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North Star coming back to life
The North star is puzzling scientists as it is coming back to life and they do not know why.
An international team of astronomers has observed that vibrations in the Pole star, which had been fading away to almost nothing over the last 100 years, have recovered and are now increasing.
Polaris is a 'Cepheid' variable star, getting brighter and fainter every four days.
"One hundred years ago Polaris varied by ten per cent, but over the last century the variations became smaller and smaller until ten years ago it only varied by two per cent," said Dr Alan Penny from the University of St Andrews.
"It was thought the structure of the star was changing to switch off the vibration. Yet the team has found that about ten years ago the vibrations started picking up and are now back up at the four per cent level."
The discovery was made using two small, relatively unknown telescopes in space and a telescope in Arizona.
The slow decline in variability was in itself unusual, as no other Cepheid is known to do this.
Astronomers thought that Polaris was ageing and its structure was changing so that it was no longer unstable.
Now Polaris has 'turned on' again this explanation seems unlikely and the researchers believe there may be a complex process in the outer layers of the star, with more than one mode of variability.
The finding was announced today at the "Cool Stars 15" conference at the University of St Andrews and will be published in the Astrophysical Journal The North star is puzzling scientists as it is coming back to life and they do not know why. ... more -
Scientists Find "Star-Maker" Galaxy
From the report: A newfound starburst galaxy dubbed "Baby Boom"—the green and yellow center of the composite image above—is churning out a startling 4,000 new stars a year, scientists say. Our Milky Way galaxy, by comparison, produces an average of just ten new stars a year. From the report: A newfound starburst galaxy dubbed "Baby Boom"—the green and yellow center of the composite image above—is churning o... more
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Hot 'super-Earths' may hide life
'Super-Earths': massive, rocky planets up to 15 times the size of ours, were previously dismissed as too harsh for life to exist; largely because many of them are in orbit unbelievably close to their parent stars.
However, at a recent conference organised by Lisa Kaltenegger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts, the consensus was changed significantly.
Kaltenegger herself believes that "there's no reason why the different chemical cycles that are important for life on our planet wouldn't work on super-Earths". And she says that at the conference, "the consensus of attendees was similarly positive – even for those planets once dismissed as being too harsh for life".
One reason that these exo-planets were thought to be so inhospitable to life, was that those ones orbiting very close to their stars experience a strong gravitational pull, which keeps them 'tidally locked', so that they cannot turn, always displaying the same face to the sun: as happens between the Earth and the moon. As a result of this locking, it was assumed that this would create one incredibly hot, and one incredibly cold side: both of which would be far too extreme for life. If an atmosphere, a key element in life, were present, it was also thought that it would quickly become frozen.
New models however suggest that "if a tidally locked super-Earth has an atmosphere at least as dense as Earth's, strong winds could transport heat from its hot side to its cold side." Furthermore, the effect of a global ocean appears to be that heat could be transported away from the hot side, thereby regulating the temperature of the whole planet.
For super-Earth's orbiting around cooler 'Red Giant' stars (which make up 85% of the stars in our Galaxy), the critical distance for temperatures to be offset sufficiently was calculated to be 0.05 AU (where 1AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun). For comparison, Mercury, the closest planet to the sun in our solar-system, orbits at a distance of 0.38 AU!
These calculations and more, now point to the serious possibility of finding the right conditions for life on a much larger number of planets than has ever been thought.
So what are you astrophysicists waiting for?!
'Super-Earths': massive, rocky planets up to 15 times the size of ours, were previously dismissed as too harsh for life to exist; larg... more -
Welcome To Corner Gas And The Imaginary Town Of Dog River…AKA Rouleau, Saskatchew...
Have you seen the show 'Corner Gas'? If you love the show, want to see life in a small town, or like to crack jokes about a small town, this is definitely the place for you! Have you seen the show 'Corner Gas'? If you love the show, want to see life in a small town, or like to crack jokes about a small town... more
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Look out the sky is falling
Well i guess maybe we did need the star wars defense system, but is there really any country that can say they are prepared for a asteroid? Well i guess maybe we did need the star wars defense system, but is there really any country that can say they are prepared for a aste... more
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Slideshow: Men’s Summer Fashion Trends We Hate
Guys might complain about some of the fashion trends we follow. This year’s gladiator sandals and last year’s voluminous baby doll dresses are two cases in point. They just don’t seem to get it. Well, with summer in full swing, we’ve started noticing some terrible trends that don’t even have a basis in fashion, from what we can tell. Who said mandals were hot? When is it ever a good idea for a guy to put on a transparent shirt? These are 12 of the worst “looks” guys could wear for summer. (In response to Asylum’s “Women’s Summer Fashion Trends We Hate”). Now will someone please buy Robert Downey Jr. a new hat?
Click on our link to see the slide show of bad fashion trends for men Guys might complain about some of the fashion trends we follow. This year’s gladiator sandals and last year’s voluminous baby doll dre... more -
Dark Knight director shuns digital effects for the real thing
To say i am a fan of Batman would be putting it mildly. Though up until Batman Begins, I was always let down by what Hollywood did with the story of my favorite comic book hero.
With the information presented in this article on how Christopher Nolan decided to create this latest installment of the series, you've got a fan in a frenzy on your hands.
Christian Bale IS Batman. The last installment of the series, Batman begins made me extremely excited about where the look and feel of The Dark Knight was going to go next. I can't think of a better way to honor the recent loss of one of the greatest special effects artists in the industry; Stan Winston, than to make a movie like the way Mr. Nolan has apparently done with The Dark Knight.
I am so excited to see this flick. I don't care for much that comes out of Hollywood these days, but since I am a fan of everyone in this film, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman, Christmas is coming early this year for YMM. ;-)
Check out the linked article, then watch the trailers in HD. I prefer Trailer #2. If you don't feel a bit like a kid again, please check your pulse.
Fanboys welcome
Trailers In HD
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknight/hd/
Image above created by: PIC Agency To say i am a fan of Batman would be putting it mildly. Though up until Batman Begins, I was always let down by what Hollywood did wi... more -
Hollywood stars rally behind Obama
Celebrity endorsers include talk show host Oprah Winfrey and actors Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Halle Berry. Oscar winner Tom Hanks, the star of "The Da Vinci Code," endorsed Obama with an online video.
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Astronomers find batch of "super-Earths"
From the report: European researchers said on Monday they discovered a batch of three "super-Earths" orbiting a nearby star, and two other solar systems with small planets as well. From the report: European researchers said on Monday they discovered a batch of three "super-Earths" orbiting a nearby star, and two o... more
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Red supergiant star explodes!
From the report:
The ultraviolet flash that signals the explosion of a red supergiant star has been detected by astronomers for the first time. From the report: ... more -
Study: we may all be aliens
European and US scientists have proved for the first time that two bits of genetic coding, called nucleobases, contained in the meteor fragment, are truly extraterrestrial.
Both of the molecules identified, uracil and xanthine, "are present in our DNA and RNA," said lead author Zita Martins, a researcher at Imperial College London.
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is another key part of the genetic coding that makes up our bodies.
So get over it if you have problems with other people of color, religion or whatever. The homeless person down the street is the same as you, the African in Zimbabwe is the same as you and the Christian and Jew and Muslim and Hindu and Buddhist and, and and.... is the same. We are just all unique in our appearances. We are all just, Human. European and US scientists have proved for the first time that two bits of genetic coding, called nucleobases, contained in the meteor... more -
Twin Galaxies
This composite optical and X-ray image shows galaxy clusters Abell 222 and Abell 223. The cluster pair is connected by a filament permeated by hot, X-ray-emitting gas This composite optical and X-ray image shows galaxy clusters Abell 222 and Abell 223. The cluster pair is connected by a filament perm... more
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Exploding star caught in the act
Astronomers have been able to capture and record the first moments when a massive star blows itself apart.
After decades of searching, researchers have used the world's top telescopes to observe the remarkable event.
Previously, scientists had only been able to study these "supernovas" several days after the event.
The results, published in the journal Nature, show that within two hours of the blast, a giant fireball scattered radioactive debris across space.
Astronomers have been able to capture and record the first moments when a massive star blows itself apart. ... more -
Supernova caught exploding on camera by scientists
Excited astronomers said on Wednesday they had for the first time caught a supernova on camera just as it was exploding, and they may now learn how to spot others.
By luck, they spotted a burst of X-rays while looking at another part of a distant galaxy, and managed to turn a variety of telescopes in the right direction just in time.
"For years, we have dreamed of seeing a star just as it was exploding," said Alicia Soderberg of Princeton University in New Jersey, who led the international team of astronomers.
"We were in the right place, at the right time, with the right telescope, on January 9th and witnessed history," she added in a statement.
A supernova is a dying star, but one much bigger than Earth's sun. It first explodes outwards, then shrinks into itself to form an extremely dense, cold ball. Sometimes a neutron star results and sometimes a black hole.
Soderberg's team looked across space and time to witness the death throes of supernova 2008D, found in one arm of the galaxy NGC 2770, 88 million light-years from Earth.
In real time, they are seeing events that occurred 88 million years ago -- but in Earth time they are just occurring and the astronomers can watch the supernova as if it really were exploding just now.
"Using the most powerful radio, optical and X-ray telescopes on the ground and in space we were able to observe the evolution of the explosion right from the start," said Edo Berger, who like Soderberg is a Carnegie-Princeton fellow.
"This eventually confirmed that the big X-ray blast marked the birth of a supernova."
Excited astronomers said on Wednesday they had for the first time caught a supernova on camera just as it was exploding, and they may ... more -
Britney Spears was bald
Exclusive footage of that Britney haircut, shaven headed sex symbol of pop music bald as a coot!
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Amazing Mecca All Stars cover singers at the mecca bingo closing party
When the mecca bingo hounslow London closed down we were treated to the 'Mecca all stars', a dodgy Keith Allen lookalikeee and co banging out some 'covers', they had some nice moves, you will probably catch yourself singing along! When the mecca bingo hounslow London closed down we were treated to the 'Mecca all stars', a dodgy Keith Allen lookalikeee and co bang... more
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FALLING STARS KNOW WHERE TO FALL - Videoclip VELVET SCORE
"FALLING STARS KNOW WHERE TO FALL" is the first Videoclip of VELVET SCORE (from the album SCARECROWS). Directed by Theo Putzu
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HubbleSite -- Out of the ordinary...out of this world
HubbleSite is the home of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the renowned orbiting telescope whose discoveries have forever altered our knowledge of the universe.
Hubble news, images, telescope facts and fun, astronomy 101, and more. HubbleSite is the home of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the renowned orbiting telescope whose discoveries have forever altered our kn... more -
Moby Goes Dog Walking
Moby gives the Fix an overview of his album, "Last Night," and talks about a recent project reaching out to independent filmmakers.
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Jenny McCarthy: The day I heard my son had autism - CNN.com
Listen to her story
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