Like Liquid Gold, but Better

Nature Physics, via Discovery News features a new article which states that Neptune and Uranus may have oceans composed of......LIQUID DIAMONDS.

If De Beers gets a hold of this information, I think the funding for exploration and research may come a bit quicker. Jus sayin.

The article goes on to say that an ocean of diamonds could help explain the off-axis magnetic field of these two planets (Earth's is lined up with the north and south poles).

The article is quite interesting, explaining why little icebergs of diamond can float on a diamond sea, just like water.

Ahhhh... In other words, heaven.

Cheers - Martha

VAMPIRES

Well, sorta kinda.

The Hubble Space Telescope has recently determined another theory why some stars in globular clusters, pictured below, appear brighter than others.  It's not necessarily because they are bigger and farther away, or smaller and closer, but because they may actually be stealing some thunder from their neighbors.  Vampire style.

Or you could call it leeching, I guess.  Pretty much the same thing.  But NASA's right; vampires are way cooler.

Anyway, these clusters (usually 12-13 billion years old, abuh!) have a few loners (blue stragglers) that don't really appreciate their old age, and siphon youth (hydrogen) from the other stars.  Greedy, if you ask me.

The telescope also found that some of the blue stragglers increased their brightness after colliding with other stars, in a sort of nuclear fusion.

That's an interesting little elderly community right there.  Check it out here!

Cheers-Martha

Rover Update

Ello ello!  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!


Recent news on our sturdy little Mars Rover:


The little-rover-that-could may be finally reaching its courageous end...


The signs have been slowly creeping up (see the "Awwww Poor Rover... post on 11.13.2009), but still, the loyal followers, such as myself, kept pushing for the friendly robot to keep chugging along.
The dusty and rough Martian terrain has proven to be just too much to handle as of late, as the rover currently lies stuck in a ditch.  If circumstances don't change, power will run out by May.


Here's a little 2:32 minute video with an article below from National Geographic.  The text is taken word-for-word from the video.


Energizer batteries wouldn't work in this case, I'ma guessin'.


Ciao-Martha

Saturn Moon Ballet

Seasons greetings all!


In celebration, I have provided a link to a new video created by the Cassini Imaging team. This video puts together over 60 images captured by the Cassini spacecraft.  Take into account different sizes, velocities, angles of trajectories, and just how well Tchaikovsky goes with the images. 


Enjoy and I hope you have a wonderful holiday!


Ciao - Martha

Be Dazzled

Take a gander.

Oooooh.  Ahhh.

This image was made by piecing together 800,000 individual photos taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.  It equals a total of 2.5 billion pixels and captures about half of the entire Milky Way galaxy.

Like WHOA.

Ciao - Martha

The Kind of Dust You Want to Keep

This dust is coooooooooooool.  Literally.  Icey cool.


This is neat.


Geologists have been trying to figure out the origins of our planet since forEVA and every tiny step forward is pretty major.  So major, Smithsonian covers it.


This new comet dust is viewed as "starting material for our solar system, the stuff that came together to make everything we see," consisting of very high temperature forming minerals and glycine.  So in a nutshell, this comet sample hints at the building blocks of Earth and Life.   

It's a bit like magic dust.  

First Meeting!

Thanks to everybody who attended the first official UT POSSE meeting!  It was a smashing hit.  We were VERY happy to see so many people interested and hope all and more will attend the next meeting!


We will not be meeting until next semester, and will notify you all as soon as we set the date.


And of course, anyone is welcome to send suggestions of future speakers, food choice, meeting ideas, or just general organization ideas to utposse@gmail.com.

Thanks again guys!  We are looking forward to a STELLAR spring semester!


Cheers - Martha