Topic: Astrophysics
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Why hasn't everything been annihilated yet? Pear-shaped atomic nuclei could hold answer.
Why are you currently reading this on your screen, instead of having had all your atoms completely obliterated at the dawn of time? A pear-shaped nucleus might explain.
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Colossal hydrogen bridge between galaxies could be fuel line for new stars
Researchers studying a filament of hydrogen between the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies found rotating clumps of gas the size of dwarf galaxies. But questions remain.
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Antimatter might fall up, say physicists
A paper published this week suggests that antimatter could exhibit antigravity, potentially resolving some of physics' biggest mysteries.
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Einstein's theory of general relativity gets most extreme test yet
In their efforts to crack the mysteries of gravity, scientists continue to probe Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. The latest test involved a curious binary star system.
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Astronomers discover the Ed Begley Jr. of galaxies
An international team of researchers have spotted the most fuel-efficient galaxy yet, which converts nearly 100 percent of its hydrogen gas into stars.
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Did orbiting antimatter detecter spot signs of dark matter?
Mounted on the outside of the International Space Station since 2011, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer has detected antimatter within the stream of cosmic rays that appear consistent with our models of dark matter.
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Beyond the Higgs boson: Five more elusive particles
The discovery of the Higgs boson greatly furthers our understanding of the fundamental constituents of matter, but some subatomic puzzle pieces still remain. Here are five types of bizarre particles that could turn up in atom-smashing experiments.
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Life after Higgs boson: What's next for the world's largest atom smasher?
It's a Higgs boson!! Now what? After confirming that the particle discovered last July really is a Higgs boson, the Large Hadron Collider is ready to look for other universes, figure out dark matter, recreate the Big Bang, or find something totally unexpected.
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'God Particle': Six big consequences of the Higgs boson discovery
'God Particle': Physicists announced Thursday that they have confirmed the existence of the so-called God Particle – a term disliked by physicists and theologians alike. Here are six of the biggest consequences of this discovery.
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Milky Way's neighbor galaxy closer than thought
Astronomers in Chile announced that they are able to measure more accurately the distance to Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy adjacent to the Milky Way.
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How did supermassive black holes get so big? New data give a clue.
Scientists have now measured the spin of a supermassive black hole, describing the rate in terms of the energy needed to sustain the spin. These black holes are thought to occupy the center of virtually every galaxy.
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Cosmic rays' mysterious origin? Supernovae to blame, study confirms.
A team of researchers found the 'unique, smoking-gun signature' of the creation of cosmic rays in the expanding shells cast off by supernovae.
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Astronomers report largest structure in universe. Will it upend theories?
Recent work suggests that the upper limit to the largest gatherings of galaxies is about 1.2 billion to 1.5 billion light-years across. The structure that the team reports is nearly four times this theoretical limit.
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What's going on around Andromeda? Curious structure puzzles scientists.
Scientists have found 13 dwarf galaxies orbiting the Andromeda galaxy in what appears to be a fairly narrow ring. That makes no sense according to current models of galaxy formation.
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Humongous, 60-million-light-year-long strand of dark matter mapped in 3-D
Since dark matter cannot be seen directly, these filaments are difficult to observe.
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Primordial galaxy spotted, sheds light on early universe
Scientists were able to see the ancient galaxy because gravity from a massive galaxy cluster situated between it and Hubble acted as a lens, bending the light from the 'incredibly faint' galaxy.
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Distant galaxy helped tidy up early universe, scientists say
Using data from space telescopes, scientists say they have located a galaxy formed more than 13 billion years ago when the universe was young and still permeated with a fog of hydrogen gas.
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Dark energy: Can $40m camera help solve its mystery? (+video)
The Dark Energy Camera, on a telescope high in the Chilean desert, is expected to capture 300 million galaxies, 100,000 galaxy clusters, and some 4,000 supernovae over the next five years.
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Dark Energy Camera whirs to life, begins snapping deep-space photos (+video)
Scientists think dark energy makes up 74 percent of the universe, yet they have very little idea what it is.
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Where does dark energy come from? New simulation could reveal origins.
Using the world's third-fastest computer, researchers seek to explain dark energy by running a simulation of the universe, from the Big Bang to the present day.
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Sugar molecules – a building block of life – spotted orbiting star (+video)
Astronomers have spotted molecules of glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar that is one of the ingredients in the formation of RNA, orbiting a star some 400 light years away.
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Which telescopes could lose out in astronomy's big budget crunch?
Federal budget pressures in the US could force the organization that runs publicly funded observatories to divest itself of six telescopes. The list points to new priorities in astronomy.
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Astronomers spot humongous 'supermom' galaxy fervently spawning stars (+video)
Astronomers have detected a luminous galaxy some 5.7 billion light years away that produces about 740 new stars each year.
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The unprecedented Phoenix Galaxy Cluster: How many stars does it form? (+video)
Here's a by-the-numbers look at the Phoenix cluster, which researchers say could yield key insights into how galaxies and colossal clusters evolve:
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Why a galaxy far, far away has shattered records for birthing stars
Astronomers identify a giant cluster of galaxies 5.7 billion light-years from Earth. At its core new stars are being formed at a rate that could explain how supermassive black holes govern a galaxy's growth.
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