Physics in the News

Sunday, June 15, 2014

NASA identifies the smells of Saturn’s ‘aromatic’ moon

Titan, Saturn's largest moon appears before the planet as it undergoes seasonal changes in this natural color view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft in this handout released by NASA August 29, 2012. (Reuters/NASA) — Titan, Saturn’s largest moon appears before the planet as it undergoes seasonal changes in this natural color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in this handout released by NASA August 29, 2012. (Credit: Reuters/NASA)

Hubble hubba: Stars are being born around a Black Hole in galaxy’s center

Hubble Space Telescope picture of galaxy NGC 3081. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; acknowledgement: R. Buta (University of Alabama) — Hubble Space Telescope picture of galaxy NGC 3081. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; acknowledgement: R. Buta (Credit: University of Alabama)

via universetoday

“Is spacetime a fluid?” Leading physicists query

Summary of the spacetime issues discussed in this article. One can use photons and astronomical objects as test particles to measure spacetime over 22 orders of magnitude in scale, ranging from the cosmic horizon (probing the global topology of and curvature of space - top) to distant supernovae (giving evidence of dark energy) down to galaxies (giving evidence for dark matter), galactic nuclei and binary stellar systems (giving evidence for black holes) — Summary of the spacetime issues discussed in this article. One can use photons and astronomical objects as test particles to measure spacetime over 22 orders of magnitude in scale, ranging from the cosmic horizon (probing the global topology of and curvature of space – top) to distant supernovae (giving evidence of dark energy) down to galaxies (giving evidence for dark matter), galactic nuclei and binary stellar systems (giving evidence for black holes) (Credit: Max Tegmark)

via dailygalaxy

Rob Sheldon: Dark matter, dark energy, … what is the role of evidence now?

(Credit: NASA)

via uncommondescent

Astronomers discover nearly 200 previously unknown ‘red’ galaxies

Image Credit: atilla445/Thinkstock.com — (Credit: atilla445/Thinkstock.com)

Physics in the News

Saturday, June 14, 2014

An Ocean On Pluto’s Moon? Hopeful Scientists Will Keep An Eye Out For Cracks

Artist impression of Pluto and Charon (NASA)

via universetoday

A Puzzling Cosmic Ring

The Herschel Space Observatory has uncovered a weird ring of dusty material while obtaining one of the sharpest scans to date of a huge cloud of gas and dust, called NGC 7538. (Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Whitman College)

via spacefellowship

‘Dark’ and Powerful Space Explosions May Be Cloaked by Cosmic Dust

Observations of galaxy GRB 020819B of molecular gas (left) and dust (middle) done by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). At right is a visible-light image from the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini North Telescope. The cross indicates the site of a gamma-ray burst in the region. Credit: Bunyo Hatsukade(NAOJ), ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

Two Giant Planets Hiding Beyond Pluto

Three images, showing dwarf planet 2012 VP113 in red, then green, then blue, were combined to reveal its path across the night sky (Image: Scott S. Sheppard, Carnegie Institution for Science)

via newscientist

NASA’s Orion spacecraft nearly ready for its mission to Mars

Credit: NASA

Images of “The Beast” asteroid blazing past earth

NASA scientists used Earth-based radar to produce these sharp views of the HQ124 asteroid on June 8, 2014. Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arecibo Observatory/USRA/NSF

via nationalgeographic

Physics in the News

Friday, June 13, 2014

Solar Storm Heading Toward Earth

This image from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory captures the first of three giant flares erupting from the sun’s surface on June 10, 2014. Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard/Wiessinger — This image from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory captures the first of three giant flares erupting from the sun’s surface on June 10, 2014. (Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard/Wiessinger)

Stunning Hubble time-lapse of stellar explosion (VIDEO)

V838 created an expanding light echo that illuminated the interstellar dust surrounding it and generated one of the most amazing scenes captured by Hubble. — V838 created an expanding light echo that illuminated the interstellar dust surrounding it and generated one of the most amazing scenes captured by Hubble. (Credit: NASA)

NASA to Launch Carbon Dioxide-Monitoring Spacecraft Next Month

Artist's rendition of the OCO-2 Observatory. Credit: JPL/NASA — Artist’s rendition of the OCO-2 Observatory. (Credit: JPL/NASA)

The International Space Station Is About to Get Its First 3D Printer

Made in Space's 3D Printer. Image: Made in Space — Made in Space’s 3D Printer. (Credit: Made in Space)

via motherboard.vice

Like Magic! Tiny Particles Can Pass Through Long-Distance Barriers

Quantum particles transmit through a whole series of barriers under conditions where a single particle could not do the move. Credit: University of Innsbruck — Quantum particles transmit through a whole series of barriers under conditions where a single particle could not do the move. (Credit: University of Innsbruck)

via livescience

Meet the Cosmic Tootsie Pop

red-giant — There’s a prize hidden inside this red giant. (Credit: Getty Images)

via time

Physics in the News

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Sun Emits 3 X-class Flares in 2 Days

Three X-class flares erupted from the left side of the sun June 10-11, 2014. These images are from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and show light in a blend of two ultraviolet wavelengths: 171 and 131 angstroms. The former is colorized in yellow; the latter, in red. Image Credit: NASA/SDO — Three X-class flares erupted from the left side of the sun June 10-11, 2014. These images are from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and show light in a blend of two ultraviolet wavelengths: 171 and 131 angstroms. The former is colorized in yellow; the latter, in red.
Image Credit: NASA/SDO

Earth & moon 60 million years older than previously thought

AFP Photo/NASA

NASA unveils its futuristic warp drive starship – called Enterprise, of course

Image by Mark Rademaker

via extremetech

Mars Rover Curiosity Watches Mercury Transit the Sun

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Texas A&M

via discovery.com

Viewing deeper into the quantum world

Photo Credit: ICFO

via sciencecodex

Astronauts’ well-kept secret: ‘Space has a smell’

Tweet from @NASA

via washingtonpost.com

Physics in the News

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Simple Problem Einstein Couldn’t Solve … At First

Einstein fell for this teaser

via farnamstreetblog

Black hole? Or wormhole in disguise?

55-year old dark side of the Moon mystery solved

This is a composite image of the lunar farside taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in June 2009, note the absence of dark areas. Credit: NASA

Curiosity captures stunning new Mount Sharp panorama ‘on the go’

Curiosity rover panorama of Mount Sharp captured on June 6, 2014 (Sol 651) during traverse inside Gale Crater. Note rover wheel tracks at left. She will eventually ascend the mountain at the ‘Murray Buttes’ at right later this year. Assembled from Mastcam color camera raw images and stitched by Marco Di Lorenzo and Ken Kremer. Credit: NASA/JPL/MSSS/Marco Di Lorenzo