Space

Discovery: Peg V392b Is The Oldest Known Planet In The Universe

An international team of astronomers wants to answer the question, "Will the world end with a bang or a whimper?" Using an array of telescopes around the globe, a team of 23 researchers led by Italian astronomer Dr. Roberto Silvotti of the Observ ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 25 2007 - 5:26pm

Black Holes Are The 'Birth Control' Of Space

Stars in galaxies are similar to people: during the first phase of their existence they grow rapidly but they slow later, and we can see it, says Dutch astronomer Mariska Kriek with the Gemini Telescope on Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 25 2007 - 12:19pm

Interferometric Model Discovers Disc Of The Ant Nebula

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer and its unique ability to see small details, astronomers have uncovered a flat, nearly edge-on disc of silicates in the heart of the magnificent Ant Nebula. The disc seems, however, too 'skinny' ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 27 2007 - 5:54pm

NASA's Dawn Spacecraft Enroute To Shed Light On Asteroid Belt

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is on its way to study a pair of asteroids after lifting off Thursday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:34 a.m. EDT. Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., received tel ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 28 2007 - 1:59am

The 'Missing Link' In Planet Formation Theories: Embryonic Planets Found?

Astronomers at the University of Rochester are pointing to three nearby stars they say may hold "embryonic planets"—a missing link in planet-formation theories. As scientists try to piece together how our own planet came to be, they look to the f ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 1 2007 - 11:11am

McNaught Comet's Impact On Solar Wind A New Physics Mystery

Comets are made of the most primitive stuff in the solar system. As hunks of rock and ice that never coalesced into more planets, they give researchers clues to the evolution of solar systems. In February, during its mission to study the sun's polar r ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 1 2007 - 10:40pm

NGC 3603 Shows Its Diversity

Discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1834, NGC 3603 is known to harbour a blue supergiant star called Sher 25, believed to be on the verge of exploding as a supernova. It is often known as the Milky Way counterpart of the predecessor of the now-famous supern ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 2 2007 - 8:47pm

Solar Hurricane Detaches Tail Of Encke's Comet

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory report they have captured the first images of a collision between a comet and a solar hurricane. It is the first time scientists have witnessed such an event on another cosmic body. The phenomenon was caused by a ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 2 2007 - 9:28pm

Astronomers Build The Best Monster Trucks

Otto, the first of the two ALMA antenna transporters, was given its name at a ceremony on the compounds of heavy-vehicle specialist Scheuerle Fahrzeugfabrik GmbH, in Baden-Württemberg. This new colossus is 10 meters wide, 20 meters long and 6 meters high a ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 6 2007 - 8:24pm

NASA's New Emergency Egress System For Astronaut Evacuation Is Basically The Coolest Roller Coaster Ever

There hasn't been an emergency on the launch pad that required the use of an emergency evacuation system for astronauts but, to be safe, NASA has updated earlier systems of escape for Launch Complex 39B, hosting the new Orion spacecraft and Ares I roc ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 8 2007 - 6:44pm