RAMADAN STARTS ON AUGUST 1

Astronomers predicts that Ramadan starts from Aug 1.

An Abu Dhabi-based astronomy expert has predicted that the month of Ramadan will begin on August 1. Islamic Crescent Observation Project (ICOP) Mohamed Shawket Oudah based his prediction on the calculation that moon will set before sunset on July 30. It will be virtually impossible to sight the crescent moon on that day. Months in the lunar calendar start only after the sighting of the new moon and Islamic tradition makes it mandatory that the crescent should be sighted after sunset to announce the beginning of the holy month. Oudah said, " the crescent would be clearly sighted on Sunday, July 31 evening, which means that Ramadan will fall on August 1."

METEOR SHOWER OF PERSEIDS WITNESS IT'S PEAK AT ABU DHABI SKY

Meteor shower will be witness over Abu Dhabi sky as it's peak appear on August 12, 2011. The active dates include from 23 of July to 20 of August. The average zenithal hourly rate at maximum 80.  The best place for meteor shower observation remain outside the city where the environmental light is minimized or eliminated. 

The Perseid meteor shower is named after the constellation Perseus, which is located in roughly the same point of the night sky where the Perseid meteor shower appears to originate from. 

The Parent body of the Perseid meteor shower is actually the comet Swift-Tuttle. Every year, the earth passes through the debris cloud left by the comet when the earth's atmosphere is bombarded by what is popularly known as "falling stars."

Australia Plan to Involved India in Building World's Largest Telescope - SKA project

            Australia wants Indian scientists to join them in building the "world's biggest" telescope, its minister for innovation, industry, science and research senator Kim Carr said on Monday. "We want Indian scientists to participate in the prestigious project of world's largest telescope - Square Kilometre Array (SKA)," Carr told media.

Australian astronomers are regularly using India's Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) located near Pune for observation for the last few years.

The SKA would be a new generation radio telescope having a discovery potential 10,000 times greater than the best present day instruments. It will give astronomers remarkable insights into the formation of the early Universe, including the emergence of the first stars, galaxies and other structures, he said. Carr will be talking to the Department of Science and Technology in New Delhi for Indian participation in the SKA project.

Earlier this month, the Australian Government had announced $40.2 million to support the country's bid to host the world's biggest telescope.

The amount will be provided over four years to support Australia's bid to host SKA, in partnership with New Zealand. This funding will assist Australia's bid and support pre-construction design and development work if the bid is successful, Carr said.

Recently, South Africa has agreed to join the project, he said. Scientists and engineers from leading institutions in the world will work together on the SKA, estimated to be a USD 2.1 billion project, Carr said.

Talking about Australia-India cooperation on innovation, science and R&D, he said the recently established Australia India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) of $130 million ($65 million from each country) has already worked on 90 different projects using $31 million in the fields of agriculture, water, energy, nanoscience, biotechnology to improve the standard of living of people.

"We are also trying to create a new broadband network for research students," he said adding 600 Indian students are doing PhD in different universities in Australia.

Black Hole Holds Universe’s Biggest Water Supply

Two teams of astronomers have discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever found in the universe. A 12 billion light year distance from the earth and holding at least 140 trillion times the amount of the water in the entire earth. It shows as a colossal of water vapor, hidden in the distant APM 08279+5255 quasar. A quasars are bright and violent galactic nuclei fueled by a super massive black hole at their center.


The water vapor is spread around the black hole in a gaseous region spanning hundreds of light years. “The environment around this quasar is unique in that it’s producing this huge mass of water,” says Matt Bradford from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

“It’s another demonstration that water is pervasive throughout the universe, even at the very earliest times,” adds Bradford in the release. As the light from this watery quasar took 12 billion years to reach Earth, the observations come from a time when the universe was only 1.6 billion years old.

The water reservoir was discovered by astronomers, led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology, and using the Z-Spec instrument at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii and the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-Wave Astronomy (CARMA) in the Inyo Mountains of Southern California.

Both instruments observe in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, which lie between infrared and microwave wavelengths. Over the last two to three decades, this technique has allowed astronomers to find trace gases, including water vapor, in the earliest universe.

Astronomers are now building a new telescope that specializes in these wavelengths. The proposed 25-meter telescope is called CCAT (Cornell Caltech Atacama Telescope) and would be plopped on the Cerro Chajnantor lava dome, more than 5,600 meters above sea level.

By measuring the presence of water and other important trace gases, it would allow cosmic researchers to hunt out  primordial galaxies and more accurately study their composition. CCAT should start construction in 2013 and be completed in 2017.

Image: ESA/V. Bechmann (NASA-GSFC)

Man’s Name in Sand Visible from Space

By Claudine Zap | The Upshot – Wed, Jul 20, 2011

Here's a big idea: Writing your name in the sand so large that it can be seen from space. Of course, you're much better position to carry off this sort of vanity project if you're Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a super-rich Arab sheikh who is the president of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. He also happens to own an island--an ideal canvas for what is essentially the world's largest self-referential graffiti tag.
The letters were crafted by a crew who worked for weeks to create them. The inscription measures half a mile high and two miles long--and the letters are dug so deep that they form waterways. The writing won't be immediately washed away, but even Hamad--whose fortune is only surpassed by his monarchial rival in the region, Saudi King Abdullah--can only defy the elements for so long.
Did we mention his name can be seen from outer space?
Hamad, according to Forbes, is a guy who lives large. A member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, the man known as the Rainbow Sheikh owns 200 cars that are stored in a giant pyramid. (What, you use a garage?) Forbes also noted that Hamad also hand-built a motor home in the shape of a giant globe "one-millionth the size of the Earth."
It should also be noted that the 63-year-old sheikh also has deep pockets when it comes to philanthropy. But don't worry about thanking him -- it seems he's come up with a perfectly good way to give himself a shout-out.

Atlantis' Last Approach

For the last time, the US Space Shuttle has approached the International Space Station (ISS). Following a dramatic launch from Cape Canaveral last week that was witnessed by an estimated one million people, Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-135 lifted a small crew to a welcome rendezvous three days ago with the orbiting station. Although NASA is discontinuing the aging shuttle fleet, NASA astronauts in the near future will be able to visit the ISS on Russian space flights. Pictured above, Atlantis rises toward the ISS with its cargo bay doors open, showing a gleaming metallic Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Over 200 kilometers below lie the cool blue waters of planet Earth. The much-anticipated last glide back to Earth for the Space Shuttle is currently scheduled for next Thursday, July 21.

Image credit: ISS Expedition 28 Crew, NASA

Neptune's first orbit: a turning point in astronomy

Astronomers will celebrate a remarkable event on 11 July. It will be exactly one year since the planet Neptune was discovered. Readers should note a caveat, however. That year is a Neptunian one. The great icy world was first pinpointed 164.79 years ago – on 23 September 1846. And as Neptune takes 164.79 Earthly years to circle the sun, it is only now completing its first full orbit since its detection by humans. Hence those anniversary celebrations.

And there is much to commemorate – for Neptune's discovery marked a turning point in astronomy. Its existence was revealed, not through a serendipitous observation by an astronomer but by the careful work of mathematicians. They calculated that perturbations in the orbit of Uranus, then thought to be the sun's most distant planet, could only be explained by the existence of another, even remoter world whose gravity was affecting Uranus's path.

The mathematicians – Englishman John Adams and Frenchman Urbain Le Verrier – made their calculations separately. Both agreed, however, where in the sky astronomers would pinpoint the planet causing those perturbations. But they dealt with the information very differently, says historian Allan Chapman of Wadham College, Oxford.

"Adams made a mismanaged attempt to interest the then astronomer royal George Airy while Verrier went public, announcing his prediction in the journal Comptes Rendus. Astronomers in Berlin then turned their telescope to the part of the sky he highlighted – and spotted Neptune."

What followed was equally dramatic. "Society was then undergoing a communications transformation every bit as profound as today's digital revolution," says Chapman. "Packet ships, railways and telegraphs allowed newspapers and journals to be sent across Europe in days. As a result, the Liverpool brewing magnate William Lassell turned his own powerful telescope towards the new planet 10 days later. In fact, only bad weather stopped him doing so earlier. The planet appeared as a blue disc with a white 'star' near it. He had discovered Neptune's moon Triton."

Astronomy was becoming a fast-moving international science – though identifying the exact roles of Adams and Verrier in making the discovery was controversial. France was indignant when Britain demanded retrospective recognition for Adams's part in Neptune's discovery.

As to the nature of the planet, this was only revealed in full in 1989 when the US probe Voyager 2 swept past it and sent back images of a seemingly serene blue world – though later analysis revealed dark spots on its surface that are vast cyclonic storms.

But the real surprise came from Triton, says Professor Carl Murray of University College London. "We found it had a thin atmosphere and huge streaks of black material across its surface. These are created by geysers of dust and nitrogen erupting from under Triton's icy surface as it is heated by the sun. In other words, even at the edge of the solar system, where temperatures are more than -200C, sunlight can still drive distinctive weather systems. It is quite extraordinary."

BASIC ASTRONOMY COURSE NEW BATCH

New batch who take the basic astronomy course 

ASTRONOMY 101

Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years (for the most massive) to trillions of years (for the least massive, which is considerably more than the age of the universe).

Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single star, as most stellar changes occur too slowly to be detected, even over many centuries. Instead, astrophysicists come to understand how stars evolve by observing numerous stars at the various points in their life, and by simulatingstellar structure with computer models.

2011 MD TRAJECTORY PATH

Trajectory of 2011 MD from the general direction of the Sun. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 

An asteroid designated 2011 MD will safely pass Earth in the early morning hour of June 27, 2011..

Asteroid to come within 8,000 miles of earth on Monday - Catholic Online

In the Bruce Willis Action-Adventure science fiction film "Armageddon," the world was given 12 days in which to deal with an asteroid on a collision course with earth. The brave crew was able to fly aboard on said asteroid and blow it up with a bomb. Now, an asteroid will come precariously close to the earth - 8,000 miles - and the world was only given four days notice. Why?

The asteroid will be such a narrow miss that astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to spot the flyby with fairly modest telescopes.

The asteroid will be such a narrow miss that astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to spot the flyby with fairly modest telescopes.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Astronomer Mark Thompson says that the Near-Earth asteroid, called 2011 MD will pass so close to Earth on Monday that its orbital path will be altered by the gravitational pull of our planet.

The asteroid will be such a narrow miss that astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to spot the flyby with fairly modest telescopes.

Working from their base in New Mexico, the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research project, or LINEAR team uses automated one-meter ground based telescopes to probe the skies for so-called near-Earth object threats. "The discovery of 2011 MD this past Wednesday goes to show that we need to get better at identifying potential asteroid threats, investing more money and time into projects like LINEAR. The more time we have, the greater chance there is of us being able to do something about it," Thompson says.

Thompson points out that near-Earth objects, or NEOs are more common than you think with around 8,000 reported. "This newly discovered interplanetary interloper is thought to measure no more than 20 meters wide, making it no real threat -- but it's a warning all the same."

Thompson theorizes that if "2011 MD did hit us, then it would more than likely break up in the atmosphere and give us an amazing display of fireballs and meteors. As it turns out, it will sail harmlessly by at a . close distance of only 7,500 miles, 32 times closer than the moon, and closer than some geosynchronous satellites.

"It will get so close to the Earth that the asteroid's trajectory will be altered by our planet's gravitational field."

"We are certain that it will miss us, but if it did enter the atmosphere, an asteroid this size would mostly burn up in a brilliant fireball, possibly scattering a few meteorites," UK asteroid expert Emily Baldwin says.

MD 2011's closest approach will occur on Monday, June 27 at 13:30 UTC somewhere over the South Atlantic Ocean. Its visibility will be severely limited, but amateur astronomers in Australia and New Zealand should be able to track 2011 MD in the night sky just before closest approach.

NOT TOO LATE TO KNOW...

UAE's newest satellite launched successfully

The 5.9-tonne UAE satellite Yahsat Y1A will supply high definition television to the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South West Asia

• By Himendra Mohan Kumar, Staff Reporter
• Published: 13:39 April 23, 2011
• 

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• Image Credit: AFP
• Ariane 5 rocket takes off from its lauch site in Kourou, in the French overseas department of Guiana. The rocket placed the United Arab Emirates satellite Yahsat Y1A into geostationary orbit.

Abu Dhabi: Yahsat, a UAE-based satellite communications company, said it had successfully launched its first satellite into orbit Saturday. The launch puts the UAE among a select group of nations that have done so.

"Yahsat's Y1A was successfully launched from the European Space Centre in Kourou, French Guyana. The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the spacecraft lifted off at 1.37am Abu Dhabi time," Yahsat said in a statement.

Speaking to Gulf News from French Guyana, Jasem Mohammad Al Za'abi, chief executive officer of Yahsat said: "Technically, everything has gone great. The launch was on time. The satellite will reach the right orbit within the next nine days.

"Then we will start doing the testing to determine whether the satellite is fully functional. The testing will be done over six to eight weeks."

"The satellite will be there for 15 years. It will transmit data and voice to more than 80 countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa," said Al Za'abi.

Expanding requirements

Yahsat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company.

Yahsat has commissioned two satellites to create regionally-focused capacity to manage the expanding requirements for government, commercial and consumer satellite communication services.

"Our next satellite should go by the end of this year, or early next year," Al Za'abi added.

In the statement, Al Za'abi said the satellite's successful launch was the direct result of the unwavering vision, dedication and hard work of the UAE leadership, Mubadala, the UAE Armed Forces and the entire Yahsat team.

"As a result of this work, we have not only stepped into space, but taken a significant stride in driving economic diversification and progress with our partners across the UAE."

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, chairman of Yahsat and chief operating officer of Mubadala development company, said in the statement: "The launch of Y1A is hugely important for Mubadala and Abu Dhabi.

Satellite communications are an integral component in establishing the world-class information and communication infrastructure that will support the continued economic diversification of the emirate.

The successful launch of Y1A is a tremendous step forward in delivering an advanced technology and communications offering based here in Abu Dhabi."

Above UAE

Over the next few days, Y1A will undertake a series of manoeuvres before arriving at its final point of operation, 52.5 degrees east, above the UAE.

After arriving in position, control of the satellite will be managed by a team of UAE-national satellite engineers located in the Yahsat control station in Al Falah, Abu Dhabi, said Yahsat.

Yahsat provides multi-purpose satellite communications services to commercial and governmental clients in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South-West Asia.

With a wide portfolio of voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions, Yahsat satellites are designed based on market requirements and future applications.
 

Series of manoeuvres

Over the next few days, Y1A will undertake a series of manoeuvres before arriving at its final point of operation, 52.5 degrees east, above the UAE. After arriving in position, control of the satellite will be managed by a team of UAE-national satellite engineers based out of the Yahsat control station in Al Falah, Abu Dhabi.

Yahsat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company. Yahsat has commissioned two satellites to create regionally-focused capacity to manage the expanding requirements for government, commercial and consumer satellite communication services.

Originally scheduled for liftoff on March 30, this dual-payload mission was delayed following an interruption of the final countdown when an incorrect displacement of one of the engine's actuators was detected, Arianespace said in a statement. The launching center planned to have six liftoffs of Ariane 5 through this year.

GREAT LUNAR ECLIPSE FROM MARY ANN MACATIGBAC

THE ENCHANTED ECLIPSE....

 

As I got excited last night to witness the total lunar eclipse and reading messages from people showing their interest to have me join them watching the event. I turn down those invitations because I need to go for living. I made a plan, I don't want to missed the opportunity to capture this special history. I bring my camera with me and prepare for watching. Few minutes before the time I was so excited to see the glowing moon and quietly observed the slow changing of moon's illumination from burning color into gray as the shadow of the earth engulfing the beauty of the glowing moon. 

My mood changed. My excitement turn to sadness. I don't know why... I can't control my emotions. I asked my colleague to come with me and trying to bring back the excitement but still there's the hollow inside me. While we are taking pictures and she start telling sad stories and even the quality of pictures we took can not be perfected after many attempts.

     

It might be co-incidence or there is really an effect of eclipse to somebody else emotions. How about you? What did you experience? Does the moon changed your emotions orjust make no changed. After I woke up from sleep after sleepless night duty. I start to do my home work and this what i got.

Does lunar eclipse affect your behavior or health?

• December 20, 2010 7:48 am ET 
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• Does a full moon make you do crazy things? What about a lunar eclipse? We will be experiencing a lunar eclipse Monday night on the West Coast and early morning Tuesday on the East Coast.  

As far as physical dangers, a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye. Where as, a solar eclipse requires protective eyewear.  

There is no medical data that eclipses have a physical effect on people. But, many believe eclipses are capable of producing psychological effects. There are beliefs that the moon can alter people’s behavior, their health, wealth or even their luck.

Many believe a good moon position will bring you fortunes such as, honor, fame, spiritual energy, financial fortune, charming personality, good health and balanced physique.

Others believe a moon in poor position could cause heart related disease, breathing trouble, coughs, colds, insomnia, stress, impatience, insecurity, indecisiveness, fear and mood swings, even leading to mental imbalance and “lunacy.”

And lastly some feel the moon’s position can help or hurt hormones, a woman's monthly cycle and fertility.

Whether you believe these theories or not, this lunar eclipse is something you might want to see for the pure nature of it