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blog is elsewhere now

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:42:28 GMT

blog is elsewhere now

Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy@aol.com), Olathe, KS: Member #2572 IMCA (International Meteorite Collectors Association) : E.O.A.S. (Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere and Space) Blog -
new blog site

blog is elsewhere now

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:42:27 GMT

Orionid picture

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:23:19 GMT

Today picture of many Orionids on a photo on Astronomy Picture of the Day-
APOD (10/23/2006).
Very nicely done. Have a look in archives

Dr.Eric Flescher

Nice 2002 picture composite Leonids meteors streaming from the radiant

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 15:57:13 GMT

Nice 2002 picture composite Leonids meteors streaming from the radiant

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Leonid meteor shower photo

if not 11/18 see archives

Catch a falling star

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 02:46:48 GMT

Catch a falling star

http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/11122006news75810.cfm

catch a falling star

Sunday, November 12, 2006
By Tricia Jones Columbian staff writer

Carbonaceous Clues to the Early Solar System

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 05:49:38 GMT

http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/news_stories/tagish.cfm

clues to solar syste\

Carbonaceous Clues to the Early Solar System

By Leslie Mullen
Adapted from an Arizona State University press release
Initial analysis showed showed the meteorite was a type of carbonaceous chondrite - a rare, organically rich, charcoal-like class of meteorites.
Credit: UWO / University of Calgary

Scientists have conducted an organic analysis of the Tagish Lake meteorite, a rare, carbon-rich meteorite classified as a carbonaceous chondrite. The meteorite fell on a frozen Canadian lake in January 2000, and is the most pristine carbonaceous chondrite specimen ever studied.
The analysis suggests there can be a different outcome for the evolution of organic chemicals in space than from what has been observed in other carbonaceous meteorites. This difference could be due to the possibility that the Tagish Lake meteorite contains carbon molecules that may have accumulated during the formation and development of the solar system.
Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites contain vital clues to the evolution of carbon compounds in our solar system. For example, the Murchison meteorite, a carbonaceous chondrite found in Australia in 1969, contains numerous amino acids and a variety of other organic compounds that are the building blocks for life. Many scientists now believe that such meteorites could have seeded the Earth with the ingredients necessary for life to arise.
A team headed by chemist Sandra Pizzarello, a research scientist at Arizona State University, conducted the organic analysis of the Tagish Lake meteorite. 4.5 grams were taken from the sealed interior of the meteorite, and while the organic compounds found in the meteorite have some similarities to other known carbonaceous chondrites, there are also clear differences most notably the near-absence of amino acids.
"The chemistry here is different from that we have seen in any other meteorite," says Pizzarello. "Its simple when compared with Murchison, and probably represents a separate line of chemical evolution. However, it still includes compounds that are identical to biomolecules."
This is a piece of the Murchison meteorite, which fell in Australia. Amino acids found in the meteorite were apparently present in it when it fell.
Credit: University of Texas at Arlington

In an article published in the August 24 issue of the online journal Science Express, the team notes that the chemistry of the Tagish Lake meteorite appears to have preserved organics that accumulated or developed in the early history of the Solar System. This includes molecular bubbles of carbon (fullerenes or "buckyballs") containing the noble gases helium and argon in a ratio similar to the gas and dust cloud that formed the planets. Thus, the meteorite perhaps reflects an early stage of evolution of complex carbon compounds in space.
The Science paper notes that many of the organic compounds found in the Tagish Lake sample have also been found in other meteorites, but that the distribution of compounds is different, particularly for the amino acids and carboxylic acids.
"We found some compounds identical to some in Murchison that show the same interstellar connection in their abundance of deuterium (heavy hydrogen), while some others differ from Murchison in amounts and variety," says Pizzarello, meaning that for some groups of organic molecules, only the simplest species were found in Tagish Lake, as opposed to a broader distribution of species found in Murchison. "Overall, Tagish Lake represents a simpler, more unaltered stage than we have seen before."
Other members of the research team include Yongsong Huang from the Department of Geological Sciences at Brown University; Luann Becker from the Institute for Crustal Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara; Robert J. Poreda from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester; George Cooper from the NASA Ames Research Center; and Ronald A. Nieman and Michael Williams, both also from ASU.
"Some people have been disappointed that we found virtually no amino acids, but scientifically this is very exciting," Pizzarello said. "This meteorite shows the complexity of the history of organic compounds in space it seems to have had a distinct evolution."
Pizzarello notes that while the meteorites like Tagish Lake may lack amino acids, they still could have contributed the molecular precursors of biomolecules that are necessary for the origin of life.
Louis Allamandola, astrochemist with the NASA Ames Research Center and NAI member, says the absence of amino acids and other simple organic molecules could mean the meteorite was exposed to high heat or energy levels during its travels through space.
Without more detailed reseach and study on meterorites, it is hard to know what majority of meteorites contain.
Credit: Dutch Meteor Society

"The main signature of the meteorite is that of sooty, cross polymerized aromatic material -- probably much like the black soot from a diesel engine or sooty candle flame," says Allamandola. "From an organic chemical point of view, this is the kind of material you get when you heat any organic material above about 400 degrees Celsius (752 degrees Fahrenheit). So, all this means is that this particular rock had a different history from that of the Murchison meteorite. It had a rougher go on its transit from deep space to Earth."
Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites generally show little evidence of being shaped by high temperatures. Even entry into our atmosphere does not heat their interiors to any great degree, as their porous texture tends to bleed away heat. But Allamandola says it wouldnt come as a surprise if the meteorite had been heated or energetically processed before entering the Earths atmosphere the vast reaches of space contain many different levels of radiation, temperatures, densities, and environments.
"There are at least two ways to look at it," says Allamandola. "Either carbon goes through some sort of process to form amino acids, and this meteorite therefore represents an early window on the evolution of carbonaceous chondrites before the amino acids develop. Or, the rock might have been so energetically processed that the amino acids were destroyed."
"Basically," Allamandola says, "this draws attention to the fact that only very few meteorites have been studied in any detail, and that we really don't know what most of them contain. Its a tough game."

:::

Tagish Lake meteorite news release (University of Calgery)

Tagish Lake meteorite news release
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=2817

Tagish Lake Meteorite May Be Most Primitive Solar System Material Ever Studied

PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Thursday, October 12, 2000
Source: University of Calgary

Dennis Urquhart
Research Communications
(403) 220-7722

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario (Western) and the University of Calgary (U of C) -- working with colleagues from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom -- have found that meteorites recovered in northern British Columbia may be one of the most primitive solar system materials ever examined.

Peter Brown, a professor in Western's Department of Physics and
Astronomy, and Alan Hildebrand, a professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at U of C, are the lead authors of the report featured on the cover of the Oct. 13, 2000 issue of the international journal Science.

The meteorites, recovered by B.C. resident Jim Brook in late January, and scientists at Western and the U of C during April and May, were found on Tagish Lake, B.C. It was the largest meteorite fall in Canadian history.

"We can now say that this may be the 'crown jewel' of meteorite finds," says Brown. "This discovery will aid scientists in the reconstruction of the early solar system."

"The standard composition of the solar system is partly defined by the most primitive meteorite in existence," says Neil MacRae, earth sciences professor at Western and a co-author on the Science paper. "If our results are proven correct, this new discovery will ultimately change that definition."

The Tagish Lake Meteorite is a new type of carbonaceous chondrite -- a rare, organically rich, charcoal-like class of meteorites. Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites make up about three per cent of meteorite finds in the world. The chemical class most closely resembling this meteorite constitutes less than 0.1 per cent of all meteorites recovered to date, though the Science paper suggests the Tagish Lake Meteorite to be even more primitive and therefore may represent a new class.

The first recovered pieces of the Tagish Lake Meteorite have been kept frozen, which will allow researchers to identify the full range of compounds in a primitive, carbon-rich meteorite for the first time. These organic materials may help scientists better understand chemical processing in the outer part of the solar nebula. The meteorite is also rich in interstellar grains. Coupled with the limited aqueous alteration on the parent asteroid of the Tagish Lake Meteorite, this may mean that new things will be learned about the nuclear furnaces of stars.

"The most significant and exciting things to be discovered in this meteorite may not yet be known," says Hildebrand. "We, together with Jim Brook, are supplying material to dozens of researchers located around the world for their studies. It is a delightful and somewhat rare situation for scientists when we can't predict what may be learned."

Other members of the research team include Michael Mazur, Tina
Rubak-Mazur, Michael Glatiotis, and J. Andrew Bird at U of C; Michael Zolensky at NASA Johnson Space Center; Monica Grady at the Natural History Museum in England; Robert Clayton and Toshiko Mayeda at the University of Chicago; Edward Tagliaferri at ET Space Systems in California; Richard Spalding of Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico; Margaret Campbell, Robert Carpenter, Heather Gingerich, Erika Greiner, Phil McCausland and Howard Plotkin at Western; Eric Hoffman at Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ancaster, Ontario; David Mittlefehldt at Lockheed Engineering and Science Co. in Houston; and John Wacker at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington.

-------

For more information, please contact:

Peter Brown at (519) 661-2111 ext. 86458
and
Alan Hildebrand at (403) 220-2291 or cell (403) 874-1434

For B-roll footage, a copy of the Science paper or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Marcia Daniel
Communications and Public Affairs, The University of Western Ontario (519) 661-2111 ext. 85468
or
Dennis Urquhart
Research Communications, University of Calgary
(403) 220-7722

For photos, biographies, backgrounders and video footage, please visit the following websites:

* http://phobos.astro.uwo.ca/~pbrown/tagish/
* http://comms.uwo.ca/media/releases/releases2000/May%2031b.htm
* http://www.ucalgary.ca/unicomm/meteor/photos.htm
* http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/cdnmeteorites/

Attention broadcasters: The University of Western Ontario has installed Bell's VideoROUTE service that allows for live or pre-taped broadcast interviews with television studios. For more information, please call (519) 661-2111 ext. 85468 or ext. 85165.

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Tagish Lake Metorite Investigation (UWO)
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Meteors, Meteorites and Impacts (SEDS)
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Amino Acids in Meteorites (NASA)

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Antarctica Yields New Lunar Meteorite

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 05:12:55 GMT

Antarctica Yields New Lunar Meteorite

http://ctanews.com/blogs/Lunar-meteorite/

New Lunar meteorite found

Pluto comeback tornadoes in Spain etc

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:13:32 GMT

Are Meteorites Friend Or Foe To Planet Earth (SpaceDaily)
by Staff Writers London, UK (SPX) Nov 10, 2006 Monica Grady, a professor of planetary and space science at the Open University in the UK, is one of the world's meteorite experts.
Asteroid belt - http://ctanews.com/blogs/Asteroid-belt/
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Great Balls of Fire!
By spock
The March 7, 2003 Park Forest fireball/meteorite (pdf) was recovered and recorded by police car cameras: (AVIs: 1, 2, 3) Perhaps the most incredible is the one that got away on August 10, 1972. Recorded by many still and movie cameras ...

MetaFilter - http://www.metafilter.com/

Pluto comeback

Plotting Pluto's Comeback
Some astronomers want to reclaim the status of planet for the distant ball of rock and ice.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15460884/site/newsweek

Spain: tornado strikes El Ejido
Tholen - A tornado struck in Spanish El Ejido yesterday morning, Wednesday 8 November, around half past 10 in the morning. It has ...
interesting photo of damage

http://www.freshplaza.com/2006/09nov/1-2_es_tornado.htm

Spain twister

Tornado Tears Through Central Florida
http://www.cfnews13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=20137
Central Florida News 13| - Orlando,FL,USA
In Seminole County, a tornado touchdown caused significant damage to homes and vehicles. One family is without a home, but managed ...

Deadly tornado tears through Japanese town
The West Australian - Perth,Western Australia,Australia
At least nine people were killed and 25 injured when a tornado ripped through a town in northern Japan, officials said. Two people ...

Lawfield tornado came fast and furious
Hamilton Spectator - Ontario, Canada
One minute it was raining and the next a fast-moving twister was ripping roofs off buildings.
... The tornado that tore a path of destruction between the east Mountain and Stoney Creek a year ago today came fast and furious. There were no watches issued. ...

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1163026214318&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815

Canada twister

Mini tornado in Tauranga
Radio New Zealand - Wellington,New Zealand
Tauranga senior fire station officer Grant Taylor says the tornado hit late on Thursday morning and caused damage to two houses on Turrett Street, near the ...

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200611092050/mini-tornado_in_tauranga

NZ tornado

Tornado blows away Lady Bears with second-half run
Appalachian News-Express - Pikeville,KY,USA
BRISTOL, Tenn. -The schedule said that the King College Lady Tornado would host the Pikeville College women's basketball team on Tuesday night. ...

11/8/2006: World: Rare tornado leaves 9 dead, destroys 33 homes
TOKYO â€” A rare tornado tore across Japanâ€™s far north on Tuesday, killing nine people and leaving dozens more destitute in a single town as it laid waste to homes used by construction workers ... The tornado scorched through Saroma in the...

http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx?newspaper=vancouver+sun&cid=1000

Japan tornado

I Love This..
By Ash(Ash)
The first thing you do if you hear tornado sirens during the day is check ... You might go indoors when there's a tornado, but you won't "seek shelter" for ... You've never exactly memorized the tornado precautions, but you've heard ...
We all judge. That's our hobby. - http://alynn.vox.com/library/posts/page/1/
Safe Room shelters from Tornado, Hurricanes, and Storms
By n.b
â€œA tornado is a violently rotating column of air which is in contact with both a cumulonimbus (or, ... Aided by the HILTI Anchorage Company and Texas Tech research, FamilySAFE is one of the best safe rooms, tornado shelters, ...
My blog - http://nb-talks.blogspot.com
Mini-tornado in Tauranga
A mini-tornado swept through a suburban street in Tauranga late on Thursday morning and caused damage to two houses.
Radio New Zealand News Headlines - http://www.radionz.co.nz/news
Tornado

NZ tornado

moon may not be dead

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:29:36 GMT

NASA Science News for November 9, 2006

Conventional wisdom says the Moon is dead. Conventional wisdom may be wrong. Today in the journal Nature, a team of NASA-supported scientists announced evidence for fresh geologic activity on the Moon.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/09nov_moonalive.htm?list731500

the moon is not dead?

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml!

rss feed

november 8 transit of Mercury simulation

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 15:07:48 GMT

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/20oct_transitofmercury.htm

mercury transit simulation

cool animation and times for Mercury transit Nov 8