« BACK
Environment - Astronomy / Space Science - 24.01.2020 
Tiny, ancient meteorites suggest early Earth’s atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide
Very occasionally, Earth gets bombarded by a large meteorite. But every day, our planet gets pelted by space dust, micrometeorites that collect on Earth's surface. A University of Washington team looked at very old samples of these small meteorites to show that the grains could have reacted with carbon dioxide on their journey to Earth.
Astronomy / Space Science - 24.01.2020 
Astronomers spot ’vampire’ star sucking life from victim
Astronomers have found a 'vampire' star in the midst of a feeding frenzy, with the help of an automated program that is sifting through archived data from the decommissioned Kepler Space Telescope. The new program acts like a detective to find clues of very fast, mysterious explosions in the Universe.
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 20.01.2020 
The salt of the comet
Under the leadership of astrophysicist Kathrin Altwegg, Bernese researchers have found an explanation for why very little nitrogen could previously be accounted for in the nebulous covering of comets: the building block for life predominantly occurs in the form of ammonium salts, the occurrence of which could not previously be measured.
Astronomy / Space Science - 20.01.2020 
Astronomers use ’cosmic echo-location’ to map black hole surroundings
For Cambridge students For our researchers Business and enterprise Colleges and Departments Email and phone search Give to Cambridge Museums and collections Undergraduate Events and open days Fees and finance Postgraduate Postgraduate courses Fees and funding Frequently asked questions International students Continuing education Executive and professional education Courses in education How the University and Colleges work Visiting the University
Astronomy / Space Science - 20.01.2020 
XMM-Newton uses light echoes to map dynamic black hole
Material falling into a black hole throws X-rays out into space - and now, for the first time, the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has used the reverberating echoes of this light to map the dynamic behaviour and surroundings of a black hole itself. Although most black holes are too small on the sky for us to resolve their immediate surroundings, we can explore these mysterious objects by watching how matter behaves as it nears, and falls into, them.
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 15.01.2020
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 15.01.2020 
Interstellar journey of life’s building block phosphorus unveiled
Phosphorus, present in our DNA and cell membranes, is an essential element for life. But how it became available on the early Earth when life appeared here about 4 billion years ago is something of a mystery. For the first time, astronomers - among them researchers from the University of Bern - have now been able to show that molecules with phosphorus are formed in star-forming regions and probably came to Earth with comets.
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 14.01.2020
Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 14.01.2020 
Galactic gamma-ray sources reveal birthplaces of high-energy particles
Researchers with the joint US-Mexico-European HAWC Observatory have identified a host of galactic sources of super-high-energy gamma rays The Earth is constantly being bombarded with charged particles called cosmic rays, but because they are charged, they bend in magnetic fields and don't point back to their sources.
Astronomy / Space Science - 13.01.2020 
Meteorite contains the oldest material on Earth
Researchers determined the age of stardust from a meteorite to be seven billion years - the oldest solid material ever found on Earth. Stars have life cycles. They're born when bits of dust and gas floating through space find each other and collapse in on each other and heat up. They burn for millions to billions of years, and then they die.
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 13.01.2020
Astronomy / Space Science - 13.01.2020
Astronomy / Space Science - 13.01.2020
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 13.01.2020
Astronomy / Space Science - 13.01.2020 
Collision helped make the Milky Way - and now we know when
Thanks to some astrophysical sleuthing, researchers have pinpointed an early galactic merger that helped shape the Milky Way. The merger - a collision, actually - happened 11.5 billion years ago. That's when a small galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus slammed into what then existed of the Milky Way, Earth's home galaxy, which is about 13.5 billion years old.
Astronomy / Space Science - 09.01.2020 
Scientists spot spectacular neutron star collision
The spectacular collision of two neutron stars over 500 million light-years away from Earth has been spotted through the detection of gravitational waves. The neutron stars - remnants of dying stars that undergo catastrophic explosions as they collapse at the end of their lives - merged into an unusually large single object that was around 3.4 times the mass of our sun, the team report.
Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 09.01.2020 
The CUORE Underground Experiment Narrows the Search for Rare Particle Process
New data yield one of the most sensitive probes to date of processes that may have seeded the matter vs. antimatter imbalance in the universe In an underground laboratory deep beneath a mountain in Central Italy, an array of crystals, chilled to within a hair of absolute zero - the coldest possible temperature in the universe - has been steadily compiling one of the most precise measurements to date in pursuit of a rare particle process.
Astronomy / Space Science - 09.01.2020 
Mars: water could disappear faster than expected
The small red planet is losing water more quickly than what theory as well as past observations would suggest. The gradual disappearance of water (H2O) occurs in the upper atmosphere of Mars: sunlight and chemistry disassociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space.
Astronomy / Space Science - 09.01.2020 
Mars: water could disappear faster than expected
The small red planet is losing water more quickly than what theory as well as past observations would suggest. The gradual disappearance of water (H2O) occurs in the upper atmosphere of Mars: sunlight and chemistry disassociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space.
Astronomy / Space Science - 08.01.2020 
Cosmic magnifying glasses show faster expanding universe
New measurements using gravitational lensing, an innovative method that EPFL researchers have been working on for many years, suggest the universe is expanding faster than previously thought. A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have announced that the universe is expanding faster than expected.
Astronomy/Space Science
Results 1 - 20 of 1664.
Very occasionally, Earth gets bombarded by a large meteorite. But every day, our planet gets pelted by space dust, micrometeorites that collect on Earth's surface. A University of Washington team looked at very old samples of these small meteorites to show that the grains could have reacted with carbon dioxide on their journey to Earth.
Astronomers have found a 'vampire' star in the midst of a feeding frenzy, with the help of an automated program that is sifting through archived data from the decommissioned Kepler Space Telescope. The new program acts like a detective to find clues of very fast, mysterious explosions in the Universe.
Under the leadership of astrophysicist Kathrin Altwegg, Bernese researchers have found an explanation for why very little nitrogen could previously be accounted for in the nebulous covering of comets: the building block for life predominantly occurs in the form of ammonium salts, the occurrence of which could not previously be measured.
For Cambridge students For our researchers Business and enterprise Colleges and Departments Email and phone search Give to Cambridge Museums and collections Undergraduate Events and open days Fees and finance Postgraduate Postgraduate courses Fees and funding Frequently asked questions International students Continuing education Executive and professional education Courses in education How the University and Colleges work Visiting the University
Material falling into a black hole throws X-rays out into space - and now, for the first time, the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has used the reverberating echoes of this light to map the dynamic behaviour and surroundings of a black hole itself. Although most black holes are too small on the sky for us to resolve their immediate surroundings, we can explore these mysterious objects by watching how matter behaves as it nears, and falls into, them.
Class of strange objects near our galaxy’s enormous black hole
Astronomers from UCLA's Galactic Center Orbits Initiative have discovered a new class of bizarre objects at the center of our galaxy, not far from the supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. They published their research in the Jan. 16 issue of the journal Nature. “These objects look like gas and behave like stars,” said co-author Andrea Ghez, UCLA's Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of Astrophysics and director of the UCLA Galactic Center Group.
Astronomers from UCLA's Galactic Center Orbits Initiative have discovered a new class of bizarre objects at the center of our galaxy, not far from the supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. They published their research in the Jan. 16 issue of the journal Nature. “These objects look like gas and behave like stars,” said co-author Andrea Ghez, UCLA's Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of Astrophysics and director of the UCLA Galactic Center Group.
Phosphorus, present in our DNA and cell membranes, is an essential element for life. But how it became available on the early Earth when life appeared here about 4 billion years ago is something of a mystery. For the first time, astronomers - among them researchers from the University of Bern - have now been able to show that molecules with phosphorus are formed in star-forming regions and probably came to Earth with comets.
X-rays and gravitational waves will combine to illuminate massive black hole collisions
A new study by a group of researchers at the University of Birmingham has found that collisions of supermassive black holes may be simultaneously observable in both gravitational waves and X-rays at the beginning of the next decade. The European Space Agency (ESA) has recently announced that its two major space observatories of the 2030s will have their launches timed for simultaneous use.
A new study by a group of researchers at the University of Birmingham has found that collisions of supermassive black holes may be simultaneously observable in both gravitational waves and X-rays at the beginning of the next decade. The European Space Agency (ESA) has recently announced that its two major space observatories of the 2030s will have their launches timed for simultaneous use.
Researchers with the joint US-Mexico-European HAWC Observatory have identified a host of galactic sources of super-high-energy gamma rays The Earth is constantly being bombarded with charged particles called cosmic rays, but because they are charged, they bend in magnetic fields and don't point back to their sources.
Researchers determined the age of stardust from a meteorite to be seven billion years - the oldest solid material ever found on Earth. Stars have life cycles. They're born when bits of dust and gas floating through space find each other and collapse in on each other and heat up. They burn for millions to billions of years, and then they die.
NASA Planet Hunter Finds its 1st Earth-size Habitable-zone World
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered its first Earth-size planet in its star's habitable zone, the range of distances where conditions may be just right to allow the presence of liquid water on the surface. Scientists confirmed the find, called TOI 700 d, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and have modeled the planet's potential environments to help inform future observations.
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered its first Earth-size planet in its star's habitable zone, the range of distances where conditions may be just right to allow the presence of liquid water on the surface. Scientists confirmed the find, called TOI 700 d, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and have modeled the planet's potential environments to help inform future observations.
TESS dates an ancient collision with our galaxy
A single bright star in the constellation of Indus, visible from the southern hemisphere, has revealed new insights on an ancient collision that our galaxy the Milky Way underwent with another smaller galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus early in its history. An international team of scientists led by the University of Birmingham adopted the novel approach of applying the forensic characterisation of a single ancient, bright star called ν Indi as a probe of the history of the Milky Way.
A single bright star in the constellation of Indus, visible from the southern hemisphere, has revealed new insights on an ancient collision that our galaxy the Milky Way underwent with another smaller galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus early in its history. An international team of scientists led by the University of Birmingham adopted the novel approach of applying the forensic characterisation of a single ancient, bright star called ν Indi as a probe of the history of the Milky Way.
UChicago, Field Museum scientists discover oldest material on Earth: 7-billion-year-old stardust
Scientists with the University of Chicago and Field Museum have discovered stardust that formed 5 to 7 billion years ago-the oldest solid material ever found on Earth. The grains of stardust were trapped inside meteorites long ago-even before the sun formed-where they remained unchanged for billions of years, until one such meteorite fell 50 years ago in Australia.
Scientists with the University of Chicago and Field Museum have discovered stardust that formed 5 to 7 billion years ago-the oldest solid material ever found on Earth. The grains of stardust were trapped inside meteorites long ago-even before the sun formed-where they remained unchanged for billions of years, until one such meteorite fell 50 years ago in Australia.
New source of space weather - too close to home
Beyond Earth's atmosphere are swirling clouds of energized particles — ions and electrons — that emanate from the sun. This “solar wind” buffets the magnetosphere, the magnetic force field that surrounds Earth. In much the same way winds and storms create weather in our atmosphere, strong gusts of solar wind penetrating the magnetosphere can generate magnetic storms with powerful electric currents that can impact our lives.
Beyond Earth's atmosphere are swirling clouds of energized particles — ions and electrons — that emanate from the sun. This “solar wind” buffets the magnetosphere, the magnetic force field that surrounds Earth. In much the same way winds and storms create weather in our atmosphere, strong gusts of solar wind penetrating the magnetosphere can generate magnetic storms with powerful electric currents that can impact our lives.
Thanks to some astrophysical sleuthing, researchers have pinpointed an early galactic merger that helped shape the Milky Way. The merger - a collision, actually - happened 11.5 billion years ago. That's when a small galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus slammed into what then existed of the Milky Way, Earth's home galaxy, which is about 13.5 billion years old.
The spectacular collision of two neutron stars over 500 million light-years away from Earth has been spotted through the detection of gravitational waves. The neutron stars - remnants of dying stars that undergo catastrophic explosions as they collapse at the end of their lives - merged into an unusually large single object that was around 3.4 times the mass of our sun, the team report.
New data yield one of the most sensitive probes to date of processes that may have seeded the matter vs. antimatter imbalance in the universe In an underground laboratory deep beneath a mountain in Central Italy, an array of crystals, chilled to within a hair of absolute zero - the coldest possible temperature in the universe - has been steadily compiling one of the most precise measurements to date in pursuit of a rare particle process.
The small red planet is losing water more quickly than what theory as well as past observations would suggest. The gradual disappearance of water (H2O) occurs in the upper atmosphere of Mars: sunlight and chemistry disassociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space.
The small red planet is losing water more quickly than what theory as well as past observations would suggest. The gradual disappearance of water (H2O) occurs in the upper atmosphere of Mars: sunlight and chemistry disassociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space.
New measurements using gravitational lensing, an innovative method that EPFL researchers have been working on for many years, suggest the universe is expanding faster than previously thought. A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have announced that the universe is expanding faster than expected.
