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 The SpaceWriter's Ramblings |
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Anything and everything about science, especially astronomy and the cosmos. NOTE: This blog has migrated to a new address. Please update your favorites link accordingly.Visit my web site at Posting times are Powered by
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1.06.2008 Cold, and then SomeUp until a couple of days ago we were shivering under some pretty cold temps up here in New England. The other night we took the trash out and it was about 10 below zero (F)—cold enough to literally take your breath away. The sky was quite clear that night, and the stars were stunningly beautiful. Mars was like a red beacon... The next day I walked out to get the mail and noticed the ice in the driveway. It reminded me of pictures I'd seen of ice fields on the worlds of the outer solar system. Out there ice doesn't so much melt off the surfaces of those worlds, but it sublimates—it turns from ice crystals into a gas without going through that pesky liquid phase we see here on Earth. Oh, there is liquid water out there at the outer worlds. At least, that's the working hypothesis deduced from various observations. And, how else do you explain what looks like deposits of fresh ice that have somehow oozed up through cracks on the surfaces of places like Enceladus, Europa and Pluto's moon Charon? It's only a matter of time before the existence of all those cold oceans are confirmed. And, when I read about them, I can certainly sympathize with the idea of cold—especially after the bitterly cold weather we had last week. However, I am reminded that 10 below zero here on Earth would be a pretty warm day on Mars or Enceladus or Tethys or Pluto or Charon— so we have it pretty good here at home. Speaking of cold and ice and outer solar system, here's the latest installment of my ongoing vodcast series. It features an observation made at Gemini Observatory that I wrote about a few months ago, and an image I worked on with the PR folks at Gemini. Come on—let's go visit some ice worlds! To see this video here, you need to tell your browser not to block active content, or you need to get the Flash player. RSS readers who can't access the video can download it here.  This work is licensed under a Labels: astronomy vodcast, charon, icy worlds, planetary science, pluto posted by CCP on 1/06/2008 07:21:00 PM | *
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Earth Hour! Do it for the Planet!
Blog RollPlanetarium-relatedLoch Ness ProductionsPurveyors of fine planetarium shows, music, and services. INTENSELY Good Space Music from a master in the genre! My cool astronomy cause: ScienceThe sites below belong to space and astronomy enthusiasts. I make every effort to check them and make sure they are still appropriate. However, I am not responsible for their content, nor do I endorse any of it by simply linking to them. As with all Web surfing, please exercise caution. Adot's Notblog A fellow traveler blogger and astronomy enthusiast! Astronomy Blog An astronomy blog pondering the big questions Astronomy Cast Astronomy Podcasting from Pamela Gay BadAstronomy.com Bad astronomy discussed and debunked along with fun stuff about really good astronomy! Chris Lintott's Universe Musings from an Oxford Astronomer. Cosmic Variance Random Samplings from a Universe of Ideas. Dave P's Astronomy blog Observational Astronomy and other TidBits European Southern Observatory Fine Ground-based astronomy images. Gemini Observatory Fine astronomy in infrared and visible wavelengths. Griffith Observatory's page. I wrote their exhibits! Observing The Sky Nightly Observation Reports from dedicated skygazers. The Official String Theory Web Site. Time to feed your mind! Pharyngula Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal. Cast off your blinders and come on in! Science Made Cool A compendium of discoveries, inventions and commentary. Slacker Astronomy Astronomy with a Slacker Twist. Space Telescope Science Institute The best from Hubble Space Telescope The Eternal Golden Braid Astronomy, Space Science, and Science Fiction Commentary. The Inoculated Mind Bills Itself as a weekly science mindcast. Thought-provoking, honest. Truth. UniqueThe Hairy Museum of Natural History
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