Astronomers Discover Most Dark Matter-dominated Galaxy In Universe Sep 19, 2008
The galaxy, called Segue 1, is one of about two dozen small satellite galaxies orbiting our own Milky Way galaxy ... Geha, along with her colleague Josh Simon at the California Institute of Technology, has observed about half of the dwarf satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way ... But by analyzing the light coming from the objects using the Keck telescope in Hawaii, Geha and Simon showed that these objects are actually galaxies themselves, albeit very dim ones. (Science Daily)
Stars Migrate Through Galaxies, Study Suggests Sep 19, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008. Rebecca Carrollfor September 18, 2008. (National Geographic)
Black hole "missing link" in galaxy found Sep 19, 2008
Most galaxies, including the Milky Way, are believed to contain super-massive black holes at their centers ... When two colliding galaxies finally merge, it is thought the black holes at their cores may fuse together too. (Xinhuanet, China)
Top 10 Things We Want in a KOTOR MMO Sep 19, 2008
Star Wars Galaxies is a textbook example of this, as it suffers from an overabundance of Jedi. However, BioWare should give the other classes (whatever they may be) a way to compete with Jedi that still maintains the integrity of the setting. (IGN PC Games)
Universe's 'dimmest-known galaxy' found Sep 19, 2008
According to them, the galaxy, known as Segue 1, is one of roughly two dozen dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way -- it sits close to the Sagittarius stream which is a river of stellar debris torn from another dwarf galaxy ... Although the total brightness of the galaxy adds up to less that 350 times the brightness of the Sun, it must weigh at least 450,000 suns -- and possibly 20 times that amount if it is as large as other dwarf galaxies ... In fact, the object is one of a larger group of... (Hindu)
Hubble shuttle mission has ties to Boulder Sep 18, 2008
Scientists will use the spectrograph to study the chemical composition of space gases, stars and galaxies. It s designed to be capable of peering far enough into space to study light emitted 10 billion years ago. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Scientists Find Black Hole 'Missing Link' Sep 18, 2008
Most galaxies, including the Milky Way, are believed to contain super-massive black holes at their centres. The researchers, who publish their findings in the prestigious scientific journal Nature today (Thursday, September 18), say their discovery will increase the understanding of how gas behaves before falling on to a black hole as it feeds and develops. (Science Daily)
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Hubble Snaps Rare Aligned Galaxies Sep 18, 2008
September 17, 2008 A distant blob in space long thought to be a single object is actually two galaxies in rare alignment, a newly released image from the reveals ... But a clear view of the two aligned galaxies behind NGC 253 offered the team a rare chance to examine "tentacles of dust" beyond the smaller galaxy's disk of starlight. (National Geographic)
How Fractals Can Explain What's Wrong with Wall Street Sep 17, 2008
The geometry that describes the shape of coastlines and the patterns of galaxies also elucidates how stock prices soar and plummet. By Benoit B. Mandelbrot. (Scientific American)
Galactic gluttony can overstuff black holes Sep 17, 2008
Natarajan said their findings could have implications for galaxy formation since many of the largest galaxies appear to develop with black holes at their centers ... Black holes start out as "small seeds and grow with time by feeding on gas" that is eventually replenished as galaxies merge, Treister said ... A collision of two big galaxies with black holes also can create one super-huge black hole, he said. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Spotting dark matter WIMPs Sep 17, 2008
The existence of dark matter has been surmised indirectly, through the gravitational pull it exerts on light from distant stars and galaxies. But getting direct confirmation of it has been a headache. (iAfrica.com)
Hubble spies two spiral galaxies aligning Sep 17, 2008
They don't yet know the distance between the two galaxies, but they think they're relatively close in space terms ... Astronomers were actually photographing NGC 253 when they spotted these two galaxies in the background ... Viewed with a ground-based telescope, the two galaxies look like a single blob. (USA Today -- Tech)
HUBBLE: Galaxy Silhouettes Sep 17, 2008
Image: Overlapping Galaxies 2MASX J00482185-2507365 ... NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a rare alignment between two spiral galaxies ... They do not know if these dusty structures are common features in galaxies. (USA Today -- Tech)
They're back Sep 16, 2008
If the universe is less than 10,000 years old, then: all of geology and biology are wrong; the speed of light has been wrongly calculated, so Einsteinian physics is wrong; the distance and speed of other galaxies has been wrongly calculated, meaning that all of astronomy and therefore Newtonian physics are also wrong. For informed people to challenge accepted scientific orthodoxy on the basis of proper evidence is always healthy, but to debunk the whole of science on the back of a story passed... (BBC News -- UK)
Dark Matter Disk In Our Galaxy: Astronomers Sep 16, 2008
16, 2005) A new analysis that refutes challenges to the existence of dark matter in certain galaxies appears in an article published this week in the journal Nature ... 30, 2007) Researchers using supercomputer simulations have exposed a very violent and critical relationship between interstellar gas and dark matter when galaxies are born -- one that has been largely ignored. (Science Daily)
Astronomers Tune In To 'Radio Universe' Sep 13, 2008
How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve ... Therefore, new technology was required to make the next step in sensitivity necessary to unravel the secrets of the early universe, the physical processes in the centres of galaxies, and the formation of quasars, stars and planets. (Science Daily)
Flying above Jupiter Sep 13, 2008
We see many of these dust lanes from afar when looking at different galaxies. The Great Rift is marking one in our neighborhood and makes for a great place to begin sweeping with binoculars. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
1843 Stellar Blast: New Type Of Star Explosion? Sep 11, 2008
This well-documented event in our own Milky Way Galaxy is probably related to a class of faint stellar explosions in other galaxies recognized in recent years by telescopes searching for extragalactic supernovae. "There is a class of stellar explosions going off in other galaxies for which we still don't know the cause, but Eta Carinae is the prototype," said Smith, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow ... Much fainter than a supernova, the explosion that generated the fast-moving blast wave around... (Science Daily)
Physicists run first particles through CERN collider Sep 11, 2008
They also hope to identify the nature of the mysterious invisible dark matter that makes up 25 percent of the universe and provides the scaffolding for galaxies. Some dream of revealing new dimensions of space-time. (International Herald Tribune)
Secrets of the hidden universe: first hurdle cleared in hunt for ... Sep 11, 2008
"Within weeks, the machine could produce particles of dark matter, a mysterious substance that stretches through the universe and clings around galaxies. The discovery would be profound.Astronomers know that normal matter, the stuff of stars and planets, makes up only 5% of the observable universe. Dark matter accounts for a further 25%, with the remaining 70% being the even more exotic dark energy, which drives the expansion of the cosmos.By creating a microcosm of the big bang, scientists hope... (guardian.co.uk)
Aliens could create galactic Internet Sep 10, 2008
The team said that information could thus be shuttled around our galaxy's network of 500 or so Cepheids, and out as far as the Virgo cluster of galaxies. "The beauty of the idea is that we have over a century of data on Cepheid variability so it is necessary only to look at it a new way to spot the signature of ET tampering," Learned told New Scientist. (India Times)
Upper Mass Limit For Black Holes? Sep 10, 2008
Once considered rare and exotic objects, black holes are now known to exist throughout the Universe, with the largest and most massive found at the centres of the largest galaxies ... These ultra-massive black holes, found at the centres of giant elliptical galaxies in huge galaxy clusters, are the biggest in the known Universe ... The new findings have implications for the future study of galaxy formation, since many of the largest galaxies in the Universe appear to co-evolve along with the... (Science Daily)
Light years from Andromeda Sep 10, 2008
Wed Sep 10, 2008, 08:41 AM EDT. A beam of light leaves the Andromeda Galaxy and travels across the void of intergalactic space. (Danvers Herald, MA)
Art Imitates Life: Long-Awaited Spore Video Game Based on Real Scientific Research Sep 10, 2008
Spore allows players to create cosmic life ranging from microbes to complex sentients, and have them form social groups and even reshape galaxies. The Creature Creator, a Spore software tool that's already available, allows anyone to quickly design their own "aliens" for use in Spore, starting with a basic body form and adding appendages, facial features, and various skin textures and colors. (IGN PC Games)
'Water Bears' Able To Survive Exposure To Space Sep 9, 2008
Astronomers removed light from closer and better known galaxies and stars from pictures taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The remaining images. (Science Daily)
Hawking bets against CERN mega-machine Sep 9, 2008
"Their existence would be a key confirmation of string theory, and they could make up the mysterious dark matter that holds galaxies together," he told the BBC.. "Whatever the LHC finds, or fails to find, the results will tell us a lot about the structure of the universe," he added. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Planetarium show to give 'tour' of universe Sep 8, 2008
"This show will give some explanation concerning the 'Big Bang' and the early universe."Gardner will describe the universe in terms of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, showing the location of planet Earth and its position in its own galaxy, the Milky Way. The tour will end with a "flight" through the solar system, from the sun to the outer-most objects, such as Pluto and other celestial bodies. (East Tennessean, TN)
Electronic Arts spawns Spore -- which may be a benevolent god Sep 6, 2008
The Electronic Arts game lets people play god, tinker with a digital primordial soup and birth civilizations that conquer galaxies ... The Electronic Arts game lets people play god, tinker with a digital primordial soup and birth civilizations that conquer galaxies ... By Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 6, 2008 Spore lets people play god, tinker with a digital primordial soup and birth civilizations that conquer galaxies. (Los Angeles Times)
Shedding Light on a Black Hole Sep 5, 2008
It's thought that black holes -- superdense objects that suck matter, light and energy into themselves -- lie at the center of most galaxies, though the theory hasn't been proved. The detailed images obtained through the University of Arizona's Submillimeter Telescope on Mount Graham, along with telescopes in Hawaii and California, for the first time put a limit on the size of the object at the center of the galaxy, said Lucy Ziurys, director of the Arizona Radio Observatory and a co-author of a... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Silicon Valley Icons to Send DNA into Space Sep 5, 2008
My hope is that aliens get a hold of my DNA so my clones can spread entrepreneurship to galaxies throughout the universe, says Mr. Draper. The "Immortality Drive" is currently in the process of being loaded with information from people all over the world at the website. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Dalton Conley Replies Sep 5, 2008
In a New York Times op-ed that I published on Sept. 3 (""), I argued that Americans in the top half of the income distribution are experiencing what I called an "economic red shift." Like the shift in the light spectrum caused by the galaxies rushing away, those Americans who are in the top half of the income distribution (where inequality is rising) experience a sensation that, while they may be pulling away from the bottom half, they are also being left further and further behind by those just... (Slate)
Space Shuttle Atlantis Moves to Launch Pad Sep 5, 2008
New Hubble Images - When Galaxies Collide. Video - Flame Trench Repair. (Space Com)
Scientists size up galaxys black hole Sep 4, 2008
Since our own galaxy's apparent supermassive black hole is the closest of its kind to us, it offers a unique chance to study how these objects behave and affect galaxies. "This is the best black hole candidate that we have anywhere in the universe, the best chance we have to observe the kind of signatures we would expect around the immediate vicinity of a black hole," said study leader Sheperd Doeleman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (MSNBC -- Politics)
The Oregon Star Party Sep 4, 2008
The most challenging list consisted of , a distant Seyfert galaxy or quasar, and seven dwarf galaxies from our Local Group, all very large and fantastically faint. I didn't finish the list because of the limitations of the 65-mm telescope that I had brought along, but I did get my first satisfactory sighting of IC 1613, an ultrafaint galaxy in Cetus. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Scoping Out A Black Hole Sep 4, 2008
"Most galaxies are now thought to have black holes at their centers, but because Sagittarius A* is in our own galaxy, it is our best chance to observe what's happening at an event horizon.". "This pioneering paper demonstrates that such observations are feasible," commented theorist Avi Loeb of Harvard University, who was not a member of the discovery team. (Science Daily)
UA scope sheds new light on black hole Sep 4, 2008
The new observations have a resolution equivalent to being able to see, from Earth, a baseball on the surface of the moon. " The scientific findings, which will be detailed in an article in the journal Nature, are important to helping astronomers understand the composition of our galaxy, Ziurys said. Establishing the methods to look into the galaxy while coordinating the telescopes took more than six years, and astronomers already are trying to develop ways to get an even closer look, Ziurys... (Arizona Daily Star)
Thousand-ruby Galaxy: Pinwheel Shines In The Darkness Sep 3, 2008
Both the Milky Way and Messier 83 possess a bar across their galactic nucleus, the dense spherical conglomeration of stars seen at the centre of the galaxies ... Messier 83 is also one of the most prolific producers of supernovae, that is, exploding stars: this is one of the two galaxies, which had 6 supernovae in the past 100 years ... The brighter stars in the foreground are stars in our own galaxy, whilst behind M83 the darkness is peppered with the faint smudges of distant galaxies. (Science Daily)
Milky Way look-alike is a 'ruby'-studded stunner Sep 3, 2008
We're both barred spiral galaxies, but while we earned the milky description, it's nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel for its resemblance to the child's toy ... The ESO reports: "Messier 83 is also one of the most prolific producers of supernovae, that is, exploding stars: this is one of the two galaxies which had 6 supernovae in the past 100 years. One of these, SN 1957D, was observable for 30 years!". (USA Today -- Tech)
Milky Way's Central Monster Measured Aug 30, 2008
Contributor Guidelines. Advertising Information. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Doing Well in Astronomy Courses Aug 29, 2008
They go into the physical nature of planets, stars, galaxies, and the entire universe. Astronomers also study the origin and evolution of these objects. (Suite101.com)
Colliding galaxies shed light on dark matter Aug 29, 2008
"This study confirms that we are dealing with a very different kind of matter, unlike anything that we are made of. And we're able to study it in a very powerful collision of two clusters of galaxies," Dr. Bradac said in a statement. Using optical images from Hubble, the team was able to infer the distribution of the total mass of both dark and ordinary matter in the cluster using a technique known as gravitational lensing. (Globe and Mail)
Dark matter detected in cosmic crash Aug 29, 2008
"This study confirms that we are dealing with a very different kind of matter, unlike anything that we are made of. And we're able to study it in a very powerful collision of two clusters of galaxies.". The findings follow up on similar observations of the Bullet Cluster in 2006. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Science views: What do Supernovas have to do with us here on Earth? Aug 29, 2008
Paul W. Mailloux is a retired teacher in charge of the Dunn Planetarium at Danvers High School, where the public is invited to learn more about the galaxies on Friday nights at 7 p.m. Tickets are $2. 50. (Danvers Herald, MA)
Astronomers Confirm Galaxy Mergers Aug 28, 2008
A team of astronomers in Switzerland says it has witnessed galaxies in the process of joining together. The project used ground and space telescopes in gathering evidence supporting theories about how galaxies form, they announced Tuesday ... "Whether the brightest galaxies in clusters grew substantially in the last few billion years is intensely debated. Our observations show that in this time, these galaxies have increased their mass by 50 percent," group leader Kim-Vy Tran, from the... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
First light for space telescope Aug 28, 2008
Active galaxies are galaxies with extremely luminous cores powered by monster black holes. The spacecraft's secondary instrument, the GBM, spotted 31 gamma-ray bursts in its first month of operations. (BBC News -- Science)
Minimum Mass For Galaxies Discovered Aug 28, 2008
28, 2008) By analyzing light from small, faint galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, UC Irvine scientists believe they have discovered the minimum mass for galaxies in the universe 10 million times the mass of the sun ... Stars that form within these building blocks clump together and turn into galaxies ... Without it, galaxies like our own Milky Way would not exist. (Science Daily)
Clash Of Clusters Provides New Dark Matter Clue Aug 28, 2008
21, 2006) Dark matter and normal matter have been wrenched apart by the tremendous collision of two large clusters of galaxies. The discovery, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, gives. (Science Daily)
Galaxy surprise sheds light on dark matter Aug 28, 2008
Galaxies circling the Milky Way pack about the same mass, study shows. A map shows the major satellite galaxies surrounding the Milky Way ... A study of small galaxies circling around the Milky Way found that while they range dramatically in brightness, they all surprisingly pack about the same mass. (MSNBC -- Technology)
LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment Launch the Star Wars Galaxies(TM) Online Trading Card Game Aug 28, 2008
The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, "Champions of the Force" Now Available. SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the launch of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game and its first release: Champions of the Force ... Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars trading card game offered exclusively online. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Collision of galaxy clusters captured by astronomers Aug 28, 2008
"Dark matter makes up five times more matter in the universe than ordinary matter. This study confirms that we are dealing with a very different kind of matter, unlike anything that we are made of. And were able to study it in a very powerful collision of two clusters of galaxies.". Below is the complete text of the press release issued today by NASA.. (EurekAlert!)
Telescope puts never-seen objects in view Aug 27, 2008
A new space telescope, launched less than three months ago and now flying in orbit 350 miles above the Earth, is detecting powerful bursts of mysterious energy from stars and galaxies far beyond the Milky Way, an international team headed by a Stanford physicist reported Tuesday ... The other instrument is the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, which is tuned to catch every cosmic blast of gamma radiation that bursts from mystery objects in the sky - collisions of nuclear matter with high-energy cosmic... (San Francisco Chronicle)
> read more Aug 27, 2008
The spacecraft will probably tell us about how active galaxies accelerate particle jets to speeds approaching that of light, why pulsars pulse, how and where cosmic rays are accelerated, how the central engine works in gamma-ray bursts, and how the Sun generates powerful flares. If we get really lucky, FGST might even detect annihilating dark-matter particles and exploding primordial black holes. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
How Do Galaxies Grow? Massive Galaxies Caught In The Act Of Merging Aug 27, 2008
How Do Galaxies Grow. Massive Galaxies Caught In The Act Of Merging ... How Do Galaxies Grow. (Science Daily)
New Space Telescope Reveals Entire Gamma-ray Sky Aug 27, 2008
Scientists expect the telescope will discover many new pulsars in our own galaxy, reveal powerful processes near super-massive black holes at the cores of thousands of active galaxies and enable a search for signs of new physical laws ... Einstein rings are pairs of galaxies. (Science Daily)
Giant galaxy cluster seen in early universe Aug 26, 2008
See awe-inspiring views of Mercury, Mars, Saturn and distant galaxies in Julys roundup of cosmic imagery ... Astronomers have glimpsed the largest cluster of galaxies ever seen in the distant, early universe ... The discovery of this far-off group, estimated to contain as much mass as a thousand large galaxies, offers further proof of the existence of the enigmatic force called dark energy. (MSNBC -- Politics)
CCSU artist exhibits 'Dark Matter' Aug 26, 2008
Marshall says her exhibition's title is taken from a term scientists use to describe "dark matter," the so-called "missing mass" of the cosmos which cannot be observed except for its actions on surrounding stars and galaxies. The gallery at 117 W. Main St. is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. (New Britain Herald, CT)
Ark. team hopes to shed light on black holes Aug 26, 2008
LITTLE ROCK - University researchers say they have discovered a relationship between supermassive black holes and the spiraling arms of galaxies that could help understand how the universe evolved ... They are thought to play an important part in the formation and evolution of galaxies ... Scientists believe supermassive black holes are at the center of galaxies, including Earth's home, the Milky Way, where they estimate the hole weighs about 3 million times more than the sun. (Pine Bluff Commercial, AR)
Photo shows stars are born in huge cosmic wombs Aug 26, 2008
Stars are born within clouds of gas and dust that dot most galaxies. Scientists think that turbulence from the wind of other stars within these clouds gives rise to knots of material with enough mass that the gas and dust begins to collapse under their own weight. (USA Today -- Tech)
Generations Of Stars Pose For Family Portrait Aug 25, 2008
25, 2008) A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope tells a tale of life and death amidst a rich family history. The striking infrared picture shows a colorful cosmic cloud, called W5, studded with multiple generations of blazing stars. (Science Daily)
OUT-OF-TOWNERS' TOURIST DE FORC... Aug 24, 2008
That means foreigners, out- of-towners, bumpkins, yokels, aliens, visitors from inner space, fugitives from the burbs, weirdsvilles from far-off galaxies like Iowa and North Dakota and downtown Peru descending upon us. In the interests of said strange beings, I thus prep a how-to handbook, aka an NYC survival guide. (New York Post -- Gossip)
Video game maker puts hopes on Spore Aug 24, 2008
Spore, to be introduced Sept. 7, allows players to create empires and civilizations across galaxies, populated by creatures, buildings and spaceships ... "I believe there are other intelligences out there, and the closest is several galaxies away," said Wright, 48, who grew up building model cars and dreaming of space travel. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Hubble Sees Magnetic-Field Filaments Aug 23, 2008
NGC 1275 is a giant active elliptical galaxy located at the center of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies. The supermassive black hole at its core blows "bubbles" of radio-wave emitting material into the surrounding cluster gas, the ESA said, noting the galaxy's "most spectacular feature is the lacy filigree of gaseous filaments reaching out beyond the galaxy into the multi-million degree X-ray emitting gas that fills the cluster.". (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Stellar Stillbirths: Brown Dwarfs Revealed As Third Class Of Celestial Bodies After Stars And Planets Aug 23, 2008
Brown dwarfs (or BDs) are what scientists call objects which populate the galaxies apart from the stars. Unlike the latter, they cannot develop high-yield hydrogen fusion as in the interior of our sun due to their low mass (less than about 8% of the sun s mass). (Science Daily)
Stars in his eyes Aug 22, 2008
He does everything from constellation education, pointing out famous star patterns and galaxies, to laser light shows, set to the smooth sounds of Jimi Hendrix or Led Zeppelin. Its an experience, a way to teach students about space while entertaining them, too. (Gillette News-Record, WY)
How stars form amid black hole chaos Aug 22, 2008
See awe-inspiring views of Mercury, Mars, Saturn and distant galaxies in Julys roundup of cosmic imagery ... The scientists are also interested in whether this process may have occurred in other galaxies ... It is difficult to study the central regions of other galaxies because they are so far away, but it could be that this type of star formation is widespread in the universe, Bonnell said. (MSNBC -- Politics)
