tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6413686012656661252024-03-13T17:26:54.676+05:30Astronomy at your doorstep...Black Holes, Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Extraterrestrial Life, Exoplanets, Satellites, Quasars, Pulsars, Space Missions, Life, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Universe, Expanding Universe, Solar System, Relativity, Quantum Physics Mechanics Chromodynamics, Course, Notes, Astronomy Quiz, Quotations, ScientistsHemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-55943129836935964852010-07-31T17:03:00.001+05:302010-07-31T17:03:25.216+05:30End of EverythingEnd of EverythingThe topic seems a bit scary, but the whole thing becomes more and more interesting and adsorbing with every passing sentence. A voyage through time that will unravel the deep secrets of how and when will the life, the earth, the sun, the galaxy and the matter will END. Let us embark upon this journey to envision the End of Everything. A teacher is valued because of the Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-3864671279590194232008-07-11T09:13:00.001+05:302008-07-11T09:13:30.970+05:30What's Tanzania got that India doesn't? Hi , I just found out that on the banks of Lake Natron in Tanzania, the Tatas were planning a soda ash plant, which would have posed a serious threat to the survival of flamingos and the livelihoods of local communities. Now, under huge public pressure there, the Tatas have pulled the plug on this project. But the same Tatas are still building a destructive port in Dhamra, that threatens to Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-91268500326693012032007-07-04T14:23:00.000+05:302007-07-04T14:31:42.983+05:30James Webb Space TelescopeAll those who are interested in Astronomy know about the importance of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).This telescope started a new Era in the world of Astronomy and Astrophysics. By staying far above the Earth's atmosphere it captured thousands of spectacular images of planets, stars, galaxies and cluster of galaxies, improving our understanding about the evolution of the Solar System, GalaxiesHemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-85853951486730151972007-05-30T11:37:00.001+05:302007-05-30T11:37:03.510+05:30Astronomers Discover 28 New Exoplanets And Four Multi-Planet SystemsThe world's largest and most prolific team of planet hunters announced today (Monday, May 28) the discovery of 28 new planets outside our solar system, increasing to 236 the total number of known exoplanets. University of California, Berkeley, post-doctoral fellow Jason T. Wright and newly minted Ph.D. John Asher Johnson reported the new exoplanets at a noon media briefing at the semi-annual Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-345148206056368262007-05-12T11:17:00.003+05:302007-05-12T11:19:41.885+05:30A Star as Old as the UniverseThe Universe is thought to be 13.7 billion years old. So it was quite a surprise when astronomers turned up a star that's 13.2 billion years old. That means it formed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. The star, HE 1523-0901, was discovered by the European Southern Observatory's VLT. Astronomers knew right away that that had an old star, but the technique for dating it Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-57694092281936757462007-05-12T11:17:00.001+05:302007-05-12T11:18:35.317+05:30Dwarf Galaxies Have a Large Amount of Unseen MatterAstronomers have found that the cosmic wreckage left over when large galaxies collide have an unusually high amount of unseen matter in them. In some situations, these dwarf galaxies have twice the matter that astronomers would expect. The research was done using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope to study a galaxy called NGC 5291, located about 200 million Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-69622771392596150622007-05-12T11:16:00.003+05:302007-05-12T11:16:51.400+05:30New Mission Could Find Star Trek’s Planet VulcanAll right, this article from NASA is totally pandering to my Star Trek geekiness. I know I'm being manipulated, but I just… can't… resist. According to NASA, their upcoming SIM PlanetQuest mission should be able to find Star Trek's planet Vulcan. You know, Spock's home? Okay, I'll try and put this into some kind of scientific justification. The SIM PlanetQuest is a new mission in the works at Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-78248933210603022422007-05-12T11:16:00.001+05:302007-05-12T11:16:15.874+05:30Organic Chemicals Found in Titan’s AtmosphereSince the twin Voyager spacecraft flew past Saturn's moon Titan, Scientists have been excited about what its hazy atmosphere can tell us about the earliest days of our own planet. The Voyagers discovered that Titan's atmosphere is swirling with hydrocarbons and other complex organic molecules that could be the building blocks of life. The latest findings from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-25328397662872463362007-05-11T11:47:00.001+05:302007-05-11T11:47:29.147+05:30Maximizing Survival Time Inside the Event Horizon of a Black HoleHere's a scenario that will face many of us in the far future. You're hurtling through the cosmos at nearly the speed of light in your spaceship when you take a wrong turn and pass into the event horizon of a black hole. Uh oh, you're dead - not yet, but it's inevitable. Since nothing, not even light can escape the pull from a black hole once it passes into the event horizon, what can you do to Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-74391674666334761422007-05-11T11:46:00.001+05:302007-05-11T11:46:49.787+05:30When Our Galaxy Smashes Into Andromeda, What Happens to the Sun?When astronomers look into the night sky, almost every single galaxy is speeding away from us, carried by the expansion of the Universe. There's one notable exception; though, the massive Andromeda galaxy (aka M31), which is speeding towards us at a rate of 120 km/s. And some time in the next few billion years, our two galaxies will collide and begin the lengthly process of merging together. Our Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-78030672488226812272007-05-10T11:42:00.001+05:302007-05-10T11:42:39.812+05:30Top 10 Emerging Environmental TechnologiesMake Paper Obsolete Imagine curling up on the couch with the morning paper and then using the same sheet of paper to read the latest novel by your favorite author. That's one possibility of electronic paper, a flexible display that looks very much like real paper but can be reused over and over. The display contains many tiny microcapsules filled with particles that carry electric charges Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-496263788048707452007-05-10T11:39:00.001+05:302007-05-10T11:39:42.546+05:30New Device Vacuums Away Carbon DioxideBy Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer A new device placed in say, Iceland, could suck up atmospheric carbon dioxide emitted from vehicles as far away as Tokyo, making it a potentially useful tool in battling ever-rising levels of this greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide molecules trap heat emanating from the Earth's surface and send it back downward, warming up the atmosphere. Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-50765718296737580992007-05-10T11:26:00.003+05:302007-05-10T11:26:29.483+05:30Phoenix Lander Arrives in FloridaThe long-lasting Mars rovers are still wandering across the surface of the Red Planet, but they're about to get a new friend. Next up to land on the surface of Mars is the Phoenix Mars Lander, which recently arrived in Florida in preparation for its upcoming launch. The Phoenix lander was delivered by a US Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft from its manufacturer in Colorado. If all goes well, the Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-11629834568397552222007-05-10T11:26:00.001+05:302007-05-10T11:26:06.526+05:30Astronomers Map the Hot Weather on a Distant PlanetHow's the weather? Hot enough for you? Well, if you're living on extrasolar planet HD 189733b, you'd really want to be anywhere else. That's because the high noon temperatures reach 926 degrees C (1700 degrees F). How do we know what the weather's like on this distant planet? Just thank Spitzer. Astronomers working with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have produced a rough map of the weather Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-6404645255827555042007-05-09T14:47:00.001+05:302007-05-09T15:06:26.342+05:30Painted by Storms - SaturnThis photograph of Saturn looks as if it was painted, or carved from a block of sandstone. That's because it was heavily processed on computer to bring out detail in the Ringed Planet's cloud structure. You lose the smooth natural look, but you get to see sharp detail in the atmospheric bands. The image was captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft using a combination of spectral filters. Different Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-49411971948689845102007-05-09T14:46:00.001+05:302007-05-09T14:46:51.614+05:30Astronomers spot exploding faraway star By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer A massive exploding faraway star — the brightest supernova astronomers have ever seen — has scientists wondering whether a similar celestial fireworks show may light up the sky much closer to Earth sometime soon. The discovery, announced Monday by NASA, drew oohs and aahs for months from the handful of astronomers who peered through telescopes to see the Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-78599735653365828662007-05-08T10:51:00.001+05:302007-05-08T10:51:13.252+05:30Brightest Supernova Spotted by ChandraNASA's Chandra X-Ray observatory might have observed a brand new kind of supernova, or maybe it's just an unusually bright supernova. Whatever the case, the explosion of SN 2006gy seems to be the brightest supernova ever observed, flaring with 100 times the energy of a typical exploded star. The team that discovered SN 2006gy think that the original star might have contained 150 times the mass Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-45996721046472315372007-05-08T10:41:00.001+05:302007-05-08T10:49:48.854+05:30Ariane 5 Carries Two SatellitesAn Ariane 5 rocket roared from the European Spaceport in French Guiana on Friday, carrying two satellites into geostationary transfer orbits. The liftoff occurred at 2229 UTC (6:29 pm EDT), after a one day delay because of high-altitude winds. The satellites were released into their transfer orbits 30 minutes after launch. The first satellite is the ASTRA 1L, which will join a dozen spacecraft inHemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-46309521168994892152007-05-05T11:08:00.001+05:302007-05-05T11:26:09.592+05:30Global Warming: We got just 8 years to do something....Climate experts and representatives from 105 countries on Friday released a 24-page report on means of mitigating the worse impacts of global warming after five days of heated debates to reach a consensus on the document.The report is focused on the economic implications and technological options for tackling global warming. It stated that emissions must start declining by 2015 to prevent Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-28956592037514066512007-05-05T11:02:00.001+05:302007-05-05T11:49:53.707+05:30Variation in Ice Depths across the Surface of MarsNASA's Mars Odyssey has performed a detailed analysis of water ice deposits beneath the surface of Mars, and found they vary greatly in depth. In other words, when future spacecraft land on the surface of Mars and start digging to reach these icy deposits, they might hit paydirt right away, or have to drill and drill and drill. Mars Odyssey is equipped with Thermal Emission Imaging System as Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-11256127640295833822007-05-05T11:01:00.001+05:302007-05-05T11:23:22.986+05:30Creating the Conditions Inside Supergiant PlanetsWe won't be visiting a supergiant planet any time soon. But physicists are about to do the next best thing, and creat the conditions that exist inside the most dense planets right here on Earth. What used to require a nuclear explosion should now be possible with diamond anvils and powerful lasers. Researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), New Mexico State University andHemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-40973743869802533552007-05-05T10:54:00.000+05:302007-05-05T11:49:53.707+05:30Spirit finds an ancient Volcanic ExplosionNASA’s Spirit rover has turned up evidence that there was once a massive volcanic explosion in the region it’s currently exploring on the surface of Mars. The region is called “Home Plate”, and it’s an plateau of layered bedrock approximately 2 metres (6 feet) high in Columbia Hills. Spirit found that that area around Home Plate is mostly basaltic rocks, which are created during very fast lava Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-2708560465658559902007-05-04T15:38:00.001+05:302007-05-05T11:23:22.987+05:30Young Stars Trashing Their NurseryThe latest image released from the Spitzer Space Telescope shows a pair of stars destroying their surroundings with powerful jets of radiation. The stars are located about 600 light-years away in a nebula called BHR 71. The image attached here shows what the object looks like in the infrared spectrum, which can peer through obscuring dust. Under visible light, everything just looks like a large Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-39932235831782664182007-05-04T15:37:00.001+05:302007-05-05T11:23:22.987+05:30COROT Turns Up its First PlanetThe European Space Agency's COROT planet hunting observatory turned up its first planet - a hot Jupiter - surprising its managers at how quickly it would yield scientific results. COROT was launched in December, 2006, and it has only been making scientific observations for 60 days when it found a planet. COROT discovers planets using the transit technique. It measures the total light emitted by Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641368601265666125.post-73017806775771310872007-05-04T15:35:00.001+05:302007-05-05T11:23:22.988+05:30Astronaut Walter Schirra, 1923-2007NASA announced today that veteran astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra has passed away at the age of 84. His family said that he died of natural causes on Wednesday at a hospital in La Jolla, California. In a statement, NASA Administrator Mike Griffen said, "with the passing of Wally Schirra, we at NASA note with sorry the loss of yet another of the pioneers of human spaceflight." Schirra was Hemal S. Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08075270915192177812noreply@blogger.com0