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Astronomers Now Looking For Exomoons Around Exoplanets

It looks like astronomers have already grown tired of taking direct observations of exoplanets, been there, done that. So they are now pushing for the next great discovery: the detection of exomoons orbiting exoplanets. In a new study, a British astronomer wants to use a technique more commonly associated with the indirect observation of exoplanets. This technique watches a candidate star to see if it wobbles. The wobble is caused by the gravitational pull of the orbiting exoplanet, revealing its presence.


Now, according to David Kipping, the presence of exomoons can also be detected via the "wobble method". Track an exoplanet during its orbit around a star to see its own wobble due to the gravitational interaction between the exoplanet/exomoon system. As if we needed any more convincing that this is not already an 'all kinds of awesome' project, Kipping has another motivation behind watching exoplanets wobble. He wants to find Earth-like exomoons with the potential for extraterrestrial life…
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望楼主改一下标题，另外图片也没有。

                               
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An artist impression of a habitable exomoon orbiting an exoplanet, could the exoplanet's wobble help astronomers?
(Andy McLatchie)

The Link Between Beer and the Colonization of Space

                               
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A Japanese brewery has successfully produced 100 litres of Space Beer. Hurrah!

The beer won’t actually be consumed in space (which seems a shame somehow), but it was made totally from barley grown on the International Space Station. For a lucky few, 60 people will get to sample the beer in Tokyo next month. So, what can they expect?

Alas, there won’t be much difference between the Sapporo Brewery’s 100% space barley brew when compared with a terrestrial grain as there is no measured difference in the DNA of barley grown in space when compared with barley grown on Earth. Therefore I doubt there will be any “eureka!” moment for the alcoholic beverage industry and therefore no immediate plans to launch a micro(gravity)brewery into orbit…
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December 16th, 2008

More Thoughts (and now math!) On What Came Before the Big Bang

                               
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CMB Timeline. Credit: NASA


Physicist Sean Carroll gave a wonderful talk at the June 2008 American Astronomical Society meeting about his "speculative research" on what possibly could have existed before The Big Bang. (Here's an article about Carroll's talk.) But now Carroll and some colleagues have done a bit more than just speculate about what might have come before the beginning of our Universe. Carroll, along with Caltech professor Marc Kamionkowski and graduate student Adrienne Erickcek have created a mathematical model to explain an anomaly in the early universe, and it also may shed light on what existed before the Big Bang. "It's no longer completely crazy to ask what happened before the Big Bang," said Kamionkowski.
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No "Big Rip" in our Future: Chandra Provides Insights Into Dark Energy

                               
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Galaxy cluster Abell 85, seen by Chandra, left, and a model of the growth of cosmic structure when the Universe was 0.9 billion, 3.2 billion and 13.7 billion years old (now). Credit: Chandra


When you throw a ball up into the air, you expect gravity will eventually slow the ball, and it will come back down again. But what if you threw a ball up into the air and instead of coming back down, it accelerated away from you? That's basically what is happening with our universe: everything is accelerating away from everything else. This acceleration was discovered in 1998, and scientists believe "dark energy" is responsible, a form of repulsive gravity, and it composes a majority of the universe, about 72%. We don't know what it is yet, but now, for the first time, astronomers have clearly seen the effects of dark energy. Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have tracked how dark energy has stifled the growth of galaxy clusters. Combining this new data with previous studies, scientists have obtained the best clues yet about what dark energy is, confirming its existence. And there's good news, too: the expanding Universe won't rip itself apart.
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December 17th, 2008
Water 'Way Out There

                               
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Detection of the earliest and most distant water. CREDIT: Milde Science Communication, STScI, CFHT, J.-C. Cuillandre, Coelum.


A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was water. Astronomers have found tell-tale signatures of water molecules in a galaxy more than 11 billion light years from Earth. Using the giant, 100-meter-diameter radio telescope in Effelsberg, Germany, along with the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, scientists detected the most distant water yet seen in the Universe. Previously, the most distant water had been seen in a galaxy less than 7 billion light-years from Earth. Since it is so far away, we're actually seeing it as it was long ago; as when the Universe was one-sixth the age it is now. The astronomers were able to take advantage of two types of natural "amplification" to detect the water in this galaxy. The galaxy, dubbed MG J0414+0534 has a quasar — a supermassive black hole powering bright emission — at its core. In the region near the core, the water molecules are acting as masers, the radio equivalent of lasers, to amplify radio waves at a specific frequency. Additionally, another galaxy was used as a gravitational lens to magnify the radio signals used to detect the water molecules.
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Great Space Shuttle Pictures

                               
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Shuttle Endeavour catches a ride from a 747. Image Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas


Say what you want about the space shuttle program, but one thing is for certain: the shuttle is very photogenic. This very nifty image was taken by a chase plane looking down as a Boeing 747 airplane ferried Space Shuttle Endeavour from California to Florida on Dec. 10, 2008, and is today's NASA picture of the day. The backdrop is the Mojave Desert in California. This image got me looking for other interesting pictures of the space shuttle, and so I've compiled a few here.
Interesting Update: Just after posting this, I came across a news release from NASA that they are soliciting ideas for displaying the space shuttles after they are retired!
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Spaceport America Closer to Reality

                               
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Artist's concept of the New Mexico's Spaceport America. Courtesy NMSA


If you're thinking about booking flight on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two, launching a payload with UP Aerospace or Armadillo Aerospace, or can't wait to watch the Rocket Racing League, you'll be happy to know New Mexico's Spaceport America is two steps closer to becoming a reality and not just a dream. An environmental impact study on the facility was completed and approved, which set the stage for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to be able to issue a launch license to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). The license is for both vertical and horizontal launches. “These two governmental approvals are the next steps along the road to a fully operational commercial spaceport,” said NMSA Executive Director Steven Landeene. Now, with license in hand, construction can begin on the futuristic-looking spaceport facility. Is the future and potential of commercial/personal spaceflight actually getting closer?
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第一张图片.....艾泽拉斯 大陆....