Astronomy

WARRENSBURG — From childhood Fred Bruenjes has carried on a romance with the cosmos, and last week the sky rewarded his infatuation with the gift of something shiny: A comet, one of those heavenly bodies with tails of ice and dust that race through the darkness of space at 22,000 kilometers per hour. The best known is Halley's Comet, but in the Kansas City area, Bruenjes' Comet will be famous, too. "It is a very big deal. Like a proverbial...  

A powerful new tool for probing the structure of our galaxy has been developed by astronomers associated with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, including two Penn State astronomers. The new tool is an infrared spectrograph for the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). Over the next three years, APOGEE's initial census of the ...  

Explanation: Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) survived its close encounter with the Sun earlier this month, taking its place among wonders of the southern skies just in time for Christmas. Seen here before sunrise from Paranal Observatory in Chile, the sungrazing comet's tails stretch far above the eastern horizon. Spanning over 20 degrees they rise alongside the plane of the our Milky Way galaxy. A breathtaking spectacle in itself, Lovejoy performs...  

Timelapse of the Year: an awe-inspiring trailer for the movie TimeScapes by Tom Lowe (full 4K version on YouTube/MP4 direct link). (Previously) Rover Newcomer: Where In The Solar System is Curiosity? Astronomy Photographer of the Year. The Top 24 Deep Space Pictures of 2011. Top 14 Solar System Photos.  Top 16 Space Photos.  (Images of a million-light-year long collision of galaxy clusters and a “stellar snow angel” didn’t make the cut...  

Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) survived its close encounter with the Sun earlier this month, taking its place among wonders of the southern skies just in time for Christmas. Seen here before sunrise from Paranal Observatory in Chile, the sungrazing comet's tails stretch far above the eastern horizon. Spanning over 20 degrees they rise alongside the plane of the our Milky Way galaxy. A breathtaking spectacle in itself, Lovejoy performs on this...  

From The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel: Sci, Space, Tech: A UCLA team has used a unique telescope to discover a previously unknown companion to the nearby galaxy NGC 4449 (image below), which is some 12.5 million light years from Earth. The newly discovered dwarf galaxy had es  

This is the out-of-this world photograph of the beauty of an amazing comet streaking across the cosmos. Caught on camera over a swamp in Australia the stunning image shows the trail of the Comet Lovejoy as it passed close to Earth. Lying in wait in the darkness in Poocher Swamp Game Reserve near Adelaide, was photographer Wayne England who took this amazing snap. As his picture shows the darkness of the swamp and the reflection of the water...  

This is the out-of-this world photograph of the beauty of an amazing comet streaking across the cosmos. Caught on camera over a swamp in Australia the stunning image shows the trail of the Comet Lovejoy as it passed close to Earth. Lying in wait in the ...  

Former NASA consultant and astrophysicist Kevin Manning hosted a program on the universe at the Cora J. Belden Library Tuesday night. Following the lecture portion of the event, the clear skies allowed residents to view Jupiter with a powerful telescope ...  

The head of Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos Vladimir Popovkin and European Space Agency's (ESA) Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain held a meeting in Moscow and decided to proceed with Moon research mission and flight to Jupiter, Roscosmos said on Tuesday.  

National GeographicAstronomy buffs follow comet's close encounterTaipei TimesThe nation's astronomy buffs are keeping their fingers crossed that an ill-fated comet that dove through the sun's corona yesterday will survive. The Taipei Astronomical Museum, which is leading Taiwan's skywatchers in following the comet's plight, ...I Love This Name... Comet LovejoyAccuWeather.com (blog)Watch as Comet Lovejoy Takes a Death-Dive Into the SunUniverse...  

Best Astronomy Photos of 2010This image provided by NASA shows a sphere of gas photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. The bubble is the visible remnant of a powerful stellar explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy about 160,000 light-years from Earth.The lunar eclipse seen from Australia on December 21, 2010.The lunar eclipse seen from Australia on December 21, 2010.A plane passes the moon in London, England, showing the...  

After circling Earth for more than two months, the failed Russian Mars probe Phobos-Grunt will make a kamikaze dive into Earth's atmosphere sometime around Sunday, experts say. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, which has given up hope of recovering t ...  

International Business TimesPlanck probe finds enigmatic fog of microwave radiation at the centre of our ...National PostPARIS — A probe designed to delve into the “Big Bang” that created the cosmos has uncovered an enigmatic fog of microwave radiation in the centre of our galaxy, European astronomers reported Monday. Planck, a billion-dollar European space telescope ...Milky Way Humming with Microwave MysteryDiscovery NewsPlanck All-Sky...  

Globe and MailSamsung Galaxy Tab 2 pricing set for disasterSlashGearWe're now reviewing some pricing details for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 announced earlier today, and if these number stick to release day, we've got not doubt that Samsung has a rather larger blunder on their hands. The Galaxy Tab 2 was announced as a ...Galaxy Tab 2's Big Leap is Android 4.0PCWorld (blog)Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0): Smaller And Ice Cream Sandwich...  

TopNews Arab EmiratesSpec Showdown: Motorola Droid 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy NexusPC MagazineBy Eugene Kim If you've decided to forgo an iOS device and head for the open pastures of Android, two smartphone lines immediately jump to mind—Motorola's Droid and Samsung's Galaxy lineups. And two of the top contenders for Android supremacy are the ...Motorola RazrPC ProTop 10 Best: Droid 4 RAZR/MAXX- Nexus Deals, NFL/Shazam, BB PlayBook, HP ...Wireless...  

Galaxy Apartments Open In Downtown Silver Spring, MDCitybizlist Real EstateRST Development and Montgomery County, MD have opened the Galaxy, a new five-story, 195-unit, mid-rise rental apartment building in downtown Silver Spring, MD. Leased and managed by Hercules Real Estate, the Galaxy's leasing center is open as is a ...  

IntoMobileSamsung's Galaxy Note is the most useless phone I've usedBGRCheck out images of the Galaxy Note in the gallery below, and the rest of my thoughts follow after the break. The Galaxy Note essentially has everything you'd want in a smartphone: a great dual-core processor, a solid camera, a beautiful display and ...ATT Galaxy Note hands-on, first impressionsIntoMobileEnter the Phablet: A History of Phone-Tablet HybridsPC MagazineLG...  

ABC News'The Scale of the Universe,' by Two Teenage BrothersABC NewsBut it does include, after all, the entire universe. You may see a blank space below, then a gray box. Stick with it. When it's finished loading, prepare to be mesmerized. Click "Start," and then use the slider across the bottom, or the wheel on your ...Another interactive way to scale the UniverseDiscover Magazine (blog)all 2 news articles »