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Black hole mysteries
…een 10 billion and 40 billion times more mass than does our sun. Astronomers have recently found black holes so big they fall into an entirely new category: ultramassive. This image shows the center of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-19. The ultramassive black hole at its center produces outbursts that create cavities in the clouds of hot gas, shown in purple, that surround it. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford/Hlavacek-Larrondo, J. et al; Optical: N…
When one question leads to another
Student Erika DeBenedictis spent years studying the so-called interplanetary superhighway. Her persistence paid off: In 2010, Erika placed first in the Intel Science Talent Search for her research. Credit: Martin Lo, Caltech Coming up with a cool science fair project takes effort. You have to work hard at finding a topic you like and a question you want to explore. Science fair projects also take time. Many kids easily can spend weeks following…
Out-of-this-world atmospheres
This illustration depicts the planet HR 8799c (foreground) orbiting its star. Two other planets in the system can also be seen in the drawing. Credit: Image courtesy of Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics; Mediafarm The study of planets outside the solar system just took a big jump forward. Scientists have identified some of the gases that make up the atmospheres of four exoplanets circling the same star. “This is the start of a g…
Martian microbes, maybe
The first sample of Martian rock drilled by the rover Curiosity. Scientists say the rock provides evidence that microbes could have once lived on Mars. Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS In February, NASA’s Curiosity rover made history when it plunged a drill into the Martian surface to collect a powdery rock sample. Scientists now say that those bits of rock show the Red Planet may have been able to support life billions of years ago. Curiosity d…
Home on the moon
Life on the moon — but not ours. This illustration shows two large moons orbiting a giant, gassy planet (in orange). Astronomers say the right type of moon could harbor alien life. Credit: R. Heller, AIP The first confirmation of alien life might come not from a distant planet, but from a far-flung moon. Planet hunters have identified hundreds of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. So far, none seem to support life as we know it. M…
Ice on Mercury
This image of Mercury’s north pole region shows areas in shadow (red) according to new MESSENGER data and the location of bright spots (yellow) that are likely exposed ice deposits.Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Arecibo Observatory Bright spots on Mercury have long tantalized astronomers who suspected the shiny patches were swatches of…
A diamond planet?
A drawing of the planet 55 Cancri e, orbiting its parent star with some of its companions. As much as one-third of the planet may be diamond, a new study suggests. Credit: Haven Giguere A planet orbiting a distant star is probably unlike any of the hundreds yet discovered. Scientists say that about one-third of this incredibly hot, barren world — larger than Earth — could be made from diamonds. The planet, known as 55 Cancri e, is one of five c…
The high life
Clouds are full of living microscopic organisms, not just bits of dust and soot. Some scientists believe that germs living inside clouds might sometimes trigger rain or snow. Credit: Douglas Fox The alien invaders arrived quietly. Only one man noticed as they drifted down from the sky. Donald Barber was an astronomer at Norman Lockyer Observatory. Its telescopes sat on a grassy hill surrounded by farmland on the south coast of England. Barber w…
Teacher’s Questions for Germy Clouds
SCIENCE Before reading: 1. If microbes live underground and underwater, do you think they also live above us, in the air? Why or why not? During reading: 1. Explain how Donald Barber’s images became flecked with germs. 2. Was Barber’s theory about where the germs came from correct? Where, in fact, were the germs coming from, and how were they transported? 3. Describe how Kimberly Prather’s onboard air-testing device works. Name three kinds of pa…
New planetary neighbor
Astronomers have found that our closest stellar neighbor has an Earth-sized planet orbiting it. This illustration shows what the pair might look like. Credit: ESO For decades, astronomers have been training telescopes all over the sky, looking for alien worlds. In October, they reported finding an Earth-sized planet near a small, next-door star. The discovery naturally raises the question: When can we visit? “A rocky planet around … our nearest…
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