| No Great Eureka LHC Moment | | | There has been no great Eureka moment in the hunt for the elusive Higgs Boson at the LHC. Instead they appear to be creeping up on it by elimination. So far they have eliminated large areas of the possible mass range for the Higgs. This is progress, even if it sounds rather negative. | |
However, there are two areas of the mass range that they have not been able to eliminate. There are tantalizing possibilities of signals. Just possibilities, that is all. This has happened before but this time one of the areas happens to coincide with an area that the American Tevatron team have not been able to eliminate. Both teams are looking at possible signals around the 130-150 GeV range. This is around the mass range that many theorists believe is where we should find the Higgs Boson. | |
Intriguingly, the LHC has an even stronger possibility at a higher mass of about 250 GeV. | |
There is a way to go yet, but at the rate the LHC is collecting data it should be possible to either confirm or eliminate the existence of the Higgs Boson within the next year. So maybe the 50 year hunt is almost over. What then? - Prometheus |
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| Comet Conjunction | | | Comet Elenin may not be that bright but, based on NASA's orbital projections, we are in for a cometary conjunction. | |
In the early hours of 7 and 8 October 2011, comet Elenin will be close to comet Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova (H-M-P) in the constellation of Leo. At that time Elenin is projected to be about magnitude 6.4 and H-M-P about magnitude 7.3, so this is not going to be a mind-blowingly bright event. Also predictions of comet brightness tend to be optimistic. However it could be a good binocular event worthy of a wide field photograph or two. | |
At this time Elenin is heading west in our skies and H-M-P is heading east - so like two cosmic ships passing at a few million miles. | |
More details to follow, once the new e-Spheres Comet module is released. - Prometheus |
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| Comet Impact Not | | | Comet Elenin is coming. It will pass 0.23 AU from the Earth in October 2011. This is no Hale Bopp type event, Elenin is expected to peak at about magnitude 6. It looks like being the best comet event of 2011 though. | |
Already there is loads of hype. People are spreading rumours that it is going to hit the Earth, that the Russians are planning an intercept mission, and that the USA are secretly preparing for a major catastrophe. | |
These rumours...... |
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| Kepler Lift-Off | | | The European space freighter, Kepler, flies at last. It is due to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) where supplies will be unloaded and Kepler will use its engines and fuel to boost the ISS into a higher orbit. Without this boost the ISS gradually loses height and is in danger of crashing to Earth. | |
So now Europe and Russia have vehicles capable of sending supplies to the ISS. But once the space shuttle is finally retired, only...... |
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| Watch out for Sunspot 1112 | | | Sunspot 1112 has been lurking on the far side of the sun for the last 12 days. Scientists can't see it but they can detect it fizzing away, disturbing the solar atmosphere. One recent outbreak was so large the plume could be seen over the edge of the sun's disc. As the sun rotates, sunspot 1112 will come into view again very soon. If you have a solar scope then it is time to dust it down and watch the sun once more. | |
Also watch out for auroras....... |
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| LAS Chairman’s Web Report February 2011 | |
February is a cold miserable month, and this month with one or two highlights has proved true to form. I have spent a week in New York working and 2 weeks on Jury service, neither of them much fun. However, I did go to Astrofest like many of you and I also took delivery of a new (to me) telescope, my first for 3 years. My Jury service gave me the opportunity to read 3 space related books as well. | |
For those of you who have never been to Astrofest, you should put it on your list of to do’s for next year. There are always good speakers, a sprinkling of celebrities and lots of friends from the Astronomy community that you bump into. The show is spread...... |
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News from the Frontier
| What no Higgs? | |
So no great Higgs discovery announced at either the LHC or the Tevatron. Yes there are leaked reports of interesting anomalies in the data, but these have happened before, only to disappear when more data is collected. Some physicists are starting to suggest that the Higgs Boson does not exist. | |
Could this be a catastrophe for physics? No, if the LHC were to prove that the 50 year old theory is wrong, then it would simply kick start more physics. Theoretical science is what happens when we don't believe we know the answer. If the Standard Model is broken, then we would soon have a pile of new models vying for that coveted title. | |
Remember also, Higgs is the particle physics theory of mass. Cosmologists are currently struggling with their standard theory of gravity and mass. The sticking plaster involves a ghostly combination of Dark Matter and Dark Energy which no one can detect directly. This is looking like a theory that is past its use-by date. | |
Maybe physics needs a new hero, someone with a fresh look at mass and gravity, maybe one that fits both a particle physics model AND a classical model. | |
Watch this space! |
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