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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: sun

sun stories: 19 news summaries


 New Planet 
 Expected to 
 Crash and Burn 

It defies laws of physics

Aug 27, 09 10:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists in the UK have discovered a planet that defies the laws of physics, the Independent reports. WASP-18b, which is orbiting a star 1,000 light years from Earth, is so big and close to the sun that it should be pulled toward it. "The spin of the star... More »

MORE ABOUT:
planet • star • sun • physics • exoplanet • Jupiter • orbit • University of St. Andrews • WASP-18b

 Sunny Days Help You Think 

Cloudiness reduces cognitive agility in depressed people, researchers found

Aug 5, 09 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Does a cloudy day leave you groggy and unable to focus? If so, a study suggests you’re not alone: Cloudy days, regardless of season, can have an effect on cognitive function, MSNBC reports. Researchers cross-referencing the results of cognitive tests from 16,800 Americans with data on daily sunshine... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weather • memory • depression • learning • brain • sun • sunlight • mild cognitive impairment

(Newser) - A monstrous black hole near the center of a distant galaxy is sucking up stars, gas and dust, and spitting out baby stars, NASA scientists have discovered. The black hole is 100 million times the mass of the sun, reports the Telegraph. It lies at the center of a galaxy... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • space • star • sun • black hole • universe • galaxy • space telescope

(Newser) - The sun may be heading for one of its dimmest periods in history, but that doesn't mean the big star is joining the battle against global warming, according to scientists. The sun hit a 100-year low in sunspot activity last year, reports the Telegraph. More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • global warming • space • Earth • sun • extrasolar planets • excessive heat • sunspots • solar activity

Gene Mutation Instigates
Skin Cancer, Scientists Say

Sun exposure leads to certain gene mutation

Apr 7, 09 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some 70% of melanoma skin cancers may initially be caused by a particular gene mutation resulting from overexposure to the sun, British scientists says, in a finding that could help create targeted melanoma drugs. Researchers had already seen that the BRAF gene was often damaged in cancer patients, but they... More »

MORE ABOUT:
skin cancer • sun • genetic mutation • melanoma • genetic research

(Newser) - A website that claims to "tan" people as they bask in front of their computer screen has drawn a million duped viewers, reports the Daily Telegraph. The fake infomercial site by a British skin cancer charity directs pasty viewers to a free tanning trial on a web page where... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • skin cancer • sun • burns • tanning • suntan • ultra-violet rays

Drive Past the Body Shop: Sun Will Repair Scratches

New self-healing coating will save you money, time

Mar 13, 09 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - The sun will soon be able to help repair the scratches on everything from iPods to cars. Researchers have developed a polyurethane coating that heals itself when exposed to UV radiation, Wired reports. The coating, which should be available in a few months, could save consumers money and reduce waste... More »

MORE ABOUT:
waste • iPod • sun • consumer spending • chemistry • ultraviolet light • cars • automobile

 Huge Holes Found in 
 Earth's Magnetic Shield 

The Earth is in for a wild geomagnetic ride

Dec 17, 08 2:40 AM CST
(Newser) - Scientists have discovered two large and unexpected holes in the magnetic field that protects the Earth from solar winds, reports Space.com. The leaks won't pose any risk to health, but increased disruption to satellites and electrical systems can be expected when the cycle of solar storms reaches its next... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Earth • sun • solar • solar wind • magnetic field • aurora borealis

Experiment Raises Hope
of Solar Power From Space

Successful test opens the possibility of humanity getting its energy from space

Sep 13, 08 10:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - An experiment in beaming solar power has raised hopes that humanity can harness huge amounts of solar energy from satellites, Space.com reports. Researchers sent the energy about 90 miles between two Hawaiian islands via radio waves. The transmission of energy a hundred times further than earlier experiments proves the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • alternative energy • sun • satellite • solar power


 How to Take
 a Solar Eclipse
 Road Trip 

Hit the right spot and see 93M miles into the distance

Jul 12, 08 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thousands of people will trek to the hinterlands on August 1 just to stand in the dark for three minutes. The reason: a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over a path spanning from China to Canada. Wired clues would-be eclipse chasers in on ways to maximize each sunless... More »

MORE ABOUT:
astronomy • travel • tourism • sun • road trip ideas • eclipse • travel tips • solar eclipse

Solar Lull May Trigger Ice Age

Global warming still dire despite
sluggish sun, study says

Feb 14, 08 2:56 PM CST
(Newser) - Solar activity, which usually runs in 11-year cycles, has been so sluggish of late that space weathermen are worried we might be entering a mini-ice age. They expected to see sunspot activity pick up about last March, to peak in 2012; if the sun stays this sluggish for another year... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • weather • astronomy • greenhouse gases • global warming • space • sun • magnetic field • cold

Probe Zips Over Mercury Today

Messenger will take 1,200 pictures from 124 miles up

Jan 14, 08 4:33 AM CST
(Newser) - NASA's Messenger spacecraft this afternoon will whiz past Mercury at 141,000 mph and snap an estimated 1,200 detailed photos of the planet's surface from a mere 124 miles up. It will be the first of three passes before the craft starts orbiting the planet closest to the sun... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • planet • space • research • sun • photograph • Mercury • Messenger

When the Sun Dies, Earth Might Not

Just-discovered planet survived; so there's hope for the old globe

Sep 13, 07 3:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - When the Sun begins to kick out in some 5 billion years, it might not take Earth with it, reports the New York Times. Scientists are more optimistic since discovering a planet that survived a similar situation. A lack of hydrogen fuel is expected to cause the Sun to expand... More »

MORE ABOUT:
planet • Earth • sun • solar system • life

Tips for Beating the Heat

Ten ways to keep the sun from getting you down

Aug 22, 07 6:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Everyone needs a little vitamin D, but sunburn (or, worse, heatstroke) is no fun. Protect yourself and your family with these tips from MSNBC:
  1. Drink up! Plan on 1 gallon of water per person per day.
  2. Smear on the sunblock and slap on a hat.
  3. Wear breathable
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health • list • temperature • heat • sun • safety • summer • hydration • sunburn • heatstroke

Hooked on
the Sun?

New studies say
tanning is addictive, sunscreen increases risk of melanoma

Aug 15, 07 12:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Tanning may be addictive, and sunscreen use may actually increase the risk of melanoma, according to a Slate round-up of new research about the effects of sun on skin. In a study aimed at testing the long-held theory that UV rays stimulate endorphins, researchers gave a group of sunbathers a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
sunscreen • skin cancer • sun • melanoma • endorphins • tanning

Cheap Flights:
a Ticket to
Skin Cancer

Rise in beach holidays blamed for increase
in melanoma

Aug 9, 07 6:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Doctors in Britain have blamed a 50% rise in the incidence of skin cancer on cheap flights to the beach, reports the Independent. Statistics from Cancer Research UK and the British travel agents' association confirm that easier access to sunny climates have made melanoma the nation's fastest-rising disease, particularly among... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cancer • health • airline industry • beach • skin cancer • sun • vacation • melanoma

Sun Sets on Solar Global Warming Theory

Greenhouse gases the culprit, not sun's heat, experts say

Jul 11, 07 7:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - A theory that global warming is caused by increased solar output is bunk, according to climate-change scientists. Although the world has grown hotter over the last 20 years, solar activity has actually dropped, the BBC reports, and an international panel concluded that greenhouse gases are 13 times more responsible for... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • global warming • science • global temperature • sun

Record Highs Scorch West

Sizzling towns open swelter shelters for elderly as heat goes on

Jul 6, 07 5:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - A searing heat wave is likely to continue barbecuing the western U.S. today after record temperatures soared to 127 in Death Valley, 125 in nearby Baker and 116 in Phoenix yesterday. Las Vegas sizzled at 116 degrees with humidity in the single digits, and even northeastern Oregon cracked 107... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weather • California • elderly • West • Arizona • Las Vegas • physician • United States • temperature • heat • heat wave • sun • hot • humidity • Idaho • rain

Most Massive Star Ever Weighs In

Astronomers say hefty gas giant is 100 times heavier than the sun

Jun 8, 07 6:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - The most massive star yet discovered has been "weighed," astronomers say, and it tips the scales at a whopping 114 times the mass of the sun. The enormous star forms the bigger half of a rapidly orbiting binary system and it far outstrips both its companion star and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • astronomy • Hubble • space • star • sun

19 Stories


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