Towards Other Earths: 32 New Exoplanets Found Oct 20, 2009
19, 2009) Today, at an international ESO/CAUP exoplanet conference in Porto, the team who built the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, better known as HARPS, the spectrograph for ESO's 3. 6-metre telescope, reports on the incredible discovery of some 32 new exoplanets, cementing HARPS's position as the world s foremost exoplanet hunter. (Science Daily)
Bright light hints at a dark centre to the Galaxy Oct 20, 2009
In August 2008, an orbiting satellite known as the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) reported an excess of electrons and their positron antiparticles near Earth. A few months afterwards, a high-altitude balloon experiment spotted a similar electron excess far above Antarctica. (Scientific American)
Vatican to celebrate Galileo's discoveries Oct 19, 2009
Tommaso Maccacaro, president of Italy's national institute of astrophysics, said it was important to look at the instruments not just from a scientific view but from a cultural one as well, because astronomy has had such an impact on the way we perceive ourselves. "It was astronomical observations that let us understand that Earth (and man) don't have a privileged position or role in the universe," he said in his prepared comments to the briefing. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Podcast: Saving Mt. Wilson Oct 17, 2009
Ivan Semeniuk is host of the podcast and a science journalist in residence at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto. Posted by Ivan Semeniuk, October 16, 2009 links. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
A brave new brand of science Oct 17, 2009
"It focuses on the building blocks of matter at microscopic levels. The importance of AMO science derives from the enabling role it plays across many disciplines such as astrophysics, space sciences, atmos pheric and environmental sciences, plasma physics, exotic atoms and nuclei, condensed matter physics, measurement standards , military science and, increasingly, aspects of biosciences. "Two consequences of the enormous diversity of contemporary AMO science are that it possesses very many... (India Times, India -- Community News)
CU-Boulder lands $2.4M from NASA Oct 16, 2009
Matthew Beasley, a research associated at CU s Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, will oversee the project. Four experimental probes will be launched on sub-orbital rockets from White Sands, N.M., achieving a 220-mile altitude that will allow the instruments to capture five minutes of data before falling back to earth. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
China, Germany build astronomical observatory in Tibet Oct 14, 2009
"Tibet is an ideal location because the water deficit in its air ensures superb atmospheric transparency and creates a comparatively stable environment for research in the areas of astrophysics, high-energy and atmospheric physics," said Yan Jun, director of the CAS National Astronomical Observatories. "The observatory would house a KOSMA 3-meter sub-millimeter-wave telescope, the first of its kind to be used in general astronomical observation in China," said Yan. (Xinhuanet, China)
Probes set to deliver 1-2 punch to moon Oct 8, 2009
"This is definitely either a hit or a miss," said Andrew Colson, a junior astrophysics major and president of the Student Astronomical Society, another impact party sponsor. "If it's a hit, then that's going to be fantastic and probably one for ages.". (Florida Today)
Dirty Stars Make Good Solar System Hosts Oct 7, 2009
"When you observe stars, the ones with more heavy elements have more planets," says co-author Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Curator of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History ... The new simulations by Mac Low and his colleagues Anders Johansen (Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands) and Andrew Youdin (Canadian Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Toronto) compute just how planets and other bodies form as pebbles clump into mini-planets referred to as planetesimals.... (Science Daily)
All Eyes on Nobel Physics Prize Oct 6, 2009
- 2002: Raymond Davis, Jr., United States, and Masatoshi Koshiba, Japan, for their research into cosmic neutrinos; and Riccardo Giacconi, United States, for pioneering contributions to astrophysics that led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources. - 2001: Eric A. Cornell and Carl E. Wieman, United States, and U.S.-based researcher Wolfgang Ketterle of Germany for creating a new state of matter, an ultra-cold gas known as Bose-Einstein condensate. (CBS News)
Balloon probe seeks clues to universes start Oct 6, 2009
BESS started off as an idea for particle astrophysics facility known as Astromag, which was to be mounted on the space station ... "We study how the universe works, how did we get here and are we alone -- is there life elsewhere in the galaxy," said Jon Morse, head of NASA's Astrophysics division. (MSNBC -- Technology)
On moonless nights, look for the not-so-bright sights among stars Oct 3, 2009
In particular, the array is leading the way in measuring the precise orbits of double stars, which is the only direct way to determine stars masses, a foundation stone of all astrophysics. Such work may inspire city skywatchers to do the best they can with their own bright skies. (Boston Globe)
Pebble Rain: Exoplanet Has Bizarre Atmosphere Oct 1, 2009
The calculations, which reveal which mineral assemblages are stable under different conditions, were carried out with MAGMA, a computer program Fegley developed in 1986 with the late A. G. W. Cameron, a professor of astrophysics at Harvard University. Schaefer and Fegley modified the MAGMA program in 2004 in order to study high-temperature volcanism on Io, Jupiter's innermost Galilean satellite. (Science Daily)
NASA Advisory Council Science Committee Astrophysics Subcommittee Meeting Sep 30, 2009
NASA Advisory Council; Science Committee; Astrophysics Subcommittee; Meeting ... SUMMARY: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the Astrophysics Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) ... --Astrophysics Division Update. (NASA Watch)
Scientists Plan Against Asteroid Attacks Sep 25, 2009
"We're talking about investing in an insurance policy," says Irwin Shapiro of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Shapiro is leading a US National Research Council panel that by year's end will recommend a strategy to better address the threat from near-Earth objects. (Newsmax)
One more watering hole for humans to colonize Sep 25, 2009
The author is professor in Dept of Astronomy and Astrophysics, TIFR. Related Articles. (India Times, India)
Clump Of Swirling Planetary Material Spotted Sep 24, 2009
Other authors are Zoltan Balog, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany; Paul S. Smith and George Rieke, University of Arizona; Lori Allen, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson; Nuria Calvet, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Paola D'Alessio, National Autonomous University of Mexico; S. Thomas Megeath, University of Toledo, Ohio; August Muench, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge; William H. Sherry, National Solar Observatory, Tucson. Adapted from materials... (Science Daily)
NCCU gets $5M to establish NASA center Sep 23, 2009
The center will conduct research in several NASA-related fields, including the design and fabrication of materials and devices, nanotechnology, computational science, robotics, nuclear physics and astrophysics. The cornerstone of NASA-CADRE is a cluster of interdisciplinary research groups that build upon existing strengths, and exploit unique combination of expertise and facilities at NCCU, says center director and physics professor Dr. Branislav Vlahovic. (Raleigh Triangle Business Journal, NC)
HINGHAM COLLEGE KID: Eagan mixes math, astronomy Sep 21, 2009
That s why he is studying astrophysics the application of graph theory and statistics to the study of galaxies will put him ahead of other graduate students who have not yet learned to channel their mathematical talents into something practical or research-oriented. Eagan and Connolly analyzed a number of different factors that contribute to the evolution of ULIRGs. (Hingham Journal, MA)
Pollution: Darker side of light Sep 21, 2009
"When the first observational facilities of the 20th century were coming up in India they were being shifted far away from cities. The observatory in Hyderabad shifted to Rangapur, and the Indian Institute of astrophysics set up an observatory at Hanle, in the Himalayas," N Ratnashree, director, Nehru Planetarium said. "The Uttar Pradesh State Observatory - shifted its location from Varanasi and set up an observatory at Nainital but the location became so polluted with light that the new... (India Times)
Local salon takes advantage of equinox for balancing broom act Sep 20, 2009
There is no way physically that it could happen, said Steven R. Spangler, professor of radio astronomy plasma astrophysics and space plasma physics at the University of Iowa. He said people are referring to the approach of the autumnal equinox, which will occur Tuesday, Sept. 22, marking the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. (Muscatine Journal, IO)
Invading black holes explain cosmic flashes Sep 19, 2009
Serguei Komissarov is a Professor in Computational Relativistic Astrophysics in the School of Mathematics, University of Leeds ... The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy, Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science, Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. (EurekAlert!)
First Habitable Earthlike Planet Found, Experts Say Sep 18, 2009
The team reports its findings in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Rock or Oceans. (National Geographic)
Scientists Say 'Super-Earth' Has Rocky Surface Sep 17, 2009
In a report in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal, the scientists said their findings put CoRoT-7b into the category of "super-Earth" exoplanets. About a dozen such "super-Earths" have been detected, but this is the first time that the density has been measured for such a small exoplanet, they said. (Newsmax)
Astronomers Find Rocky Planet, But Say Its Hot Sep 17, 2009
The find is being published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics and presented at a conference on finding an Earth-like planet being held in Spain. More Stories. (KWTX.com, TX)
CoRoT-7b, the Lava Planet Sep 17, 2009
The team's findings will appear in the October issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics. But you can get a peek now by downloading the online preprint. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Rocky planet found outside solar system Sep 16, 2009
It also is being published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. The planet is called Corot-7b. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
First solid evidence for a rocky exoplanet Sep 16, 2009
In the past centuries such events were used to estimate the SunEarth distance, with extremely useful implications for astrophysics and celestial mechanics ... This research was presented in a paper to appear in a special issue of the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal on CoRoT, volume 506-1, 22 October 2009: "The CoRoT-7 planetary system: two orbiting Super-Earths", by D. Queloz et al.. (EurekAlert!)
Astrophysics: High Energy Galactic Particle Accelerator Located Sep 15, 2009
At the three Cherenkov telescopes alone, some 400 scientists were involved, a good part of the world s gamma ray astrophysics community. In addition to radio and gamma radiation, X-ray emissions from M87 were also observed by satellites during the outburst. (Science Daily)
* Kepler's 'Astronomia nova' on display until tomorrow Sep 12, 2009
Sun Wei-hsin (]s), a professor at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Astrophysics, was the key person who made the exhibition of "Astronomia nova" in Taipei possible. The book did not arrive until yesterday because the EU has very strict regulations governing the export of European cultural properties, Sun said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
NASA's new Hubble Space Telescope Sep 10, 2009
"In all humility I truly believe that Hubble has fundamentally changed the course of modern astronomy and astrophysics," said David Leckrone of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. On Tuesday, a presidential review panel said the U.S. human spaceflight program was on an "unsustainable trajectory", spending too much money. (India Times)
Saturn without rings! Sep 7, 2009
7 years, R C Kapoor, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, said, "Saturn is going through a phase called 'Ring Crossing'. In this condition, its rings become aligned along our line of sight and are therefore very difficult to see.". The Saturn's rings keep tilting in different directions as viewed from the Earth, due to changing geometry, as it moves around the Sun. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Cosmic Encounter: Neighboring Galaxies Collided Sep 5, 2009
The Pan-Andromeda Archeological Survey (PAndAS), led by Alan McConnachie of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria BC, is using the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope to map the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. This map, the largest of its kind, will allow astronomers to test the hypothesis that galaxies grow by cannibalizing other galaxies. (Science Daily)
Andromeda is a cannibal and heading our way Sep 3, 2009
"What we're seeing right now are the signs of cannibalism," said study lead author Alan McConnachie of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria, British Columbia. "We're finding things that have been destroyed ... partly digested remains.". (MSNBC -- Technology)
Signs Of Ideal Surfing Conditions Spotted In Ocean Of Solar Wind Sep 2, 2009
The research, led by Khurom Kiyanai and Professor Sandra Chapman in the University of Warwick s Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, looked at data from the Cluster spacecraft quartet to obtain a comparatively quiet slice of the solar wind as it progressed over an hour travelling covering roughly 2,340,000 Kilometres ... The University of Warwick Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics led team drilled down into the data on this 2,340,000 Kilometres zooming down to see how the turbulence... (Science Daily)
British plan to tackle asteroids Sep 1, 2009
A 3D visualisation of an asteroid before it hit the Earth as devised by Queen's Astrophysics Research Centre astronomers. A team of British scientists are developing plans for a spacecraft that could stop large asteroids from destroying the Earth. (BBC News -- Technology)
CMU professor investigates black holes Aug 31, 2009
Position: Astrophysics professor, Carnegie Mellon University ... Education: Bachelor's in astrophysics, University College London, 1995; Ph ... D., astrophysics, University of Cambridge, 1998. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
China sets sights on biggest telescope Aug 29, 2009
It is a big undertaking and it will define the future of astronomy and astrophysics for about 60 or 70 years, so it will automatically involve a large international community, said Caltech s president, Jean-Lou Chameau, in an interview with Xinhua. Xinhua said the universities are talking to Chinese astronomers and scientists about cooperation on funding and technology, although no final decision has been made. (Boston Globe)
Grants aimed at boosting minority PhDs Aug 29, 2009
One of the new grants will be used to strengthen the astronomy/astrophysics infrastructure at Fisk, a historically black university, as well as increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. The second grant will fund the expansion of the program to a second historically black institution, Delaware State University, and expand the program from its current focus on astronomy and astrophysics to include materials science. (Nashville Business Journal, TN)
Suicidal Planet on Death Spiral into Star Aug 27, 2009
(H-S Center for Astrophysics) ... The planet WASP-18b has maybe a million years to live, said planet discoverer Coel Hellier, a professor of astrophysics at the Keele University in England. (CBS News)
Data Center Services With Supercomp... Aug 25, 2009
At the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Australia s Swinburne University of Technology, supercomputing power is used the area of astronomy research such as simulations of structure formation in the Universe. A company called PearlDiver Technologies Inc. uses Indiana University s Big Red supercomputer to analyze outcomes from millions of hospital patients to condense findings into information more accessible to the medical and policy communities. (Suite101.com)
"Lights, Camera, Cue the Moons!" Aug 22, 2009
Armed with his Celestron C11 scope, Astrophysics AP900GTO mount, and Imaging Source DMK21BF04 camera, he prowls the solar system for photoworthy prey and usually finds it. I don't know if there's something about the air over Cebu City in the Phillipines, where he lives, or something in the drinking water, but Go is when it comes to planetary photography. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Chandra's First Decade of Discovery Symposium Aug 21, 2009
The focus will be on results that have had the largest impact on astrophysics. These results include The Cosmic Evolution of AGN (Active Galactic Nucleus), AGN outflows, evolutionary processes in galaxy cluster, and our understanding of normal galaxies including Earth's own galactic center. (NASA Watch)
Dark Energy From The Ground Up: Make Way For BigBOSS Aug 21, 2009
Every 10 years the National Academy of Science s Decadal Survey lays out a roadmap for future astronomy and astrophysics research. White papers describing proposals were due April 1. (Science Daily)
Seeing The Cosmos Through 'Warm' Infrared Eyes Aug 21, 2009
"We're thrilled to see Spitzer up and running again, and continuing to provide such spectacular images," added astronomer Giovanni Fazio of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "This new lease on life is a testament to a well-designed spacecraft.". (Science Daily)
Variability Of Type 1a Supernovae Has Implications For Dark Energy Studies Aug 20, 2009
pke of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, and Stan Woosley, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz -- used supercomputers to run dozens of simulations of type 1a supernovae ... Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and at the National Astronomical Institute of Italy have now found a way to use these. (Science Daily)
Images show stars born in violent cosmic cradle Aug 20, 2009
DeRose worked on the project when she was an undergraduate student at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. The new pictures are the sharpest images yet of RCW 38, taken with the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Hellish Cradles Of Suns And Solar Systems Aug 20, 2009
DeRose did her work on RCW 38 as an undergraduate student at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, USA.. Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have obtained the sharpest image yet of RCW 38. (Science Daily)
Echoes Of The Birth Of The Universe Aug 20, 2009
3, 2005) A new grassroots computing project dubbed Einstein@Home, which will let anyone with a personal computer contribute to cutting edge astrophysics research, will be officially announced at the annual. (July 18, 2009) An astrophysics experiment in America has demonstrated how fundamental research in one subject area can have a profound effect on work in another as the instruments used for the Laser Interferometer. (Science Daily)
Fermi Tracks Gamma-ray Pulsars Aug 20, 2009
It's an exciting time in high-energy astrophysics. A few weeks ago NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory celebrated its in space, and this cosmic discovery machine shows no signs of slowing down. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Particles As Tracers For Milky Way's Most Massive Explosions: 'Dark Matter' Origins Of Mysterious Flux Challenged Aug 20, 2009
Dark matter is one of the most challenging questions in astrophysics. An international research group with members from the University of Gothenburg has now published new results showing that the mysterious flux actually arises from exploding stars. (Science Daily)
Scientists Make First Discovery Using Revolutionary Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array Aug 20, 2009
12, 2008) An innovative project aims to address many key issues in astrophysics: What is the universe made of and how does it evolve. Are we alone in the universe. (Science Daily)
Study Finds Earliest Black Holes Born Starving Aug 16, 2009
"It has been speculated that these first black holes were seeds and accreted huge amounts of matter," said the study's leader Marcelo Alvarez, an astrophysicist at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology in California. "We're just finding out that it could be much more complex than that.". (Fox News)
Astronomy: Black-sky thinking Aug 14, 2009
Simon White of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, is one such worrier. He observes that in the 19th century and for most of the 20th, too, scientific progress usually came from brilliant individuals formulating and testing hypotheses using data accumulated by relatively modest means. (The Economist)
Liberals Repeat Malthus’ Failed Argument Aug 14, 2009
As Dr. Willie Soon, a physicist at the Solar and Stellar Physics Division of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, clarifies, the evidence about manmade CO2 causing global warming is nowhere close to the neat, but incorrect, conceptual picture of warming as in a greenhouse. But this is not really the heart of the issue. (Human Events Online)
New hope for intelligent life elsewhere Aug 14, 2009
It seems the timescales of biology and astrophysics have favorably aligned in our case. According to the anthropic argument, this coincidence means that Earth, and its life, are unique. (MSNBC -- Technology)
First Black Holes Born Starving Aug 12, 2009
The simulations were carried out by astrophysicists Marcelo Alvarez and Tom Abel of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, jointly located at the Department of Energy s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, and John Wise, formerly of KIPAC and now of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ... "Quasars [extremely strong sources of radiation] powered by black holes a billion times more massive than our sun have been observed in the early universe, and we... (Science Daily)
Training for those who reach for the stars Aug 12, 2009
The astrophysics major at CMU, with a master's degree in sports medicine from the United States Sports Academy and a masters of business administration from University of Florida, signed up for the expedition to test her exploratory mettle. Astronauts had to wear spacesuits and helmets for scheduled excursions -- a total of 40 pounds extra weight -- a heavier load than on Mars, which has only one-third the gravity of Earth. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
New Clues To Water's Strange Bulk Properties Aug 12, 2009
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. (Science Daily)
First black holes kept to a strict diet, study shows Aug 11, 2009
"During the 200 million years of our simulation, a 100 solar-mass black hole grew by less than one percent of its mass," said Marcelo Alvarez, the study's lead author, at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, located at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, Calif. This simulation, which was performed on a supercomputer at SLAC, is the most detailed to date. (EurekAlert!)
Violent Youth Of Solar Proxies Steers Life Aug 11, 2009
Edward Guinan, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University in the USA, and his "Sun-in-Time" project team have studied stars that are analogues of the Sun at both early and late stages of its lifecycle. These "solar proxies" enable scientists to look through a window in time to see the harsh conditions prevailing in the early or future Solar System, as well as in planetary systems around other stars. (Science Daily)
Witch Mountain Aug 8, 2009
It's a time when the idea of extraterrestrial life isn't limited simply by the cold logic of biology or astrophysics, but to the limitless boundaries of a child's imagination, where green creatures with impossible spaceships and bodies in defiance of sound architecture roam the galaxy in diligent search of; well; us. Which is all to say that, for a child, aliens are like the dinosaurs of the sky. (IGN FilmForce)
Tee Off, Lift Off And Get Astrophysical Aug 8, 2009
MINIATURE golf is hardly rocket science -- but the New York Hall of Science has put a little astrophysics into each putt of its new permanent exhibit. At Rocket Park Mini Golf, the 110-foot-high Titan II and 102-foot-high Atlas NASA rockets tower above as you putt through a nine-hole journey through astrophysics. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
> read more Aug 6, 2009
New mission objectives, according to a from NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, include refining estimates of the Hubble constant (a measure of the universe's expansion rate), searching for primordial galaxies, characterizing several hundred asteroids in Earth's vicinity, and studying the atmospheres of gas-giant planets swept up by NASA's recently launched spacecraft. Moreover, notes Spitzer astronomer Michelle Thaller (IPAC/Caltech), "The instrument that will still be... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Double Engine Fuels Star's Remarkable Nebula Aug 6, 2009
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Online July 17, 2009. Adapted from materials provided by. (Science Daily)
