Moon, Mercury, and Twilight Radio

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Sharing dawn's twilight with the Moon on September 29, Mercury was about as far from the Sun as it can wander, the innermost planet close to its maximum elongation in planet Earth's skies. In this colorful scene fleeting Mercury is joined by a waning sunlit lunar crescent and earthlit lunar nightside, the New Moon in the Old Moon's arms. Below is the Italian Medicina Radio Astronomical Station near Bologna with a low row of antennae that is part of Italy's first radio telescope array dubbed the "Northern Cross", and a 32-meter-diameter parabolic dish. Of course, moonwatchers won't have to rise in early morning hours on October 8. After sunset the Moon will be high and bright in evening skies, at its first quarter phase for International Observe the Moon Night. Tomorrow's picture: hurricane power

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Exotic property confirmed in natural material could lead to fundamental studies

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Researchers have confirmed the existence of a naturally occurring exotic property in which a material becomes thicker when stretched -- the opposite of most materials -- a discovery that could lead to new studies into the fundamental science of nano-materials behavior, say researchers.
via Science Daily

Using oxygen as a tracer of galactic evolution

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A new study casts light on how young, hot stars ionize oxygen in the early universe and the effects on the evolution of galaxies through time. The study presents the first measurements of the changing strengths of oxygen emission lines from the present day and back to 12.5 billion years ago. The main conclusions are that the strength of doubly ionized oxygen increases going back in time, while the strength of singly ionized oxygen increases up to 11 billion years ago and then decreases for the remaining one to two billion years.
via Science Daily
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Researchers discover effect of rare solar wind on earth's radiation belts

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Unique measurements of the Van Allen radiation belts, which circle the Earth, have been captured during an extremely rare solar wind event. The findings, which have never been reported before, may be helpful in protecting orbiting telecommunication and navigational satellites, and possibly future astronauts, by helping to more accurately predict space conditions near Earth, as well as around more remote planets.
via Science Daily
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