to point you to the obvious website: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov But there is another site with tons of gorgeous images of Saturn and its moons. It's the site for the CICLOPS camera, and the address is http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu Spend an hour or two there. You'll be happy you did. * * * * * * * * * * * * 5) Johnny Carson, 1925 - 2005 A digression, if I may. By now you've also probably heard that Johnny Carson died on Sunday, January 23. This is very sad news, as he touched millions of people, and was truly a good guy. But not many people know that he was a champion of science and critical thinking. When Carson saw John Edward (the guy who claims he can talk to the dead) on TV, he was so angry he sent a check to James Randi. Of course you know about Randi! He is an indefatigable fighter of charlatans, frauds, and cads who go about bilking people out of money using dubious claims of paranormal powers. Randi was a frequent guest on the Tonight Show, and that's where I first saw him, debunking "psychic surgery". Over the years, Johnny and Randi became friends, and last year Johnny donated $100,000 to Randi's educational fund (and I suspect he's given far more than that over the years). Of course, Carson also had Carl Sagan on many, many times. This launched Sagan's career as a popularizer of astronomy, and helped inspire a generation of astronomers, including me. I'll miss Johnny Carson. He did a lot of good, more than many of us could do in a lifetime. Hearing about his death has made me even more resolute in my own fight to make sure people learn more about skepticism and critical thinking. Here is Randi's site: http://www.randi.org Go there and poke around. It'll do you some good. * * * * * * * * * * * * 6) Galaxies, galaxies, galaxies! I want to end on a more inspirational note. There have been some devastating images of galaxies released lately. The European Southern Observatory announced these beauties recently: http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2004/phot-33-04.html And Hubble also delivered once again, with the incredible barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300: http://heritage.stsci.edu/2005/01/index.html This is beauty in its highest form. Take a look. Sometimes when I get a little down, or feel dragged down by the slimy nature of some of the pseudoscience I fight, I take a look at pictures like that. It can really put things in perspective. When the light you see in that Hubble image started its journey from NGC 1300, the dinosaurs still had four million years left to reign on Earth. The Universe is big, so very big. It is also beautiful, mysterious, fascinating. I wonder sometimes if it's more amazing that it is so awesome, or if it's amazing that we *can be* awed by it. Either way, it's a cool place to live. So stop reading junk on your computer, go outside, and look up! There's a lot to see, and even more to learn. * * * * * * * * * * * * 7) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information If, for some weird reason, you want to unsubscribe to this newsletter, just send email to badastronomy- unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com with no body text. Make sure you send it from the address to which the newsletter is sent! Alternatively, you can unsubscribe from the Yahoo!Groups website. Go to http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/groups-32.html for more info. Remember, the newsletters are archived on the website at http://www.badastronomy.com/newsletter/index.html so even if you unsubscribe you can still read them there. I suggest staying subscribed so you get them as soon as I send them. Also, I do *not* sell your email addresses, but I am pretty sure the evil Yahoo! people, which is why I am moving this newsletter to my own website eventually. Take a gander at the Yahoo!Groups privacy message if it makes you feel better, or worse: http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/ Note that the email addresses *are* visible to me, but I have no prurient use for them. If that makes you nervous for whatever reason, feel free to unsubscribe and simply read the archived newsletters at the website listed above. ************************** Phil Plait The Bad Astronomer badastro@badastronomy.com http://www.badastronomy.com Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badastronomy/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: badastronomy-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.