Journey to the Beginning of Space and Time

Stars begin life as clouds of cold gas that transform into blazing hot fireballs.

Star dust, star dust, burning bright

Amid the glare of ancient light

Eternity stares back from the past

Reborn we'll be one day as dust

Stellar astrophysics
January 14, 2012 – Walk out to a dark viewing spot anywhere on the Earth and look up at the night sky. Your eyes will take in ancient light from stars in the Milky Way that covers the whole sky above you. Deep within the stellar nurseries of the Milky Way new stars are being formed of all different sizes by processes astronomers are attempting to understand. Astronomers studying stellar nurseries believe they understand the star forming processes responsible for the formation of the stars you see in the night sky. Star forming processes they can see at work in the stellar nurseries of the Milky Way, like the Orion Nebula (M42) and Cygnus X.

The Herschel Space Observatory took this image of two newly forming stars within a glowing stellar nursery called Bok Globules.

Journey with me to stellar nurseries deep within the dark regions of the Milky Way, the dark patches you can see in the night sky above. The birthing grounds of young stars in the Milky Way, these dark patches in the night sky are in fact clouds of interstellar gas that appear dark because they block the starlight from distant stars. Astronomers believe deep within the birthing grounds of the Milky Way new stars are being formed at the rate of about 2 or 3 new stars each year.

Present theories on star formation put forth by astronomers show star formation is a complicated process effected by nearby massive stars, other star forming regions, and even the spiral structure of the Milky Way. These theories only become more complicated when astronomers look at the formation of groups of stars.

In order to try to simulate star formation, some astronomers use sophisticated computer models, while other incorporate observations in different wavelengths and use them to create three-dimensional images of the sky. Working together these two different groups of astronomers are trying to determine exactly how stars are born.

Astronomers working on present theories of star formation think the Milky Way is filled with clouds of gas and dust they call the interstellar medium. They also think slight over densities within these clouds of gas and dust could trigger star formation. Over densities that could be produced by the turbulent forces present in these clouds of gas and dust. Astronomers studying slight over densities within star forming clouds of gas and dust believe these slightly denser regions will eventually become main sequence stars within a few million years.

Some astronomers believe the intense radiation from groups of hot, bright stars located close to one another could create the necessary turbulence in the interstellar medium to trigger star formation. Other astronomers believe nearby galaxies and even large clouds of gas and dust could cause turbulence in the interstellar medium which could also be part of the star forming process. Many astronomers also believe the resulting shock wave after a supernova could create spiral density waves capable of compressing material and initiating star formation.

Gravity at Work

Present theories on the formation of main sequence stars being proposed by astronomers involves the force of gravity. Gravity pulls the gas and dust within the interstellar medium into denser regions, which results in a cloud increasing in size and contracting. The rotational velocity of the cloud increases as it contracts due to conservation of angular momentum, in the same way a figure skater's spin speed increases as they bring their arms closer to their body.

The Gemini North Telescope caught this image that demonstrates the violent and dynamic forces at work in star formation. Known as Sharpless 2-106 (Sh2-106), this hourglass-shaped nebula (bipolar) is a stellar nursery astronomers expect to produce 50 to 150 stars in the future.

At the same time the temperature in the core of the cloud increases as it shrinks due to the force of gravity. The charged particles within the cloud at this time can only move in specific directions in the magnetic field in the region. These results in the rotational velocity of the cloud slowing, but not stopping, otherwise astronomers think stars would never form in these denser clouds of gas and dust.

In the case of main sequence stars astronomers think regions of dense clouds of gas and dust would begin to contract to an area the size of our solar system tens of thousands of years after beginning to slow. At this time astronomers think the temperature at the centre of dense clouds of dust and gas would be in the region of 10,000 kelvins. They call the central region of such a cloud at this time a protostar.

Protostars

Protostars at this time in their life cycle are often more luminous than the main sequence star they eventually become, because they have a greater surface from which to radiate energy. This brightness allows astronomers to view protostars as they continue to gravitationally attract more gas and dust, shrink and heat up internally. The luminosity of a protostar begins to decrease as its outer surface shrinks under the force of gravity. Astronomers believe the cloud and protostar eventually spin faster and flatten out into a disk.

Astronomers using data collected by several different astronomical instruments recently presented far-infrared images of three Class 0 protostar systems in Perseus: L1448C, the triple system L1448N, and IRAS 03282+3035. Seven hundred and fifty light-years from Earth, all three of these protostars were seen powering bipolar molecular outflows, which astronomers think are in fact epic jets of water being thrust into interstellar space. Calculations by astronomers indicate these jets of water are shooting out into interstellar space at speeds of around 120,000 miles per hour and at a rate equal to about 100 million times the volume of water flowing in the Amazon every second of the day.

ESA's Planck Observatory caught this image of a low activity, star forming region in Perseus. They're using this image and others gathered to peer into the mechanisms behind star formation in the Milky Way.

Astronomers think these jets of water and material help to channel radiation and mass away from the protostar, which helps to clear the central region of debris and reveal the protostar. They also think it could be possible the galaxy was seeded with water through this process, which might change thoughts on the possibility of life in the galaxy. The remaining material is then accreted by the protostar, or forms part of a residual disk, which astronomers think could form planets.

The core of a protostar will reach 1 million kelvins at some time during the contraction and heating up of the ptotostar, at which time it will begin fusing deuterium to helium. Deuterium is the easiest nucleus to fuse, so it makes sense this would be the starting point. Once the core has contracted enough to reach a density where the core reaches 10 million degrees kelvins, hydrogen nuclei will begin fusing into helium. At this point star astronomers also think a protostar will reach an equilibrium point where the radioactive energy from fusion balances gravitational pull of its mass. This new star is now a main sequence star, which has formed over millions of years.

Simulating the Birth of a Star

The process of star birth takes millions of years to complete, so how do astronomers determine the way outside factors affect the process by which new stars are born? Modern astronomers are presently using supercomputers to help simulate star formation models in the hope they can determine why the mass distribution of newly formed stars appears to be universal. They want to understand why this average mass of newly formed stars exists. They also want to know the process by which it occurs.

Present star formation models take into account the effects of thermodynamics, magnetic fields, radioactive processes, and of course gravity. Star astronomers are also trying to determine other factors they need to include in models, like the way new stars affect their own star forming environments. This includes factors like young stars heating up the gas and dust surrounding them and moving gas and dust around through bipolar molecular flows.

The key question astronomers want to answer at this point is whether or not present star formation models can reproduce the properties of exact parts of the star forming process. Astronomers will also want to determine the most massive star that can be formed depending on the size of a cloud of dust and gas. They'll try to find answers by looking at the chemical composition, magnetic fields, ionization, age and other factors of large clouds of star forming dust and gas in the Milky Way..

Peering into Stellar Nurseries

How do astronomers look into the heart of stellar nurseries in the Milky Way? Astronomers use instruments designed to detect specific wavelengths of light radiation emitted during the formation of new stars. During the beginning stages of star birth a new star emits radio waves as it contracts astronomers look for as an indicator of new star formation. At this time the core of a contracting cloud of gas and dust is too cold to emit visible and infrared radiation.

Once the cloud forms a protostar it will begin to emit light radiation, which will be blocked by the material surrounding the new star. The light radiation emitted by a protostar is absorbed by the surrounding material, which radiates infrared radiation toward Earth astronomers detect using space and ground-based telescopes specifically designed for the job.

Astronomers have used the Spitzer Space Telescope to view hundreds of protostars forming in large clouds of gas and dust in Milky Way stellar nurseries. In the future they'll use instruments and telescopes designed to detect millimetre waves in the microwave range in order to get a better view of the beginning stages of star birth. To date astronomers report detecting a compact source embedded in cold gas within stellar nurseries only detectable at these wavelengths.

Astronomers trying to piece together the puzzle of star formation in the Milky Way are also using reconstructed images of star-forming regions from past observations. Using 2-D images, positional data, and velocities for an entire cloud, they have been able to create 3-D models researchers can then analyze. 3-D models that show unforeseen structures hidden within stellar nurseries and even regions of star formation they weren't expecting to see.

To entertain you through the January nights
Photo courtesy of NASA

Viewers living in the Northern Hemisphere looking for a winter astronomy treat to keep them entertained through the cold January nights should be able to get a look at Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd). The Northern Hemisphere night sky hasn't played host to a bright comet since Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) in 1997, although a few were bright enough to view with binoculars. This month viewers have a very good chance of viewing Garradd through binoculars near the end of December and beginning of January.

Comet C/2009 P1 was first discovered by Australian astronomer Gordon Garradd in August of 2009. Perceptive people new to astronomy will of course note the similarities in the name of the name of the comet and the discover, along with the date of year of discovery. Garradd is expected to reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on December 23, but viewing should be easier in January. During this time Garradd will be closer to Earth, so it should appear brighter to viewers and will be higher in the night sky.

Expectations are of a 6th magnitude peak for Comet C/2009, which is well within the reach of even 7x50 binoculars, depending on viewing conditions. Viewers in dark viewing spots away from interfering light sources might even be able to see Garradd with the naked eye at this magnitude. Garradd could even reach magnitudes above 6^th, which would allow for some spectacular viewing.

Comet C/2009 can currently be viewed more than halfway to the zenith in the predawn sky each night, if you take your time and pay attention.

This is Comet Garradd's first visit to the inner solar system, as far as astronomers know. The brightness of comets visiting the inner solar system is also very hard to predict, so you could get a good chance to view a comet we won't see for a while. Comets like this often appear very bright during approach to Earth, but then fizzle out as they disappear into the darkness of the outer solar system. The great thing is astronomers really have no idea what kind of show Comet C/2009 is going to put on, so it's a good idea to keep watching each night.

Dawn is falling toward Vesta today as NASA's spacecraft is currently circling one of the largest asteroids in the solar system and preparing to take a closer look at an asteroid first viewed by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807. The picture above is one of the latest images taken by Dawn of three craters on the surface of Vesta called “Snowman”that are located in Vesta's northern hemisphere. The associated picture below is of craters visible in the southern equatorial region of the giant asteroid taken at a height of around 3,200 miles above Vesta. Currently, astronomers indicate Dawn is about 1,800 miles above Vesta, and is slowly getting closer to the giant asteroid, while it takes additional pictures we expect to be released in a few days.

The real work begins once Dawn begins orbiting Vesta at a height of around 1,700 miles, this orbital height will provide astronomers with an in depth view of the surface of the giant asteroid they can use to begin unravelling the current mystery surrounding the birth of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Planetary astronomers looking into the birth of our solar system believe Vesta and similar large asteroids in the asteroid belt could be the source of the large number of meteorites that fell on Earth in the past. Vesta and similar large asteroids in the asteroid belt could also be potential planet-killers we here on Earth need to be aware of if we want to possibly avoid future collisions.

Dawn is currently circling closer to Vesta at a distance of around 114 million miles from Earth and has travelled a total distance of around 1.7 billion miles during its journey through the inner solar system. All of this work has been done in order to give the human journey to the beginning of the universe a closer look at Mars, Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn will travel to Ceres after it has finished taking a closer look at Vesta and use its on board instruments to detect subtle changes in the gravity field of Ceres. The data on the subtle changes occurring in the gravity field of Ceres can help astronomers determine some of the internal structure of Ceres by studying the mass distributed in the gravity field of each large body close to the dwarf planet.

Dawn will orbit Vesta for one year and then depart for Ceres, where it will arrive sometime in 2015. The present view we have of Vesta shows a dark world that has been bombarded by other asteroids throughout its history, the study of which could provide clues to the formation of the early inner solar system and the Earth. Future images and analysis of data collected by Dawn, once it reaches Ceres, could also provide the human journey to the beginning of the universe with clues to the reasons why life exists on Earth.

The Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Other scientific partners include Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Ariz.; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany; DLR Institute for Planetary Research, Berlin; Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome; and the Italian Space Agency. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., designed and built the Dawn spacecraft.

More information on Dawn and its mission to Mars, Vesta and Ceres can be found by visiting www.nasa.gov/dawn.

The human journey to the beginning of space and time will soon turn the page in space history as the end of an era of human space exploration that will be remembered as a time when America and the world first dared to venture beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere and into the darkness of the unknown comes to an end. The fourth space orbiter built to help take American astronauts into low orbit, Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift-off of Kennedy Space Centre's Launch Pad 39A for the 33^rd and final time on Friday, July 8 2011, barring any technical issues that come up before the scheduled final launch of NASA's shuttle program. Technicians are presently off for Independence Day weekend, but will arrive at work on Tuesday, July 5 to start the last countdown for shuttle Atlantis and the American shuttle program around 1 pm (EDT).

Over in NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-135 astronauts are running through a launch simulation today in preparation for next week's launch of Atlantis to the International Space Station for the last time. The STS-135 astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Space Centre Launch Pad 39A at around 2.45 pm on Monday, July 4^th. Spectators or interested people can watch the arrival of the STS-135 astronauts on live NASA TV and at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

The last crew for Atlantis and the American shuttle program is scheduled to be Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. This will be the third flight into space for Commander Ferguson, Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim, while Doug Hurley will be travelling into space for the second time. The STS-135 crew is expected to spend 12 days circling the Earth, while they offload the supplies the International Space Station will need to keep operating after the last flight for Atlantis and the American shuttle program. Shuttle Atlantis will also deliver the Robotic Refuelling Mission (RMR) to the International Space Station and pick up a ammonia pump that recently stopped working and take it back to Earth so rocket scientists can take a look and see if they can figure out what went wrong in order to prevent similar failures in future American spacecraft.

Tune into NASA TV on Friday, July 8 to watch shuttle Atlantis lift-off for the last time, and you'll witness a truly historic event in the human journey to the beginning of space and time. The last flight of shuttle Atlantis marks the end of one era of the human journey to the beginning of the universe and the start of the mankind's journey to the planets in our solar system. In the centuries to come mankind will journey beyond the solar system and into the darkness of space and time in search of our own origins and answers to universal questions that have been tumbling in the minds of humans for thousands of years.

The human journey to the beginning of space and time will get a detailed view of Mars using the Mast Camera on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, once Curiosity lands on the surface of Mars, sometime around August 2012, according to the latest estimates by NASA. Space travel is by necessity extremely well planned and every detail must be worked out to a set time table if the Curiosity is to accomplish its mission. All aspects of the mission parameters must be analysed and reanalysed to ensure everything works as expected and the mission sticks to the timetable set by engineers and scientists working to get Curiosity ready to journey to Mars, sometime between November 25 and December 18, 2011. The Mast Camera on Curiosity is in fact two digital color cameras riding high on the mast, each capable of recording high-definition video at about 8 frames per second, and taking and storing thousands of full-color images of the Red Planet in an eight-gigabyte flash memory. Once they combine the information taken by both cameras scientists and engineers will get detailed 3-D images of Mars as good as or better than any taken before.

NASA’s Mars Rover Curiosity will also have onboard a “chemical element reader” to measure the different chemical ingredients making up the soil and rocks of Mars. This particular instrument, along with nine others on board Curiosity will be looking at the present and past ability habitability of a specific spot on the Red Planet. The Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument viewed here was designed by physics professor Ralf Gellert of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. This instrument uses alpha particles, or helium nuclei, and X-rays to bombard the Martian soil or a rock, which will cause the target to emit its own characteristic alpha particles and X-ray radiation. This emitted radiation will be detected by an X-ray detector inside the sensor head, which will be analysed by Mars scientists to see which elements are within the soil or rock. The exact identification of the elements that make up the Martian soil and rocks will help planet scientists determine the building blocks of the Martian crust, and any possible weathering of the soil or rock since it was formed.

The Mars Science Laboratory is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl . You can follow the mission on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MarsCuriosity and on Twitter @marscuriosity . A full listing of JPL social media accounts is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/social .

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has finally started sending back the first images of the solar systems inner most planet ever taken by a human made invention on March 29. The first views are of the south and north polar regions of Mercury were released by NASA on March 29 and March 30, and they paint a new portrait of the surface of Mercury than the one astronomers had previously painted. The first images of the surface of Mercury show a crater strewn surface use to continual bombardment over millions of years, indicated by the secondary craters and other features astronomers are viewing.

Star gazers around the world can now check out the estimated 1,500, or more, images that MESSENGER is believed to have already sent back to Earth. This might seem like a lot of pictures, but MESSENGER will sent back around 75,000 images by the time the mission ends in March 2012. Planet scientists will take these photographs and assemble them into a picture of the surface of Mercury they'll use during the years ahead to discover more and more about the planets and its future and origins.

MESSENGER has been designed and engineered for the job and has on board seven sensitive instruments that are now all working as expected, according to the latest reports. These will include laser instrumentation to measure the topographical height of features on the surface of Mercury and a magnetometer to measure the magnetic field of the planet. In addition, instrumentation on board will explore the atmosphere of Mercury and surface composition, and hopefully sample a bit of the interior of a planet that man has wondered about since the time of the first star gazers.

MESSENGER is in fact the first human spacecraft to orbit Mercury, MESSENGER and Mariner 10 flew by Mercury during previous visits, which marks a historic moment in the human journey to the beginning of space and time. How far is human kind from attempting to journey to another planet in the solar system? We are drawing closer and closer with every mission and building the technology and confidence we need to journey beyond the boundaries of our fear and one day in the future mankind will venture forth into the unknown of space and time.

The nights of September 2010 will feature essentially the same night sky as the one your ancestors used as a basis for many of the myths and stories that have been passed down to the modern world of today. September's star gazers can sit huddled around the fire each night of the month, as celestial delights about on a nightly basis, just as they did thousands of years in the past. The perfect time to board your time machine to the stars and take a journey through space and time or lay your back upon the cold earth and let the night's sky open your mind to the possibilities of the universe.

A Last Quarter Moon will step onto September's celestial stage on September 1, at 1:22 P.M Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and start September's celestial dance. Heavenly Venus will join the dance at 2 P.M. EDT on September 1, as she passes to within about 1.2 degrees south of Spica and will form a line with Mars on one side and Spica spinning in the middle.

Mercury will be in inferior conjunction at 9 A.M. EDT on September 3. Mars will dance to within 2 degrees north of Spica at 10 A.M. EDT on September 4, but this dance pair will slowly fade from view over the next few days, as the Moon moves closer to the Earth.

The Moon will light up the night sky at 11:58 P.M. EDT on September 7. Earth's satellite moves to within 221,948 miles of spaceshipearth1 on this date and the show on this night can light up the night sky. A New Moon will greet star gazers at 6:30 A.M. EDT on September 8 and on September 9 the moon will pass to within 8 degrees south of Saturn at 6 P.M. The celestial dance between Saturn and the Moon can light up your imagination as the Moon makes a pass by Saturn.

Asteroid Flora will be in opposition on the tenth of September at 11 P.M. EDT. Asteroid Flora is a difficult celestial body to view for beginning star gazers. Should you desire to take a look at asteroid Flora at her finest on this night, it might be wise to obtain the help or advice of a veteran star gazers in your search.

The Moon will also be dancing in the night's sky on September 10. The Moon will pass to within 5 degrees south of Mars at 4 A.M. EDT and will then dance across the night sky and pass within 0.3 degrees south of Venus at 9 A.M. EDT.

Asteroid Laetitia will be in opposition on September 14 at 6 A.M. EDT. This is your chance to view a celestial body that has been entertaining star gazers and filling them with awe and wonder for thousands of generations.

The third week of September begins with a First Quarter Moon 1:50 A.M. EDT on September 15. Four days later, on September 19, Mercury will be at its greatest western elongation of 18 degrees at 1 P.M. EDT. The Moon will pass within 5 degrees north of Neptune at noon EDT on September 20, viewers should see both Neptune and the Moon in the night sky, but this will depend on environmental conditions at the time of viewing.

Asteroid 8 Hebe is at opposition at 2 A.M. EDT on September 21. The thirteenth biggest asteroid by mass in the known solar system and the fifth brightest celestial body in the asteroid belt, asteroid 6 Hebe is believed to be the source of H chondrite meteorites and IIE iron meteorites, which account for about 40 percent of the meteorites that land on Earth.

The Moon is at apogee (252, 379 miles from Earth) at 4:02 A.M. EDT on September 21. Apogee is the point at which the Moon is at its farthest distance from the Earth in its orbit.

Mighty Jupiter rules the night on September 21, the largest planet in our solar system will be in opposition at 8 A.M. EDT on this day and Neptune will follow into opposition at 1 P.M. EDT. Jupiter shines at magnitude 2.9 on this night and will look bigger visually than at anytime since October 1963, at about 49.9 " across.

Jupiter will still be one of the brightest celestial object in the night sky on September 22 and viewers should be able to get a great view of mighty Jupiter in all its glory using their time machine to the stars throughout the month. Jupiter will pass within 0.9 degrees south of Uranus on September 22, at 3 P.M. EDT, and this is a great time to take a look at two of the biggest celestial bodies in the solar system. Watch for a few hours, before Jupiter passes to within 0.9 degrees south of Uranus, and you can see the Earth enter autumnal equinox at 11:09 P.M. EDT.

A Full Moon will occur at 5:17 A.M. EDT on September 23. The Moon will travel toward Neptune and Jupiter during the next hour and forty-five minutes and will pass within 7 degrees north of Jupiter and 6 degrees North of Uranus at 7 A.M. EDT. Viewers that watch throughout the day will get to see Venus at her brightest at 4 P.M. EDT, at this time Venus will shine at magnitude 4.8, the perfect time to view demure Venus in September's night sky.

Venus is once again the main attraction on the night of September 29. Venus will pass within 6 degrees south of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT on this night and will shine bright enough for good viewing using your time machine to the stars or good viewing binoculars.

September 30 will see Saturn enter into conjunction with Sol, at 9 P.M. EDT. This is a great opportunity to view the ringed-planet and have a look at a celestial body that has fascinated the human imagination for generations. Keep watching until 11:52 P.M. EDT and you'll see a Last Quarter Moon appear in the night sky at 11:52 P.M. EDT.

September's celestial dance enters the month of October, next, read about October's celestial dance in our article on October's night sky. We'll tell you about October's dance partners and the beautiful moves they'll make as they travel across the night sky in October.

Scientists using the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to look beneath Mar's north polar ice cap and get an idea of the lay of the ground think they know how Chasma Boreale and the much discussed series of spiral troughs were formed. The formation of Chasma Boreale and enigmatic spiral troughs have been talked about for four decades by space scientists and amateur astronomers. Mar's north polar region is really just a stack of ice and dust layers up to 2 miles thick and encompassing an area equivalent to Texas. Chasma Boreale is a distinctive land feature as long as the Grand Canyon, only wider and deeper, while the troughs spiral outward from their centers like huge pinwheels.

What did astronomers and planet scientists using SHARAD to look beneath Mar's north polar cap reveal about the formation of Chasma Boreale and associated spiral troughs? The view beneath Mar's north polar cap suggests strong winds were the main force of geological change involved in the formation of the Chasma Boreale and spiral troughs over millions of years. The geological processes involved would have formed Chasma Boreale and spiral troughs as Mar's north polar ice cap was formed, according to space scientists.

Board your time machine to the stars near the end of October 

September is the time for you and the kids to begin planning a journey to a celestial body that will be at its closest point to Earth and Sol, sometime near the end of October. Comet 103P/Hartley has been in the news, of late, as NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft will fly by Comet 103P/Hartley, in the first part of November. Observers boarding their time-machine-to-the-stars at this time should get a nice view of Comet 103P/Hartley and it might even be possible to view this celestial object with the naked eye, depending on the environmental conditions at the time of viewing. A good pair of viewing binoculars should give viewers a great view of Comet 103P/Hartley, but your time machine to the stars is the best way to journey to Comet 103P/Hartley, to have a look at a celestial object that only becomes viewable during specific periods of time. Comet 103P/Hartley is returning to Earth for the fourth time, since Australian astronomer Malcolm Hartley discovered her in 1986. A short-period comet that loops through the inner solar system, Comet 103P/Hartley's space journey takes about 6.5 years to complete one orbit. You should arrive at Comet 103P/Hartley just before the arrival of NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft. 

During the visit by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, space scientists will use the information and data provided by on-board cameras and instruments to help them pierce the shroud surrounding the comet and hopefully determine the source of dusty jets viewed on Comet 103P/Hartley. Dusty jets that have been dancing in the dreams of space scientists, since they first viewed them through Earth-bound telescopes, which show the effect as a pinprick of light at the center of the comet's glow. Astronomers and space scientists refer to this effect as a comet's "false nucleus", which hides the comets real surface from view. 

Comet 103P/Hartley is becoming more visible to star gazers as it approaches the Earth and Sun. This celestial object could reach magnitude 10 near the end of September, which will make viewing easier for star gazers, and allow space scientists to study this comet closer. The best time for star gazers to view Comet 103P/Hartley will be under a dark sky starting around September 24. Comet 103P/Hartley will be in the arms of Cassiopeia at this time, south of Cassiopeia's w-shaped asterism, and will be viewable throughout the night. 

What do you think a little asteroid dust could tell us about the universe?

The return capsule of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's asteroid-hunting Hayabusa spacecraft splashed down safely near Australia on June 13. This marks the return of a space traveller that was launched in 2003 in order to journey to the small near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa to bring back a sample of the asteroid's surface. Hayabusa has been designed and engineered to fire a projectile into the surface of asteroid 25143 Itokawa and hopefully kick up dust that can be collected by Hayabusa's on-board collection container. The only problem is space scientists don't know yet if Hayabusa was able to accomplish its mission, but they remain hopeful the projectile was able to fire and the collection container store some dust for them to study. Any dust they find could still be Earth dust that somehow entered the collection container, so any material they find in the collection container will still have to be verified to be true asteroid dust.

Hayabusa's mission was a success, even if the projectile didn't fire and the collection container didn't collect any dust, because Japanese space scientists were able to conduct several other ground breaking experiments. Stay tuned to journey to the beginning of the universe in the days and weeks ahead in the century of the environment for new developments on this front.