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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: astrophysics

astrophysics stories: 11 news summaries

(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
deep space • Big Bang • Milky Way • astrophysics • dark energy

 Massive Gamma Blast Spotted 

Explosion had force of 9,000 supernovas

Feb 20, 09 1:15 PM CST
(Newser) - The strongest-ever gamma ray blast—a burst more powerful than 9,000 exploding stars—has been detected 12.2 billion light years away in deep space, reports the Telegraph. The blast took place in September in the constellation Carina, and produced energy up to 5 billion times that of... More »

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space • deep space • Big Bang • explosion • astrophysics • cosmology • gamma rays

(Newser) - Stephen Hawking will retire from his chair at Cambridge University at the end of this academic year, the Telegraph reports. But the esteemed physicist will continue working at the college in an emeritus position. Cambridge requires profs to step down when they reach 67, and Hawking’s birthday is in... More »

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Stephen Hawking • retirement • black hole • astrophysics • Cambridge University • Isaac Newton

 Experts: Warp Drive Is Possible

Physicists theorize warping space could allow faster-than-light travel

Aug 16, 08 5:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two physicists believe the fictional "warp drive" of Star Trek fame could someday become a reality, the Daily Telegraph reports. The scientists theorize that a mysterious cosmic force called dark energy could be harnessed to warp space around a vessel, allowing a spacecraft to travel faster than light—"... More »

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physicist • astrophysics • space travel • speed of light • spacecraft • Star Trek • dark energy

 Discoveries
 Boost Hope
 for Alien Life 

New forms of extreme bacteria fuel hope for extraterrestrial life

Jul 20, 08 12:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - Humans have always wondered about the possibility of alien life somewhere out there. And while scientists seem to agree that the discovery of extraterrestrials will not happen soon, growing numbers are convinced it will happen. The search is being fueled in part by recent discoveries of strange new life forms... More »

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NASA • space • bacteria • extraterrestrial life • aliens • astrophysics • extrasolar planets • Mars rover

 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

Is Time Running Out on Time?

Scientists speculate
that the universe is
winding down and
could one day stop

Jan 1, 08 5:39 PM CST
(Newser) - Astronomers have been scratching their heads for years trying to figure out why exploding stars at the very edge of the universe seem to be moving faster than ones in the middle. Some theories say the acceleration is due to mysterious "dark energy,"but a new one posits... More »

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astronomy • space • Big Bang • astrophysics

Black Hole Smashes Record

Astronomers puzzled by all-time heaviest 'small' black hole

Oct 31, 07 6:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - A newly discovered stellar-mass black hole shatters the weight record for holes formed from dying stars—and defies explanation by current theories. Faced with its mysterious heft,  astrophysicists can only conclude that stellar-mass black holes "can be much larger than we had realized," Space.com reports. More »

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NASA • star • physics • black hole • universe • astrophysics

Orion Nebula Closer to Us

Famous stellar nursery 300 light-years nearer to Earth than thought

Oct 11, 07 9:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - The famed Orion Nebula is the closest stellar nursery to Earth, and it's even nearer than scientists previously thought, a study finds. Researchers had pinned it at about 1,565 light years away 25 years ago, but using multiple telescope shots to create a "virtual telescope" as wide as... More »

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space • star • astrophysics • Orion Nebula • Very Long Baseline Array • parallax

Einstein Is Rolling Over in His Grave

Teacher's new book pokes fun at bad science on the silver screen

Sep 5, 07 6:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - If science held sway in Hollywood, Earth would have been blasted by a Texas-sized rock in Armageddon and Vin Diesel would have snowboarded for all of .45 seconds before waving a rippled arm goodbye under an avalanche in XXX. Not to mention that there's no sound in space, so bid... More »

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Hollywood • film • science • list • astrophysics • book

PhD Will,
PhD Will
Rock You

Queen guitarist, 60, submits astronomy thesis after 36 years

Aug 3, 07 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - Queen guitarist Brian May dropped his academic pursuits to tour the globe as a young rock star, but after 36 years he has finally handed in his PhD thesis, which he began researching in 1972. The 60-year-old aspiring astrophysicist delivered a 48,000-word study on "zodiacal dust clouds" to... More »

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music • London • Queen • Brian May • guitarist • rock and roll • guitar • thesis • astrophysics • PhD • Imperial College London

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