Space telescope spies dark matterAstronomers have used telescopes on Earth and in space to nail the precise position of a mysterious, dark object at the outer edge of our Galaxy. The work could be an important step in understanding so-called dark matter — mysterious material that makes up about a quarter of our Universe.Most dark matter is believed to be in the form of subatomic particles that don't interact with regular atoms. But as much as 20% could also be in more traditional things that don't emit light, such as bl...
Engineers unveil China moon roverChinese scientists have shown off a prototype Moon rover that could lead to the country's first unmanned mission to the lunar surface in 2012. The 1.5m (5ft) high, 200kg (440lbs) rover should transmit video in real time, dig into and analyse soil, and produce 3D images of the lunar surface. Engineers have unveiled a prototype at the Shanghai institute where work on the six-wheeled vehicle is underway. Rival rovers are being developed at institutes in Beijing andelsewhere. It is not clear whe...
Star dies in monstrous explosionA massive star about 150 times the size of the Sun exploded in what could be a long-sought new type of supernova, Nasa scientists have said. Supernovae occur when huge, mature stars effectively run out of fuel and collapse in on themselves. But scientists believe this one was obliterated in an explosion which blasted all its material into space. And astronomers say a star in our own Milky Way galaxy could be about to perform the same celestial fireworks. The supernovastar, called SN 2006gy, was ...
Signs of water found on extrasolar planetEvidence of water has been detected for the first time in a planet outside our solar system, an astronomer said on Tuesday, a tantalizing find for scientists eager to know whether life exists beyond Earth. Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said water vapor has been found in the atmosphere of a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet located 150 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is known as HD 209458b.Other scientists reported in Fe...
The "wow" mystery turns 30Exactly 30 years ago today, astronomer Jerry Ehman was looking over a printout of radio data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw a string of code so remarkable that he had to circle it and scribble "Wow!" in the margin. The printout recorded an anomalous signal so strong that it had to come from an extraordinary source.Was it a burst of human-made interference? Or an alien broadcast from the stars? No one knows. The source of the "Wow" s...
NASA makes Exoplanet weathermapResearchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have learned what the weather is like on two distant, exotic worlds. One team of astronomers used the infrared telescope to map temperature variations over the surface of a giant gas planet, HD 189733b, revealing it likely is whipped by roaring winds. Another team determined that the gas planet HD 149026b is the hottest yet discovered. Both findings appear May 9 in Nature. "We have mapped the temperature variations across the entire surfa...
Exploring the wisps in the night skyTwo hundred seventy thousand feet above the ground, higher than 99.9 percent of the earth’s air, clouds still float around — thin, iridescent wisps of electric blue. NASA is launching a small satellite to take a closer look at these clouds at the edge of outer space and to try to understand why, in recent years, they are appearing more often over more parts of the world. They are also becoming brighter.The clouds are called noctilucent or “night shining,” because from the ground they can be seen...
Avatars "Pandora" could be a reality
With James Cameron"s science fiction epic Avatar hitting cinemas some astronomers have pointed out that a world similar to that of "Pandora" portrayed in the movie could potentiallyexistsomewhere in the universe."As James Cameron"s animated sci-fi movie Avatar goes on general release, astronomers point out that the movie"s habitable moon called "Pandora" may exist in reality." View: Full Article | Source: Discovery News...
Software ensures earth-to-Moon supply chainIf an outhouse on the moon ran out of toilet paper, an intrepid settler might have to waddle about 240,000 miles to get a fresh roll back on Earth. To make sure that doesn't happen, scientists have developed a software tool that tracks and ensures a reliable stream of necessities from the Earth to the moon. Released this month, the computer model, called SpaceNet 1.3, will be critical, say the scientists, for establishing a human presence on the Moon by 2020, as laid out in the space vision ...
28 new extrasolar planets discoveredThe world's leading team of planet-hunters has announced the discovery of 28 new planets outside our solar system. They are among 37 objects outside our solar system found to orbit distant stars. Seven of the objects are confirmed brown dwarfs - failed stars much more massive than the largest planet - and two are borderline and could be small brown dwarfs or large planets. Jason Wright of the University of California announced the team's results yesterday at the annual meeting of the Ame...
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