Space

Do Abell 222 And Abell 223 Contain The Universe's 'Missing' Baryonic Matter?

A team of Dutch and German astronomers have discovered part of the missing matter in the Universe using the European X-ray satellite XMM-Newton. They observed a filament of hot gas connecting two clusters of galaxies. This tenuous hot gas could be part of ...

Article - News Staff - May 8 2008 - 12:18am

Have The Antennae Galaxies Moved Or Were We Wrong By 20 Million Light Years?

The Antennae Galaxies, located in the constellation of Corvus (the Crow), are among the closest known merging galaxies. The two galaxies, also known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, began interacting a few hundred million years ago, creating one of the most impre ...

Article - News Staff - May 9 2008 - 9:25am

Astronomers Detect Carbon Monoxide Molecule 11 Billion Light-Years Away

A goal that remained elusive for 25 years has now allowed astronomers to obtain the most precise measurement of the cosmic temperature at an incredible distance; in a well-hidden galaxy whose light has taken almost 11 billion years to reach us- about 80% o ...

Article - News Staff - May 12 2008 - 3:31pm

Don't have a compass? Use the constellations!

Hello, Ms. Nufer's class, and welcome to your very own blog about science! Since you're learning about astronomy right now, I'll keep you updated on news from the astronomy field. If you have questions or comments, be sure to submit them an ...

Blog Post - Maggie Nufer - May 12 2008 - 3:45pm

How your thumb can teach you about astronomy...

Here's a fun experiment, one you've probably done already a million times: stick your arm out in front of you. Stick up your left thumb, like you're giving the thumbs up. Close one eye- see where your thumb is? Okay, now switch eyes and clo ...

Blog Post - Maggie Nufer - May 12 2008 - 3:40pm

Expanding Supernova Marks Youngest Yet- And There May Be 10 Even Younger

NASA held a press conference today to announce the discovery of a discovery of the most recent supernova in our galaxy. The discovery was made by tracking the rapid expansion of its remains. The supernova explosion occurred about 140 years ago, making it t ...

Article - News Staff - May 14 2008 - 3:14pm

What Do An Ethiopian King, A Candle And Minnesota Have In Common?

They all relate to Cepheid variables! Before you tune out because it sounds like a hard concept to understand, bear with me. I’ll start with a story from Greek mythology. (Notice how a lot of the constellations have stories from myths?) ...

Article - Maggie Nufer - May 15 2008 - 9:16pm

Hydroxyl Molecule Discovered On Venus

Hydroxyl is made up of a hydrogen and oxygen atom each. It has been found on another planet for the first time- in the upper reaches of the atmosphere of Venus, some 100 km above the surface- by Venus Express’s Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrom ...

Article - News Staff - May 15 2008 - 10:33am

"Pulsars Like This Are Why You Do These Surveys"- David Champion, CSIRO

An obese oddball of a star has left astronomers wondering how it could have formed. Found with the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, the star is a pulsar – a compact, rapidly spinning star – called J1903+0327. It lies 20,000 light-years away spinning ...

Article - News Staff - May 16 2008 - 8:30am

Shallow Radar Discovers The Upper Mantle Of Mars Is Colder Than Thought

New observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that the crust and upper mantle of Mars are stiffer and colder than previously thought. The findings suggest any liquid water that might exist below the planet's surface and any po ...

Article - News Staff - May 18 2008 - 11:03pm