Building Blocks of Life Discovered on #Comet67p - http://clapway.com/2015/07/31/building-blocks-of-life-discovered-on-comet-67p123/

As much as most space enthusiasts are reluctant to do so, it may be time for us to look not to the extrasolar planets, not to dwarf planets, not to black holes or quasar punches or solar storms–but to comets. Comet 67P, specifically, which the European Space Agency’s Philae lander has been investigating since November of last year, has just identified compounds that are also the necessary building blocks of life.

A SIGNIFICANT FIND ON COMET 67P

This was thought to be the case for quite some time, as there was simply no other way to explain how life on Earth got started. For years, scientists have thought that comets acted as seeds to an early Earth, bringing in basic materials with which Earth was later able to furnish life, and a thriving ecosystem.

HOLES IN THE THEORY

However, precisely how life originated on Earth is a mystery still annoying scientists to this day. So far, the general consensus is that we understand the few essential ingredients involved. Water and a few chemical building blocks had to be present, but they certainly weren’t always. Perhaps these things were delivered to the Earth over three billion years ago.

HOW DO COMETS GET HERE?

Most comets persist in places like the Kuiper Belt, far beyond the reach of most studying probes (save, perhaps for New Horizons), but every once in a while, a stray comet is moved out of its wide orbit. Comets’ trademark tails are formed by the increased heat they experience as they approach the sun, as has been observed for several centuries. The cool thing this tells us about comets today is that they carry large quantities of water.

But before the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft left for comet 67p in 2004, no one really knew if there was anything in the realm of necessary building blocks in comets. Was it just water and rocks?

BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE ON COMET 67P

The answer is a resounding yes. Published in the journal Science, Philae found 16 organic compounds, and four of them–methyl isocyanate, acetone, propionaldehyde, and acetamide–were not known to even exist on comets. Of more interesting note, it also found benzene, which is a cyclic hydrocarbon, and plenty of C02.

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Building Blocks of Life Discovered on Comet 67p

#Space lovers -- The fun doesn"t stop regarding and at #Pluto! - http://clapway.com/2015/07/22/party-on-pluto-5-cool-things-to-do-at-such-a-planet/

There’s a party on Pluto and everyone is invited! Grab your winter coat and let’s shoot off to the icy planet for some cold, shivering fun. Since Pluto is extremely relevant right now, here are 5 cool things to do on Pluto (if it were livable):

1. Get romantic on the ice skating rink.

2. Take a shot from the ice luge!

3.Try your hand at ice fishing.

4. Party in an Igloo!

5. Bust some heads playing ice hockey.

If Pluto were livable, what would you want to do?

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You might even lose weight there — also without going to the gym:

Party on Pluto! 5 Cool Things to Do at Such a Planet

"Being alone in space takes peace and quiet to a whole different level, I would suspect." - http://clapway.com/2015/07/01/3-things-you-could-accomplish-if-you-were-in-space-for-803-days/

A new record was set for the most time spent in space by a human being. Russian cosmonaut, Gennady Padalka, has spent a total of 803 days in space. Padalka is currently on his fifth trip into space and once he returns, on September 11, he will have spent 877 days in space.

During his time in outer space, he conducted experiments and went on numerous space walks. His days spent in space were not consecutive but envision what you could do in solitude for two years and four months, uninterrupted. Here are three things you could accomplish if you were in space for 803 days:

1. Practice Eccentric Skills

You will have so much free time to practice cool things you wouldn’t be able to do with the force of gravity surrounding you. You can become a Mortal Kombat character and work on your bicycle kicks. You can move on from your kiddie cartwheels and progress to full on back flips. And if you are one of those disgusting people that want to try to catching their spit in their mouth, you can do that too. But I don’t recommend it.

2. Catch Up On Your Reading

I don’t know about you, but I love reading. I’ve spent entire weekends doing nothing but drowning myself in a good book. Recently, I’ve been too busy to sit and read, or do anything fun, so I would jump at the chance to catch up on my favorite romance novel. You could teach yourself a new language and come back to earth more intelligent than you left. If I were in space for 803 days, reading would definitely be at the top of my list.

3. Self-Reflection

Being alone in space takes peace and quiet to a whole different level, I would suspect. The time you have secluded, without distractions can be used for self-reflection. You can learn new things about yourself and appreciate the characteristics you considered flaws. A lot of people don’t get the chance to reflect but with your time in space, you have a ton of chances.

In reality, you may never get the chance for complete isolation but you should definitely take a step back from the world. Continue to develop your skills and learn something new everyday. And when you think you’ve run out of things to learn, just think, what could I accomplish if I were in space for 803 days?

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Definitely bring a notebook with you on this long, isolated journey. Moleskine has one for this very occasion:

3 Things You Could Accomplish If You Were in Space For 803 Days

What are we looking for up there? - http://clapway.com/2015/06/22/3-things-we-look-for-when-we-look-up-at-the-sky-and-beyond/

In 1999, treasure hunters found a beautifully crafted, 3600 year old Nebra Sky Disc. Although found with other artifacts such as swords and axes, the Nebra Sky Disc stood out as evidence of science and art. It is also the earliest illustration of space. The disc tells the story of how people were amazed by the stars, the moon, and the sun.

Mapping out the universe was our ancestors’ way of seeking meaning in the lives they lived. The Nebra Sky Disc is a great example of how even in early times, outer space was a place to seek answers. Since then, people have used outer space for a variety of reasons. Here are the things we look for when we look up at the sky and beyond:

1. A Confidant

It doesn’t just happen in movies, people look up at the sky and confess some of their darkest secrets. They make wishes for selfish reasons or for the betterment of others. Religious people from all around the world talk to their god and hope that their prayers will be answered.

I’m not sure if it’s because no one is there to disagree or shame their opinions but people have found sanity from talking to the open space.

2. Knowledge and Resources

As long as we have more to discover, there will be more people who want to discover it. Astronomers are working hard at finding out what is really going on in outer space. They go further than just looking up at the sky. Astronomers break down barriers.

Outer space can provide us with more knowledge for medical advancements or provide us with renewable resources for sustainability. Who knows what more deep space has to offer?

3. Freedom to Imagine

The fact that there is so much we don’t know about outer space allows us to be creative and use our imaginations. Writers dream up different technological developments that may be found further in the galaxy. Television producers and make-up artists show us what they think alien species look like. We are free to release our minds when we look up at the sky. We are able to form our own opinions about the universe.

No matter how much we learn about space, we will continually seek it for answers. Although it doesn’t talk back, it gives us a chance to think by embracing its silence. We will always want it to give us answers to our problems. We will use it to satisfy our creative itch and easily step outside the box. We will look into the sky for a sense of clarity.

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A love of space does tend to start quite young, anyway. The makers of Space Scouts Summer Adventure seem to think so:

3 Things We Look For When We Look Up At The Sky And Beyond

Loneliness is universal truths in the universe. How universal? - http://clapway.com/2015/06/08/lonely-stars-lead-us-to-a-type-ia-supernova-234/

Loneliness is universal truths in the universe. How universal? The Hubble Space telescope (HST) reveals that even stars can get lonely. And in that loneliness, lonely stars–far away from their parent galaxies–just might die. A lonely death, at that.

Hubble Space Telescope Reveals 3 Lonely Stars

The Hubble Space Telescope reveals images of three different stars getting separated form the galaxies in which they belong and end up dying from the isolation that prevents them from sustaining their energies. Talk about pack animals. When stars are removed from their parent galaxies, survival is shaky if not impossible.

The three massive stars were discovered between 2008 and 2010 thanks to the now infamous Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. These three stars went supernova in isolation, in-between galaxies. This is odd because usually stars supernova within galaxies of billions of other stars–never quite this alone.

The Emptiness Within Our Galaxies

Today, scientists know very little about the dark, empty spaces that sits between galaxies. Maybe even less than they know about very star-filled galaxies. The separation of stars from their galaxies is actually a pretty rare occurrence. These intracluster stars would have been 300-million-lightyears away from their closest neighbors.

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Supernovae Explosion Properties

These three stars were involved in a Type Ia supernovae. A Type Ia supernova is a kind of stellar explosion in which a smaller star is absorbed by a bigger one. Lead by lead researcher Melissa Graham, researchers are the University of California, Berkeley described that the lower-mass white dwarf may have gotten too close and was then broken by the bigger star. A transfer of mass occurred that caused the the Type Ida supernova. In the past, Graham has also previously studied intraclusters of stars and how Type Ia supernovae can occur.

Understandably, stars that are bigger in size tend to explode more and are more easily visible in their supernova explosions. Smaller stars sort of gradually run out of energy and die out that way. This is precisely what happened to the three lonely stars.

Lonely Stars Lead Us to a Type Ia Supernova

3 Supernovae Explode In Space - http://clapway.com/2015/06/06/3-supernovae-explode-in-space-123/

According to images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, 3 supernovae that were originally discovered several years ago have exploded in space, after they had been flung from their home galaxies millions or even billions of years prior.

A large majority of supernovae can be discovered inside galaxies surrounded by hundreds of billions of stars, one of which may just explode per century per galaxy.

 

What can these isolated stars tell us?

These isolated supernovae were discovered in between galaxies, and the rarity of these supernovae give us a key clue as to what lives in the expansive space in the middle of galaxies. These findings will also be able to assist astronomers in comprehending exactly how galaxy clusters first originally came together and how they evolved throughout the universe’s history.

The existence of the isolated pockets made study leader Melissa Graham think of the star Thrial – a fictional star which is located a million light years away from any other star, in the fictional novel Against a Dark Background penned by author Ian Banks.

Graham’s findings

Planets that are surrounding these intracluster stars saw their demise by the explosions. However, they would have left a night sky completely devoid of shining stars, Graham says. “We have provided the best evidence yet that intracluster stars truly do explode as Type Ia supernovae,” Graham said, going on to say that hostless supernovae can lead us to the population of other intracluster stars.

In addition, Graham and her colleagues stumbled upon a 4th exploding star, found by CFHT. This star apparently was inside of a red, round region that may be a galaxy small in size or a globular cluster. If it is indeed true that the supernova is part of the globular cluster, it would be the first time a supernova has exploded within the confines of these pocket-sized, compact clusters consisting of less than one million stars. All 4 supernovae were in galaxy clusters that were nearly a billion light years from Earth.

Other kinds of explosions

A Type II supernova explosion involves a star which has 9 times the solar mass, at the very least. When the star’s fuel is close to disappearing, the star will flare up and burst due to the core collapse. Types 1b and 1c involve the same type of star. A more lethal kind of explosion is the hypernova, which has an energy 50 times more powerful than other supernovas, and can result in a black hole.

3 Supernovae Explode In Space