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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Conferences and Broadcasts _ DPS 2010

Posted by: ngunn Sep 9 2010, 08:59 PM

Not sure when these appeared, but I've only just found them. Here's a first try at the link:
http://www.abstractsonline.com/plan/Browse.aspx

That worked when I first tried it but now it doesn't. Here's another: http://dps.aas.org/meetings/2010/

From that one you need to go "science program" then "browse" to get to the sessions and abstracts.

Posted by: Lunik9 Oct 8 2010, 10:49 AM

Public outreach included demos inside the NASA Exhibit Area:
Along with Kevin Hussey & Doug Ellison, who will be demonstrating the interactive program "Eyes on the Solar System", scientists will be available to answer questions about planets, moons, comets, astrobiology, space exploration and much more.

Any videos of this event and/or the lectures?

Posted by: djellison Oct 8 2010, 01:42 PM

Not that I know of... You'll be able to try it for yourself by the end of the month though

Posted by: maschnitz Oct 8 2010, 04:58 PM

I had a question about the 20000 Varuna results presented, for those with access to the paper or who were there.

Do the results conclusively nail down the ellipsoidal shape?

(Also, if it doesn't, what will? Or is that a "done deal" already?)

It struck me the other day: Haumea is always presented visually as ellipsoidal, but you almost never see Varuna presented so. I'm guessing that's due to a difference in evidence?

Posted by: elakdawalla Oct 8 2010, 05:03 PM

I missed that talk. Why don't you try sending a brief email to the author asking them what they presented? They may actually reply. If they do, tell us what they said

Posted by: Byran Oct 8 2010, 05:33 PM

And somebody was listening to the close report on Oct 08, 2010, 11:30 AM - 11:40 AM?
http://dps.aas.org/meetings/2010/sciprog.shtml
What was said there, even if the abstract is not available?

Posted by: alan Oct 8 2010, 07:16 PM

Via twitter:

intentionally embargoed title revealed: ground-based transmission spectrum of super-earth #dps2010

@broccamoli @elakdawalla bait-and-switch! Bean still won't talk about it, citing review. Printed sheet outside the room LIES!

http://twitter.com/david_choi

Posted by: Byran Oct 8 2010, 07:23 PM

Thank you!

Posted by: remcook Oct 9 2010, 09:53 AM

From searching the ESO database (here ya go http://archive.eso.org/wdb/wdb/eso/sched_rep_arc/query?progid=284.C-5042(A) ), you could deduce that it was going to be transmission 'spectrum' of GJ 1214b. Just what conclusions they deduce from them is embargoed I guess. They could just have stated in the abstract that they have performed observations of GJ 1214b and they will discuss them, like everyone else does in this situation.
edit- besides, Nature and Science allow you to present your work at conferences, as long as the journalists keep quiet.

Posted by: Byran Oct 9 2010, 10:31 AM

Yes, I saw it. (Such an application there for 85 ddt).

And they did not say when the embargo is lifted?

In addition, among the entries is a quote:
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23dps2010

QUOTE

Lissauer (and previous speakers): Third planet, Kepler 9d, confirmed in system with transit timing variations. Asterisk removed

Was named the found mass of the third planet? (Unless of course it does not violate the embargo)

Posted by: alan Oct 10 2010, 02:50 AM

QUOTE (maschnitz @ Oct 8 2010, 11:58 AM)

I had a question about the 20000 Varuna results presented, for those with access to the paper or who were there.

Found this on twitter:

QUOTE

"Sicardy: Varuna occultation. Diameter 660-1130 km."

I thought those might actually be the major and minor axis as the abstract included this:

QUOTE

The Sao Luis occultation has a duration of 52.5 +/- 0.5 sec, corresponding to a chord length of 1003 +/- 9 km projected in the plane of the sky. No atmospheric signature is apparent in the light curve. Since the closest observation to Sao Luis is negative at a transversal distance of 225 km (Quixada, CCD), a significantly elongated shape is required for Varuna.

I sent Bruno Sicardy an email to determine which was the case and got this in reply:

QUOTE

thanks for your interest in this matter. The limits 660-1130 km are for Varuna's major axis. The ratio minor/major axis should be around 0.5. Now, we have to work more on our observations, as there are other, independent measurements that might help reducing the range of error. We are trying to write a paper asap on that.

Posted by: maschnitz Oct 10 2010, 04:02 AM

QUOTE (Sicardy @ Oct 9 2010, 06:50 PM)

Ah, thanks for overriding my bashfulness and doing that!

Very interesting, that 0.5 minor-to-major axis ratio. I'm looking forward to Sicardy et al's next paper.

Posted by: Byran Oct 11 2010, 06:55 AM

QUOTE (maschnitz @ Oct 8 2010, 11:28 PM)

It struck me the other day: Haumea is always presented visually as ellipsoidal, but you almost never see Varuna presented so. I'm guessing that's due to a difference in evidence?

http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0612237v1

QUOTE

We find that the lightcurves of KBOs (20000) Varuna and 2003 EL61 are well matched by
Jacobi triaxial ellipsoid models with bulk densities 992+86−15 kgm−3 and 2551+115−10 kgm−3, respectively.

The picture is from an article of 2006 year!

Posted by: maschnitz Oct 11 2010, 04:50 PM

Yeah, I was working off that paper.

But everywhere you look, Varuna is presented as spherical. I guess the core question is: is there something wrong with that paper, is that not enough evidence to really say, or is it just that Varuna has a PR problem? I'm in no position to know.

Posted by: alan Oct 11 2010, 06:51 PM

Depends on where the 'everywhere you look' is. Often science articles are often rewritten press releases or just a copy-paste of the press release with an artists conception added. How do they get these illustrations? Often they just type a name into google images which can produce amusing results such as an image of Ganymede tinted blue used as Pluto.