Astronomy news
New Vista of Milky Way Center Unveiled
Sep 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A dramatic new vista of the center of the Milky Way galaxy from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory exposes new levels of the complexity and intrigue in the Galactic center. The mosaic of ...
Zooming to the centre of the Milky Way -- GigaGalaxy Zoom phase 2
Sep 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The second of three images of ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project has just been released online. It is a new and wonderful 340-million-pixel vista of the central parts of our home galaxy as seen ...
Watching a Supernova Come and Go
Sep 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Supernovae, the explosive deaths of massive stars, disburse into space all of the chemical elements that were spawned inside the progenitor stars.
Ganymede makes big impression on Jupiter's auroral lightshows (w/ Video)
Sep 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Studies of features in Jupiter’s spectacular and rapidly changing aurorae have given new insights into the complex electromagnetic interactions between the giant planet and two of its innermost ...
Invading black holes explain cosmic flashes
Sep 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Black holes are invading stars, providing a radical explanation to bright flashes in the universe that are one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today.
Oddball stars explained
Sep 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New observations solve longstanding mystery of tipped rotation. In addition to shedding light on how binary stars form, the explanation knocks down a possible challenge to Einstein's theory ...
In Search of Dark Asteroids (and Other Sneaky Things)
Sep 16, 2009 |
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Ninjas knew how to be stealthy: Be dark. Emit very little light. Move in the shadows between bright places.
Swift makes best-ever ultraviolet portrait of Andromeda Galaxy
Sep 16, 2009 |
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In a break from its usual task of searching for distant cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift satellite has acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet. The ...
Spot discovered on dwarf planet Haumea shows up red and rich with organics
Sep 16, 2009 |
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A dark red area discovered on dwarf planet Haumea appears to be richer in minerals and organic compounds than the surrounding icy surface. The discovery will be presented at the European Planetary Science ...
First Solid Evidence for a Rocky Exoplanet (w/ Video)
Sep 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The longest set of HARPS measurements ever made has firmly established the nature of the smallest and fastest-orbiting exoplanet known, CoRoT-7b, revealing its mass as five times that of Earth's. ...
Sophisticated telescope camera debuts with peek at nest of black holes
Sep 15, 2009 |
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Less than two months after they inaugurated the world's largest telescope, University of Florida astronomers have used one of the world's most advanced telescopic instruments to gather images of the heavens.
Kepler and the Search for Life in Our Galaxy
Sep 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- There are so many stars in our galaxy that even if planets with complex life (animals and plants) are rare - say one for every billion stars - there could still be dozens here in the Milky ...
Craters on Vesta and Ceres Could Hold Key to Jupiter's Age
Sep 15, 2009 |
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Crater patterns on Vesta and Ceres could help pinpoint when Jupiter began to form during the evolution of the early solar system.
Making Massive Stars
Sep 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Our understanding of star formation leans heavily on observations of stars like the sun, namely, those that are modest in mass and that are born and evolve at a relatively leisurely pace. ...
Black Hole Pumps Iron
Sep 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- This composite image of the Hydra A galaxy cluster shows 10-million- degree gas observed by Chandra in blue and jets of radio emission observed by the Very Large Array in pink. Optical data ...
