World's Most Sensitive Astronomical Camera Developed Oct 1, 2009
The camera is made up of a CCD controller for counting photons; a digital imagery device that amplifies photons observed by astronomical cameras or by other instruments used in situations of very low luminosity. The controller produces 25 gigabytes of data per second. (Science Daily)
The Andromeda Galaxy Aug 24, 2009
3 million light years, but because of its vast size and luminosity it is visible to the naked eye. The galaxy extends for over two and a quarter degrees on the night sky, which is more than four times the width of the full moon. (Suite101.com)
LOOKING UP: Watch a star and measure the Universe Aug 22, 2009
Astronomers found a relation between the time period and the star s luminosity. By watching how long it takes the star to regularly dim and brighten, its luminosity is found ... She determined the relationship between the time period and the luminosity, and reported it in 1912. (Medfield Press, MA)
Variability in type Ia supernova Aug 21, 2009
Type 1a supernovae result from the violent explosion of a white dwarf star, and since their initial conditions are thought to be roughly the same in all cases, they tend to have the same luminosity ... "Most importantly, the width and peak luminosity of the light curve are correlated in a way that agrees with what observers have found," says Woosley. (Astronomy Now Online)
Variability Of Type 1a Supernovae Has Implications For Dark Energy Studies Aug 20, 2009
Since the initial conditions are about the same in all cases, these supernovae tend to have the same luminosity, and their "light curves" (how the luminosity changes over time) are predictable ... "Most importantly, the width and peak luminosity of the light curve are correlated in a way that agrees with what observers have found. So the models are consistent with the observations on which the discovery of dark energy was based," Woosley said. (Science Daily)
10 things you need to know about paint Aug 15, 2009
Nationwide, there's a trend to use higher sheens, like an eggshell finish, vs. a flat or matte finish to increase the room's luminosity. In some instances, a higher sheen solves a decorating problem. (AZCentral -- Home)
Planet-Hunting Spacecraft Shows Its Stuff by Detecting a Known Exoplanet Aug 7, 2009
Crucially, Kepler also detected a slight dip in luminosity, much less dramatic than the dimming associated with the planet passing in front of the star, when HAT-P-7 b passed behind its star the spacecraft was seeing only the star's light, without the reflection and glow from the exoplanet. "When the planet is orbiting the star, when it goes in front of the star, of course, you see the transit the planet is blocking the light from the star," Koch says. (Scientific American)
Astronomers Size Up a Candidate for Midsize Black Hole Jul 2, 2009
Farrell says that the extreme luminosity of the object, dubbed HLX-1, makes it the most compelling such candidate yet. (Even though a black hole's gravitational pull precludes the escape of radiation from its grasp, emissions, in this case x-rays, from the material falling rapidly into a black hole can reveal its existence. (Scientific American)
XMM-Newton discovers a new class of black holes Jul 2, 2009
If it is indeed located in this distant galaxy, HLX-1 is very luminous in X-rays; peaking at 260 million times the luminosity of the Sun ... They found that the only way to explain its intense luminosity was if HLX-1 harboured a black hole greater than 500 solar masses. (Scientific American)
Astronomers unravel secrets of space blobs Jun 25, 2009
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes examined the distant gas balls and found that their luminosity is likely due to energy released by black holes and star formation inside the galaxies. "For 10 years the had been buried from view, but now we've uncovered their power source," said James Geach of Britain's Durham University, who led the study. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Astronomers Pioneer New Method for Finding Exoplanets May 30, 2009
Given the host stars extremely low luminosity and cool temperature, the planet receives only a small fraction of the energy Earth intercepts from the Sun. However, a massive planet such as VB 10b generates a copious amount of internal heat, meaning its cloudtops may experience temperatures that would be comfortable to humans. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Cosmology's Best Standard Candles Get Even Better May 23, 2009
SNfactory member Rollin Thomas of Berkeley Lab s Computational Research Division, who analyzes the physics of supernovae, says, While the luminosity of a Type Ia supernova indeed depends on its physical features, it also depends on intervening dust. The 642/443 ratio somehow aligns those two factors, and it s not the only ratio that does. (Science Daily)
NRL part of multi-national team that launches Herschel Space Observatory May 15, 2009
Dr. Fischer will use the Herschel Space Observatory to study mergers of galaxies that emit most of their immense luminosity in the terahertz spectral range, and are therefore known as the ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). These galaxy mergers are hypothesized to be responsible for the evolution of galaxies from gas-rich spiral galaxies to gas-poor elliptical ones. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Newfound spiral galaxies oddly young Apr 29, 2009
However, this scenario would require the galaxies' luminosity to multiply by about 30 times after merging a boost much greater than is usually seen. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Duke physicists see the cosmos in a coffee cup Apr 15, 2009
And because these clones are of seemingly equal brightness, subtracting one luminosity from the other results in a difference of zero ... For instance, if lensing produces four light source copies of uneven brightnesses, the relative dimness of some is precisely balanced by the relative luminosity of others so they cancel each other out. (EurekAlert!)
Galaxies Like Milky Way May Be Relatively New Apr 11, 2009
Such a model might explain these objects, since the two-fold result of such a merger might be the reduction of metal abundances due to dilution from unprocessed gas and a brief but large increase in luminosity caused by rampant star formation. As a way to distinguish between these two scenarios, Salzer and his team intend to request observing time on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to use high-resolution imaging to determine whether or not the systems might be products of merging. (Science Daily)
Researchers unveil new model of early universe Feb 18, 2009
Alvaro Orsi / Institute for Computational CosThe universe, 590 million years after the Big Bang, may have looked like this, according to computer simulations, with some stretches of dark matter (green) and galaxies with varying luminosity of star formation (yellow is brightest). Credit: Alvaro Orsi, Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Soothing, familiar colors in for 2009 Feb 11, 2009
A: Manufacturers have become so capable, through technology, of producing beautiful, complex colors and surface finishes that make them more exciting than ever before and with a bit of luminosity. For example, take a KitchenAid mixer that sits on your countertop. (AZCentral -- Home)
