Space

HE 0437-5439 Dragged From The Large Magellanic Cloud... By A Mystery Black Hole?

Since the term "black hole" was coined by John Wheeler in 1967, they have been used to resolve a lot of science-fiction plot inconsistencies. Sometimes they resolve real-life ones too, especially if there is no other explanation. HE 0437-5439, is ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 28 2008 - 11:20am

It Takes A Very Large Telescope To See Inside MWC 147

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer, astronomers have probed the inner parts of the disc of material surrounding a young stellar object, witnessing how it gains its mass before becoming an adult. The astronomers had a close look at the obj ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 29 2008 - 10:16am

Dark Matter And Dark Energy: Two Faces Of The Same Coin?

Only 4% of the universe is made of known material- the other 96% is traditionally labelled into two sectors, dark matter and dark energy. Dr HongSheng Zhao at the University of St Andrews believes dark matter and its counterpart dark energy may be more clo ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 31 2008 - 10:51am

A NASA 50th Anniversary, A Beatles 40th, And A Song Across The Universe

For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song-- The Beatles' "Across the Universe"-- directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 4. The transmission over NASA's Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 4 2009 - 12:29pm

'Stolen' Starlight In 100,000 Galaxies- Coming Your Way In 2008

When the Herschel Space Observatory launches on an Ariane-5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guiana, in July 2008, astronomers will be able to examine some of the coldest objects in the universe. Herschel will have the largest mirror of ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 1 2008 - 10:49am

NGC 1132- A Cosmic Fossil In A Halo Of Dark Matter

The elliptical galaxy NGC 1132 (Hubble picture and video below) belongs to a category of galaxies called giant ellipticals. NGC 1132, together with the small dwarf galaxies surrounding it, are dubbed a “fossil group” as they are most likely the remains of ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 5 2008 - 12:28pm

Discovery: OGLE-2006-BLG-109L Is A Solar System Similar To Ours

Scaled versions of Jupiter and Saturn orbiting a star 5000 light-years away, half as massive as the Sun, have been revealed from an effort involving a world-wide net of telescopes, including the UK's Liverpool Telescope on the Canary Islands. This mar ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 14 2008 - 7:31pm

February's Red Moon: Lunar Eclipse On 21 February

People across the western hemisphere may be surprised to see a rust-colored Moon in the sky in a few days- an ominous omen to ancient people but a more predictable occurrence now. Early on 21 February (the evening of the 20 February for observers in North ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 20 2008 - 6:30pm

Eta Carinae Shows High Energy X-Rays On Our Cosmic Doorstep

ESA’s Integral has made the first unambiguous discovery of high-energy X-rays coming from a rare massive star at our cosmic doorstep, Eta Carinae. It is one of the most violent places in the galaxy, producing vast winds of electrically-charged particles co ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 20 2008 - 11:48am

The Mystery Of 'Global Weather' On Venus

Venus, it turns out, is a planet of extraordinarily changeable and extremely large-scale weather. Bright hazes appear in a matter of days, reaching from the south pole to the low southern latitudes and disappearing just as quickly. This kind of ‘global wea ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 21 2008 - 10:45am