Cosmology – Page 20

VIEW HEADLINES ONLY

Venus Transit Recalls Adventures of Yore

June 5, 2012

Today's transit of Venus, in which our sister planet appears to cross the disk of the sun, will be the last till 2117. As observatories and millions of people watch the rare planetary alignment, few may know the stories of astronomers who predicted them and explorers who risked life and limb to observe them.

Astronomy

Astronomers Wrestle with "Endless Mysteries"

June 3, 2012

Some of the biggest questions in the universe remain completely baffling to astronomers, a leading journal admitted.

Astronomy

Doomed Worlds: Planets Seen Disrupting, Not Forming

May 23, 2012

Much as astrobiologists would like to see the birth of a new planet, the ones we observe seem to be dying, not being born.

Bible and Theology

What SETI Guru Wants to Know

May 18, 2012

Seth Shostak, a SETI advocate, has two key questions for aliens.

Astronomy

Dark Matter as an Escape

May 14, 2012

Employing exotic unobservable entities such as dark matter may be an escape from scientific rigor in more ways than one.

Astronomy

Planet Theories vs. the Evidence

April 26, 2012

Planet theorists are putting up a valiant fight against new findings, but in some cases, the evidence seems to be winning.

Astronomy

Tilt-A-World: Another Constraint on Habitability

January 12, 2012

Did you ever ride a Tilt-A-Whirl, one of those cheap carnival rides that makes you dizzy and sick? Our planet would be like that if its inclination were out of control. Without tilt stability, a new study reveals, we wouldn't be sick, we'd be dead, or never alive in the first place. It's not enough to be in the Habitable Zone. Would-be inhabited planets need to avoid a new problem, called “tilt erosion.”

Amazing Facts

Cosmologists Forced to “In the Beginning”

January 11, 2012

The late astronomer Robert Jastrow detailed in his 1978 book God and the Astronomers how cosmologists were repulsed by the idea the universe had a beginning. He found it quizzical that they would have such an emotional reaction. They all realized that a beginning out of nothing was implausible without a Creator. Since then, various models allowing for an eternal universe brought secular cosmologists relief from their emotional pains. It now appears that relief was premature.

Astronomy

Loving Dark Matter Rather Than Light

December 31, 2011

There are two ways to describe dark things in science. One is phenomena we know exist, even if invisible to us, because we can measure their effects with instruments (X-rays, infrared radiation). The other is darkness as a placeholder for something not yet explained. Cosmologists have been talking about “dark matter” for decades now, and “dark energy” since the 1990s. Which category of dark ideas are they? Whether scientifically valid phenomena or placeholders for ignorance, one thing is clear from recent articles: much more knowledge is needed.

Astronomy

Observations Upset Models of Stellar Evolution

December 22, 2011

Stellar evolution models go back decades. Ever since the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram came out in 1910 (graphing temperature against luminosity), showing most stars fell on a line called the “main sequence”, astrophysicists have sought to understand the life cycle of stars from birth to death. In general, the story goes, collapsing clouds of gas and dust produce main-sequence stars that burn nuclear fuel till they run out. Depending on their masses, they end up as supernovae, red giants or slowly-cooling cinders. While red dwarfs cool down slowly into the darkness, supernovae and red giants eject mass outward into space . Two new planets found close to a red giant are among new headaches for theorists.

Awards

Philosophy on the Phringe

December 17, 2011

Some philosophy is just common sense. Some is abstruse, recondite, and technically challenging. But when employed against common sense, such as to support the belief that everything came from nothing, philosophy can get downright weird.

Solar System

Earth’s Twin: What Does “Potentially Habitable” Mean?

December 5, 2011

The Kepler spacecraft has found dozens of “potentially habitable” planets around other stars, but this week announced one that some news sources are calling “Earth’s twin.”

Astronomy

Selling Confabulation as Science

November 11, 2011

Science is supposed to be all about demonstrable proof through experiment. Should some scientists get away with confabulation – mere storytelling? Look at these recent headlines published on science news sites and consider whether some serious housecleaning is in order.

Astronomy

Space Physics and Fables

November 9, 2011

Physics is supposed to be the king of “hard science” because of its precise mathematics, predictability and falsifiability. When transferred off our planet, however, it seems speculation is the order of the day.

Amazing Facts

It’s Still a Rare Earth

September 25, 2011

Now that hundreds of extrasolar planets are known, how do they compare to ours? The Kepler spacecraft has found a varied assortment of all sizes and distances away from their parent stars. Only a few reside in their star’s habitable zones. But that’s only the first of many requirements for life. Two recent studies indicate that Earth remains a rare bird in the celestial aviary.

All Posts by Date

[archives type="yearly" cat_id="28"]