Donald Savage

Headquarters, Washington, DC January 5, 1998

(Phone: 202/358-1547)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N98-1

NASA SPACE SCIENCE DISCOVERIES FEATURED AT AMERICAN

ASTRONOMICAL
SOCIETY WINTER MEETING

Several new findings from a number of NASA's space science

missions and researchers will be presented in special sessions and
press conferences at the upcoming Winter Meeting of the American
Astronomical Society in Washington, DC, Jan. 6-10, at the
Washington Hilton & Towers, 1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Following
are highlights of the NASA results to be announced at the meeting
(embargoed until day and time noted). More information can be
obtained at the FTPs and URLs listed.

On Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m. EST, NASA Administrator

Daniel S. Goldin will deliver a speech reporting on space science
progress and will issue a challenge to astronomers concerning the
origins of life in the Universe. The Administrator will trace
recent findings bearing on the origins of life in the Universe and
stress the need for additional emphasis on the biological sciences.
In addition, Dr. Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., NASA's Associate
Administrator for Space Science, will be available for questions
from reporters at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. For specific press
conference location, time and other winter meeting information,
contact the AAS Press Room at 202/797-4534, starting
Tuesday, Jan. 6.

* "OLD FAITHFUL" BLACK HOLE ERUPTS EVERY HALF HOUR:

Scientists have observed a black hole in our galaxy which hurls hot
gas outward in opposite directions in jets moving at nearly the
speed of light. The black hole pulls in fresh material from the
surface of a nearby star, and then undergoes another disruption,
repeating the sequence at half-hour intervals. (press briefing 9:30
a.m. EST Jan. 7)
FTP://PAO.GSFC.NASA.GOV/newsmedia/JAN_AAS/BH

* ONE OF GALAXY'S LARGEST STARS MAY BE TWINS: X-rays studied

by astronomers using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer spacecraft
lend strong support to a controversial new idea that one of the
Galaxy's largest stars may be a double star system. (Jan. 7)
FTP://PAO.GSFC.NASA.GOV/newsmedia/JAN_AAS/TWINS

* HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IMAGES OF JUPITER AND SATURN

SHOW
SPECTACULAR AURORAE: Ultraviolet light images from Hubble's new
Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) show northern and
southern auroras of Jupiter and Saturn, at more than ten times the
sensitivity and twice-to-five-times higher resolution than earlier
cameras. The resolution in these images is sufficient to show the
"curtain" of auroral light extending several hundred miles above
the planets' limbs. (paper to be released Jan. 7)
Jupiter Aurorae (STIS) PRC98-04
http://oposite.stsci.edu/1998/04
Saturn Aurorae (STIS) PRC98-05
http://oposite.stsci.edu/1998/05

* TWO TEAMS PRESENT FINDINGS ON POSSIBLE PLANETARY

FORMATION:
New images of the visibly warped disk of matter around the star
Beta Pictoris support the theory that nascent planets may be
forming inside and perturbing the disk through their gravitational
influence says one team, but another team says a passing star or
companion brown dwarf may be the culprit. (press briefing 9:30
a.m. EST Jan. 8)
FTP://PAO.GSFC.NASA.GOV/newsmedia/JAN_AAS/DISK
http://oposite.stsci.edu/1998/03

* TWO TEAMS PROVIDE NEW DATA ON POSSIBLE FATE OF

UNIVERSE:
Two teams of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope present
measurements of high-redshift supernovae, indicating the Universe
does not have enough matter to stop its expansion, and so may go on
forever, never collapsing. (paper to be released Jan. 8)
http://oposite.stsci.edu/1998/02

* COBE DATA REVEALS "FOSSIL" INFRARED BACKGROUND GLOW TO

UNIVERSE: Astronomers announce the first definitive detection of a
background infrared glow across the sky produced by dust warmed by
all the stars that have existed since the beginning of time. The
discovery of this "fossil" infrared radiation puts a limit on the
total amount of energy released by all the stars in the Universe
since the Big Bang. (press briefing 8:15 a.m. EST Jan. 9)
http://oposite.stsci.edu/1998/01
 * PREVIEW OF THE FEBRUARY TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: NASA
solar and eclipse experts discuss where and when to see it, science
experiments including the role of Galileo near Jupiter, advice on
safe viewing & photography. (press briefing 9:30 a.m. EST Jan. 10)
Information, animation and images from NASA available at the AAS
and via NASA TV Videofile Jan. 12.

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