In Search of Interstellar Dragon Fire

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This is a diagram showing the regions of the heliosphere. It also shows the approximate locations of Voyagers 1 and 2. Voyager 1 is traveling faster and has crossed into the heliosheath. Credit: NASAWalt Feimer
This is a diagram showing the regions of the heliosphere. It also shows the approximate locations of Voyagers 1 and 2. Voyager 1 is traveling faster and has crossed into the heliosheath. Credit: NASA/Walt Feimer

Ancient explorers set sail expecting to encounter dragons on the world's unknown oceans. NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft are searching for dragons of a different sort as they enter the boundary of our solar system – cosmic "dragons" that breathe a strange fire of high-speed atomic fragments called cosmic rays.


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All News summaries for August 20, 2007

Whale playground offers glimpse into Russia's melting Arctic

1 hour ago | User rating: not rated yet
A young whale pokes its melon-shaped head into the cool morning air near this remote island, a sign its herd is thriving despite mounting threats in Russia's melting Arctic.

N.M. cavers chart unique 'snowy' river of crystals

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. The ...

Western governors offer greenhouse emissions plan

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(AP) -- Seven Western states are joining four Canadian provinces to propose a plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions through use of a "cap and trade" system.

Cow power could generate electricity for millions

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to three per cent of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse ...

Judge: EPA must regulate ship water discharge

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(AP) -- An appeals court Wednesday upheld a ruling ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the water discharged from ships as a way to protect local ecosystems from invasive species.