| "All the news that's fit to link" |
|
Last updated December 18th 1995 |
In the November edition of "What's New" we ran an article on the confirmation of the existence of a planet outside of our solar system. The article made references to two independent teams of astronomers. We are happy to report the Exploratorium's Ron Hipschman interviewed a member of one of those teams. Geoffrey Marcy is an astronomer at San Francisco State University and was one of the scientists responsible for confirming the existence of a planet orbiting the star "Pegasus 51."
RELATED SITES Dr. Odenwald's ASK THE ASTRONOMER page Philadelphia Inquirer/Franklin Institute: "Another planet is found that circles its own sun." San Francisco Chronicle: "Discovery of Planet Confirmed. UC team finds it circling distant star"
On Christmas Day 1642
the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei died. That same day in Woolsthorpe, England Isaac Newton was born. |
The Exploratorium's Paul Doherty is interviewed by KRON, San Francisco's NBC, affiliate during the Exploratorium's Galileo Jupiter event. D ecember 7th's Galileo Jupiter Probe deployment was successful as the atmospheric probe signaled the Galileo orbiter on its decent into the atmosphere of Jupiter. More good news followed as the Galileo orbiter spacecraft successfully "braked" into orbit around Jupiter after a 49-minute rocket firing, begining its two-year mission orbiting Jupiter. Part of the spacecraft's mission is to transmit the data from the probe back to earth. The Galileo spacecraft received data for 57 minutes as the atmospheric probe plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere. The first scientific results from the probe data are to be presented in a press briefing scheduled for 10 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA. The Exploratorium followed the action on December 7th with a lecture and question-and-answer session hosted by staff scientist Paul Doherty. A satellite TV link to NASA-TV as well as a live internet video conference to San Jose's Tech Museum were also part of the program. Astronomy students from Galileo High School in San Francisco, visitors, and Exploratorium members participated in the event. Local members of the press also stopped by. The event was covered by local NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates and by the San Francisco Chronicle.
RELATED SITES: Project Galileo: Bringing Jupiter to Earth NASA Ames Research Center: Galileo Probe S.F. Chronicle: PAGE ONE -- Galileo's Jupiter Probe A Success |
|
|
|
| The Learning Studio | The Exploratorium |
