8 light-minutes

All the info in the usual place (in Portuguese).

Finally! Although it’s not a reason for extasy, Phoenix has confirmed the existence of water in Mars. Yep, water, in the form of ice, but it is water. And this time around this is not a statetment based on data collected by the instruments aboard the fleet of probes orbiting Mars…. This time is a direct confirmation. Phoenix has taken a piece of ice, analyzed it and confirmed it was water.

By the way, the Cassini which is around Saturn, has confirmed the existence of at least one hidrocarbonates lake int the surface of Titan.

This is also being talked about at astroPT (only in Portuguese).

They’re around, but we insist in not wanting to see them. Until some day it will be too late and we’re going to get with one in our heads. The Gauls where very right in being afraid that the sky fell on them, at least they were always paying attention.

I’m obviously talking about asteroids and the dorment danger , but very real they are for us…

Many times I’v manifested my opinion about this matter and I think that there should be more funding to the search of NEOs. What is done now is not much. There are true assassins up there of which the orbits are not sufficiently known. Others we do not even know that they are there…

The problem is always the same… Not enough funding. Thos who have the money and resources to make more serious and intensive studies of this problema, normally have other economical priorities (such as wars and little wars) or hundreds of cientifical programmes, all needing funding as chickens need corn…