Topic: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

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.

All Content

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.
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.
Spring equinox heralds start of the season, even if it feels like summer

Spring equinox celebrations around the world were on the early side this year, but summer-like warmth in much of the US makes it seem as if the season is almost over.
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.
A real-life 'Avatar'? Search begins for moons that could support life.

With scientists already looking for Earth-size planets orbiting in distant stars' habitable zones, a new project is using similar techniques to look for moons, too.
Earth-like planets: How will we know if they can sustain life? (VIDEO)

The Kepler spacecraft has made two landmark discoveries of Earth-like planets this month. But determining whether such planets can sustain life would require years of additional study.
Smallest-ever exoplanets found, one step closer to Earth-twin

These planets, while roughly the size of our planet Earth, are circling very close to their star, giving them fiery temperatures that are most likely too hot to support life, researchers said.
New Earth-like planets: How did astronomers find them?

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has spotted a pair of rocky Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. How do you find a new planet?
Could the new Earth-like planets harbor life?

Scientists have discovered a pair of Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. Could these planets, dubbed Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, support life?
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.
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.
ALMA telescope poised to peer into hidden corners of the cosmos

The ALMA radio telescope array set to come on line this week will give astronomers an unprecedented look into areas of the universe obscured from other telescopes – from star nurseries in other galaxies to the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
Super-Earth: Newly discovered planet could potentially support life

Super-Earth: The newfound haul of alien planets includes 16 super-Earths, which are potentially rocky worlds that are more massive than our planet. One in particular has captured astronomers' attention because it orbits at the edge of its star's habitable zone, suggesting conditions could be ripe to support life.
In search for life, more planet 'candidates' are found. Are any just right?

For a planet to support life, it faces long odds: It has to be the right size, right composition, and right distance from its star. On Monday astronomers announced a trove of new planet 'candidates.'
Pitch black: The mystery of a darkest planet ever seen

Darkest planet ever discovered is a gas giant but reflects only 1 percent of the light falling on it. Scientists speculate an unknown chemical or gas is absorbing light.
Surprise find in Kepler planet hunt: lots of multi-planet systems

NASA's Kepler spacecraft, which is searching for Earth-mass planets orbiting sun-like stars, is finding hundreds of candidate planets, and many more multi-planet systems than expected.
End of the world May 21st? About a billion years too soon, astronomers say.

Beginning of the end of the world: May 21st is what a California minister (with a considerable following) predicts. Scientists, for their part, consider the sun's 'habitable zone' in calculating when Earth will become toast.
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.
Cool Astronomy
Sextillion is the word with new star discovery

Sextillion: Astronomers now say there are 300 sextillion stars. That's 200 sextillion more than previously thought.
'Milestone' in bid to sniff atmosphere of a 'super Earth' light-years away

Scientists seeking an astronomical first – discerning the atmospheric composition of a 'super Earth' exoplanet – have now learned enough to rule out one leading theory.
Universe might hold three times more stars than previously thought

A new study suggests that a specific kind of galaxy might hold 10 times more red dwarf stars than estimated. That would triple projections for the number of stars in the observable universe, with implications for explanations of how stars and galaxies form and evolve.
Where once a star shone, scientists see evidence of a baby black hole

Researchers say X-rays emitted from the site of a supernova observed in 1979 could be the result of matter falling into the voracious maw of a baby black hole.
Youngest black hole evidence found in cosmic explosion aftermath

Evidence of perhaps the youngest black hole in the galaxy has been found, following a cosmic explosion over 30 years ago.