The Universe's Galaxy Population Just Grew Tenfold - Universe Today Ever since human beings learned that the Milky Way was not unique or alone in the night sky, astronomers and cosmologists have sought to find out just how many galaxies there are in the Universe. And until recently, our greatest scientific minds believed they had a pretty good idea – between 100 and 200 billion. However, a new study produced by researchers from the UK has revealed something startling about the Universe. Using Hubble’s Deep Field Images and data from other telescopes, they have concluded that these previous estimates were off by a factor of about 10. The Universe, as it turns out, may have had up to 2 trillion galaxies in it during the course of its history. Led by Prof. Scientists from the UK have produced new estimates on the number of galaxies in the Universe, which could shed light on cosmic evolution as well. Using these, they then began reviewing how galaxies have evolved over the past 13 billion years. As Prof. Further Reading: HubbleSite, Hubble Space Telescope
Atomic Rockets Your imagination has been captured by the roaring rockets from Heinlein's SPACE CADET or the Polaris from TOM CORBETT, SPACE CADET. But are such rockets possible? How does one go about defining the performance of these atomic-powered cruisers? This document gives some hints and equations that will allow back-of-the-envelope calculations on such matters. Though horribly simplistic, they are far better than just making up your figures. This site was mainly intended for science fiction authors who wanted a little scientific accuracy so they can write SF "the way God and Heinlein intended" (Arlan Andrews's Law). The engine and the torchship pages explain how easily do some of the calculations using Nomograms. . While this site originally focused on rocketry equations, as you can see it has grown to encompass other topics of interest to SF authors and game designers.
eClips™ NASA eClips™ are short, relevant educational video segments. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections. Full Site Located: Grades K‑5 The Our World program supplements existing elementary learning objectives not only in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but also in reading, writing, and visual and performing arts. Grades 6‑8 Real World video segments connect classroom mathematics to 21st century careers and innovations and are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem-solving. Grades 9‑12 Launchpad video segments support project-based and problem-based learning experiences in science, mathematics, and career and technical education classrooms. General Public The NASA 360 thirty-minute magazine style program highlights NASA's impact on daily lives, showcasing some of the 30,000 inventions developed by NASA over the past 50 years.
Dark-matter filament spotted Physicists claim to have reliably detected a mammoth filament of dark matter stretching between two galaxy clusters, for the first time. If the detection is bona fide, it could be one of the best confirmations yet of the "standard model" of the universe's evolution, the so-called lambda cold-dark-matter (ΛCDM) model. The ΛCDM model posits that, in the early universe, dark matter was spread out in a web of filaments. Over time, this cosmic web would have helped all the normal "baryonic" matter to clump together, particularly in the regions where its filaments intersected. Today, we see the result of this clumping at the filament intersections: galaxy clusters and, on a smaller scale, individual galaxies and stars. Universal webbing The ΛCDM model seems to explain most aspects of the universe, from the large-scale structure through to that lasting remnant of the Big Bang – the cosmic microwave background. Astronomers have been searching for it nonetheless. But it was not to be.
New Model Explains the Moon’s Weird Orbit | UMD Right Now :: University of Maryland COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The moon, Earth’s closest neighbor, is among the strangest planetary bodies in the solar system. Its orbit lies unusually far away from Earth, with a surprisingly large orbital tilt. Planetary scientists long have struggled to piece together a scenario that accounts for these and other related characteristics of the Earth-moon system. A new research paper, based on numerical models of the moon’s explosive formation and the evolution of the Earth-moon system, comes closer to tying up all the loose ends than any other previous explanation. The research suggests that the impact sent the Earth spinning much faster, and at a much steeper tilt, than it does today. “Evidence suggests a giant impact blasted off a huge amount of material that formed the moon,” said Douglas Hamilton, professor of astronomy at the University of Maryland and a co-author of the Nature paper. “This large tilt is very unusual. This work was supported by NASA (Award No.
Pharyngula Probably not. But the New York Times reports: A review of studies has found that the health benefits of infant male circumcision vastly outweigh the risks involved in the procedure. Actually, it doesn’t. Not at all. The paper is all about the frequency of circumcision in the US; this is the only real data in the paper, and notice that a good chunk of it is speculation. Prevalence of adult circumcision in the United States during the past 6 decades (1948-2010). It does toss in a table purporting to show the tremendous risks of not circumcising baby boys, but this is not new — these are the same sloppy data that the author has been peddling for over a decade. The author is Brian Morris, better known as the Man Who Hates Foreskins. Take that first condition, the likelihood of urinary tract infections. Or look at his claim of much greater rates of HIV infection. Armed with this hunch, rather than set up a website I chose to do some research. It’s also an argument that can cut both ways.
Supermassive black hole A gas cloud with several times the mass of the Earth is accelerating towards a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. Top: artist's conception of a supermassive black hole tearing apart a star. Bottom: images believed to show a supermassive black hole devouring a star in galaxy RX J1242-11. Left: X-ray image, Right: optical image.[1] History of research[edit] Donald Lynden-Bell and Martin Rees hypothesized in 1971 that the center of the Milky Way galaxy would contain a supermassive black hole. Formation[edit] An artist's conception of a supermassive black hole and accretion disk. The difficulty in forming a supermassive black hole resides in the need for enough matter to be in a small enough volume. Currently, there appears to be a gap in the observed mass distribution of black holes. Doppler measurements[edit] Gravitation from supermassive black holes in the center of many galaxies is thought to power active objects such as Seyfert galaxies and quasars. See also[edit]
Astronomy Picture of the Day Geeks are Sexy Technology News | tech, science, news and social issues for geeks Why are there Black Holes in the Middle of Galaxies? Question: Why are Black Holes in the Middle of Galaxies? Answer: The black holes you’re thinking of are known as supermassive black holes. Stellar mass black holes are created when a star at least 5 times larger than the Suns out of fuel and collapses in on itself forming a black hole. Astronomers are now fairly certain that these supermassive black holes are at the heart of almost every galaxy in the Universe. When large quantities of material falls into the black hole, it chokes up, unable to get consumed all at once. So how do these black holes get there in the first place? Astronomers just don’t know. Related 10 Amazing Facts About Black Holes Imagine matter packed so densely that nothing can escape. January 22, 2015 In "Astronomy" Black Holes Manage Galactic Growth Astronomers have known for a few years now that there's a direct connection between the size of a galaxy and the supermassive black hole that lurks at its centre. February 10, 2005 How Much of the Universe is Black Holes?
Showcasing the Benefits of NASA Technology Here on Earth - Universe Today Every year, NASA showcases how the technology it develops for exploring space and studying other worlds has applications here on planet Earth. It’s what known as Spinoff, an annual publication that NASA’s Technology Transfer Program has been putting out since 1976. Since that time, they have showcased over 2000 examples where NASA technology was used for the sake of creating products that had wide-ranging benefits. For Spinoff 2017, NASA selected 50 different companies that are using NASA technology – which included innovations developed by NASA, those made with the help of NASA funding, or those produced under contract with the agency. For over 50 years, the NASA Technology Transfer Program has share NASA resources with private industries, a process which is colloquially referred to as “spin-offs”. Spinoff is an annual publication exploring the many applications NASA technology has. This year’s spinoffs were certainly numerous, but some are particularly worthy of mention. Related
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