Biggest structure in universe found

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com Astronomers have discovered the biggest structure in the universe - streams of galaxies 200 million light years long, they revealed this week. The giant filaments stretching across space were formed only two billion years after the birth of the universe. They were revealed by the light from 30 gas clouds within them. Each cloud is ten times more massive than our own Milky Way galaxy which contains 200 - 400 billion stars. Scientists say the record-breaking structure, shown in the 3D graphic from Subaru, is four times the length of the biggest previously observed clusters of galaxies. The concentration of galaxies within it is also four times denser than average in the universe. Astronomers made the discovery using the giant Subaru and Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Subaru's Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph was used to make a detailed study of a region of sky 12 billion light years from Earth. The clouds of gas, known as Lyman alpha blobs, were seen as they appeared 12 billion years ago. It is believed they have since evolved into the most massive galaxies in the universe. Subaru is operated by Japan. Astronomer Ryosuke Yamauchi said: "Something this large and this dense would have been rare in the early universe. The structure we discovered and others like it are probably the precursors of the largest structures we see today which contain multiple clusters of galaxies."

Earth's twin 'found' by computer

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com One of the closest stars to the sun may be circled by a planet just like Earth, scientists say. And the replica world could have substantial amounts of water on its surface - vital for life like our own to develop. The distant world was not detected with a telescope. Instead astronomers used a computer to discover whether or not it might exist. They looked at four stars in our own cosmic back yard which are already known to have at least two giant planets in orbit around them. They then produced computer simulations to model conditions in those alien solar systems. Their tests showed that one star - Rho in the constellation of Cancer - was able to build a planet similar to Earth in the so-called habitable zone where it could sustain life. The star, also known as 55 Cancri, is virtually on our doorstep at a distance of only 40 light years. Just visible to the naked-eye, it is a double star with one star resembling our own sun and a red dwarf companion. It is already known to have four giant planets similar in size to Jupiter or Neptune. Another star studied was likely to have an asteroid belt of tiny worlds smaller than Mars, the study found. The two other stars tested were incapable of producing terrestrial-type planets. For each of the star systems, the researchers placed small planet "embryos" into the simulation. They then jumped 100 million years to see whether they were able to gather material and build up to form planets like Earth. Nasa helped fund the research by scientists from universities in Arizona, Colorado and Washington and published in the Astrophysical Journal. Researcher Dr Rory Barnes said: “It’s exciting that our models show a habitable planet, a planet with mass, temperature and water content similar to Earth’s, could have formed in one of the first extrasolar multi-planet systems detected.” The scientists found that a star called HD 38529 could have the asteroid belt. But no planets formed in models of the other stars, HD 37124 and HD 74156. Image by Nasa.

Spacesuit guards against meteors

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com Nasa has created a new spacesuit that repairs itself if astronauts are hit by tiny meteoroids. The fabric contains a special gel that will instantly fill holes caused by natural missiles from space. The new suits will protect American astronauts sent to explore the Moon in the next decade. Space scientists are worried about tiny meteors raining down on the lunar surface. Holes 2mm wide can be automatically repaired by the fabric. Wire sensors will detect any bigger rips and sound an alarm to alert the astronaut. The suit material also contains tiny solar cells to generate power and silver-coated layers of polyester to kill bacteria. Delaware firm ILC Dover developed the wonder fabric for Nasa. They say it could also be used to build an inflatable moon base or space station, New Scientist reports today.

Burping star is set to blow

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com UK space scientists watching a burping star say it is on the brink of sparking the biggest explosion in the galaxy. The star, called RS Ophiuchi, has been closely studied since amateur stagazers saw it flare up in February. That belch - the sixth observed in the star in the past 108 years - was equal to a nuclear bomb the size of the Earth going off. The star became visible to the naked eye as it became 1,000 times brighter than normal. Now professional astronomers say that was just a foretaste of the catastrophic explosion that is to come. They predict that the star will blow itself to bits in a supernova explosion not seen in our own Milky Way for 434 years. During its spectacular death throes it will become five billion times brighter than the sun and as bright as all the other stars in the galaxy combined. Tim O'Brien, of Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, led an international team that used radio telecopes around the world to observe the shock wave following this year's nuclear blast. They recorded it travelling at more than 1,000 miles per second through space. Other astronomers used the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer satellite to show that the star is set to become a Type 1a supernova. They believe RS Ophiuchi is a double star with a white dwarf orbiting a red giant. The smaller star, stripping material away from its companion, is on the verge of reaching a critical mass at which point it will blow itself to pieces. Experts say the blast could happen at any time. In fact there is a chance it has already happened as the star lies 5,000 light years from Earth and so its light takes that length of time to reach us. Image by PPARC/David Hardy

Heatwave threatens elderly

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com Space scientists have warned of a dramatic increase in deadly air pollution in Europe's heatwave. Satellite sensors are recording dangerously high levels of nitrogen dioxide building up in major UK cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. The gas causes breathing problems and is a threat to the elderly or people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma. The startling boost in pollution was measured by scientists at the University of Leicester as temperatures soared to record highs over the UK last week. They said yesterday the pollution - shown in the two images here - was mainly caused by road traffic and power stations and was building up in cities because of the lack of wind and rain. The effects of the heatwave were studied using two eyes in the sky - Europe's Envisat and Nasa's Aura. The Envisat satellite includes a UK-built sensor, the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer, which monitors land and sea surface temperatures. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument on Aura showed the dramatic increases in levels of nitrogen dioxide. Dr Gary Corlett, of Leicester University, stressed the dangers of the rising pollution levels in the baking heat yesterday. He said: "We get still days in the winter when air pollution builds up but it is far more dangerous when combined with the high temperatures that we have been getting recently. Old and vulnerable people already suffering in the heat are at greater risk when breathing in the greater amounts of nitrogen dioxide pollution too." Dr John Remedios, Head of Earth Observation Science at Leicester said: "It is particularly striking to see the extent of temperature and pollution increases in the large cities which have such a detrimental effect on the quality of life in those locations". The scientists say current climate change predictions for the UK suggest that the frequency of these extreme periods of high temperature and high pollution will increase. They warn that local and national government should keep a close watch on air pollution levels to protect vulnerable citizens.

When whirls collide on Jupiter

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com UK astronomers are watching as the two biggest storms in the solar system collide on Jupiter. The giant planet's famous Great Red Spot is being buffeted by a rival hurricane that blew up just six years ago. Winds in both storms are swirling at an incredible 350mph. The older spot, which looks like a huge eye in Jupiter's atmosphere, is twice as wide as the Earth and has been raging for hundreds of years. The smaller storm is half its size but could still swallow up the Earth. It changed its colour from white to red in March and has since been racing around Jupiter to meet its older cousin. Pictures of the storms have been taken by the Hubble space telescope and major observatories on Earth including Gemini on Hawaii, which produced the image here. (The spots appear white as it was taken in the infrared). But the collision is also visible in the telescopes of backyard stargazers watching Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system and as big as 1,321 Earths. Among them is retired engineer Dave Tyler, 64, of Flackwell Heath, Bucks, who has been taking CCD photos of the storms as they converge. He said today: "I have been watching the approach with great interest. The question is, will it brush past quietly, or will it react or even combine with the bigger spot?" Astronomers believe the spot changed colour when it became strong enough to dredge up reddish material from deeper in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Titan 'like a second Earth'

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com Giant moon Titan has a landscape startlingly like the Earth's, scientists have revealed. Titan - the only moon with a dense atmosphere - has mountains, valleys and sand dunes plus flowing rivers. The river channels run into dark areas that may be lakes, according to the latest radar pictures taken by Nasa's Cassini spaceprobe of a bright "continent" the size of Australia called Xanadu. Experts say the surface features have clearly been shaped by winds and rain just like those of our own planet. The discovery will fascinate space scientists because some believe that Titan - the biggest moon orbiting the ringed planet Saturn - is the best place to look for life in the solar system. Cassini found that dark dunes on Xanadu's western edge give way to rivers, hills and valleys. A crater caused by an asteroid impact was also spotted. To the east of Xanadu, more dunes are crisscrossed by Appalachian sized mountains. A crucial difference between Earth and Titan is that the surface liquid on Saturn's moon cannot be water. Instead it is believed to be methane or ethane. UK scientists have taken a close interest in Titan which is 3,200 miles in diameter. Professor John Zarnecki, of the Open University, led the team that successfully landed a European Space Agency probe called Huygens onto its slushy surface last year. The probe, which had been carried the 2.5 billion miles to the Saturn system aboard Cassini, detected organic chemicals that are the building blocks of life, including nitrogen and methane, as it parachuted to a soft landing. Nasa scientist Dr Jonathan Lunine, of the University of Arizona, said: "Surprisingly, this cold, faraway region has geological features remarkably like Earth. Although Titan gets far less sunlight and is much smaller and colder than Earth, Xanadu is a land where rivers flow down to a sunless sea." Commenting on the latest results, obtained as the probe flew past Titan on April 30, radar scientist Steve Wall said: "This land is heavily tortured, convoluted and filled with hills and mountains. "There appear to be faults, deeply cut channels and valleys. Also, it appears to be the only vast area not covered by organic dirt. Xanadu has been washed clean. What is left underneath looks like very porous water ice, maybe filled with caverns." Wall, of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, added: "If it hadn't been for the Cassini radar, we would have missed all of this. We have a newly discovered continent to explore." Cassini will tackle another close look at Titan tomorrow, exploring the high northern latitudes of the moon. In the next two years the orbiter will fly by Titan 29 times. The picture shows a section of the radar image, revealing rivers flowing across Xanadu.

Piers rockets back into space

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com British astronaut Piers Sellers rode Independence Day's biggest firework today as the shuttle Discovery finally rocketed into space. It was third time lucky for the shuttle because two previous launch attempts on Saturday and Sunday were scrubbed because of bad weather. The shuttle soared from launch pad 39B at 7.37 pm UK time sending Piers and his six crewmates on a mission to the International Space Station. Piers' wife Mandy, 50, from Hebden Bridge, West Yorks, will be at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to watch the launch with their children Imogen, 21, and Tom, 18. Also there was Piers's 78-year-old mother Lyndsay, from Elstead, Surrey, and the astronaut's four brothers. Earlier, at 3.49pm UK time, they waved flags as they walked to board their AstroVan for the seven-mile ride to the launchpad. It was the first time Nasa has launched on Independence Day. Piers, 51, climbed through the hatch to take his centre seat on the shuttle's mid-deck at 4.43pm UK time. Then just over an hour before lift-off, launch director Mike Leinbach wished Commander Steve Lindsey good luck and God speed. The rest of the crew are German astronaut Thomas Reiter, 48, Mark Kelly, Michael Fossum, Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson. Nasa were taking a calculated gamble in flying the shuttle because the space agency has still not fixed a design flaw that allows falling debris to hit the shuttle. It caused the Columbia disaster in 2003 which killed seven astronauts on re-entry. When the shuttle programme was restarted a year ago, more debris was seen to fall as Discovery took off. Last night's launch, mission STS-121, finally went ahead despite the discovery of a crack in insulating foam on the shuttle's main fuel tank. Nasa said senior managers were unanimous in deciding the mission should go ahead and that the broken foam was not a threat to the astronauts' safety. Ten minutes after launch, with the Discovery flying at more than four miles per second, the shuttle separated from its main fuel tank. Cdr Lindsey manouevred the craft so that digital and film camera embedded inits belly could photograph the discarded tank to check for any foam damage. Then astronauts Mike Fossum and Stephanie Wilson undid their safety straps so that they could use video and still cameras to take more pictures. An early examination of video taken during tonight's lift-off showed small pieces of debris shedding from the external fuel tank about three minutes after launch. But there was no indication that any had hit the shuttle. Father-of-two Piers, from Crowborough, East Sussex, is due to make at least two space walks on the 13-day mission to the International Space Station. He will help carry out an inspection of the ship's wings and hull for any damage and practise repair techniques. Nasa were keen for shuttle missions to resume so that Nasa can complete building of the International Space Station by 2010, the deadline set by President Bush in his Vision for Space Exploration. Nasa has achieved two major triumphs on Independence Day before. The Pathfinder probe landed on Mars on July 4 in 1997 and a comet was blasted by the Deep Impact mission a year ago.

Pluto probe tribute to Venetia, 87

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com They are literally worlds apart. A hi-tech Nasa spaceprobe racing to Pluto and a retired schoolmistress enjoying her garden in leafy Epsom, Surrey. But 87-year-old Venetia Phair has just had an important experiment on the US space agency's New Horizons mission renamed in her honour. The reason is that it was Venetia, as a girl aged 11, who dreamed up the name for the planet that the probe is travelling to visit 75 years ago. Venetia Burney, as she then was, pictured right, suggested the ninth planet be called Pluto shortly after its discovery by American Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. She is the only living person who has named one of our planets. Now space scientists have renamed after her an experiment designed, built and operated by American students. The device, which detects impacts by minute meteorites on the journey, is now called the Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter - or Venetia for short. The human Venetia was amazed to hear of the accolade paid to her when told at her cottage in Surrey, south-west of London. She said: "It was very kind of them to name it after me. I feel quite astonished. It is an honour." She added: "I never dreamed, when I was 11, that after all these years, people would still be thinking about this and even sending a probe to Pluto. It's remarkable." New Horizons's principal investigator, Dr Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute, Colorado, said: "It's fitting that we name an instrument built by students after Mrs Phair, who was just a grade-school student herself in England when she made her historic suggestion of a name for Pluto. "It's also a great honour to recognise Mrs Phair for her historic, early role in the saga of the ninth planet." Venetia was living in Oxford with her grandfather Falconer Madan on March 14, 1930, when she learned of Pluto's discovery. Mr Madan, a retired librarian at the Bodleian Library, read an article about it to her at the breakfast table. He told her that it had not yet been named. Venetia, who was interested in mythology and astronomy, suggested Pluto and her grandfather was so impressed that he went to tell a friend, astronomy Professor Herbert Hall Turner, at the University of Oxford. When the professor heard Venetia's suggestion, he sent a telegram to the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona, where discoverer Tombaugh worked. Six weeks later, the name Pluto was officially announced and Mr Madan rewarded his granddaughter with a prize of five pounds. The £400 million piano-sized New Horizons probe was the fastest launch ever when it blasted off in January. It has already passed the orbit of Mars but will not reach Pluto until July 2015.

Missed! Asteroid comes close

By PAUL SUTHERLAND, SpaceStories.com Astronomers got a ringside seat yesterday as an asteroid sped past the Earth in a cosmic near-miss. The space rock, the size of a mountain, could be seen gliding swiftly against the stars through backyard telescopes. Asteroid 2004 XP14 came almost as close as the Moon at 5.44am UK time when it was already light in Britain. But stargazers in Australia and the west coast of America watched in awe as it sped by at 11 miles per second. Amateur astronomer Dennis Simmons, of Brisbane, Australia, photographed the asteroid as a streak of light through his four-inch refracting telescope. He told Spaceweather.com: "The asteroid cleared the trees and then the fun began. This fella was motoring along - and I mean motoring!" XP14 passed at a distance of around 269,000 miles - a hair's breadth in cosmic terms. If it had hit the Earth, it would have wiped out an area the size of the UK and caused global devastation. XP14 is one of the Apollo group of asteroids which are termed "potentially hazardous objects" because their orbits cross that of the Earth. Nasa scientists used the 230ft Goldstone radar dish in California's Mojave Desert during the close approach to bounce signals off the asteroid and determine its size more accurately. Similar radar observations were being made by astronomers at Evpatoria in the Ukraine.