The solar system is an amazing place filled with a vast spectrum of unique objects, and the most notable of them all is us. We and everything else in the solar system are comprised of the same materials that came from the same place, but only we have grown and developed to appreciate that fact. We have arisen from the dust only to find that dust is all there is. Many people might find this idea saddening or bleak but for me it fills me with a sense of awe. That the dust we see so calmly following the laws of physics to the letter can arrange twist and organize itself to create something as remarkable as us is an astounding fact. In the 93,000,000 mile neighborhood that we call the solar system we are likely the only lifeforms left. It is our responsibility to prove the worth of the dust our universe is made out of by striving to continue our growth. Our existence is a testimony to the beauty of our solar system and our learning of it is our method of acknowledging it.
This rare microbe is the most radiation resistant organism known to man. Discovered in 2003 living inside of a hydrothermal vent at the bottom of the pacific ocean off the coast of California, this little guy is capable of withstanding over 30,000 grays (a Gray is the absorption of one joule of such energy by 1kg of matter) This is about 6,000 times the tolerance that human beings have. They thrive between temperatures of 55 and 95 degrees Celsius with an optimal environment close to 88 degrees. The reason that Thermococcus gammatolerans is able to survive these extreme conditions is because, unlike other organisms, its cell survival does not change based on changes in its growth phase. The organism can rebuild damaged or reproducing chromosomes rapidly or slowly without any change in the viability of its survival. These highly radioactive conditions are abundant in the thermally hot and geologically active pockets of our universe. If there were to be an underwater ocean on Ganymede, these radioactive conditions might be the norm as energy radiates out from the core of the planet. Extremophiles like this one show the resilience of life even in nature’s harshest environments and give astronomers hope that life is not as picky about the conditions for its inception as was previously believed. Extreme extremophiles
In Greek Mythology the pleiades are seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the nymph Pleione. They were said to be extremely beautiful and served as companions to the goddess Artemis. When their father was forced to carry the weight of the world for all eternity the great hunter Orion began to pursue them. Orion was a notorious fiend for women and pursued them to the point that Zeus attempted to turn them into doves. The myth claims that in panic the seven sisters finally committed suicide together, but to comfort their father Zeus immortalized them as stars. Yet event this was not enough to escape mighty Orion who was also cast into the sky. Now the Pleiades seek shelter on the back of Taurus as Orion chases them in an eternal struggle across the night sky. Source: Pleiades Mythology Constellations: The Sky
Ganymede is the largest body in the solar system not to receive the distinction of being a planet ranking at number 9 in size for the solar system. Larger than even mercury, Ganymede is approximately 41.3% the radius of Earth yet strangely is comprised out of only 2.5% its mass. The ultra light moon lacks the dense core that our earth has meaning it has been geologically inert for quite some time now. This is the reason we see ganymede having such a densely cratered surface because there are no geological forces tearing at he surface and eroding their structure. Oddly enough the planet is believed to contain a liquid saltwater ocean over 200 km deep below the surface. The discovery of this ocean was announced in 2001 following the galileo space probe’s mission.
http://www.space.com/25090-big-bang-gravity-waves-discovered-video.html
Today an astrophysicist team based in antarctica claimed they have found the first tangible evidence for gravitational waves from the beginning of the universe. These waves provide a convincing argument for the inflating universe and the big bang theory in ways previously not thought possible.
Gravitational waves are a phenomenon predicted by Einstein’s relativity model. He predicts that in the event of some major rapid change, such as the big bang, the fabric of space and time would be stretched and compressed over time creating a wavelike function that would propagate throughout the universe and the propagation of these waves would leave an imprint on the radiation it passed through. After 9 years of data collection in one of the most hostile environments on earth, the subtle remains of these early moment waves have finally been discovered. The team has detected a swirling pattern in the cosmic microwave background that match the modular predictions for gravitational waves. This discovery makes it finally possible for scientists to claim with certainty that they understand the earliest moments of the universe.
http://www.space.com/22752-voyager-1-goes-interstellar-solar-system-boundary-passed-video.html
As of August 25th 2012 the human race pushed one of its own creations beyond the range of the solar system. The 36 year long journey of the probe has brought it beyond anything else that has ever intentionally come from our planet. Scientists confirm this occurence using plasma data STILL being sent from the distant traveler. The Sun creates a sphere nearly 11.25 billion miles in radius over which its solar wind has domain. Upon reaching the edge of this domain Voyager 1 recorded a sudden drop in solar particles. This barrier where the sun no longer has the prevailing wind is called the Heliopause. At this point the solar wind is damped by the greater galactic wind that covers true interstellar space. Voyager will completely run out of power between 2025 and 2030. After that its last use is part of its payload. The probe contains a gold plated disk full of pictures, voices, and music from Earth. Whether that disk will ever been seen by living eyes again we may never know.
There are over 1500 near earth asteroids that are being considered by Planetary Resources and other companies like it and virtually all of them contain things of value. Whether it is the raw materials for fuel and construction, or precious metals that outsize the current stores on earth, asteroids have the greatest promise for making space more accessible by taking the launch out of the equation for many vital resources. This may sound like a science fiction initiative but the first missions are right around the corner. Mission launches are set to begin prospecting asteroids for their size shape and composition as early as 2016. The estimated wealth available on asteroids is estimated in the trillions. Planetary Resources
Chaco Canyon in New Mexico is one of the largest archeoastronmical sites in the world. The site is an artifact of the Pueblo peoples of north america and is now a protected national heritage site. Archeologists estimate that the main architectual landmark, the great Kiva of Chetro Keti, was constructed between 900 and 1150 AD. The structure is aligned synchronistically with the four cardinal directions, with the equinoxes marking the days where sunlight penetrates to some of the inner chambers. This sort of construction requires generations of exremely precise observations to execute. The bodies of the heavens are believed to have had extreme cultural and ceremonial importance to the Pueblo peoples. Since the seasons bring and take most of the resources in this area, appeasing the spirits of the skies was of the utmost importance. One of the most famous smaller discoveries of this region is also the “sun dagger” site at Fajada Butte. Rocks were placed in a chamber high upon one of the largest mesa’s in the area to create a narrow gap that puts a dagger shaped beam of light on one of two small sprials found inside on different significant astronomical dates. On the summer solstice the dagger pierces the center of the spiral and on the edges of the spiral on the winter solstice. Sites like these depict the profound effect the cosmos have had on the development of human culture. It seems even down here on earth we cannot escape the great cosmic dance going on all around us. Chaco Canyon Fajada Butte
The Life and Times of the Infamous Nicky C
2) Nicholas Copernicus is famous in the world of astronomy for his thesis on the heliocentric model of the universe. Though naïve in his assumption of purely circular orbits, Copernicus’s paper on heliocentricism, de revolutionibus orbium coelestium, was published posthumously so he never experienced whiplash for his assertions.
3) Other major historical moments that occurred were Columbus’s first arrival in the Americas in 1492 when Copernicus was reaching the end of his teenage years. This event brought a whole new side of the globe to the attention of Europeans. In 1510 a smaller scale event occurred when Peter Henlein invented the pocket watch. The pocket watch is significant because it was the first handheld machine that became fashionable to carry. This invention would be built upon and tinkered with all the way up to present day.
a. Perhaps the most famous and most interesting contemporary of Nicholas Copernicus was Leonardo DaVinci. DaVinci was the definition of a renaissance man having made fame in: art, inventing, architecture, mathematician, and writer. Leonardo was one of the first people to ever seriously hypothesize about a flying machine. His artwork remains as some of the most highly valued pieces in the world.
4) The most interesting part of this research was realizing just how much of a standout event Copernicus’ work was for his time period. Over the 16th century Copernicus’s ’43 announcement remains a cornerstone discovery of the renaissance and enlightenment period.
The powers of ten video is an astounding acheivment in film and a huge eye opener in scale comparison. The video takes the viewer from the interior of the atom all the way to the edge of the known universe in a matter of minutes. The powers of ten does such a good job of condensing and expanding the scope of the universe that it almost seems comprehensable until one steps back to reflect on what they just saw. Every 20 seconds the video manages to expand 100 fold. This means whatever you were looking at 20 seconds before comprises a mere 1 percent of the total scope you’re seeing now. And it keeps this up for four and a half minutes! If this sort of thing doesn’t inspire you to want to look out and try to grasp at what goes on in the real meat of the universe, then you might be studying the wrong thing.
haydenwalling 