The sad tale of Benjamin, last of the Tasmanian Tigers
Back in 2007, I wrote about the plight of Benjamin, the last of the Tasmanian tigers whose death, in 1936, marked the end of a unique and beautiful species. From the arrival of the first farmers on the previously uninhabited island of Tasmania, it took less than 140 years for the Tasmanian tiger to be driven into extintion. This is story of the last of his (or maybe, her) kind.
Nasa's Saturn-explorer Cassini, has returned some of the most beatiful images of our solar system and – more often than not – the star of the show is the small Saturnian moon, Enceladus.
Conditions at the edge of our solar system may be much more dynamic than previously thought, new observations suggest. Future exploration missions are expected to benefit in design and mission objectives from a better understanding of the changing conditions in this boundary region.
Few could argue that Hubble is the ‘daddy’ of all space telescopes. In its twenty years of operation, it has pushed back the boundaries of astronomy and physics, sent back images that have captured the imagination of an entire planet and provided PC screen savers to a generation. But all good things come to an end and, although more powerful than ever, Hubble’s days are numbered and its successor is waiting in the wings.
