Go here for latest Space news and images from distant galaxies

see larger image at SPACE.com

On Jan. 21, astronomers spotted the closest supernova in recent decades flash to life in the galaxy M82, some 11.5 million light-years from Earth. The supernova, designated SN 2014J, suddenly became a superstar as it became so bright that amateur astronomers with modest telescopes could easily pick out the stellar explosion in the night sky. Hubble has captured with amazing detail.  Check out Hubble’s Latest Mind Blowing Cosmic Pictures at SPACE.com

Awesome Eco Friendly skate boards and accessories

Every Hendrick deck and piece of apparel makes a statement and a difference. When you purchase a “Boards for Barks” original board or shirt, Hendrick Boards and you together make a contribution to a nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding the welfare of pets and animals. Purchase today and Hendrick Boards will make a contribution of $5.00 to $10.00 directly to local and national organizations…

Click here to check it out!

Help Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

SETI@homeNeeds Your HelpGo to http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/donate.php for more information  

What is SETI@home?SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

NASA’s New Mars Rover Launches Successfully

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory lifted off from the
launch pad at 10:02 a.m. EST today. (Wired.Com article) Click to read more


The one-ton Mini Cooper-sized rover, which is the largest
machine NASA can currently put down on the Martian surface, will now
look forward to an eight-month cruise to the Red Planet, arriving in August
2012. The probe will survey the Martian landscape with HD cameras, search for
signs of habitability and life past or present, and drill inside rocks to
examine the planet’s composition. After a shaky history on Earth, MSL will have to worry about one
last event when it gets to Mars: its nail-biting landing procedure, the sky
crane. The rover is tucked inside a saucer-like platform that will need to fire
rockets 25 feet above the ground and hover as MSL is carefully lowered down on
wires. Such a procedure has never been tried before, though landing system has
undergone extensive testing prior to launch.

Still, the track record with probes to Mars has not been
great. Nearly two-thirds of missions have had failures or
partial failures. Spacecraft have lost solar power en route, crashed into the surface, or simply gone
dead seconds after landing.

NASA’s history of rovers is more upbeat. The agency has
already successfully roved three robots on Mars: tiny Sojourner and the twins Spirit and Opportunity. The later pair even managed to beat
the odds. Originally expected to last for three months, Spirit went on for six
years before getting permanently stuck in the soft Martian soil and losing contact this past May, while
Opportunity is still going strong.

 Curiosity – Mars Science Laboratory

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Project costed at $2.5bn; will see initial surface operations lasting two
    Earth years
  • Onboard plutonium generators will deliver heat and electricity for at least
    14 years
  • 75kg science payload more than 10 times as massive as those of earlier US
    Mars rovers
  • Equipped with tools to brush and drill into rocks, to scoop up, sort and sieve samples
  • Variety of analytical techniques to discern chemistry in rocks, soil and
    atmosphere
  • Will try to make first definitive identification of organic (carbon rich)
    compounds
  • Even carries a laser to zap rocks; beam will identify atomic elements in
    rocks

coronal mass ejection

watch this comet crash into the sun on lower right and the outburst on left

SpaceWeather.com says most solar physicists would likely say that a “puny comet” couldn’t set off a “coronal mass ejection” of solar particles.

But check out this video from over the weekend, when a comet struck the sun. The images were animated by Helioviewer.org, “an open-source project for the visualization of solar and heliospheric data” that is funded by the European Space Agency and NASA.