The Cosmic Mirror

of News events across the Universe

Compiled and written by Daniel Fischer, Skyweek - older "Mirrors" in the Archive - and find out what the future might bring!

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The Cosmic Mirror is on vacation from Oct. 13 ... 25!

Update # 108 of Oct. 12, 1998, at 18:45 UTC

The Giacobinids: Almost a Storm
More reports from Asia have been received, and the maximum rate of meteors seen there needs probably a revision upwards (see also Update #107). A combined analysis from Japan, e.g., including the data of 23 visual observers, gives a maximum Zenithal Hourly Rate of 950 +/- 600 at 13:15 UTC. Of course, this was only the sharp peak of an approximately triangular function. The hourly mean of the 13:00-14:00 UTC interval was 600 +/- 300. Nonetheless a rate around 1000, however briefly, does qualify as a minor meteor storm according to some definitions (although some want to have at least 3600, i.e. one meteor per second for that).
Observations and results from Japan (especially here), Jordan and the Netherlands.
Central analysis is provided by the IMO.
Inside China article.

SOHO: More and more Instruments Work!
Several of the 12 telescopes aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft have been successfully turned on: SUMER and VIRGO were the first, now about one per day is added - see the Recovery Updates! Scientists are eagerly awaiting word today on a key telescope whose fragile optics may have been damaged by long exposure to the intense cold of deep space: the Michelson Doppler Interferometer (MDI), an instrument for measuring magnetic fields and vibrations on the surface of the sun.
Over the last week, scientists have been gradually reactivating the telescopes to see which ones work and whether SOHO can continue its phenomenal series of discoveries about the sun. "It has been nice to see these other instruments come back on line," says a SOHO scientist: "Some aspects of our helioseismology can be done by GOLF and VIRGO but they have more limited capabilities, and they have very narrow fields of view. The MDI shows the whole sun at high resolution, and gives us velocities and magnetic fields. It will be sorely missed if its lost." (Updated from an MSFC Press Release)

Press Release of Oct. 9th
Recovery Updates
Recomissioning Timeline

A Brown Dwarf as an X-ray Source
They are not even real stars - and yet at least some Brown Dwarves seem to have a corona like our Sun, visible in X-rays. A long-known but unidentified point source seen by the ROSAT satellite has now been found to be identical with such a Brown Dwarf, Cha H-Alpha 1, which has only 0.04 solar masses and a surface temperature of less than 2700 Kelvin. But the interior of this 'failed star' seems to resemble that of an ordinary small star, including full convection and magnetic fields - these, plus a quick rotation period, seem to have provided Cha H-Alpha 1 with its X-ray bright corona. (Neuhaeuser & Comeron, Science Oct. 2nd, p. 83-85)
An MPG Press Release on the discovery and what it means.

A Small Lunar Orbiter for just 15m Pounds?
According to a story in last week's Space News, the famous British company Surrey Satellite Technology is building a lunar orbiter - for the cost of a mere 15 million British Pounds. The money for "LunarSat" is apparently coming from the European Space Agency (where the mission is the sole survivor of the cancelled Euromoon proposal), individual European countries and other sources. The lauch of the mission - the most advanced ever for SSTL (which was responsible for several of the missions launched in July, see Update #92, 3rd story) - is planned for 2001, either piggyback on an Ariane 5 or solo on a small launcher. (Space News Oct. 5, 1998)
LunarSat's old homepage
UoSAT microsatellites and future plans
That is apparently the mission Space News talks about, but the paper is 2 years old...

Asteroids with Tails? No Problem!
A strange group of "comets" they are: They have long, narrow tails - but no coma (head) whatsoever. The objects where the long tails begin look exactly like ordinary asteroids, and that's what they are: When a small asteroid hits a large one, a lot of dust is freed that spreads, albeit very slowly, and forms the tail over months. Computer simulations by David Lien have now confirmed this hypothesis: The mechanism works and required only one explosive event. The question remains whether the pseudo-comets should be allowed to keep their comet numbers. And whether they should be named like comets (i.e. after the discoverer) or like asteroids (i.e. by the discoverer)... (Press Release received through DPS and embargoed Oct. 12, 1998)
Here are two of three asteroids with tails known: Elst-Pizarro and Lagerkvist-Carsenty; the third case is C/1998G1 (LINEAR).

In a Nutshell: Finally it's here: Multimedia Press Kits for Shuttle Missions, to be entered here. / A connection between forest fires and unusual lightning phenomena has been found: Science News article. / And here is a rather funny satire on the ISS...

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The Giacobinids: Almost a Storm More reports from Asia have been received, and the maximum rate of meteors seen there needs probably a revision upwards (see also Update #107). A combined analysis from Japan, e.g., including the data of 23 visual observers, gives a maximum Zenithal Hourly Rate of 950 +/- 600 at 13:15 UTC. Of course, this was only the sharp peak of an approximately triangular function. The hourly mean of the 13:00-14:00 UTC interval was 600 +/- 300. Nonetheless a rate around 1000, however briefly, does qualify as a minor meteor storm according to some definitions (although some want to have at least 3600, i.e. one meteor per second for that).	Observations and results from Japan (especially here), Jordan and the Netherlands. Central analysis is provided by the IMO. Inside China article.
SOHO: More and more Instruments Work! Several of the 12 telescopes aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft have been successfully turned on: SUMER and VIRGO were the first, now about one per day is added - see the Recovery Updates! Scientists are eagerly awaiting word today on a key telescope whose fragile optics may have been damaged by long exposure to the intense cold of deep space: the Michelson Doppler Interferometer (MDI), an instrument for measuring magnetic fields and vibrations on the surface of the sun. Over the last week, scientists have been gradually reactivating the telescopes to see which ones work and whether SOHO can continue its phenomenal series of discoveries about the sun. "It has been nice to see these other instruments come back on line," says a SOHO scientist: "Some aspects of our helioseismology can be done by GOLF and VIRGO but they have more limited capabilities, and they have very narrow fields of view. The MDI shows the whole sun at high resolution, and gives us velocities and magnetic fields. It will be sorely missed if its lost." (Updated from an MSFC Press Release)	Press Release of Oct. 9th Recovery Updates Recomissioning Timeline
A Brown Dwarf as an X-ray Source They are not even real stars - and yet at least some Brown Dwarves seem to have a corona like our Sun, visible in X-rays. A long-known but unidentified point source seen by the ROSAT satellite has now been found to be identical with such a Brown Dwarf, Cha H-Alpha 1, which has only 0.04 solar masses and a surface temperature of less than 2700 Kelvin. But the interior of this 'failed star' seems to resemble that of an ordinary small star, including full convection and magnetic fields - these, plus a quick rotation period, seem to have provided Cha H-Alpha 1 with its X-ray bright corona. (Neuhaeuser & Comeron, Science Oct. 2nd, p. 83-85)	An MPG Press Release on the discovery and what it means.
A Small Lunar Orbiter for just 15m Pounds? According to a story in last week's Space News, the famous British company Surrey Satellite Technology is building a lunar orbiter - for the cost of a mere 15 million British Pounds. The money for "LunarSat" is apparently coming from the European Space Agency (where the mission is the sole survivor of the cancelled Euromoon proposal), individual European countries and other sources. The lauch of the mission - the most advanced ever for SSTL (which was responsible for several of the missions launched in July, see Update #92, 3rd story) - is planned for 2001, either piggyback on an Ariane 5 or solo on a small launcher. (Space News Oct. 5, 1998)	LunarSat's old homepage UoSAT microsatellites and future plans That is apparently the mission Space News talks about, but the paper is 2 years old...
Asteroids with Tails? No Problem! A strange group of "comets" they are: They have long, narrow tails - but no coma (head) whatsoever. The objects where the long tails begin look exactly like ordinary asteroids, and that's what they are: When a small asteroid hits a large one, a lot of dust is freed that spreads, albeit very slowly, and forms the tail over months. Computer simulations by David Lien have now confirmed this hypothesis: The mechanism works and required only one explosive event. The question remains whether the pseudo-comets should be allowed to keep their comet numbers. And whether they should be named like comets (i.e. after the discoverer) or like asteroids (i.e. by the discoverer)... (Press Release received through DPS and embargoed Oct. 12, 1998)	Here are two of three asteroids with tails known: Elst-Pizarro and Lagerkvist-Carsenty; the third case is C/1998G1 (LINEAR).