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Tag Archives: Organic Molecules

NASA Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane on Mars

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on June 8, 2018 by Bob TrembleyJune 8, 2018

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet’s surface and subsurface. The new findings — “tough” organic molecules in 3-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere — appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science. Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While commonly associated with life, organic molecules also can be created by non-biological processes and are not necessarily indicators of life. “Are there signs of life on Mars? We don’t know, but these results tell us we are on the right track.” – … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space Exploration | Tagged Curiosity, ESA, ExoMars, Mars, NASA, Organic Molecules, Search for Life | Leave a reply
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Specola Guestbook: July 21, 1911 – Joel Metcalf

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 8, 2019 by Robert MackeNovember 29, 2019
This entry is part 24 of 24 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from July 21, 1911, when Joel Metcalf made a visit. Next to his … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History | Tagged Asteroids, comets, Metcalf, Specola Guestbook, Vatican Observatory | Leave a reply

The Darkest Evening of the Year

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 7, 2019 by Christopher M. GraneyNovember 20, 2019

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy | Leave a reply

Across the Universe: Astronomy domine

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 5, 2019 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoNovember 28, 2019
This entry is part of 187 in the series Across the Universe

This column from The Tablet was first run in December 2018 December 2018 was a busy month in space. The Japanese Hayabusa II mission was orbiting Ryuku, a tiny near-Earth asteroid. A Chinese probe was about to place a lander on the far side of the Moon. NASA’s Insight mission … Continue reading…

Posted in Across the Universe, Space Exploration, Space resources | Tagged Asteroids, OSIRIS REx, space resources | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – December 3, 2019

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 3, 2019 by Bob TrembleyDecember 3, 2019
This entry is part 125 of 125 in the series In the Sky This Week

At last night’s meeting of the Warren Astronomical Society, the topic of the Starlink satellite constellation came up during the “In the News” segment, and a groan of dismay could be heard from the entire audience. If you are unfamiliar with Starlink, it is a constellation of potentially tens of … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Commentary, Outreach | Tagged #GivingTuesday, Andromeda, Hera Mission, International Space Station, Juno, Juputer, light pollution, M31, Moon, OSIRIS REx, Pegasus, Saturn, Starlink, Sun, Venus | Leave a reply

Specola Guestbook: June 21, 1911 – Robert S. Woodward

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 1, 2019 by Robert MackeNovember 29, 2019
This entry is part 23 of 24 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from June 21, 1911, when Robert S. Woodward made a visit. Next to … Continue reading…

Posted in History, Uncategorized | Tagged AAAS, American Mathematical Society, Carnegie Institution, Specola Guestbook, Specola Vaticana, Woodward | Leave a reply

Across the Universe: The New Paganism

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on November 28, 2019 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoOctober 27, 2019
This entry is part 98 of 187 in the series Across the Universe

The following column was published in The Tablet in November 2009; we ran it again here in 2016. This is the version I finally submitted of the column posted here yesterday… You will know the end-times by their signs, we’re told in the Gospel readings at this time of year. … Continue reading…

Posted in Meteorites, Popular Culture | Tagged Asteroids, Astrobiology, End of the World | Leave a reply
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Recent Comments

  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney November 25, 2019 at 7:11 am on Transit of Mercury CHEOPS and ExoplanetsNice representation of the sun! Maybe only three dots but still cool.
  • Richard HillRichard Hill November 23, 2019 at 8:46 pm on Agassiz’s mentorI will think about that!
  • Richard HillRichard Hill November 23, 2019 at 8:45 pm on Agassiz’s mentorIf you go to my webpage at: https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/moonobs.html you will see at the top of the page a link to an article on the minimum size crater that is detectable (as a dot). I have done the theoretical minimum of 1km with this telescope at perigee. Most of the time...
  • Jim Cook November 23, 2019 at 7:42 am on Smart Phones from EelsI often carry around something smaller than a smart phone that would not be possible without the work all four gentlemen: my car's key fob. It contains a small coin-sized battery, which powers the signal it emits that my car detects, within a certain distance, and lets me unlock it...
  • Jim Cook November 21, 2019 at 9:15 am on The Story Telling Universe.If the point was the difference between an ordinary astrophotograph and a good one is the extent to which it tells a story, I took from your comments that “story” was something the photographer should try to include in a photograph or make an effort to try to capture somehow,...
  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney November 19, 2019 at 8:47 am on The Story Telling Universe.Well I particularly like both of the windmill pictures.
  • Fr. James KurzynskiFr. James Kurzynski November 18, 2019 at 4:51 pm on The Story Telling Universe.Jim, Thank you for a very engaging response! And thank you for the links to your wonderful pictures! I'm always inspired by the work of others. In that spirit, thank you for inspiring me! Your initial paragraph cuts right to the heart of the struggle I faced a few months...
  • Jim Cook November 18, 2019 at 9:01 am on The Story Telling Universe.My own experience as an astrophotographer is, well, less experienced than I would like. But my sense is the images taken by experienced astrophotographers rarely tell stories. More often, they are simply portraits — say, a high magnification photo of Saturn, or lunar craters, or the Orion Nebula. And really...
  • Bob ProkopBob Prokop November 12, 2019 at 7:23 pm on In the Sky This Week – November 12, 2019I had much better luck on Monday. I wrote up my impressions of the event here: https://theobserverschair.blogspot.com/
  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney November 6, 2019 at 2:06 pm on Agassiz’s mentorP.S. Can you give us an estimate of the size of the smallest features visible in these shots?
  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney November 6, 2019 at 1:59 pm on Agassiz’s mentorThese are great lunar shots that you post. Write a post about this 8" f/20 telescope that you use for these shots. Or have you done that, and I just missed that post?
  • Richard Gabrielson November 4, 2019 at 9:20 pm on Navy Jets Harassed by Magical Mermaid Tic Tac UFOs!Bravo, Prof. Graney! Seeing this published under a Church connection reminded me immediately of an aphorism attributed to GK Chesterton: "When a man [sic] stops believing in God he doesn’t then believe in nothing, he believes anything." (According to https://www.chesterton.org/ceases-to-worship/ it's a repeated theme in Chesterton's works but never in...
  • Fr. James KurzynskiFr. James Kurzynski October 31, 2019 at 6:00 am on From The Back Yard: Know Thyself.And thanks for the complement!
  • Fr. James KurzynskiFr. James Kurzynski October 31, 2019 at 6:00 am on From The Back Yard: Know Thyself.Sadly, there are. The yellowish light on the right side is from the west - creeping light pollution from the cities of Plover and Stevens Point. I'm not 100% sure where the blue came from. Part of me thinks it might be a result of the light from my parents...
  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney October 30, 2019 at 11:11 am on From The Back Yard: Know Thyself.That is a nice Milky Way panorama! They are all nice. At each end of the panorama there is some skyglow. Are there a lot of artificial lights around?
  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney October 16, 2019 at 10:22 am on Putting the Space Station Where You Want ItThanks for the comments. A funny thing happened at the observatory: the ISS did not show up. A visitor there had an app on his phone, and that app did not show the ISS as passing by Saturn. I later went back to Stellarium, and Stellarium did not show the...
  • Jim Cook October 12, 2019 at 12:06 pm on Putting the Space Station Where You Want ItTwenty years ago, give or take, I had my telescope set up for a stargazing program at my local park. Earlier in the day, I had checked to see if there would be any bright satellites passing overhead. Back then, before there were satellite pass web sites like heavens-above.com, I...
  • Ed Yepez October 11, 2019 at 9:46 pm on ⓜ The day I almost met Buzz… Diary of 11 October, 2019I have enjoyed John Scalzi's work, but I must admit I would not recognize him. Let me know if you ever attend an orthodontic meeting. They won't know me either, but it would definitely encourage me to attend! The motion of planets and teeth?
  • Tracy Lunquist October 11, 2019 at 1:19 pm on ⓜ The day I almost met Buzz… Diary of 11 October, 2019I've had dinner with Buzz Aldrin -- a long-time friend of mine was dating him for a little while (yes, you can imagine my reaction to hearing that little tidbit of news). He is certainly a unique character, and I'm sorry you didn't get to meet him. But indeed, of...
  • Christopher M. GraneyChristopher M. Graney October 4, 2019 at 10:34 am on ‘Hot Jupiter’ Exoplanet Found with 18-Hour OrbitWow. Do we know *anything* about planet formation any more? Obviously, everything I was ever taught has turned out to be WRONG. This is such a cool area of discovery.

Top Posts

  • The Darkest Evening of the Year
    The Darkest Evening of the Year
  • Specola Guestbook: July 21, 1911 - Joel Metcalf
    Specola Guestbook: July 21, 1911 - Joel Metcalf
  • In the Sky This Week – December 3, 2019
    In the Sky This Week – December 3, 2019
  • Georges Lemaitre - Father of the "Big Bang"
    Georges Lemaitre - Father of the "Big Bang"
  • Across the Universe: Astronomy domine
    Across the Universe: Astronomy domine
  • The Great 2018 Michigan Fireball
    The Great 2018 Michigan Fireball
  • Nibiru, Kepler, and some basics on orbits
    Nibiru, Kepler, and some basics on orbits
  • Specola Guestbook: June 21, 1911 - Robert S. Woodward
    Specola Guestbook: June 21, 1911 - Robert S. Woodward

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