Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:00 AM EST

Article Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

science, cassini, voyager, heliosheath, heliopause

When I was a kid, there were nine planets and some asteroids, racing through emptiness...
It's a lot more complicated nowadays...

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1.1

{"commentId":10793249,"authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

Bob Nelson.

The video is cool...

{"commentId":10793249,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

1 vote

#1 - Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:01 AM EST

{"commentId":10793392,"authorDomain":"hotlink"}

hotlink

Great seed.

{"commentId":10793392,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"hotlink"}

#1.1 - Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:58 AM EST

{"commentId":10793604,"authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

dungbeetlemania

Very cool seed, thank you. I am pleased that they can get this kind of data - not what Cassini was designed for, but with a bit of work they've pulled it off.

{"commentId":10793604,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}

1 vote

#2 - Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:08 AM EST

{"commentId":10810882,"authorDomain":"bigsaf"}

bigsaf

Yea, the old solar system model as we know it is kind of outdated. Many astronomers and educators suggest updating information for young science students to reflect today's views.

A few years back, I had attended an astronomy conference. It was hosted by the University of Toronto's astronomy club, and quite a few big names from the astronomy world showed up.

One was our own Astronomy Professor, John Percy, and a couple of other UofT notables, including a very funny prodigy (everyone else was pretty boring) - forgot his name, he launched his very own spectroscopy instrument for the sun and the data he got back caused a little stir on how the sun was vibrating.

The director of the Cassini program was there as well, and she gave us a good detail of why Saturn was chosen and how the mission unfolded with the problems. Its surprisingly has done well and great to know its function has expanded further than just the mission with Saturn. Wasn't really designed to pick up such emissions...

{"commentId":10810882,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"bigsaf"}

1 vote

#3 - Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:49 PM EST

{"commentId":10812779,"authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

Bob Nelson.

...how the sun was vibrating.

That phrase doesn't even surprise nowadays! There was a time when "sunspot" was a big deal...

There's a Cassini email newsletter that comes out about once a week -- that's how I knew about this seed. So I've been a "Cassini groupie" ever since launch. The regular flow of information makes the project rather like an "old friend".

{"commentId":10812779,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

1 vote

#3.1 - Sat Nov 21, 2009 1:50 AM EST

{"commentId":10814631,"authorDomain":"bigsaf"}

bigsaf

oh nice. Following Cassini since the beginning. Are you surprised it lasted this long?

lol. We hear a lot from battlestar and star trek enterprise fiction groupies, not much from the REAL spacecraft groupies - which is refreshing.

{"commentId":10814631,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"bigsaf"}

1 vote

#3.2 - Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:14 AM EST

{"commentId":10815257,"authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

Bob Nelson.

I followed the spacecraft rather distractedly at first. I had no idea how long the mission would last -- that information was surely given, but I forgot it as soon as I heard it.

With time............

{"commentId":10815257,"threadId":"729008","contentId":"3524475","authorDomain":"bobnelsonfrance"}

1 vote

#3.3 - Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:24 AM EST

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"729008","isPrivate":false}

BOB NELSON.

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Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System

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