Horsehead and Flame Nebula: A Cosmic Tango

By on Feb 22, 2016 in Pictures | 0 comments

Estimated 1,500 light years away from planet Earth, lies a tale of two nebulae dancing in the cosmos. We’ll start with one of the most famous nebulae in astronomy: the Horsehead Nebula.  This gorgeous nebula is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The red emission nebula behind it acts like a gorgeous cosmic backdrop to show the curves and structure of this hydrogen gas beast. The head itself is about 2 to 3 light years across. In kilometers this would be about 20 – 30 trillion kilometers!   On the left hand side you’ll see its partner, famously known as, the Flame Nebula. This nebula is a star nursery for more than 800 young stars. Just right of the Flame Nebula, underneath the Horsehead Nebula, you’ll see a blue reflection nebula reflecting blue light from nearby stars. One of the most famous images of the Horsehead Nebula is the magnified image of...

Mysterious Dark Sand Dune on Mars

By on Feb 21, 2016 in Mars | 0 comments

Mars is a hot topic these days with the discovery of water, the revelation of what happened to the water on Mars billions of years ago, to this…mysterious sand dune. Yes, what they call the Namib dune. Mars has a lot of strange landscape features and this sand dune is no exception. The dune is about 4 meters tall and what separates this dune from the rest is the fact that it moves 1 meter per year. Mars rover Curiosity took a side quest to actually study this up close. It’ll help scientists understand how Martian dunes act and behave. There isn’t a ton of information on this dune as this photo was taken in November of 2015. It still counts as a first for humans studying an active sand dune other than Earth.   For more information or to download the full image in color you can check out JPL’s webpage here.  

Furious 20,000 Year Explosion Wolf-Rayet Star 124

By on Feb 19, 2016 in Wolf-Rayet Star | 0 comments

When we think of stars going supernova we might imagine one of the most incredible explosions in the universe. Nothing surprising here. However, when we think about how fast the explosion happens, well there’s a whole different story altogether. Enter Wolf-Rayet Star 124. Let’s take a sidebar and talk about this specific stellar death scenario. It’s one that is really like no other!   What is a Wolf-Rayet Star? A Wolf-Rayet Star has a few requirements. It is a star at least 20 times massive than our Sun, that starts its final farewell or beings to die a lot earlier than typical stars. They really embody the phrase “live fast and die hard.” What makes Wolf-Rayet stars fascinating is how quickly and furiously these stars go out. These magnificent stars are fusing through elements so fast that their solar winds are traveling at a blazing 3.6 million KM...

What Being an Astronomy Fan has Taught Me

By on Feb 18, 2016 in My two cents | 0 comments

Astronomy or even just science has taught me so much in my life that I figured I should share my key takeaways. I’m still learning so it’ll be great to revisit this post in about 5-10 years to see what else I’ve picked up. Before I jump in to this post I should give you some context about myself, the BrownSpaceman. Here are a few points about me before I really noticed the beauty of the universe and the poetry of science. I did not enjoy science in school and often struggled with math I enjoyed astronomy but nothing beyond looking through a telescope I rarely thought or looked at things in a scientific way   Flash forward to my third year in university I took an astronomy course with a friend. I mostly took it because I liked astronomy and heard it was an easy course (some motivation I had!). I didn’t find anything too eye opening to be honest. However, one...

Q&A with Future Mars-walker Astronaut Alyssa Carson

By on Feb 17, 2016 in Interview | 0 comments

Going to Mars will be no easy task. NASA and other private space companies have set goals for 2030 to go to Mars. To become an astronaut they say you need the “right stuff.” Being a Mars astronaut not only gets adults excited but even teenagers such as 14 year old Alyssa Carson. She has dedicated her life to becoming a Mars astronaut and you can tell she’s the real deal (find out what I mean here). I got a chance to ask Alyssa Carson a list of questions around her journey to becoming a Mars astronaut. Here we go! How has your journey to becoming an astronaut going? What things are you looking forward to in 2016? My journey towards becoming an astronaut has been going great. Somethings I am looking forward to in 2016 is doing more scuba trips, as well as starting my pilots license. I am also excited to continue going to camps especially in the summer. What was your...

What is Dark Matter and How Much is in the Milky Way?

By on Feb 15, 2016 in Cosmology | 1 comment

One fact that always humbles me is that the universe is made up 68% dark matter, 27% dark energy, and less than 5% matter. That means that all the current knowledge that we have is only about < 5% of the universe. When we say matter we are talking about stars, planets, moons, nebulas, and all the atoms in the universe. That makes up about 5%. This fact is just mind boggling and you should take a second to let that sink in. Now, that leaves us with dark matter and dark energy? Dark energy is what we believe is causing the universe to expand. Beyond that, we don’t know much about it. Dark matter on the other hand is interesting. We can say the things that are not dark matter but actually don’t know what it is either. Scientists know that dark matter is not in the form of stars and planets. It’s also not in the form of dark clouds or matter. Dark matter is also not...

Top 10 Astronomy Discoveries in 2015

By on Dec 28, 2015 in Round Up Post | 0 comments

What a year it has been for science and astronomy. From the first up close and personal images of Pluto to key insights of what happened to Mars’ water, it’s been nothing short of excitement. While we’ve made some great discoveries this year we’ve also had some fantastic surprises as well that are worth mentioning. Without further delay let’s jump into the best astronomy discoveries of 2015!   1. New Horizons makes historic Pluto flyby and delivers incredible data Credit: NASA Arguably one of the most exciting discoveries in 2015 or perhaps as far as the last decade is Pluto. As one of the most controversial planets this dwarf planet gave us a heart, moons, and a bizarre surface. There is still more data on the way for Pluto and we’re still discovering more and more. Check out Sky and Telescopes “Top 10 Surprises from Pluto” for a...

Your Next 2016 Space Calendar!

By on Dec 13, 2015 in Reviews | 0 comments

Whether you’re a space enthusiast or looking for a perfect little thank you this Year in Space Calendar is nothing short of amazing. By the way, if you’re a Carl Sagan fan then you’ll be glad to know this calendar was published with help from Sagan’s pride and joy – The Planetary Society. This calendar is created in collaboration with Planetary Society so you know you’ll be getting a wonderful experience. One thing this calendar does a great job of is keeping you informed and teaching you something new each month. Check out some of these samples from the calendar.   Each month is loaded with tons of information from nebulae to epic / historic space missions. What I really do appreciate is the fact they highlight a scientist in each month. This gives me a deeper appreciation for the people who have contributed to space exploration and helping us find our...