NASA Study: Universe Shines Brighter Than We Thought
Analysis of observations gathered by the first two Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) missions shows that the universe shines much brighter that had been thought. CIBER scientists found that infrared light in what were thought to be dark areas of space between galaxies is producing a glow that gleams as brightly as all the known […]
NASA’s NuStar Mission Finds Rare Pulsar that Pumps Out the Energy of 10 Million Suns
This animation shows a neutron star—the core of a star that exploded in a massive supernova. This particular neutron star is known as a pulsar because it sends out rotating beams of X-rays that sweep past Earth like lighthouse beacons. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission recently made a remarkable discovery that could […]
Weekly Science Scanner
Score one for the machine. In an historic test of man versus machine, a cyber-teen named Eugene Goostman took a step toward toward reaching technological singularity, the so-called moment in time when artificial intelligence reaches a point where it shows greater intelligence than man. Eugene, actually a computer program pretending to be a 13-year-old […]
Astronomers Capture 3D Images of Mysterious Intergalactic Matter
For the first time, 3D images have been captured of a cosmological entity called the intergalactic medium (IGM). Until now, the structure of IGM had been theoretical. The discovery could provide astronomers with a new understanding of galactic and intergalactic dynamics. The images were captured with an instrument built at the California Institute of Technology […]
Excessive Gamma Rays at Milky Way’s Center Hint at Dark Matter
Scientists believe high-energy gamma rays emanating from the center of our Milky Way are being produced by dark matter, the mysterious hypothetical substance believed to make up most of the physical universe. A new study based on independent research of gamma ray light shows that the center of our galaxy is cranking out huge amounts […]
Curiosity Determines Age of Martian Rocks
The Curiosity Rover has accomplished yet another first as it continues its amazing journey across the Martian landscape. Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have been able to successfully determine the age of a Martian rock. But what makes this finding special is that, for the first time, scientists have been able to […]
Flash Could Allow Scientists to Witness Birth of a Black Hole
A cosmic flash generated by a dying star might allow scientists to see something they’ve never witnessed before – the birth of a black hole. A black hole is a celestial object that is so dense not even light can escape its intense gravitational pull. This phenomenon occurs when a dying star runs out of […]
Science Images of the Week
New Imager Finds Distant Planets Unlike Others in Known Universe
Thanks to new technology, astronomers are conducting the first remote reconnaissance of a distant solar system, allowing them to collect the first chemical fingerprints of four exoplanets orbiting a star some 128 light years from Earth. Astronomers involved with Project 1640, a high-contrast imaging program at the Palomar Observatory in California, say the four exoplanets […]