Space Science news from NASA HQ

What’s new lately in Space Science at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/ :

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Astronomers using our SWAS spacecraft have detected a massive cloud of
water vapor around an aging star. It could be the telltale sign of
innumerable dying comets and a glimpse of things to come in our own solar
system. No need to sell the farm though. Story at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast11jul_1.htm?list52322

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A kaleidoscopic movie made from about 1,200 Jupiter images taken by our
Cassini spacecraft reveals unexpectedly persistent polar weather patterns
on the giant planet. The Big Red Spot has been around for (at least)
hundreds of years, but until now it seemed unlikely that storms near
Jupiter’s poles lasted for long. There are actually 3 movies, they’re all
big downloads but pretty cool, especially if you have a fast
connection. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiterflyby/news/chaos_patterns.html

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During periods of increased solar activity much of the United States
becomes cloudier, possibly because the jet stream in the troposphere moves
northward causing changes to regional climate
patterns. ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-141.txt

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A couple of items from Hubble:

Magnetic Fields Weave Rings Around Stars – hot young stars may form inner
tube-shaped clouds of shimmering gas around
themselves. http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/19/

Hubble Snaps Picture of Remarkable Double Cluster – a pretty pic from a
study of new stars large and small.
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/25/

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Our Genesis spacecraft is ready to do a little sunbathing starting July
30. Let’s do launch at http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/ , where you
can get live video of the spacecraft and learn about the mission to catch
bits of the sun.

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The largest dust storm to be seen on Mars since our Mars Global Surveyor
spacecraft arrived in 1997 is currently raging across about half the
planet. The story is at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/duststorm_010709.html , and you can
get all the latest dust maps and movies at http://tes.la.asu.edu/

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Finally, the Web Site of the Whatever: a recent Astronomy Picture of the
Day ( http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ ) features some great solar system
images taken by an amateur astronomer using an inexpensive webcam. (He
also just happens to belong to my astronomy club!) Unbelievable images
from a small scope at http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010714.html . Way
to go Geoff!