From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Mon Aug 09 2004 - 07:51:43 PDT
----- Original Message -----
From: Astrobiology Magazine<mailto:astronaut_at_astrobio.net>
To: ljk4_at_msn.com<mailto:ljk4_at_msn.com>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 5:33 AM
Subject: Latest News from the Astrobiology Magazine
Saturn's Moon Titan: Planet Wannabe
Jonathan Lunine, professor of planetary science and physics at the at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, has long been fascinated by Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Astrobiology Magazine's Managing Editor Henry Bortman spoke recently with Lunine about the Huygens mission. In this first part of the interview, Lunine explains what scientists hope to learn from Huygens.
Lightning Bolts from Saturn
In orbit around Saturn for more than a month now, the Cassini spacecraft has been sending back mountains of scientific data. It's now detected flashes of lightning and a new radiation belt. The spacecraft's radio and plasma wave science instrument is detecting the lighting, which varies from day to day; a dramatically different situation from what the Voyagers found 20 years ago. The new radiation belt is just above Saturn's cloud tops and extends around the planet, yet the radiation particles are able to "jump over" the planet's rings.
Perseids to Storm August 11?
The annual Perseid meteor shower has already started, but it's going to peak on the night of August 11, with observers in dark locations seeing upwards of 60 meteors an hour. This year could be special, though, since the Earth is expected to pass through a brand new filament of material left over from Comet Swift-Tuttle when it flew past in 1862. This year's Perseids could turn into a full fledged meteor storm, but the only way to know for sure is to get out and watch. The best time will be after 11 pm, in the darkest skies you can find.
Hubble in Trouble
The spectrometer or color detector on the Hubble Space Telescope seems to have a malfunction, which jeopardizes about a third of the science observations. One possible casualty, if engineers cannot recover the instrument, is detection of atmospheres around newly discovered planets outside our solar system.
Monday, August 09
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: Mon Aug 09 2004 - 10:33:45 PDT
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http://www.astrobio.net/news/article1125.html
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