Astronomy
Milky Way is Twice as Thick as Previously Believed
Imagine suddenly realizing that your house was twice as big as you originally thought. Okay, maybe that's a little out…
Hubble Finds Dozens of Gravitationally Lensed Galaxies
One of the breakthroughs in modern astronomy is the use of gravitational lenses, where a closer galaxy or star focuses…
Countdown To February 20/21 Total Lunar Eclipse…
From beginning to end, the February 20/21 lunar eclipse lasts about three hours and twenty-six minutes and we're down to…
Researchers Find a Supernova, Before it Exploded
The problem with supernovae is that you never know where they're going to happen. Your only clue is the bright…
Cautious Welcome for UK Research Council U-Turn on Gemini Observatory Funding
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) appear to have given UK astronomers a temporary reprieve over their access to…
Star Flips its Magnetic Field
At some point in the last year or so, the Sun-like star tau Bootis completely flipped its magnetic field. The…
Young Stars in a Blanket of Gas and Dust
It's time for another pretty picture. This time you're looking at an image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud, captured…
Hubble Finds One of the Earliest, Brightest Galaxies in the Universe
By boosting the abilities of Hubble with a gravitational lens telescope provided by nature, astronomers have been able to peer…
Podcast: Stellar Populations
After the Big Bang, all we had was hydrogen, a little bit of helium, and a few other trace elements.…
Get Ready for the February 20/21, 2008 Total Lunar Eclipse…
A total eclipse of the Moon occurs during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008. But where will the action…