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Redshift is the name given to the change in colour of objects which are moving away from us. At normal speeds this change is so small we do not notice, but when we use powerful telescopes to look at distant … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2016
The images below show how galaxies similar in mass to our home galaxy, the Milky Way, evolved over time. The images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveal that Milky Way-like galaxies grow larger in size and in stellar mass … Continue reading
In one of the most comprehensive multi-observatory galaxy surveys yet, astronomers find that galaxies like our Milky Way underwent a stellar “baby boom,” churning out stars at a prodigious rate, about 30 times faster than today. Our Sun, however, is … Continue reading
In analyzing data from deep-sky census assembled from surveys taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories, a team led by Christopher Conselice of the University of Nottingham, U.K., found that 10 times as many galaxies were packed into … Continue reading
The Orion Arm is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way some 3,500 light-years (1,100 parsecs) across and approximately 10,000 light-years (3,100 parsecs) in length. The Solar System, including the Earth, lies within the Orion Arm. It is also … Continue reading
The Earth’s magnetic field permanently protects us from the charged particles and radiation that originate in the Sun. This shield is produced by the geodynamo, the rapid motion of huge quantities of liquid iron alloy in the Earth’s outer core. … Continue reading
On September 14, 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC, for the first time in history, the two detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory both observed a transient gravitational-wave signal. Based on previous simulations of possible observations, the Ligo Collaboration Team was able … Continue reading
The solar system appears to have a new ninth planet. Today, two scientists announced evidence that a body nearly the size of Neptune—but as yet unseen—orbits the sun every 15,000 years. During the solar system’s infancy 4.5 billion years ago, … Continue reading
Great Podcast on Science Friday If you don’t know Science Friday podcasts, this is a good place to start. Physicist Lawrence Krauss and Nobel Laureates Frank Wilczek and Brian Schmidt discuss cosmic challenges. Episode Download Link (24 MB): http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/scifri201401312.mp3 Show … Continue reading
Astronomers have seen what could be the most powerful supernova ever detected. The exploding star a super-luminous supernova, was first seen 3.8 billion light-years from Earth by the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) in June 2015 and is still radiating vast … Continue reading