Astronomy News and Research Archives Page 22

Dark Matter Of The Universe Has A Long Lifetime (10/15/2007)

New research from the Niels Bohr Institute presents new information that adds another piece of knowledge to the jigsaw puzzle of the dark mystery of the universe -- dark matter. ...> Full Article

Astronomers get their hands dirty as they lift the veil on galactic dust (10/13/2007)

There is more to a grain of dust than meets the eye, at least for astronomers as they attempt to probe deeper into distant galaxies. Until now dust has been a nuisance because it has obscured galaxies, and the stars within them, by absorbing the radiation they emit. But more recently dust has started to present opportunities because it emits radiation itself as a consequence of being heated up by nearby stars. Aided by new observing instruments and sophisticated computer software, this radiation enables astronomers to reconstruct what lies behind the dust. Furthermore the dust itself plays a vital role in star formation within galaxies. ...> Full Article

Testing Einstein: Is Dark Energy Constant? (10/12/2007)

Nearly a decade ago, astronomers discovered the surprising existence of dark energy-a mysterious force that pushes galaxies apart and accelerates the expansion of the universe. Also known as the energy density of the vacuum, dark energy is a property of space itself. Scientists have many questions about the nature of dark energy. One question that soon may be answered: Is the energy density of the vacuum constant over cosmic time? ...> Full Article

Astronomers help locate obscure galaxies (10/12/2007)

Researchers helped to locate what they call the 'Lego building blocks of galaxies.' They did so by looking in a place that other astronomers already had looked, but with fresh eyes. ...> Full Article

Cassini's new view of land of lakes and seas (10/12/2007)

The best views of the hydrocarbon lakes and seas on Saturn's moon Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft are being released today. ...> Full Article

New isotope molecule may add to Venus' greenhouse effect (10/11/2007)

New isotope molecule may add to Venus' greenhouse effect ...> Full Article

Pluto-bound Spacecraft Sees Changes In Jupiter System (10/11/2007)

The voyage of NASA's Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft through the Jupiter system earlier this year provided a bird's-eye view of a dynamic planet that has changed since the last close-up looks by NASA spacecraft. ...> Full Article

Origin Of Cosmic Rays Illuminated (10/11/2007)

Recent observations from NASA and Japanese X-ray observatories have helped clarify one of the long-standing mysteries in astronomy -- the origin of cosmic rays. ...> Full Article

Cassini on the trail of a runaway mystery (10/10/2007)

Scientists are on the trail of Iapetus' mysterious dark side, which seems to be home to a bizarre 'runaway' process that is transporting vaporised water ice from the dark areas to the white areas of the Saturnian moon. ...> Full Article

Undergrads discover more than 1,300 asteroids (10/9/2007)

Undergraduate astronomy students at the University of Washington combing through images from a specialized telescope have discovered more than 1,300 asteroids that had never before been observed. That is about one out of every 250 known objects in the solar system. ...> Full Article

New deep space images of distant strip of sky to be available on Google Sky (10/7/2007)

A global project to map a distant strip of the universe is releasing its data today to scientists and the public to be used as part of Google Sky, a new feature of Google Earth. ...> Full Article

Sign Of 'Embryonic Planets' Forming In Nearby Stellar Systems (10/6/2007)

Astronomers are pointing to three nearby stars they say may hold "embryonic planets"—a missing link in planet-formation theories. ...> Full Article

Scientists study tiny galaxy halfway across the universe (10/5/2007)

A tiny galaxy nearly halfway across the universe, the smallest in size and mass known to exist at that distance, has been identified and studied by an international team of over a dozen scientists. ...> Full Article

Supernovae not what they used to be (10/5/2007)

Distant supernovae an average of 12 per cent brighter ...> Full Article

Small Explorer Mission to Detect Black Holes Scheduled for 2011 Launch (10/4/2007)

NASA has given the go-ahead to restart an astrophysics mission that will provide a greater capability for using high-energy Xrays to detect black holes than any existing instrument has. ...> Full Article

From Sputnik to Sat Nav (10/4/2007)

The launch of the world's first satellite 50 years ago today (THURS OCT 4) kick started a technological revolution which is benefiting life on Earth today, a leading Durham University expert has said. ...> Full Article

Venus, Saturn and Regulus cluster before dawn in October (10/2/2007)

Venus, Saturn and Regulus will dance a pas de trois low in the eastern sky an hour before sunrise during October, with the crescent moon joining them on Oct 7. ...> Full Article

Chance encounter with comet nets surprising results (10/2/2007)

Comets are made of the most primitive stuff in the solar system. As hunks of rock and ice that never coalesced into more planets, they give researchers clues to the evolution of solar systems. ...> Full Article

Gamma Ray Delay May Be Sign of 'New Physics' (10/1/2007)

Delayed gamma rays from deep space may provide the first evidence for physics beyond current theories. ...> Full Article

Mysterious Energy Burst Stuns Astronomers (9/30/2007)

In a shock finding, astronomers using CSIRO's Parkes telescope have detected a huge burst of radio energy from the distant universe that could open up a new field in astrophysics. ...> Full Article

Oldest Planet Yet Discovered Hints Earth May Survive Our Sun Becoming A Red Giant (9/29/2007)

An international team of astronomers is one step closer to answering the question, "Will the world end with a bang or a whimper?" ...> Full Article

Hinode Views 'Magnetic Trilobite' Sunspot (9/29/2007)

"We've never seen anything quite like it," says solar physicist Lika Guhathakurta from NASA headquarters. ...> Full Article

The Frugal Cosmic Ant (9/28/2007)

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer and its unique ability to see small details, astronomers have uncovered a flat, nearly edge-on disc of silicates in the heart of the magnificent Ant Nebula. The disc seems, however, too 'skinny' to explain how the nebula got its intriguing ant-like shape. ...> Full Article

Spinning slowly in the web (9/27/2007)

Astronomers have succeeded in tracing the magnetic web that binds newly forming stars to their surrounding gas and dust. ...> Full Article

Tether could aid asteroid missions (9/27/2007)

Using a tether system devised by MIT researchers, astronauts could one day stroll across the surface of small asteroids, collecting samples and otherwise exploring these rocks in space without floating away. ...> Full Article

SOHO's new catch: its first officially periodic comet (9/26/2007)

It is nothing new for the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) to discover another comet - it has already found more than 1350. But the latest is a bit different - SOHO had spotted it twice before. ...> Full Article

Heat-sensing camera finds 'skylights' on Mars (9/26/2007)

A heat-sensitive camera flying on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has led a team of geologists to find seven deep holes on the flanks of Arsia Mons, a giant volcano on Mars. ...> Full Article

Seeking Objects 'Wierder Than Black Holes' (9/25/2007)

Researchers' equations suggest gravitational lensing could lead astronomers to 'naked singularities,' if such entities exist despite being banned by 'cosmic censorship' ...> Full Article

NASA resurrects NuSTAR mission to image massive black holes (9/25/2007)

NASA has announced its intent to restart a small scientific satellite mission it had canceled in 2006 because of funding pressures created in part by the shift in the agency's focus to manned missions to the moon and Mars. ...> Full Article

Dealing with threatening space rocks (9/24/2007)

Every now and then a space rock hits the world's media - sometimes almost literally. Threatening asteroids that zoom past the Earth, fireballs in the sky seen by hundreds of people and mysterious craters which may have been caused by impacting meteorites; all make ESA's studies on the Don Quijote mission look increasingly timely. ...> Full Article