GIZMODO– The total number of stars in the Universe “is likely three times bigger than realized.” Yale University astronomer Pieter van Dokkum says there are “possibly trillions of Earths orbiting these stars,” dramatically increasing the possibility of finding alien civilizations. According to the new study just published in Nature, new observations on the red end of the optical spectrum at … Read More
BBC– Antimatter atoms have been trapped for the first time, scientists say. Researchers at Cern, home of the Large Hadron Collider, have held 38 antihydrogen atoms in place, each for a fraction of a second. Antihydrogen has been produced before but it was instantly destroyed when it encountered normal matter. The team, reporting in Nature, says the ability to study … Read More
BBC– Twinkling in the sky is a diamond star of 10 billion trillion trillion carats, astronomers have discovered. The cosmic diamond is a chunk of crystallised carbon, 4,000 km across, some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus.It’s the compressed heart of an old star that was once bright like our Sun but has since faded and shrunk. … Read More
THE HERALD SUN– Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks Zone for life: Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right. Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small … Read More
3 NEWS– Pluto lost its position as a planet in 2006, and now looks set for further humiliation. Currently considered a dwarf planet alongside four others – Eris, Ceres, Haumea and Makemake – new research suggests there could be at least 50 more in the club, which no longer seems so exclusive. ”It’s like being a member of the Qantas … Read More
