Speeding Through the Universe

"Bullets" in the Orion Nebula, courtesy Gemini Observatory

For those of you (family AND friends) who wonder what I do sometimes, this picture is where I spent some of my time the past few days. It’s an image of wakes created by supersonic-speed “bullets” of gas boring through a starbirth region in the Orion Nebula. It was taken at Gemini Observatory North on Mauna Kea in Hawai’i, using a laser guide star-equipped adaptive optics system to help remove the effects of atmospheric turbulence. (You can read more about this system here.)

I work with Gemini Observatory as a writer and I am the associate editor for their twice-a-year GeminiFocus magazine. When their public affairs office sent me this image last week, I started immediately working on some language for a press release, along with Peter Michaud (their Public Affairs Officer). It was a whirlwind of activity, involving the two of us, several scientists, and astronomerTravis Rector (University of Alaska at Fairbanks), who did the major work on the image. We worked on the language over the weekend and went through several iterations of the language. Finally the directors of the observatory gave their blessing on the version you can see here.

For me, the project entailed doing a little bit of a literature search to see just when these “bullets” were first discovered (1983, defined in 1992), and then figuring out how much of the science background was relevant to put in the story. Peter and I swapped several versions via email and chat, then sent the story on to one of the scientists (Tom Geballe) for a sanity check. Another scientist, Michael Burton of the University of New South Wales in Australia, had done some work on the bullets a few years back, and his advice was also thrown into the mix. In addition, we had Gemini astronomer Scott Fisher and Jean-Rene Roy, Deputy Director and Head of Science, look it over as well. (It’s always best to have as many eyes as possible look these things over before they go out.) By late yesterday (Wednesday, March 21), we had a version we could all live with. It went to the webmaster in Hilo, who posted the final version late last night.

It’s a lot of fun to work with these stories “behind the scenes” and talk with the people who are doing the research in the areas the Gemini images cover. Hope you enjoy the image and story!

Lord of the Rings

I spent last weekend in Middle Earth. More correctly, I spent the weekend watching the extended DVD editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies, something I’ve been wanting to do since I got the set for Christmas. Great movies, lots of action and beautiful scenery and incredible CG work on the battle scenes. I was in hog heaven.

Saturn, courtesy Hubble Space Telescope and Space Telescope Science Institute.

Today I got to check out another Lord of the Rings—the great and beauteous planet Saturn. Thanks to Hubble Space Telescope, it’s now a movie star. Today the Space Telescope Science Institute released its own set of movies about Saturn, all based on images taken by HST over the past few years. They show ring plane crossing, some of the Moons, and some atmospheric features as the planet spins on its axis.

Astronomers took dozens of images of Saturn over the years, using the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys. These images were strung together and animated to give us these three wonderful videos.

The best part about this ongoing survey of Saturn is that it shows us the planet changing over time, at least in the atmosphere. It gives us all a chance to see Saturn’s rings in different orientations as it (and we) orbit the Sun and our changing positions change our point of view. Go check ‘em out and collect the set!

From Sea to Methane Sea

Titan Sea compared to Lake Superior on Earth

Woo-hoo! The Cassini spacecraft team released a radar image of what looks to be the largest body of liquid ever found on Titan’s surface. Titan, which orbits Saturn, is a chemically and geologically interesting world, and has been the subject of long-term study by the spacecraft since its arrival. The lake, which is likely made of liquid methane and/or ethane, covers about 100,000 square kilometers, which is larger than Lake Superior in the United States. Now, on Earth, seas are maintained through a constant cycle of water supply between the continents and water masses (the oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, etc.). Scientists think that on Titan, the same cycle is at work, but instead of water, the recycled material is methane (a hydrocarbon in great abundance in the outer solar system). And, there are more of these “seas” and lakes on Titan; so much so that the spacecraft teams are scheduling some additional radar studies of the surface to see them. Stay tuned!