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Has the Speed of Light Changed
Over Time?
Australian
theoretical physicist,
Professor Paul Davies, has proposed that one of the so-called
"constants" of the universe -- the speed of light -- has in fact slowed
over time, a revelation that will cause a rethink of many of our
accepted laws of physics as well as our "understanding" of the
beginning of the universe.
Latest Results in Continuing
Search for Ancient Martian Life
In the latest
study of a 4.5
billion-year-old Martian meteorite, researchers have presented new
evidence confirming that 25 percent of the magnetic material in the
meteorite was produced by ancient bacteria on Mars.
Pluto's Atmosphere is Changing
New findings by
astronomers from Lowell
Observatory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
indicate that Pluto's atmosphere is undergoing a cooling trend and
other global changes.
Earth's Oldest Known Meteorite
Impact
A team of
geologists has determined the
age of the oldest known meteorite impact on Earth - a catastrophic
event that generated massive shockwaves across the planet billions of
years before a similar event helped wipe out the dinosaurs.
Speed of Gravity to be Measured
Ever since Albert
Einstein proposed the
general theory of relativity in 1916, physicists worldwide have tested
the theory's underlying principles. While some principles - such as the
speed of light is a constant - have been proven, others have not. An
experiment will soon seek to prove whether the speed of gravity is
equal to that of light.
The Sun's Twisted Mysteries
Solar physicists
have found new clues to
the thirty year old puzzle of why the Sun ejects huge bubbles of
electrified gas, laced with magnetic field, known as coronal mass
ejections (CMEs). The key to understanding CMEs, which can cause
electricity black outs on Earth, may be due to twisted magnetic fields
originating deep within the heart of the Sun.
Global Fires Followed Ancient
Impact Event
Global wildfires
ignited by
high-velocity debris from the catastrophic impact of an asteroid or
comet with Earth 65 million years ago spread over southern North
America, the Indian subcontinent and most of the equatorial part of the
world one to three days after impact, according to a new study.
Comets Break Up Far and Near
Some comets may
break apart over and
over again in the farthest reaches of the solar system, challenging a
theory that comets break up only occasionally and not too far from the
Sun.
Star cluster offers clues on
Milky Way's evolution
New observations
of the richly populated
star cluster NGC 2420 taken by the refurbished WIYN 0.9-meter telescope
at Kitt Peak National Observatory suggest that the cluster contains a
multitude of clues about the history and evolution of the Milky Way.
Jupiter-like Weather on Brown
Dwarfs
A UCLA-NASA team
has found cloudy,
stormy atmospheres on brown dwarfs, the celestial bodies that are less
massive than stars but have more mass than giant planets like Jupiter.
The discovery will give scientists better tools for interpreting
atmospheres and weather on brown dwarfs or on planets around other
stars.
Another Major Mars Water
Announcement Coming Soon
Dr. Jim Garvin,
Lead Scientist of NASA's
Mars Exploration Program said today that a major announcement is
forthcoming about the presence of water ice just under the surface of
Mars. NASA has scheduled a Space Science update for next Thursday for
12:00 noon - which is suggestive of the time a press embargo would lift
for an article appearing in Science magazine.
Europa Has Right Stuff
Recent work by
Dr. Elisabetta Pierazzo,
at the Planetary Science Institute, and Dr. Christopher Chyba of the
SETI Institute, sheds light on the question of whether enough "biogenic
elements," the raw ingredients for life, including carbon, nitrogen,
sulfur and phosphorus, could be present to support Europan life.
Closest Brown Dwarf Companion
Ever Spotted
Astronomers using
adaptive optics
technology on the Gemini North Telescope have observed a brown dwarf
orbiting a low-mass star at a distance comparable to just three times
the distance between the Earth and Sun. This is the closest separation
distance ever found for this type of binary system using direct imaging.
Pictures from Hubble's new
Camera Stuns Astronomers
After the March
servicing mission of the
Hubble Space Telescope astronomers have been anxiously waiting for the
first pictures from Hubble. Today NASA released the first series of
pictures and astronomers are jubilant. Hubble's new Advanced Camera for
Surveys (ACS) is working better than expected. Hubble can now see at
least 10 times farther than it used to.
Amino Acids from Interstellar
Space
A team of
scientists including SETI
Institute and NASA researchers today announced the successful creation
of amino acids, chemicals essential to life, in a laboratory simulation
of conditions found in deep space. The team reproduced the freezing
conditions that exist in the gigantic interstellar clouds of dust, gas,
and ice that are the birthplaces of new stars and planetary systems.
The Disturbed Spiral Galaxy NGC
7673
The disturbed
spiral galaxy NGC 7673 is
ablaze with the light from millions of new stars. Each of its infant
giant blue star clusters shines 100 times as brightly in the
ultraviolet as similar immense star clusters in our own Galaxy.
Was Mars Carved by Liquid
Carbon Dioxide?
Scientists have
provided new evidence
that liquid carbon dioxide, not running water, may have beeen the
primary cause of erosional features such as gullies, valley networks,
and channels that cover the surface of Mars.
A Bright Comet Returns - 341
Years Later
A comet
discovered last month by amateur
astronomers is making its first pass through the inner solar system in
nearly 3-1/2 centuries. Named Ikeya-Zhang for the two keen-eyed
skygazers who first spotted it, this cosmic interloper can be seen low
in the west, not far above the horizon, as soon as it gets dark.
NASA's Mars Odyssey Unveils
Early Science Results
Initial science
data from NASA's
Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which began its mapping mission last week,
portend some tantalizing findings by the newest Martian visitor,
including possible identification of significant amounts of frozen
water. Initial measurements by the gamma-ray spectrometer instrument
suite show the presence of significant amounts of hydrogen in the south
polar region of Mars. The high hydrogen content is most likely due to
water ice, though the amount of ice cannot be quantified yet. Further
analysis will be conducted to confirm the interpretation.
Chandra's X-ray View of Jupiter
A pulsating hot
spot of X-rays has been
discovered in the polar regions of Jupiter's upper atmosphere by NASA's
Chandra X-ray Observatory. Previous theories cannot explain either the
pulsations or the location of the hot spot, prompting scientists to
search for a new process to produce Jupiter's X-rays.
Asteroids - Not Comets -
Resurfaced Earth
The bombardment
that resurfaced the
Earth 3.9 billion years ago was produced by asteroids, not comets. The
significance of this conclusion is that the bombardment was so severe
that it destroyed older rocks on Earth which is the reason why the
oldest rocks found are less than 3.9 billion years old.
Huge Cloud of Volcanic Gas
Surrounds Jupiter
A huge cloud of
gas, spewed from
volcanos on one of Jupiter's moons, extends into space to a distance
that is almost equal to that of the earth from the sun, says a new
report published in the journal Nature.
Evidence of Molten Core Within
Earth's Moon
Love numbers --
measures of how much a
planet's surface and interior move in response to the gravitational
pull of nearby bodies -- may indicate that the Moon has something like
a molten slush surrounding its core, say researchers at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Hubble Finds "Backwards" Spiral
Galaxy
To the surprise
of astronomers, the
galaxy, called NGC 4622, appears to be rotating in the opposite
direction to what they expected. Pictures by NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope helped astronomers determine that the galaxy may be spinning
clockwise by showing which side of the galaxy is closer to Earth.
The above information is excerpts from SpaceRef.com, a
great reference site - check it out!
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