Stellar Cradle Discovered Near Galaxy's Black Hole
	The worst place where a star could grow is in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole, as powerful gravitational fields exerted by the latter prevent the clouds of gas to condense into objects such as our Sun. However, astronomers have recently discovered that young stars do form near the center of our galaxy, inside a ring-shaped cloud of gas thought to surround the Milky Way's black hole, Sagittarius A*. This region of space, s ... [read more >>]
	24 July 2008, 04:15GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

No Organics Present in the Outskirts of Pinwheel Galaxy
	Messier 101, also known as the Pinwheel galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located about 27 million light-years in the constellation Ursa Major, having a diameter about twice that of the Milky Way and containing vast amounts of high-density hydrogen gas, which gives it a fluffy-looking appearance. According to some estimations, it measures up to one trillion solar masses and is seems it is asymmetrical to one side, suggesting that in the past it i ... [read more >>]
	22 July 2008, 03:01GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Milky Way's Brightest Star
	Eta Carinae is still viewed by most astronomers as the galaxy's brightest known star, albeit lately a new contender for that title was discovered in the Peony nebula, towards the Milky Way's center. Now, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope pierced through one of the dustiest regions of the galaxy to show exactly how bright the Peony nebula star is. Measurements revealed that it radiates an amount of energy equivalen ... [read more >>]
	16 July 2008, 02:58GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Massive, Rocky, Hot Planets Could also Support Life
	There is no reason why other rocky planets in the universe should not be able to support life, but a considerable amount of time will pass before a planet such as our own is found in the galaxy, mostly because of its relatively small size. So far, a couple of hundred of planets have been discovered by astronomers, orbiting around other stars, most of which are gas giants. Just recently, the latest technological advancements have enabled th ... [read more >>]
	12 July 2008, 03:56GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Distant Galaxy Found to Create Stars at Whopping Rates
	Currently, our Milky Way galaxy is thought to produce about 10 new stars every year, close to nothing compared to a newly found distant galaxy that appears to generate approximately 4,000 new stars each year. A small calculation reveals that such a galaxy would require as little as 50 million years to evolve into one equivalent to some of the most massive galaxies in the observable universe, as opposed to the Hierarchical Model regarding g ... [read more >>]
	11 July 2008, 03:33GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Ultraviolet Flash Signals the Final Hours of a Star
	Although it was theoretically predicted that some of the most massive stars in the universe emit a bright signal in the ultraviolet spectrum just before going 'nova', this is the first time when such a flash of light is observed. Most of the supernova events occurring in the visible universe are usually seen by astronomers after the progenitor star is destroyed, making it very difficult to actually tell the properties of the star ... [read more >>]
	13 June 2008, 02:52GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Forgotten Galaxy Found to Be Supernova Remnant in Milky Way
	When it was first discovered in the 1980s the deceptive shape of the object known as G350.1-0.3 indicated that it was most likely a background galaxy. Since nobody ever bothered to study it more closely, the object remained forgotten until recently when observations with ESA XMM-Newton X-ray Space Observatory revealed a shocking discovery. Not only that G350.1-0.3 is not a galaxy, but it is also one of the brightest and youngest supernova ... [read more >>]
	11 June 2008, 05:55GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Weighing the Coldest Known Brown Dwarf Star
	Brown dwarf stars are the coldest class of failed stars in the universe, some of which weighing as little as 3 percent of the mass of the Sun, insufficient to start nuclear fusion reactions in their core, thus being unable to generate their own internal energy. Just like with gas giants, observations regarding the mass of such objects are critical for theoretical predictions, therefore with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Ke ... [read more >>]
	03 June 2008, 04:18GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Supermassive Black Holes Make Galactic Arms Wrap Tighter
	It is widely believed that every galaxy in the universe hosts a supermassive black hole at its core, with a mass ranging between ten thousand and a few billion times that of the Sun. Marc Sigar from the University of Arkansas claims that with the help of images provided by the Hubble Space Telescope, he and his team established a relationship between the mass of the central supermassive black hole and the arms wrapped around spiral galaxie ... [read more >>]
	03 June 2008, 03:00GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Nothing Special About the Sun
	If you're still wondering whether or not the 'giant ball of fire' in the sky has special characteristics that enabled the appearance and evolution of life on Earth, you should probably know that the Sun is about as special as several billion other stars in the visible universe. At least that's what ANU astronomers say following a comprehensive comparison of the Sun with other stars, fueling even more the idea that the ... [read more >>]
	22 May 2008, 07:41GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Supernova Explosion Captured Live
	On January 9, researchers from Princeton University pointed NASA's Swift satellite in the direction of the NGC 2770 galaxy, hopping to the see afterglow of a supernova explosion known as SN 2007uy, which had occurred only one month before. Instead, the team got a struck of luck and captured a five minute X-ray burst, emitted by a new supernova explosion taking place just before their eyes. "For years we have dreamed of seeing ... [read more >>]
	22 May 2008, 03:38GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Hubble Finds More Missing Matter
	The universe contains several billions of billions of galaxies, although less than half of the normal matter in the universe makes up for these structures – which leaves us with half of the mass of normal matter missing. University of Colorado researchers reveal that they have found about half of the missing normal matter in the intergalactic space between galaxies in the local universe. Intergalactic space, or medium, permeates all space ... [read more >>]
	21 May 2008, 03:15GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

New Telescope Camera Will Search for Wandering Stars
	Case Western Reserve University researchers using new charge coupled device instrumentation are now able to view deeper and wider in the night sky than previously thought possible. CCDs are highly sensitive light sensors similar to those used by today's digital cameras. The new device was designed and installed on the Burrel Schmidt telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory by astronomer Paul Harding from the Case Western Reserve an ... [read more >>]
	20 May 2008, 10:47GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The Universe Is Two Times Brighter Than We See It
	Interstellar dust and gas permeates the whole interstellar and intergalactic space, blocking significant amounts of light along the way. But until now, it was unknown exactly how much light was shielded by dust and gas, mostly because most astronomers believe that the effect is irrelevant. New calculations reveal that dust may block as much as half the light emitted from stars and galaxies. "I was shocked by the sheer scale of the ... [read more >>]
	16 May 2008, 02:40GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

MARVELS to Find Hundreds of Exoplanets
	Only a few decades ago, astronomers weren't even sure if other solar systems aside ours exist in the universe. Since then, a couple of hundreds of solar systems have been discovered, mostly composed of gas giants. When trying to learn about other solar systems, astronomers often make analogies to our own. If our solar system is so varied, imagine how fascinating other worlds could be. A new study set to start in the fall of ... [read more >>]
	10 May 2008, 07:02GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

ESA Spying on WMAP in Preparation for Gaia
	How does the ESA prepare for the launch of a new probe? Well, apparently, by taking several pictures of its partner's spacecraft. ESO's La Silla 2.2 meter telescope was recently used by three researchers to photograph NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, orbiting Earth from a distance of 1.5 million kilometers. The two missions have separate scientific objectives, with NASA WMAP probe having the role of making observ ... [read more >>]
	09 May 2008, 09:15GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Young Galaxies Appear to Be Ultra-Compact
	While observing galaxies in the early life of the universe, Yale University researchers discovered nine young galaxies presenting unusual high densities of stars. Although measuring only 5,000 light years in diameter, as opposed to the Milky Way which is more than 100,000 light years across, these galaxies contain amounts of matter some 200 billion times larger than our Sun. "Seeing the compact sizes of these galaxies is a puzzle. ... [read more >>]
	29 April 2008, 10:09GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Ancient Supernovae Appear to Age Slower
	A comparison between supernova explosions taking place today and those that occurred early in the life of the universe reveals that the latter appear to age slower, as if time was warped somehow. It may look as counterintuitive or even impossible to some of us, but in fact, this is confirmed by the inflation theory, stating that soon after the Big Bang the universe suffered a sudden expansion into space-time and is still expanding even tod ... [read more >>]
	29 April 2008, 02:51GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Earth-like Exo-planet Search Picks Up Speed
	It may seem strange to some of us but, in fact, it is easier to identify a planet as having the characteristics of our own than actually finding a planet with a size comparable to Earth. For example, there are currently about 270 known exo-planets, of which only a handful have rocky surfaces. By studying light scattered through their atmosphere, or reflected off the surface, researchers can tell whether the planet is habitable, has liquid ... [read more >>]
	26 April 2008, 04:25GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

See Arcturus on the Night Sky this Week
	Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes and the third brightest star on the night sky after Sirius and Canopus, bearing a visible magnitude of -0.05. It is often regarded as the sixth brightest star, behind Alpha Centauri, Vega and Capella, however it has been shown that Alpha Centauri is a binary star, while the other two are less brighter than Arcturus. This week, it will become visible on the night sky to ... [read more >>]
	25 April 2008, 09:41GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Elusive Mercury
	Although it is one of the brightest planets in the solar system, Mercury is often referred to as the most difficult planet to spot, mostly because it orbits the Sun so closely. However, the truth is that Mercury is not that hard to locate in the night sky. People living in the northern hemisphere of the planet will have a great opportunity of viewing Mercury on the following days. Its orbital trajectory takes it in the same g ... [read more >>]
	19 April 2008, 06:44GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Brightest Explosion in the Universe Still Glowing
	Three weeks ago, the Swift satellite detected the brightest gamma-ray burst in the visible universe in a galaxy located more than 7 billion light years away from Earth. It is though that the supernova explosion could have been the result of the collapse of a massive star into a black hole, and that, during the explosion, its brightness outpowered that of the Milky Way by at least five million times. Yet, after three weeks, the ga ... [read more >>]
	12 April 2008, 03:47GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Link Between Stars and Planets Found
	Brown dwarfs, or failed stars, are stellar bodies with masses 10 to 70 times higher than Jupiter’s. Although, like all stars, they have the capability of initiating thermonuclear fusion reactions in their cores, their masses do not permit them to sustain these reactions for a very long time, unlike typical stars, such as our Sun, which are able to burn hydrogen through nuclear fusion reactions for several billion years. Canadian and Fr ... [read more >>]
	11 April 2008, 02:53GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Do Supermassive Stars Explode?
	Previous stellar models showed very clearly that all stars must go through a supernova stage at the end of their lives; however, a new study reveals that supermassive stars may not be able to generate supernova explosions, but they would rather suffer a sudden gravitational collapse to turn into a black hole. But if a supermassive star would be able to 'go nova', then the explosion would be relatively mild in comparison to that o ... [read more >>]
	07 April 2008, 08:57GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Scientists Put a New Spin on Stars
	Previously it was believed that the material inside stars is mixed in a homogeneous and predictable way, bringing matter from deep inside the core to the surface and vice versa. However, predictions don't always turn out the way scientists want to. It now seems that increasing the spin rotation of a star renders material in a layered configuration similar to that of a cake to create a marbled effect. All stars must spin, regardles ... [read more >>]
	05 April 2008, 03:39GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

New Detection Method to Improve Earth-like Planet Search
	The technique, named by astronomers astro-comb, uses a detection method relying on measurements related to the radial velocity of the parent star, or wobble, by making observations on the wavelength shifts determined by the gravitational pull of the planet. By doing so, astronomers will be able to detect planets relatively similar to our own and to determine whether or not it is orbiting its stars in a habitable zone. Alternatively, th ... [read more >>]
	03 April 2008, 10:38GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Ten New Exo-Planets Found
	The Wide Area Search for Planets international collaboration announced that it had found 10 new extra solar planets, by using of robotic camera systems, which survey solar systems other than our own, in the hope of understanding how planets are formed around stars. Astronomers are expected to detail their findings today at the Royal Astronomical Society's national Astronomy meeting. The robotic cameras use a detection technique re ... [read more >>]
	02 April 2008, 04:22GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Astronomers Look Back into the Universe's Past
	Because light does not travel instantaneously through space, when we look towards distant objects in the universe we actually see them as they appeared in their past. By using this property, astronomers are able to observe how galaxies looked, back in the early days of the universe. Just recently, they discovered what seem to be two classes of unique galaxies. While studying distant galaxies, a research team observed a galaxy that appe ... [read more >>]
	02 April 2008, 02:44GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Neutron Stars May Also Have Mountains
	According to new computer simulations, not only rocky moons and planets may have distinctive topographic features such as mountains, but neutron stars may have them as well. The rotational spin around their axis could produce so powerful distortions in the fabric of space-time that they could actually lead to gravitational waves. In fact, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity predicted that the motion of asymmetrical objects in spac ... [read more >>]
	01 April 2008, 04:54GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

SN 2006bc Supernova Explosion
	NGC 2397 is just another spiral galaxy presenting prominent dust lanes along its arms; older stars in its central regions and newly forming stars in the spiral arms are shown blue in this image. The galaxy is located about 60 million light-years away from Earth, however the Hubble Space Telescope is still able to produce high enough resolution images of it, so that individual stars can be observed in the active star formation reg ... [read more >>]
	01 April 2008, 04:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Two New Unique Star Systems
	Astronomers from the Ohio State University reveal that they have discovered two new star systems which present particularities that associate them to a rare type of supernova. While studying a unique star system 13 million years away from Earth, hidden inside Holmberg IX, a small galaxy orbiting the M81 galaxy, researchers discovered a second star system that appeared to be much closer than the first one. Observations were conducted wi ... [read more >>]
	01 April 2008, 02:48GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Giant Planet is Taking Shape in Star System
	The star system we talk about is located around a well-studied star known as AB Aurigae. The star is relatively young and surrounded by a disk of material created from a gas and dust cloud that seems to be forming some kind of object inside it, like the gas giant of a brown dwarf star. Co-author of the study, Ben R. Oppenheimer of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History argues that the object may have a mas ... [read more >>]
	27 March 2008, 05:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Hottest Exo-Planet Ever Found
	Orbiting its parent star from a distance of only 5.6 million kilometers, the HAT-P-7b is only the latest exo-planet discovered in our galaxy and, at the same time, the hottest planet ever found. HAT-P-7b was detected by an array of small telescopes owned by the HATNet project and is located about a thousand light years away from Earth. If Earth were to lie so close to Sun, the daily energy received from our star would increase a ... [read more >>]
	24 March 2008, 07:36GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

How Heavy Elements Take Shape
	Stars spend most of their lives burning hydrogen through nuclear fusion reactions to produce the energy required to remain stable as long as possible. By doing so, two hydrogen atoms are fused together to create a single helium atom and a fair amount of energy. However, at some point in time, the star will begin processing helium and other elements into heavier ones. During their lives, stars are able to produce all elements lighter than i ... [read more >>]
	21 March 2008, 06:47GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Gamma-Ray Burst, Brightest in the Universe
	The most powerful gamma-ray emission ever seen in the universe was detected yesterday by the Swift satellite, and originated from an area of space more than seven thousand times further away than the distance to the Andromeda galaxy. It was probably created by a massive star in the final stages of life that collapsed into a black hole. University of Leicester researchers say that the brightness of the GRB exceeded that of the whole Milky W ... [read more >>]
	20 March 2008, 11:30GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Water Detected in Two Planet Forming Systems
	As you have probably noticed in the last few days, planetary formation and new solar system study is getting a lot of attention lately. Especially when talking about organic molecules, water and habitable zones, all of these being considered important factors in the apparition of life. Researchers announce that water vapors have been found in the accretion disk of matter spinning around not one, but two young stars. Both have great chances ... [read more >>]
	19 March 2008, 04:59GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Massive Oxygen Shell Found in Magellanic Cloud
	The Large Magellanic Cloud is a small galaxy in the Local Group only 160,000 light years away from Earth. Recently, NASA's Chandra X-ray Space Observatory discovered a large supernova remnant that contains large amounts of oxygen. The N132D supernova remnant is part of an oxygen-rich remnant and the brightest feature observable in the Large Magellanic cloud. The oxygen found here on Earth most likely originated in similar su ... [read more >>]
	18 March 2008, 04:31GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Distant Stars Show Presence of Dust Grains
	How Earth-like planets form around other planets is not quite known yet, albeit astronomers discover with each passing day that planets are forming in other distant star systems. According to a study presented last week, such a planet forming solar system seems to be forming around a series of stars located about 2,400 light years away from Earth, in the Cone Nebula. The stellar accumulation is dubbed KH-15D and lies in the Monoceros const ... [read more >>]
	13 March 2008, 09:39GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Alpha Centauri or Bust
	It is the closest star system to Earth, located only 4.4 light years away, and best of all, it may also have rocky planets like Earth orbiting around it. Alpha Centauri represents a triple system, composed of two average stars relatively similar to the Sun, and a red dwarf. It is argued whether we will be able to go there in the future, because even if it is the closest star system to us, the task looks rather impossible today. First of al ... [read more >>]
	13 March 2008, 08:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Astrophysicists Focus on Stellar Evolution
	We know much about stars, but even more to learn about them, otherwise we wouldn't try to replicate them here on Earth, would we? Stellar life, evolution and death are now becoming the points of interest for the European research program, which plans to study about 25 nuclear reactions that take place inside stars throughout their lives, during nuclear fusion reactions and critical events that occur during the final stage of their exi ... [read more >>]
	13 March 2008, 06:00GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Planetary Nebulae. Where is the Planet?
	Planetary nebulae have been first discovered some three centuries ago, but the astronomers of the time, being unable to clearly identify them, named nebulae by attributing them the name of "planetary", mostly because they seemed to have some resemblance to the planet Uranus. In the middle of the 19th century astronomers finally realized what the strange objects really are, not planets but massive clouds of gas and dust surroundin ... [read more >>]
	11 March 2008, 04:52GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

ESO Maps Massive Dark Molecular Cloud
	In anticipation of the launch of the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, or VISTA, expected to become operational by the middle of the current year, astronomers from the European Organization for Astronomical Research have mapped the content of a dark filament of molecular cloud named Corona Australis, located in the Southern Crown constellation about 500 light years away from Earth, with the greatest detail yet. The 4 ... [read more >>]
	07 March 2008, 08:54GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Stellar Ray of Death Pointing Towards Earth
	It would certainly appear so, and considering that our galaxy is filled with at least 200 billion stars, it would be no surprise if one of these rays of death would decide to hit our planet some day. However, the subject of discussion here is a star dubbed WR104, located about 8,000 light years from Earth in the Sagittarius constellation. It was discovered eight years ago by an Australian astronomer at Sydney University, namely P ... [read more >>]
	06 March 2008, 03:48GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Weird Pulsar Becomes Even Stranger
	X-ray images of the Kes75 supernova remnant shows it to house what seems to be a rapidly spinning neutron star, commonly known as a pulsar, which could have been created in the outcome of the supernova explosion. Lying at a distance of about 20,000 light years away from Earth, Kes75's pulsar located close to the center of the supernova remnant experiences rapid rotation, complemented by the creation of a powerful magnetic fi ... [read more >>]
	01 March 2008, 04:31GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Lone Stars Found in Comet-like Galactic Tail
	According to new observations conducted with the Chandra X-ray Space Observatory, stars are no longer restricted to form inside the accretion disk of matter of a particular galaxy, but could easily start a star formation process far away if provided with the required amount of material. Such a process is currently taking place in the ESO 137-001 galaxy, which presents a comet-like tail extending more than 200,000 light years into space – t ... [read more >>]
	29 February 2008, 09:42GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Scientist get Insight into Magnetic Flip
	It's no secret now. Planets, stars may vary their magnetic fields so severely that could eventually reverse poles. Magnetic north becomes south and vice versa. Geologic evidences strongly suggest that even our planet could have reversed its poles a number of times in the past. The Sun's magnetic field orientation slightly changes its direction every eleven years, time interval directly related to the solar activity, sin ... [read more >>]
	27 February 2008, 03:34GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Earth Is Doomed!
	Forget about global warming, the ice ages, asteroids or any other impending disaster waiting to happen. Earth will burn! Literally! Astronomers approximate the age of the Sun to a rough 5 billion years and is mostly believed that it will continue to burn hydrogen at least as much time before becoming too unstable to maintain its current form. Our planet, on the other hand, will probably be swallowed by the Sun in 7.6 billion year ... [read more >>]
	27 February 2008, 02:37GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

VLT Reveals New Cosmic Interactions
	ESA's Very Large Telescope surprised what seems to be a group of three large galaxies engaged into gravitational interactions with each other. The system lies 106 million light years away, in the direction of the Piscis Austrinus constellation, and is formed of NGC 7173, NGC 7174 and NGC 7176. Two of the galaxies, respectively NGC 7173 and NGC 7176, are elliptical galaxies, while the other one is a spiral galaxy relative ... [read more >>]
	14 February 2008, 10:42GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Rho Ophiuchi, a Craddle for Young Stars
	Similarly to most gas clouds in the universe, Rho Oph is mainly composed of molecular hydrogen gas, in which new stars may form. Rho Ophiuchi is one of the closest star-forming nebula to our solar system, lying only 407 light years away, in a region of space located between the Scorpius and Ophiuchus constellations. Lately, the Spitzer Space Telescope has been able to examine the area in great detail in the X-ray and the infr ... [read more >>]
	12 February 2008, 05:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Stellar Collisions Create Planets from Remnants
	Astronomers reveal the mystery behind the BP Piscium star located in the Pisces constellation, an old star that appears to have recently spawned a new star formation process. A new study reveals that the accretion disk of matter spinning around it formed during a stellar collision and merging of two stars. Usually, stars determine a star formation process during early life, however light spectroscopy on the surface of BP Pis ... [read more >>]
	09 February 2008, 03:50GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia