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Summer/Fall 2001 Astronomy News
Sources:
NASA
;
SpaceflightNow
;
Sky & Telescope
;
Astronomy magazine
;
BBC
;
CNN
.
See also the resources page in this site; Note:
Some links may be good only for a limited time.
Space Technology, Telescopes and Agencies
12/21: Astronomy Pictures:
Space.com's selection of the coolest photographs from 2001 (
space
)
11/20: Observatories:
The Virtual Observatory is already changing the way discoveries are made (
space
)
11/14: NASA:
Sean O'Keefe is nominated as Dan Goldin's replacement as NASA administrator (
SFN
,
space
)
11/14: Space Exploitation:
Experts meet at a conference to discuss utilization of space resources (
space
)
11/02: Radio Telescopes:
The Arecibo Observatory receives prestigious engineering awards (
SFN
)
10/30: Observatories:
Astronomers from various institutions launch the National Virtual Observatory (
SFN
)
10/29: Gamma Ray Detectors:
Testing ESA's new detector with pictures of champagne bottles (
SFN
)
10/17: NASA:
End of an era as NASA Administrator Goldin resigns from his position (
SFN
,
wired
)
10/10: NGST:
Innovative, low-risk design proposed, including a lightweight 6-m deployable mirror (
SFN
)
10/09: Optical Interferometers:
The Keck telescopes are getting ready for next year (
SFN
)
09/14: HST:
Scientists now know how to get better results from Hubble's Faint Object Spectrograph (
SFN
)
09/07: IR Telescopes:
Enter a contest to name a new IR orbiting satellite! (
SFN
) - Extra credit if you win!
09/06: Space Agencies:
Experts reject Bush's proposal for modifying space funding agencies (
PW
)
09/06: X-Ray Telescopes:
Chandra completes two years of operation, mission extended to 10 years (
SFN
)
08/31: Infrared/Microwave Telescopes:
The new
SIMBA
telescope starts operating at La Silla (
SFN
)
07/23: PSA's:
NASA is building Personal Satellite Assistants for astronauts, inspired by
Star Wars
(
NASA
)
07/02: Radio Telescopes:
New tests are bringing the square kilometer array closer to reality (
SFN
)
06/30: Microwave Telescopes:
The MAP satellite is launched (
BBC
,
CNN
,
SFN
,
NASA
); updates (
SFN
,
SFN
)
06/25: Rovers:
Solar-powered robots designed for distant planet exploration to be tested on earth (
BBC
)
Planet Earth
12/18: Earth Missions:
The GRACE satellites are getting ready to measure accurately Earth's gravity (
space
)
12/14: Near Earth Asteroids:
A big one will swing by on the 16th (but it won't pose a threat!) (
NASA
)
12/12: Aurorae:
The Cluster quartet of satellites studies the black aurora phenomenon (
SFN
)
12/11: Partial Solar Eclipse:
One will be visible from North America on Dec 14th (
space
,
NASA
)
12/07: Geminid Meteor Shower:
More shooting stars coming on Dec 13-14 (
NASA
,
space
)
11/30: Leonid Meteor Shower:
You can hear the sounds of shooting stars! (
NASA
)
11/13: Ancient Impacts:
Were comet impacts responsible for the demise of ancient civilizations? (
space
)
11/08: Impacts:
The chances of a catastrophic asteroid impact have been revised downward (
BBC
,
SFN
,
CNN
)
11/07: Leonid Meteor Shower:
Predictions and related stories (
space
,
NASA
,
activities
,
MSNBC
);
update
.
11/01: Light Pollution:
A growing environmental problem that threatens to erase the night sky (
NASA
)
10/30: Impacts:
Astronomers may have solved the puzzle of the 1908 Tunguska event (
BBC
)
10/30: Earth Missions:
The
GRACE
satellites will map variations in the Earth's gravitational field (
NASA
)
10/26: Auroras:
NASA's Polar Probe takes picture of simultaneous Northern & Southern Lights (
BBC
)
10/11: Upper Atmosphere:
Starshine 3 is scheduled to burn up in the next few days as it falls (
NASA
,
space
)
09/29: Impacts:
Spaceguard UK
opens its asteroid watching observatory in Wales (
BBC
)
09/28: Northern Lights:
The aurora displays in recent weeks have been spectacular (
BBC
)
09/18: Magnetosphere:
The Cluster satellites explore the tail of the Earth's magnetosphere (
SFN
)
09/10: Light Pollution:
People in Texas are trying to keep the night sky starry and dark (
Houston Chronicle
)
09/08: Global Weather:
One of the effects of climate change is vigorous plant growth in the North (
NASA
)
09/07: Impacts:
A British scientist says we are not doing enough to track Near-Earth-Objects (
CNN
)
08/30: Global Weather:
Desert dust carried over the Atlantic from Africa can kill fish in Florida (
NASA
)
08/26: Meteorites:
First results on carbon evolution from analysis of the Tagish Lake Meteorite are in (
SFN
)
08/21: Weather Forecasts:
New pole-to-pole view of cloud heights and winds from Terra satellite (
SFN
)
08/13: Radiation Belt:
The ESA's Cluster satellites provide data on high energy electrons (
SFN
)
08/07: Light Pollution:
Studies show the problem affects 99% of the US population (
Nature
,
LAtimes
,
SFN
)
08/03: Surface:
NASA releases the most accurate 3D global map ever created (
CNN
,
BBC
)
08/01: Meteor Showers:
Check out this year's Perseids on August 12! (
NASA1
,
CNN
,
NASA2
)
07/24: Meteorites:
A falling piece of comet or asteroid lights the sky in the Eastern US (
CNN
,
NASA
)
07/03: The Sun's Influence:
New claim that our weather does not depend so much on the Sun (
Nat
)
07/03: Aphelion:
Tomorrow the Earth will be at its furthest point from the Sun, a very hot situation (
NASA
)
06/27: Gravity field:
The GRACE satellites are being readied for precise measurements (
SFN
)
06/27: Magnetosphere:
The Cluster satellites make precise measurements of the Earth's plasma (
SFN
)
06/21: Solar Eclipse:
Skywatchers from all over the world go to central Africa (
ABC
,
BBC
,
CNN
)
The Moon and the Sun
11/30: Leonid Meteors:
Meteors cause mini-explosions on the Moon's surface (
NASA
)
11/21: Solar Atmosphere:
Mysterious clouds of gas falling towards the Sun spotted by SOHO (
SFN
)
11/16: Solar Missions:
The Genesis spacecraft maneuvers toward its final location (
SFN
,
BBC
); update (
SFN
)
11/07: Sunspots:
Detailed look inside sunspots shows swirling hurricanes of electrified gas (
SFN
,
space
,
CNN
)
10/16: Solar Wind:
Ulysses provides information on variations in the solar wind (
SFN
)
10/14: Solar Wind:
Analysis of 30-year old lunar soil samples yields results on processes in the Sun (
SFN
)
10/11: Formation of the Moon:
Analysis of old Apollo samples supports collision theory (
BBC
)
10/01: Moon Exploration:
China launches "Double Star" program, plans to send a probe to the Moon (
CNN
)
09/19: Apollo Missions:
Lost tape recorded during the landing of Apollo 11 in 1969 is found (
BBC
)
09/14: Moon Exploration:
Scientists discuss several upcoming Japanese and European missions (
SFN
)
08/23: Moon Exploration:
JFK Library releases White House tape on space race (
SFN
)
08/15: Formation of the Moon:
New simulations support theory that it arose from a collision (
SFN
,
PW
)
08/09: Solar Missions:
NASA's Genesis spacecraft to collect samples of solar wind is launched (
SFN
,
BBC
)
06/20: Neutrinos:
The solar neutrino problem is solved by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (
SFN
,
CNN
)
Mars
12/14: Water?
Tantalizing evidence from Mars Odyssey of liquid water away from the polar caps (
space
)
12/07: Weather:
There is some evidence that Mars' weather has been changing even recently (
SFN
,
BBC
)
12/05: Future Missions:
Insect-like robots with flapping wings considered as possible rovers (
space
)
12/04: Surface:
The planet's crust is highly magnetized in certain areas (
SFN
); 3D surface rendering (
space
)
11/30: Water?
Molecular hydrogen in the atmosphere indicates liquid water in the past (
cosmiverse
,
space
)
11/20: Life?
Researchers dispute claims that martian meteorite shows evidence for past life (
space
,
SFN
)
11/11: Interior/Surface:
Did a magma superplume lift the crust under the Tharsis bulge? (
SFN
,
space
)
11/10: Future Missions:
Science projects defined for 2005 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (
SFN
)
11/09: Volcanoes:
Global Surveyor provides evidence that volcanoes are still active on Mars (
cosmiverse
)
11/02: Surface:
More evidence of layered rock from MGS, this time in an old impact crater (
SFN
)
10/24: 2001 Mars Odyssey:
The spacecraft reached Mars last night and is now in orbit (
NASA
,
SFN
,
BBC
)
10/13: 2001 Mars Odyssey:
The spacecraft gets ready to reach Mars on the 23rd (
SFN
,
CNN
); update (
SFN
)
10/12: Surface:
Scientists conclude detailed study on how ancient Tharsis drainage basin became aquifer (
SFN
)
10/12: Weather:
Scientists try to understand the largest global dust storm in 30 years, now subsiding (
SFN
)
09/24: Weather:
Stormy and icy weather all over the planet coming from the frozen south (
SFN1
,
SFN2
)
09/07: Life?
Hungarian scientists claim they see evidence of life in Global Surveyor photographs (
CNN
)
08/27: Water:
The first two European missions will be able to search for it under the surface (
SFN
)
08/17: Mars Rovers:
NASA accidentally gets an idea for a new inflatable tumbleweed rover (
NASA
)
08/03: Water:
Largest ancient largest valley system in the Solar System has been found on Mars (
BBC
,
CNN
)
07/29: Life?
Possible new evidence of life found in data collected in the 1970's by Viking landers (
SFN
,
CNN
)
07/27: Missions:
NASA awards contracts for development of small rockets to return Mars samples (
SFN
)
07/26: Water:
Data from Mars Global Surveyor suggest there may be large quantities of water ice (
BBC
)
07/16: Weather:
Mars is a lot more cloudy than we thought (
Nature
); an enormous dust storm (
NASA
,
SFN
)
06/27: Water:
The most likely places for liquid water to exist are at the poles (
BBC
,
SFN
)
06/21: Opposition:
More news and information on today's events and Mars from
NASA
.
06/14: Opposition:
On June 21, Mars will be the closest it has been to Earth since 1988 (
BBC
,
ABC
,
CNN
)
Other Planets and Moons
12/19: Europa:
NASA scientists are studying how to best take a look beneath the icy crust (
space
)
12/08: Pluto Missions:
NASA has settled on a mission, "New Horizons," and has preliminary funding (
WP
)
12/01: Jupiter's Moons:
Computer simulations help understand some of their strange orbits (
SFN
)
11/30: Europa:
Some evidence that the icy crust slides on the water beneath it (
space
,
SFN
)
11/30: Callisto:
Past collision points to existence of liquid water under the surface (
SFN
,
cosmiverse
)
11/29: Venus:
Chandra captures the first X-ray images of the planet (
SFN
,
space
)
11/09: Europa:
Simulations of impact craters show that the ice crust is at least 3-4 km thick (
SFN
,
space
)
11/08: Future Missions:
US Congress approves NASA budget, including mission to Pluto (
BBC
,
SFN
,
CNN
)
10/16: Miranda:
The origin of Uranus' strange moon still puzzles astronomers (
space
)
10/05: Io:
The tallest volcanic plume ever is seen, rising from a previously unknown volcano (
SFN
,
BBC
)
09/29: Pluto-Kuiper Express:
Phase A design study for mission is completed (
SFN
,
space
); update (
SFN
,
CNN
)
09/06: Titania:
Rare star eclipse by Uranus' moon will give information on possible atmosphere (
Reuters
)
08/23: Callisto:
New photographs reveal more details than for any other moon, other than ours (
SFN
,
NASA
)
08/13: Mercury:
Are the bright patches near the poles water ice? The Messenger mission will find out (
LAtimes
)
07/26: Callisto:
New analysis suggests that there may be liquid water under its icy surface (
BBC
)
07/24: Pluto-Kuiper Express:
Senate committee approves NASA budget with funding for the mission (
SFN
)
07/12: Saturn Moons:
12 new ones discovered, for a total of 30, more than any other planet so far (
Nature
)
06/24: Io:
Uniform temperature distribution on the surface (
SFN
) and strange glows (
BBC
) puzzle astronomers.
06/22: Jupiter Moons:
Several of them may have salty oceans suitable for life under the ice (
CNN
)
06/20: Saturn Missions:
The Cassini mission is redesigned while the spacecraft is on its way there (
CNN
,
SFN
)
06/15: Europa:
Research shows that the water under its icy crust could support life (
SFN
)
06/14: Titan:
Astronomers find that winds blow at speeds of up to 750 km/h (
Nature
)
06/13: Mercury Missions:
NASA approves the
MESSENGER
mission, the first one in 25 years (
discovery
)
06/13: Venus:
French astronomers have a new idea about the reason for its retrograde rotation (
PW
,
Nature
)
The Rest of the Solar System
12/20: Meteorites:
Sugars and other complex organic molecules found on meteorites (
NASA
,
SFN
)
12/17: Comet Missions:
The very successful Deep Space 1 mission will end tomorrow (
space
,
SFN
)
11/29: Comet Borrelly:
Covered by a black crust, it is the darkest known object in the solar system (
space
)
11/25: Comet Missions:
A tool on first comet orbiter Rosetta will examine escaping gases (
SFN
); update (
space
)
11/23: Asteroids:
Simulations yield a better understanding of their locations and evolution (
SFN
,
space
)
11/08: Asteroid Belt:
New estimates say there may be about 700,000 asteroids larger than 1 km (
space
)
11/04: Comet Origins:
Finding out where in the solar system comet
LINEAR
was formed (
SFN
,
space
)
11/01: Asteroid Ceres:
Hubble Space Telescope UV picture reveals more details than previously seen (
SFN
)
09/28: Asteroid Eros:
Results published on origin of present surface and nature of "ponds" (
SFN
,
CNN
,
BBC
)
09/25: Comet Borrelly:
Deep Space 1 sends most detailed pictures yet of a comet nucleus (
NASA
,
SFN
,
CNN
)
09/23: Comet Borrelly:
Deep Space 1 survived the flyby encounter with the comet (SFN,
space
,
BBC
)
09/13: Kuiper Belt:
Astronomers say other objects as large as Pluto may be discovered (
NASA
,
CSM
)
09/10: Comet Missions:
Deep Space 1 will fly by comet Borrelly later this month (
CNN
);
09/19
(
SFN
,
space
)
08/25: Pioneer Mission:
An update on the spacecraft, currently twice as far as Pluto's orbit (
liftoff
)
08/24: Kuiper Belt:
Newly discovered object 2001 KX76 is 1200 km across, bigger than Charon (
SFN
)
08/24: New Comets:
Last weekend one was found by an amateur looking through his telescope (
NASA
)
07/04: Kuiper Belt:
Newly discovered 2001 KX76 could be bigger than Charon (
SFN
,
NOAO
,
BBC
,
CNN
)
06/15: Comet Missions:
Some details on the
CONTOUR
mission, to be launched next year (
SFN
)
Extrasolar Planetary Systems
11/27: Atmospheres:
The first detection of an atmosphere around an extrasolar planet (
SFN
,
NASA
,
PW
)
10/16: New Planets:
A team of astronomers announces eight new planets around sunlike stars (
SFN
,
space
)
09/01: Ecological Diversity:
A clue from another planet would be an uneven flicker in reflected starlight (
SFN
)
08/16: New Planets:
One of 47 Ursae Majoris' planets is Jupiter-sized, on an Earth-like orbit (
NYT
,
ABC
,
SFN
)
08/16: Extrasolar Comets:
UV observations indicate that
b
Pictoris is surrounded by a swarm of comets (
SFN
)
08/10: Planet Formation:
Many known planets orbit two stars; was this important in their formation? (
PW
)
06/27: Starless Planets:
Globular cluster M22 may have many solitary, starless ones (
CNN
,
SFN
,
BBC
,
NASA
)
Stars and Star Clusters
12/10: Starspots:
The star AB Doradus confirms the link between spots and twisted magnetic fields (
SFN
)
12/01: Stellar Interiors:
New results in nuclear physics may mean that stars lead longer lives (
PW
)
11/25: Binary Stars:
Would our Sun behave differently if it had a closely orbiting twin? (
SFN
)
11/15: The First Star:
Simulations show scenarios for the formation of the first star (
space
,
CNN
,
PW
)
10/26: Brown Dwarfs:
Infrared Space Observatory sees many in rho Ophiuchi nebula (
SFN
;
cosmiverse
)
10/24: Pulsars:
Pulsar discovered in SN remnant G292.0+1.8 allows study of their relationship (
SFN
,
unisci
)
10/21: Globular Clusters:
Evidence for gas in 47 Tucanae is found after long search (
SFN
)
10/18: White Dwarfs:
Astronomers see evidence for moving dwarf stars from gas trail left behind (
SFN
)
10/11: Young Stars:
Hydrogen cyanide, present in some comet tails, may be a sign of star formation (
SFN
)
10/05: Binary Stars:
Astronomers look for binaries formed by stellar encounters in Omega Centauri (
SFN
)
09/30: Star Surveys:
Looking for microlensing,
MACHO
produced light curves for 73 million stars (
SFN
)
09/17: Pulsars:
Chandra looks at one of the youngest known pulsars, to help understand supernovas (
SFN
)
09/10: Novas:
Chandra sees an X-ray burst and cyclic pulsing in a white dwarf after a nova explosion (
SFN
)
09/08: Neutron Stars:
The relatively low temperature of one neutron star puzzles astrophysicists (
SFN
)
09/07: Young Stars:
Observations of stars in Orion add to controversy over the early solar system (
NYT
)
08/23: Stars:
Three distant stars show that heavy metals are produced by slow burning processes (
space
,
SFN
)
07/27: Stars:
Interferometer finds Altair rotates so fast it bulges at the equator (
SFN
,
ABC
,
CNN
)
07/19: Pulsars:
Spacetime warping confirmed for the first time in propagation of pulsar signals (
SFN
)
07/16: Magnetic Fields:
Many massive stars seem to be surrounded by magnetic rings (
SFN
)
07/11: Pulsars:
Shapiro time delay predicted by general relativity is seen in pulsar signals (
PhysicsWeb
)
07/11: Aging Stars:
Astronomers see signs of billions of comets vaporizing around an old star (
NASA
,
SFN
)
07/06: Astroseismology:
Alpha Centauri A oscillates with a period of about 7 minutes (
SFN
,
BBC
,
CNN
)
07/04: Brown Dwarfs:
Study says they were ejected from star clusters by larger stars (
SFN
)
06/23: Star Formation:
New indications found of how supernova explosions trigger star birth (
SFN
)
Interstellar Matter and Nebulae
11/15: Planetary Nebulae:
For the first time, a star is seen as it becomes a planetary nebula (
SFN
,
CNN
)
10/20: Herbig-Haro Objects:
Chandra images allow astronomers to confirm model (
SFN
)
10/19: Emission Nebulae:
Light from hydrogen and oxygen in Hubble picture of NGC 2080 (
SFN
)
10/03: Interstellar Molecules:
Vinyl alcohol observed near the center of the Milky Way (
SFN
)
09/16: Molecular Clouds:
6-million degree hot gas and X-rays found in the Rosetta nebula (
SFN
)
08/25: Planetary Nebulae:
Images from HST reveal details of shock waves in newly formed nebula (
SFN
)
06/25: Molecular Clouds:
Astronomers see a cloud that may soon start forming new stars (
SFN
)
06/17: Supernova Remnants:
XMM-Newton looks at the X-ray emission from IC443 (
SFN
)
The Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies
12/07: New Stars:
There is star formation activity in the nearby irregular galaxy NGC 6822 (
SFN
)
12/05: Dark Matter:
Astronomers obtain for the first time an image of a MACHO microlens (
space
,
SFN
)
11/29: Galactic Black Holes:
There is now a new technique to calculate their mass (
PW
)
11/28: Mini Black Holes:
Is our galaxy full of mini black holes that occasionally explode? (
space
)
11/28: Stellar Black Holes:
The largest one seen in our galaxy acts like a "microquasar" (
space
,
Nature
,
SFN
)
11/07: Stellar Black Holes:
Unexplained light is seen coming from the neighborhood of a black hole (
space
)
11/06: M87:
Torus around central black hole of giant elliptical M87 is surprisingly faint or missing (
SFN
)
10/13: M31:
Further study by the Chandra team leads to revised story on the central black hole (
SFN
)
09/27: M87:
Chandra X-ray images reveal a knotty structure in the galaxy's jet (
SFN
)
09/13: Stellar Black Holes:
One and its companion are in our galactic neighborhood (
CSM
,
BBC
,
space
,
SFN
)
09/05: Milky Way Core:
X-ray emissions indicate matter swirling into the central black hole (
NASA
,
SFN
)
08/17: Nearby Galaxies:
The Hubble Space Telescope sees a bubble of lumpy hot gas in NGC 3079 (
SFN
)
08/08: Centaurus A:
Chandra studies X-rays from the active galactic center and surrounding binaries (
SFN
)
07/20: Galactic Halos:
A hot gas halo is seen for the first time around the spiral galaxy NGC 4631 (
SFN
,
BBC
)
07/19: Galactic Black Holes:
Not every galaxy has a supermassive one; M33's is medium size (
PW
,
SFN
)
07/10: LMC:
The Hubble Space Telescope looks at star formation in the young cluster NGC 1850 (
SFN
)
07/06: M31:
Our neighbor galaxy is in the process of eating up two smaller satellite galaxies (
SFN
,
BBC
)
07/05: M31:
A new pulsating, X-ray emitting object is discovered near the center of the galaxy (
SFN
)
Distant Galaxies and The Universe
12/12: Future of the Universe:
A theoretical astrophysicist's ideas on the receding galaxies (
space
,
SFN
)
12/12: Dark Matter:
Astronomers with the 2dF survey pin down the dark matter distribution (
SFN
)
11/13: Gamma Ray Bursts:
A more detailed theory of how they can be produced by supermassive stars (
SFN
)
11/08: Gamma Ray Bursts:
HETE satellite makes important sighting of optical afterglow (
SFN
)
11/04: Distant Galaxies:
Chandra releases X-ray view of the Hubble Telescope's "deep field" (
SFN
)
10/23: Galactic Black Holes:
The black hole in MCG-6-30-15 is losing energy to its surroundings (
SFN
,
NASA
)
10/06: Distant Galaxies:
"Virtual telescope" may have found pre-galactic "building block" (
SFN
,
CNN
,
WP
)
09/14:
Distant Galaxies:
Hydrogen detected in galaxy 3 billion light years away (
unisci
)
09/07: Dark Matter:
Chandra X-ray observations of a distant galaxy probes dark matter distribution (
SFN
)
08/29: Gravitational Lenses:
A three-galaxy lens produces six images of a background galaxy (
SFN
,
PW
)
08/15: Gravitational Lenses:
A cluster of galaxies is discovered using only its lensing effect (
SFN
)
08/09: Helium:
The FUSE spacecraft traces the distribution of helium by analyzing UV light (
SFN
)
08/07: The Young Universe:
SDSS sees evidence of when the first starlight shone on the universe (
AP
)
08/02: Collisions:
The disk of the spiral galaxy ESO 510-G13 is warped from an encounter (
SFN
,
space
,
CNN
)
07/31: Simulations:
The UK launches the Cosmology Machine, a dedicated supercomputer (
UniSci
,
SFN
)
07/19: Collisions:
Star clusters and dwarf galaxies were born in the multiple collision of Stephan's Quintet (
SFN
)
07/13: Gamma Ray Bursts:
One model says they originate from electrically charged black holes (
SFN
)
06/29: Galaxy Surveys:
2dF releases free data on more than 100,000 galaxies on the internet (
BBC
)
06/15: Blazars:
These violent bursts of microwaves may be a lot more common than previously thought (
PW
)
06/14: Galaxy Surveys:
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey releases data on 50,000 galaxies, 50 quasars (
UniSci
)
Life, the Universe and Everything
12/17: Early Life on Earth:
Geophysicist studies life in the early solar system (
SFN
)
12/13: Life in the Universe:
The Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Cosmos is dedicated (
space
)
12/06: SETI:
A SETI Institute survey on attitudes toward extraterrestrial life (
space
); follow-up (
space
)
12/05: Space Travel:
NASA report says that space travel is inherently dangerous to human health (
space
)
11/15: SETI:
How would we recognize or decode messages from extraterrestrial civilizations? (
space
)
11/08: The Fermi Paradox:
Why hasn't anybody colonized the galaxy yet? (space.com
part 1
,
part 2
,
part 3
)
10/08: Space Colonization:
The top three resons for us to colonize space (
space.com
)
09/21: Life in Space:
What do bubbles inside drinks do in space without gravity? (
NASA
)
08/10: Life on Earth:
Were the seeds of life brought in the form of interplanetary dust? (
PW
)
08/03: Early Life on Earth:
New speculations on how the atmosphere filled with oxygen (
space
)
08/02: Life and Gravity:
How does the absence of gravity affect our bodies in space? (
NASA1
,
NASA2
)
07/31: Life Near Earth:
Scientists claim to have found bacteria outside the Earth's atmosphere (
Reuters
,
Wired
)
07/24: SETI:
A new approach to SETI based on visible light is led by Frank Drake (
BBC
)
06/27: Extinctions:
Chaos in the solar system may have been responsible for asteroid impact (
BBC
,
Nature
)
Science, History and Fundamental Questions
11/20: Gravitational Waves:
Cassini spacecraft to hunt for elusive gravity ripples (
space
,
SFN
)
10/17: History of Astronomy:
The story of Afghanistan's 15th century astronomer-prince Ulughbek (
space
)
09/06: Matter:
Could the whole universe suddenly condense into jelly? (
BBC
)
08/15: Fundamental Constants:
Quasars give indications that "constants" may be changing in time (
NYT
)
07/13: Clocks:
The most accurate way to measure time involves using the speed of light (
ABC
,
Nature
)
06/26: Spacetime:
In a proposed scenario, dimensions appeared as spacetime cooled after the big bang (
NYT
)
06/14: Spacetime:
Researcher finds that magnetic fields can tend to flatten curved spacetime (
Nature
)
Other Semesters
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>; Content last modified: 22-Dec-2001
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