Astronomy. (Science News of the year: the weekly newsmagazine of science).Cosmic age Setting their sights on the galaxy's faintest stars, scientists calculated the universe's age to be between 13 billion and 14 billion years (161: 277). Sharper vision A newly installed camera on the Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the first large optical orbiting observatory. Built from 1978 to 1990 at a cost of $1.5 billion, the HST (named for astronomer E. P. Hubble) was expected to provide the clearest view yet obtained of the universe. produced a picture of the distant universe that ranks as the sharpest and most detailed ever recorded (161: 278). Other Hubble images demonstrated that the craft's infrared vision has been restored after 3 years of blindness (161: 358). Galactic ga·lac·tic adj. 1. Relating to milk. 2. Promoting the flow of milk. galactic 1. pertaining to milk. 2. galactagogue. birth Observing a tiny galaxy still in the process of being born, astronomers got a rare glimpse of how larger galaxies formed early in the history of the universe (162:164). Cosmic evidence New observations of the cosmic microwave background Noun 1. cosmic microwave background - (cosmology) the cooled remnant of the hot big bang that fills the entire universe and can be observed today with an average temperature of about 2. provided additional support for the Big Bang big bang Model of the origin of the universe, which holds that it emerged from a state of extremely high temperature and density in an explosive expansion 10 billion–15 billion years ago. (162: 195 *). The most detailed snapshots of the infant universe ever recorded are providing additional evidence that a mystery material makes up the bulk of the cosmos' energy and is accelerating the rate at which the universe expands (162: 390). Early starbirth Using new computer models, astronomers explored the birth of the first stars in unprecedented detail (161: 362 *). Celestial divide Analyzing data from a mammoth sky survey, astronomers found that there are two distinct families of galaxies, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. stellar mass (162: 244). Stellar relic Astronomers found a star so old and chemically primitive that it carries vestiges of the origin of our galaxy (162: 277 *). Galactic brush up A vast, invisible halo of hot gas envelops the Milky Way Milky Way, the galaxy of which the sun and solar system are a part, seen as a broad band of light arching across the night sky from horizon to horizon; if not blocked by the horizon, it would be seen as a circle around the entire sky. and could be brushing up against our nearest galactic neighbors (161: 21). First structures Researchers uncovered new details about the earliest galaxies and galaxy clusters This page lists some of the more interesting galaxy clusters and groups. Defining the limits of galaxy clusters is imprecise as many clusters are still forming. In particular, clusters close to the Milky Way tend to be classified as galaxy clusters even when they are much smaller in the universe (161: 196). Superwinds New measurements revealed that some of the earliest galaxies in the universe produced winds so powerful and persistent that they profoundly influenced the evolution of future generations of galaxies (161: 244). Super findings Astronomers welcomed the discovery of two supermassive black holes in one galaxy (162: 339 *). Other researchers found the best evidence to date that a supermassive black hole lies at the Milky Ways core (162: 301). Middle class Two teams of astronomers reported that they had confirmed the existence of a new, midsize class of black hole (162: 180 *). Burst findings New evidence supports the notion that gamma-ray bursts, the most violent explosions in the universe, are the primal calling cards of newborn black holes (161: 228). A sizable minority of gamma-ray bursts may originate in Verb 1. originate in - come from stem - grow out of, have roots in, originate in; "The increase in the national debt stems from the last war" relatively nearby galaxies (161: 37). Martian water A catastrophic outpouring of water--in a volume four times that of Lake Tahoe--may have gushed from fissures near the equator on Mars as recently as 10 million years ago (161: 157). Yet contrary to a popular model in which ancient Mars was warm, wet, and hospitable to life, the Red Planet may have been cold and dry for most of its history, with only brief episodes of scalding scalding plunging of pig or poultry carcasses into very hot water to facilitate scraping and dehairing and plucking. Chicken scalding water is 130°F for broilers (larger birds higher) applied for 1 to 2 minutes. Modern pig abattoirs use steam at 144 to 147°F for about 3 minutes. rain and flash flooding (162: 372). Rays from Mars Astronomers obtained the first X-ray image of the Red Planet (162: 342). Howdy neighbors! Astronomers discovered 12 previously unknown stars that lie within a mere 33 light-years of Earth (161: 77). Stormy weather Two titanic storms in Jupiter's upper atmosphere collided (161: 85 *). Planetary milestone Extrasolar-planet hunters came up with a landmark finding: a Jupiterlike planet orbiting a sunlike star at a Jupiterlike distance (161: 371 *). Hints of planets Images of gaps, rings, arcs, warps, and dumps in disks of dusty debris surrounding nearby stars provided new clues to the nature of planets beyond the solar system solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. (161: 280 *). Weighing In Astronomers measured the mass of a planet outside the solar system (162: 358). Belt of Its own Astronomers reported the first evidence that a young star has an orbiting belt of asteroids This is a list of numbered minor planets, nearly all of them asteroids, in sequential order. As of late September 2007 there are 164,612 numbered minor planets, and many more not yet numbered. Most asteroids are ordinary and not particularly noteworthy. held in place by a massive, unseen planet (161: 388). Big breakup breakup The division of a company into separate parts. The most famous breakup to date was the 1984 division of AT&T (formerly, American Telephone & Telegraph Company). This breakup was intended to increase competition in the communications industry. A comet split into 19 fragments strung out along a million-kilometer-long chain (162: 69). Smashing study Planetary scientists have for the first time precisely dated a collision that smashed an asteroid into fragments (162: 30). Seeing Pluto Astronomers were given two rare opportunities to peer through the atmosphere of Pluto (162: 148). Sunspot mystery The sharpest visible-light images of the sun ever recorded revealed puzzling new features of sunspots sunspots, dark, usually irregularly shaped spots on the sun's surface that are actually solar magnetic storms. The Chinese recorded dark features on the sun seen with the naked eye in 28 B.C. (162: 310). Volcanic record holder Pointing a ground-based telescope at Jupiter's moon Io, astronomers,reported finding the most powerful volcano ever observed in the solar system (162: 326). Using new computer models, astronomers explored the birth of the first stars in unprecedented detail (161: 362 *). * An asterisk indicates that the text of the item is available free on SCIENCE NEWS ONLINE (http://www.sciencenews.org). |
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