Planetaria is now a partner with Omegon, creators of the Universe2Go personal planetarium. U2Go is a portable interactive viewer that works with your smartphone to bring you the universe in a unique new way.
technology
Venus beckons: Why NASA should return and how new tech will help
The Solar System has been a busy place in recent years, with missions to a diverse range of worlds, from Mars, Jupiter and Saturn to distant Pluto and even comets and asteroids. Most of these have been NASA spacecraft, which continues to lay the path to exploring such distant places. There are, however, some places which have been visited in the past, decades ago, but now are seemingly no longer a priority, such as Uranus and Neptune. But there is another planet which is actually Earth’s closest neighbour, yet was only last visited in the 1970s and 1980s, by American and Soviet spacecraft – Venus.
Read MoreVenus beckons: Why NASA should return and how new tech will help
Drones on Mars? small ‘helicopter-like’ scout could be added to Mars 2020 rover mission
Over the past few years, numerous orbiters, landers, and rovers have been sent to Mars, revealing the world as never before. There is, however, something else which hasn’t been done yet: a helicopter, airplane, or balloon. An airborne probe could provide stunning views of the Martian surface between those of a lander/rover and an orbiter at much higher altitude. The concept has been considered and tested to some degree, and now it may be moving closer to becoming a reality. The latest studies involve the possibility of sending a small helicopter-like drone along with the Mars 2020 Mission rover.
Read MoreDrones on Mars? small ‘helicopter-like’ scout could be added to Mars 2020 rover mission
NASA developing new ‘Chemical Laptop’ to search for evidence of alien life
One of NASA’s primary objectives, and the one which most excites the general public, is the search for evidence of life elsewhere, whether in our own Solar System or on some distant exoplanet. However, the best way to go about that is a subject of much debate. Now, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have come up with a new proposal: a “Chemical Laptop,” a miniaturized portable laboratory which would look for signs of materials associated with life (at least as we know it), such as amino acids.
Read MoreNASA developing new ‘Chemical Laptop’ to search for evidence of alien life
Gemini Planet Imager finds its first exoplanet, a methane-rich ‘young Jupiter’
The Gemini Planet Imager, a new telescopic instrument designed to find, image, and study faint, young planets orbiting bright stars, has discovered its first exoplanet: a young Jupiter-like planet called 51 Eridani b which orbits the star 51 Eridani, about 100 light-years away. Thought to be similar to a younger version of Jupiter, it should help astronomers learn more about how planetary systems form.
Read MoreGemini Planet Imager finds its first exoplanet, a methane-rich ‘young Jupiter’