Pale Blue Dot
Pale blue dot
"Da questo punto di osservazione, la Terra può non sembrare di particolare interesse. Ma per noi, è diverso. Guardate ancora quel puntino. È qui. È casa. Siamo noi. Su di esso, tutti quelli che amate, tutti quelli di cui avete mai sentito parlare, ogni essere umano che sia mai esistito, hanno vissuto la propria vita. L’insieme delle nostre gioie e dolori, migliaia di presuntuose religioni, ideologie e dottrine economiche, ogni cacciatore e raccoglitore, ogni eroe e codardo, ogni creatore e distruttore di civiltà, ogni re e suddito, ogni giovane coppia innamorata, ogni madre e padre, figlio speranzoso, inventore ed esploratore, ogni predicatore di moralità, ogni politico corrotto, ogni “superstar”, ogni “comandante supremo”, ogni santo e peccatore nella storia della nostra specie è vissuto lì su un granello di polvere sospeso dentro ad un raggio di sole. La Terra è un piccolissimo palco in una vasta arena cosmica. Pensate ai fiumi di sangue versati da tutti quei generali e imperatori affinché, nella gloria ed il trionfo, potessero diventare i signori momentanei di una frazione di un punto. Pensate alle crudeltà senza fine impartite dagli abitanti di un angolo di questo pixel agli abitanti scarsamente distinguibili di qualche altro angolo, quanto frequenti i loro malintesi, quanto smaniosi di uccidersi a vicenda, quanto ferventi i loro odii. Le nostre ostentazioni, la nostra immaginaria autostima, l’illusione che abbiamo una qualche posizione privilegiata nell’Universo, sono messe in discussione da questo punto di luce pallida. Il nostro pianeta è un granellino solitario nel grande, avvolgente buio cosmico. Nella nostra oscurità, in tutta questa vastità, non c’è nessuna indicazione che possa giungere aiuto da qualche altra parte per salvarci da noi stessi. La Terra è l’unico mondo conosciuto che possa ospitare la vita. Non c’è nessun altro posto, per lo meno nel futuro prossimo, dove la nostra specie possa migrare. Visitare, sì. Abitare, non ancora. Che vi piaccia o meno, per il momento la Terra è dove ci giochiamo le nostre carte. È stato detto che l’astronomia è un’esperienza di umiltà e che forma il carattere. Non c’è forse migliore dimostrazione della follia delle vanità umane che questa distante immagine del nostro minuscolo mondo. Per me, sottolinea la nostra responsabilità di occuparci più gentilmente l’uno dell’altro, e di preservare e proteggere il pallido punto blu, l’unica casa che abbiamo mai conosciuto." - Carl Segan sulla foto scattata, come da sua richiesta, dalla sonda Voyager 1, nel 1990, a sei miliardi di chilometri di distanza dalla Terra. https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=yAHWgwAPC8o
More Posts from Needingsomespace and Others
Space: Submission
Image of Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Kevin M. Gill
45 YEARS AGO TODAY: The Apollo 16 mission blasts off from Cape Canaveral on April 16, 1972.
Potentially Hospitable Enceladus
NASA & ESA - Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn & Titan patch. Feb. 6, 2017
Seen from outside, Enceladus appears to be like most of its sibling moons: cold, icy and inhospitable. But under that forbidding exterior may exist the very conditions needed for life. Over the course of the Cassini mission, observations have shown that Enceladus (313 miles or 504 kilometers across) not only has watery jets sending icy grains into space; under its icy crust it also has a global ocean, and may have hydrothermal activity as well. Since scientists believe liquid water is a key ingredient for life, the implications for future missions searching for life elsewhere in our solar system could be significant. This view looks toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Enceladus. North on Enceladus is up and rotated 6 degrees to the right. The image was taken in green light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 27, 2016. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 81,000 miles (130,000 kilometers) from Enceladus. Image scale is 2,566 feet (782 meters) per pixel.
Cassini spacecraft around Saturn
The Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org and http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cassini-Huygens Images, Text, Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Tony Greicius. Best regards, Orbiter.ch Full article
Solar System
via reddit
The rings of Saturn on February 2, 2016, observed by the Cassini space probe.
Solar System: Things to Know This Week
10 Tools for the Armchair Astronaut, or How to Explore the Solar System from Home
At this very moment, spacecraft are surveying the solar system, from Mars, to Saturn, to Pluto and beyond. Now you can ride along to see the latest discoveries from deep space. For this week’s edition of 10 Things, we’ve assembled a toolkit of 10 essential resources for the desktop astronaut.
1. It’s Like Facebook, but for Planets
Or is it more of a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Solar System? Whatever one calls it, our planets page offers quick rundowns, as well as in-depth guides, for all the major bodies in the solar system. Explore from the sun all the way to the Oort Cloud.
+ Peruse the planets + See how objects in the solar system stack up against each other
2. Keep Your Eyes on This One
If you still haven’t tried Eyes on the Solar System, you’re missing out. This free, downloadable simulation app lets you tour the planets and track the past, current and future positions of spacecraft–all in 3D. Eyes on the Solar System uses real NASA data to help you take a virtual flight across both space and time.
+ Prepare for departure
3. Dateline: Deep Space
With so much exploration underway, discoveries and new insights into the solar system come at a pace that borders on bewildering. NASA is rewriting the textbooks, literally, on a regular basis. Relax, though: there are several easy ways to stay up to date with what’s happening in space.
+ See the latest headlines + Stay connected on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram + Find more top NASA social media accounts
4. Space? There’s an App for That
NASA offers phone and tablet apps for star gazing, pictures, news, 3D tours, satellite tracking, live NASA TV and many other kinds of info.
+ Start downloading + See other cool apps
5. A (Very) Long Distance Call
We’re in constant communication with spacecraft all over the solar system. The Deep Space Network is a global network of giant antenna dishes that makes it possible. With this online app, you can learn how it works – and even see which spacecraft are phoning home right now.
+ Deep Space Network (DSN) Now
6. Collect ‘Em All
Spacecraft 3D is an augmented reality (AR) application that lets you learn about and interact with a variety of spacecraft that are used to explore our solar system, study Earth and observe the universe. Print out the AR target and your camera will do the rest, making the spacecraft appear in 3D right in front of you. Learn more about these robotic explorers as they pop up on your desk, in your hand, or on your dog’s head.
+ Download Spacecraft 3D + See more cool 3-D resources from NASA
7. Ever Wanted to Drive a Mars Rover?
This site will give you a 3D look at the Mars Curiosity rover, along with some of the terrain it has explored. It will even let you take the controls.
+ Experience Curiosity
8. More E-Ticket Attractions
But wait, there’s more. NASA offers a variety of other fascinating (and free) online experiences, all based on actual data from real missions. Here are a few to explore:
+ Mars Trek + Vesta Trek + Moon Trek
9. The Universe Is Our Classroom
Studying the solar system makes for a compelling route into learning and teaching science, engineering and math. We have some great places to start.
+ Find resources for teachers + Build your own solar system with your classroom
10. Bring It on Home
After you’ve toured the far reaches of the solar system, you can always come home again. When you have spent time studying the harsh conditions on our neighboring planets, the charms of a unique paradise come into sharp focus, the place we call Earth.
+ Watch a real-time video feed from Earth orbit + See a daily global view of our planet from a million miles away + Hold the earth in your hands with the Earth Now mobile app
Discover more lists of 10 things to know about our solar system HERE.
Follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
The Moon - Incredible Lunar Views From The Japanese SELENE Orbiter - Earthrise
In July 1967, astronomers at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, observed an unidentified radio signal from interstellar space, which flashed periodically every 1.33730 seconds. This object flashed with such regularity that it was accurate enough to be used as a clock and only be off by one part in a hundred million.
It was eventually determined that this was the first discovery of a pulsar, CP-1919. This is an object that has about the same mass as the Sun, but is the size of the San Francisco Bay at its widest (~20 kilometers) that is rotating so fast that its emitting a beam of light towards Earth like a strobing light house! Pulsars are neutron stars that are formed from the remnants of a massive star when it experiences stellar death.
A hand drawn graph plotted in the style of a waterfall plot, in the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, later became renown for its use on the cover of the album “Unknown Pleasures” by 1970s English band Joy Division.
Some even managed to point out the resemblance of this plot to some other waterfall plot gifs.
Also, two days ago today was Joy Divisions singer’s, Ian Curtis, birthday!
Mathematica code:
R[n_] := (SeedRandom[n]; RandomReal[]) ListAnimate[ Table[ Show[ Table[ Plot[ 80 - m + .2*Sin[2 Pi*R[6*m] + Sum[4*Sin[2 Pi*R[4*m] + t + R[2 n*m]*2 Pi]* Exp[-(.3*x + 30 - 1*100*R[2 n*m])^2/20], {n, 1, 30, 1}]] + Sum[3(1 + R[3*n*m])*Abs[Sin[t + R[n*m]*2 Pi]]* Exp[-(x - 1*100*R[n*m])^2/20], {n, 1, 4, 1}], {x, -50, 150}, PlotStyle -> Directive[White, Thick], PlotRange -> {{-50, 150}, {0, 85}}, Background -> Black, Filling -> Axis, FillingStyle -> Black, Axes -> False, AspectRatio -> Full, ImageSize -> {500, 630}], {m, 1, 80, 1}]], {t, 0, 6.3*18/19, 6.3/19}], AnimationRunning -> False]
Dream and wish, as it’s human nature. As with the motto of my alma mater, North Carolina State University, think and do. Dare to dream, and then decide to make it happen. Landing on the moon was once science fiction. Make your dreams a reality. Roll up your sleeves and get to work.
