Space and astronomy news
[/caption] If there were equal amounts of matter and anti-matter in the universe, it would be easy to deduce that the universe has a net charge of zero, since a defining ‘opposite’ of matter and anti-matter is charge. So if a particle has charge, its anti-particle will have an equal but opposite charge. For example, …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – A Universe Free Of Charge?”
[/caption] The production of elements in supernova explosions is something we take for granted these days. But exactly where and when this nucleosynthesis takes place is still unclear – and attempts to computer model core collapse scenarios still pushes current computing power to its limits. Stellar fusion in main sequence stars can build some elements …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – Alchemy By Supernova”
[/caption] Atoms are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. If you cram them together and heat them up you get plasma where the electrons are only loosely associated with individual nuclei and you get a dynamic, light-emitting mix of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons. If you cram that matter together even further, you …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – Strange Stars”
[/caption] It has been reported that a recent scientific paper delivers the conclusion that our universe resides inside a black hole in another universe. In fact, this isn’t really what the paper concluded – although what the paper did conclude is still a little out of left field. The Einstein-Cartan-Kibble-Sciama (ECKS) theory of gravity – …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – The Universe Is Not In A Black Hole”
[/caption] It all started so full of promise. All at once, our universe burst upon the scene, but much of that initial burst quickly dissipated into background neutrinos and photons – and ever since, pretty much everything our universe has ever done has just dissipated more energy. So, despite the occasional enthusiastic outburst of supernovae …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – Our Ageing Universe”
[/caption] I feel a certain empathy for brown dwarfs. The first confirmed finding of one was only fifteen years ago and they remain frequently overlooked in most significant astronomical surveys. I mean OK, they can only (stifles laughter) burn deuterium but that’s something, isn’t it? It has been suggested that a clever way of finding …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – Brown Dwarfs Are Magnetic Too”
[/caption] It’s possible that if we do eventually observe the hypothetical objects that make up the hypothetical Oort cloud, they will all be a deep red color. This red coloring will probably be a mix of ices, richly laced with organic compounds – and may represent remnants of the primordial material from which the solar …
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[/caption] In the 1950s, the Sauer research team locked some birds in Olbers planetarium and started messing with them. First they projected a northern hemisphere autumn sky and the birds flew ‘south’ – away from Polaris and keeping Betelgeuse to the left (‘east’). Then they projected a spring night sky and the birds flew ‘north’ …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – Animal Astronomy”
[/caption] Although, as we look further and deeper into the sky, we are always looking into the past – there are other ways of gaining information about the universe’s ancient history. Low mass, low metal stars may be remnants of the early universe and carry valuable information about the environment of that early universe. The …
Continue reading “Astronomy Without A Telescope – Stellar Archaeology”
[/caption] Fifty years of eerie silence in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence has prompted some rethinking about what we should be looking for. After all, it’s unlikely that many civilizations would invest a lot of time and resources into broadcasting a Yoo-hoo, over here signal, so maybe we have to look for incidental signs of …