http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/cosmic_rays/ Cosmic Rays, gamma rays, muons, ultra-energetic particles. Read all the current news and research on cosmic rays. Full-text astronomy articles with images, free. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/cosmic_rays/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112353.htm Scientists in England are constructing highly sensitive detectors as part of an international project to understand the elements that make up the universe. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806112353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102103329.htm Using Einstein's theory of special relativity to speedup computer simulations, scientists have designed laser-plasma accelerators with energies of 10 billion electron volts (GeV) and beyond. These systems, which have not been simulated in detail until now, could in the future serve as a compact new technology for particle colliders and energetic light sources. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102103329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132808.htm Evidence for a thin veil of carbon has been found on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. This discovery resolves a ten-year mystery surrounding this object. In Earth's time frame, the estimated age of the neutron star in Cas A is only several hundred years, making it about ten times younger than other neutron stars with detected surface emission. Therefore, the Cas A neutron star gives a unique window into the early life of a cooling neutron star. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121644.htm A detailed picture of the seeds of structures in the universe has been unveiled. These measurements put limits on proposed alternatives to the standard model of cosmology and provide further support for the standard cosmological model, confirming that dark matter and dark energy make up 95 percent of everything in existence. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171716.htm Nearly 100 years ago, scientists detected the first signs of cosmic rays -- subatomic particles that zip through space at nearly the speed of light. The most energetic cosmic rays hit with the punch of a 98-mph fastball, even though they are smaller than an atom. Astronomers questioned what force could accelerate particles to such a speed. New evidence from the VERITAS telescopes shows that cosmic rays likely are powered by exploding stars and stellar "winds." Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172245.htm Nearby galaxies undergoing a furious pace of star formation also emit lots of gamma rays, say astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Two so-called "starburst" galaxies, plus a satellite of our own Milky Way galaxy, represent a new category of gamma-ray-emitting objects detected both by Fermi and ground-based observatories. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172245.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028142231.htm Astronomers studied the most distant object yet seen in the Universe, a giant stellar blast from more than 13 billion years ago, and learned tantalizing facts about the blast itself and the environment of the star that exploded in the early Universe. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028142231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028153447.htm A pair of gamma-ray photons -- one possessed of a million times the energy of the other -- arrived at virtually the same instant at NASA's orbiting Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, after a 7.3-billion-year race across the universe. Some proponents of alternatives to Einstein's theory of gravity would have predicted that the more energetic would have been much farther behind the less energetic one. They were wrong -- Einstein wins this round. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028153447.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114307.htm The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been discovered by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical and infrared telescopes. The cluster is located about 10.2 billion light years away, and is observed as it was when the universe was only about a quarter of its present age. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015144522.htm NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft has made it possible for scientists to construct the first comprehensive sky map of our solar system and its location in the Milky Way galaxy. The new view will change the way researchers view and study the interaction between our galaxy and sun. Results include the discovery of a narrow ribbon of bright details or emissions not resembling any of the current theoretical models of the interstellar boundary region. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015144522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016142056.htm The first all-sky maps developed by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, the first mission to examine the global interactions occurring at the edge of the solar system, reveal surprising and intense interactions between our home in the galaxy and interstellar space. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016142056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016141407.htm The first solar system energetic particle maps show an unexpected landmark occurring at the outer edge of the solar wind bubble surrounding the solar system. Scientists have now published these maps, based mostly on data collected from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer satellite. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016141407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801095810.htm Billions of tons of water droplets vanish from the atmosphere in events that reveal in detail how the Sun and the stars control our everyday clouds. Researchers have traced the consequences of eruptions on the Sun that screen the Earth from some of the cosmic rays -- the energetic particles raining down on our planet from exploded stars. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801095810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093805.htm The H.E.S.S. telescope system detects high-energy rays from the starburst region of a galactic system outside the Milky Way. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929133244.htm Planning a trip to Mars? Take plenty of shielding. According to sensors on NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft, galactic cosmic rays have just hit a Space Age high. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929133244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092650.htm A team of researchers from Spain has developed a "scintillating bolometer" -- a device that the scientists will use in efforts to detect the dark matter of the universe. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112204.htm A dramatic new vista of the center of the Milky Way galaxy from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory exposes new levels of the complexity and intrigue in the Galactic center. The mosaic of 88 Chandra pointings represents a freeze-frame of the spectacle of stellar evolution, from bright young stars to black holes, in a crowded, hostile environment dominated by a central, supermassive black hole. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111821.htm Scientists using the Cassini spacecraft's Magnetospheric Imaging instrument (MIMI) have detected a new, temporary radiation belt at Saturn, located around the orbit of its moon Dione at about 377,000 km from the center of the planet. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917111503.htm Planck, the European Space Agency's mission to study the early Universe, started surveying the sky regularly from its vantage point at L2 on August 13. The instruments of ESA's "time machine" were fine-tuned for optimum performance in the period preceding this date. In preparation for routine scientific operations, their long-term stability has been verified by conducting a first trial survey. Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917111503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918100015.htm Black holes are invading stars, providing a radical explanation to bright flashes in the universe that are one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today. Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918100015.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915140921.htm A research project looking for ways to reduce bone loss in astronauts may yield methods of improving the bone health of cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment. The scientists are seeking to understand radiation-induced bone loss and to determine which treatments can be used to reduce that loss and lower the risk of fractures. The results could be beneficial to cancer patients, especially those who receive radiation therapy in the pelvic region. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915140921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916123519.htm In a break from its usual task of searching for distant cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift satellite has acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet. The galaxy, known as M31 in the constellation Andromeda, is the largest and closest spiral galaxy to our own. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916123519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911210539.htm An unprecedented measuring campaign has succeeded in precisely defining the place of origin of high-energy gamma radiation in the galaxy Messier 87. This radiation can only be produced by accelerating elementary particles to very high energies in enormous cosmic objects. Now the underlying extreme physical processes and inherent implications can be investigated in more detail. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911210539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909103006.htm Scientists have positively identified cosmic sources of gamma-ray emissions through the discovery of 16 pulsating neutron stars. Using the Large Area Telescope, the primary instrument on NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope satellite, the discoveries were made by conducting blind frequency searches on the sparse photon data provided by the LAT. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909103006.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902161120.htm A researcher is studying ultra-high temperature and non-equilibrium plasmas to mimic what happens to matter in accretion disks around black holes. The work will enable astrophysicists to better understand what happens around black holes and in active galactic nuclei. Scientists will also better understand the application of high-energy density plasmas to energy production, such as controlled nuclear fusion (produced in the laboratory), and production of X-ray sources for a variety of applications. Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902161120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130817.htm Since its discovery 45 years ago, Cygnus X-1 has been one of the most intensively studied cosmic X-ray sources. About a decade after its discovery, Cygnus X-1 secured a place in the history of astronomy when a combination of X-ray and optical observations led to the conclusion that it was a black hole, the first such identification. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073442.htm A new image of the Trifid Nebula, shows just why it is a firm favorite of astronomers, amateur and professional alike. This massive star factory is so named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, and is a rare combination of three nebula types, revealing the fury of freshly formed stars and presaging more star birth. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821163513.htm Despite their popularity in the science fiction genre, there is much to be learned about black holes. Researchers have proposed a new way of creating a reproduction black hole in the laboratory on a much-tinier scale than their celestial counterparts. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821163513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816170917.htm A special three-day symposium focusing on the neutrino, a strange subatomic particle that could help answer some of the universe's most compelling questions, is scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816170917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814165309.htm Solar physicists have confirmed that small, sudden bursts of heat and energy, called nanoflares, cause temperatures in the thin, translucent gas of the sun's atmosphere to reach millions of degrees. Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814165309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162109.htm One of the hottest topics in astronomy involves the study of the conditions favorable for the development and survival of primordial life. New research shows that compared to middle-aged stars like the Sun, newly formed stars spin faster generating strong magnetic fields that result in emission of more intense levels of radiation -- all of which could wreak havoc on budding atmospheres and have a dramatic effect on the development of life forms. Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122135.htm The first black holes in the universe had dramatic effects on their surroundings, according to new supercomputer simulations carried out by physicists. Several popular theories posit that the first black holes gorged themselves on gas clouds and dust, growing into the supersized black holes that lurk in the centers of galaxies today. However, the new results point to a much more complex role for the first black holes. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804094442.htm NASA's Opportunity rover has eyed an odd-shaped, dark rock, about 0.6 meters (2 feet) across on the surface of Mars, which may be a meteorite. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804094442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804165206.htm An exciting new astrophysics mission will provide a revolutionary window into the universe. Named the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer (GEMS), the satellite will be the first to systematically measure the polarization of cosmic X-ray sources. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804165206.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801122552.htm A team of researchers working with data from ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has disproved theories that some form of dark matter explains mysterious radiation in the Milky Way. Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801122552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728111407.htm NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is making some exciting discoveries about cosmic rays and the Large Area Telescope aboard Fermi is the tool in this investigation. Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728111407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623111947.htm The first detection of a magnetic field on the bright star Vega has been made. Astronomers clearly observe the magnetically-induced effect in the spectrum of Vega, thereby showing that the star possesses a magnetic field, something unknown so far. Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623111947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113519.htm Ten years ago, on July 23, 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia and deployed into orbit. Chandra has doubled its original five-year mission, ushering in an unprecedented decade of discovery for the high-energy universe. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719194337.htm The eerie beauty of the northern and southern lights has evoked visions of the supernatural for centuries: foxes of fire whisking their tales, the fighting souls of dead warriors or ancestors dancing around a ceremonial fire. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719194337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717150254.htm A lunar geochemist says that there are still many answers to be gleaned from the moon rocks collected by the Apollo 11 astronauts on their historic moonwalk 40 years ago July 20. Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717150254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714165054.htm Back in June 1991, just before the launch of NASA's Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, astronomers knew of gamma rays from exactly one galaxy beyond our own. To their surprise and delight, the satellite captured similar emissions from dozens of other galaxies. Now its successor, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, is filling in the picture with new finds of its own. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714165054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170805.htm The earliest stars in the universe formed not only as individuals, but sometimes also as twins, according to a new article in Science. By creating simulations of the early universe, astrophysicists have gained the most detailed understanding to date of the formation of the first stars. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708201840.htm Astrophysicists have solved a mystery that led some scientists to speculate that the distribution of certain gamma rays in our Milky Way galaxy was evidence of a form of undetectable "dark matter" believed to make up much of the mass of the universe. Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708201840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090706112910.htm With NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astronomers now are getting their best look at those whirling stellar cinders known as pulsars. Astronomers have analyzed gamma-rays from two dozen pulsars, including 16 discovered by Fermi. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090706112910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140839.htm Combining gamma-ray telescopes with the supersharp radio 'vision' of the Very Long Baseline Array showed astronomers the location from which very-high-energy gamma rays are emerging from the core ot the giant galaxy M87. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140839.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140851.htm A new class of pulsars detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is solving the mystery of previously unidentified gamma-ray sources and helping scientists understand the mechanisms behind pulsar emissions. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701122712.htm Astronomers have unveiled an unprecedented new atlas of the inner regions of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, peppered with thousands of previously undiscovered dense knots of cold cosmic dust -- the potential birthplaces of new stars. Made using observations from the APEX telescope in Chile, this survey is the largest map of cold dust so far. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701122712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141454.htm Astronomers have now solved a long-standing mystery of the Milky Way's particle accelerators. They show that cosmic rays from our galaxy are very efficiently accelerated in the remnants of exploded stars. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141454.htm