The Sky Tonight

February 12, 2016

Gravitational waves found, black-hole models led the way
Los Alamos NM (SPX) Feb 12, 2016
Gravitational waves were predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1916, and now, almost exactly 100 years later, the faint ripples across space-time have been found. The advanced Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory (aLIGO) has achieved the first direct measurement. "We already have indirect evidence of gravitational wave emission from binary pulsars like the Hulse-Taylor system. But this aLIGO measurement provides the first direct detection and confirms what our mod ... read more

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Australian innovation helps hunt down gravitational waves The discovery, announced in Washington, was made by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the USA, which comprises two giant detectors that are four kilometres l ... more		Gravitational Waves Detected 100 Years After Einstein's Prediction LIGO opens new window on the universe with observation of gravitational waves from colliding black holes. For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravi ... more		Stanford technological advances helped made gravitational wave detection possible An international team of scientists excitedly announced that they had directly observed gravitational waves, often described as ripples in the fabric of spacetime. The discovery of gravitational wav ... more
				The sleeping giant at NGC 4889 The placid appearance of NGC 4889 can fool the unsuspecting observer. But the elliptical galaxy, pictured in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, harbours a dark secret. At its h ... more		Aldrin recounts successes and challenges of historic space journey History remembers the two American astronauts who first walked on the moon on July 20, 1969. One of those astronauts, Buzz Aldrin, told a crowd in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium at Mississippi S ... more

Slime can see After more than 300 years of looking, scientists have figured out how bacteria "see" their world. And they do it in a remarkably similar way to us. A team of British and German researchers rev ... more		A star's moment in the spotlight The glowing region in this new image from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope is a reflection nebula known as IC 2631. These objects are clouds of cosmic dust that reflect light from a nearby star into ... more		Russia offers to extend nuclear arms limits with US Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign mutual defense pact Brazil, Chile sign defense agreement		Meteorite not responsible for killing man in India: NASA NASA on Wednesday said it was unlikely a meteorite was responsible for killing a man at a college campus in India last week, as local scientists continued to examine the mysterious object recovered from the scene. ... more
				The universe's primordial soup flowing at CERN Researchers have recreated the universe's primordial soup in miniature format by colliding lead atoms with extremely high energy in the 27 km long particle accelerator, the LHC at CERN in Geneva. Th ... more		Detection of gravitational waves would open new window on universe The first-ever detection of gravitational waves, which scientists could announce Thursday, would open a new window on the universe and its most violent phenomena. Scientists will hold a press ... more

Military Radar Summit 2016 - Washington DC - February 29

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Galactic Space Oddity Discovered An international team of researchers led by Aaron Romanowsky of San Jose State University has used the Subaru Telescope to identify a faint dwarf galaxy disrupting around a nearby giant spiral galax ... more		Scientists discover hidden galaxies behind the Milky Way Hundreds of hidden nearby galaxies have been studied for the first time, shedding light on a mysterious gravitational anomaly dubbed the Great Attractor. Despite being just 250 million light years f ... more		Ex-US climate envoy: Trump threatening 'consensus science' worldwide How did an Indian zoo get the world's most endangered great ape? Australian scientists grapple with 'despicable' butterfly heist		Scientists study India's deadly 'meteorite' Indian scientists were Tuesday analysing a small blue object, described by local authorities as a meteorite, which fell from the sky and killed a bus driver. ... more
'Meteorite' kills man in south India, authorities say Indian authorities say a falling object that killed a bus driver and injured three others was a meteorite. If proven, it would be the first such death in recorded history. ... more		Earth-like planets have Earth-like interiors Every school kid learns the basic structure of the Earth: a thin outer crust, a thick mantle, and a Mars-sized core. But is this structure universal? Will rocky exoplanets orbiting other stars have ... more		Dawn now circling Ceres in its final orbit A veteran interplanetary traveler is writing the closing chapter in its long and storied expedition. In its final orbit, where it will remain even beyond the end of its mission, at its lowest altitu ... more		Ices and shadows above Saturn Saturn's moon Tethys appears to float between two sets of rings in this view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, but it's just a trick of geometry. The rings, which are seen nearly edge-on, are the dark ... more

	Artistic space odyssey to broadcast people's messages to the stars Messages from around the world are to be beamed into space at the speed of light as part of a cultural project to create a celestial time capsule. In autumn 2016, dispatches from the public wi ... more		'Cannibalism' between stars Stars are born inside a rotating cloud of interstellar gas and dust, which contracts to stellar densities thanks to its own gravity. Before finding itself on the star, however, most of the cloud lan ... more

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Luxembourg's ultimate offshore investment: Space mining

Philae comet probe: World prepares for final farewell

Small Asteroid to Pass Close to Earth March 5

Galactic center's gamma rays unlikely to originate from dark matter, evidence shows

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CuSP will observe solar energetic particles in outer space

Saturn's rings: less than meets the eye

Blast from black hole in a galaxy far, far away

Scientists debate likelihood of finding life on other planets

Phase of the moon affects amount of rainfall

Polar vortices observed in ferroelectric

Understanding the magnetic sun

Hubble Finds Misbehaving Spiral

Will Space Debris be Responsible for World War III?

Novel Calibration Tool Will Help Astronomers Look for Habitable Exoplanets

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