IT’S an embarrassing gap in astronomers’ knowledge. Despite relying on type Ia supernovae as tools to measure the dark energy speeding up the universe’s expansion, they still don’t know exactly what causes the blasts. Now the picture has got even fuzzier.
Volcanism has played a more extensive role in shaping the surface of Mercury than scientists had thought. This result comes from multispectral imaging data gathered in January 2008 by MESSENGER, the latest spacecraft to visit the sun’s innermost planet.
In his studies of entropy and the irreversibility of time, Caltech physicist Sean Carroll is exploring the idea that our universe is part of a larger structure.
A comet-chasing spacecraft has been awoken during its years-long journey so it can study an asteroid it will fly past this September. Launched in March 2004, Rosetta will reach its final destination only in 2014, after traveling a total of about 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers). The spacecraft will also fly by asteroid Lutetia in June 2010.
From the telescope’s raw data to the final, fully processed photograph, this feature shows the various steps and how much effort went into assembling the famous image of the Eagle Nebula.
Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. Last January, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen thr
Over in the west-northwest sky at dusk, Mars and Saturn remain a lovely sight in close proximity to the bright bluish star, Regulus in Leo. Meanwhile, emerging into view low in the southeast you’ll note a very bright silvery “star.” That star however, is the planet identified with the supreme sky-god: Jupiter.
Criminy, I almost forgot: today, July 4th, at roughly 08:00 UT, the Earth was at aphelion. Uh, what? I hear you ask. OK, brief astrolesson for ya, then back to the grill!
A new star, likely the brightest supernova in recorded human history, lit up planet Earth’s sky in the year 1006 AD. The expanding debris cloud from the stellar explosion, found in the southerly constellation of Lupus, still puts on a cosmic light show across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Police in Wales were called to investigate a mysterious flying saucer, only to discover it was the moon.