This artist’s concept shows what the very early universe might have looked like, just after its first stars began bursting onto the scene. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC)) Recently, astronomers found two immense clouds of pristine gas, nearly 12 billion light years away — clouds that astronomers suspect are the stuff from which the first stars [continue reading]

“It matters if you just don’t give up.” Stephen Hawking

Above: The focal plane of the Kepler space telescope Nasa has announced that 1,091 new transiting extrasolar planet candidates have emerged in data received from planet-hunting space telescope, Kepler. It brings the total count up to 2,321 exoplanet candidates That number comes from data spanning May 2009 to September 2010, where nearly 5,000 periodic planetary transit-like signals (where a [continue reading]

The orbit of asteroid 2011 AG5 carries it beyond the orbit of Mars and as close to the sun as halfway between Earth and Venus. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/NEOPO Asteroid 2011 AG5 has been receiving a lot of attention lately because of a very unlikely scenario which would place it on an Earth-interception course 28 years [continue reading]

T. A. Rector & B. A. Wolpa, NOAO, AURA, This image of the Eagle Nebula, made with data from the Kitt Peak telescope, corresponds more closely to the authors’ model than to the traditional model. In their model planets form in a cold, three-dimensional cloud of gas and dust.   The prevailing model for planetary [continue reading]

SYNOPSIS • A much anticipated new scientific instrument arrived on Feb. 16 at the Keck I telescope near the summit of Mauna Kea. • The new instrument, called MOSFIRE, is 25 times more light-sensitive than others of its kind and can observe vastly more cosmic objects on any given night. • By mating MOSFIRE with [continue reading]