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A Review of the Universe

A Review of the Universe
Related:  The Universe: Cosmology, Astronomy & Astrobiology

Universe is Not Expanding After All, Scientists Say New evidence, based on detailed measurements of the size and brightness of hundreds of galaxies, indicates that the Universe is not expanding after all, says a team of astrophysicists led by Eric Lerner from Lawrenceville Plasma Physics. This image shows a star forming region in a nearby galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. Image credit: ESA / Hubble. In their study, the scientists tested one of the striking predictions of the Big Bang theory – that ordinary geometry does not work at great distances. In the space around us, on Earth, in the Solar System and our Milky Way Galaxy, as similar objects get farther away, they look fainter and smaller. In contrast, the Big Bang theory tells us that in an expanding Universe objects actually should appear fainter but bigger. So in an expanding Universe the most distant galaxies should have hundreds of times dimmer surface brightness than similar nearby galaxies, making them actually undetectable with present-day telescopes. Eric J.

untitled untitled Everything We Just Found Out About Pluto, Courtesy of New Horizons - Futurism | Futurism Page 1 of 24612345...102030...»Last » Russian billionaire, Hawking announce $100 million search for ET Green Bank Telescope (credit: Geremia/Wikimedia Commons) Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, Stephen Hawking, Martin Rees, Frank Drake and others announced at The Royal Society today $100 million funding for Breakthrough Listen — the “most powerful, comprehensive, and intensive scientific search ever undertaken for signs of intelligent life beyond Earth.” They also announced $1 million prize funding for Breakthrough Message, a competition to generate messages representing humanity and planet Earth. “It’s time to commit to finding the answer to search for life beyond Earth,” said Hawking. “We are live, we are intelligent, we must know … if we are alone in the dark.” The search will be done at two of the largest radio telescopes, the 100 Meter Robert C. More sensitive, faster, wider spectrum, more sky coverage The Breakthrough Listen initiative will be 50 times more sensitive than previous programs dedicated to SETI research, the scientists say. More information: Breakthrough Initiatives.

This is how the universe will end: not with a bang but a rip A radical new timeline of the life of the universe (credit: Jeremy Teaford, Vanderbilt University) Vanderbilt University mathematicians have come up with a new theory of “cosmological viscosity” (how sticky the universe is) that challenges current theories. For decades, cosmologists have had trouble reconciling the classic notion of viscosity based on the laws of thermodynamics with Einstein’s general theory of relativity, according the the team, which has now come up with a fundamentally new mathematical formulation of the problem that appears to bridge this long-standing gap. The new math has some significant implications for the ultimate fate of the universe. The new approach was developed by Assistant Professor of Mathematics Marcelo Disconzi in collaboration with physics professors Thomas Kephart and Robert Scherrer and is described in a paper published earlier this year in the journal Physical Review D. Disconzi began by tackling the problem of relativistic fluids.

New Data Suggests Earth-Like Planets Lie Throughout the Galaxy - Futurism | Futurism Page 1 of 24012345...102030...»Last » Charting the slow death of the universe -- ScienceDaily An international team of astronomers studying more than 200,000 galaxies has measured the energy generated within a large portion of space more precisely than ever before. This represents the most comprehensive assessment of the energy output of the nearby Universe. They confirm that the energy produced in a section of the Universe today is only about half what it was two billion years ago and find that this fading is occurring across all wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. The Universe is slowly dying. The study involves many of the world's most powerful telescopes, including ESO's VISTA and VST survey telescopes at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The research is part of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) project, the largest multi-wavelength survey ever put together. The survey data, released to astronomers around the world today, includes measurements of the energy output of each galaxy at 21 wavelengths, from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. Notes Notes

Europe's Next Space Chief Wants a Moon Colony on the Lunar Far Side Synopsis The incoming leader of the European Space Agency is keen on establishing an international base on the moon as a next-step outpost beyond the International Space Station (ISS). Summary Johann-Dietrich Wörner expressed his enthusiasm for a moon colony at the Space Foundation’s National Space Symposium, a gathering of global, commercial, civil, military and “new space” experts.Wörner said that “the moon station can be an important stepping stone for any further exploration in deep space,” adding that a lunar outpost could help humanity learn how to use resources on-site instead of transporting them.The lunar far side is shielded from radiation-chatter broadcasts from Earth, allowing radio telescopes built there to survey the universe with very little background noise, he said.

Proposed Legislation Would Make Space Settlement a National Goal Synopsis Legislation that one congressman plans to introduce in the near future would make space settlement a national goal and require NASA to take action to support it. Summary The Space Exploration, Development, and Settlement Act of 2015, drafted by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), would mark the second time in the last three decades that Congress has directed NASA to support efforts for permanent human settlements beyond Earth orbit.Under the bill, NASA would be required to produce a report every two years “which describes the progress made toward expanding permanent human presence beyond low-Earth orbit” in support of space settlement.

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