Enceladus a moon of Saturn is home to a vast underground ocean
Nasa News
"Not only does Enceladus likely have an ocean, that ocean is probably fizzy like a soft drink and could be friendly to microbial life. "
Dec. 30, 2010:
In sci-fi movies, the first stirrings of life happen in a gooey pool of primordial ooze. But new research suggests the action started instead in the stormy skies above.
..."Titan's skies might ... manufacture the building blocks of life." H̦rst and her colleagues mixed up a brew of molecules (carbon monoxide, molecular nitrogen and methane) found in Titan's atmosphere. Then they zapped the concoction with radio waves Рa proxy for the sun's radiation.
Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division, explains what it's all about:
"The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we're getting together to discuss."
A century-class solar storm, the Academy warned, could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.
Nasa News
"Not only does Enceladus likely have an ocean, that ocean is probably fizzy like a soft drink and could be friendly to microbial life. "
Did Life Fall from the Skies? Lessons from Titan
"… we are children equally of the earth and the sky." (Carl Sagan)Dec. 30, 2010:
In sci-fi movies, the first stirrings of life happen in a gooey pool of primordial ooze. But new research suggests the action started instead in the stormy skies above.
..."Titan's skies might ... manufacture the building blocks of life." H̦rst and her colleagues mixed up a brew of molecules (carbon monoxide, molecular nitrogen and methane) found in Titan's atmosphere. Then they zapped the concoction with radio waves Рa proxy for the sun's radiation.
A rich array of complex molecules emerged, including amino acids and nucleotides.
"Our experiment is the first proof that you can make the precursors for life up in an atmosphere, without any liquid water. This means life's building blocks could form in the air and then rain down from the skies!"...Solar Storms and Solar Activity
Researches Crack the Mystery of Missing Sunspots
The famous Maunder Minimum of the 17th century lasted 70 years and coincided with the deepest part of Europe's Little Ice Age. Researchers are still struggling to understand the connection.
One thing is clear: During long minima, strange things happen. In 2008-2009, the sun’s global magnetic field weakened and the solar wind subsided. Cosmic rays normally held at bay by the sun’s windy magnetism surged into the inner solar system.
During the deepest solar minimum in a century, ironically, space became a more dangerous place to travel. At the same time, the heating action of UV rays normally provided by sunspots was absent, so Earth’s upper atmosphere began to cool and collapse. Space junk stopped decaying as rapidly as usual and started accumulating in Earth orbit. And so on…
One thing is clear: During long minima, strange things happen. In 2008-2009, the sun’s global magnetic field weakened and the solar wind subsided. Cosmic rays normally held at bay by the sun’s windy magnetism surged into the inner solar system.
During the deepest solar minimum in a century, ironically, space became a more dangerous place to travel. At the same time, the heating action of UV rays normally provided by sunspots was absent, so Earth’s upper atmosphere began to cool and collapse. Space junk stopped decaying as rapidly as usual and started accumulating in Earth orbit. And so on…
As the Sun Awakens NASA Keeps a Wary Eye on Space Weather
June 4, 2010: Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that's new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th.
Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division, explains what it's all about:
"The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we're getting together to discuss."
A century-class solar storm, the Academy warned, could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.
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