Huge galaxy cluster hints at universe's skeleton Nov 4, 2009
This 3D illustration shows the position of the newfound cluster of galaxies and reveals the extent of this gigantic filament structure ... "The most widely accepted cosmological theories predict that matter also clumps on a larger scale in the so-called ',' in which galaxies, embedded in filaments stretching between voids, create a gigantic wispy structure," Tanaka said ... These filaments are millions of light-years long and constitute the skeleton of the universe: Galaxies gather around them,... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Shedding light on the cosmic skeleton Nov 3, 2009
"In our cosmic vicinity, stars form in galaxies and galaxies usually form groups and clusters of galaxies. The most widely accepted cosmological theories predict that matter also clumps on a larger scale in the so-called 'cosmic web', in which galaxies, embedded in filaments stretching between voids, create a gigantic wispy structure.". These filaments are millions of light years long and constitute the skeleton of the Universe: galaxies gather around them, and immense galaxy clusters form at... (EurekAlert!)
Solar Eruptions Captured in 3-D Oct 15, 2009
From the Behind perspective (on the left) the long filament, darker than the Sun's surface, can be seen rising up and then breaking away, spreading out above most of the Sun's surface. As seen from the Ahead spacecraft (on the right), the filament is seen in profile and is called a prominence, which NASA describes as clouds of cooler gas suspended above the Sun's surface by magnetic forces. (National Geographic)
Dirty Stars Make Good Solar System Hosts Oct 7, 2009
The drifting pebbles first concentrate in an elongated filament. The filament then breaks into seven gravitationally bound mini-planets. (Science Daily)
Hubble Back in Action With New Space Shots Sep 10, 2009
In a way, it's like a lightbulb, with the star as the filament but the overall glow from the gas, he said. The images, especially the butterfly, don't just show science, but can evoke a sense of spirituality, Leckrone said. (CBS News)
The Light Bulb Sep 2, 2009
An English inventor, Joseph Swan, took their early work and developed the basis of the modern electric light bulb in 1879 a thin paper or metal filament surrounded by a glass-enclosed vacuum ... Edison refined the design, trying filaments made out of platinum and cotton before eventually settling on carbonized bamboo, capable of burning for more than 1200 hours ... Development didn't stop on the bulb, either: Researchers have honed Edison and Swan's design further, refining the filament by using... (Time.com)
Kepler Space Probe: A Shot at Finding New Earths Aug 7, 2009
That's because the planet itself is glowing, which isn't surprising considering its incredible proximity to the star the planet's year is just three days long. "The temperature is more than 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit," says Marcy, "which means it's hotter than the filament in an incandescent lightbulb." And while such a dip in light was predicted, says Borucki, "Nobody's ever seen it before.". The discovery was enough to get the Kepler team published in Science, but Marcy is more excited by its... (Time.com)
Be wary of green thinking Jul 19, 2009
eventhorizon wrote on Jul 18, 2009 4:11 PM:" While it may be true that specific guidelines, mandates, or legislation regarding "green" thinking can be misguided, ineffective, or even contradictory, we constantly have to search for ways of reducing our negative impact on the environment. By reducing population growth, discontinuing use and irresponsible disposal of deadly materials, using less of everything when possible, and controlling invasive species we can dramatically alter our destructive... (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
U.N. Issues New Sanctions Against N. Korea Jul 17, 2009
The panel banned nations from selling North Korea two types of goods used in ballistic missile parts: graphite designed or specified for use in electrical discharge machining; and para-aramid fiber, filament and tape, which is a Kevlar-like material. British Ambassador John Sawers said the panel's unanimous decision, legally binding on all the U.N.'s 192 member nations, "represents a significant contribution to international action to disrupt and deter" the North's weapons of mass destruction... (CBS News)
Hubble repair mission carrying $70 million CU-Boulder instrument on track for May 11 launch May 8, 2009
Distant quasars will be used as "flashlights" to track light as it passes through the cosmic web of long, narrow filaments of galaxies and intergalactic gas separated by enormous voids, said Green. Astrophysicists have theorized that a single cosmic web filament may stretch for hundreds of millions of light-years, an astonishing length considering a single light-year is about 5 ... While matter is thought to have been distributed uniformly throughout space just after the Big Bang, gravity has... (EurekAlert!)
The tiniest incandescent lamp May 5, 2009
4 micrometres long and just 13 nanometres wide, the filament is invisible to the naked eye until it is switched on ... The carbon nanotube filament could help ... But because the nanotube filament can be considered a quantum mechanical system, Regan thinks it may not obey that law the photons it releases may be less random that those from larger filaments. (Harper's Magazine)
NASA spots most crowded space collision ever Apr 17, 2009
The is taking place in MACSJ0717, a 13 million-light-year-long stream of galaxies, gas and dark matter known as a filament. That filamentary freeway continues to pour galaxies and other matter into a region already full of galaxies ... Researchers tracked the direction of the four clusters' motions to figure out that the filament was the main culprit behind the galaxy cluster collisions. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Cosmic Heavyweights In Free-for-all Apr 17, 2009
In MACSJ0717, a 13-million-light-year-long stream of galaxies, gas and dark matter known as a filament - is pouring into a region already full of galaxies ... While the filament leading into MACJ0717 had been previously discovered, these results show for the first time that it was the source of this galactic pummeling ... First, by comparing the position of the gas and clusters of galaxies, the researchers tracked the direction of clusters' motions, which matched the orientation of the filament... (Science Daily)
