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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Milky Way

Milky Way stories: 12 news summaries

 32 New Exoplanets Discovered 

New finds signal that cosmos harbors wealth of planets

Oct 20, 09 3:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - European astronomers have discovered 32 new planets in other solar systems, bringing the total of known exoplanets to over 400. The planets—which range in size from five times the size of Earth to five times the size of Jupiter—were found circling a variety of stars. The new discoveries... More »

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planet • Milky Way • exoplanet • galaxy • extrasolar planets • observatory

 Orbiting Telescope 
 Snaps Delicious 
 Pics of Milky Way 

Herschel captures whirling gas, dust, star in chaotic galaxy

Oct 2, 09 4:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Stunningly detailed images of our Milky Way galaxy showing whirling clouds of gas peppered with stars have been captured by Europe's $1.4 billion orbiting Herschel Space Observatory. Herschel has the largest mirror ever placed on an orbiting telescope and is able to capture images beyond the reach of other... More »

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Europe • space • Milky Way • shooting stars • outer space • Herschel • Herschel Space Observatory

 Scientists Spot 
 Galaxy 'Cannibalism' 

Andromeda is consuming other galaxies and the Milky Way's on the menu

Sep 3, 09 3:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - The vast Andromeda galaxy has been growing by gobbling up neighboring galaxies, reports the BBC. Astronomers mapping the galaxy—at 2.5 million light years away, the Milky Way's closest neighbor—discovered stars within that they believe to be the remnants of dwarf galaxies consumed by Andromeda. The galaxy is... More »

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astronomy • Milky Way • galaxy • outer space • Andromeda Galaxy • astronomer

(Newser) - The 'Big Wave,' a new explanation for the universe's mysterious accelerating expansion, is sending ripples through the world of astronomy. According to the theory, the Big Bang set off a wave, or waves, that rippled outward through space-time, making distant galaxies appear to expand away from us. Mathematicians came... More »

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deep space • Big Bang • Milky Way • astrophysics • dark energy

 Scientists Discover 
 Bigger, Faster 
 Milky Way 

Scientists revise image of our galaxy

Jan 6, 09 2:42 AM CST
(Newser) - A study of the Milky Way using radio telescopes scattered across the US paints a new and dramatically different picture of our galaxy, reports Space.com. Our spiral-shaped galaxy is not only spinning faster than previously thought, it has 50% greater mass, with two hitherto unknown spiral arms where... More »

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Milky Way • Spitzer orbiting telescope • Very Long Baseline Array • National Science Foundation • American Astronomical Society • Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics • Andromeda Galaxy • cosmic masers

 3-D Map Adds Light Years 
 to Concept of Universe 

Survey used red shift to find relative distances of heavenly bodies

Oct 15, 08 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Telescope photographs of the night sky are compelling, but it’s hard to get a feel for the heavens when you’re Earthbound. The recently completed Sloan Digital Sky Survey can help: It is a 3-D map of the area within 2 billion light years of Earth that allows the... More »

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astronomy • space • telescope • digital photography • Milky Way • map • galaxy

OPINION

 New Planets Yield 
 Hopes of Life 
 Beyond  

Rocky, Earth-like orbs appear to be out there; might we indeed have company?

Jun 24, 08 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - The discovery, announced last week, that rocky, Earth-sized planets appear to be circling sun-sized stars in our own galaxy should thrill the closet Star Trek geek in all of us, Natalie Angier writes in the New York Times. "If planets abound, scientists suspect that life abounds, too, at... More »

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astronomy • space exploration • planet • deep space • extraterrestrial life • Milky Way • galaxy • Kepler spacecraft

 Youngest
 Supernova Discovered 

Exploding star found in Milky Way

May 15, 08 3:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have discovered the remains of the youngest exploding star, or supernova, ever seen in the Milky Way, shedding new light on the life cycles of stars. The baby supernova G1.9+0.3 is a mere 140 years old, reports National Geographic. Supernovas are a vital component of galaxy development... More »

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astronomy • star • Milky Way • astrophysics • galaxy • supernovas • SNRs • Large Magellanic Cloud • Cassiopeia A

 Black Mini Still Has
 Hole Lotta Power 

15-mile-wide black hole is smallest ever found

Apr 2, 08 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - Astronomers have spotted the smallest black hole ever discovered, Reuters reports. It is just 15 miles across—the size of a city—but still has a pull strong enough to "stretch your body into a strand of spaghetti," said a NASA researcher. The relative pipsqueak weighs about as... More »

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NASA • astronomy • space • star • black hole • Milky Way

Space Cloud on Collision Course

Huge mass of hydrogen could trigger star formation in Milky Way

Jan 12, 08 7:46 AM CST
(Newser) - A cloud of hydrogen 11,000 light years long and 2500 light years wide is headed straight for our galaxy, and the inevitable collision will create a spectacular burst of star formation. But don't plan your viewing party yet—Smith's Cloud, as it is called, won't arrive for another 20... More »

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astronomy • Milky Way • Smith's Cloud • hydrogen gas • star formation • American Astronomical Society

Milky Way May Have
a Hidden Neighbor

Scientist think another galaxy could be cause of odd gravitational pull

Nov 30, 07 7:22 PM CST
(Newser) - We may have new neighbors. Astronomers think they've discovered the cause of a peculiar gravitational pull on the Milky Way—it's another galaxy hidden behind a giant cloud of cosmic dust, the New Scientist reports. The new galaxy could be as close as 3 million light years away, a relative... More »

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astronomy • Milky Way

(Newser) - Researchers are reporting the biggest stellar explosion ever recorded—a discovery which could shed light on how the universe was shaped. The star, 150 times more massive than the sun, went out with a bang 100 times more powerful than typical supernovas. Astronomers think the first stars after the Big... More »

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NASA • space • star • stellar explosion • physics • supernova • Big Bang • black hole • Milky Way

12 Stories


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