The Virgo consortium, an international group of astrophysicists from the UK, Germany, Japan, Canada and the USA has today (June 2nd) released first results from the largest and most realistic simulation ever of the growth of cosmic structure and the formation of galaxies and quasars. In a paper published in Nature, the Virgo Consortium shows how comparing such simulated data to large observational surveys can reveal the physical processes underlying the build-up of real galaxies and black hol
The ESTEC Test Centre is one of the four major test centres in Europe for the verification of spacecraft at system level, the others being Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft (IABG), INTESPACE (ITS), and the Alcatel Test Centre in Cannes. In general there is good visibility for these large test centres, and also for the Centre Spatial de Liège (CSL) centre of excellence for optics testing.
However, visibility for smaller facility providers is less evident. In fact there have
An unmanned Foton-M spacecraft carrying a mainly European payload was put into orbit by a Russian Soyuz-U launcher today at 14:00 Central European Time (18:00 local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Following the launch and nine minutes of propelled flight, the Foton-M2 spacecraft is now in low-earth orbit where it will remain for 16 days before its reentry module lands close to the Russian/Kazakh border.
During the mission European experiments and equipment
Satellite that could help solve mystery to be deactivated in September
Observations of a cosmic explosion detected on Feb. 15 by two NASA satellites have thrown into doubt one popular explanation for such explosions and have also seriously weakened the argument for yet another, according to University of Chicago astrophysicist Don Lamb. But solving the mystery any time soon may be forestalled by plans to shut down one of the satellites in September.
The explosion in que
Fifty years after his death, Albert Einstein’s work still provides new tools for understanding our universe. An international team of astronomers has now used a phenomenon first predicted by Einstein in 1936, called gravitational lensing, to determine the shape of stars. This phenomenon, due to the effect of gravity on light rays, led to the development of gravitational optics techniques, among them gravitational microlensing. It is the first time that this well-known technique has b
Mercury-bound NASA probe snaps first approach shots before August flyby
NASA’s Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft — less than three months from an Earth flyby that will slingshot it toward the inner solar system — successfully tested its main camera by snapping distant approach shots of Earth and the Moon.
MESSENGER took a set of six pictures on May 11 with the narrow-angle camera in its Mercury Dual Imaging System, or MDIS. Earth was about 18.4 million miles (29.6 mi
On 4 July 2005, the NASA Deep Impact spacecraft will visit Comet 9P/Tempel 1. It will launch a 370 kg impactor probe that should produce a crater on the surface of the comet and a plume of gas, dust and ejected material.
Although dramatic images of the impact may be sent to Earth in near-real time by the Deep Impact spacecraft and its impactor, the spacecraft themselves have limited remote sensing capability. The parent spacecraft will observe the impact from 500 kilometres di
New research from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) links a particular magnetic structure on the Sun with the genesis of powerful solar storms that can buffet Earth’s atmosphere. The research may enable scientists to create more accurate computer models of the solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and could eventually point the way to forecasting the storms days before they occur. Sarah Gibson, a scientist at NCAR’s High Altitude Observatory (HAO), wil
Type Ic supernovae, or hypernovae, may be source of powerful bursts
Observations by two of the world’s largest telescopes provide strong evidence that a peculiar type of exploding star may be the origin of elusive gamma-ray bursts that have puzzled scientists for more than 30 years.
A team of astronomers from Italy, Japan, Germany and the United States, including the University of California, Berkeley, conclude from observations with the Keck and Subaru telescopes in H
The same kind of chemical coating used to shed rainwater from aircraft and automobile windows also dramatically enhances the sensitivity and reaction time of hydrogen sensors. Hydrogen sensor technology is a critical component for safety and other practical concerns in the proposed hydrogen economy. For example, hydrogen sensors will detect leaks from hydrogen powered cars and fueling stations long before the gas becomes an explosive hazard.
The discovery was made by a team led by
Today’s computers and other technological gizmos operate on electronic charges, but researchers predict that a new generation of smaller, faster, more efficient devices could be developed based on another scientific concept – electronic “spin.” The problem, however, is that researchers have found it challenging to control or predict spin – which keeps practical applications out of reach.
But physicists in Europe, California and at Ohio University now have found a way to manipulate
New York’s Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester to present results
Two astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to discover a shell of superheated gas around a dying star in the Milky Way galaxy.
Joel Kastner, professor of imaging science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Rodolpho Montez, a graduate student in physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, will present their results today at the American
Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope have imaged a giant molecular cloud being shredded by howling stellar winds and searing radiation, exposing a group of towering dust pillars harboring infant stars, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher.
Nathan Smith, a Hubble Fellow and postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder’s Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, said the violent panorama is unfolding in the Carina Nebula, located in the southern Mi
A scientist using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has found evidence that two white dwarf stars are orbiting each other in a death grip, destined to merge.
The data indicate gravitational waves are carrying energy away from the star system at a prodigious rate, making it a prime candidate for future missions designed to directly detect these ripples in space-time.
Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity predicted a binary star system should emit gravitation
The St. Petersburg researchers suggest that infrared emission should be used to treat burns. The Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) will help the authors in the framework of the “Start” program to develop and begin production of devices required for such treatment based on silicon light-emitting diodes.
A unique device based on silicon light-emitting diodes was developed by the St. Petersburg physicists – specialists of the Ioffe Physico-Technical I
Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), will be launched next year by a specific version of Ariane 5 called the Ariane 5 Evolution Storable upper stage Automated Transfer Vehicle, or A5 ES-ATV for short.
Although the ATV does not use the powerful ECA version of Ariane 5, which was launched successfully into geostationary orbit in February 2005, it does need an Ariane 5 equipped with the powerful Vulcain 2 main engine, and featuring the storable propellant upper
Feedback
