Astronomy
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Astronomy
Comet Sampler: Fire meets ice
The first study of comet dust brought to Earth by a spacecraft has revealed several minerals that could have formed only at the fiery temperatures close to the sun or another star.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Glassy galaxies
Astronomers have found clouds of sand crystals resembling crushed glass around 21 infrared-bright galaxies.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Cosmic Triumph: Satellite confirms birth theory of universe
The most detailed portrait ever taken of the radiation left over from the Big Bang provides fresh evidence that the universe began with a tremendous growth spurt, expanding from subatomic scales to the size of a grapefruit in less than a trillionth of a second.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Magnetic Memory: New model forecasts solar storms
A new computer model predicts that the next solar-activity cycle won't begin until late 2008, a year later than the sun's standard cycle would forecast.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Peeling Back Orion’s Layers
By studying the most detailed portrait ever assembled of the Orion nebula, astronomers hope to glean new insights about star birth throughout the galaxy.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Unique Explosion: Gamma-ray burst leads astronomers to supernova
Astronomers have found a supernova associated with the second-closest-known gamma-ray burst, confirming a model in which bursts arise from material blasted into space by a supernova explosion.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Chasing a stellar blast
An exploding star recently discovered in a nearby galaxy may be a milestone in the study of type 1a supernovas.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Tiny planet orbits faraway star
Taking advantage of some gravitational sleight of hand, astronomers have found indirect evidence of the smallest planet known to exist outside the solar system.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Radio Daze: Staccato pulses suggest a new stellar class
Astronomers have discovered what may be a new class of star that emits bursts of radio waves for 2 to 30 milliseconds before falling silent for minutes to hours.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Found: A missing hot halo
Astronomers have for the first time found a halo of hot inflowing gas around a massive, spiral galaxy, a likely leftover from the galaxy's formation.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Blasts from the Past
Gamma-ray bursts may soon surpass quasars and galaxies as the most distant known objects in the universe and are likely to provide a new window on the early universe.
By Ron Cowen -
Astronomy
Galactic cannibalism
A highly elongated group of stars is most likely a dwarf galaxy that is being gobbled up by the Milky Way.
By Ron Cowen