The Milky Way’s most recent supernova was hidden… until now! (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

“When a star goes supernova, the explosion emits enough light to overshadow an entire solar system, even a galaxy. Such explosions can set off the creation of new stars. In its own way, it was not unlike being born.” -Todd Nelson

In 1604, Kepler’s supernova went off, the last Milky Way supernova visible to naked-eye skywatchers here on Earth. Yet since the development of radio and X-ray astronomy, other, more recent supernova remnants in our galaxy have been found. They’ve only been invisible to the naked eye because of the galactic gas and dust that blocks their visible light. In 1984/5, the VLA discovered the most recent known remnant near the galactic center, and follow-up observations showed a rapid expansion.

Images credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/NCSU/S.Reynolds et al.); Radio (NSF/NRAO/VLA/Cambridge/D.Green et al.); Infrared (2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF/CfA/E.Bressert), of the supernova remnant in 1985 (L) and 2007/8 (R).

The most recent data not only dates this remnant to be only 110 years old, but it teaches us that it’s a Type Ia supernova that formed from the merger of two white dwarfs. The standard model — of one white dwarf accruing matter from a binary companion — may not only be a minority of Type Ia events, perhaps it doesn’t occur at all.

Image credit: NASA/CXC/NCSU/K.Borkowski et al., of supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 as imaged by Chandra in 2013.

Go get the full story of this new observation of G1.9+0.3 over on Forbes!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1VUjpzO

“When a star goes supernova, the explosion emits enough light to overshadow an entire solar system, even a galaxy. Such explosions can set off the creation of new stars. In its own way, it was not unlike being born.” -Todd Nelson

In 1604, Kepler’s supernova went off, the last Milky Way supernova visible to naked-eye skywatchers here on Earth. Yet since the development of radio and X-ray astronomy, other, more recent supernova remnants in our galaxy have been found. They’ve only been invisible to the naked eye because of the galactic gas and dust that blocks their visible light. In 1984/5, the VLA discovered the most recent known remnant near the galactic center, and follow-up observations showed a rapid expansion.

Images credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/NCSU/S.Reynolds et al.); Radio (NSF/NRAO/VLA/Cambridge/D.Green et al.); Infrared (2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF/CfA/E.Bressert), of the supernova remnant in 1985 (L) and 2007/8 (R).

The most recent data not only dates this remnant to be only 110 years old, but it teaches us that it’s a Type Ia supernova that formed from the merger of two white dwarfs. The standard model — of one white dwarf accruing matter from a binary companion — may not only be a minority of Type Ia events, perhaps it doesn’t occur at all.

Image credit: NASA/CXC/NCSU/K.Borkowski et al., of supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 as imaged by Chandra in 2013.

Go get the full story of this new observation of G1.9+0.3 over on Forbes!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1VUjpzO

Sowing Seeds in Winter

Emergency response, on scene coordinator, environmental protection, environmental careers.

By David Kluesner

My family lives in Missouri. Three sisters, a mom and dad, and seven nieces and nephews. All in the Heartland. Several times a year I fly to St Louis, rent a car and drive the two hours south to my birthplace, Cape Girardeau. Same home that I was raised in. Rural and comforting.

The youngest of my nieces and nephews is Lauren. She’s a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State University. Still contemplating her professional career. A bright, talented young lady, with a great heart and a strong moral compass. One of the most pleasant persons I’ve ever been around. OK, I am a bit biased. But it’s true.

The Friday after President’s Day I stopped by my sister’s place in Sainte Genevieve on the way to Cape Girardeau. My niece happened to be at her mom’s place, doing homework on her laptop. Lauren asked me about my job. How work was going. Rather than give her a huge word salad to try to digest I asked her if she wanted to see one of my colleagues in action, working on an emergency response sampling project in upstate New York. I showed her photos and a video clip of Margaret Gregor, EPA On-Scene Coordinator, being interviewed earlier in the week by a local news crew. In MINUS FOUR DEGREE WEATHER! I was with Margaret, on President’s Day, assisting her with outreach to the press and local community members to inform them of our efforts to address groundwater and drinking water contamination in their community.

My niece lit up with interest and enthusiasm. Maybe it was the fact that my niece and Margaret kind of look like they could be sisters? Or that the interview showed her someone very dedicated and professional in the line of service to community, or both?  My niece was all smiles, asking lots of questions. Intrigued perhaps by a career in environmental protection or government?  As I drove off to Cape Girardeau and thought back, I wondered if I had sowed seeds of interest in the environmental field.  Did a video and some photos show great government service in action a thousand times better than anything I could possibly say?

Did my grandmother know how much she changed me as a child when she held my hand and walked me through forests in Cape Girardeau and taught me about flowers, owls and trees.  Did she know that she was sowing seeds of desire in me to one day help clean up rivers and protect the environment?

One never knows when that seed will sprout into something profound. Sometimes showing the work of people like Margaret Gregor doing her job is more powerful than any word salad. Let’s see what happens with Lauren!

 

About the author: David Kluesner heads up the Community Affairs program for EPA Region 2. David has previously served as a Community Involvement Coordinator on the Hudson River and Passaic River cleanups, and as a Superfund Remedial Project Manager out of EPA’s Atlanta office.

from The EPA Blog http://ift.tt/1RLr6m0

Emergency response, on scene coordinator, environmental protection, environmental careers.

By David Kluesner

My family lives in Missouri. Three sisters, a mom and dad, and seven nieces and nephews. All in the Heartland. Several times a year I fly to St Louis, rent a car and drive the two hours south to my birthplace, Cape Girardeau. Same home that I was raised in. Rural and comforting.

The youngest of my nieces and nephews is Lauren. She’s a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State University. Still contemplating her professional career. A bright, talented young lady, with a great heart and a strong moral compass. One of the most pleasant persons I’ve ever been around. OK, I am a bit biased. But it’s true.

The Friday after President’s Day I stopped by my sister’s place in Sainte Genevieve on the way to Cape Girardeau. My niece happened to be at her mom’s place, doing homework on her laptop. Lauren asked me about my job. How work was going. Rather than give her a huge word salad to try to digest I asked her if she wanted to see one of my colleagues in action, working on an emergency response sampling project in upstate New York. I showed her photos and a video clip of Margaret Gregor, EPA On-Scene Coordinator, being interviewed earlier in the week by a local news crew. In MINUS FOUR DEGREE WEATHER! I was with Margaret, on President’s Day, assisting her with outreach to the press and local community members to inform them of our efforts to address groundwater and drinking water contamination in their community.

My niece lit up with interest and enthusiasm. Maybe it was the fact that my niece and Margaret kind of look like they could be sisters? Or that the interview showed her someone very dedicated and professional in the line of service to community, or both?  My niece was all smiles, asking lots of questions. Intrigued perhaps by a career in environmental protection or government?  As I drove off to Cape Girardeau and thought back, I wondered if I had sowed seeds of interest in the environmental field.  Did a video and some photos show great government service in action a thousand times better than anything I could possibly say?

Did my grandmother know how much she changed me as a child when she held my hand and walked me through forests in Cape Girardeau and taught me about flowers, owls and trees.  Did she know that she was sowing seeds of desire in me to one day help clean up rivers and protect the environment?

One never knows when that seed will sprout into something profound. Sometimes showing the work of people like Margaret Gregor doing her job is more powerful than any word salad. Let’s see what happens with Lauren!

 

About the author: David Kluesner heads up the Community Affairs program for EPA Region 2. David has previously served as a Community Involvement Coordinator on the Hudson River and Passaic River cleanups, and as a Superfund Remedial Project Manager out of EPA’s Atlanta office.

from The EPA Blog http://ift.tt/1RLr6m0

Refusing Healthy Communities via Vaccine Exemptions [Page 3.14]

A new review of the scientific literature confirms the truth about vaccine exemptions; they endanger everyone. On the Pump Handle, Kim Krisberg outlines the horrible realities of vaccine-preventable disease, and writes that vaccine refusal has “accelerated the resurgence of whooping cough and measles here in the U.S.” On Respectful Insolence, Orac writes “the MMR [vaccine] is very effective against measles, over 90%, but not 100%.” Meanwhile, with whooping cough, vaccine-induced immunity wears down over time.

These small windows of opportunity for infection would be inconsequential in a fully protected population, but with a certain percentage of kids running around unvaccinated due to the religious or ‘philosophical’ objections of their parents, an outbreak of these diseases can easily spread. As Orac writes, “Despite what antivaccine parents claim, their choice not to vaccinate does impact more than just their children and themselves. It impacts the entire community in which they live negatively.” On Aetiology, Tara C Smith says, “This is, again, one of my biggest problems with those who refuse vaccines. They frame the issue as solely ‘my child, my choice.’ Which is fine, until you put that child in with the rest of society via school, or daycare, or even trips to McDonald’s.”

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1ZLjsOt

A new review of the scientific literature confirms the truth about vaccine exemptions; they endanger everyone. On the Pump Handle, Kim Krisberg outlines the horrible realities of vaccine-preventable disease, and writes that vaccine refusal has “accelerated the resurgence of whooping cough and measles here in the U.S.” On Respectful Insolence, Orac writes “the MMR [vaccine] is very effective against measles, over 90%, but not 100%.” Meanwhile, with whooping cough, vaccine-induced immunity wears down over time.

These small windows of opportunity for infection would be inconsequential in a fully protected population, but with a certain percentage of kids running around unvaccinated due to the religious or ‘philosophical’ objections of their parents, an outbreak of these diseases can easily spread. As Orac writes, “Despite what antivaccine parents claim, their choice not to vaccinate does impact more than just their children and themselves. It impacts the entire community in which they live negatively.” On Aetiology, Tara C Smith says, “This is, again, one of my biggest problems with those who refuse vaccines. They frame the issue as solely ‘my child, my choice.’ Which is fine, until you put that child in with the rest of society via school, or daycare, or even trips to McDonald’s.”

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1ZLjsOt

EPA Partners Leading the Way On Climate Action

By Janet McCabe

Climate change is one of the most critical challenges of our time. We are committed to partnering with industry, communities, and government at all levels to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, and to prepare for the changes that are already underway.

Some important collaborations are our voluntary climate partnership programs. For decades, we have been partnering with the private sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote the use of cleaner energy sources, and improve energy efficiency efforts. These voluntary programs have achieved significant environmental benefits: in total, more than 19,000 organizations and millions of Americans have participated in our climate partnerships and, together in 2013 they prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use of more than 57 million homes.

Today, we launched a new voluntary program to reduce harmful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and 41 companies have stepped up as founding partners. Our Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge Program builds on the success of our Natural Gas STAR Program and encourages partner companies to make company-wide commitments to cut emissions from sources within their operations by implementing a suite of best management practices.

We expect program participation to grow over time and are actively working to expand the options for participation by finalizing an additional Emissions Intensity Commitment option through the ONE Future Coalition. The ONE Future coalition is a group of companies from across the natural gas industry focused on increasing the efficiency of the natural gas supply chain.

To understand the potential of this program, let’s look at the successes of the Natural Gas STAR Program. When Gas STAR began in 1993, it promoted six best management practices that companies could take to reduce methane emissions; that list has increased to over 50 mitigation best practices. In 2015, a total of 103 oil and gas companies from across the natural gas value chain were U.S. Natural Gas STAR Partners. Since the Natural Gas STAR program started, our partners have collectively achieved over 1.2 trillion cubic feet of methane emission reductions, equivalent to the emissions savings associated with the use of over 1.4 million barrels of oil or reducing over 606 million metric tons of C02 equivalent emissions.

Our other voluntary programs are making similar strides. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR has helped consumers save $362 billion on their utility bills while significantly reducing their greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Since the Green Power Partnership was introduced in 2001, more than 1,200 organizations have committed to using about 33 billion kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable green power each year. Through the Combined Heat and Power Partnership, more than 480 partners have installed nearly 6,800 megawatts of new combined heat and power since 2001. And in 2013 alone, our methane and fluorinated greenhouse gas program partners used our tools and resources to prevent emissions equal to the annual electricity use from more than 12 million homes in 2013.

Our country has been building momentum towards a cleaner energy economy for quite a while, and with the help of our voluntary programs, our partners have been helping to pave the way. To address the global challenge of climate change, we need to use all the tools in our toolbox, and voluntary programs are an important complement to regulatory action. Through the innovation and leadership of our partners, our voluntary climate partnership programs have proven to be an important lever for change.

from The EPA Blog http://ift.tt/25wOY7e

By Janet McCabe

Climate change is one of the most critical challenges of our time. We are committed to partnering with industry, communities, and government at all levels to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, and to prepare for the changes that are already underway.

Some important collaborations are our voluntary climate partnership programs. For decades, we have been partnering with the private sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote the use of cleaner energy sources, and improve energy efficiency efforts. These voluntary programs have achieved significant environmental benefits: in total, more than 19,000 organizations and millions of Americans have participated in our climate partnerships and, together in 2013 they prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use of more than 57 million homes.

Today, we launched a new voluntary program to reduce harmful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and 41 companies have stepped up as founding partners. Our Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge Program builds on the success of our Natural Gas STAR Program and encourages partner companies to make company-wide commitments to cut emissions from sources within their operations by implementing a suite of best management practices.

We expect program participation to grow over time and are actively working to expand the options for participation by finalizing an additional Emissions Intensity Commitment option through the ONE Future Coalition. The ONE Future coalition is a group of companies from across the natural gas industry focused on increasing the efficiency of the natural gas supply chain.

To understand the potential of this program, let’s look at the successes of the Natural Gas STAR Program. When Gas STAR began in 1993, it promoted six best management practices that companies could take to reduce methane emissions; that list has increased to over 50 mitigation best practices. In 2015, a total of 103 oil and gas companies from across the natural gas value chain were U.S. Natural Gas STAR Partners. Since the Natural Gas STAR program started, our partners have collectively achieved over 1.2 trillion cubic feet of methane emission reductions, equivalent to the emissions savings associated with the use of over 1.4 million barrels of oil or reducing over 606 million metric tons of C02 equivalent emissions.

Our other voluntary programs are making similar strides. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR has helped consumers save $362 billion on their utility bills while significantly reducing their greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Since the Green Power Partnership was introduced in 2001, more than 1,200 organizations have committed to using about 33 billion kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable green power each year. Through the Combined Heat and Power Partnership, more than 480 partners have installed nearly 6,800 megawatts of new combined heat and power since 2001. And in 2013 alone, our methane and fluorinated greenhouse gas program partners used our tools and resources to prevent emissions equal to the annual electricity use from more than 12 million homes in 2013.

Our country has been building momentum towards a cleaner energy economy for quite a while, and with the help of our voluntary programs, our partners have been helping to pave the way. To address the global challenge of climate change, we need to use all the tools in our toolbox, and voluntary programs are an important complement to regulatory action. Through the innovation and leadership of our partners, our voluntary climate partnership programs have proven to be an important lever for change.

from The EPA Blog http://ift.tt/25wOY7e

Program Aims to Facilitate Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites

Servicing vehicle jointly developed with a commercial partner would leverage DARPA’s successes in space robotics and accelerate revolutionary capabilities for working with satellites currently beyond reach

Hundreds of military, government and commercial satellites reside today in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) some 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth—a perch ideal for providing communications, meteorology and national security services, but one so remote as to preclude inspection and diagnosis of malfunctioning components, much less upgrades or repairs. Even fully functional satellites sometimes find their working lives cut short simply because they carry obsolete payloads—a frustrating situation for owners of assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. With no prospects for assistance once in orbit, satellites destined for GEO today are loaded with backup systems and as much fuel as can be accommodated, adding to their complexity, weight and cost. But what if help was just a service call away?

DARPA’s new Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program intends to answer that question by developing technologies that would enable cooperative inspection and servicing in GEO and demonstrating those technologies on orbit within the next five years. Under the RSGS vision, a DARPA-developed modular toolkit, including hardware and software, would be joined to a privately developed spacecraft to create a commercially owned and operated robotic servicing vehicle (RSV) that could make house calls in space. DARPA would contribute the robotics technology, expertise, and a Government-provided launch. The commercial partner would contribute the satellite to carry the robotic payload, integration of the payload onto it, and the mission operations center and staff. If successful, the joint effort could radically lower the risk and cost of operating in GEO.

“The ability to safely and cooperatively service satellites in GEO would vastly expand public and private opportunities in space. It could enable entirely new spacecraft designs and operations, including on-orbit assembly and maintenance, which could dramatically lower construction and deployment costs while extending satellite utility, resilience and reliability,” said RSGS program manager Gordon Roesler. “Commercial and government space operators have sought this capability for decades. By investing together, we can achieve a capability that would be extremely challenging to do individually.”

To formalize that collaboration, DARPA aims to establish a public-private partnership through which the Agency would develop and provide technical capabilities for transition to a commercial space robotics enterprise that would make cooperative robotic servicing available to both military and commercial GEO satellite owners on a fee-for-service basis. DARPA seeks to engage a commercial partner with a strategic interest in this capability, and an interest in providing services to the Defense Department (DoD).

By executing the RSGS program, DARPA seeks to:

• Demonstrate in or near GEO that a robotic servicing vehicle can perform safe, reliable, useful and efficient operations, with the flexibility to adapt to a variety of on-orbit missions and conditions
• Demonstrate satellite servicing mission operations on operational GEO satellites in collaboration with commercial and U.S. Government spacecraft operators
• Support the development of a servicer spacecraft with sufficient propellant and payload robustness to enable dozens of missions over several years

After a successful on-orbit demonstration of the robotic servicing vehicle, U.S. Government and commercial satellite operators would have ready access to diverse capabilities including high-resolution inspection; correction of some mission-ending mechanical anomalies, such as solar array and antenna deployment malfunctions; assistance with relocation and other orbital maneuvers; and installation of attachable payloads, enabling upgrades to existing assets. Satellite operators would be able to purchase these services on request to the robotic servicing vehicle operator.

A critical component of the RSV would be the robotic arm developed by DARPA known as FREND. Constructed to enable automated, cooperative connection to satellites that are not designed for docking, the FREND arm has multiple joints enabling dexterous movement and can carry and switch among multiple generic and mission-specific tools. DARPA will augment the arm by adding advanced algorithms for machine vision and supervised autonomous robotic operations. Also new will be onboard mission-planning software and a variety of sensors designed to provide reliable, high-fidelity spatial orientation information, essential for safely guiding the spacecraft with its robotic systems on orbit.

“In addition to these technical advances, a key goal of the RSGS program is to establish best practices and voluntary standards for space servicing operations,” said Brad Tousley, director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office, which oversees RSGS. “Government and industry need to work together to set safety standards as well as to take advantage of the servicer’s new capabilities.”

DARPA plans to kick off the public-private partnership via a Program Solicitation in the near future. Shortly thereafter, DARPA will host a Proposers Day to provide potential partners with further technical and programmatic details about the RSGS program. The date of issue of the Solicitation and the date and location of the Proposers Day have yet to be determined. Both will appear on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov).

from Armed with Science http://ift.tt/1RKRBYF

Servicing vehicle jointly developed with a commercial partner would leverage DARPA’s successes in space robotics and accelerate revolutionary capabilities for working with satellites currently beyond reach

Hundreds of military, government and commercial satellites reside today in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) some 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth—a perch ideal for providing communications, meteorology and national security services, but one so remote as to preclude inspection and diagnosis of malfunctioning components, much less upgrades or repairs. Even fully functional satellites sometimes find their working lives cut short simply because they carry obsolete payloads—a frustrating situation for owners of assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. With no prospects for assistance once in orbit, satellites destined for GEO today are loaded with backup systems and as much fuel as can be accommodated, adding to their complexity, weight and cost. But what if help was just a service call away?

DARPA’s new Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program intends to answer that question by developing technologies that would enable cooperative inspection and servicing in GEO and demonstrating those technologies on orbit within the next five years. Under the RSGS vision, a DARPA-developed modular toolkit, including hardware and software, would be joined to a privately developed spacecraft to create a commercially owned and operated robotic servicing vehicle (RSV) that could make house calls in space. DARPA would contribute the robotics technology, expertise, and a Government-provided launch. The commercial partner would contribute the satellite to carry the robotic payload, integration of the payload onto it, and the mission operations center and staff. If successful, the joint effort could radically lower the risk and cost of operating in GEO.

“The ability to safely and cooperatively service satellites in GEO would vastly expand public and private opportunities in space. It could enable entirely new spacecraft designs and operations, including on-orbit assembly and maintenance, which could dramatically lower construction and deployment costs while extending satellite utility, resilience and reliability,” said RSGS program manager Gordon Roesler. “Commercial and government space operators have sought this capability for decades. By investing together, we can achieve a capability that would be extremely challenging to do individually.”

To formalize that collaboration, DARPA aims to establish a public-private partnership through which the Agency would develop and provide technical capabilities for transition to a commercial space robotics enterprise that would make cooperative robotic servicing available to both military and commercial GEO satellite owners on a fee-for-service basis. DARPA seeks to engage a commercial partner with a strategic interest in this capability, and an interest in providing services to the Defense Department (DoD).

By executing the RSGS program, DARPA seeks to:

• Demonstrate in or near GEO that a robotic servicing vehicle can perform safe, reliable, useful and efficient operations, with the flexibility to adapt to a variety of on-orbit missions and conditions
• Demonstrate satellite servicing mission operations on operational GEO satellites in collaboration with commercial and U.S. Government spacecraft operators
• Support the development of a servicer spacecraft with sufficient propellant and payload robustness to enable dozens of missions over several years

After a successful on-orbit demonstration of the robotic servicing vehicle, U.S. Government and commercial satellite operators would have ready access to diverse capabilities including high-resolution inspection; correction of some mission-ending mechanical anomalies, such as solar array and antenna deployment malfunctions; assistance with relocation and other orbital maneuvers; and installation of attachable payloads, enabling upgrades to existing assets. Satellite operators would be able to purchase these services on request to the robotic servicing vehicle operator.

A critical component of the RSV would be the robotic arm developed by DARPA known as FREND. Constructed to enable automated, cooperative connection to satellites that are not designed for docking, the FREND arm has multiple joints enabling dexterous movement and can carry and switch among multiple generic and mission-specific tools. DARPA will augment the arm by adding advanced algorithms for machine vision and supervised autonomous robotic operations. Also new will be onboard mission-planning software and a variety of sensors designed to provide reliable, high-fidelity spatial orientation information, essential for safely guiding the spacecraft with its robotic systems on orbit.

“In addition to these technical advances, a key goal of the RSGS program is to establish best practices and voluntary standards for space servicing operations,” said Brad Tousley, director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office, which oversees RSGS. “Government and industry need to work together to set safety standards as well as to take advantage of the servicer’s new capabilities.”

DARPA plans to kick off the public-private partnership via a Program Solicitation in the near future. Shortly thereafter, DARPA will host a Proposers Day to provide potential partners with further technical and programmatic details about the RSGS program. The date of issue of the Solicitation and the date and location of the Proposers Day have yet to be determined. Both will appear on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov).

from Armed with Science http://ift.tt/1RKRBYF

The extremely hot heart of quasar 3C273

Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of quasar 3C273. Its extremely powerful jet probably originates from gas that is falling toward a supermassive black hole. Image via Chandra.

By combining signals recorded from radio antennas on Earth and in space – effectively creating a telescope of almost 8-Earth-diameters in size – scientists have, for the first time, gotten a look at fine structure in the radio-emitting regions of quasar 3C273, which was the first quasar known and is still one of the brightest quasars known. The result has been startling, violating a theoretical upper temperature limit. Yuri Kovalev of the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, Russia, commented:

We measure the effective temperature of the quasar core to be hotter than 10 trillion degrees!

This result is very challenging to explain with our current understanding of how relativistic jets of quasars radiate.

These results were published on March 16, 2016 in the the Astrophysical Journal.

A March 29 statement from the Max Planck Institute explained:

Supermassive black holes, containing millions to billions times the mass of our sun, reside at the centers of all massive galaxies. These black holes can drive powerful jets that emit prodigiously, often outshining all the stars in their host galaxies. But there is a limit to how bright these jets can be – when electrons get hotter than about 100 billion degrees, they interact with their own emission to produce X-rays and Gamma-rays and quickly cool down.

But, once again, quasar 3C273 has surprised us, this time with a temperature much higher than that thought possible.

To obtain these new results, the international team used the space mission RadioAstron – an Earth-orbiting satellite, launched in 2011 – which employs a 10-meter radio telescope aboard a Russian satellite. RadioAstron is what astronomers call an Earth-to-space interferometer. In other words, multiple radio telescopes on Earth are linked to RadioAstron to obtain results not possible from any single instrument. In this case, the Earth-based telescopes included the 100-meter Effelsberg Telescope, the 110-meter Green Bank Telescope, the 300-meter Arecibo Observatory, and the Very Large Array. These astronomers’ statement said:

Operating together, these observatories provide the highest direct resolution ever achieved in astronomy, thousands of times finer than the Hubble Space Telescope.

The incredibly high temperatures weren’t the only surprise from this study of quasar 3C 273. The RadioAstron team also discovered an effect they said has never seen before in an extragalactic source: the image of 3C 273 has a substructure caused by the effects of peering through the dilute interstellar material of the Milky Way. Michael Johnson of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), who led the scattering study, explained:

Just as the flame of a candle distorts an image viewed through the hot turbulent air above it, the turbulent plasma of our own galaxy distorts images of distant astrophysical sources, such as quasars.

These objects are so compact that we had never been able to see this distortion before. The amazing angular resolution of RadioAstron gives us a new tool to understand the extreme physics near the central supermassive black holes of distant galaxies and the diffuse plasma pervading our own galaxy.

Read more via Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy

Maarten Schmidt’s revelation about quasars is due to 3C272

Bottom line: Scientists combined radio telescopes on Earth and with the Earth-orbiting radio telescope RadioAstro to learn that the famous quasar 3C273 has a core temperature hotter than 10 trillion degrees! That’s much hotter than formerly thought possible.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1TiBszf

Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of quasar 3C273. Its extremely powerful jet probably originates from gas that is falling toward a supermassive black hole. Image via Chandra.

By combining signals recorded from radio antennas on Earth and in space – effectively creating a telescope of almost 8-Earth-diameters in size – scientists have, for the first time, gotten a look at fine structure in the radio-emitting regions of quasar 3C273, which was the first quasar known and is still one of the brightest quasars known. The result has been startling, violating a theoretical upper temperature limit. Yuri Kovalev of the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, Russia, commented:

We measure the effective temperature of the quasar core to be hotter than 10 trillion degrees!

This result is very challenging to explain with our current understanding of how relativistic jets of quasars radiate.

These results were published on March 16, 2016 in the the Astrophysical Journal.

A March 29 statement from the Max Planck Institute explained:

Supermassive black holes, containing millions to billions times the mass of our sun, reside at the centers of all massive galaxies. These black holes can drive powerful jets that emit prodigiously, often outshining all the stars in their host galaxies. But there is a limit to how bright these jets can be – when electrons get hotter than about 100 billion degrees, they interact with their own emission to produce X-rays and Gamma-rays and quickly cool down.

But, once again, quasar 3C273 has surprised us, this time with a temperature much higher than that thought possible.

To obtain these new results, the international team used the space mission RadioAstron – an Earth-orbiting satellite, launched in 2011 – which employs a 10-meter radio telescope aboard a Russian satellite. RadioAstron is what astronomers call an Earth-to-space interferometer. In other words, multiple radio telescopes on Earth are linked to RadioAstron to obtain results not possible from any single instrument. In this case, the Earth-based telescopes included the 100-meter Effelsberg Telescope, the 110-meter Green Bank Telescope, the 300-meter Arecibo Observatory, and the Very Large Array. These astronomers’ statement said:

Operating together, these observatories provide the highest direct resolution ever achieved in astronomy, thousands of times finer than the Hubble Space Telescope.

The incredibly high temperatures weren’t the only surprise from this study of quasar 3C 273. The RadioAstron team also discovered an effect they said has never seen before in an extragalactic source: the image of 3C 273 has a substructure caused by the effects of peering through the dilute interstellar material of the Milky Way. Michael Johnson of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), who led the scattering study, explained:

Just as the flame of a candle distorts an image viewed through the hot turbulent air above it, the turbulent plasma of our own galaxy distorts images of distant astrophysical sources, such as quasars.

These objects are so compact that we had never been able to see this distortion before. The amazing angular resolution of RadioAstron gives us a new tool to understand the extreme physics near the central supermassive black holes of distant galaxies and the diffuse plasma pervading our own galaxy.

Read more via Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy

Maarten Schmidt’s revelation about quasars is due to 3C272

Bottom line: Scientists combined radio telescopes on Earth and with the Earth-orbiting radio telescope RadioAstro to learn that the famous quasar 3C273 has a core temperature hotter than 10 trillion degrees! That’s much hotter than formerly thought possible.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1TiBszf

Best Practices Document Guides Out-of-School Programs Using Raspberry Pi Projects Kit

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit provides out-of-school programs with a plug-and-play set of materials and projects that can be used to lead students in engaging creative projects that build computer programming and circuit building skills. A new Best Practices document provides important insight and guidance for out-of-school and school programs using the STEM kit.

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit from Science Buddies provides students with everything they need to explore a series of creative projects that blend electronics, computer programming, and the process of "making" things. Following the eight guided projects, students use Scratch on Raspberry Pi to experiment with the addition of different kinds of sensors and circuits to bring real-world creations to life. With the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit, students gain computer programming skills while working on making fun, creative games and individual projects, many of which involve craft- and art-based projects that kids can touch and interact with to see (and hear) the effects of the programming.

By following the Science Buddies project directions and creating the Scratch program as well as building the circuit and the creative or art piece, kids can turn household objects into electronic drums, make fun carnival-style games, design 3D toys, and write cool programs that use real-world input to make something happen. All eight projects involve making interactive creations with electronic components that respond to light, touch, or sound. With this kit, students get to be programmer, engineer, and creator at the same time!

When a student completes one of the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit projects, the results are ones she can immediately see, try, test, and explore. The results of the programming and circuit building light up, make noise, or otherwise respond to input, which is exciting and gives students clear feedback that their code and circuit worked. If something doesn't work, the complete code for the Scratch portion of each project is provided, along with step-by-step illustrations of the circuit. Troubleshooting a project that isn't working is an important skill for all students to practice, and the code and circuits in the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit are short and contained, which makes troubleshooting something students can do without assistance, a process that builds valuable problem solving skills.

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit is an excellent investment for a student at home who wants to work on a series of projects. With the kit, a student, on her own, can start by setting up the Raspberry Pi (following the setup video from Science Buddies) and quickly get started with the first project—making a musical keyboard. No experience is necessary to succeed with this kit!

Raspberry Pi Projects Kit in Out-of-School Programs

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit can be a great tool for after-school or out-of-school programs, computer or STEM clubs, and even classroom environments. With a set of Raspberry Pi Projects Kits, an out-of-school program can run workshops or getting started events in which students work on a few introductory projects. With more time available, longer or multi-day events, for example, participants may be able to complete multiple projects from the series and gain computer and engineering skills and confidence in a short span of time. Carefully created to provide a sequential learning experience, students using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit can move through the series of projects, practicing newly acquired skills and gaining additional ones with each new project.

Over the last year, Science Buddies partners Purdue University's Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) and girlSPARC have run workshops with students using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. These partners provided Science Buddies with feedback and results from coordinating, managing, and running out-of-school or school events using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit.

Thanks to support from Sparkfactor.org, the knowledge and insight gained from Purdue WIEP and girlSPARC events has been compiled into a Best Practices resource designed to help guide program coordinators in planning and holding successful Raspberry Pi Projects Kit events in out-of-school, classroom, or other group settings.

The Best Practices for Using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit in a Classroom or Out-of-School Setting guide, available online or as a downloadable PDF, summarizes the findings of our year-long testing and research with Purdue WIEP and girlSPARC. This resource contains tips, suggestions, and targeted recommendations regarding group size, number of volunteers, timing, and planning.

Raspberry Pi Projects Kit Resources

To learn more about the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit at Science Buddies, see the following resources:

• Best Practices for Using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit in a Classroom or Out-of-School Setting
• Raspberry Pi Projects Kit
• The Girl Factor: Creative Code and Computer Programming (success story)
• Creative Raspberry Pi Projects for Beginners
• Raspberry Pi Projects Kit playlist (YouTube)
• Do Even More with Your Raspberry Pi Projects Kit
• Wire Some Trick-or-Treat or Light-up Fun with Scratch and Raspberry Pi (student success story)
• Light Up the Season with Computer Science Exploration
• Program Summer with Cool Computer Code
• 
  

The Best Practices resource was developed with support from Sparkfactor.org.
Sparkfactor.org is the nonprofit division of Sparkfactor Design. In keeping with our Maker roots, our programs center around technological and philanthropic innovation and STEM Education for underprivileged communities.

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

from Science Buddies Blog http://ift.tt/1PFtr0r

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit provides out-of-school programs with a plug-and-play set of materials and projects that can be used to lead students in engaging creative projects that build computer programming and circuit building skills. A new Best Practices document provides important insight and guidance for out-of-school and school programs using the STEM kit.

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit from Science Buddies provides students with everything they need to explore a series of creative projects that blend electronics, computer programming, and the process of "making" things. Following the eight guided projects, students use Scratch on Raspberry Pi to experiment with the addition of different kinds of sensors and circuits to bring real-world creations to life. With the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit, students gain computer programming skills while working on making fun, creative games and individual projects, many of which involve craft- and art-based projects that kids can touch and interact with to see (and hear) the effects of the programming.

By following the Science Buddies project directions and creating the Scratch program as well as building the circuit and the creative or art piece, kids can turn household objects into electronic drums, make fun carnival-style games, design 3D toys, and write cool programs that use real-world input to make something happen. All eight projects involve making interactive creations with electronic components that respond to light, touch, or sound. With this kit, students get to be programmer, engineer, and creator at the same time!

When a student completes one of the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit projects, the results are ones she can immediately see, try, test, and explore. The results of the programming and circuit building light up, make noise, or otherwise respond to input, which is exciting and gives students clear feedback that their code and circuit worked. If something doesn't work, the complete code for the Scratch portion of each project is provided, along with step-by-step illustrations of the circuit. Troubleshooting a project that isn't working is an important skill for all students to practice, and the code and circuits in the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit are short and contained, which makes troubleshooting something students can do without assistance, a process that builds valuable problem solving skills.

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit is an excellent investment for a student at home who wants to work on a series of projects. With the kit, a student, on her own, can start by setting up the Raspberry Pi (following the setup video from Science Buddies) and quickly get started with the first project—making a musical keyboard. No experience is necessary to succeed with this kit!

Raspberry Pi Projects Kit in Out-of-School Programs

The Raspberry Pi Projects Kit can be a great tool for after-school or out-of-school programs, computer or STEM clubs, and even classroom environments. With a set of Raspberry Pi Projects Kits, an out-of-school program can run workshops or getting started events in which students work on a few introductory projects. With more time available, longer or multi-day events, for example, participants may be able to complete multiple projects from the series and gain computer and engineering skills and confidence in a short span of time. Carefully created to provide a sequential learning experience, students using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit can move through the series of projects, practicing newly acquired skills and gaining additional ones with each new project.

Over the last year, Science Buddies partners Purdue University's Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) and girlSPARC have run workshops with students using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. These partners provided Science Buddies with feedback and results from coordinating, managing, and running out-of-school or school events using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit.

Thanks to support from Sparkfactor.org, the knowledge and insight gained from Purdue WIEP and girlSPARC events has been compiled into a Best Practices resource designed to help guide program coordinators in planning and holding successful Raspberry Pi Projects Kit events in out-of-school, classroom, or other group settings.

The Best Practices for Using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit in a Classroom or Out-of-School Setting guide, available online or as a downloadable PDF, summarizes the findings of our year-long testing and research with Purdue WIEP and girlSPARC. This resource contains tips, suggestions, and targeted recommendations regarding group size, number of volunteers, timing, and planning.

Raspberry Pi Projects Kit Resources

To learn more about the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit at Science Buddies, see the following resources:

• Best Practices for Using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit in a Classroom or Out-of-School Setting
• Raspberry Pi Projects Kit
• The Girl Factor: Creative Code and Computer Programming (success story)
• Creative Raspberry Pi Projects for Beginners
• Raspberry Pi Projects Kit playlist (YouTube)
• Do Even More with Your Raspberry Pi Projects Kit
• Wire Some Trick-or-Treat or Light-up Fun with Scratch and Raspberry Pi (student success story)
• Light Up the Season with Computer Science Exploration
• Program Summer with Cool Computer Code
• 
  

The Best Practices resource was developed with support from Sparkfactor.org.
Sparkfactor.org is the nonprofit division of Sparkfactor Design. In keeping with our Maker roots, our programs center around technological and philanthropic innovation and STEM Education for underprivileged communities.

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

from Science Buddies Blog http://ift.tt/1PFtr0r