DOCSLIB.ORG

Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem, Philip K

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem, Philip K Newsletter of the Stratford-upon-Avon Astronomical Society OCTOBER 2013 Double star system actually a triple The nearby star system Fomalhaut – of special interest for its unusual exoplanet and dusty debris disk – has been discovered to be not just a double star, as astronomers had thought, but one of the widest triple stars known as a previously known smaller star in its vicinity is also part of the Fomalhaut system. Eric Mamajek, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester, and his collaborators found the triple nature of the star system through a piece of detective work. "I noticed this third star a couple of years ago when I was plotting the motions of stars in the vicinity of Fomalhaut for another study," Mamajek said. "However I needed to Map of the Fomalhaut triple system. Fomalhaut C is collect more data and gather a team of co- roughly 6 degrees away from Fomalhaut A! Fomalhaut B authors with different observations to test is the orangish K dwarf TW PsA. The age for this stellar MEETINGS: 7:30 for 8pm whether the star's properties are consistent trio appears to be consistent with ~440 million years. The with being a third member of the Fomalhaut arrows show the proper motion vectors for the stars. Due Club Nights include a variety of system." to the relative motions between the Fomalhaut trio and activities, including: observing topics, our Sun, the positions of the stars are all moving at monthly sky notes, multimedia, By carefully analysing astrometric (precise approximately 0.4 arcseconds per year (taking about ~10,000 years to traverse a degree). astronomical chat and observing the movements) and spectroscopic night sky (weather permitting). measurements (that allow the temperature and radial velocity to be determined), the The researchers also had to show that it would October 15th researchers were able to measure the distance be feasible for these two stars to be “Cosmic Sirens: The Dawn of and speed of the third star. They concluded gravitationally bound, rather than moving Gravitational Astronomy” that the star, until recently known as LP 876-10, independently. "Fomalhaut A is such a massive (Prof Sathyaprakash) is part of the Fomalhaut system, making it star, about twice the mass of our Sun, that it Fomalhaut C. can exert sufficient gravitational pull to keep November 5th "Fomalhaut C looks quite far apart from the this tiny star bound to it – despite the star Club Night: sky notes & observing big, bright star that is Fomalhaut A when you being 158,000 times farther away from (weather permitting) look up at the sky from Earth," added Fomalhaut than the Earth is from the Sun," Mamajek. There are roughly 5.5 degrees Mamajek said. November 19th between the two stars, which is as if they were There are another 11 star systems closer to our “From Lobster's Eyes to Alien Oceans ” separated by roughly 11 full moons for an Sun than Fomalhaut that consist of three or (Dr Nigel Bannister) observer on Earth. Mamajek explained that more stars, including the closest star system, JUpiter ICy Moon Explorer (JUICE) ESA they look this far apart, in part, because Alpha Centauri. The new measurements also spacecraft to visit the Jovian system Fomalhaut is relatively close to Earth as stars show that the Fomalhaut system is the most go – approximately 25 light years. If these stars massive and widest among these nearby December 3rd were far away from Earth, they would appear multiple systems. Lecture night - tba much closer together in the sky. That they appear so far apart could explain why the Fomalhaut A is also the 18th brightest star January 7th - 2014 connection between LP 876-10 and Fomalhaut visible in our night sky and one of the few stars Club Night: sky notes & observing had been previously missed. Being able to with both a directly imaged exoplanet and a (weather permitting) obtain high quality astrometric and velocity dusty debris disk. The famous star has been data were the other keys. featured in science fiction novels by writers January 21st “Rings reign on Saturn” (tbc) (James O'Donoghue & Dr Henrik Melin) February 4th - 2014 Club Night: sky notes & observing (weather permitting) February 18th Lecture night - tba March 4th Club Night: sky notes & observing (weather permitting) March 18th “Volcanoes in the Solar System” (Dr Paul Olver) www.astro.org.uk www.facebook.com/StratfordAstro www.twitter.com/StratfordAstro Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem, Philip K. Dick, and Frank Herbert. brightness to Polaris. The age of the trio is about 440 million years – roughly a tenth the age of our solar system. Despite being a well-studied system, it was only recently confirmed that Fomalhaut was a binary star – two stars that orbit each other – although it had been first suggested in the 1890s. In 2006 a colleague of Mamajek, Prof Alice Quillen, predicted the existence of a planet around Fomalhaut, as well as the shape of its orbit, by trying to understand why the debris ring was off-centre and why it had a surprisingly sharp edge. The following year a new planet around Fomalhaut was imaged. Many questions about Fomalhaut A's exoplanet and debris disk still remain unanswered. For example, astronomers are puzzled by why the exoplanet known as Fomalhaut "b" is on such an eccentric orbit and why the debris disk does not appear to be centred on the star Fomalhaut A. It is possible that Fomalhaut's wide companions B and C have gravitationally perturbed the Fomalhaut "b" exoplanet and debris belt orbiting Fomalhaut A, however the orbits of Fomalhaut's companion stars are not well-constrained. The orbits of Fomalhaut B and C around Fomalhaut A are predicted to take millions of years, so pinning down their orbits will be a challenge for future astronomers. While Fomalhaut C is a red dwarf star – the most common type of star in the universe – Fomalhaut B is an orange dwarf star about three-quarters the mass of our Sun. From the vantage point of a hypothetical planet orbiting Fomalhaut C, Fomalhaut A would appear to be a brilliant white star nine times brighter than Sirius (the brightest star in our night sky); similar to the typical brightness of the planet Venus. Notional sketch of the Fomalhaut system viewed face-on. The radial locations of features are Fomalhaut B would appear to be an otherwise approximate and not to scale e.g. the 10AU gelt represent dust near the 10AU radius but the unremarkable bright orangish star similar in width of the belt is not precisely known. (see http://arxiv.org/pdf/1305.2222v1.pdf) And the winners are… The theory proposed by Englert and Higgs describes this process. On 4th July 2012, at the CERN laboratory for particle physics, the theory was confirmed by the discovery of a Higgs particle. CERN’s particle collider, LHC (Large Hadron Collider), is probably the largest and the most complex machine ever constructed by humans. Two research groups of some 3,000 scientists each, ATLAS and CMS, managed to extract the Higgs particle from billions of particle collisions in the LHC. Even though it is a great achievement to have found the Higgs particle — the missing piece in the Standard Model puzzle — the Contacts Standard Model is not the final piece in Ian Galletly the cosmic puzzle. (Chair) [email protected] François Englert and Peter W. Higgs have been jointly awarded the One of the reasons Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 for the theory of how particles acquire for this is that the Richard Chubb mass. In 1964, they proposed the theory independently of each Standard Model (Vice Chair) other (Englert together with his now deceased colleague Robert treats certain [email protected] Brout). particles, neutrinos, as being virtually John Waller The theory is a central part of the Standard Model of particle physics massless, whereas (Membership & Treasurer) that describes how the world is constructed. According to the recent studies show [email protected] Standard Model, everything, from flowers and people to that they actually stars and planets, consists of just a few building Jim Dean do have mass. blocks: matter particles. These particles are governed (Events Secretary) by forces mediated by force particles that make sure Another [email protected] everything works as it should. reason is that the model only Julia Waller The entire Standard Model also rests on the existence of describes visible (Newsletter Editor & Secretary) a special kind of particle: the Higgs particle. This particle originates matter, which only [email protected] from an invisible field that fills up all space. Even when the universe accounts for one fifth seems empty this field is there. Without it, we would not exist, of all matter in the because it is from contact with the field that particles acquire mass. cosmos. Hanwell Community Observatory at Banbury Canal Open Day 2013 View of the gable end through the 6” reflector (inverted due to the properties of the optical On Sunday 6th October, as part of their system inside the telescope). outreach programme, members of Hanwell Community Observatory (HCO) took part in The HCO telescopes were set up in a part of the Open Day celebrations at Banbury Canal the canal known as Tooley’s Boatyard, which in the centre of Banbury. is the oldest working dry dock on the Inland Waterways. It has been in continuous use since 1790 and also boast a 200 year-old forge which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and where you can learn to The modified solar telescope (Coronado PST + 6” blacksmith.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • I N S I D E T H I S I S S
    Publications and Products of August/août 2003 Volume/volume 97 Number/numéro 4 [701] The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Observer’s Calendar — 2004 This calendar was created by members of the RASC. All photographs were taken by amateur astronomers using ordinary camera lenses and small telescopes and represent a wide spectrum of objects. An informative caption accompanies every photograph. It is designed with the observer in mind and contains comprehensive The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Le Journal de la Société royale d’astronomie du Canada astronomical data such as daily Moon rise and set times, significant lunar and planetary conjunctions, eclipses, and meteor showers. The 1998, 1999, and 2000 editions each won the Best Calendar Award from the Ontario Printing and Imaging Association (designed and produced by Rajiv Gupta). Individual Order Prices: $16.95 CDN (members); $19.95 CDN (non-members) $14.95 USD (members); $17.95 USD (non-members) (includes postage and handling; add GST for Canadian orders) The Beginner’s Observing Guide This guide is for anyone with little or no experience in observing the night sky. Large, easy to read star maps are provided to acquaint the reader with the constellations and bright stars. Basic information on observing the Moon, planets and eclipses through the year 2005 is provided. There is also a special section to help Scouts, Cubs, Guides, and Brownies achieve their respective astronomy badges. Written by Leo Enright (160 pages of information in a soft-cover book with otabinding that allows the book to lie flat). Price: $15 (includes taxes, postage and handling) Skyways: Astronomy Handbook for Teachers Teaching Astronomy? Skyways Makes it Easy! Written by a Canadian for Canadian teachers and astronomy educators, Skyways is: Canadian curriculum-specific; pre-tested by Canadian teachers; hands-on; interactive; geared for upper elementary; middle school; and junior high grades; fun and easy to use; cost-effective.
    [Show full text]
  • Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI), Ed
    Exoplanets, Extremophiles, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Jill C. Tarter 1.0. Introduction We discovered the very first planetary worlds in orbit around a body other than the Sun in 1991 (Wolzczan and Frail 1992). They were small bodies (0.02, 4.3, and 3.9 times as massive as the Earth) and presented a puzzle because they orbit a neutron star (the remnant core of a more massive star that had previously exploded as a supernova) and it was not clear whether these bodies survived the explosion or reformed from the stellar debris. They still present a puzzle, but today we know of over five hundred other planetary bodies in orbit around hundreds of garden variety stars in the prime of their life cycle. Many of these planets are more massive than Jupiter, and some orbit closer to their stars than Mercury around the Sun. To date we have not found another planetary system that is an exact analog of the Earth (and the other planets of our solar system) orbiting a solar-type star, but we think that is because we have not yet had the right observing instruments. Those are on the way. In the next few years, we should know whether other Earth mass planets are plentiful or scarce. At the same time that we have been developing the capabilities to detect distant Earths, we have also been finding that life on Earth occurs in places that earlier scientists would have considered too hostile to support life. Scientists were wrong, or at least didn’t give microbes the respect they deserve.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Fiction Review 37
    SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW $2.00 WINTER 1980 NUMBER 37 SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW (ISSN: 0036-8377) Formerly THE ALIEN CRITZ® P.O. BOX 11408 NOVEMBER 1980 — VOL.9, NO .4 PORTLAND, OR 97211 WHOLE NUMBER 37 PHONE: (503) 282-0381 RICHARD E. GEIS, editor & publisher PAULETTE MINARE', ASSOCIATE EDITOR PUBLISHED QUARTERLY FEB., MAY, AUG., NOV. SINGLE COPY — $2.00 COVER BY STEPHEN FABIAN SHORT FICTION REVIEWS "PET" ANALOG—PATRICIA MATHEWS.40 ASIMOV'S-ROBERT SABELLA.42 F8SF-RUSSELL ENGEBRETSON.43 ALIEN THOUGHTS DESTINIES-PATRICIA MATHEWS.44 GALAXY-JAFtS J.J, WILSON.44 REVIEWS- BY THE EDITOR.A OTT4I-MARGANA B. ROLAIN.45 PLAYBOY-H.H. EDWARD FORGIE.47 BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS. THE MAN WITH THE COSMIC ORIGINAL ANTHOLOGIES —DAVID A. , _ TTE HUNTER..... TRUESDALE...47 ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ. TRIGGERFINGER—an interview with JUST YOU AND Ft, KID. ROBERT ANTON WILSON SMALL PRESS NOTES THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN. CONDUCTED BY NEAL WILGUS.. .6 BY THE EDITOR.49 THE CHILDREN. THE ORPHAN. ZOMBIE. AND THEN I SAW.... LETTERS.51 THE HILLS HAVE EYES. BY THE EDITOR.10 FROM BUZZ DIXON THE OCTOGON. TOM STAICAR THE BIG BRAWL. MARK J. MCGARRY INTERFACES. "WE'RE COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW" ORSON SCOTT CARD THE EDGE OF RUNNING WATER. ELTON T. ELLIOTT SF WRITER S WORKSHOP I. LETTER, INTRODUCTION AND STORY NEVILLE J. ANGOVE BY BARRY N. MALZBERG.12 AN HOUR WITH HARLAN ELLISON.... JOHN SHIRLEY AN HOUR WITH ISAAC ASIMOV. ROBERT BLOCH CITY.. GENE WOLFE TIC DEAD ZONE. THE VIVISECTOR CHARLES R. SAUNDERS BY DARRELL SCHWEITZER.15 FRANK FRAZETTA, BOOK FOUR.24 ALEXIS GILLILAND Tl-E LAST IMMORTAL.24 ROBERT A.W, LOWNDES DARK IS THE SUN.24 LARRY NIVEN TFC MAN IN THE DARKSUIT.24 INSIDE THE WHALE RONALD R.
    [Show full text]
  • Detecting the Oldest Geodynamo and Attendant Shielding from the Solar Wind: Implications for Habitability
    Detecting the oldest geodynamo and attendant shielding from the solar wind: Implications for habitability John A. Tardunoa,b,∗, Eric G. Blackmanb, Eric E. Mamajekb aDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 14627, USA bDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 14627, USA Abstract The onset and nature of the earliest geomagnetic field is important for under- standing the evolution of the core, atmosphere and life on Earth. A record of the early geodynamo is preserved in ancient silicate crystals containing minute magnetic inclusions. These data indicate the presence of a geodynamo during the Paleoarchean, between 3.4 and 3.45 billion years ago. While the magnetic field sheltered Earth's atmosphere from erosion at this time, standoff of the so- lar wind was greatly reduced, and similar to that during modern extreme solar storms. These conditions suggest that intense radiation from the young Sun may have modified the atmosphere of the young Earth by promoting loss of volatiles, including water. Such effects would have been more pronounced if the field were absent or very weak prior to 3.45 billion years ago, as suggested by some models of lower mantle evolution. The frontier is thus trying to obtain geomagnetic field records that are 3.45 billion-years-old, as well as constrain- ing solar wind pressure for these times. In this review we suggest pathways for constraining these parameters and the attendant history of Earth's deep inte- arXiv:1502.04410v1 [astro-ph.EP] 16 Feb 2015 rior, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • How Astronomical Objects Are Named
    How Astronomical Objects Are Named Jeanne E. Bishop Westlake Schools Planetarium 24525 Hilliard Road Westlake, Ohio 44145 U.S.A. bishop{at}@wlake.org Sept 2004 Introduction “What, I wonder, would the science of astrono- use of the sky by the societies of At the 1988 meeting in Rich- my be like, if we could not properly discrimi- the people that developed them. However, these different systems mond, Virginia, the Inter- nate among the stars themselves. Without the national Planetarium Society are beyond the scope of this arti- (IPS) released a statement ex- use of unique names, all observatories, both cle; the discussion will be limited plaining and opposing the sell- ancient and modern, would be useful to to the system of constellations ing of star names by private nobody, and the books describing these things used currently by astronomers in business groups. In this state- all countries. As we shall see, the ment I reviewed the official would seem to us to be more like enigmas history of the official constella- methods by which stars are rather than descriptions and explanations.” tions includes contributions and named. Later, at the IPS Exec- – Johannes Hevelius, 1611-1687 innovations of people from utive Council Meeting in 2000, many cultures and countries. there was a positive response to The IAU recognizes 88 constel- the suggestion that as continuing Chair of with the name registered in an ‘important’ lations, all originating in ancient times or the Committee for Astronomical Accuracy, I book “… is a scam. Astronomers don’t recog- during the European age of exploration and prepare a reference article that describes not nize those names.
    [Show full text]
  • Brightest Stars : Discovering the Universe Through the Sky's Most Brilliant Stars / Fred Schaaf
    ffirs.qxd 3/5/08 6:26 AM Page i THE BRIGHTEST STARS DISCOVERING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH THE SKY’S MOST BRILLIANT STARS Fred Schaaf John Wiley & Sons, Inc. flast.qxd 3/5/08 6:28 AM Page vi ffirs.qxd 3/5/08 6:26 AM Page i THE BRIGHTEST STARS DISCOVERING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH THE SKY’S MOST BRILLIANT STARS Fred Schaaf John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.qxd 3/5/08 6:26 AM Page ii This book is dedicated to my wife, Mamie, who has been the Sirius of my life. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2008 by Fred Schaaf. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada Illustration credits appear on page 272. Design and composition by Navta Associates, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copy- right.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
    [Show full text]
  • Politics, Religion, and Philosophy in the Fiction of Philip K. Dick
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research New York City College of Technology 2005 How Much Does Chaos Scare You?: Politics, Religion, and Philosophy in the Fiction of Philip K. Dick Aaron Barlow CUNY New York City College of Technology How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ny_pubs/25 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] How Much Does Chaos Scare You? Politics, Religion, and Philosophy in the Fiction of Philip K. Dick Aaron Barlow Shakespeare’s Sister, Inc. Brooklyn, NY & lulu.com 2005 © Aaron Barlow, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Foreword n 1989, while I was serving in Peace Corps in West Africa, II received a letter from an American academic publisher asking if I were interested in submitting for publication the doctoral dissertation I had completed the year before at the University of Iowa. “Why would I want to do that?” I asked. One disserta- tion on Philip K. Dick had already appeared as a book (by Kim Stanley Robinson) and Dick, though I loved his work, just wasn’t that well known or respected (not then). Plus, I was liv- ing in a mud hut and teaching people to use oxen for plowing: how would I ever be able to do the work that would be needed to turn my study from dissertation to book? When I defended the dissertation, I had imagined myself finished with studies of Philip K.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy 1973-2000 Title Index
    Astronomy magazine title index 1973-2000 Afocal and Projection Astrophotography, 8/81:57–59 # Afro-American Skylore Studied, 1/79:61 Against All Odds: Matter and Evolution in the Universe, 100 Years on Mars, 6/94:28–39, 28–39 9/84:67–70 10-Meter Keck Telescope to Gain Twin, 8/91:18, 20, 22 Age of Nearby Stars, The, 7/75:22–27, 22–27 11-Mintute Binary?, An, 1/87:85–86 Age of the Universe, The, 7/81:66–71 12 1/2 -inch Ritchey-Chretien, A, 11/82:55–57 Age Paradox, The, 6/93:38–43 12.5 Inch Portaball, The, 3/95:80–85, 80–85 Aid to Long Exposure Astrophotography, An, 10/73:35–39, 35–39 13th Jovian Moon Discovered, 11/74:55 Aiming at Neptune, 11/87:6–17 14th Jovian Moon, 1/76:60 Airborne Assault on Comet Halley, 3/86:90–95 15 Years of Space, 1/77:55 Alan B. Shepard (1923-1998), 11/98:32, 34 169th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, The, Alcock's Nova Resurges, 2/77:59 4/87:76 ALCON Lands in Rockford, 1/97:32, 34 17th-Century Nova Indicates Novae are More Numerous then Aldebaran's Girth, 7/79:60 Estimated, 5/86:72 Alexis Lives!, 3/94:24 1976 AA: Discovery of a Minor Planet, 6/76:12–13, 12–13, 12–13, Alien Skies, 4/82:90–95 12–13 Alignment By Laser Light, 4/95:82–83, 82–83 1989 Ends With a Leap Second, 12/89:12 A List, The, 2/98:34 1990 Radio-Video Star Party, The, 4/91:26 All About Telesto, 7/84:62 1 Billion Degree Plasma Discovered by Voyager 2, 1/82:64–65 All Eyes on the Comet Crash, 6/94:40–45, 40–45 1st Extragalactic Pulsar Discovered, 2/76:63 All in the Family, 2/93:36–41 1st Shuttle Payload to Study Resources and Environment,
    [Show full text]
  • !L.Tjs July-Sept
    #!l.tJs July-Sept. 200J Editor: Christine Mains "'anaging Editor: Janice M. Bosstad Nonfiction ~eYiews: Ed McHnisht Fiction ~eYiews: Philip Snyder The SFRAReview (ISSN I. "-HIS ISSUE: 1068-395X) is published four times a year by the Science Fiction Research As­ sociation (SFRA) and distributed to SFRA Business SFRA members. Individual issues are not Editor's Message 2 for sale; however, starting with issue #256, all issues will be published to President's Message 3 SFRA's website no less than two months Minutes of SFRA General Meeting 3 after paper publication. For information Clareson Award Introduction 5 about the SFRA and its benefits, see the description at the back of this issue. For a membership application, contact SFRA Non Fiction Reviews Treasurer Dave Mead or get one from Edgar Rice Burroughs and Tarzan 7 the SFRA website: <www.sfra.org>. Chaos Theory, Asimov, and Dune 8 SFRA would like to thank the Univer­ Sity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for its as­ National Dreams I 0 sistance in producing the Review. Prefiguring Cyberculture 12 Hitchiker: Douglas Adams 14 SUBMISSIONS The SFRAReviewencourages all submis­ sions, including essays, review essays that Fiction Reviews cover several related texts, and inter­ Collected Stories of Greg Bear 15 views. If you would like to review non­ fiction or fiction, please contact the Live Without a Net I 6 respective editor. The Light Ages I 7 Archform: Beauty 19 Christine Mains, Editor Box 66024 Nowhere Near Mllkwood 20 Calgary,AB T2N I N4 The Mighty Orinoco 21 <[email protected]> Robert Silverberg Presents: 1964 22 Janice M.
    [Show full text]
  • Cycle 18 Abstract Catalog (Based on Phase I Submissions) Generated On: Thu Jun 17 08:19:12 EDT 2010
    Cycle 18 Abstract catalog (based on Phase I submissions) Generated on: Thu Jun 17 08:19:12 EDT 2010 Proposal Category: AR Scientific Category: UNRESOLVED STELLAR POPULATIONS AND GALAXY STRUCTURE ID: 12120 Title: The Next Generation of Numerical Modeling in Mergers- Constraining the Star Formation Law PI: Li-Hsin Chien PI Institution: Space Telescope Science Institute Spectacular images of colliding galaxies like the "Antennae", taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, have revealed that a burst of star/cluster formation occurs whenever gas-rich galaxies interact. The ages and locations of these clusters reveal the interaction history and provide crucial clues to the process of star formation in galaxies. We propose to carry out state-of-the- art numerical simulations to model six nearby galaxy mergers (Arp 256, NGC 7469, NGC 4038/39, NGC 520, NGC 2623, NGC 3256), hence increasing the number with this level of sophistication by a factor of 3. These simulations provide specific predictions for the age and spatial distributions of young star clusters. The comparison between these simulation results and the observations will allow us to answer a number of fundamental questions including: 1) is shock-induced or density-dependent star formation the dominant mechanism; 2) are the demographics (i.e. mass and age distributions) of the clusters in different mergers similar, i.e. "universal", or very different; and 3) will it be necessary to include other mechanisms, e.g., locally triggered star formation, in the models to better match the observations? ====================================================================== Proposal Category: AR Scientific Category: COSMOLOGY ID: 12121 Title: Radiative Hydrodynamic Simulations of Reionization-Epoch Galaxies PI: Romeel Dave PI Institution: University of Arizona We propose to use our newly-developed cosmological radiative hydrodynamical galaxy formation code to study the formation and evolution of galaxies at redshifts z>6 as seen with existing and upcoming HST/WFPC3 observations.
    [Show full text]
  • About the Author
    About the Author Michael Michaud has been a leading fi gure in preparations for possible future contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. As chairperson of Inter- national Academy of Astronautics working groups that considered this subject, he coordinated the drafting of the Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intel- ligence, also known as the First SETI Protocol. Michaud also is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the American Astronautical Society, and is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society. He has published more than thirty articles and papers on the implications of contact, as well as more than sixty articles on other subjects. He is the author of a previous book entitled Reaching for the High Frontier: The American Pro-Space Movement, 1972–1984. During his career with the U.S. Department of State, Michaud served as Director of the Offi ce of Advanced Technology and as Counselor for Science, Technology, and Environment at the American embassies in Paris and Tokyo. He led U.S. delegations in the successful negotiation of inter- national science and technology agreements. He played an active role in reviving U.S.-Soviet space cooperation and in initiating U.S.-Soviet talks on outer space arms control. He represented the State Department in interagency space policy discussions, and testifi ed before the U.S. Congress four times on space-related issues. He presently lives in Europe. 377 References JBIS = Journal of the British Interplanetary Society QJRAS = Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society Introduction 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Fomalhaut - Wikipedia Coordinates: 2 2 H 5 7 M 3 9 .1 S, −2 9 ° 3 7 ′ 2 0″
    12/2/2018 Fomalhaut - Wikipedia Coordinates: 2 2 h 5 7 m 3 9 .1 s, −2 9 ° 3 7 ′ 2 0″ Fomalhaut Fomalhaut, also designated Alpha Piscis Austrini (α Piscis Austrini, abbreviated Alpha PsA, Fomalhaut α PsA) is the brightest star in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus and one of the brightest stars in the sky. It is a class A star on the main sequence approximately 25 light-years (7 .7 pc) from the Sun as measured by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite.[11] Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified.[12] It is classified as a Vega-like star that emits excess infrared radiation, indicating it is surrounded by a circumstellar disk.[13] Fomalhaut, K-type main-sequence star T W Piscis Austrini, and M-type, red dwarf star LP 87 6-10 constitute a triple system, even though the companions are separated by several degrees.[14] Fomalhaut holds a special significance in extrasolar planet research, as it is the center of the first stellar system with an extrasolar planet candidate (designated Fomalhaut b, later named Dagon) imaged at visible wavelengths. The image was published in Science in November 2008.[15] Fomalhaut is the third-brightest star (as viewed from Earth) known to have a planetary system, after the Sun and Pollux. DSS image of Fomalhaut, field of view 2.7×2.9 degrees. Contents Credit NASA, ESA, and the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble) Nomenclature Observation data Fomalhaut A Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 Properties Debris disks
    [Show full text]