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New, older age for the universe

By Stephen Ornes / April 4, 2013

This map shows the energy left over from shortly after the Big Bang, as mapped by the Planck space telescope. The average background temperature is about 2.7 degrees above the coldest possible temperature (known as absolute zero). Red spots are slightly warmer, while blue spots are slightly cooler. Astronomers hope this map can help them learn more about the history of the universe.

Telescope peers back to see the first light after the Big Bang

Posted in Space | Tagged absolute zero, age of the universe, astronomy, astrophysics, Big Bang, cosmic background radiation, cosmology, energy, European Space Agency, George Efstathiou, getinvolved, inflation, Matthew Kleban, New York University, Planck space telescope, radiation, Richard Easther, temperature, University of Auckland, University of Cambridge, waves

Out-of-this-world atmospheres

By Stephen Ornes / March 29, 2013

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

Light from a distant, giant world offers clues to the gases in its atmosphere

Posted in Space | Tagged astronomy, atmosphere, Ben Oppenheimer, Earth, exoplanets, getinvolved, HR 8799, infrared, Jonathan Fortney, light, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Neptune, planets, Quinn Konopacky, radiation, Santa Cruz, Saturn, Smithsonian Institution, space, spectral lines, spectrometry, topstories, University of California, University of Toronto

Martian microbes, maybe

By Stephen Ornes / March 21, 2013

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

Permission: press photo, NASA public domain

Billions of years ago, Mars could have been teeming with very small Martians

Posted in Space | Tagged aliens, astrobiology, California Institute of Technology, Caltech, chemicals, crater, Curiosity, elements, environment, extraterrestrial life, getinvolved, habitability, John Grotzinger, Mars, Martian water, Michael Meyer, minerals, NASA, planets, space, topstories

Meteor explodes over Russia

By Janet Raloff / February 18, 2013

This streak of light shows the meteor’s entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The image was captured by a European weather satellite. Credit: EUMETSAT

Surprise: No one saw it coming

Posted in Earth & Sky, Space | Tagged asteroids, atomic bomb, celestial objects, Chelyabinsk, getinvolved, Hiroshima, infrasound, kilotons, Margaret Campbell-Brown, meteor, meteorite, NASA, National Atmospheric and Space Administration, orbital debris, Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, shock wave, sonic boom, topstories, Western Ontario University

Where cosmic rays are born

By Sid Perkins / February 16, 2013

Here we go! Shock waves in the clouds of gas surrounding an exploding star (as in this artist’s depiction) accelerate charged particles called protons to very high speed, creating cosmic rays.
Credit: Greg Stewart, SLAC Nat'l Accelerator Lab.

New evidence links origin of these very energetic particles to massive explosions of distant stars

Posted in Earth & Sky, Space | Tagged astrophysicist, atoms, cosmic rays, galactic magnetic field, gamma rays, getinvolved, Harvard University, light year, light-speed, Milky Way, Patrick Slane, protons, Stanford University, Stefan Funk, subatomic particle, supernova, supernova remnant, topstories

Home on the moon

By Stephen Ornes / February 1, 2013

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

Astronomers say rocky moons orbiting distant planets might support alien life

Posted in Space | Tagged aliens, astrobiology, astronomy, astrophysics, biology, exomoons, exoplanet, forces, Germany, getinvolved, gravitation, gravity, hot Jupiter, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics, moon, Orbit, Potsdam, René Heller, Rory Barnes, solar system, stars, telescopes, topstories, University of Washington

Ice on Mercury

By Stephen Ornes / December 17, 2012

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

MESSENGER spacecraft provides evidence for frozen water on planet closest to sun

Posted in Space | Tagged aliens, altimetry, asteroids, astronomy, carbon, comets, craters, David Paige, extraterrestrial life, getinvolved, ice, laser altimeter, mercury, MESSENGER, NASA, planetary science, planets, space environment, sun, University of California Los Angeles

A diamond planet?

By Sid Perkins / November 30, 2012

Distant, carbon-rich world could contain one-third its weight in gems that are relatively rare on Earth

Posted in Space | Tagged 55 Cancri, 55 Cancri e, astronomy, cancer, Cancri, carbon planet, constellation, diamonds, extrasolar planet, getinvolved, Goddard Space Flight Center, graphite, light year, Marc Kuchner, NASA, Nikku Madhusudhan, planet, super-Earth, topstories, transit, Yale University

Twinkle, twinkle oldest stars

By Stephen Ornes / November 21, 2012

Blazars are bright galaxies that send high-powered radiation jets directly toward Earth. They can be used to detect the light in the universe left over from every star that ever shone. In this image, the blazars are shown as green dots; the Milky Way glows orange in the middle. Credit: NASA, DOE, Fermi LAT Collaboration

Astronomers find traces of ancient light in the activity of bright, distant galaxies

Posted in Space | Tagged astronomy, astrophysics, Big Bang, blazar, cosmic fog, cosmology, Fermi telescope, galaxy, gamma rays, getinvolved, Kavli Institute, light, optics, photon, photons, radiation, star, telescope, topstories, University of Texas at Austin, Volker Bromm

New planetary neighbor

By Stephen Ornes / November 5, 2012

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

Nearest star system has a world that’s Earthly in size, but too hot for human visitors

Posted in Space | Tagged aliens, Alpha Centauri, astronomy, Debra Fischer, exoplanet, extrasolar planet, Geoff Marcy, getinvolved, HARPS, rocky world, Santa Cruz, space, Stéphane Udry, telescopes, University of California, Yale University

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