Solar lithium shortage blamed on planets Nov 17, 2009
Astronomers have discovered two Earth-sized bodies with oxygen-rich atmospheres, but there is no chance of finding life on these worlds for they are two unusual breeds of white dwarf star ... The upshot of the findings, which are published in 12 November issue of Nature, is that astronomers will be able to target stars with low lithium abundances to help narrow down their search for exoplanets. (Astronomy Now Online)
UGA Observatory to host open house tonight Nov 16, 2009
Now is the height of the annual Leonid Meteor Shower, and astronomers think the celestial display could be especially impressive this year - so UGA's astronomers scheduled an open house at the observatory to coincide with the Leonids. The open house is set for 7:30 p.m., close to the time when astronomers expect the shower to be at its peak, when dozens of meteors per hour may streak across the sky. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Splash! NASA moon crash struck lots of water Nov 16, 2009
Instead, images revealed only a mile-high plume, and it was not visible to many amateur astronomers peering through telescopes. Members of the blue-ribbon panel reviewing NASA's future plans said the discovery doesn't change their conclusion that the program needs more money to get beyond near-Earth orbit. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Water on the moon! (43) Nov 15, 2009
Instead, images revealed only a mile-high plume, and it was not visible to many amateur astronomers peering through telescopes. Scientists spent a month analyzing data from the spacecraft s spectrometers, instruments that can detect strong signals of water molecules in the plume. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
NASA's moon crash shows water is there, fueling talk of an outpost Nov 15, 2009
Instead, images revealed only a mile-high plume, and it was not visible to many amateur astronomers peering through telescopes ... Instead, images revealed only a mile-high plume, and it was not visible to many amateur astronomers peering through telescopes. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Professor To Predict Weather On Mars Nov 14, 2009
Astronomers recorded Easterly winds of approximately 15-20. (Apr. (Science Daily)
Any drop to drink? Nov 14, 2009
THE moon is covered with seas, oceans and bays, the result of astronomers from past centuries whose imaginations out-ran the capabilities of their instruments, and who assumed that the Earth s nearest neighbour was not that dissimilar to its mother planet. Modern astronomers know different. (The Economist)
There's water on the moon, probe reveals Nov 14, 2009
Ancient astronomers believed the moon was so filled with water that they named the dark regions mare, the Latin word for sea. It turns out those astronomers weren't completely off the mark ... NASA had said the plume might be seen from Earth by amateur astronomers with 10-inch telescopes. (AZCentral -- News)
One ring around them all Nov 14, 2009
Astronomers recently found another ring around the planet Saturn and it s the biggest one yet ... It may be even bigger, say the astronomers, and reach 22 million miles across at its diameter ... Astronomers found the ring in February, but they did not find it using telescopes here on Earth. (Science News for Kids)
Looking Up: Lions share of meteors Nov 14, 2009
Astronomers are predicting there may be an outbursts around the time of Nov. 17 and 18, with as many as 100 meteors an hour. Prospects to see them in large numbers are extra enhanced because the moon happens to be at new phase on the 17th. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Vatican Seeks Signs of Alien Life Nov 14, 2009
Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos. Funes said the possibility of alien life raises "many philosophical and theological implications" but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the... (Fox News)
New Experiment Could Reveal Make-up Of The Universe Nov 14, 2009
19, 2009) Astronomers have observed dust forming around a dying star in a nearby galaxy, giving a glimpse into the early universe and enlivening a debate about the origins of all cosmic ... Astronomers removed light from closer and better known galaxies and stars from pictures taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope. (Science Daily)
Bubbling Ball Of Gas: Pictures Of Sun's Surface Nov 14, 2009
3, 2008) Astronomers have known for decades that the Sun has a very dynamic atmosphere. Huge fountains of hot gas erupt in the atmosphere, or corona, every few minutes, traveling at tens of thousands of km. (Science Daily)
Squeezing Light Into Much Tighter Spaces Than Previously Believed Possible Nov 14, 2009
Astronomers removed light from closer and better known galaxies and stars from pictures taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The remaining images. (Science Daily)
Water on the Moon Confirmed by NASA Crashes Nov 14, 2009
Despite disappointing many amateur astronomers on Earth, who had been expecting to see a giant plume of lunar dust and ice crystals, the moon-water mission was a success, NASA says. (See ). (National Geographic)
NASA: Water found in moon crater Nov 14, 2009
For a decade, astronomers have suspected that water hides in permanently-shadowed lunar craters on the moon's poles. Comets are one leading suspect for where the water may have come from, says Greg Delory of the Space Sciences Laboratory and Center for Integrative Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. (USA Today -- Tech)
All About Mars Nov 13, 2009
Mars remains a great subject of study among many astronomers ... The planet Mars is one of the most studied Solar System objects by researchers and astronomers. (Suite101.com)
Study finds missing link in how stars die Nov 13, 2009
Now astronomers have observed two peculiar that may represent the end point for these objects. White dwarfs can be about the size of Earth, but contain roughly the mass of the sun. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Two Earth-sized Oxygen-Rich Stars Nov 13, 2009
20, 2009) Astronomers have found that at least 1 in 100 white dwarf stars show evidence of orbiting asteroids and rocky planets, suggesting these objects once hosted solar systems similar to our ... 9, 2007) It has been a mystery for astronomers how certain dying stars have their colossal quantities of material blown out into the universe and shrink into objects called "white dwarves." This is the basis ... 22, 2007) Astronomers have discovered white dwarf stars with pure carbon atmospheres. (Science Daily)
Why the World Won't End in 2012 Nov 13, 2009
In any case, if there really was a planet near enough to the earth to collide with us in 2012, scientists or amateur astronomers would surely have detected it by now. The End of the Mayan Calendar. (Suite101.com)
NASA Reproduces A Building Block Of Life In Laboratory Nov 12, 2009
Meteorites are especially valuable to astronomers because they provide relatively big chunks of. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Lithium clue for planet-hunters Nov 12, 2009
Astronomers may have found a way to identify those Sun-like stars most likely to harbour orbiting planets ... The outcome of the research is a tool astronomers can now use to help pinpoint the right type of stars where they are likely to detect planets ... Astronomers detect exoplanets, as they are called, using a number of methods. (BBC News)
Vatican Considers Possibility of Aliens Nov 12, 2009
Pope Orders Astronomers to Look into Life on Other Planets; Wants to Bridge Gap Between Religion and Science ... Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology - the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos ... The last thing we need is for fake "astronomers" to find pictures of Jesus in the nebula. (CBS News -- World)
60-year-old solar mystery finally solved Nov 12, 2009
Nov. 11: Astronomers, physicists and priests are gathered in Rome to debate whether life exists in outer-space ... But astronomers see a range of lithium levels in sun-like stars, with some having a lithium abundance of about 10 percent of that estimated for the primordial universe, and others such as the sun having only 1 percent of the primordial abundance ... Because there seemed to be no way for sun-like stars to burn off this lithium, astronomers were left with a conundrum. (MSNBC -- Technology)
To Find New Planets, Look for the Lithium? Nov 12, 2009
A small percentage of a star's mass comes from heavier elements, which astronomers refer to as metals ... But astronomers have been unable to explain why otherwise similar sunlike stars have widely different lithium levels ... Astronomers would have to follow up with existing methods for planet detection. (National Geographic)
Are Earth's Oceans Made Of Extraterrestrial Material? Nov 12, 2009
Cold 'super-Earths' -- giant, "snowball" planets that astronomers have ... (May 16, 2007) A team of European astronomers has measured the transit of a Neptune-sized planet around another star ... But new models begin to describe an even wider range of Earth-size planets that astronomers might. (Science Daily)
Exoplanets Clue To Sun's Curious Chemistry Nov 12, 2009
Using ESO's successful HARPS spectrograph, a team of astronomers has found that sun-like stars that host planets have destroyed their lithium much more efficiently than "planet-free" stars ... Low levels of this chemical element have been noticed for decades in the Sun, as compared to other solar-like stars, and astronomers have been unable to explain the anomaly ... The astronomers looked in particular at Sun-like stars, almost a quarter of the whole sample. (Science Daily)
Alamo Lake stargazing party Nov 11, 2009
Members of the Astronomers of Verde Valley and East Valley Astronomy Club will be on hand to explain what participants are seeing through the telescopes ... "Saturday afternoon, we're going to have our solar scopes set up," said J.D. Maddy, president of the Astronomers of Verde Valley. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Wild solar system spotted around distant star Nov 11, 2009
Astronomers think the planets may have yet to reach their final stable orbits, so more violence could be in store ... When our solar system was young, astronomers think it went through similar planet migrations. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Middleweight Black Hole: Swift, XMM-Newton Satellites Tune Into X-ray Source Nov 11, 2009
10, 2009) While astronomers have studied lightweight and heavyweight black holes for decades, the evidence for black holes with intermediate masses has been much harder to come by. Now, astronomers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md ... XMM-Newton detected what the astronomers call "quasi-periodic oscillations," a nearly regular "flickering" caused by the pile-up of hot gas deep within the accretion disk that forms around a massive object. (Science Daily)
Rapid Star Formation In Infant Galaxies Nov 11, 2009
9, 2008) A group of galaxies in our cosmic backyard has given astronomers clues about how stars form. A thorough survey using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has observed around 14 million stars in 69. (Science Daily)
Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life Nov 11, 2009
Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos. advertisement. (MSNBC -- International)
Supernova Mystery Solved Nov 11, 2009
Call it the story of the young and the quarkless: Astronomers have a surprising new take on the youngest supernova remnant in our corner of the Milky Way, and it may solve a long standing mystery ... First the weirdness: Based on its brightness in the X-ray spectrum and its distance from Earth, astronomers initially calculated that the neutron star in Cas A is about 10 kilometres across or less. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
'Dropouts' Pinpoint Earliest Galaxies Nov 10, 2009
9, 2009) Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by its characteristic hydrogen signature at 787 million years post Big Bang ... With recent technological advancements, such as the Wide-Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope, there has been an explosion of research of the reionization period, the farthest back in time that astronomers can observe ...... (Science Daily)
Spitzer Observes Chaotic Planetary System Nov 9, 2009
Astronomers had previously used both Spitzer and Hubble to image a rotating disk of planetary debris around Fomalhaut, which is 25 light-years from Earth ... Astronomers think the three planets might have yet to reach their final stable orbits, so more violence could be in store ... 10, 2004) Two of NASA's Great Observatories, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, have provided astronomers an unprecedented look at dusty planetary debris around stars the size of. (Science Daily)
Next apocalypse? Mayan year 2012 stirs doomsayers Nov 8, 2009
But most archaeologists, astronomers and Maya say the only thing likely to hit Earth is a meteor shower of New Age philosophy, pop astronomy, Internet doomsday rumors, and TV specials such as one on the History Channel that mixes "predictions" from Nostradamus and the Maya and asks: "Is 2012 the year the cosmic clock finally winds down to zero days, zero hope?" ... Archaeologists, astronomers and modern-day Mayas shrug off the popular frenzy over the date of 2012, predicting it will bring... (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Star Birth In The Southern Pinwheel Nov 8, 2009
WFC3's broad wavelength range, from ultraviolet to near-infrared, reveals stars at different stages of evolution, allowing astronomers to dissect the galaxy's star-formation history ... By studying these remnants, astronomers can better understand the nature of the progenitor stars, which are responsible for the creation and dispersal of most of the galaxy's heavy elements. (Science Daily)
New survey finds 22 of the earliest galaxies Nov 7, 2009
With recent technological advances, astronomers have been able to observe more of the so-called , the farthest back in time that astronomers can observe ... This was what astronomers call the reionization period ... But while astronomers know that this period was over by about the time the universe was 1 billion years old, they don't know exactly when it began when the and galaxies began to illuminate the universe. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Gigantic, chilly Jupiter has its peers across the universe Nov 7, 2009
Unmistakable to the naked eye, it s the closest thing our solar system has to the giant worlds that astronomers are turning up by the hundreds around other stars ... Astronomers now assume that such terrestrial worlds are also as common as rocks, though few, in all likelihood, will be the friendly kinds of places where you could walk around in street clothes with just oxygen for life support. (Boston Globe)
Tant: Galileo opened heavens for scientific discovery Nov 7, 2009
For four centuries, experienced astronomers and callow kids have aimed telescopes skyward and experienced the same thrills Galileo must have felt on Italian evenings so long ago. As writer Eden Phillpots said, "The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.". (Athens Banner-Herald)
Repaired Hubble showcases Southern Pinwheel Nov 7, 2009
The unprecedented detail of the new image has allowed astronomers to probe deeper into the evolutionary history of star formation in this classic spiral galaxy than ever before ... Supernova explosions mark the end of a star's life, and by studying them, astronomers can gain insight into the nature of the progenitor star, which is responsible for the creation and dispersal of most of the galaxy s heavy elements. (Astronomy Now Online)
Stripping down to the cosmic skeleton Nov 7, 2009
Measuring the distances from Earth of over 150 galaxies allowed the astronomers to obtain a three-dimensional view of the structure, which extends over at least 60 million light years. They identified tens of separate groups of galaxies surrounding the main galaxy cluster, each between ten and a thousand times as massive as our own Milky Way Galaxy, with the mass of the main cluster estimated as at least ten thousand times the mass of the Milky Way. (Astronomy Now Online)
New measurements confirm standard view of Universe Nov 7, 2009
An international team of astronomers has unveiled a new map of the seed structures of the Universe that support the standard model of cosmology and the existence of dark matter and dark energy. The measurements were made using the Q U Extra-galactic Survey Telescope (QUEST) instrument located at the south pole, and were lead by Sarah Church of KIPAC (jointly located at the Department of Energy s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University), and by Walter Gear of Cardiff... (Astronomy Now Online)
New type of supernova discovered Nov 6, 2009
The , dubbed SN2002bj, was first observed seven years ago in the galaxy NGC 1821 by amateur astronomers, but was misclassified as a Type II supernova. There are two general : In a Type I, a star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbor until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Researcher: 'Optical biopsy' for breast cancer increasingly accurate Nov 6, 2009
Just as light collected from distant planets can reveal the composition of their atmospheres to astronomers, so light collected from these collisions can indicate chemical evidence of cancer. A third technique, known as index refraction or phase contrast, provides information on cellular size and density both factors that play into determination of cancer in laboratory biopsies. (EurekAlert!)
Tweak Gravity: What If There Is No Dark Matter? Nov 6, 2009
Theorists and observational astronomers are , the invisible material thought to account for puzzling mass disparities in large-scale astronomical structures ... According to Ferreira, "all is not lost." Observational campaigns now in the works, such as planned by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy as well as an international radio telescope project known as , should allow astronomers and cosmologists to test competing worldviews in the next decade or so. (Scientific American)
New theory tries to explain missing matter Nov 6, 2009
Astronomers often invoke the to explain this discrepancy, but some researchers say the problem is really our understanding of gravity ... When applied to just galaxies, MOND can predict very well the behavior that astronomers observe. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Rapid Supernova: New Class Of Exploding Star? Nov 6, 2009
This rapid drop, coupled with the supernova's faintness, the strong signature of helium in the spectrum of the explosion, the absence of hydrogen, and the possible presence of vanadium -- an element never previously identified in supernova spectra -- points toward helium detonation on a white dwarf, the astronomers said ... The supernova was detected in 2002 in the galaxy NGC 1821, in the constellation Lepus, by Filippenko's Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) at Lick Observatory near San... (Science Daily)
Saturday stargazing at Lawrence Hall of Science Nov 5, 2009
The hills above UC Berkeley offer a fine vantage point for stargazing, and every first and third Saturday of the month, the Lawrence Hall of Science turns down the lights on the main plaza and sets up telescopes so astronomers amateur or professional can enjoy the heavenly show - a terrific opportunity to introduce kids to navigating the night sky and basic constellations ... "Occasionally we also get some amateur astronomers from around the Bay Area because they know we turn off the surrounding... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Carbon Atmosphere Discovered On Neutron Star Nov 5, 2009
Defying astronomers' expectations, this object did not show any X-ray or radio pulsations or any signs of radio pulsar activity ... (June 29, 2008) Astronomers recently announced that they have found a novel explanation for a rare type of super-luminous stellar explosion that may have produced a new type of object known as a quark ... 30, 2008) Astronomers have discovered a timing mechanism that allows them to predict exactly when a superdense star will unleash incredibly powerful explosions. (Science Daily)
University of Utah celebrates telescope's 'first light' Nov 5, 2009
For several months, astronomers mainly will be "tweaking it" making adjustments and calibrations and evaluating observing conditions, he says. Scientific observations should begin in earnest next spring, and Springer says he hopes students will be able to use it even sooner if another grant is approved for a tracked, all-terrain vehicle needed to reach the observatory during the snowy months. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Study reveals identity of a puzzling star Nov 5, 2009
The supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, one of the youngest in our galaxy and one that has long puzzled astronomers, is likely a dense type of star called a neutron star swathed in a carbon atmosphere, a new study finds ... Astronomers didn't get their first actual up-close glimpse of the core remnant, which lies about 11,000 light-years away, until 1999, when the imaged ... But even with a closer view of the object, it still puzzled astronomers: "The properties of this object were a little... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Satellite Forms Three-pointed Star In The Sky Nov 4, 2009
Radio astronomers, searching for celestial objects that are not detectable in optical astronomy, also faced the challenge of needing to detect small signals from point sources in space at a long wavelength, requiring a big antenna ... To achieve this, radio astronomers combined 27 radio telescopes, each 25 m in diameter, and deployed them on a Y-shaped track that can be extended up to 35 km. This is known as the Very Large Array in New Mexico, US. ... Astronomers say that this July planetary... (Science Daily)
Astronomers see 'skeleton' of the universe Nov 4, 2009
SANTIAGO: Astronomers in Chile and Japan have for the first time seen part of the "cosmic web" of galaxies that permeates the known universe in a gigantic assembly some seven billion light-years from Earth ... Astronomers in Chile and Japan have for the first time seen part of the "cosmic web" of galaxies that permeates the known universe in a gigantic assembly some seven billion light-years from Earth. (India Times, India)
Huge galaxy cluster hints at universe's skeleton Nov 4, 2009
With these observations, the astronomers identified several groups of galaxies surrounding the main galaxy cluster. The researchers were able to distinguish tens of such clumps, each typically ten times as massive as our own Milky Way galaxy and some as much as a thousand times more massive while they estimate that the mass of the cluster amounts to at least ten thousand times the mass of the Milky Way. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Dark Matter And Dark Energy Make Up 95 Percent Of Universe, Detailed Measurements Reveal Nov 4, 2009
1, 2008) Astronomers believe they can "simplify the dark side of the universe" by shedding new light on two of its mysterious constituents ... Astronomers removed light from closer and better known galaxies and stars from pictures taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope. (Science Daily)
Deep space objects guide Earths GPS system Nov 4, 2009
Astronomers also use them to guide telescopes and trace the motion of stars and other celestial objects to look for clues to their origin and evolution. The next update to the ICRF might be done from space, with the planned European Space Agency that will observe about half a million quasars. (MSNBC -- Technology)
NASA's Fermi Telescope Detects Gamma Rays From 'Star Factories' In Other Galaxies Nov 3, 2009
2, 2009) Nearby galaxies undergoing a furious pace of star formation also emit lots of gamma rays, say astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope ... Astronomers suspect that the rapidly expanding shells of exploded stars somehow accelerate cosmic ray particles to their fantastic energy ... 29, 2009) An international team of astronomers has used the world's biggest radio telescope to look deep into the brightest galaxies that NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope can see. (Science Daily)
The Long-Lost Siblings of the Sun Nov 3, 2009
The sun is a solitary star, and astronomers have traditionally assumed it formed as such. Yet most stars are born in clusters, and scraps of evidence from meteorites and from the arrangement of comets suggest that our sun was no exception. (Scientific American)
3 in Hawaii win governor's innovation awards Nov 3, 2009
University of Hawai'i planetary astronomer Dr. Tobias Owen is one of the world's leading solar system astronomers. His areas of expertise include comets, the origin and evolution of planetary and satellite atmospheres, and the origin and distribution of life in the universe. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Origin Of Cosmic Rays: VERITAS Telescopes Help Solve 100-year-old Mystery Nov 3, 2009
Astronomers questioned what natural force could accelerate particles to such a speed ... Astronomers have devised ingenious methods for detecting cosmic rays that hit Earth's atmosphere ... 5, 2004) An international team of astronomers has produced the first ever image of an astronomical object using high energy gamma rays, helping to solve a 100 year old mystery - an origin of cosmic rays. (Science Daily)
GALAXY PICTURE: Cosmic Ray Mystery Solved? Nov 3, 2009
Astronomers know that cosmic rays come from far away in the galaxy ... Some astronomers have suggested that cosmic rays might come from supernova remnants. (National Geographic)
Saturns equinox brings longnight Nov 3, 2009
The equinox observations can help astronomers better understand the structure and evolution of , as well as the origin of the solar system. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Strong Leonid meteor showers expected Nov 3, 2009
2 mile dusty comet discovered by two astronomers in the late 19th century and christened Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonid meteors are thought to be the dusty legacy of because the dust is moving around the sun in virtually the same orbit as the comet. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Shedding light on the cosmic skeleton Nov 3, 2009
Astronomers have tracked down a gigantic, previously unknown assembly of galaxies located almost seven billion light-years away from us ... Thanks to these and other observations, the astronomers were able to make a real demographic study of this structure, and have identified several groups of galaxies surrounding the main galaxy cluster ... ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers... (EurekAlert!)
