Einstein was right. Well, according to new observations of a double pulsar, he was at least 99.95% right. An international team of astronomers have been measuring the pulsar pair for three years, and have detected several effects that match Einstein’s theory of general relativity. It’s believed the two pulsars are losing energy through the radiation of gravitational waves, and will eventually spiral into each other.
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Huge, Lightweight Planet Discovered
A new, lightweight planet has been discovered orbiting a star 450 light-years away in the constellation Lacerta. This unusual planet is larger than Jupiter, but it has only half its mass; astronomers estimate it has the same density as cork. The planet, named HAT-P-1, orbits its host star every 4.5 days. A network of automated telescopes detected how the planet dims its parent star by 1.5% when it passes in between the star and the Earth. Why this planet is so swollen is still a mystery to astronomers.
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Subaru Finds the Most Distant Galaxy
The powerful Subaru telescope in Hawai’i has found the most distant galaxy ever seen, located 12.88 billion light-years away – this is only 780 million years after the Big Bang. Observing objects this distant is extremely difficult, not only because of the great distances involved, but because much of the Universe was obscured behind neutral hydrogen. Stars only then began clearing out this neutral hydrogen, making the Universe transparent.
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Identifying Planets with Life
Telescope technology is advancing quickly, as larger and larger instruments are getting built. Eventually, an observatory will be built capable of resolving Earth-sized worlds orbiting other stars. If there’s life there, will we recognize it? Researchers from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA have developed a list of epochs in Earth’s atmosphere’s history that could be visible through this instrument; from the earliest times that life emerged to our current, oxygen/nitrogen-abundant atmosphere.
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Cloud of Ethane Discovered on Titan
When preparing for Cassini’s visit to Saturn’s moon Titan, researchers expected to see the place awash in ethane – a byproduct of the breakdown of methane. They didn’t find the lakes and oceans of ethane they were expecting, but now they have found a large cloud of ethane above Titan’s southern pole. It’s possible that this cloud rains down ethane in the summer, and then condenses around the pole in the winter, accumulating as ice.
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Xena Renamed to Eris
Provisionally designated 2003ub313, and nicknamed Xena by its discoverers, this newly discovered dwarf planet has been officially named Eris by the International Astronomical Union. The name was proposed by Mike Brown, a member of the team that made its discovery, and the name was accepted by the committee. In Greek lore, Eris is the goddess of discord and strife. Its moon has been named Dysnomia, the Daimon spirit of lawlessness.
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International Space Station Spreads its Wings
The International Space Station got a lot bigger today when it spread out its newly installed solar panel arrays. NASA mission controllers sent commands up instructing the station to open the first panel, and then the second, spanning a total of 73 metres (240 feet). The STS-115 astronauts will have one final spacewalk on Friday; Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper will spend 6.5 hours outside the station working on a variety of tasks. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to depart from the station on Sunday, and land on Wednesday.
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Book Review: Secrets of the Old One – Einstein, 1905
Imagine that poor, uninformed Neanderthal man who didn’t know to rub two sticks together to make fire. Then compare him to today’s Homo Sapiens who know this secret. Seems like a great disparity. However, though people today know this secret, few have tried it and fewer still know the best wood, twine and grass. The same awareness can be said for the field of physics. Most know of its secrets, some use this knowledge but fewer are experts on the details. Jeremy Bernstein, in his book ‘Secrets of the Old One – Einstein, 1905’ gives an excellent recount of secrets learned by experts over a century ago. Reading it will give a great assist to those wanting to be more informed.
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Astrophoto: The Iris Nebula by Tom Davis
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is estimated to have 400 billion stars, give or take 200 billion, but less than 6,000 (also an estimate) are visible from dark locations without telescopic aide- and only part of this number can be seen during any single night. Some are dim but close, others are bright but remote and many are partially hidden behind veils of dust so their splendor only hints at their distance. Therefore, the placement of the stars and their brilliance in the sky creates a completely random distribution of bright pinpoints overhead that people have, nonetheless, grouped into familiar patterns called constellations. This affinity for recognizing or imagining designs also extends to the objects in space that can only be seen through telescopes or in photos with long exposures such as this article’s featured picture that, many believe, resembles a flower.
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Podcast: Pluto’s Planetary Identity Crisis
Pluto. It’s a planet, then it’s not. This week we review Pluto’s history, from discovery to demotion by the International Astronomical Union. Learn the 3 characteristics that make up a planet, and why Pluto now fails to make the grade.
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