Topic: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

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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.
01/03/2011 04:56 pm

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King Midas in space? Rare star collision produces gold.

Scientists from Harvard University have for the first time found concrete evidence that gold is produced in the collision of two extremely rare stars.
'Bonanza' of black holes has party, doesn't invite us

Poring over 13 years worth of X-ray telescope data, scientists have discovered 26 black holes in a neighboring galaxy.
How Einstein's theory of special relativity helped find a new planet (+video)

To find the planet, astronomers used Einstein's theory as it pertains to the intensity of a beam of light. The method could add more exoplanets to a growing list, no 'wobble' or 'transit' required.
Livable super-Earths? Two candidates among Kepler's latest finds.

Researchers unveiled a total of three planets Thursday, including two potentially livable super-Earths. The discoveries bring the Kepler team closer to its goal.
New Kepler exoplanets 'best candidates' for hosting life

Data from NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission has revealed two small, potentially rocky planets within their star's habitable zone.
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.
Astronomers clock supermassive black hole's spin for first time

How fast does a supermassive black hole spin? For the first time, scientists have made a reliable measurement of these behemoths, thought to be at the center of most, if not all, galaxies.
Astronomers discover smallest planet ever

Orbiting a star some 215 light-years away, Kepler-37b is smaller than Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system.
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.
Earth-like planets next door? Prospect could point to 9.6 billion more

A new study calculates that the nearest Earth-like planet may be only 13 light-years away – and argues there may be more habitable planets out there than we thought.
02/06/2013 07:55 pm
Earth-like planets next door? Prospect could point to 9.6 billion more

A new study calculates that the nearest Earth-like planet may be only 13 light-years away – and argues there may be more habitable planets out there than we thought.
Milky Way could be home to 4.5 billion Earth-like planets

Astronomers have calculated that 6 percent of our galaxy's most common type of star probably host temperate, Earth-sized planets, meaning that a habitable alien Earth could be just a dozen light years away.
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.
North Korea rocket test shows long road to credible missiles

Experts say Pyongyang is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard distant targets, though it did gain attention and the outrage of world leaders with its first successful launch of a three-stage, long-range rocket.
Secret shuttle launch: US military's X-37B to spy on Middle East?

Secret shuttle launch goes off without a hitch Tuesday. But what is the secret mission of X-37B? The robotic, military shuttle spent seven months in space during its last mission. It could be spying on terrorists, speculates one scientist.
Astronomers release biggest ever 3-D map of the universe (+video)

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III, the 3-D map contains more than a million galaxies.
Cosmic scaffolding uncovered? Scientists find thread of dark matter.

Scientists have long thought that threads of dark matter provide the underlying architecture upon which galaxies in the universe are distributed. A new study now verifies that theory.
Astronomers use an old trick to open new window on extrasolar planets

Two teams of astronomers used a technique for finding extrasolar planets to directly measure one such planet. The approach could allow the study of more exoplanets' atmospheres than ever before.
Astronomers discover an 'odd couple' of planets

The Kepler spacecraft has detected a pair of extrasolar planets with orbits so close that at times the larger planet looms more than twice the size of the full moon in the second planet's night sky.
Astronomers spot pair of planets dancing the lambada (+video)

A duo of very different planets orbit in close proximity but will not collide, but close encounters could cause gravitational tides, says a scientist.
Bizarre alien planets get cozy with each other (+video)

A duo of planets some 1,200 light years from earth have been spotted passing within 1.2 million miles of each other, closer than any other known pair of planets, a new study has found.
What goes on at the edge of a black hole? NASA launches NuSTAR to find out. (+video)

NASA will launch the orbiting X-ray observatory NuSTAR Wednesday in hopes of plunging deeper into the secrets of black holes and supernovae.
Venus transit 2012: a chance to test Earth-hunting techniques (+video)

Venus's 2012 transit across the sun will let researchers test methods for observing Earth-like planets light years away. It's an opportunity that won't be available again until December 2117.
Runaway planets ejected from galaxy at insane speeds

New evidence suggests that planets are being tossed out of the Milky Way at speeds comparable to the speed of light.
Planets hurtling near the speed of light? It's possible, study says.

Scientists want to know if planets can form near the supermassive black hole at the core of the galaxy. If so, the black hole could fling them out into space at enormous speeds that, from our vantage point, could appear to approach the speed of light.