NASA NuSTAR delivers the X-ray goods

Artist's concept of NuSTAR on orbit. NuSTAR has a 10-m (30') mast that deploys after launch to separate the optics modules (right) from the detectors in the focal plane (left). 

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), is giving the wider astronomical community a first look at its unique X-ray images of the cosmos.

The first batch of data from the black-hole hunting telescope was publicly available on Aug. 29, via NASA's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center, (HEASARC).

Fiona Harrison

"We are pleased to present the world with NuSTAR's first look at the sky in high-energy X-rays with a true focusing telescope," said Fiona Harrison, the mission's principal investigator at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena.

The images, taken from July to August 2012, shortly after the spacecraft launched, comprise an assortment of extreme objects, including black holes near and far.

The more distant black holes are some of the most luminous objects in the universe, radiating X-rays as they ferociously consume surrounding gas.

One type of black hole in the new batch of data is a blazar, which is an active, supermassive black hole pointing a jet toward Earth.

Systems known as X-ray binaries, in which a compact object such as a neutron star or black hole feeds off a stellar companion, are also in the mix, along with the remnants of stellar blasts called supernovas.

The data set only contains complete observations. Data will be released at a later date for those targets still being observed.

"Astronomers can use these data to better understand the capabilities of NuSTAR and design future observing proposals. The first opportunity will be this fall, for joint observations with XMM-Newton," said Karl Forster of Caltech, who is leading the effort to package the data for the public.

The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray telescope, like NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, complements NuSTAR.

While XMM-Newton and Chandra see lower-energy X-ray light, NuSTAR is the first telescope capable of focusing high-energy X-ray light, allowing for more detailed images than were possible before.

Astronomers can compare data sets from different missions using HEASARC, which gives them a broader understanding of an object of interest.

NuSTAR's high-energy observations help scientists bridge a gap that existed previously in X-ray astronomy, and will lead to new revelations about the bizarre and energetic side of our universe.

Other NASA missions with data available via HEASARC include Chandra, Fermi, Swift, Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and many more.

ESA NASA Hubble Image: Cosmic Caterpillar

This light-year-long knot of interstellar gas and dust resembles a caterpillar on its way to a feast. 

But the meat of the story is not only what this cosmic caterpillar eats for lunch, but also what's eating it. 

Harsh winds from extremely bright stars are blasting ultraviolet radiation at this 'wanna-be' star and sculpting the gas and dust into its long shape.

Credit: ESA NASA Hubble

Hubble Video: 'Space slinky' revealed in 13-year time-lapse

A "space slinky" has been imaged in action for the first time: a series of pictures shot by the Hubble Space Telescope over 13 years has been pieced together to reveal the spiral motion of a jet of superheated gas shooting from the central black hole of the nearby M87 galaxy (see video, above).

When a supermassive black hole at the centre of a large galaxy is actively feeding, it can fire jets of plasma into space at high speed.

Previous images of such jets, captured in another part of the universe, also provided evidence for a corkscrew shape.

This was probably created as the plasma travelled along coiled magnetic field lines emanating from the swirling disc of material falling into the black hole but those images had a hard time determining if the material was spiralling up the length of the field lines or simply moving from side to side.

Eileen Meyer

Using images from Hubble, Eileen Meyer from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STCI) in Baltimore, Maryland and colleagues analysed a jet spurting out of M87's central black hole.

Their detailed view of the jet in motion shows that it is made up of clumps of gas that brighten and fade over time.

The blobs have complex dynamics, with gas speeding up at different rates along the jet and even stationary spots in some of the far-out clumps.

The work should give insight into how galaxies evolve, since high-speed jets produced during a black hole's active phase are thought to play a significant role.

"By studying the details of this process, we hope to learn more about galaxy formation and black hole physics in general," says Meyer.

The team's next step will be to study three more jets using Hubble observations, to see if they behave in similar ways.

Journal reference: The Astrophysical Journal Letters, DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/774/2/L21

ESA Galileo: Galileo's secure service tested by Member States

Galileo IOV in orbit. Credit: ESA - P. Carril

EU Member States have begun their independent testing of the most accurate and secure signal broadcast by the four Galileo navigation satellites in orbit.

Transmitted on two frequency bands with enhanced protection, the Public Regulated Service (PRS) offers a highly accurate positioning and timing service, with access strictly restricted to authorised users.

"Galileo is in its In-Orbit Validation phase, planned to include experimental demonstrations of PRS capabilities in terms of positioning and access control," explained Miguel Manteiga Bautista, heading ESA's Galileo Security Office.

PRS access was initially considered for Galileo's Full Operational Capability phase, but it has been enabled in 2013 in response to the strong interest of Member States in this service.

To allow early access to PRS during the current phase, the European Commission and ESA began the joint project 'PRS Participants To IOV' (PPTI) in July 2012.

ESA ensured the availability of several tools developed under ESA contracts, including test receivers and other qualification equipment.

ESA also provided the critical knowhow and expertise required to conduct these experimental campaigns.

ESA's PRS Laboratory, based at the Agency's ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, was used to provide training, demonstrations and sample data.

"As a result, Belgium, France, Italy and the UK have now performed independent PRS acquisition and positioning tests.

In parallel, ESA, through collaboration with Dutch and Italian authorities, is also conducting PRS fixed and mobile validation in several locations in the Netherlands and Italy," added Miguel Manteiga.

The PRS tests have demonstrated a current autonomous positioning accuracy below 10 m when in the correct geometrical configuration.

This is an impressive result considering the small number of Galileo satellites in orbit and the limited ground infrastructure so far deployed.

In the case of Italy, which has developed its own PRS receiver, the tests have already confirmed the feasibility of independent PRS receiver development and verification based on specifications provided by ESA.

"But the PPTI project is still ongoing in order to test more advanced functionalities this coming autumn and to run the first aeronautical PRS tests in collaboration with the Dutch authorities. Other Member States have also expressed their willingness to join the IOV PRS experimentation campaigns soon," concluded Miguel Manteiga.

The project is the first step to ensure the use of the PRS service as soon as it is operational. It will be complemented by the PRS Pilot Projects, focused on PRS applications, which are currently under definition in a common effort between the EU Member States, the European Commission, ESA and the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency.

In addition to the qualification of the PRS service, these initiatives will allow the timely availability of competitive PRS receivers in Europe and the setting up of organisations in the Member States required to handle PRS.

Turanor PlanetSolar: Largest solar boat arrives in London, England

The MS Turanor PlanetSolar is a scientific research platform for the University of Geneva and has been enjoying a great deal of interest from around the world during its groundbreaking mission to explore the intricacies of the Gulf Stream and other facets of our changing climate.

The innovative design of the craft means that it can generate up to 480kWh from over 800 solar panels and boasts a top speed of 14 knots. 

The vessel carries an array of different instruments, both inside and out, used for monitoring every facet of the climate during its voyage. 

Data gathered is still being processed, but it is hoped to shed further light on climatic changes going on around the world.

The dual-hull of the Turanor PlanetSolar is over 100 feet long and gets through the water after converting the sun's rays via two electric motors. 

A huge bank of lithium-ion batteries are enclosed in each of the hull sections.

The catamaran has enjoyed a high profile so far, having successfully completed its first trip around the world under solar power, between September 2010 and May 2012. 

The first time around, the Turanor PlanetSolar made it across the Atlantic in 26 days, a record-breaking time which it has since trimmed down to 22 days, gaining it an entry into the Guinness World record books.

ESO ALMA: The first interferometric image at 500 GHz with ALMA Band 8 receivers

Planetary Nebula NGC 6302. The right image is the composite image of ALMA Band 8 (yellow) and the Hubble Space Telescope (gray). 

Upper left image is the whole view of NGC 6302 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and yellow rectangle corresponds to the right image area. Lower left panel shows the line profile of atomic carbon. 

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

ALMA opens another window to the universe in the 500 GHz frequency band. Astronomers successfully synthesized the distribution of atomic carbon around a planetary nebula NGC 6302 in test observations with the ALMA Band 8 receiver, developed by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

This is the first 500 GHz band astronomical image captured by a radio interferometer with unprecedentedly high resolution.

ALMA has 10 receiver bands to cover a wide range of observing frequency. All antennas are equipped with dedicated receivers for each frequency band.

NAOJ assumes the development of three bands: Band 4 (receiving frequency: 125 to 163 GHz, millimeter-wave); Band 8 (385 to 500 GHz, submillimeter-wave); and Band 10 (787 to 950 GHz, Terahertz-wave).

The frequency band observable with the Band 8 receiver covers a wide range of radio emission lines from various atoms and molecules.

Among them, one of the most attractive targets for many astronomers is the emission from atomic carbon at 492 GHz.

What can we expect to see from it?The main component of the cosmic gas is hydrogen. The abundance of carbon is only 1/3000 of that of hydrogen, although carbon is the third most abundant element in the universe.

The cosmic gas can be classified into three groups by its temperature and density; "plasma cloud" (number density of plasma particles: 0.01 per 1 cm3, temperature: several million degrees Celsius), "atomic cloud" (number density of atom: 10 per 1 cm3, temperature: -160 degrees Celsius), and "molecular cloud" (number density of molecule: 10000 per 1 cm3, temperature: - 260 degrees Celsius).

Dense regions of atomic cloud grow into molecular cloud, and molecular cloud with increased density becomes a seedbed of stars. On the other hand, molecules composing molecular cloud dissociate into atoms when exposed to intense ultraviolet light. Detailed study of the distributions of atomic cloud and molecular cloud gives us insights into the evolution of cosmic gas.

In particular, observation of carbon atom is important not only in studying the distribution and characteristics of atomic cloud, but also in exploring chemistry in the universe because various complex molecules are formed from chemical reactions between carbon atom and other atoms such as oxygen and hydrogen.

So far, observations in the 500 GHz band, including emission line from cosmic carbon atom, have been made with single dish radio telescopes such as the University of Tokyo's Mt. Fuji Submillimeter Telescope and Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO).

The typical spatial resolution of those observations is 15 arcseconds or larger (1 arcsecond corresponds to 1/3600 of 1 degree), which is far worse than the resolution of existing 8-meter class optical telescopes (0.1 arcsecond).

ALMA is the first radio interferometer which allows observations in this frequency range with remarkably improved resolution compared to single dish telescopes.

This time, the Band 8 receivers were installed in five 7-m antennas developed by Japan and achieved a high resolution of 3.5 arcseconds. By installing the receiver into all the ALMA antennas, the resolution becomes even better by 400 times. Astronomers around the world have high expectations for observations with Band 8.

Researchers find phosphate in more soluble form on Mars

Synthetic crystals of the calcium phosphate mineral whitlockite similar to those used to produce the extraterrestrial mineral merrillite. 

If life ever arose on Mars, merrillite may have been a major source of biologically required phosphate. Largest crystal are ~1mm. 

Credit: C. T. Adcock / University of Nevada Las Vegas 

A trio of researchers at the University of Nevada has found that phosphate found in minerals on Mars, is far more soluble than it is in natural Earth minerals.

In their paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers describe how they synthesized mineral types found on Mars and then tested how well they dissolved in water releasing phosphate as compared to samples from natural Earth minerals.

Most scientists agree that phosphate is a key ingredient for life. Put another way, they believe that life couldn't have evolved without it.

For that reason, scientists have been studying ways in which minerals that contain phosphate could have broken down to allow the phosphate to escape.

Such studies have thus far found that minerals that hold phosphate on Earth are not very soluble—they don't break down easily when soaked in sea water.

That has led to what Earth scientists call "the phosphate problem." How did life get started on Earth if there wasn't enough phosphate around when life was first beginning?

Some have suggested the answer is that it didn't, instead, it started on another planet, such as Mars, and made its way here via meteorites.

Prior research has already shown that Mars has much more phosphate than does Earth. In this new effort, the team in Nevada looked at minerals that exist on Mars to see if they might be more soluble in water as well.

Lacking samples from Mars to test, the researchers synthesized chlorapatite and merrillite in their lab—two common phosphate bearing minerals found on the Red Planet.

They then soaked samples in several tubs, each with a different pH level for varying amounts of time. As they did so, they measured how much phosphate made its way into the water and how long it took.

In analyzing their results, the researchers found that more phosphate made its way into the water with both types of minerals and they did so at a faster rate than minerals that contain phosphate found naturally on Earth.

In some cases, they report that the Mars rocks released phosphate up to 45 percent faster than Earth rocks.

The findings by the team don't prove that life began on Mars and migrated to Earth—after all, scientists have yet to prove life ever existed Mars. But it does add some credence to the argument that perhaps life did start somewhere other than our home planet, which if true, might mean it's still out there waiting for us to discover it.

More information: Readily available phosphate from minerals in early aqueous environments on Mars, Nature Geoscience (2013) DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1923