Astronomy
What Can Lake Vostok Tell Us About Europa?
Does the prospect of life in subglacial Lake Vostok really point to the same on the icy satellite Europa? The answer may surprise you.
Post on Feb 09, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
The Sun Shows A Flare for the Dramatic
A solar flare, associated with the big sunspot numbered 1402, erupted on January 23rd, launching a coronal mass ejection–a "cantaloupe" of plasma that makes Earth look like a grape. Rated as an M9-class flare, it packed umph just shy of what's necessary for adult "X-class" flaredom, the most powerful kind.
Post on Jan 27, 2012 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Treasure from the Sky
The recently authenticated fall of meteorites from Mars excites fever dreams as well as scientific fervor.
Post on Jan 19, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
The Stars Within an Eyelash's Reach
I want to take a moment, again, to contemplate the vastness of the Universe…and expect an epic fail….
Post on Jan 12, 2012 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
A Most Earthly Mineral on Mars
The planet Mars tantalizes with its resemblance to parts of Earth. Now space geologists with their trusty field assistant, the rover Opportunity, have found gypsum veins there like those in our own countryside.
Post on Jan 05, 2012 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
Got Science on the Brain? Come Blog with QUEST
Got science on the brain? Come blog with us. KQED’s QUEST is looking to add new voices to our blog, which already offers commentary from our producers, reporters, and several writers from science organizations in our region. pply by February 1st.
Post on Jan 02, 2012 by Craig Rosa from QUEST Northern California
Operation Vesta: Pluto's Devious Plan to Regain Status?
With the New Horizons spacecraft hurtling toward its 2014 encounter with Pluto, and with the Dawn spacecraft now at its most up-close and personal encounter with Vesta, we are in the process of learning scads of information about two objects that are among the least understood and most under-explored bodies in the Solar System.
Post on Dec 30, 2011 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Top KQED QUEST Stories of 2011
From hackerspaces to banana slugs, flying telescopes to cheese – it's been a quite a diverse year of storytelling here at QUEST. Here's a round-up of the top 10 video and audio stories and blog posts that you've enjoyed from the past year.
Post on Dec 21, 2011 by Jenny Oh from QUEST Northern California
Kepler 22B: Exoplanet Dress-up Doll
It's 600 light years from Earth, orbits a star very similar to our Sun in a period of about 290 days, and has a diameter about two and a half times that of Earth. What is it? It's the NASA Kepler mission's most recent exciting confirmed discovery, the extrasolar-planet Kepler 22B.
Post on Dec 16, 2011 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Luna Nova: Moon of the Cretaceous Skies
Although I am a lifelong fan of science, I’ve also been a lifelong fan of science fiction—so I sometimes experience conflict on the borderlands where the two meet.
Post on Dec 02, 2011 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Dog Eats Moon: Total Lunar Eclipse
December 10, 2011 marks your last chance to see a total lunar eclipse—one of the most breathtaking celestial events that you can witness with your unaided eye–until 2014.
Post on Nov 18, 2011 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
The Juno Mission: Interview With NASA Scientist Dr. Bill Cooke
What's old, is new again. Dr. Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, discusses how the historical astro-photographic plates at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) contribute to the new Juno mission to Jupiter.
Video on Nov 17, 2011 by David Huppert from QUEST North Carolina
Yo GAMMA GAMMA: Photo plates enable astronomers to peer back to the future
Dr. Michael Castelaz, the Science Director at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, knows GAMMA II is a sleeping giant. He just needs a little help waking up the beast.
Post on Nov 08, 2011 by David Huppert from QUEST North Carolina
"Looking Up" – studying comets with the JUNO mission
Herbert Mehnert a Cline Scholar at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute spent his summer researching Comet Photometry and Morphology. Herbert was introduced to PARI by one of his college professors and jumped at the opportunity to work at the former NASA research institute.
Slideshow on Nov 08, 2011 by Colleen Vasu from QUEST North Carolina
The Night Sky: Past and Present
For more than 150 years, scientists have captured images of celestial objects scattered across the night sky. The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in North Carolina is attempting to save those historical records before they vanish into a black hole.
Video on Nov 08, 2011 by David Huppert from QUEST North Carolina
Popular astronomy apps for your smartphone or tablet
Attention Galileo guys and gals – download any one of these astronomy apps for your smartphone and you can stop star-guessing and start star-gazing like a pro!
Post on Nov 08, 2011 by David Huppert from QUEST North Carolina
Asteroid 2005 YU55 Scores!
On November 8th, at 3:28 PM PST, the asteroid "2005 YU55" will pass by the Earth at a distance of just over 200,000 miles, or about 40,000 miles within the Moon's orbit. Fortunately, the asteroid's trajectory is well known, and poses no threat to us (at this time).
Post on Nov 04, 2011 by Ben Burress from QUEST Northern California
Geological Outings Around the Bay: Fremont Peak
Fremont Peak oversees a large region of the Coast Ranges between Monterey and Hollister. When you pay it a visit, be sure to look around your feet too.
Post on Nov 03, 2011 by Andrew Alden from QUEST Northern California
NOVA “Fabric of the Cosmos” with Brian Green 11/2 Live Webcast
Today at 6PM PST, The World Science Festival, Columbia University and NOVA are hosting a screening of 'What is Space?' to coincide with the 'NOVA: Fabric of the Cosmos' series premiere. Also included will be Saul Perlmutter, local Lawrence Berkeley Lab astrophysicist and winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Post on Nov 02, 2011 by Craig Rosa from QUEST Northern California
Up All Night on NASA's Flying Telescope
NASA's new flying telescope is allowing astronomers to see the life cycle of far away stars. Lauren Sommer caught a late-night ride on one of its recent flights.
Audio Report on Oct 28, 2011 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
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