Alpha-Centauri-size.png' alt='Alpha Centauri 2014' title='Alpha Centauri 2014' />Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri is a video game in the 4X genre which is considered a spiritual sequel to the Civilization series. Set in a science fiction depiction of. Alpha Centauri Centauri, abbreviated Alpha Cen, Cen is the closest star system to the Solar System, being 4. Sun. Omega Centauri NGC 5. Omega Centauri is a globular cluster located in the direction of Centaurus constellation. Hosting about 1. 0 million stars within a region about 1. Omega Centauri is the brightest, largest, and most massive globular star cluster in our galaxy, the Milky Way. The cluster lies at a distance of 1. Earth. It has the designation NGC 5. New General Catalogue. Alpha Centauri alfa ntai Centauri, abgekrzt Cen, aber auch Rigil Kentaurus, Rigilkent, Toliman oder Bungula genannt ist im Sternbild des. Omega Centauri is quite distinctive from the other 2. Milky Way, which has led scientists to theorize that it may have an alternate origin as the core remnant of a dwarf galaxy that was disrupted and destroyed in an encounter with the much larger Milky Way. Globular clusters orbit our galaxy outside the galactic disk. They contain tens of thousands to millions of member stars that are bound together by gravity, and remain intact for billions of years. Stars in other clusters generally have a similar age and chemical composition. Members of the Omega Centauri cluster show a wide age range, from 1. It is the presence of different stellar populations that has led to speculation that Omega Centauri is not really a globular cluster, but a dwarf galaxy stripped of its outer stars, or what is left of a nucleus of a dwarf galaxy, one torn to shreds by the gravity of the Milky Way Galaxy. The second released VST image may be the best portrait of the globular star cluster Omega Centauri ever made. Omega Centauri, in the constellation of Centaurus The Centaur, is the largest globular cluster in the sky, but the very wide field of view of VST and its powerful camera Omega. CAM can encompass even the faint outer regions of this spectacular object. This view includes about 3. The data were processed using the VST Tube system developed by A. Grado and collaborators at the INAF Capodimonte Observatory. Image ESOINAF VSTOmega. CAMNGC 5. 13. 9 is home to several million Population II stars. The estimated age of the cluster is about 1. The stars in the cluster are believed to have formed over a period of 2 billion years, with several peaks in starburst activity. The central region of Omega Centauri is so packed that the stars are estimated to be only 0. In 2. 00. 8, a study showed evidence of an intermediate mass black hole at the core of Omega Centauri, based on observations made by the Gemini Observatory in Chile and the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble images revealed that there was a greater concentration of stars near the centre of the cluster and instruments at the Gemini Observatory showed that stars closer to the centre of Omega Centauri were moving at greater speeds than stars father away. This led the researchers to conclude that there was unseen matter at the centre of the object that was interacting gravitationally with the nearby stars, most likely a dense, massive object like a black hole. They calculated the mass of the black hole at 4. The findings of the study were published in a paper titled Gemini and Hubble Space Telescope Evidence for an Intermediate Mass Black Hole in Omega Centauri by Eva Noyola Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany University of Texas, USA, Karl Gebhardt University of Texas and Marcel Bergmann Gemini Observatory, published in the April 1. Astrophysical Journal. The multi colour snapshot top, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 aboard the NASAESA Hubble Space Telescope, captures the central region of the giant globular cluster Omega Centauri. All the stars in the image are moving in random directions, like a swarm of bees. Astronomers used Hubbles exquisite resolving power to measure positions for stars in 2. From these measurements, they can predict the stars future movement. The lower illustration charts the future positions of the stars highlighted by the white box in the top image. Each streak represents the motion of the stars over the next 6. The motion between the dots corresponds to 3. Image NASA, ESA, J. Anderson and R. van der Marel STSc. IMore recent research has disputed these findings, but has not entirely ruled out the presence of a black hole. However, the maximum mass of the black hole was limited to 1. Omega Centauri is visible to the unaided eye, but best seen through a telescope. When observed from a dark area, it appears almost the size of the full Moon. The cluster can only be seen at certain times of the year from the northern hemisphere. The best time to observe it is in the evenings from late April to early June. The object is visible from January to April as well, but observers need to stay up late or get up before sunrise to see it. For observers south of the equator, the best time to see Omega Centauri is from March through October. Omega Centauri can only be seen from locations south of 4. N. It lies about 1. Gacrux Gamma Crucis, the star located at the top of the Southern Cross. Omega Centauri can be located in the sky using Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo and one of the brightest stars in the sky. Omega Centauri and Spica transit together, i. Spica. 1. 0 degrees is roughly equal to the size of a fist held at an arm length. Spica can be found by following the arc of the Big Dippers handle. The imaginary line leads first to Arcturus and then to Spica. The Omega Centauri cluster has a mass of about 5 million Suns, which makes it about 1. Of all the known globular clusters in the Local Group of galaxies, the only one that is brighter and more massive than Omega Centauri is Mayall II, located in the Andromeda Galaxy Messier 3. Omega Centauri also rotates a lot faster than a typical globular cluster, and has a flattened shape. FACTSOmega Centauri was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1. Halley observed the cluster from the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. He was the first to list it as a non stellar object. The cluster was included on Halleys list of six luminous spots or patches in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, published in 1. Central region of Omega Centauri. Image NASA Hubble. Omega Centauri was catalogued as a single star by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Almagest. Ptolemy described the object as a star on the horses back, Quae est in principio scapulae. The German cartographer Johann Bayer used Ptolemys data when he included the object in his Uranometria, published in 1. Bayer was the one who designated it Omega Centauri. In his time, stars were labelled in the order of brightness and, as the cluster appeared as a dim star, it got the Bayer designation Omega. Omega Centauri was not recognized as a globular cluster until 1. Scottish astronomer James Dunlop described it as a beautiful globe of stars very gradually and moderately compressed to the centre. John Herschel eventually turned a large telescope in the direction of the object and identified it as a globular cluster in the 1. Omega Centauri NGC 5. Jose Mtanous. Swiss astronomer Jean Philippe de Cheseaux included the object on his list of 2. French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille included it in his catalogue in 1. L I. 5. Kapteyns Star, one of the nearest stars to Earth, is believed to have originated from Omega Centauri. Kapteyns Star is a red dwarf only 1. Pictor constellation. Omega Centauri is notably mentioned in Ian Douglas novel Singularity 2. Omega Centauri and Kapteyns Star originate from a dwarf galaxy, and their origin is part of the novels main plot. Omega Centauri NGC 5. Constellation Centaurus. Coordinates 1. 3h 2. Class VIIIDistance 1. Apparent magnitude 3. Apparent dimensions 3. Radius 8. 6 light years. Breakthrough Initiatives1. A possible fly by mission could reach Alpha Centauri within about 2. Mark Zuckerberg is joining the board. New York Tuesday, April 1. Internet investor and science philanthropist Yuri Milner was joined at One World Observatory today by renowned cosmologist Stephen Hawking to announce a new Breakthrough Initiative focusing on space exploration and the search for life in the Universe. Breakthrough Starshot is a 1. These could fly at 2. Alpha Centauri, just over 2. The program will be led by Pete Worden, the former director of NASA AMES Research Center, and advised by a committee of world class scientists and engineers. The board will consist of Stephen Hawking, Yuri Milner, and Mark Zuckerberg. Ann Druyan, Freeman Dyson, Mae Jemison, Avi Loeb and Pete Worden also participated in the announcement. Today, on the 5. 5th anniversary of Yuri Gagarins pioneering space flight, and nearly half a century after the original moonshot, Breakthrough Starshot is launching preparations for the next great leap to the stars. The Alpha Centauri star system is 2. With todays fastest spacecraft, it would take about 3. Breakthrough Starshot aims to establish whether a gram scale nanocraft, on a sail pushed by a light beam, can fly over a thousand times faster. It brings the Silicon Valley approach to space travel, capitalizing on exponential advances in certain areas of technology since the beginning of the 2. Nanocrafts. Nanocrafts are gram scale robotic spacecrafts comprising two main parts Star. Chip Moores law has allowed a dramatic decrease in the size of microelectronic components. This creates the possibility of a gram scale wafer, carrying cameras, photon thrusters, power supply, navigation and communication equipment, and constituting a fully functional space probe. Lightsail Advances in nanotechnology are producing increasingly thin and light weight metamaterials, promising to enable the fabrication of meter scale sails no more than a few hundred atoms thick and at gram scale mass. Light Beamer. The rising power and falling cost of lasers, consistent with Moores law, lead to significant advances in light beaming technology. Meanwhile, phased arrays of lasers the light beamer could potentially be scaled up to the 1. Breakthrough Starshot aims to bring economies of scale to the astronomical scale. The Star. Chip can be mass produced at the cost of an i. Phone and be sent on missions in large numbers to provide redundancy and coverage. The light beamer is modular and scalable. Once it is assembled and the technology matures, the cost of each launch is expected to fall to a few hundred thousand dollars. Hai Pc Access 3 0 Speed more. Path to the stars. The research and engineering phase is expected to last a number of years. Following that, development of the ultimate mission to Alpha Centauri would require a budget comparable to the largest current scientific experiments, and would involve Building a ground based kilometer scale light beamer at high altitude in dry conditions. Generating and storing a few gigawatt hours of energy per launch. Launching a mothership carrying thousands of nanocrafts to a high altitude orbit. Taking advantage of adaptive optics technology in real time to compensate for atmospheric effects. Focusing the light beam on the lightsail to accelerate individual nanocrafts to the target speed within minutes. Accounting for interstellar dust collisions en route to the target. Capturing images of a planet, and other scientific data, and transmitting them back to Earth using a compact on board laser communications system. Using the same light beamer that launched the nanocrafts to receive data from them over 4 years later. These and other system requirements represent significant engineering challenges, and they can be reviewed in more detail online at www. However, the key elements of the proposed system design are based on technology either already available or likely to be attainable in the near future under reasonable assumptions. The proposed light propulsion system is on a scale significantly exceeding any currently operational analog. The very nature of the project calls for global co operation and support. Clearance for launches would be required from all the appropriate government and international organizations. Additional opportunities. As the technology required for interstellar travel matures, a number of additional opportunities will emerge, including the following Contribution to solar system exploration. Using the light beamer as a kilometer scale telescope for astronomical observations. Detection of Earth crossing asteroids at large distances. Potential Planets in the Alpha Centauri system. Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth like planet existing in the habitable zones of Alpha Centauris three star system. A number of scientific instruments, ground based and space based, are being developed and enhanced, which will soon identify and characterize planets around nearby stars. A separate Breakthrough Initiative will support some of these projects. Open and collaborative environment. The Breakthrough Starshot initiative is based entirely on research that is in the public domain. The list of scientific references and publications, as well as the online forum, can be found at www. Research support. The Breakthrough Starshot initiative will establish a research grant program, and will make available other funding to support relevant scientific and engineering research and development. The human story is one of great leaps, said Yuri Milner, founder of the Breakthrough Initiatives. Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Today, we are preparing for the next great leap to the stars. Earth is a wonderful place, but it might not last forever, commented Stephen Hawking, Sooner or later, we must look to the stars. Breakthrough Starshot is a very exciting first step on that journey. We take inspiration from Vostok, Voyager, Apollo and the other great missions, said Pete Worden, Its time to open the era of interstellar flight, but we need to keep our feet on the ground to achieve this. Breakthrough Starshot Board. Stephen Hawking, Professor, Dennis Stanton Avery and Sally Tsui Wong Avery Director of Research at the University of Cambridge. Yuri Milner, Founder of DST Global. Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, Facebook. Breakthrough Starshot Management and Advisory Committee. Pete Worden, Executive Director, Breakthrough Starshot former Director of NASA Ames Research Center. Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASAs Ames Research Center. He was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. He is a recognized expert on space and science issues and has been a leader in building partnerships between governments and the private sector internationally. Psp Games Firmware 5.51. Dr. Worden has authored or co authored more than 1. He served as a scientific co investigator for three NASA space science missions most recently the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph launched in 2. Sun. He received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for the 1. Clementine Mission to the moon. Dr. Worden was named the 2. Federal Laboratory Consortium Laboratory Director of the Year and is the recipient of the 2. Arthur C. Clarke Innovators Award. Avi Loeb, Chairman, Breakthrough Starshot Advisory Committee Harvard University. Avi Loeb is a theoretical physicist who has written over 5.