'Blue Needle' Presents New Challenge for Theorists

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Dust orbits in a needle-shaped ring around the star HD 15115 in this Hubble Space Telescope image. An occulting mask was used to block out bright starlight. The masks can be seen in the image as the dark circle in the center and the dark bar on the l ...
Dust orbits in a needle-shaped ring around the star HD 15115 in this Hubble Space Telescope image. An occulting mask was used to block out bright starlight. The masks can be seen in the image as the dark circle in the center and the dark bar on the left. Credit: NASA\ESA\UC BERKELEY

Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to study disks of debris around stars have found one that is extremely lopsided.


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All News summaries for July 19, 2007

Eruptions subside at Sicily's Mount Etna

7 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
The eruptions that have shaken the Mount Etna volcano on the southern Italian island of Sicily have subsided, experts said Sunday at the Palermo Geophysics and Volcanology Institute.

Oil powered Norway gradually turns into the wind

7 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
As Norway prepares for a future after oil, the gale-force potential of harvesting wind power off its long coastline has become an increasingly attractive proposition.

Japan aims to cut emissions by 60-80 pct by 2050: reports

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Japan aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by between 60 and 80 percent by 2050, news reports said on Sunday, as part of measures setting out the country's long term environmental goals.

Artificial reef near Miami is cemetery, diving attraction

May 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- About 45 feet beneath the ocean's surface lies a cemetery with gates, pathways, plaques and even benches. The Neptune Memorial Reef, which opened last fall, is seen by its creators as a perfect final ...

Sahara made slow transition from green to desert: study

May 10, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
The Sahara became the world's biggest hot desert some 2,700 years ago after a very slow fade from green, according to a new study which clashes with the theory that desertification came abruptly.