News (Page 493)

Shape of the universe: study could force us to rethink everything we know about the cosmos No matter how elegant your theory is, experimental data will have the last word. Observations of the retrograde motion of the planets were fundamental to the Copernican revolution, in which the sun replaced Earth at the centre of the solar system. And the unusual orbit of Mercury provided a spectacular confirmation of the theory of general relativity. In fact, our entire understanding of the universe is built on observed, unexpected anomalies. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Astrophysicist discovers numerous multiple star systems with exoplanets Is Earth the only habitable planet in the universe or are there more worlds somewhere out there that are capable of supporting life? And if there are, what might they look like? In a bid to answer these fundamental questions, scientists are searching space for exoplanets: distant worlds that orbit other stars outside our solar system. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomers conduct one of the most detailed studies of a stellar halo An international team of astronomers has used the Subaru Telescope to probe the stellar halo of the nearby Messier 81 (M81) galaxy. The observations resulted in one of the most detailed studies of a stellar halo conducted to date. The study is detailed in a paper published October 31 on arXiv.org. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Video: Proba-2 watches Mercury transit ESA’s Proba-2 had a ring-side seat for the transit of Mercury on 11 November 2019. Proba-2 monitors the sun from Earth orbit and was able to spot Mercury’s transit as a small black disc—seen here moving from left to right across the face of the sun. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Runaway star – out of the galactic heart of darkness like a bat out of hell The discovery of the star, known as S5-HVS1, was made by Sergey Koposov from Carnegie Mellon University as part of the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (S5). Located in the constellation of Grus—the Crane—S5-HVS1 was found to be moving ten times faster than most stars in the Milky Way. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

First study to combine 3-D climate modeling with chemistry refines which exoplanets are potentially habitable In order to search for life in outer space, astronomers first need to know where to look. A new Northwestern University study will help astronomers narrow down the search. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Image: Hubble touts a team of stars Within a galaxy hosting around 300 billion stars, here the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a mere handful or two—just about enough to form a single football team. These stellar “teammates” play under the banner of NGC 1333, the cloud of gas and dust that formed them and that they continue to call home. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomers investigate a curious case of a supernova connected with gamma-ray burst Using a set of space and ground-based telescopes, an international team of astronomers has conducted a detailed study of the supernova SN 2017htp associated with the gamma-ray burst GRB 171010A. Results of the study, presented in a paper published October 26 on arXiv.org, could shed more light on the nature of such phenomena. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

How to see stars and tackle light pollution in your own backyard The dark skies of the great outdoors help people to see the wonders of space, either with the naked eye or using telescopes. That’s why observatories are usually placed in high altitudes or remote locations, where there’s often outstanding natural beauty and little light pollution. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Scientists further refine how quickly the universe is expanding Wielding state-of-the-art technologies and techniques, a team of Clemson University astrophysicists has added a novel approach to quantifying one of the most fundamental laws of the universe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Researchers investigate interstellar bodies originating from beyond our solar system Astonishingly, not one but two interstellar asteroids have been detected entering our solar system since 2017. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Rare transit of Mercury to take place on 11 November A rare transit of Mercury will take place on 11 November, when the smallest planet in our Solar System will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun. The last time this happened was in 2016, and the next will be in 2032. During the transit, which takes place in the afternoon in the UK, Mercury will appear as a dark silhouetted disc set against the bright surface of the Sun. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

NICER catches record-setting X-ray burst NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope on the International Space Station detected a sudden spike of X-rays at about 10:04 p.m. EDT on Aug. 20. The burst was caused by a massive thermonuclear flash on the surface of a pulsar, the crushed remains of a star that long ago exploded as a supernova. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →