ASTRO SPACE NEWS

A DIVISION OF MID NORTH COAST ASTRONOMY (NSW)

(ASTRO) DAVE RENEKE

SPACE WRITER - MEDIA PERSONALITY - SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT ABC/COMMERCIAL RADIO - LECTURER - ASTRONOMY OUTREACH PROGRAMS - ASTRONOMY TOUR GUIDE - TELESCOPE SALES/SERVICE/LESSONS - MID NORTH COAST ASTRONOMY GROUP (Est. 2002)   Enquiries: (02) 6585 2260       Mobile: 0400 636 363        Email: davereneke@gmail.com

 NORFOLK ISLAND 2024 'STARGAZING' TOUR

Nestled amidst the vast expanse of the South Pacific Ocean, Norfolk Island stands as a haven for those seeking to escape the clutches of urban light pollution and immerse themselves in the celestial splendor of the night sky. Far removed from the twinkling metropolises and sprawling suburbs, this remote island boasts one of the darkest skies on Earth, earning it the prestigious Gold Level Dark Sky certification.

As the sun sets and darkness takes over, Norfolk Island becomes an excellent spot for stargazing. The lack of light pollution and the island's warm, clear nights create perfect conditions for observing the celestial wonders. The sky gradually fills with stars, including the mesmerizing Milky Way, making it a paradise for those who love to look up and appreciate the beauty of the universe. 

Join our guided stargazing tour and let an experienced astronomer guide you through the celestial wonders that abound. Learn to identify constellations, from the familiar Orion to the enigmatic Scorpio, each with its own captivating mythology and rich cultural significance.  

Join our guided stargazing tour and let an experienced astronomer guide you through the celestial wonders that abound. Learn to identify constellations, from the familiar Orion to the enigmatic Scorpio, each with its own captivating mythology and rich cultural significance.   Discover the wonders of the cosmos, from the majestic planets of our solar system to the distant nebulae and galaxies. Looking through a powerful telescope on Norfolk Island reveals some cool stuff in the sky. Saturn's rings look like a celestial hula hoop, and the Jewel Box star cluster has colors that'll blow your mind.

But the stargazing on Norfolk Island is more than just looking at cool things. It's an experience that goes beyond just watching—it's about feeling a deep connection with the universe. Standing under the starry sky in the quiet of the island, you can't help but feel small and humble. It's a reminder of how tiny we are in the vastness of the universe. 

Stargazing tours on Norfolk Island aren't just for seeing space stuff. They're a chance to reconnect with yourself, to rediscover the wonder that often gets lost in our busy lives. It's an invitation to slow down, take a breath, and think about the beauty and vastness of the universe, finding comfort and inspiration in its celestial hug.  $2,260  (Conditions Apply)

FOR BOOKING ENQUIRIES/COSTS ETC  Australian Mobile 0402 335 005 - Email: norfolkislandstargazing@gmail.com

Evidence for Planet 9 found in icy bodies sneaking past Neptune

More evidence for a hypothetical extra planet lurking in the most distant reaches of our solar system has come to light — and the clues are associated with icy bodies that cross the orbit of Neptune while traversing long, looping paths around the sun.

Planet Nine, as the predicted planet is referred to, was first postulated in 2016 by Caltech's Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown, the latter having also discovered the dwarf planet Eris in 2005. Their original evidence predominantly focused on the clustering of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which are objects that spend the majority of their orbits farther from the sun than Neptune is. That's quite far. More specifically, the duo had zoomed in on TNOs with high inclinations, meaning the objects orbited the sun at steep angles to the ecliptic plane.

Because the solar system's contents formed from a disk around the sun, we would expect the orbits of everything orbiting the sun to keep relatively close to the plane of that disk. However, some don't — and the team infers this as evidence that Planet Nine's gravity could be pulling the objects out of the ecliptic and bunching them together in highly inclined orbits that share similar "apsides" (closest and most distant points in their orbits around the sun) and which are orientated with a similar tilt away from the ecliptic.

However, some astronomers remained skeptical, arguing that what Batygin and Brown saw as clustering is just an illusion caused by observational bias. The Caltech duo dispute this, and have actually now published a paper that focuses particularly on observations of low-inclination TNOs that don't cluster, but which still have peculiarities.

These icy TNOs are strange because they spend most of their life hundreds of times farther from the sun than Earth is, but their orbits are so elongated that they swoop in and spend a short while closer to the sun than Neptune, which is just 30 times farther from the sun than Earth. "With this work, we looked at objects with long-period orbits but which also strongly interact with Neptune, specifically those that cross Neptune''s orbit," Batygin told Space.com.

This doesn't include every object that crosses Neptune's orbit, to be clear. Pluto is a good counterexample. Like Pluto, the majority of TNOs don't have orbits that are as elongated as the ones included in the team's new research. Rather, most TNOs have trajectories that keep them relatively close enough to Neptune for extended periods of time such that they can be controlled by the ice giant's gravity.

The team, however, concerned itself only with those TNOs that get hundreds of astronomical units away from Neptune's gravitational tides, where Planet Nine can exert influence over them — if it so exists, of course. Because these studied objects come from all directions close to the ecliptic plane, without exhibiting any clustering behavior, the same claim of bias leveled at previous evidence regarding high-inclination, clustering TNOs does not hold.

The studied TNOs, and any on similar paths, don't spend too much time in their orbits; over the course of millions of years the gravity of the azure blue ice giant Neptune inevitably bats them away, scattering them far and wide and sometimes even out of the solar system entirely. This means that whatever is sending TNOs onto Neptune-crossing orbits is doing so continuously. There must be an ongoing process in place to keep the TNO supply replenished. This means that the culprit can't be something that happened in the distant past, like a star passing particularly close by. It has to be something that still exists.

There are two scenarios that could regularly place TNOs on long, looping orbits that cross Neptune's path. One scenario is that of the galactic tide, which is the gravitational tidal force of the Milky Way galaxy all around us acting on objects within the Oort Cloud, which lies far away beyond Neptune. These objects only loosely feel the sun's gravity due to their distance from our host star, but the galactic tide can usher them closer towards Neptune.

The other scenario — perhaps the more interesting one — is that the gravity of Planet Nine is perturbing these Oort Cloud objects enough that they tread closer to Neptune over time.

Batygin and his team — Michael Brown, Alessandro Morbidelli of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur in Nice, France, and David Nesvorny of the South-west Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado — performed two sets of simulations using observational data of real, low-inclination, Neptune-crossing TNOs to learn which scenario is more accurate.

One simulation involved a planet with a mass five times that of Earth influencing the TNOs (the simulated properties they used for Planet Nine are derived from the characteristics that best explained previous evidence such as the clustering of the high-inclination TNOs), while the other simulation had no Planet Nine at all and modeled just the galactic tide. Which would be most adept at getting TNOs to pass by Neptune?

The simulations showed that low-inclination TNOs can only regularly penetrate Neptune's orbit if Planet Nine is indeed there to slingshot them. On their own, the eddies of the galactic tides were calculated as too weak to get TNOs past Neptune. Hence, in the galactic tides simulation, the TNOs get to within a certain distance of the sun and no closer — but in the Planet Nine scenario, the TNOs are spread across a range of Neptune-crossing orbits, which matches what we see in reality.

"We show that you can reject the scenario where this is all happening because of the galactic tides with an astonishing degree of statistical significance," said Batygin. "Conversely, the Planet Nine scenario is perfectly compatible with the data."

Batygin likens it to a football (soccer, for you Americans reading) match, where Neptune is the goalkeeper. The galactic tides can shoot the TNOs towards the goal, but not with enough oomph to get them past the goalkeeper. Planet Nine, on the other hand, is like a planetary Harry Kane, regularly shooting the TNOs past Neptune with finesse. "What we see in the data are a bunch of footballs inside the goal," said Batygin. Still, the hunt for the football striker continues.

Later this decade, the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile will open and begin conducting a nightly, all-sky survey with its 8.4-meter telescope mirror. It will be able to test the evidence for Planet Nine available so far — the clustering of the orbits, the alignment of their orbital planes, their steep orbital inclinations, and the prevalence of retrograde (backwards orbiting) Centaurs. 

Those refer to icy bodies that have come in from the Oort Cloud and which currently orbit among the solar system's outer planets. If any of these are illusions caused by observational biases, then the Vera Rubin observations will reveal them to be. Though conversely, it could strengthen the evidence, and find many more TNOs that exhibit the same potential influences of Planet Nine.

"It will test all of these gravitational lines of evidence with an independent new survey that is not subject to the same biases as the previous ones," said Batygin. It is even possible that the Vera Rubin Observatory will go all the way and actually find the big tamale. "By virtue of its efficiency, maybe — just maybe — it will find Planet Nine," said Batygin. "That would be pretty cool."

China unveils video of its moon base plans, which weirdly includes a NASA space shuttle

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has released a video of its concept for a lunar base to be developed across the next couple of decades. CNSA unveiled the video on Wednesday (April 24) as part of the country's annual space day celebrations. The project is known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) and was jointly announced in 2021 by China and Russia.

China is now leading the moon base initiative and attempting to attract international partners for the endeavor. So far, alongside China, Russia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand and Nicaragua have joined the initiative, according to Space News.

The video shows a number of missions, including surface sample return operations, a lander and rover, and supporting orbital satellites. These correspond to the planned Chang'e-6 and 7 missions planned for launch next month and in 2027 respectively. Together with Chang'e-8, these will form a basic model of the ILRS by around 2028. Next will come communications, power generation and other infrastructure, which will be built on and developed into an expansive, inhabited lunar outpost.

The project is envisioned as a comprehensive scientific experimental base which will host interdisciplinary and multi-objective research activities focusing on lunar exploration and utilization, according to Chinese reports. It will be capable of long-term independent operation, either on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit.

"The moon serves as a starting point, and an international lunar research station will provide a platform for long-term scientific research, work and habitation, paving the way for future human exploration into deeper space. It will serve as a technological, material, and intellectual reservoir, preparing us for future missions to Mars and other distant destinations in space," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told China Central Television (CCTV) on Wednesday.

Wu says the ILRS will be constructed in two phases. The first will establish comprehensive scientific facilities with basic functions and essential supporting elements around the lunar south pole by 2035. The second phase will set about building a well-equipped and stable facility of considerable scale by 2045. One curious detail of the video is the presence of a retired NASA Space Shuttle appearing to lift off from a launch pad in the background. 

Space laser transmission strikes Earth from 140 million miles away: NASA

This redefined a long-distance call. Earth just received a laser transmission from a world- (and perhaps universe-) record-breaking 140 million miles away — which could have major implications for the future of space travel. However, this correspondence wasn't extraterrestrial in origin: It was actually sent by NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which is currently located approximately 1.5 times the distance between Earth and the sun.

 "This represents a significant milestone for the project by showing how optical communications can interface with a spacecraft's radio frequency comms system," Meera Srinivasan, the project's operations lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement.

This major breakthrough was achieved by using a Psyche feature called Deep Space Optical Communications, or DSOC, one of the droid's several tasks per Space.com. Its main directive is exploring 16 Psyche, the asteroid from which it takes its name. NASA wanted to show the potential for laser communications to be conducted across interstellar distances, allowing for high bandwidth and a much speedier connection — from 10 to 100 times faster than what's available today — between humans and the probes they send into space.

  This achievement was particularly significant as, along with sending the laser message a record-breaking distance, NASA managed to transmit actual data gathered from the spacecraft. "We downlinked about 10 minutes of duplicated spacecraft data," explained Srinivasan. "Until then, we'd been sending test and diagnostic data in our downlinks from Psyche."

To wit, in November last year, Psyche sent back to Earth from 10 million miles away, but it was pre-loaded test data and not any "real" info. This marked the culmination of a series of messages sent by the probe since it launched on October 13 atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket. During a dry run in December, Psyche beamed data back from 19 million miles away, sending it at the system's maximum rate of 267 megabits per second.

This correspondence — which included footage of an orange tabby cat named Taters — took just over a minute and a half to reach Earth, which is comparable to broadband internet speeds. By contrast, this latest DSOC transmission was only 25 megabits. This was due to the fact that Psyche was seven times farther away, reducing the speed at which it could send and receive messages.

Despite the comparatively syrupy speed, this nonetheless eclipsed the project's goal of "proving at least 1 Mbps was possible at that distance," per the release. This watershed moment provides a taste of how spacecraft "could use optical communications in support of humanity's next giant leap: sending humans to Mars," NASA wrote. Psyche is slated to fly by the Red Planet by 2026, whereupon it will fly toward its main destination, 16 Psyche, which it should reach by 2029.

Like the early pioneers' search for the Northwest Passage, it will aim to map out this final frontier El Dorado, which contains enough precious metals to crash the gold market.

James Webb Space Telescope discovers some early universe galaxies grew up surprisingly fast

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that early universe galaxies must have grown up way faster than expected. Plus, the same team also found that, 10 billion years ago, the cosmos wasn't quite as disordered and chaotic as previously believed.

The international team, led by researchers from Durham University in the U.K., reached these conclusions by discovering evidence of structures called "star bars" forming in galaxies that existed just a few billion years after the Big Bang.

Star bars are elongated regions of increased star density found at the hearts of spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and other disk galaxies. As they form, star bars push gas toward the hearts of their respective galaxies, thereby regulating star birth. The presence of these central bar structures thus indicate that a galaxy has entered a more settled and "mature phase."

"Galaxies in the early universe are maturing much faster than we thought," Zoe Le Conte, team leader and a researcher at Durham University, said in a statement. "This is a real surprise because you would expect the universe at that stage to be very turbulent, with lots of collisions between galaxies and a lot of gas that hasn't yet transformed into stars.

"However, thanks to the JWST, we are seeing a lot of these bars much earlier in the life of the universe, which means that galaxies were at a more settled stage in their evolution than previously thought. This means we will have to adjust our views on early galaxy evolution." This isn't the first time scientists have gone bar-hopping in the early history of the 13.8 billion-year history of the universe.

The Hubble space telescope witnessed these features as well, but that orbiting eye on the universe could only go as far back as 8 billion to 9 billion years. The increased sensitivity and wavelength range of the JWST, however, has stretched such observations back at least another 1 billion years. This has revealed bar formation in galaxies that are seen as they were between 8 billion and 11.5 billion years ago. In fact, of 368 disk galaxies the team considered for the study, 20% already had bars. That is double the number observed by Hubble.

"We find that many more bars were present in the early universe than previously found in Hubble studies, implying that bar-driven galaxy evolution has been happening for much longer than previously thought," team member and Durham University scientist Dimitri Gadotti said. "The fact that there are a lot more bars is what's very exciting."

The further back in time the team looked with the JWST, the fewer bar structures they observed in galaxies.

They believe this could be because galaxies at earlier stages of the universe were not as well formed. An alternative may be that shorter bars were more common in progressively earlier galaxies. Even the impressive observational power of the JWST isn't sufficient to see these short bars in early galaxies.

With these results in hand, the team now wants to use the JWST to peer even further back into cosmic time, looking back as far as 12.2 billion years ago. This could reveal whether bar growth was common just 1.6 billion years after the Big Bang.

"The simulations of the universe now need to be scrutinized to see if we get the same results as the observations we've made with the JWST," Gadotti concluded. "We have to think outside of what we thought we knew."

Canine Companions on the Path to Lunar Exploration

Imagine a robot dog named Spirit scaling the snowy slopes of Mount Hood, its metal legs crunching on the ice. This isn't science fiction, but the LASSIE project, where scientists are training robots like Spirit to explore the Moon and beyond.

The project's name, a clever acronym for Legged Autonomous Surface Science in Analogue Environments, also playfully acknowledges Spirit's canine resemblance. Its legs, equipped with sensors, act not just for locomotion but as scientific instruments, feeling the terrain like our own feet.

Why legs? Unlike traditional rovers with wheels, legs offer superior maneuverability. As Ryan Ewing, a geologist with NASA, explains, legs allow robots to navigate the "complicated terrains" of our solar system, from mountains to craters. We can explore a wider world, just like a dog can traverse more places than a person in a wheelchair.

Feifei Qian, a robotics professor leading the project, highlights another benefit: avoiding getting stuck. We've all seen images of rovers bogged down in sand. Legs, inspired by nature's agile creatures, offer a solution.

The project isn't just about technology. The LASSIE team even studies real dogs on these expeditions, filming their movements to gain insights into how robots can best navigate diverse terrains.

The future for Spirit? The Moon! Ewing sees Spirit's technology as perfect for exploring lunar ice deposits, crucial for future settlements. Imagine Spirit clambering across the lunar surface, its sensors gathering data for scientists and potential lunar miners.

The lighthearted exchange at the end of the interview reveals the human connection with these robots. While Feifei Qian jokingly describes Spirit's "temper" and love for "battery juice," Ryan Ewing acknowledges the feeling of companionship when working with Spirit. These robots aren't just machines; they're our robotic companions venturing into the unknown.

The LASSIE project is a testament to human ingenuity and our desire to explore. By learning from nature and building robots that mimic animal agility, we're taking a big leap towards a future where robotic dogs like Spirit will be our partners in space exploration.

Autumn Skies: A Sparkling Spectacle

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'ASTRO DAVE' RENEKE - A Personal Perspective

I've often been asked what I do, where I've been and what sort of activities I've engaged in throughout my 50 years involvement in astronomy and space. Here is an interview i did with Delving with Des Kennedy on Rhema 99.9 recently. 

David Reneke, a highly regarded Australian amateur astronomer and lecturer with over 50 years of experience, has established himself as a prominent figure in the field of astronomy. With affiliations to leading global astronomical institutions, David serves as the Editor for Australia's Astro-Space News Magazine and has previously held key editorial roles with Sky & Space Magazine and Australasian Science magazine.

His extensive background includes teaching astronomy at the college level, being a featured speaker at astronomy conventions across Australia, and contributing as a science correspondent for both ABC and commercial radio stations. David's weekly radio interviews, reaching around 3 million listeners, cover the latest developments in astronomy and space exploration.

As a media personality, David's presence extends to regional, national, and international TV, with appearances on prominent platforms such as Good Morning America, American MSNBC news, the BBC, and Sky News in Australia. His own radio program has earned him major Australasian awards for outstanding service.

David is recognized for his engaging and unique style of presenting astronomy and space discovery, having entertained and educated large audiences throughout Australia. In addition to his presentations, he produces educational materials for beginners and runs a popular radio program in Hastings, NSW, with a substantial following and multiple awards for his radio presentations.

In 2004, David initiated the 'Astronomy Outreach' program, touring primary and secondary schools in NSW to provide an interactive astronomy and space education experience. Sponsored by Tasco Australia, Austar, and Discovery Science channel, the program donated telescopes and grants to schools during a special tour in 2009, contributing to the promotion of astronomy education in Australia. BELOW Is the recorded interview  

INTRODUCING OUR NEW PARTNER & ASTRO SUPPLIER

Many thanks to Peter and the crew at ASTRO ANARCHY Queensland. A New business with the amateur astronomer firmly in mind.  Astro Anarchy has the experience, the stock and the knowledge to set up the first timer, to assist in the development of our hobby for the experienced observer OR cater to any other size need or desire in the field of amateur astronomy. 

ATRO ANARCHY AS OUR SPONSOR: My business partner Peter Davies and I have set up a new Astro Tourism business focusing on the recently 'Dark Sky Town' accredited to Norfolk Island. We call it 'Norfolk Island STARGAZING'. When approached, Pete from Astro Anarchy had no hesitation in organizing and supplying all our Telescopes, Binoculars and associated gear to get started. Nothing was any trouble allowing us more than enough time to set up and become fully operational. He and he and his business come highly recommended for anyone wanting any astronomical gear in Australia.

Web: https://www.astroanarchy.com.au/    Sales: sales@astroanarchy.com.au   Phone: 0412 085 224

'Astro Dave' Is Radio-Active 

Heard On DOZENS Of Stations Weekly - CLICK for past interviews