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Monthly
and Breaking News from around the Galaxy ... and Beyond ...
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"DAWN
OF TIME" STAR DISCOVERED
A multi-national
team of astronomers say that they have discovered star that could
date back to the beginning of the Universe.
Scientists
have told the magazine Nature that they believe the star was created
during the Big Bang, HE 0107-5240 is virtualy free of metals and
could contain "pristine" gas.
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ATMOSPHERE
DETECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A PLANET OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
In what has
been called a landmark in scientific achievement, a chemical and
atmospheric analysis of a planet outside our own solar system has
been accomplished for the first time.
The unnamed
exoplanet, (a term now used for planet outside our own solar system)
which is 220 bigger than our Earth, orbits a Sun-like star called
HD 209458. It is 150 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus.
The observations were conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope.
This is the first of many exoplanets likely to be analysed in the
years to come using this new technique, whereby the gases of planet
can be probed when it passes in front of its parent star. Astronomers
can then observe the light from a star filtered through an exoplanet's
gases. The type of light filtered through the gases indicates the
kind of atmosphere of the planet. It is considered likely that planets
with atmospheres similar to our Earth may well be discovered using
this method.
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EARTH
DANCING
The two lights
- the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis - have been captured
simultaneously for the first time on camera.
The amazing
dancing light phenomena was taken by Nasa's Polar probe and shows
the two - north and south Borealis - to be a mirror image of each
other. The idea that the auroras are related in some way has long
been suspected. Auroras happen when electrons and protons within
the magnetic field around the Earth collide with the gases of the
upper atmosphere. During magnetic storms the particles are grounded
around both polar regions to create the spectacle. October to December
are good times to catch the beautiful wispy curtains of coloured
lights 4,023 km (2,500 mile) around each pole.
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PARALLEL
SOLAR SYSTEM DISCOVERED IN URSA MAJOR.
Astronomers
at the University of Berkeley recently detected two Jupiter size
planets orbiting a star remarkably similar to our own sun.
The system orbiting star 47 Ursae Majoris in the constellation Ursa
Major (also known as the Plough or Big Dipper) raises further proof
that there could be thousands of solar systems within our own galaxy
containing earth like planets.
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NEW
MASSIVE ASTEROID FOUND IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
The largest
asteroid yet to be discovered in our own Solar System has been confirmed
by European Astronomers.
Circling our
sun at an orbit close to Pluto, it is estimated to be more than
1200 kilometres across, which is around half the size of Pluto.
This find means that Ceres now drops to second place in the asteroid
records book. The new found object, takes over the no1 spot as the
Solar System's largest asteroid.
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SETI
EXTEND METHODS IN THE SEARCH FOR E.T.
Seti (The
Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) are extending their methods
in the search for life in the universe.
For many years
Seti have used multi-million channel radio receivers to scan space.
Now they are experimenting with latest optical methods to look for
unusual light signals. This has only recently been made possible
since the introduction of highly sensitive light detectors capable
of picking out laser emissions from single astral bodies, with an
error rate of about only one per year. This method works by detecting
a signal deliberately targeted at Earth. So far they have examined
about 300 individual star systems, as well as a few star clusters.
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WATER
ON MARS LOOKS MORE LIKELY THAN EVER
In 2001 the
Mars Global Surveyor returned image data that provided "observation
evidence for near-surface water ice.
This finding,
along with other evidence of recently flowing water on Mars could
potentially make life on Mars more likely, providing a life sustaining
resource for future colonists. It is estimated that there could
be as much as 40,000 cubic km (almost 10,000 cubic miles) of frozen
water at mid-latitudes in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Theoretically enough to cover the entire planet to a depth of about
25 centimetres (10 inches).
Vote
for the GGL on planetary claims at veggieglobal.com
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WHEN
UNIVERSES COLLIDE
In the sci-fi
series Star Trek, transporter technology on Deep Space Nine
now allows travel between an alternate universe.
Recently a new, "real-world" theory suggests the existence
of a parallel universe called the Epkyotic Universe. Paul Steinhardt
of Princeton suggests that membranes in 11th dimensional space flutter,
and when two membranes collide they create galaxies. So far the
theory has been recieved with enthusiasm and seems like a more stable
explanation than the inflation theory (a quick fix idea as to what
causes the even property behavior of our galaxies)
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WAS
LIFE ON EARTH SEEDED BY COMETS?
A theory
that the raw materials of life came from space has been given creedence
by a group of scientists testing the effects of a comet's impact
on Earth. They have shown that organic molecules (the ancestors
of proteins and DNA) hitchhiking aboard a comet could have survived
such an impact and seeded life. The results give rise to speculation
that we may share a biological ancestry with life on other planets
within our galaxy.
More
Comet News
In 2001
the comet probe Deep Space One sent back the most detailed pictures
yet of the nucleus of the 10-kilometre wide Comet Borrelly. The
pictures show that comet nuclei are far more complex than ever imagined.
They have rugged terrain, smooth rolling plains, deep fractures
and dark material.
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EVEN
CLOSER EARTH LIKE PLANETS FOUND... UPDATE
We previously
reported on an international team of astronomers who announced the
discovery of 11 planets orbiting other stars, including two solar
systems.
All the planets
found then were gas giants, up to ten times the mass of Jupiter.
One these has a very Earth-like orbit and any large moons that orbit
the planet could have the right amount of solar radiation to support
Earth-like conditions.
Eight more
planets orbiting distant stars were discovered over the last months
of 2001, three of which were described as "cousin" like to planets
in our own solar system.
In 2005, with over a hundred or so other planets now discovered
in our galaxy, some have shown eccentric orbital behaviour which
would be unlikely to support life, but some new planets show a remarkable
similarity to Earth's concentric orbit around their own suns. These
discoveries raise the highest speculation yet of distant celestial
bodies elsewhere in space that might support life.
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SUPER
MASSIVE BLACK HOLE IN CENTER OF OUR GALAXY
In 2000 a
huge black hole was discovered in the center of our own galaxy,
The Milky Way.
It is the first
time that astronomers have been able to witness stars accelerating
around a black hole of this magnitude. They are so far reporting
three stars which have accelerated in excess of 250 thousand miles
per hour per year as they orbit this huge phenomena the size of
our own solar system. It was originally thought that only a few
of the 125 billion known galaxy's contained super massive black
holes.
It now appears that all galaxy's contain them and are in fact a
fundamental part of a galaxy's creation and existence. It is suggested
that black holes have feeding periods and dormant periods. During
a feeding period they can absorb matter at a dramatically increased
rate, swallowing up hundreds of stars and solar systems. The earth
need not worry since this solar system lays near the edge of the
Milky Way and 24,000 light years from the Black Hole in its center.
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STARS
CHEMISTRY EVOLVES IN RELATION TO GALAXY TIMELINES
Ancient stars
in our Galaxy show that elemental structures are different than
in younger stars.
Through each
generation various  chemical
differences effect the stars behavior and gives us major clues about
the conditions and populations of stars that existed early in the
Milky Way's history. Debra Burris of Oklahoma City Community College
is the leading author of the paper says results tell us that the
history of the galaxy is tied very closely to the ways that stars
change from generation to generation. Co author of the paper Taft
Armadroff of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in
Tucson, AZ says that since it's extremely difficult to accurately
age-date a star, the chemical signatures give an effective chronometer
that we can use to probe the earliest epochs.
Co-author Catherine
Pilachowski explains that Certain chemical elements don't form until
the stars that make them have had time to evolve. Therefore, we
can read the history of star formation in the compositions of the
oldest stars." "We probably would not have found these trends if
we did not have such a large sample" The research team have also
developed an evocative timeline in relation to metal abudance and
densities to explain their observations.
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CHANDRA
X RAY OBSERVATORY STUDIES SIRIUS SYSTEM
Sirius
is one of this solar systems closest neighbours at 8.6 light years
away. In the northern hemisphere it is one the brightest stars  observable
with the naked eye.
The Sirius system consists of two stars. Sirius B is the white dwarf
and can be seen clearly from Earth. But the dimmer Sirius A is more
than twice as massive as our own sun.
photo: NASA's
Chandra X-ray Observatory studies shows the bright Sirius B, a white
dwarf star, and the dimmer Sirius A
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NEW
SPIRAL GALAXY PICTURES
The first
wide-field images taken by the University of Arizona/Smithsonian
6.5-meter MMTO telescope
on Mount Hopkins, showed NGC 7479 in the constellation of Pegasus.
It revealed spiraling arms of glowing gas containing newly forming
stars
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TWO
CONFLICTING STORIES ON "DARK MATTER"
1.
The first look at 'dark matter' (R)*
First indirect
looks at the ''dark matter'' that fills much of the universe has
been observed by Astrophysicists. To peer at dark matter, researchers
have measured distortions in light from about 145,000 distant galaxies.
A new survey Large Synoptic Survey telescope (LSST) has been endorsed
for construction which will scan the sky for dark matter.
2.
Controvertial Theory Rejects the 'dark matter' hypothesis
A controversial
theory has been published that rejects the cold dark matter hypothesis
central to what most scientists believe about the composition of
the Universe. University of Maryland astronomer Stacy McGaugh points
to a universe that consists entirely of "ordinary" matter. His predictions
lie in a little known alternative theory to dark matter called MOND,
short for Modified Newtonian dynamics.
Looking-Glass
comments: Such conflicting theories confirm
that humankind should remain infinately open minded, and unbiased
towards any far reaching scientific calculations. Our knowledge
of the Universe will always be limited by our earthbound viewpoint
and bound by the infinitesimally small time frame within which all
humankind exists - and therefore our understanding of it. On a universal
scale our cosmic projections are insignificant.... but pushing the
bounderies of human percieved knowledge is what makes us,
well ... human!
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Astronomy Site
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