Christen+M.

Below is a link to my Life Cycle of a Star story:



[|First Article]

__To Deflect Killer Asteroids, Humanity Must Work Together __

One of the main ways that we can stop this killer asteroid from coming down to our planet would be for everyone to work together. Even though this is something that is not technical, it is the hardest part of the whole process. Astronauts already know how to stop this asteroid from damaging Earth, just as long as they know about the dangerous asteroids in time. In order for them to know in time and prevent it, everyone has to work together. Someone has to make the decision for everyone and go ahead and make the deflection for the asteroid. Our planet has always been hit with “space rocks,” and about sixty-five million years ago, a deadly asteroid about six miles wide hit Earth. There is an asteroid that astronauts know is coming, but they have no idea when and how dangerous it can be. If we don’t come together as a whole and try and fix this problem, it could have to potential to major damage. Not knowing when this asteroid is coming and how dangerous it could be is very risky for our planet. As far as we know, it could be on its way very soon; uncomfortably soon. Asteroids big enough to cause deadly damage hit Earth about every 200 to 300 years. 21st century humans don’t have to worry about this, but we can definitely prevent it from happening to people up the road. We have many techniques that can help move and asteroid and prevent this huge disruption for people in the next couple centuries. One option could be to crash a huge body into that asteroid, changing their orbit. Another option could be asteroid deflection. To do this, we would send an un-manned spacecraft to cruise through space with the asteroid for months or years, causing gravity to pull the asteroid in a different direction. This is called the “gravity tractor” technique, and would be the best option, given that we have enough time. If we don’t have enough time, and the asteroid is too big to wait around any longer, we could try to blast it apart with a nuclear missile. This would be the last option we would choose, because it could cause more harm than good. A potential asteroid strike is a global problem, and it should be fought by the global population together. Money is one of the many reasons why we need to work together as a whole. It could take millions of dollars in order to do any of these things. With all of these reasons why we should work together as a whole and fix this problem, the soon-to-be debate that will arise will be when the asteroid will in fact hit our planet.

__Opinion:__ I think that it would be great if we could all come together as a whole and get this job done, but I think it will take a lot of work. I didn't even know about this asteroid that may be coming to Earth, so I think that if they educate us better in what is happening or what is going to happen, it would be a lot easier to get the job done.


 * __World's Most Powerful Millimeter/Sub Millimeter- Wavelength Telescope Opens for Business and Reveals Its First Image__**

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A new telescope that sees things in space that infrared and visible light cannot see was just made. It is called the Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub millimeter Array (ALMA). It is the most complex ground-based observatory, and has officially opened for astronomers. Astronomers are competing to see who will be one of the first to see the images from the telescope that is beyond what they have ever been able to see before. It is located in Northern Chile, and sits with an elevation of 16,400 feet.

It observes light that has really long wavelengths, which allows astronomers to observe very cold objects in space. For example, they are able to observe the dense clouds where planets and stars form. ALMA is very different from infrared and visible- light telescopes. It is linked with many antennas, which makes it act as one big telescope. Astronomers say that as the observatory grows, the images produced by the telescope will have better quality, and the sharpness and efficiency will increase as well, because more antennas will be available for the telescope.

While observing in places where we have never been able to before, ALMA has found that there are two galaxies that are clouds of dense, cold gas where new stars form. They are in a region where they are colliding, and the amount of gas contained in these two galaxies is billions of times as much as our sun. This helps us understand how galaxy collisions can cause the birth of new stars.

__Opinion:__ I think that it is great that we have came so far in astronomy. It is important to know what is going on in space, because you can see how the world is changing, and what is in the future for our planet. This is just the beginning for us.

[|Christen M.] Black holes are known for swallowing large amounts of dust and gases, but during this process, they spit out a lot of the previous “food.” A team of astronomers have discovered a major outburst of a black hole in a distant galaxy. The found a very hot corona surrounding the black hole, and even hotter diffuse gas being dispersed as well. These gases were shooting out of the black hole with velocities up to 700 km/s. They named this black hole the Markarian 509 black hole. Astronomers are using five telescopes, which enables us to see what is happening with the black hole. They say that from observing the black hole, they think that a small galactic collision may have caused this black hole activity.
 * __Space Telescope Reveal Secrets of a Turbulent Black Hole__**

__Opinion:__ I think that it is interesting that we have discovered this black hole. We don't know a lot about them, but I feel that with this discovery, and the research that is going into this discovery, we will become more educated about them. This is just the start of yet another major discovery and education process.

[|4th Article]
 * __Haley’s Comet Meteor Show Due Next Week__**

This meteor shower is caused by “cosmic litter,” and can be seen during the week of October 22nd. This show is scheduled to be at its best right before sunrise. Meteors are known as “Orionids” because the fireballs seem to fan out from the region to the North of Orion’s second brightest star, Betelgeuse. Meteors like this usually produce about twenty to twenty-five meteors per hour during a clear night. They are normally dim, and not very easy to see, to it is better to be in a rural area if you want to see this show. __Opinion:__ I tried to watch this meteor shower, and they are right, they are very dim. After sitting for about forty-five minutes, I decided to go back inside, since I learned that these meteor showers were very hard to see. Although these kinds are very hard to see, there are some that are absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait for the next one!

[|5th Article]

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__(Reuters) Three large Explosions from the Sun Over the Past Few Days Have Prompted U.S Government Scientists to Caution Users of Satellite, Telecommunications and Electric Equipment to Prepare for Possible Disruptions over the Next Few Days__ Scientists say that a large magnetic storm is going to occur in the Arctic regions. It will be so strong, that people in Wisconsin and Minnesota will see it. What is said to happen, is loss of GPS usage, and could affect communication. In the past, there have been many solar storms. They have such affects as millions of people losing power, telegraphs receiving electrical shocks, and papers caught on fire next to telephones. There has been up to two trillion dollars in damage from these storms. They predict that this solar storm will be a two or a three out of five on the NOAA Space Weather Scale. This scale measures the intensity of the solar storms. The next peak that is expected to be a solar maximum is supposed to happen in 2013. __Opinion:__ I find these storms very interesting. I don’t want them to cause damage, but I would like to see one of them one day.

[|6th Article]

__Ancient Supernova Mystery Solved__ There was a mystery about 2,000 years ago, when started when Chinese astronomers witnessed something that was like a star exploding in the sky. This mystery has been solved. Astronomers today have learned how and why the first supernova occurred and how its remains spread to great distances. Chinese astronomers about 2000 years ago said that there was a star that they named, “The Guest Star.” They named it this, because it was a star that they had never seen before. Little did they know, it was a supernova. They also didn’t know why the stars remains spread so far. They found pieces of the star 8000 light years away. We have found that the supernova would be classified under the “Type Ia,” which is created because of a peaceful death of another star.

__Opinion:__ I think that this is a great discovery, which shows that there is so much more to learn.

[|7th Article]

__**"Slam Dunk" Sign of Ancient Water on Mars**__

__ "Slam Dunk" Sign of Ancient Water on Mars __

NASA’s Mars rover discovered remains of gypsum, which they think is caused by leftover water. This proves that water was flowing through underground cracks in the rock. Astronomers examined the mineral vein found, and say that its size is about the width of a human thumb, and about 40-50 centimeters long. Researchers used a spectrometer to gather more information about the vein. They found large amounts of pure calcium sulfate and sulfur. They think that this vein was made by water dissolving the calcium from volcanic rock.

__ Opinion: __ I think this is very interesting. It shows that life can and might be evolving on Mars today. I think that we should definitely do more research and find out more about Mars and the possible life there. It would be very interesting to know and research the life on Mars if there is any.

[|8th article]

** __ Is Vesta the "Smallest Terrestrial Planet? __ **

Vesta was discovered about 200 million years ago, and is only seen as a small blur after dawn. After a lot of research, they have discovered that it is more than just a large, rocky body. They have discovered valleys, hills, cliffs, troughs, ridges, and craters of all sizes. This asteroid is so complex, that they are calling it the smallest terrestrial planet. They have discovered that it has an iron core that differentiates it from the other terrestrial planets.

__Opinion:__ I think that this is very interesting. You don't hear of scientists and astronomers naming a powerful asteroid a, "small terrestrial planet," a lot. Don't laugh at me Herndon, but I didn't think that asteroids could have this. I thought that they were just flying pieces of rock. Not something that had valleys, cliffs, and hills. It's scary and sounds dangerous. I don't like it... haha

[|9th article]

Astronomers finally measure the diameter of the furthest dwarf planet. Eris seems to have a reflective surface, and is mostly covered by ice, with a frozen atmosphere. Observations were attempted in 26 different locations, and both times it was spotted, astronomers were in Chile. The motions of Eris’ satellite were used to calculate the mass of Eris. It was found to be 27% heavier than Pluto. The density found shows that Eris is just a rocky body with an icy, reflective surface.

__Opinion:__ I think that it is great that we are gaining all of this knowledge about space and the objects in it. It gives us a better understanding about everything, and it shows that we are very knowledgeable. Also, I think that it's great that we are taking into consideration the small dwarf planets that not a lot of people even think about.

10th Article: **__Space 'Super Bowl' Conference:__**

http://www.space.com/14159-astronomy-super-bowl-space-conference-aas219-preview.html

From January 8th to January 12th, astronomers will hold the 219th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Austin, Texas. During this meeting, astronomers will all come together and discuss their new findings during the past year, and will all listen to each others stories of how they discovered their findings. Astronomers say that this year's topic will most likely be about alien planets and dark matter. They are very excited to hear about each other's discoveries. More than 2,700 astrophysicists, educators, and students will be there. It will hold undergraduates and even high school students who are working on becoming a professional in the field of astronomy. They will be discussing the, "hottest topics of astronomy history." The astronomers said that they chose Austin, Texas because they have nice weather there, great outings, and great food. They're very excited to hear about the latest astronomy news!

__Opinion:__ I think that it is great that astronomers have this to look forward to each year. I feel like this gives them a chance to relax and have fun talking about what they love, with people who know exactly what they're talking about. It is a good outing, and not only is it a lot of fun for them, but they are also gaining a lot of new knowledge while doing something that they love to do. What more is there to ask for?