Announcements

15 October 2008: At a teleconference on 14 October 2008, NASA officials revealed the timeline for restoring the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to operational status following its entry into safe mode three weeks ago. Bringing Hubble back into operation will require the so-called Control Unit/Science Data Formatter to be switched over from its current failed channel-A to the back-up channel-B. To do this requires the main spacecraft to be placed into safe mode, the channel-B electronics to be brought online and then several supporting components to be switched to operate on the new channel. The science instruments themselves and the main spacecraft control systems are unaffected by this change. To achieve the switch-over a series of commands will be transmitted to the spacecraft. Although many elements of the command chain have been carried out previously (Hubble has entered safe mode on six occasions throughout its life) this is the first time this particular …

1 October 2008: At approximately 02:00 (CEST) on Sunday September 28, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope automatically entered safe mode when errors were detected in the Control Unit/Science Data Formatter-Side A. This component is essential for the storage and transmission of data from the telescope's science instruments back to Earth. Ground control attempts to reset the device and obtain a download of the payload computer's memory were unsuccessful. NASA specialists are currently investigating the problem and are in the process of planning a switch-over to the redundant Side B. This is a complex task and requires that five other modules are also switched to communicating via the B channel. Many of these modules were last activated 20 years ago during ground testing prior to launch. If this transition is successfully completed the telescope could rapidly be returned to science operations. NASA is now also evaluating the possibility of flying a back-up replacement system …

25 September 2008: In this new Hubblecast Special episode, Dr. J guides us through the third chapter of Eyes on the Skies, the International Astronomical Union's official movie celebrating the telescope's 400th anniversary in 2009. The Eyes on the Skies movie will be released during the autumn and winter of 2008 (further information is available via the links below) and will explore the many facets of the telescope – the historical development, the scientific importance, the technological breakthroughs, and also the people behind this ground-breaking invention, their triumphs and their failures. Progress in telescopic astronomy would have come to a grinding halt in the second half of the twentieth century if it weren't for the digital revolution. Powerful computers have enabled a wealth of new technologies that have resulted in the construction of giant telescopes, perched on high mountaintops with monolithic or segmented mirrors as large as swimming pools. Astronomers have even devised …

16 September 2008: Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have observed a mystery object in the constellation of Böotes. Despite detailed analysis of the light emitted by the object, astronomers are puzzled by the nature of and distance to the object known as SCP 06F6. All we know comes from a series of observations made over the course of a few months. The object was first detected on 21 February 2006 while scientists were using Hubble to survey very distant galaxy clusters for supernovae. The object continued to brighten by a factor of over 100 during the course of the next three months, without exceeding magnitude 21, and then faded away in an identical manner. This in itself is highly unusual – most light curves from transient events are not symmetrical, but have a rapid rise and a slow decay. The second part to this mystery is the spectrum. Follow-up observations with …

3 September 2008: In this new Hubblecast Special episode, Dr. J guides us through the second chapter of Eyes on the Skies, the International Astronomical Union's official movie celebrating the telescope's 400th anniversary in 2009. The Eyes on the Skies movie will be released during the autumn and winter of 2008 (further information is available via the links below) and will explore the many facets of the telescope – the historical development, the scientific importance, the technological breakthroughs, and also the people behind this ground-breaking invention, their triumphs and their failures. In their quest for ever-fainter objects and finer detail, astronomers have always demanded bigger telescopes. Scientific vision, technical nerve and personal perseverance led to the giant observatories of the early 20th century. Located on remote peaks and protected beneath majestic domes, these awe-inspiring instruments have revealed an expanding and evolving Universe, populated by a stunning variety of galaxies and nuclear powered stars …

25 July 2008: In this new Hubblecast episode, Dr. J guides us through the first chapter of Eyes on the Skies, the International Astronomical Union's official movie celebrating the telescope on its 400th anniversary in 2009. The Eyes on the Skies movie will be released during the autumn/winter 2008 (further information is available via the links below) and will explore the many facets of the telescope ? the historical development, the scientific importance, the technological breakthroughs, and also the people behind this ground-breaking invention, their triumphs and their failures. For thousands of years, astronomers had to rely on their eyes to unravel the mysteries of the Universe. Upon its invention, the telescope revealed an incredible assortment of astronomical riches, and led to a dramatic increase in available knowledge regarding the incredible Universe surrounding us. In this Hubblecast titled New views of the skies, we will travel back in time to see just how …

1 July 2008: A delicate ribbon of gas floats eerily in our galaxy. A contrail from an alien spaceship A jet from a black hole? Actually this image, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, is a very thin section of a supernova remnant caused by a stellar explosion that occurred more than 1,000 years ago. On or around 1 May 1006 A.D., observers from Africa to Europe to the Far East witnessed and recorded the arrival of light from what is now called SN 1006, a tremendous supernova explosion caused by the final death throes of a white dwarf star nearly 7,000 light-years away. The supernova was probably the brightest star ever seen by humans, and surpassed Venus as the brightest object in the night time sky, only to be surpassed by the Moon. It was visible even during the day for weeks, and remained visible to the naked eye for at …

26 May 2008: The conference Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2007 was held in Athens, Greece, from 8 to 11 October 2007. It aimed to bring together the producers of astronomical information (research scientists), public information officers (connected with large observatories and space missions), and mediators (science reporters and writers, staff members from museums, planetariums). The key topics of the meeting were: The International Year Astronomy 2009 (main theme) Case studies Communicating in the Web 2.0 / YouTube / MySpace / vodcasting mediascape Audiovisual & multimedia communication incl. tools and techniques Social impact and evaluation of astronomy communication Communication catering to special needs The proceedings of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2007 meeting is available online (check the links below).

26 May 2008: In this edition the contributions cover the full spectrum of astronomy communication from forefront technology to the fine art of communicating controversy. Three of the topics discussed in this issue deal with communicating contentious topics: the cases of the meteorite ALH 84001, the TMR-C1 "protoplanet" and the UK spacecraft Beagle 2 featured prominently in the media coverage of astronomy in 1996, 1998 and 2003 respectively. Two great articles examine the backstage drama and the media coverage of these remarkable stories thoroughly. There are many lessons to be learnt from these case studies. On the CAPj's website, www.capjournal.org, you will find the current issue in PDF format, a job bank, submission guidelines and back issues.

25 March 2008: Today, an updated version of the popular software has been released with, among other features, native support for Intel-based Macs. Another key update is a much improved support for embedding of descriptive information, so-called metadata, directly within the final image. Based on a updated version 1.1 standard for Astronomy Visualization Metadata, this information is stored in the standard manner like that used by digital cameras to record exposure information. The FITS Liberator is freely available for download from: http://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/download_v22.html Version 2.2 of The ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator has been improved in several areas, some of which are: Universal Binary for Mac allows native CS3 operation on Intel-based systems Flip image checkbox allows image orientation to be selected on import. Root functions (x1/2, x1/3, x1/4, x1/5) now operate antisymmetrically about x=0. Version 1.1 of the Astronomy Visualization Metadata (AVM) standard is now fully supported. For more information see http://www.virtualastronomy.org The import …

7 March 2008: Less than one year after its launch, the Hubblecast HD video podcast (vodcast) series has become a tremendous success. It has just been awarded a position among the best new 25 video podcasts in 2007 by the Apple iTunes store. Hubblecast is the name for a series of free video podcasts that presents the latest news and beautiful images related with the science produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. Its target group is laypeople interested in astronomy and the amazing images from outer space. The "HD" stands for "High Definition", and is the standard format that can be watched on online movie players such as the AppleTV. However, Hubblecast HD can also be watched on any computer screen. Two other Hubblecast channels are available: "Hubblecast" which is low resolution and Hubblecast Full HD, using the 1080p format (1920 x 1080 pixels). It is easy to find Hubblecast HD in iTunes: …

25 February 2008: ESA/Hubble has started a collaboration with the University of Copenhagen's Niels Bohr Institute on the NBI Cast. The first collaboration has resulted in the episode "Our Cosmic Roots" about the most distant galaxies observed. NBI Cast is currently only available in Danish, but will soon be accessible in English also. ScienceXplorer HD / EnglishXplore the world of physics and astronomy by joining the researchers in their quest to discover the mysterious Universe, missions to Mars, in the arctic cold in Greenland, and in the world's largest particle accelerator in CERN. Produced by the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

21 February 2008: In this issue we marvel at the breathtaking images taken by astrophotographers from The "World at Night project", get insider tips from authors of two popular astronomy vodcasts, learn how to navigate the labyrinth of European Commission grants for education/outreach and much more. CAPjournal is a newcomer to the field, but we are very happy with the community feedback, which gives us an added incentive to continue. Between editions you can stay in touch through our website, www.capjournal.org, discussions on the papers, a job bank, back issues and the current issue of CAPjournal. Check out the full articles on: http://www.capjournal.org/issues/02/index.php

6 February 2008: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new image of the galaxy NGC 1132 which is, most likely, a cosmic fossil – the aftermath of an enormous multi-galactic pile-up, where the carnage of collision after collision has built up a brilliant but fuzzy giant elliptical galaxy far outshining typical galaxies. In this Hubblecast, check why this elliptical galaxy has been intriguing the scientists and how it can help us understand more about the inner workings of the Universe.

17 December 2007: A powerful jet from a supermassive black hole is blasting a nearby galaxy, according to new data from NASA/ESA observatories. This never-before witnessed galactic violence may have a profound effect on planets in the jet's path and trigger a burst of star formation in its destructive wake. Known as 3C 321, the system contains two galaxies in orbit around each other. Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory show both galaxies contain supermassive black holes at their centres, but the larger galaxy has a jet emanating from the vicinity of its black hole. The smaller galaxy apparently has swung into the path of this jet. This "death star galaxy" was discovered through the combined efforts of both space and ground-based telescopes. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope were part of the effort. The Very Large Array (VLA) in Socorro, New Mexico (USA), and the …

4 December 2007: These images show young and old white dwarf stars – the burned-out relics of normal stars – in the ancient globular star cluster NGC 6397. The image at left, taken by a ground-based telescope, shows the dense swarm of hundreds of thousands of stars that make up the globular cluster. The white box outlines the location of the observations made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The image at top right, taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, reveals young white dwarfs less than 800 million years old and older white dwarfs between 1.4 and 3.5 billion years old. The photo shows 12 of the 84 white dwarfs in the Hubble study. The blue squares pinpoint the young white dwarfs; the red circles outline the older white dwarfs. The Hubble researchers distinguished the younger from the older white dwarfs based on their colour and brightness. The younger white dwarfs are …

27 November 2007: Hubble astronomer Guido de Marchi showed the wonders of the Universe to hundreds of children at the inaugural International Space camp "Deepspace 2007" held near the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station in Australia. Young boy and girl scouts from 11 to 18 years travelled from across the vast continent of Australia in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of man's exciting foray into the frontiers of space. The highlight of Deepspace 2007 was Guido's evening talk and slide show of images, from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, taking the five hundred plus audience on a journey spanning eight billion years. His words and choice of images resulted in endless questioning that lasted on into the night. Following the talk scouts created their own artistic interpretation of the beautiful Hubble images in a dedicated space art workshop led by Anne Brumfitt. The theme of the camp was the celebration of all space …

8 November 2007: Do you ever look at the beautiful images from Hubble and wonder how they were made? What exactly happens after the faint light from distant objects is detected by Hubble? How are these cosmic photons captured in space transformed into the glorious colour images down here on your wall or on computer screen? If you want to find out then Hubblecast episode 10 is for you! In the latest Hubblecast we explore how Hubble images the Universe and how astronomers and image processing experts bring these images together to create the stunning celestial vistas we know and love. Sitting in its vantage point 600km above the Earth, Hubble is a window on the Universe. It has allowed us to peer into the stunningly beautiful cosmos, creating exquisite views of the Universe we live in. You too can have a go at making your own images, just Google "FITS Liberator".

26 October 2007: A new peer-reviewed journal released today by the IAU will provide astronomy communicators with important tools and innovative resources to communicate more effectively the workings of the Universe to the public. IAU President Catherine Cesarsky says "We are pleased to announce the first issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal. The IAU is strongly dedicated to improving the global level of astronomy education and outreach." The journal provides astronomy communicators with a mix of resources, opinion and information on how to communicate more effectively to the general public the workings of the Universe. As Pedro Russo, Editor-In-Chief of the journal, explains, the CAP journal has an important aim: "As the astronomy education and public outreach community expands globally, it becomes increasingly important to establish a community of science communication experts." President of IAU Commission 55 Communicating Astronomy with the Public, Ian Robson: "Astronomy has an innate appeal to …

25 October 2007: These sharp images taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveal at least five shells of stars surrounding a brilliant quasar at the heart of a giant elliptical galaxy. The image at left shows the quasar, known as MC2 1635+119, and its host galaxy [centre] against a backdrop of distant galaxies. In the image at top, right, the shells can barely be seen because of the bright light from the central quasar. The image at bottom, right, was enhanced to reveal details of the faint shells. In both right-hand images, the objects below and to the left of the shells are background galaxies. A foreground star resides at top, left. The shells have never been seen before in this galaxy, located about 2 billion light-years away. They are evidence that the giant galaxy clashed with another galaxy in the relatively recent past. The shells are similar to ripples forming in …