Elderly Star Giving Birth to PlanetsElderly Star Giving Birth to Planets
<p>A star thought to have passed the age at which it can form planets may, in fact, be creating new worlds. The disk of material surrounding the surprising star called
Tag: Light Years
The Dark Heart of a Cosmic Collision in Centaurus AThe Dark Heart of a Cosmic Collision in Centaurus A
<p>Two of ESA’s space observatories have combined to create a multi-wavelength view of violent events taking place within the giant galaxy of Centaurus A. The new observations strengthen the view
Venus Crosses the Pleiades This WeekVenus Crosses the Pleiades This Week
<p>This week Venus, the second planet from the sun, will pass directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. It’s a rare sunset conjunction that’s easy to find with the
Kepler Expected to Find a “Goldilocks” Planet Within 2 YearsKepler Expected to Find a “Goldilocks” Planet Within 2 Years
<p>NASA’s Kepler spacecraft is discovering a veritable avalanche of alien worlds. Recent finds include planets with double suns, massive “super-Earths” and “hot Jupiters,” and a miniature solar system.
BBC “Stargazing” Viewer Discovers an ExoplanetBBC “Stargazing” Viewer Discovers an Exoplanet
<p>Members of the public are being asked to join the hunt for nearby planets that could support life.</p> <p>Volunteers can go to the <a href="http://www.planethunters.org/" target="_blank">Planethunters</a> website to see time-lapsed images
Kepler Mission Discovers First Earth-Size Planets Beyond Our Solar SystemKepler Mission Discovers First Earth-Size Planets Beyond Our Solar System
<p>NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are too close
NASA’s Swift Telescope Finds a Gamma-Ray Burst With a Dual PersonalityNASA’s Swift Telescope Finds a Gamma-Ray Burst With a Dual Personality
<p>A peculiar cosmic explosion first detected by NASA’s Swift observatory on Christmas Day 2010 was caused either by a novel type of supernova located billions of light-years away or an
Fastest Spinning Star Will Die a Violent DeathFastest Spinning Star Will Die a Violent Death
<p>The sun rotates at a respectable 2 kilometers per second, which may sound pretty fast. But according to a study to be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (<a href="http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.0157"