EurekAlert! - Space and Planetary Science

NASA sees wide-eyed cyclone Jasmine

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Cyclone Jasmine's eye has opened wider on NASA satellite imagery, as it moves through the Southern Pacific Ocean.

NASA sees Giovanna reach cyclone strength, threaten Madagascar

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm 12S built up steam and became a cyclone on Feb. 10, 2012 as NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead. Residents of east-central Madagascar should prepare for this cyclone to make landfall by Feb. 13 according to forecasters.

Putting the squeeze on planets outside our solar system

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) Using high-powered lasers, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and collaborators discovered that molten magnesium silicate undergoes a phase change in the liquid state, abruptly transforming to a more dense liquid with increasing pressure. The research provides insight into planet formation.

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering faculty elected to National Academy of Engineering

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - San Diego) Three faculty members in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Peter C. Farrell, founder, chairman and CEO of ResMed, and a member of the Council of Advisors of the Dean of the Jacobs School, also was elected to the academy.

NASA's TRMM satellite sees Cyclone Jasmine in 3-D

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Data from NASA's TRMM satellite was used to create a 3-Dimensional look at Cyclone Jasmine, currently moving through the South Pacific Ocean.

NASA sees Tropical Storm 12S - a possible threat to Madagascar

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The twelfth tropical depression formed in the Southern Indian Ocean today and quickly became a tropical storm, dubbed Tropical Storm 12S. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the storm and captured infrared data that revealed a quickly developing tropical cyclone with powerful thunderstorms around its center of circulation.

Deconstructing a mystery: What caused Snowmaggedon?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA scientists are using computer models to help unravel the mystery of a record-setting snowfall in the Washington, DC area in early 2010.

ORNL's Zinkle elected to National Academy of Engineering

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Steven J. Zinkle, a senior materials researcher at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Night owls and star gazers to gather at Night of the Open Door Festival

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Arizona State University) ASU's Night of the Open Door shines a spotlight on more than 165 activities to celebrate the sciences, arts, humanities and engineering on March 3 in Tempe, as part of the Arizona SciTech Festival.

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Jasmine over Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Jasmine on Feb. 8, 2012 as it was passing between Vanuatu and New Caledonia. NASA imagery showed Jasmine had a 20 nautical mile-wide eye.

Astronomy team that includes UCLA finance professor discovers nearby dwarf galaxy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Los Angeles) A team of astronomers led by UCLA research astronomer Michael Rich has used a novel telescope to discover a previously unknown companion to a nearby galaxy, known as NGC 4449, some 12.5 million light years from Earth. The new galaxy had escaped even the prying eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope.

New images capture 'stealth merger' of dwarf galaxies

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Santa Cruz) New images of a nearby dwarf galaxy have revealed a dense stream of stars in its outer regions, the remains of an even smaller companion galaxy in the process of merging with its host. The host galaxy, known as NGC 4449, is the smallest primary galaxy in which a stellar stream from an ongoing merger has been identified and studied in detail.

NASA's Chandra finds Milky Way's black hole grazing on asteroids

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Chandra X-ray Center) The giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be vaporizing and devouring asteroids, which could explain the frequent flares observed, according to astronomers using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

UBC researchers use Google Earth to verify Mediterranean fish farming data

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of British Columbia) The Great Wall of China is not the only thing you can see from space. Fish farming cages are clearly visible through Google Earth's satellite images and University of British Columbia researchers have used them to estimate the amount of fish being cultivated in the Mediterranean.

Spotlight on a stellar nursery

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) A European team of researchers, led by LMU astronomer Thomas Preibisch, has used the power of ESO's Very Large Telescope to obtain the most detailed - and dramatic - infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden featureshave emerged.

Elsevier launches new journal: Energy Strategy Reviews

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(Elsevier) Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the launch of Energy Strategy Reviews, a new quarterly, peer-reviewed journal focusing on energy strategy, planning and decision making.

CU-Boulder study shows global glaciers, ice caps, shedding billions of tons of mass annually

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(University of Colorado at Boulder) Earth's glaciers and ice caps outside of the regions of Greenland and Antarctica are shedding roughly 150 billion tons of ice annually, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.

VLT takes most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(ESO) ESO's Very Large Telescope has delivered the most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden features, scattered across a spectacular celestial landscape of gas, dust and young stars, have emerged. This is one of the most dramatic images ever created by the VLT.

New Kavli Institute announced at the University Of Tokyo

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(The Kavli Foundation) The Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, receives a major endowment from the Kavli Foundation, joining the family of Kavli institutes.

NASA's TRMM satellite measures flooding rains from Australia monsoon

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) A monsoon trough continues to drench northeastern Australia and NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite measured and calculated the rainfall in the region.

NASA sees cyclone Jasmine's power and new eye

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Cyclone Jasmine continues to wind between New Caledonia and Vanuatu and bring cyclone-force winds, heavy rain and very rough surf. NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead early on Feb. 7 and noticed the strongest part of the cyclone was around the center and north and east of the center. Aqua data showed that an eye has developed.

NASA satellite sees tropical storm Cyril a strong, compact storm

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm Cyril was known as "11P" has been strengthening since Feb. 6, and still appears very compact on infrared NASA satellite data.

NASA satellite sees cyclone Jasmine heading for Vanuatu, New Caledonia

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Aqua satellite passed over strengthening Tropical Storm Jasmine and noticed bands of thunderstorms wrapping into its center as it heads toward Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

NASA watches a Gulf Weather system for unusual subtropical development

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico doesn't begin until June 1, 2012, but a low pressure area in the Gulf called System 90L, is being watched on Feb. 5 and 6 for possible development into sub-tropical depression although the chances are now slim to none. Data from the GOES-13 satellite was created into an image at NASA, and it showed System 90L raining on south Florida today.

NASA's Aqua satellite sees small new tropical storm near Tonga

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Storm 11P has formed in the South Pacific Ocean, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of its cloud temperatures, revealing power in the cyclone.