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Where does the solar system end?
The solar system is an enormous place. Our cosmic neighborhood includes eight planets, around half a dozen dwarf planets, several hundred moons and millions of asteroids and comets, all spinning around the sun — and in many cases each other —at speeds of thousands of miles per hour, like a giant top. But where does…
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Top Astronomy, meteorology, space experts gather at Frontiers of Flight for solar eclipse two-day event
Photo courtesy of Unsplash. Next week, North Texans will have the rare opportunity to view a solar eclipse and the Frontiers of Flight Museum will host two events to celebrate the celestial phenomenon. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} #mc_embed_signup .indicates-required {display: none;} #mc_embed_signup .mc-field-group {clear: none; width: 75%; padding-bottom: 0%;padding-top: 1.5%;} #mc_embed_signup form {margin: 0px…
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Grab a Beer with NASA Scientists at This Astronomy Meetup in LA
Past lecture series have covered topics like Cannibal Galaxies and settling on Mars. | Photo by Irina Logra for ThrillistPast lecture series have covered topics like Cannibal Galaxies and settling on Mars. | Photo by Irina Logra for Thrillist Did you know that there are anywhere between 100 billion and two trillion galaxies in the…
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Send robots into space rather than people, says Britain’s Astronomer Royal
Britain’s Astronomer Royal Martin Rees said sending people into space when robots could do the job just as effectively was a waste of public money, and space exploration should be left to billionaires and those willing to pay for trips themselves. “I’m sceptical about the idea of a human space flight being worthwhile,” Rees told…
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Astronomers conduct first search for forming planets with James Webb Space Telescope
Two spiral arms emerge from the gas-rich disk around SAO 206462, a young star in the constellation Lupus. This image, acquired by the Subaru Telescope and its HiCIAO instrument, is the first to show spiral arms in a circumstellar disk. The image traces the light emitted by the star and scattered on the disk surface.…
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Cosmic gold rush! Astronomers find 49 new galaxies in just 3 hours
Astronomers have been surprised by a “gold rush” of new galaxies, racking up 49 discoveries in just 3 hours. The gas-rich galaxies were uncovered by a team using the MeerKAT radio telescope located in South Africa. They have been dubbed the “forty-niners,” a callback to the nickname given to the thousands of gold miners who…
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Space travel best left to robots and eccentric billionaires, says British astronomy adviser
Martin Rees said Elon Musk had ‘done a much better job’ than the big conglomerates that used to work for Nasa in producing efficient rockets. Photo: Getty Paul Sandle Today at 03:30 Britain’s Astronomer Royal Martin Rees said sending people into space when robots could do the job just as effectively was a waste of…
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How are extreme “blue supergiant” stars born? Astronomers may finally know
Astronomers may have solved the mystery of how some of the brightest and hottest stars in the cosmos are born. The team, led by researchers at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), found clues that suggest blue supergiants are created when two stars in a binary system spiral together and merge. B-type blue supergiant…
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Astronomers Furious at Plan to Shut Down NASA Space Telescope
“If you turn Chandra off, the hit to x-ray astronomy in the US is huge.” Going Dark For over two decades, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory — humanity’s most powerful telescope of its kind — has provided astronomers with an unparalleled view, allowing them to better understand the structure and evolution of the universe. But a…
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Meet 7 women who broke barriers in the field of astronomy and beyond
Many corners of the scientific world have been profoundly impacted by the work of women. They’ve blazed a trail across every field, breaking down barriers for themselves and others in the process. These extraordinary women have discovered comets, created classification systems, and stared into the abyss of black holes. In recognition of Women’s History Month,…
