PHYSICS & MATHIn the preface to a new book entitled “Starmus”, published last month, Cambridge cosmologist Stephen Hawking said that if indeed the particle is the Higgs Boson, then CERN’s discovery could lead to the demise of the universe if its contents were to become unstable. But a new research analysis published this month in the journal Physical Review D, says that Hawking and the rest of the universe may need not fear, because the particle may in fact not be what it appears.
There are creationist theories, Big Bang theories, and even more temporarily defined hypotheses about how the planets of our solar system came to be, but modern research has yet to find conclusive empirical evidence to show us exactly how our solar system’s birth happened, 4.5 billion years ago. That is, until now!
Nearly every Sci-Fi film about deep space has warned about the perils of coming up against a black hole. And if there’s anything we’ve learned, or that astronomy has taught us, it’s that these supermassive vortex’s have quite a strong pull—something most planets and stars cannot bare to go through. But as it so happens, it turns out that cosmic coupling may be one solution for solar systems looking to avoid certain death.
Well it appears that the cosmic gestational period is over, and astronomers are catching a glimpse at what happens next. This week researchers at the Chilean Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory have revealed that in the constellation Taurus, that new life is forming—or at least new planets.
Earlier this week Australians caught a glimpse of a bizarre sight in their morning sky, something that’s not only rare, but also quite strange to see. Looking like a vortex for clouds, with a looming rainbow trapped in the center, Australians across the continent snapped shots of what they thought was an alien spacecraft, or rather a hole in the atmosphere. Taking to social media, the strange images garnered much attention, but as soon as the mystery was up, the strange solution was found.
About 40 years late to the “Space Race”, this morning Saturday Nov. 1, 2014, China became the third nation in the world to successfully orbit the moon and return to Earth to tell the tale. As China’s space agency continues to move forward in its ambitious space program, the lunar orbiter marks a great first success for the mission, and undoubtedly shows its growing presence as a space agency in the world. The eight day turn-around trip came to a close this morning after the test lunar orbiter landed about 500 km away from Beijing, in the Siziwang Banner of China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region according to the nation’s Xinhua state-run news agency.
The launch of the Antares rocket carrying supplies and scientific equipment to the International Space Station was rescheduled from Monday evening to Tuesday evening due to a wayward sailboat entered the restricted zone underneath the rocket's flight path. The launch is now scheduled to 6:22 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
Elon Musk's SpaceX keeps on completing milestones on its way to building that city on Mars ASAP, but first it must prove it can handle reliably traveling to somewhere much closer: the International Space Station, currently orbiting Earth.
Orbital Sciences will launch a rocket containing supplies for the International Space Station from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia tonight, and if you live on the East Coast, you just might be able to view it with the naked eye.
The Rosetta Orbiter, which is orbiting Comet 67P/C-G, has recently reported back on what the fumes coming off of the comet smell like--and it's not good. Rosetta is using its 'mass spectrometers' to 'sniff' what the ESA is calling the comet's 'perfume.'
Google Senior Vice President Alan Eustice just completed a feat for the record books. Eustice broke Felix Baumgartner's world skydiving altitude record this week when he rode a balloon to a height of over 135,000 feet and then safely made the harrowing journey back to Earth.
With only a matter of days standing between now and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission landing on its host Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, researchers and the ESA are looking towards what the future of the mission may mean for Earth. As the first successful orbit around a comet, speeding through our solar system on its mission around the sun, the ESA is searching for answers not only on the origin of our Earth, but also of our solar system—something they say they will find in a new sci-fi film released this morning, Oct. 24.
As if this week's spectacular Orionid meteor shower wasn't enough, much or North America will be treated to an amazing partial solar eclipse this Thursday, Oct. 23.
Young would-be space explorers received some bad news this week. Due to the Sun entering in to a phase of relatively low solar activity, cosmic radiation is projected to increase to such levels that any prolonged manned space expedition would prove harmful and even deadly to the astronauts involved.
Since 2012, when Dutch nonprofit Mars One led by Bas Lansdorp announced plans for a permanent colony to be established on Mars, many have been questioning whether or not the company will be able to make good on its promise. But researchers at MIT say that even if they can, the first Martian pilgrims may not last a year around the Sun.
The directionally challenged may find a new curveball thrown their way, as researchers reveal that in our lifetime we may see flip in what we know to be North and South. For those who know their way around navigating the wild, seeking directions in the stars, or even reading the face of a compass, you may have to reconsider the norm or repaint the stars to fit a changing magnetic field that may soon have Antarctica pointing North.
This week is shaping up to be an exceptional one for astronomy. Fresh off the heals of the Orionid meteor shower comes another solar eclipse on Thursday, Oct. 23 which will be visible to most residents of North America.
As news spread worldwide of the arrival of Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring, anticipated to arrive yesterday Sunday Oct. 19 just outside of Mars’ outer atmosphere, it appears that aerospace agencies invested in the red planet headed the warnings and got out of the way of the fast moving rock. Following NASA’s lead in safety protocol, intended to keep Mars orbiters functional and safe from cosmic debris, other agencies like the European Space Agency (ESA) elected to “duck and cover” behind the planet Mars and peak out only for an up-close look at the rare, passing comet.
It's time for another one of Earth's annual meteor shower events, the Orionid meteor shower. Those who are willing to wake up early enough to catch a glimpse of the pre-dawn sky over the next week should be able to spot a few meteors are they streak across the morning sky.
