Astronomy

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Superstar Challenges Theory

February 28, 2004

A new record holder has been found for biggest star: LBV 1806-20 in Sagittarius. According to the NewsNotes entry on p. 20 of the April 2004 issue of Sky and Telescope, the star is up to 3 times hotter than the surface of our sun, and has a diameter 200 times as big. […]

Astronomy

Should Cosmologists Get Worried Yet?

January 23, 2004

The unexpected finding of mature galaxies in the early universe (see 01/02/2004) has Robert Irion worried, but he seems surprised the theorists are not. Reporting on last week’s meeting of the American Astronomical Society in the Jan. 23 issue of Science,1 he titles his article, “Early Galaxies Baffle Observers, But Theorists Shrug.” He begins: “It’s […]

Astronomy

Globular Cluster Origins: Where Do We Go From Here?

January 1, 2004

The simple explanation of globular clusters as bundles of ancient stars seems to be in a state of crisis, though the authors of a paper in the Jan. 1 issue of Nature1 try to keep a stiff upper lip. They begin, “Nearly a century after the true nature of galaxies as distant ‘island universes’ was […]

Astronomy

Reality or Hubris in Scientific Claims?

January 20, 2002

51; The amount of trust the public puts in scientific claims stems partly from their incomprehensibility. The claims presented in scientific papers are often so dense and abstruse as to be unapproachable by all but specialists. Undoubtedly many people trust scientists because of their specialized education, their knowledge of mathematics, their special equipment, and their […]

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