Topic: Astrophysics

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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Looking deeper
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Mergers and acquisitions
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: In Technicolor
Quadrantid meteor shower tonight: the top nine meteor showers of 2011

This week will see a lesser known meteor shower, the Quadrantid, dazzle the night sky on Jan. 3 and 4. It's the first of nine significant meteor showers in 2011. Here’s a list of all the events and what to watch for each time.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day 09/28

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4,700 asteroids capable of catastrophic damage lurk near Earth

The survey found there are likely 4,700 potentially hazardous asteroids in orbits that occasionally bring them close enough to Earth to pose a concern.
NASA's Kepler observatory to continue hunt for strange new worlds (+video)

Funding for the Kepler mission, which has discovered more than 2,300 potential alien planets to date, was slated to run out this November.
How do supermassive black holes get so big? A peculiar diet, perhaps.

New research suggests that the supermassive black holes at the cores of some galaxies could grow so large by consuming one star from a binary system and flinging the other into space.
Planets found at dawn of universe, but their existence is a mystery

Scientists have found two planets orbiting a star that formed only a billion years after the big bang. But the universe had few planet-making elements then, so how did the planets form?
Giant stars may not be necessary for supernovae

New research using X-ray and ultraviolet data helps scientists to better understand the origins of supernovae. These exploding stars are important in measuring distance in the universe.
Tiny particles send a message for the first time (+video)

Scientists have used neutrinos to send a message. This may be the first step toward a new form of communication.
Higgs boson coming into focus, say scientists (+video)

Higgs boson: The hunt for the Higgs boson, the so-called God Particle, continues. But in a study released today, scientists say they're getting closer to proving the existence of Higgs boson, but the image is 'fuzzy.'
Leap year flight of fancy: how to remake the calendar with no leap day

Two professors, an astrophysicist and an economist, propose junking the leap day dependent Gregorian Calendar for a 364-day (52-week) year and a leap week every once in a while.
Could free-floating 'nomad' planets carry seeds of life in the universe?

A 'nomad' planet of the right mass, with the right atmosphere, and some source of heat – perhaps radioactive decay or tectonic activity – could allow for life either on the surface or underground.
Hubble telescope spots new class of planet: a steamy 'waterworld'

The planet GJ 1214b is a watery planet covered in a thick, steamy atmosphere, a new study of Hubble data suggests.
How a black hole survived the destruction of its galaxy

The Hubble telescope has spotted the remains of a destroyed galaxy, whose sole remains consist of a black hole and a cloud of gas, which has spawned a cluster of new stars.
Will 2012 be the year scientists find the 'God Particle'? (+video)

Researchers at CERN are cranking up the power on their Large Hadron Collider, in a last-ditch attempt to uncover the Higgs Boson, the so-called God Particle thought to be responsible for giving matter the property of mass. This will be their last chance to find the elusive particle before the particle-smasher is shut down for an upgrade.
Scientists intrigued by atoms from beyond the solar system

NASA's IBEX spacecraft has snagged atoms that came from outside our solar system. Interstellar space includes the raw material that becomes new stars, planets, and organic life.
Mysterious invisible galaxy may be composed of dark matter

Though telescopes can't spot the dwarf galaxy, scientists detected its presence through the tiny distortions its gravity causes to light that passes it by.
Dwarf galaxies: breakthrough in bid to find 'fossils' of early universe

A team of astronomers reports that it has detected the most distant dwarf galaxy yet discovered orbiting an enormous elliptical galaxy some 10 billion light-years away.
Amazing planets: mini solar system, 'Star Wars' lookalike among new finds

The catalogue of newly found planets is becoming richer by the day. By one new estimate, virtually all the billions of stars in the Milky Way could have a planet orbiting them.
NASA able to observe a long time ago, in newly found galaxies far, far away

Researchers used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to find five tiny but bright galaxies clustered together 13.1 billion light-years from Earth.
Humongous 'El Gordo' galaxy cluster packs mass of 2 quadrillion stars

Located some7 billion light-years from Earth, 'El Gordo' is the biggest and hottest cluster of galaxies ever observed in the early universe.
Scientists unveil biggest ever map of universe's dark matter

Even though it cannot be seen directly, dark matter, which represents 98 percent of the mass of the universe, exerts a gravitational pull on normal matter, including light. By measuring its tug on starlight, astronomers have mapped the distribution of this mysterious substance.
Scientists 'see' dark matter web for first time

By observing how light is bent, a team of astronomers have created a visual map of how dark matter is distributed throughout the universe.
First Earth-size planets found around distant star – in a bizarre solar system

For the first time, NASA's Kepler spacecraft has found two Earth-size planets outside our solar system – a landmark achievement. But the planets are in a solar system that baffles scientists and could overthrow current models of planet formation.
Higgs boson: What scientists are saying about the 'God particle'

Scientists at CERN say that they are closing in on the Higgs boson, the elusive subatomic particle that, if discovered, could help explain why particles have mass. Here's what some of the world's leading physicists have to say about the announcement.
Higgs boson: Has the 'God particle' been found?

Scientists at CERN are expected to report Tuesday seeing hints of the long-sought Higgs boson – the so-called 'God particle' linked to a mechanism that gives other subatomic particles their mass.
Discovery of biggest black holes ever may shed light on galaxy formation

Black holes 10 billion times the sun's mass have been found. The discovery could help write the history of galaxy formation and evolution over the universe's 13.7 billion-year history.
Strange red galaxies a 'missing link' in history of the universe?

The discovery of four ruby-red, dim galaxies at the farthest fringes of the universe could help scientists understand how the earliest galaxies evolved to become what we see today.