Archiving the Past for the Future
- By Koji Mukai
- March 9, 2012
- 1 Comment
There is a group here at Goddard is called the HEASARC – High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center. This is where we keep data from old and new satellites. Even though every new satellite is an improvement over the last in one way or another, it is important to … Continue Reading →
Paying Tribute to the Scientists of the 16th & 17th Centuries
- By Koji Mukai
- August 15, 2011
- 1 Comment
We all know that Nicolaus Copernicus revolutionized our view of the universe. Who would you pick as the top scientists who further developed astronomy during the 16th and 17th centuries? I would pick Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Edmond Halley as my top five. I got … Continue Reading →
Astronomical Eye Candy
- By Koji Mukai
- March 25, 2011
- 3 Comments
The HEASARC Picture of the Week for the week for Mar 21 is titled “The Ring.” Maggie posted the same image on Blueshift on Valentine’s Day, with a caption based on a Chandra press release. It sure is a pretty picture, combining Hubble and Chandra data, with a romantic connotation. … Continue Reading →
Even Spherical Cows Have Udders
- By Koji Mukai
- February 11, 2011
- 1 Comment
In astrophysics, we often use the term “standard candle.” It is a highly useful, yet also very dangerous, term. The danger is that outsiders – the press, the general public, and even some scientists who are not intimately familiar with this particular subject – see this term and take it … Continue Reading →
The Mystery of Hanny’s Voorwerp
- By Koji Mukai
- December 10, 2010
- 1 Comment
Astronomical headlines are often written about an object that was observed recently. It could be about the brightest stellar flare ever seen, the most recently formed black hole, or a newly discovered eclipsing pulsar that allows a strict test of general relativity. But a few headlines are about the “dog … Continue Reading →
Clear Skies in La Palma
- By Koji Mukai
- August 25, 2010
- Comments Off on Clear Skies in La Palma
I’m a new blogger for Blueshift – I work for the Japanese-US Suzaku X-ray astronomy project here at Goddard, and have done education and outreach related works over the years. I used to do ground-based optical observations, so I decided to write about my visits to the international observatory on … Continue Reading →
