Lightning strikes on Saturn

Seriously. Check it out here. Not necessarily that surprising, but impressive nevertheless.

Pictures of three exoplanets

So, yesterday I linked to the discovery of nine new exoplanets. You know what is harder than discovering them? Actually taking pictures of them. Go here to read how this was recently done for three exoplanets around the same star.

Nine New Exoplanets

Not a line in the Astronomer's version of the "12 Days of Christmas" song, but an actual discovery. Go here to read more. I know that they are now over 100 exoplanets known, but I still find it fascinating and amazing that we can detect tiny planets around distant stars.

Nearby High-mass star formation

While astronomers think we have a good understanding of how Sun-like stars form, how more massive stars remain a mystery for various reasons. Go here here and here to read how observations by the new Herschel spacecraft will help reveal what is going on.

Free Astronomy Software

I got an email about this, and thought some of you may be interested. Some I've tried myself, some I haven't. I'd be very interested to know what you think...

Stellarium — Stargazing is relaxing, educational and fun. But you can't do it everywhere. City lights often drown out the stars. Or, maybe it's just a cloudy night. You could visit a planetarium if there's one nearby. Or, you could download this program. It's like having a planetarium on your desk.

Celestia — This program also gives you the planetarium experience. You view the stars as you would from Earth. But this program doesn't keep you there. It lets you leave the ground and travel through the galaxy. You can also add new features. These could be spacecraft, satellites and planets. You can even add fictional items for fun.

WorldWide Telescope — You may have a cool telescope in your closet. But what if you had access to the best telescopes on Earth? This program gives you that access. You'll find some of the best views of deep space. You can even take guided tours of the heavens.

Moon Arounder — Many people dream of traveling to the moon. Only 12 people have set foot on it. They saw the moon as no one else has. You've seen grainy video from those trips. But have you seen these panoramic photos? These 360-degree photos let you feel like you're standing on the moon.

Google Earth — This program is great way to explore our world. But you can also explore the moon and Mars in the same way. You'll get detailed imagery. You can take narrated tours of important sites. You can even aim Google Earth at the stars. To get to these features, simply click View>>Explore.

It's Alive!

Alive! Venus is ALIVE!!!!

Geologically speaking that is. (This blog tries to deal with science fact, not science fiction, though admittedly science fiction has much cooler movies.) While volcanos had previously been identified on the surface of Venus, people had thought they were all dormant. Recent pictures by Venus Express suggest otherwise. Go here for more details. Enjoy!

Triton's Atmosphere

Yes, Triton - the largest moon on Neptune - has an atmosphere. (Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, isn't the only one). Go here to read about a recent ground-based measurement of its properties. The Solar System is an interesting place...

A Planet around a Brown dwarf?

If so, this is very puzzling because Brown Dwarves have masses only a little bit bigger than the most massive planets? Does this mean that, in some scenarios, planets can form like stars? Go here to read more about this puzzling discovery.

The Young and the Restless

stars, that is. Not the soap opera. Even though 2/3 of the instruments on Spitzer no long work since it ran of cryogen to keep them cold, it is still making many important observations, including this one aimed at studying the behavior of young stars. Enjoy!

If a supernova explodes in a galaxy, can you see its echos?

Yes. How? Light bounces off dust, so it is possible that light can be emitted away from us, bounce off dust, changing its direction towards us. Go here to read how detecting and studying such light echos have lead to some very interesting conclusions about the supernova explosion responsible for one of the youngest and brightest supernova remnants in the Milky Way, Cassiopeia A. Enjoy!