Astronomy posts
- October 5, 2012
- 01:06 PM
- 532 views
Livermore experiments illuminate how order arises in the cosmos
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
One of the unsolved mysteries of contemporary science is how highly organized structures can emerge from the random motion of particles. This applies to many situations ranging from astrophysical objects that extend over millions of light years to the birth of life on Earth.... Read more »
Breanna Bishop. (2012) Livermore experiments illuminate how order arises in the cosmos. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. info:/
- October 5, 2012
- 09:57 AM
- 579 views
UCLA astronomers discover star racing around black hole at center of our galaxy
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
UCLA astronomers report the discovery of a remarkable star that orbits the enormous black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy in a blistering 11-and-a-half years — the shortest known orbit of any star near this black hole.... Read more »
Stuart Wolpert. (2012) UCLA astronomers discover star racing around black hole at center of our galaxy. UCLA Newsroom. info:/
- September 30, 2012
- 06:19 PM
- 533 views
Measuring the universe’s exit door
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
The point of no return: In astronomy, it’s known as a black hole — a region in space where the pull of gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Black holes that can be billions of times more massive than our sun may reside at the heart of most galaxies. Such supermassive black holes are so powerful that activity at their boundaries can ripple throughout their host galaxies.... Read more »
Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office. (2012) Measuring the universe’s ‘exit door’. MIT News Office. info:/
- September 26, 2012
- 06:00 PM
- 260 views
Supernova 1006 lived fast and left no companion behind
by Kelly Oakes in Basic Space
A supernova that lit up the skies in the year 1006 lived and died fast, leaving no companion star behind, astronomers have found. The result is the latest clue in a puzzle that has been troubling astronomers for some time – how does this type of stellar explosion happen?... Read more »
Jonay I. González Hernández, Pilar Ruiz-Lapuente, Hugo M. Tabernero, David Montes, Ramon Canal, Javier Méndez, & Luigi R. Bedin. (2012) No surviving evolved companions of the progenitor of SN 1006. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature11447
- September 24, 2012
- 05:24 PM
- 561 views
Dark matter effect might be explained by modified way to calculate inertial mass
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
One of the first observations suggesting the existence of an invisible dark matter came in 1933 when astronomer Fritz Zwicky noticed that galaxy clusters were more energetic than they should be, according to the mass of visible stars in them, and he proposed dark matter to explain the discrepancy. Later observations of galaxies (by Rubin & Ford, among others) showed that the galaxies’ edges were rotating as fast as the insides of the galaxies, even though acceleration is supposed to decrea........ Read more »
Lisa Zyga. (2012) Dark matter effect might be explained by modified way to calculate inertial mass. Phys.org. info:/
- September 24, 2012
- 03:12 PM
- 555 views
A Clock that Will Last Forever
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
Imagine a clock that will keep perfect time forever, even after the heat-death of the universe. This is the “wow” factor behind a device known as a “space-time crystal,” a four-dimensional crystal that has periodic structure in time as well as space. However, there are also practical and important scientific reasons for constructing a space-time crystal. ... Read more »
Lynn Yarris. (2012) A Clock that Will Last Forever. Berkeley Lab News Center. info:/
- September 17, 2012
- 06:40 PM
- 645 views
First Images from the Dark Energy Camera Help SLAC-Stanford Astrophysicists Seek the Invisible
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
When the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) opened its giant eye last week and began taking pictures of the ancient light from far-off galaxies, more than 120 members of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) eagerly awaited the first snapshots. Those images have now arrived.... Read more »
Lori Ann White. (2012) First Images from the Dark Energy Camera Help SLAC-Stanford Astrophysicists Seek the Invisible. SLAC News Centre / Fermilab. info:/
- September 17, 2012
- 01:27 AM
- 320 views
What Microfossils Found in Meteorites Can Tell Us
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
While most people associate the term microfossil with the strange ALH 84001 object, there are plenty of other more concrete examples of tiny fossilized organisms. Research conducted with scanning electron microscope equipment has created a wide array of scientific literature regarding these small remains of living organisms. While marine objects don’t necessary have anything to [...]... Read more »
Emmanuelle J. Javaux, Craig P. Marshall, & Andrey Bekker. (2010) Organic-walled microfossils in 3.2-billion-year-old shallow-marine siliciclastic deposits . Nature, 934-938. DOI: 10.1038/nature08793
- September 14, 2012
- 01:22 PM
- 687 views
Where is all the lithium?
by Brooke N in Smaller Questions
According to standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the universe should have more lithium than we have previously observed. A new method suggestions maybe the universe isn't quite as off from our theories as we thought.... Read more »
Howk JC, Lehner N, Fields BD, & Mathews GJ. (2012) Observation of interstellar lithium in the low-metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud. Nature, 489(7414), 121-3. PMID: 22955622
- September 10, 2012
- 03:35 PM
- 541 views
The mystery of dark matter may be near to being deciphered
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
The universe is comprised of a large amount of invisible matter, dark matter. It fills the space between the galaxies and between the stars in the galaxies. Since the prediction of the existence of dark matter more than 70 years ago, all sorts of researchers – astronomers, cosmologists and particle physicists have been looking for answers to what it could be. With the latest observations from the Planck satellite, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, may be closer than ........ Read more »
Niels Bohr Institute News. (2012) The mystery of dark matter may be near to being deciphered. University of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute News. info:/
- September 9, 2012
- 05:36 AM
- 265 views
Geometric Illusions in Astronauts
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic
Geometric illusions in astronauts sounds like the title of a late 70s prog album, but it's actually the topic of a remarkable psychology paper just published.Authors Gilles Clement and colleagues of the impressively-named International Space University were interested in the effects of zero gravity on optical illusions and the perception of shape.They hypothesized that our sense of gravity pointing down (via the inner ears) is responsible for certain visual illusions. In the Inverted T illusion,........ Read more »
Clément G, Skinner A, Richard G, & Lathan C. (2012) Geometric illusions in astronauts during long-duration spaceflight. Neuroreport. PMID: 22955144
- August 30, 2012
- 03:00 PM
- 486 views
The Radio Background: Deeper Understanding through Confusion
by Brooke N in Smaller Questions
A discussion of a new paper about what can be learned from the radio sky 'background.' When is blank sky not blank?... Read more »
J. J. Condon, W. D. Cotton, E. B. Fomalont, K. I. Kellermann, N. Miller, R. A. Perley, D. Scott, T. Vernstrom, & J. V. Wall. (2012) Resolving the Radio Source Background: Deeper Understanding Through Confusion. ApJ. arXiv: 1207.2439v2
Owen, Frazer N.; Morrison, G. E. (2008) The Deep Swire Field. I. 20 cm Continuum Radio Observations: A Crowded Sky. The Astronomical Journal, 135(5). DOI: 10.1088/0004-6256/136/5/1889
D. J. Fixsen, A. Kogut, S. Levin, M. Limon4, P. Lubin, P. Mirel, M. Seiffert, J. Singal, E. Wollack, T. Villela.... (2011) ARCADE 2 MEASUREMENT OF THE ABSOLUTE SKY BRIGHTNESS AT 3-90 GHz. ApJ, 734(1). DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/734/1/5
- August 26, 2012
- 02:44 PM
- 327 views
The Logistics of Scientific Growth in the 21st Century
by caseybergman in I wish you'd made me angry earlier
Over the last few months, I’ve noticed an growing number of reports about declining opportunities and increasing pressure for early stage academic researchers (Ph.D. students, post-docs and junior faculty). For example, the Washington Post published an article in early July about trends in the U.S. scientific job market entitled “U.S. pushes for more scientists, but [...]... Read more »
Kealey T. (2000) More is less. Economists and governments lag decades behind Derek Price's thinking. Nature, 405(6784), 279. PMID: 10830939
Sauermann H, & Roach M. (2012) Science PhD career preferences: levels, changes, and advisor encouragement. PloS one, 7(5). PMID: 22567149
- August 13, 2012
- 03:24 PM
- 652 views
New eye sweeps the gamma sky: Tübingen Researchers participate
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
H.E.S.S. II in Namibia observes the most violent and extreme phenomena of the Universe in very high energy gamma-rays.... Read more »
University of Tübingen. (2012) New eye sweeps the gamma sky: Tübingen Researchers participate. University of Tübingen News. info:/
- August 8, 2012
- 03:50 PM
- 757 views
New 3D Map of Massive Galaxies and Black Holes Offers Clues to Dark Matter, Dark Energy
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
Astronomers have constructed the largest-ever three-dimensional map of massive galaxies and distant black holes, which will help the investigation of the mysterious “dark matter” and “dark energy” that make up 96 percent of the universe.... Read more »
New York University, & Press release. (2012) New 3D Map of Massive Galaxies and Black Holes Offers Clues to Dark Matter, Dark Energy. NYU News. info:/
- August 7, 2012
- 02:38 PM
- 455 views
New planets for old stars
by Invader Xan in Supernova Condensate
Conventional wisdom says that planets form with stars. Following the formation of a star, a collection of gravitationally bound material in orbit around that star will form a protoplanetary disk, which will coalesce into planets. So deeply ingrained in our … Continue reading →... Read more »
Jura, M., & Turner, J. (1998) A mysterious dust clump in a disk around an evolved binary star system. Nature, 395(6698), 144-145. info:/10.1038/25938
- July 31, 2012
- 05:04 AM
- 330 views
A Vampire Star and Its Victim
by United Academics in United Academics
An international team of researchers has found that most very bright stars have a companion star, and that there is often a mass transfer from one star to the other.... Read more »
H. Sana, S. E. de Mink, A. de Koter, N. Langer, C. J. Evans, M. Gieles, E. Gosset, R. G. Izzard, J.-B. Le Bouquin, & F. R. N. Schneider. (2012) Binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1223344
- July 20, 2012
- 08:00 PM
- 238 views
Spiral Galaxy...Is Old
by Brooke N in Smaller Questions
Grand design spiral galaxies are the most ordered collections of stars in the universe. One would assume that those galaxies--with their organized orbits, central core, and twisting arms--didn't just pop into existence right away. One would think that they took some time after the Big Bang to compose themselves. However, astronomers have recently found that the formation of spiral galaxies--or at least one spiral galaxy--doesn't have to take very long at all.... Read more »
David R. Law, Alice E. Shapley, Charles C. Steidel, Naveen A. Reddy, Charlotte R. Christensen, & Dawn K. Erb. (2012) High velocity dispersion in a rare grand-design spiral galaxy at redshift z . Nature, 338-340. DOI: 10.1038/nature11256
- July 19, 2012
- 12:59 PM
- 362 views
The Soot Line: Between fire and ice
by Invader Xan in Supernova Condensate
The question of precisely what happens as stars and planets condense from vast clouds of gas is still very much an unanswered one. We have some good ideas of how things work, but really it’s difficult to be certain. Newly … Continue reading →... Read more »
Kress, Monika E., Tielens, Alexander G. G. M., & Frenklach, Michael. (2010) The ‘soot line’: Destruction of presolar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the terrestrial planet-forming region of disks. Advances in Space Research, 46(1), 44-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2010.02.004
- July 17, 2012
- 04:42 PM
- 661 views
Black hole nucleosynthesis
by Invader Xan in Supernova Condensate
If I had to pick a handful of favourite things in all of physics, black holes and nuclear fusion would be among them. Hands down. This interesting little paper which I stumbled across earlier (via a link to the APS … Continue reading →... Read more »
Fabio Iocco, & Miguel Pato. (2012) Lithium Synthesis in Microquasar Accretion. Phys. Rev. Lett., 109(2), 21102. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.021102
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