Speeding Star Observed with VLT Hints at Massive Black Hole

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers [1] have recorded a massive star moving at more than 2.6 million kilometres per hour. Stars are not born with such large velocities. Its position in the sky leads to the suggestion that the star was kicked out from the Large Magellanic Cloud, providing indirect evidence for a massive black hole in the Milky Way’s closest neighbour. These results will soon be published in th

Scientists at The University of Manchester have discovered a new way to test Einstein’s theory of relativity using the ‘lead’ of a pencil.

Until now it was only possible to test the theory by building expensive machinery or by studying stars in distant galaxies, but a team of British, Russian and Dutch scientists has now proven it can be done in the lab using an ultra-thin material called Graphene.

The group, led by Professor Andre Geim of the School of Physics and Ast

An international team of researchers, using new computer simulations

Scientists from the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and the University of California Los Angeles, have now presented a new three-dimensional computer model that successfully describes and explains all important characteristics of the banded flows on Jupiter. The simulations suggest that the wind system may reach as deep as 7000 km into the planet’s

The two Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft arrive at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. on Nov. 9 for major testing as they near completion. Set to launch in Spring 2006, STEREO is the first mission to image the sun and solar wind in 3-D. This new view is critical to improving our understanding of space weather and its impact to space and on Earth systems.

During its two-year mission, the two nearly identical spacecraft will explore the

Twin APL-built solar probes shipped to NASA Goddard for pre-launch tests

The first spacecraft designed to capture 3-D “stereo” views of the sun and solar wind were shipped today from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md., for their next round of pre-launch tests.

The nearly identical twin STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) observatories, designed and built by

As the white wizard of Middle Earth in Lord of the Rings, Gandalf had some astounding abilities. As his modern namesake, the GANDALF project is set to cast a spell over the Internet world by offering unprecedented data transfer rates seamlessly over both fixed-line and wireless.

GANDALF has developed a groundbreaking technique to increase data rates by a thousand-fold compared to existing DSL and a hundred-fold compared to WiFi. The technology also allows data to flow seamlessly o

New software is helping scientists get a more complete view of the environment from satellites that orbit the earth.

Maps that depict the thickness of the ozone layer, for instance, frequently contain blank spots where a satellite wasn’t able to record data on a particular day, explained Noel Cressie, professor of statistics and director of the Program in Spatial Statistics and Environmental Sciences (SSES) at Ohio State University.

He and his colleagues found

In an upcoming issue, the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics will publish the most complete picture of a “triggered” star-forming region. Induced (or “triggered”) star formation is one of the processes that are supposed to lead to the formation of massive stars. Massive stars play a key role in the chemical and dynamical evolution of galaxies. The way massive stars form is still much debated among the astronomers’ community: it is currently one of the hottest astrophysical topics. Do they form by a

Theory could result in faster artificial muscles

Robots, both large and micro, can potentially go wherever it’s too hot, cold, dangerous, small or remote for people to perform any number of important tasks, from repairing leaking water mains to stitching blood vessels together.

Now MIT researchers, led by Professor Sidney Yip, have proposed a new theory that might eliminate one obstacle to those goals – the limited speed and control of the “artificial muscles” that perf

By studying how superconductors interact with magnetic fields, Pitt researchers advance quest for higher-temperature superconducting materials

Superconductors are materials with no electrical resistance that are used to make strong magnets and must be kept extremely cold–otherwise, they lose their superconducting abilities. Even the “high-temperature” superconductors discovered in the 1980s must be kept at around -300°F.

The search for superconductors that function at hi

Venus Express, the first mission to Venus by the European Space Agency (ESA), uses Finnish technology for two crucial devices.

The probe is to be launched on Wednesday, Nov. 9 from Kazakhstan. Venus Express is scheduled to arrive at its destination next April. It will then begin to study the second planet’s atmosphere, surface and other characteristics.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) designed the computer system and software for the probe’s ASPERA-4 par

Robert’s Quartet [1] is a family of four very different galaxies, located at a distance of about 160 million light-years, close to the centre of the southern constellation of the Phoenix. Its members are NGC 87, NGC 88, NGC 89 and NGC 92, discovered by John Herschel in the 1830s. NGC 87 (upper right) is an irregular galaxy similar to the satellites of our Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds.

NGC 88 (centre) is a spiral galaxy with an external diffuse envelope, most probably composed

Plain old colors are passé. Complex visual effects, such as pearlescence, translucence, iridescence and glitter, help sell many products, including cars, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and military hardware. A new instrument at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) makes comprehensive measurements of such appearance properties to help companies calibrate their own tools and control product quality.

Exotic surfaces and coatings may look different depending on illuminatio

Organic Electro-Luminescence (EL) materials have attracted much attention because they are more flexible, lighter and more adjustable than inorganic EL…

Cardiac magnetic resonance is one of the reliable tools used for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. The Gadolinium-enhanced first pass cardiac inspection…

The coil embolus has been developed to treat brain aneurysms, an angiopathy. Many patients who have undergone this treatment experienced relapse – subarachnoid…