Tell Your Universe

In a busy week in the Vocaloid world, we have already seen IA's second 'birthday' a couple of days ago, and now we have Luka's fifth such anniversary today (actually in preparation for the day itself, tomorrow), and also today confirmation that Miku's Wake Up, Rosetta video-and-song message will be among those to be sent out into space.

Miku only just scraped through, though, in tenth place – and that was only because another of the original ten winners was disqualified. Her voice will be telling Rosetta to wake up, and the listening universe will also be able to hear and see her.

Regarding that contest, it was supposed to have a ninety-second time limit. That was in the rules. Several of the winning entires are significantly longer in duration than the limit, one almost doubt and another over double. What is the point in having rules and then letting some participants ignore them, especially when others have stuck to the rules.

Okay, an odd second or two doesn't matter (there are technical oddities with videos than can  make the 'count' not quite match the video's actual length, overstating the length, as I have seen a number of times) but noy the ones we have in the winners' list.

As far as voting is concerned, it is notable that four of the winners, including three or the four highest voted for, are by schoools, which must have helped (all those parents, teachers and governors for a start). Nothing wrong with that, of course: it's just worth noting in passing, just in case anyone wondered why this was.

Anyway, here's a short video featuring IA, Luka and Miku together, which seems fitting...

Wake Up, Rosetta!

The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta comet-chasing probe has been asleep for three years, conserving its resources until it approached its destination. It is intended not only to follow the comet it is chasing, but also to land upon it.

There has been a contest for people to submit a 'wake up' message to accompany the signal that was due to wake up Rosetta earlier today. The winner would be decided by voting. This one featuring Miku English was one entry out of what seem to have been hundreds of entries, and it just seems so appropriate!.

In fact, I have only just discovered all of this in the past few minutes, so it's too late to vote for it anyway (UPDATE: The closing date for the voting has been extended until 28 January). We can simply enjoy the entry, and imagine what it would have been like to send this message out into space...

Asteroid Passing By

It's tiny, it's coming fairly close but at a safe distance, and even if it were to were to come at us rather than nearly 230,000 kilometres away, this approximately one to three metre long rock, named RZ53, would probably burn up in the atmosphere. Very little if anything would reach the ground – but it isn't heading for us anyway. More detail is available here.

This animation shows its trajectory, passing by at 2220 hours GMT (forty minutes before midnight current British time) tomorrow night (Wednesday). The asteroid is so small that it was first spotted just a few days ago!

LADEE Launch

Here's a short video of what is at first a television view of the LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) countdown and then an outside shot of the actual spacecraft as it climbs out of our atmosphere and heads toward the moon.

Since this was shot, there has been official confirmation of the spacecraft's separation from the launch rocket, and all appears to be proceeding as planned.

It is significant that we are still permitted to visit the moon, presumably as long as we don't attempt to land there. I understand this will be just an orbital measurement exercise, so there will be no infringement of the 'no landings' directive from the moons owners/occupants...

The Day The Earth Smiled

Starting at 22.27 hrs tonight (as I write this) and lasting nearly three quarters of an hour, the Cassini spacecraft will take both wide- and narrow-angle images of Saturn and (in the wide-angle views) its entire ring system (after whose between-rings division the craft was named) during an eclipse of the Sun.

Our own home planet will also be in shot, near the rings, though at too great a distance to show even in the narrow-angle views, I suspect. Further details are here.

Today is being called the day the Earth smiled, as in 'smiling for the camera' presumably, and no doubt the images will arrive here on Earth, then be processed and (hopefully) made publicly available in due course. I shall try to watch for that...

Ground Control to Major Tom

Actually, it's Commander Chris...

Sooner or later, someone was bound to perform David Bowie's Space Oddity from space itself, and this is the International Space Station's most public face, Chris Hadfield, actually doing a very good job of it.

He posted the finished video himself just yesterday, so I might even be one of the first to embed it on a 'blog. Who knows...

DA14 is on the way out!

The asteroid DA14 (sounds like a Dartford postcode area!) has just passed its closest approach to planet Earth and is now heading outward again. A lot of data collected both officially and by amateurs and hobbyists is to be collated and published in due course.

It could have called out "Hello Planet" as it passed, but didn't.

Fortunately, we are well prepared here on Planet Earth, and Miku can deal with that (written as G'morning in this translation, which is the best translation I have found for this song on a video, despite this slight anomaly). I know I have showcased this song only recently, but it bears repetition, even if just for the different costume, which is new to me...

Endeavour's Final Mission

Encapsulated in less than three minutes: the journey, by road, to Los Angeles' Science Center (sic)...

Solar Activity

A warning of "space weather" likely to affect our planet to some degree over the next couple of days (Thursday and Friday). It's nothing particularly serious, but useful to know about in advance...