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The Violent Origin of the Solar System
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
06/21/07 |
| Summary: We know that our solar system has at least one planet with life – Earth. Perhaps solar systems that formed in ways similar to our own also will have the potential for life. But how normal was the formation of our solar system? In Astrobiology Magazine, European Edition, Thierry Montmerle suggests our solar system had an unusually violent origin. |
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A Brown Dwarf Joins the Jet-Set
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
05/29/07 |
| Summary: A brown dwarf star has been observed mimicking the processes seen in young stars. The discovery not only sheds light on brown dwarfs, but can also teach us about the behavior of extrasolar planets. |
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Earth's Retirement Home
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
05/20/07 |
| Summary: New calculations are helping scientists understand what will happen to the Earth and the Sun when our Milky Way galaxy collides with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. The findings show that the collision is set to take place within the Sun's lifetime and will leave our Solar System on the outer fringes of the newly merged galaxy. |
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Hammering a Diamond Anvil
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
05/09/07 |
| Summary: Combining diamond anvils and powerful lasers, laboratory researchers have developed a technique that should be able to squeeze materials to pressures 100 to 1,000 times greater than possible today, reproducing conditions expected in the cores of supergiant planets. This technique can also help researchers better understand the processes of Earth's core. |
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Gyrochronology
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/29/07 |
| Summary: A new method has been developed for accurately determining the ages of stars, and it may also help astronomers understand how planetary systems and their host stars change over time. |
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Black Holes Spit Out Seeds of Life
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/24/07 |
| Summary: Black holes are often portrayed as the ultimate destroyers, but warm gas escaping the clutches of black holes could be one source of chemical elements important for life. |
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Planetary Danger Zones
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/22/07 |
| Summary: Scientists have developed the first maps of planetary 'danger zones', where powerful winds and radiation from hot stars can strip neighboring stars of their planet-forming materials. The findings show that potential planets can safely form around cooler stars that are at least 1.6 light-years away from their hotter counterparts. |
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The Galaxy's Rosy Glow
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/11/07 |
| Summary: Astronomers have determined that a mysterious red glow seen throughout the Milky Way but never on Earth may be caused by fine dust containing a previously unknown molecule. The research sheds new light on the chemistry behind organic molecules in space. |
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Sunset on Tatooine
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
03/31/07 |
| Summary: The double sunset that Luke Skywalker gazed upon in the film "Star Wars" might not be a fantasy. Astronomers working on the search for distant, Earth-like planets have observed that planetary disks, which harbor asteroids, comets and possibly planets, are at least as abundant in twin-star systems as they are in single-star systems like our own. |
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Fingerprinting the Milky Way
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
03/25/07 |
| Summary: Astronomers are using the chemical signatures of stars to determine which formation sites they have in common. The research will help unravel the history of the Milky Way and ultimately it can teach us about how galaxies form and evolve. |
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