LIVE: First Lunar Eclipse of 2014

***LIVE***

Watching live lunar eclipse webcasts as viewed from Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles (NASA) and Prescott Observatory, Arizona (Slooh). #bloodmoon #lunareclipse #moonday

NASA: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc (much better images)

Slooh: http://live.slooh.com/ (commentary intercepted with annoying membership promotion)

T-minus 1 hr 13 min

T-minus 52 min

T-minus 37 min

T-minus 25 min

Getting redder and redder... anytime now.


T-minus 0 min - the blood moon has arrived

24 min into totality

Truly magnificent.

***END OF LIVE REPORT***

Upside Down on the (Magnetic) Pole

Let's come back from Mars and talk about something closer to home - Earth's magnetic field.

We all know that the reason compasses work is because of Earth's magnetic field - so if you have a compass in hand facing North, the needle points North. Obviously. But did you know that our North and South poles can "flip" - North becomes South, South becomes North - and that it is a natural geological occurrence that happens every 200,000 - 300,000 years?

Scary huh. Even scarier is that we are long overdue for another flip.

Our magnetic North pole is not constant - it has been shifting northward by ~600 miles (1,100 km) since the early 19th century. 

What causes magnetic fields?

Before you google "doomsday", let's take a refresher course on Magnetic Field 101. At the center of our planet is a solid iron core, wrapped around by a liquid outer core, then mantle and crust. The motion of the liquid outer core, which is essentially a fluid blanket of hot liquid metal, creates electric currents, which in turn creates the magnetic field.

Earth's insides. You've seen this before in high school. The motion of the liquid outer core is what generates our magnetic field.

How do we know that polar reversals have happened before? 

We know because they leave evidence in rocks, fossil records and plate tectonics. Deep inside the ocean floor lies ridges (e.g. Mid-Atlantic Ridge) where lava seeps up from the core. As lava cools and solidifies, it preserves the orientation of the Earth's magnetic field at the time it is formed.

Polar reversals have happened at least a hundred times over the last 3 billion years (Earth is 4.5 billion years old). The last "flip" was during the Stone Age some 780,000 years ago, called the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal. According to fossil records, it has happened more "frequently" in the last 20 million years, with an interval of 200,000 - 300,000 years as mentioned before. As frequent as it is, it has been twice that long since the last reversal. OOOOPS.

So... are we flipping soon?

Well, yes and no. (Very anti-climatic I know. Read on...)

"Yes" in the sense that there is evidence to show that we are in the early stage of an upcoming reversal. By "upcoming", I'm really talking about a few hundred or thousand years later, that's how long it takes for the whole transition to take place. What happens is, the magnetic field progressively gets weaker and weaker and then reappears with reversed polarity.

Signs that tell us we are at the beginning of a flip:

• The intensity of our field has been depleting by an alarming rate of 5% over the last century
• Reverse-alignment has been detected in the iron current beneath Brazil and South Atlantic
• Our magnetic North pole has been shifting rapidly in the last decade, drifting out of Canada into the Arctic Ocean towards Russia by about 10 miles (16km) per year

Our magnetic poles get all confused and go haywire during a reversal, before reappearing with reversed polarity.

With that said, just because there are telltale signs of a looming reversal doesn't mean that it is guaranteed to happen. We could simply be going into a minor shift instead of a complete polar swap. Who knows. Like life, Earth is too dynamic and complex to predict!

Scientists and geophysicists are looking to find out more though. On November 22 2013, the European Space Agency (ESA) sent 3 satellites on the Swarm Mission to measure Earth's magnetic signals. The satellites are now in their respective orbits and ready to deliver what is being called "the best survey of the Earth's magnetic field to date."

Is it doomsday?

As inhabitants of this life-friendly planet, we live in a magnetic bubble that protects us from harmful solar winds and cosmic rays, with the North and South poles deflecting these charged particles to outer space and other planets like Mars (that's why Mars, which does not have a major magnetic field, is a lifeless barren rock, and Earth is not. The universe is a cruel, cruel place.) During a polar reversal, the magnetic field will weaken, but there is no indication that it will disappear completely in the process. As a result, solar radiation will increase, but Earth's thick atmosphere will be sufficient to protect us against solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) from the sun.

Solar winds carry atmosphere-stripping particles that destroy life. Our magnetic sphere shields us from the radiation. 

Solar flare - a violent ejection of magnetic energy when the sun sneezes.

With a weakened magnetic field, satellites in Earth's orbit will be at a higher risk of being damaged, potentially causing GPS malfunction, communication blackouts and power outages. Migratory wildlife as birds, salmon, whales, turtles and bees could be affected as they rely on geomagnetism for navigation. There is, however, no evidence of species extinction due to polar reversal.

Unless you plan to freeze your body and be brought back to life in a few thousand years, you have nothing to worry about. But Santa, on the other hand, might be in big trouble.

Mayhem on the pole. "Oh crap, which way is North?!"

Images: NASA, phys.org, dailymail.co.uk
References: NASA, livescience.com, European Space Agency, Red Orbit, Wikipedia, rense.com, Activist Post

Golden Ticket to Space - to Buy or Not to Buy?

3 years ago today, I was *this close* to getting a loan for a roundtrip ticket to space with Virgin Galactic. I'm dead serious.

That was a time when collective buying websites exploded. Remember back then, upon firing up our PCs in the morning, first thing to check was Facebook (still is), then Groupon (still big apparently) and the likes for too-good-to-be-true deals, or yoga sessions/facials you never ended up going? It was that kind of morning, when I came across THE deal of my life...

(Screen cap of deal, page still live surprisingly but garbled)

99% off the golden ticket to space!! USD1900 to get the thrill of zero gravity!! Includes 3 days of pre-flight training!! Holy cow MUST GET THIS.

Obviously I jumped at the opportunity - I called my bf at the time, called my family, called the bank to ask about loans and even called the Virgin Galactic space agent in Hong Kong, Miramar Travel, to verify the development of the program. They put me on the phone with one of their "fully trained Accredited Space Agents" who sounded surprised to receive an enquiry, like ever. The Space Agent even chuckled when he told me the regular ticket price was US$250,000 a pop. (Why, you don't think I can afford it?!) They're totally legit but just not very professional, I thought. But I'll let it slide. (Is that how you handle your millionaire clients?) Anyway, that was how I knew I was getting a reallllyyyy good deal.

The clock was ticking and I needed to act fast! After 3 hours of probing, googling, contemplating and discussing with all parties, I confidently and reassuringly clicked "BUY NOW".

I got my credit card ready... waited for the page to load... my heart rate was going off the charts... I envisioned the soft blue atmosphere melting into the black tranquility of space...

Giant pink letters popped up. "Happy April Fool's Day! From all of us at Twangoo.com :)"

Ffff.....  >.<

I checked the date on my computer - April 1, 2011. Happy April Fool's Day people.


Credit: Twangoo.com

Darwin Deez x Napoleon Dynamite

Recently digging Darwin Deez, a cosmically expressive indie band from NYC. Randomly stumbled upon their song Constellations in The Happy Hipster playlist on Spotify. This one's really addictive!

"Constellations"

Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
There's a million little lights when the sky turns black tonight
Are there patterns in our skies, are patterns only in our eyes?

Or is a constellation, just a constellation?
Is a constellation, just a consolation?

Wrinkle, wrinkle little scar, count the freckles on my arm
If freckles don't mean anything, does anything mean anything?

Or is a constellation, just a constellation?
Is a constellation, just a consolation?

We are twinkling stars resurrected
Just like twinkling stars we seem connected but I know that

A constellation is just a constellation
Constellation is just a consolation

The science teacher I never had

Another one with great lyrics (but not as catchy):

"Red Shift"*

Spiral galaxies would turn in your eyes
When I came by with a small surprise
You loved all of my little quarks, so what went wrong?
Don’t superstring me along, come on

Was there a big bang that I just missed?
Did some explosion cause a redshift?
‘Cause you’re moving away from me but what did I do?
The universe is mostly empty space without you

Wave or particle, I can’t be both
So just say which way you like me most
I can be an experiment in your bedroom lab
To figure how the light we had went bad

[chorus]

I’ll build a collider and smash us to bits
To see what’s inside us, to see if we stick
‘Cause I will try anything this side of the Milky Way
To figure out why in the world you’re drifting away

[chorus x2]

*Red shift is a term to describe wavelengths from light or electromagnet radiation being stretched (lower frequency) hence shifting to the red end of the spectrum. Cosmological redshift is evidence of an expanding universe.

Image:YouTube, ClashMusic.com

Lyrics: azlyrics.com

Reference: Wikipedia, European Space Agency

We will be descending onto Mars shortly, current temperature -55 degrees Celcius

Mars. The dusty, cratered, red planet.

Mars is like the unassuming next door neighbor who's always been around, never says much and has a somewhat dark personality. It somehow intrigues you because he is, well, kinda sexy that way. He is so close yet so far, so intimidating yet so tantalizing. Every time you strike a conversation, he amazes you with the little information he gives out. So you probe and you probe, and each time the discovery is jaw-droppingly unreal.

Mars is the 4th planet from the Sun, after Mercury, Venus and Earth. Iron oxide on its surface gives it a reddish glow.

That is how Mars tickles my fancy and made me a stalker - every once in a while something life-changing is discovered and gets you hooked on finding out more. Like back in 1971 (remember?) when NASA's unmanned Mariner 9 orbiter, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, sent back clear images of dry riverbeds during its exploration program. What is the significance of that? It proves that there was once water, a source of life, on the desert-like planet!

Over the last 40 years, several rovers and orbiters have been sent up there on more aggressive missions, collecting ample evidence of ancient streams, rivers and lakes that once glided on Martian surface.

Rovers that have been sent to Mars (in addition to numerous orbiters):
1971 - Mars 2 (USSR) - failed landing
1971 - Mars 3 (USSR) - failed landing
1997 - Soujourner (US) - in operation for 3 months
2003 - Beagle 2 (UK) - failed landing
2003 - Spirit (US)- in operation for 6 years
2003 - Opportunity (US) - still in operation
2011 - Curiosity (US) - going strong
2018 - ExoMars (Europe and Russia) - planned

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover driving past "Dingo Gap" inside Gale Crater. Taken on Feb 11 2014.

So, did bacteria life, or more realistically, brain-headed Martians with bulging eyes, roam our neighbor planet some 3.6 billion years ago? Or are they still in existence and planning an attack on New York? That is still in much debate, but what's for sure is that Mars used to be way wetter and warmer 3.6 billions years ago than it is now, making it more hospitable for life back then. Up till now, scientists have only been able to confirm that human of the male species originated from Mars.

Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars on July 4, 1007, subsequently snapped a photo of the Soujourner rover, posing on what looks to be a floodplain with rocks of various types - evidence of a wetter and warmer past.

Anyway, forget the past, what's the next giant leap? Dun dun dun... human settlement on Mars... by 2024!

In April 2013 a Dutch non-profit called Mars One started accepting applicants to be the first inhabitants of the dusty planet. For the next 10 years, you will get trained up as an astronaut, sort out personal issues with loved ones, learn to deal with loneliness and potential voices in your head, then board a 7-month rocket ride to outer space and make a triumphant landing on Martian soil, if all goes according to plan. There will be pre-sent cargo up there to help you get started - sort of like checking into a Sochi hotel - you'll have a roof over your head but that's about it. So while you're starting a colony and all that, you'll work on construction, maintenance and research to prep the place for the next batch of astronauts. They come in 4s every 2 years. You'll also grow your own food in the greenhouse, exercise regularly to slow down the rate of rapid osteoporosis caused by reduced gravity (38% less than Earth), and even video chat, whatsapp and watch the Superbowl with a mere 3-minute delay (no complaints - Mars to Earth distance is 56 million km after all.)

However there is a catch - it's a one-way ticket, there's no going back. That didn't stop 200,000+ people from signing up though. I did.

Mars settler in fully-enclosed Mars suits photobombing a view of his living quarters, which he shares with the rest of the Martian population - that'll be 3 other astronauts. Year 2026.

I am personally skeptical about Mars One, it seems over-ambitious and makes everything sound too easy - it's not only about technology anymore, but involves starting a human colony from scratch in a hardly habitable environment and calling it home. Nonetheless, if we can take humanity to Mars within our lifetime, the next big question is - will this be our final frontier?

For more Martian fun, check out Expedia's spoof on April Fool's Day 2009 and the crater-spotting Google Mars.



Images: NASA, History.com, Mars One
References: Wikipedia, Time, Bloomberg, Mars One

Shocking News: Stephen Hawking says light can indeed escape black holes

I wanted to slowly ease our way into the topic of black holes, one of the most intriguing and mysterious objects of the universe that's been the subject of debate for decades. But famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking's newly published paper about black holes shocked the world on Sunday - it would be a shame not to talk about it, so i apologize for jumping ahead!

In his four-page paper titled "Information Preservation and Weather Forecasting for Black Holes" published through ArXiv.org, an archive for electronic preprints of scientific papers, Hawking causes a string of contradictions by revising the very view that gave rise to his reputation. Instead of being lost forever, he now claims that matter that fall into black holes can indeed come back out!

Dr. Stephen Hawking shocks the world again with his latest revelations on black holes.

This is a lot to take in, I know.

Let me try to paint a picture for you here - our galaxy, the Milky Way, and the billions of galaxies beyond ours, are scattered with giant, scary vortexes weaved into the fabric of the universe that act as eternal vacuums, called black holes. A black hole forms when a very massive star collapses and dies. It implodes and sucks in everything around it that crosses the point of no return, called the event horizon. Nothing, not even light, can escape. In theory, only stuff that travels faster than the speed of light can escape (nothing does, to human knowledge) and information that disappeared inside a black hole is lost forever. Simply put, you do not want to leave your car keys near a black hole. 

An artist's interpretation of a massive black hole.

HOWEVER, in Hawking's new eyebrow-raising statement, he's suggesting that things that fall into these dense radiation whirlpools CAN actually escape. Instead of a well-defined point of no return ("event horizon"), Hawking claims that these massive vortexes have chaotic and turbulent edges that fluctuate greatly ("apparent horizons"), and anything that falls in will be fired back out in a scrambled, unrecognized form.

Relief for astronauts, I guess. Not really.

A computer-generated illustration of a black hole consuming nearby gas clouds and matter.

In summary - black holes do exist, but they might be gray after all. This was a lot for me to take in as Hawking's classic black hole theory laid the foundation for my understanding of these extraterrestrial objects. It must be 100 times harder for Hawking to come out and admit that he's been wrong. But pride aside, they're all theories for now until the day we go out there and come across a black hole face to face. But hey,  now there's a chance we can make it back out alive to tell the story.

Welcome to My Universe

My interest in space started about 5 years ago in my bedroom. I randomly came across a thin paperback lying in my family's bookshelf, Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, by Stephen Hawking. I say "random" because it clearly did not belong to me, it also did not belong to my father who doesn't read English books, let alone one on such a niche topic.

Out of curiosity (and boredom during my unemployed days), I flipped open the book and was not able to put it down until I finished all 161 pages! I cannot begin to describe how fascinated I was with our mysterious universe. How can something get sucked into a black hole and disappear? How can a twin return from space travel and age less than the other twin? Why are we seeing the light of the early days of a distant star when it is actually dying? How did it all begin and was there a beginning at all to this infinity? Why? Why? Why??? I was desparate to know all the answers!

To this day it still remains a mystery who this book belongs to, but without it I would never have begun to appreciate this extraordinary man Stephen Hawking and our extraordinary cosmos. I hope to take you with me on a voyage to outer space (without the hefty price tag) and show you what's beyond the silver-lined clouds and the dark night sky.