Astronomy 🪐 🔭
There are four distinct types of galaxies in the universe, elliptical, spiral, barred spiral, and irregular. Although these are the four main types, there are various types of galaxies and the way in which they are classified is by their shape. A galaxy is a cluster of stars, gas, and dust that are kept together...
Let us discuss the very nature of the cosmos. What you may find in this discussion is not what you expect. Going into a conversation about the universe as a whole, you would imagine a story full of wondrous events such as stellar collapse, galactic collisions, strange occurrences with particles, and even cataclysmic eruptions of … Continue reading "Mathematics: The Beautiful Language of the Universe"
Your family can learn a lot about space from these astronomy YouTube channels.
In the search for life beyond Earth, false alarms abound. Researchers have generally considered, and rejected, claims ranging from a 1970s report of life on Mars to the 1990s ‘discovery’ of fossilized space microbes in a meteorite. Now, inspired by the detection of thousands of planets beyond the Solar System, NASA has started a fresh effort to learn how to recognize extraterrestrial life. The goal is to understand what gases alien life might produce — and how Earth-bound astronomers might detect such ‘biosignatures’ in light passing through the atmospheres of planets trillions of kilometers away (see ‘Searching for alien life’). The effort comes at a crucial time, as astronomers grapple with how to interpret exoplanet data from the next generation of telescopes. Some scientists are working to understand how nature could produce archetypal biosignature gases, such as oxygen, in the absence of living organisms. Others are trying to think as expansively as possible about the types of biochemistry that could sustain life. “We could fool ourselves into thinking a lifeless planet has life — or we could be missing life because we don’t really understand the context of what could be produced on another planet,” says Sarah Rugheimer, an astronomer at the University of St Andrews, UK. Detecting a biosignature gas is just the first step to understanding what could be happening on an exoplanet. Each world has its own combination of physical and chemical factors that may or may not lead to life, says Victoria Meadows, an astronomer at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Planets are hard, and we shouldn’t think they are all going to be the same or reveal their secrets very easily,” she says. A planet’s environment is key. Some Earth-sized planets orbit M dwarf stars — the most common type of star in the Galaxy — at the right distance to harbor liquid water. But Meadows’ collaborators have shown1 that photo-chemical reactions can send water into the planet’s atmosphere and then break off its hydrogen, which escapes into space. What’s left is a thick blanket of oxygen that might seem as if it came from living organisms, but results from a run-away greenhouse effect.
AN ASTEROID capable of causing global destruction if it hits will approach our planet tomorrow afternoon, the US space agency NASA has found.
The life cycle of a star starts with dense regions in the nebula and ends in a supernova explosion. Keep up with the latest science news with Futurism.
Learn about the colors of the stars from hottest to coldest and see why there aren't any green or purple stars.
Astronomy is one of those subjects that is an absolute joy to teach. There are so many resources out there, however, that it can sometimes be overwhelming to figure out where to start. And this is also one of those subjects that you should definitely add some hands-on activities for if you want your kids to fully appreciate what they're learning. So, if you're considering teaching your kids about astronomy this spring, how do you sort through the masses of options available and get started?
1. Scientists have discovered a Jupiter-like planet which they have name HAT-P-7b where it rains rubies and sapphires. It is located 1,000 light-years from Earth.
For years it's been the stuff of science fiction. Now NASA's shown that pulsar navigation works.
Whether you are giving gifts to others or to yourself this holiday season, this list of the best popular science books of 2018 about astronomy, physics and mathematics is a great place to start reading and gifting
Astronomers using the Hubble Telescope found that the region around a quasar's black hole pushes out material at a few percent the speed of light. These quasar tsunamis wreak havoc on the galaxies in which the quasars live.
In this post I'll tell you why the best telescope for beginners is the one that propels your passion for astronomy forward. The exact telescope I recommend:
Pollux, one of the Twins in the sky, is a star that has swelled into its red giant phase while holding onto its Jupiter-like exoplanet, dubbed Thestias.
A brief bibliography: p. 198-207