Amazing Space!

One of the things that fascinates me most about space is not what lurks in the depths beyond our home planet, but that we have developed the ability to see and even explore out into those depths.

For thousands of years, our only access to the universe was through our own eyes. It wasn't until the 1600's that telescopes first allowed our eyes to see beyond their evolved limitations and glimpse at what was awaiting us. Yet, we still remained earthbound even as telescopes grew; uncovering more light from the darkness.

We finally took our first steps into that darkness only fifty-nine years ago with the launch of the first space traveler, Sputnik. Since then, numerous robotic and human explorers have transformed humanity's place in the universe.

Sputnik

Of course, the Apollo missions left humanity's footprints on the Moon, but that is where our physical journey ends. For now. As a substitute for our physical limitations, the technology we have developed serves as our proxy as we probe into the unknown.

Apollo 11

Many spacecrafts have journeyed into space since the beginning of the Space Age. However, few have become so prolific and revolutionary that these missions almost seem to have an identity of there own.

January serves as an important anniversary month for our accomplishments in the new frontier.

30th Anniversary of Voyager 2 Fly-By of Uranus
Thirty years ago, Voyager 2 had it's closest approach for it's fly-by of the Uranus system. Voyager 2 saw this planet in way no human eyes had ever witnessed in person. It even discovered new moons and new rings our telescopes at the time couldn't see. After passing by Uranus at 50,600 miles, Voyager 2 was the last spacecraft to visit this world.

Crescent Uranus after Voyager 2 fly-by

12th Anniversary of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, Landing on Mars
Twelve years ago, Mars history was made with the successful (and bouncy) landing of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. These plucky rovers were tasked to find evidence that Mars once had liquid water. The area where Opportunity landed was bountiful with such evidence. However, Spirit had a tougher time until a wheel malfunction was the stroke of luck the rover needed to find silicates (minerals formed formed in liquid water) buried within the martian soil. While the initial mission was only supposed to last three months, both Spirit and Opportunity proved to be the toughest rovers that could. Spirit's last phone home was in March 2010 after getting stuck in the sand. Yet, Opportunity is still going strong and sciencing the hell out of Mars.

Opportunity view from atop "Cape Tribulation" - January 2016

10th Anniversary of New Horizons Launch to Pluto
Ten years ago, the New Horizons spacecraft launched on it's long and lonely voyage to fly-by the (now) Dwarf Plant, Pluto. Just as the Voyager spacecrafts gave us our first detailed views of the planets within the outer solar system, New Horizons would finally give us an up close and personal of this faraway world. Pluto is ridiculously far from Earth (an average of 3.67 billion miles!), so it took New Horizons nine years to finally reach its destination. Almost as soon as New Horizons arrived, it was gone. Even though it only had a short fly-by, it did not disappoint. New Horizons has provided us with an unrivaled view; showing us details of the surface of Pluto and it's moons that has surprised and baffled astronomers. This brief encounter has provided us with data to last decades. New Horizons will continue to fly through the Kuiper Belt, currently on its way to another mysterious object sure to expand our understanding of these distant icy worlds.

Crescent Pluto after New Horizons fly-by

Our accomplishments, and even our failures, of the past push us further into that frontier. The universe is a big place, and it's exciting to see all the different ways we try to explore.

Happy anniversary space travelers!

9th Planet from the Sun...Maybe

For those of you who still cry over Pluto's demotion, prepare to get you're 9th planet groove back on.

Researchers at Caltech announced this morning that there may be a large planet hiding in the outer reaches of the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper belt is a region of space that houses icy bodies and some Dwarf Planets including Pluto. One of those researchers claiming there to be a 9th planet is none other than Mike Brown, famed Pluto-demoter! Oh, the irony.

If the planet exists, it lies about 20 times farther than Neptune is from the Sun, and it is 10 times more massive than the Earth. The research suggesting this planet's existence is based on computer simulations used to explain the funky orbital geometry of six of the most distant icy body's found in the Kuiper Belt.

It's still too early to claim fact, but possibly having a massive 9th planet lurking out there is exciting!

Here's article for more detailed information:
http://www.caltech.edu/news/caltech-researchers-find-evidence-real-ninth-planet-49523

Riddle Me This.....

As a Planetarian and a manager, I am striving to provide the best experiences possible for the guests that come to the planetarium.

One way to try and understand what people like or want is to survey them. Implementing surveys can be hard within a larger institution. So, I've created my own informal survey!

Below is a link to my survey. If you have time, please take a moment to fill it out. Your input is important, and it will really help my research in creating better planetarium experiences.

Planetarium Survey:

http://goo.gl/forms/zeY5jgoc8c 

To Be or Not to Be Awkward

Today the holidays come to an end. The children go back to school while the adults go back to work. Life sheds the festive glitter and lights; returning to normal.

In the planetarium, this means a dramatic drop in attendance during the weekdays. Although, in the coming weeks, the school groups will begin to filter in, slowly gaining in abundance until the spring is filled with screaming children and careless chaperons staring at their cell phones. But, that is a story for a different day.

With the decrease in attendance, there comes more chances for canceled shows or shows with very few guests. Sometimes a show will simply have either an amorous couple out on a weekday date or a single family playing hooky from school. This can make for either a really amazing or really awkward show.

One would think that a planetarium filled to the brim with enthusiastic learners of science would make the best shows to give for a presenter. While large shows are usually always fun, and the excitement of the audience helps to fuel my energy as a presenter, these shows lack the intimacy of a smaller audience.

Smaller shows are a double-edged sword. When less than 50 people fill the 210-seat planetarium, a show can be really great..... when the audience participates. Sometimes, no matter what you do to try and engage the guests in actively participating, you end up merely giving the show to yourself. Suffice to say, this can be awkward.

Now, I don't blame the audience for this. Personally, I am the type of person that likes to sit in the back of class and not talk or participate other than quietly absorbing the information and taking whatever notes I need. Some audiences are like that. These audiences just want to sit and enjoy the presentation without answering or asking any questions. That's fine. I mean, I always talk to myself anyway.

Conversely to this possible awkwardness, small shows can also be some of the best and most fun shows to give. The smaller audience allows me to take the time to answer more questions or to individually talk to people. Usually, inquisitive kids make these shows great. Kids either want to ask every question in the world or they want to tell you all about everything they know. The energy from the kids can also help encourage the adults to get involved as well. When the show turns into a large discussion instead of merely a presentation....priceless.

The most intimate shows are the ones with just a single family with kids. For these shows, I can sit or kneel near them, and we can go wherever they want in the universe. Kids also love when they get to press the buttons on the iPad I use to control the universe. These kinds of shows are the most rewarding and always remind me why I do what I do.

So, with the holidays ending, I both dread the unavoidable awkwardness and anticipate the engaging intimacy of the ensuing smaller shows.

Either way, I get to talk about space stuff. All is good.

2015: A Space Odyssey

As we begin a new year, this past year has been an amazing year for space exploration. From pop culture to reality, astronomy has been a bright star for all to be amazed and dazzled by its explosive power. Let's take a look at just a few of the exciting things that have happened in 2015.

Hubble's 25th Anniversary
We began 2015 with a year-long celebration of the accomplishments of the Hubble Space Telescope. Launched into orbit in April 1990, Hubble has revolutionized the way we view the cosmos. Although the telescope had a bit of a blurry start after an initial problem with its primary mirror, by 1993, Hubble showed the world a cosmos unlike it had been seen before.

Eagle Nebula - "Pillars of Creation"
Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University)

Throughout it's 25 years in space, Hubble has been essential in expanding, not only our view, but our understanding of the cosmos. Helping us understand galaxy evolution, refining the age of the universe, and assisting in the detection of exoplanets are just a few of the greatest impacts from the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble will continue its mission exploring the cosmos at least until its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, takes it's place in 2018.

Learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope HERE.

New Horizon's Flyby of Pluto
Almost 10 years ago, the New Horizon's spacecraft was launched on a long and lonely journey into the depths of our Solar System. It's mission: learn all we can about Pluto during a brief flyby. Finally, on July 14, 2015, New Hoizon's made it's closest approach to Pluto, and stunned scientists and the world alike. 

Pluto
Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Instead of a boring, old, frozen ball of various ices, Pluto was a world of varying geologic ages and activity. A smooth plane of nitrogen ice with flowing glaciers marked the "heart" of Pluto. While, mountains of water ice rise high in stark contrast. The various surface features and compositions show a strange and wildly interesting world beyond anyone's imagination. Pluto and it's five moons finally shown in clear detail after spending a lifetime as a fuzzy blip in the dark abyss of space. This is just the beginning of our understanding of this system. The data from New Horizon's brief visit is still beaming back to Earth, and years of research awaits.

Learn more about the New Horizon's mission and Pluto HERE.

Martian Water
One of the great mysteries in the Solar System lies on one of our nearest neighbors, Mars. The question of life beyond on Earth begins with the Red Planet. We have known that Mars had liquid water on it's surface in the past and there's plenty of water ice on the planet today. However, for the first time, liquid water has been confirmed "flowing" on Mars in the present.

Dark Recurring Slope Lines
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Researchers from the University of Arizona observed recurring streaks of salty water ebbing and flowing down slopes during the warmer months on Mars. The high salt content allows water to remain liquid in extreme temperatures, and is causing a shallow subsurface flow that causes dark streak to appear on the martian surface. While, these flows are not conducive to life, it is a step in understanding the processes that occur on Mars today, and may lead scientists to clues about the possibility of past or present life on Mars.

Learn more about water on Mars HERE.

The Martian
Pop culture has a huge impact on our scientific advancement. We have a habit of turning our dreams created for science fiction into reality. The Martian was not simply a science fiction flight of fancy with a charismatic hero that capitalized on our fascination with Mars exploration, but a look into the reality of the future.

Credit: 20th Century Fox

Mars is the next great destination for human space exploration. NASA is currently preparing for a future journey to Mars. The goal is to have humans reach Mars by the 2030's. This means, the children of today are the Mars generation of the future. While Matt Damon may have is feet firmly planted on the Earth, in the near future we will have a step for mankind firmly planted on Mars. 

Learn more about NASA's Journey to Mars here: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/journeytomars/index.html

SpaceX Rocket Landing
On December 21, 2015, SpaceX made history by landing their Falcon 9 rocket after it launched to deploy several communication satellites in orbit. Through a series of engine burns, the Falcon 9 was maneuvered and positioned to land standing upright back in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Falcon 9 Landing
Credit: SpaceX

This monumental occasion and the subsequent tests of the Falcon 9's re-usability will revolutionize space exploration, if all proves successful. The ability to reuse rockets will pave the way to greater access to space by making it's exploration cheaper and more efficient. Two great hurdles that have always stood in the way to our final and greatest frontier.
Learn more about spaceX HERE.

We are continually pushing the boundaries of our frontier, and 2015 saw many advances in our exploration and understanding of the universe. So, while we send 2015 into the past, we welcome 2016 with even more promise and excitement.

Happy New Year! Here's to continually boldly going where we have never gone before!