This Week’s Astronomy News:

You should do your job in such a fashion that others can build on top of it, so they will indeed say, “Yes, I’ve stood on so and so’s shoulders and I saw further.” The essence of science is cumulative. By changing a problem slightly you can often do great work rather than merely good work. Instead of attacking isolated problems, I made the resolution that I would never again solve an isolated problem except as characteristic of a class.

“You and Your Research,” Dr. Richard W. Hamming of Bell Labs (via ryanandmath)

The first two images are tesseracts and the second two are 4D spheres. 1 Dimension: in a universe with one dimension, particles can only move in a line so from left to right not up and down. _____________________________

2 Dimensions: this is made up of an infinite amount of 1D universe and particles would be able to to move in two dimensions, up down left and right. Now if there was an organism living in a 2 dimensional it would see things in 1 dimension just like we see things in 2 dimensions and our brain is what is able to interpret depth by using two eyes and our brain. When we hold our finger in front of our face and move it, we can see that it appears to have moved relative to the background. Our brains see this difference and this allows us to estimate how far away they are. In a 2D universe there would be no background as such to see the “finger” moving against so it would be seen in 1D although it’s impossible to visualise anything in 1 dimension.

3 Dimensions: we live in 3 spatial dimensions in our universe which is made up of an infinite amount of 2D universes. We see things in 2 dimensions. A common misconception is that time is the 4th dimension but it doesn’t really make sense because it is present in every spatial dimension.

4 Dimensions: this is almost impossible to try and visualise. There are some people who claim they can think in 4 and even more dimensions. Now, a 4th dimensional organism would see things in 3 dimensions. If they came to our universe then they would be seeing absolutely every line of every shape but it wouldn’t be possible for a 4D being to like in 3D, it would be like us living in 2D. Above I have some 4D shapes to give you an idea of how we can represent them. It’s better to watch the inks though.

http://youtu.be/-x4P65EKjt0 http://youtu.be/5BF-ygCbmD8

A photo of Saturn. Took by Cassini with COISS on September 01, 2004 at 08:15:35. Detail page on OPUS database.

The Milky Way in a beautiful image by Lincoln Harrison

Hubble Space Telescope

You’ve probably heard of our Hubble Space Telescope, but have you had the chance to actually take a look at the amazing images it has captured for us over the years? Since Hubble launched in April 1990,  it has made more than 1.2 million observations, some to locations more than 13.4 billion light years from Earth!

Hubble can see astronomical objects with an angular size of 0.05 arc seconds, which is like seeing a pair of fireflies in Tokyo from your home in Maryland…yea, that’s pretty far! This accuracy allows us to see images like this one of Little Gem Nebula, roughly 6,000 light-years away from us.

Images from Hubble are regularly released to the public, and are some of the most breathtaking views in the Universe. Images like this one of Lagoon Nebula, in the constellation of Sagittarius, not only make for amazing desktop screen-savers, but provide us with valuable scientific information about distant stars and galaxies, as well as the planets in our solar system.

We recently celebrated Hubble’s 25th Anniversary, and look forward to many more years of discovery and captivating images.

The night sky. 09/03/15 Watch as the colour of the sky changes due to the rising Moon. This was a 4 hour time lapse recorded last night from 21:00-01:00.

Introducing Ethiopia’s just born Space research programme

High above the crowded streets of Addis Ababa, among fields where farmers lead oxen dragging wooden ploughs, sits Ethiopia’s space programme.              

Perched at the top of the 3200m-high Mount Entoto, two metal domes house telescopes, each a metre in diameter. In operation for only a few months, they have propelled Ethiopia into an elite club of African countries to have embarked on a space programme.

Its programme is aimed at giving the country a technological boost that will aid its already rapid development.

“Science is part of any development cycle,” says Abinet Ezra, spokesman for the Ethiopian Space Science Society. “Without science and technology nothing can be achieved.

“Our main priority is to inspire the young generation to be involved in science and technology.”

The society, funded by Ethiopian-Saudi business tycoon Mohammed Alamoudi, was set up in 2004 to promote astronomy. But its supporters have had a tough ride setting up the space programme.

For the past decade, a handful of enthusiasts - including Solomon Belay, director of the observatory and a professor of astrophysics - battled with the authorities to convince them that, in a country that is still one of the poorest in the world, where malnutrition is still a threat, the exploration of space is not a luxury. Ethiopian strongman Meles Zenawi, who died in 2012, considered them dreamers.

“People said we were crazy,” says Belay.

The R39-million space observatory is, above all, a symbol. The site at Entoto, often hidden by clouds during the rainy season and close to the lights of Addis Ababa, struggles to compete with the world’s major observatories, including the far larger Southern African Large Telescope in South Africa.

But Ethiopia has plans, including to build a far more powerful observatory in the northern mountains around Lalibela, far from city lights.

The government hopes to launch a national space agency - and to put an Ethiopian satellite in orbit within five years, for the monitoring of farmland and to boost communications.

“We are using space applications in everyday activities, for mobile phones, weather - space applications are fundamental,” says Kelali Adhana, the International Astronomical Union chief for East Africa, based in Ethiopia. “We cannot postpone it, otherwise we allow ourselves to live in poverty.”

At Ethiopia’s Institute of Technology, in the northern town of Mekelle, scientists plan to test the first Ethiopian rocket to go more than 30km, although that is still far from the 100km frontier beyond which the Earth’s atmosphere gives way to space proper.

New video! Spiral galaxies in a nutshell!

National Aviation Day!

Today, August 19, is National Aviation Day! You might wonder why we’re celebrating National Aviation Day, let us tell you…

First, did you know that EVERY U.S. commercial aircraft and every U.S. air traffic control tower has NASA-developed technology on board? It’s true! Here at NASA, we’re invested in aeronautic research. Today’s air transportation system is an integral part of the U.S. and global economies. 

It’s the primary mechanism for connecting countries across the world through moving people, as well as goods and services. You feel the impacts of aviation and the air transportation system everyday. Just about every product produced and purchased today has been touched by aviation in some way. Aircraft transport 17.7 billion tons of freight every year. While you may not have flown today, something you needed did.

Our aviation experts are dedicated to improving the design of airplanes so they’re more Earth friendly – less fuel use, lower pollution, less noise around airports. We also work with the Federal Aviation Administration to provide new tools to air traffic controllers for improving efficiency and reducing delays.

So, celebrate National Aviation Day with us! Spread Your Wings, take a photo, post it today and tag #SpreadYourWings and/or #NationalAviationDay. We may even pick your photo to highlight on our NASA web page!

Aurora from the ISS.

Photo credit: NASA