Eta Carinae is Getting Brighter Because a Dust Cloud was Blocking our View A new study by an international team reveals that Eta Carinae will soon be so bright that we won’t be able to see its famous nebula anymore. The post Eta Carinae is Getting Brighter Because a Dust Cloud was Blocking our View appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Oumuamua Could be the Debris Cloud of a Disintegrated Interstellar Comet Since it was first detected hurling through our Solar System, the interstellar object known as ‘Oumuamua has been a source of immense scientific interest. Aside from being extrasolar in origin, the fact that it has managed to defy classification time and again has led to some pretty interesting theories. While some have suggested that it … Continue reading “Oumuamua Could be the Debris Cloud of a Disintegrated Interstellar Comet” The post Oumuamua Could be the Debris Cloud of a Disintegrated Interstellar Comet appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
NASA used Curiosity’s Sensors to Measure the Gravity of a Mountain on Mars Some very clever people have figured out how to use MSL Curiosity’s navigation sensors to measure the gravity of a Martian mountain. What they’ve found contradicts previous thinking about Aeolis Mons, aka Mt. Sharp. Aeolis Mons is a mountain in the center of Gale Crater, Curiosity’s landing site in 2012. Gale Crater is a huge … Continue reading “NASA used Curiosity’s Sensors to Measure the Gravity of a Mountain on Mars” The post NASA used Curiosity’s Sensors to Measure the Gravity of a Mountain on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →
Image: The accidentally discovered galaxy Bedin I This image, taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys shows a part the globular cluster NGC 6752. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
The ‘stuff’ of the universe keeps changing The composition of the universe—the elements that are the building blocks for every bit of matter—is ever-changing and ever-evolving, thanks to the lives and deaths of stars. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Astronomers Process Hubble’s Deepest Image to get Even More Data, and Show that Some Galaxies are Twice as big as Previously Believed It allowed us to spot auroras on Saturn and planets orbiting distant suns. It permitted astronomers to see galaxies in the early stages of formation, and look back to some of the earliest periods in the Universe. It also measured the distances to Cepheid variable stars more accurately than ever before, which helped astrophysicists constrain … Continue reading “Astronomers Process Hubble’s Deepest Image to get Even More Data, and Show that Some Galaxies are Twice as big as Previously Believed” The post AstronomersRead More →
Newborn Stars in the Orion Nebula Prevent Other Stars from Forming The Orion Nebula is one of the most observed and photographed objects in the night sky. At a distance of 1350 light years away, it’s the closest active star-forming region to Earth. This diffuse nebula is also known as M42, and has been studied intensely by astronomers for many years. From it, astronomers have learned … Continue reading “Newborn Stars in the Orion Nebula Prevent Other Stars from Forming” The post Newborn Stars in the Orion Nebula Prevent Other Stars from Forming appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Uh oh, a Recent Study Suggests that Dark Energy’s Strength is Increasing Staring into the Darkness The expansion of our universe is accelerating. Every single day, the distances between galaxies grows ever greater. And what’s more, that expansion rate is getting faster and faster – that’s what it means to live in a universe with accelerated expansion. This strange phenomenon is called dark energy, and was first … Continue reading “Uh oh, a Recent Study Suggests that Dark Energy’s Strength is Increasing” The post Uh oh, a Recent Study Suggests that Dark Energy’s Strength is Increasing appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go toRead More →
Hubble fortuitously discovers a new galaxy in the cosmic neighbourhood Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study some of the oldest and faintest stars in the globular cluster NGC 6752 have made an unexpected finding. They discovered a dwarf galaxy in our cosmic backyard, only 30 million light-years away. The finding is reported in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Dark matter may not actually exist – and our alternative theory can be put to the test Scientists have been searching for “dark matter” – an unknown and invisible substance thought to make up the vast majority of matter in the universe – for nearly a century. The reason for this persistence is that dark matter is needed to account for the fact that galaxies don’t seem to obey the fundamental laws of physics. However, dark matter searches have remained unsuccessful. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
After mapping millions of galaxies, dark energy survey finishes data collection For the past six years, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has been part of an international effort to create an unprecedented survey of distant galaxies and better understand the nature of dark energy—the mysterious force accelerating the expansion of the universe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
When Does the Sun Rise… Really? It’s strange but true… we may not fully understand one of the simplest metrics in observational astronomy: just what time does the Sun rise… really? The post When Does the Sun Rise… Really? appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 30, 2019: Rod Pyle talks “Space 2.0” Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Tonight we welcome author Rod Pyle who will be discussing his new book, Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a resurgent NASA, and International Partners Are Creating a New Space Age (BenBella Books, February 2019), written in collaboration with the National Space … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 30, 2019: Rod Pyle talks “Space 2.0”” The post Weekly Space Hangout: Jan 30, 2019: Rod Pyle talks “Space 2.0” appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Crew Dragon Rolls Out to the Launch Pad. Demo-1 Flight Should Happen Shortly The long-anticipated first flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon is almost here. Early in January, the Crew Dragon was rolled out of its hangar at Kennedy Space Center, and on January 24th it performed a brief static firing as part of its testing. The Crew Dragon’s inaugural flight, called Demo-1, is not far off. Neither … Continue reading “Crew Dragon Rolls Out to the Launch Pad. Demo-1 Flight Should Happen Shortly” The post Crew Dragon Rolls Out to the Launch Pad. Demo-1 Flight Should Happen Shortly appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →
One of the Oldest Earth Rocks Turned up on the Moon, of all Places A recent study has determined that the oldest sample of Earth rock ever discovered (~4 billion years old) was actually found on the Moon. The post One of the Oldest Earth Rocks Turned up on the Moon, of all Places appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Carnival of Space #596 This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Allen Versfeld at his Urban Astronomer blog. Click here to read Carnival of Space #596. And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry … Continue reading “Carnival of Space #596” The post Carnival of Space #596 appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Goodbye to a beauty in the night sky For over a century and a half, Eta Carinae has been one of the most luminous – and most enigmatic – stars of the southern Milky Way. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →
Tiny Object Found at the Edge of the Solar System for the First Time. A Kuiper Belt Object that’s Only 2.6 km Across The Kuiper Belt, or the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, is home to ancient rocks. Kuiper Belt Objects, or KBOs, are remnants of the early planet-formation days of our Solar System. Small KBOs, in the 1 km. diameter range, have been theorized about for decades, but nobody’s every found one. Until now. Planets form when bits of dust … Continue reading “Tiny Object Found at the Edge of the Solar System for the First Time. A Kuiper Belt Object that’s Only 2.6 km Across” TheRead More →
Astronomers are Continuing to Watch the Shockwaves Expand from Supernova SN1987A, as they Crash Into the Surrounding Interstellar Medium An international team of researchers was able to accurately measure the effect that a supernova shock wave had on the surrounding gas for the first time. The post Astronomers are Continuing to Watch the Shockwaves Expand from Supernova SN1987A, as they Crash Into the Surrounding Interstellar Medium appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →
Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth The Earth wasn’t formed containing the necessary chemicals for life to begin. One well-supported theory, called the “late veneer theory”, suggests that the volatile chemicals needed for life arrived long after the Earth formed, brought here by meteorites. But a new study challenges the late veneer theory. Evidence shows that the Moon was created when … Continue reading “Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth” The post Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth appeared first onRead More →
