How to Directly Image a Habitable Planet Around Alpha Centauri
... to be capable of directly imaging potentially habitable worlds. WFIRST-AFTA has not, but some simulations show that it may be able to directly image such worlds [1]. The 2030s may prove to be an exciting era of an even larger high contrast space telescope of 4m or higher aperture [4,5], capable of s ...
... to be capable of directly imaging potentially habitable worlds. WFIRST-AFTA has not, but some simulations show that it may be able to directly image such worlds [1]. The 2030s may prove to be an exciting era of an even larger high contrast space telescope of 4m or higher aperture [4,5], capable of s ...
Log Scale Notes
... Charles Richter introduced his scale in 1935 in order to differentiate between the magnitudes (and quantities) of earthquakes in southern California. The rough definition of the Richter scale is based in measuring the amplitude of the mark a quake registers on a seismograph and taking its log relative ...
... Charles Richter introduced his scale in 1935 in order to differentiate between the magnitudes (and quantities) of earthquakes in southern California. The rough definition of the Richter scale is based in measuring the amplitude of the mark a quake registers on a seismograph and taking its log relative ...
Earth-like Planet near Proxima Centauri - Max-Planck
... Astronomers discover density waves in a protoplanetary disk around a star A team of scientists headed by Laura Pérez from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy has discovered a striking spiral arm structure in the disk of gas and dust around the young star Elias 2-27, which is located around ...
... Astronomers discover density waves in a protoplanetary disk around a star A team of scientists headed by Laura Pérez from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy has discovered a striking spiral arm structure in the disk of gas and dust around the young star Elias 2-27, which is located around ...
Star in a Box
... The luminosity of a star is powered by nuclear fusion taking place in the centre of the star converting hydrogen into helium. – The temperature and density must be high enough to allow nuclear fusion to occur. – Stars are primarily composed of hydrogen, with small amounts of helium. ...
... The luminosity of a star is powered by nuclear fusion taking place in the centre of the star converting hydrogen into helium. – The temperature and density must be high enough to allow nuclear fusion to occur. – Stars are primarily composed of hydrogen, with small amounts of helium. ...
the rest of the univ..
... It is estimated that there are at least 35,000 Kuiper Belt objects greater than 100 km in diameter, which is several hundred times the number (and mass) of similar sized objects in the main asteroid belt. A team of astronomers led by Anita Cochran report that the Hubble Space Telescope has detected ...
... It is estimated that there are at least 35,000 Kuiper Belt objects greater than 100 km in diameter, which is several hundred times the number (and mass) of similar sized objects in the main asteroid belt. A team of astronomers led by Anita Cochran report that the Hubble Space Telescope has detected ...
The Solar System and Beyond
... would have been a better unit of measurement.) 5. Ask the students to predict how long it would take to run or walk 63,360 inches. 6. Explain that since an inch is so small compared to the total distance being measured, it is hard to imagine how far 63,360 inches is. For this reason, it is difficult ...
... would have been a better unit of measurement.) 5. Ask the students to predict how long it would take to run or walk 63,360 inches. 6. Explain that since an inch is so small compared to the total distance being measured, it is hard to imagine how far 63,360 inches is. For this reason, it is difficult ...
Class Project Physics 1010-042, Physics 1010
... advanced than we are. If they are a lot more advanced than us they could probably travel to us. Why this is a paradox is because if those intelligent life forms are more advanced and can travel through space “where are they?” 2. List and briefly explain (like in a paragraph for each) 4 possible res ...
... advanced than we are. If they are a lot more advanced than us they could probably travel to us. Why this is a paradox is because if those intelligent life forms are more advanced and can travel through space “where are they?” 2. List and briefly explain (like in a paragraph for each) 4 possible res ...
α Centauri: a double star - University of Canterbury
... Can we send a space probe to α Centauri to confirm the existence of a planet? Answer: Yes, may be! • If we can travel at 0.1c (30,000 km/s), the journey would take about 50 years. • To reach that speed, we need to accelerate at 0.04 m/s2 for 25 years, and then decelerate for another 25 yr. • To do ...
... Can we send a space probe to α Centauri to confirm the existence of a planet? Answer: Yes, may be! • If we can travel at 0.1c (30,000 km/s), the journey would take about 50 years. • To reach that speed, we need to accelerate at 0.04 m/s2 for 25 years, and then decelerate for another 25 yr. • To do ...
Third problem set
... (2) Searching for Planets Around Other Stars In class I said that it is technically impossible for us to actually see through a telescope any planets that might be orbiting the distant stars. The object of this problem is to explore why. There are two separate issues: (A) The planet lies very close ...
... (2) Searching for Planets Around Other Stars In class I said that it is technically impossible for us to actually see through a telescope any planets that might be orbiting the distant stars. The object of this problem is to explore why. There are two separate issues: (A) The planet lies very close ...
Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri (Latin proxima, meaning ""next to"" or ""nearest to"") is a red dwarf about 4.24 light-years from the Sun, inside the G-cloud, in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1915 by the Scottish astronomer Robert Innes, the Director of the Union Observatory in South Africa, and is the nearest known star to the Sun, although it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, with an apparent magnitude of 11.05. Its distance to the second- and third-nearest stars, which form the bright binary Alpha Centauri, is 0.237 ± 0.011 ly (15,000 ± 700 AU). Proxima Centauri is very likely part of a triple star system with Alpha Centauri A and B, but its orbital period may be greater than 500,000 years.Because of Proxima Centauri's proximity, its distance from Earth and angular diameter can be measured directly, from which it can be determined that its diameter is about one-seventh of that of the Sun. Proxima Centauri's mass is about an eighth of the Sun's (M☉), and its average density is about 40 times that of the Sun. Although it has a very low average luminosity, Proxima is a flare star that undergoes random dramatic increases in brightness because of magnetic activity. The star's magnetic field is created by convection throughout the stellar body, and the resulting flare activity generates a total X-ray emission similar to that produced by the Sun. The mixing of the fuel at Proxima Centauri's core through convection and its relatively low energy-production rate mean that it will be a main-sequence star for another four trillion years, or nearly 300 times the current age of the universe.Searches for companions orbiting Proxima Centauri have been unsuccessful, ruling out the presence of brown dwarfs and supermassive planets. Precision radial velocity surveys have also ruled out the presence of super-Earths within the star's habitable zone. The detection of smaller objects will require the use of new instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled for deployment in 2018. Because Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf and a flare star, whether a planet orbiting it could support life is disputed. Nevertheless, because of the star's proximity to Earth, it has been proposed as a destination for interstellar travel.