http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/space_telescopes/ Space Telescopes. Astronomy articles and pictures from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Telescope and many other leading astronomy institutes from around the world. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/space_telescopes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142957.htm Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars in our Milky Way galaxy, unexpectedly increased in brightness in the 19th century. For ten years in the mid-1800s it was the second-brightest star in the sky. (Now it is not even in the top 100.) The increase in luminosity was so great that it earned the rare title of Great Eruption. New research has used a "light echo" technique to demonstrate that this eruption was much different than previously thought. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142957.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142819.htm Astronomers are watching a delayed broadcast of a spectacular outburst from the unstable, behemoth double-star system Eta Carinae, an event initially seen on Earth nearly 170 years ago. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123945.htm Astronomers have found a cluster of young, blue stars encircling the first intermediate-mass black hole ever discovered. The presence of the star cluster suggests that the black hole was once at the core of a now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy. The discovery of the black hole and the star cluster has important implications for understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123838.htm Astronomers have found a cluster of young blue stars surrounding a mid-sized black hole called HLX-1. The discovery suggests that the black hole formed in the core of a now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy. The findings have important implications for understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215083021.htm A new image from the APEX telescope in Chile shows a sinuous filament of cosmic dust more than ten light-years long. In it, newborn stars are hidden, and dense clouds of gas are on the verge of collapsing to form yet more stars. The cosmic dust grains are so cold that observations at wavelengths of around one millimeter are needed to detect their glow. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215083021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100646.htm NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, or Galex, was placed in standby mode Feb. 7, 2012 as engineers prepare to end mission operations, nearly nine years after the telescope's launch. The spacecraft is scheduled to be decommissioned -- taken out of service -- later this year. The mission extensively mapped large portions of the sky with sharp ultraviolet vision, cataloguing millions of galaxies spanning 10 billion years of cosmic time. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208133041.htm New images of a nearby dwarf galaxy have revealed a dense stream of stars in its outer regions, the remains of an even smaller companion galaxy in the process of merging with its host. The host galaxy, known as NGC 4449, is the smallest primary galaxy in which a stellar stream from an ongoing merger has been identified and studied in detail. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208133041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208133039.htm The giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be vaporizing and devouring asteroids, which could explain the frequent flares observed, according to astronomers. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208133039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132559.htm Astronomers have obtained the most detailed – and dramatic - infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden features have emerged. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132559.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208082428.htm ESO's Very Large Telescope has delivered the most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden features, scattered across a spectacular celestial landscape of gas, dust and young stars, have emerged. This is one of the most dramatic images ever created by the VLT. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208082428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092421.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 helps astronomers learn more about our celestial home. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202150821.htm Astronomers aimed Hubble at one of the most striking examples of gravitational lensing, a nearly 90-degree arc of light in the galaxy cluster RCS2 032727-132623. Hubble's view of the distant background galaxy, which lies nearly 10 billion light-years away, is significantly more detailed than could ever be achieved without the help of the gravitational lens. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202150821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094328.htm The center of just about every galaxy is thought to host a black hole, some with masses of thousands of millions of Suns and consequently strong gravitational pulls that disrupt material around them. They had been thought to hinder the birth of stars, but now astronomers studying the nearby galaxy Centaurus A have found quite the opposite: a black hole that seems to be helping stars to form. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094328.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094326.htm A new view shows a stellar nursery called NGC 3324. It was taken using the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The intense ultraviolet radiation from several of NGC 3324's hot young stars causes the gas cloud to glow with rich colors and has carved out a cavity in the surrounding gas and dust. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094326.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130172410.htm Scientists have recently discovered that vast clouds of hot gas are "sloshing" in Abell 2052, a galaxy cluster located about 480 million light years from Earth. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130172410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172327.htm NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, mission arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Jan. 27 after a cross-country trip by truck from the Orbital Sciences Corporation's manufacturing plant in Dulles, Va. The mission is scheduled to launch from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean on March 14. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125160531.htm Though generally thought to be quite dry, roughly half of the giant asteroid Vesta is expected to be so cold and to receive so little sunlight that water ice could have survived there for billions of years, according to the first published models of Vesta's average global temperatures and illumination by the sun. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125160531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125160405.htm NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2012, to be mated to its Pegasus launch vehicle. The observatory will detect X-rays from objects ranging from our sun to giant black holes billions of light-years away. It is scheduled to launch March 14 from an aircraft operating out of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:04:04 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125160405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091155.htm Astronomers have found the strongest link so far between the most powerful bursts of star formation in the early Universe, and the most massive galaxies found today. The galaxies, flowering with dramatic starbursts in the early Universe, saw the birth of new stars abruptly cut short, leaving them as massive — but passive — galaxies of aging stars in the present day. The astronomers also have a likely culprit for the sudden end to the starbursts: the emergence of supermassive black holes. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119101553.htm Astronomers have captured a striking new image of the Helix Nebula. A new picture, taken in infrared light, reveals strands of cold nebular gas that are invisible in images taken in visible light, as well as bringing to light a rich background of stars and galaxies. The Helix Nebula is one of the closest and most remarkable examples of a planetary nebula. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119101553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118200606.htm In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118200606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112112643.htm Astronomers have released the largest data set ever collected that documents the brightening and dimming of stars and other celestial objects -- two hundred million in total. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112112643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111154039.htm The smallest exoplanets yet discovered orbit a dwarf star almost identical to Barnard's star, one of the sun's nearest neighbors. The similarity helped the astronomers calculate the size of the distant planets. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111154039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134058.htm Astronomers using the partially completed ALMA observatory have found compelling evidence for how star-forming galaxies evolve into 'red and dead' elliptical galaxies, catching a large group of galaxies right in the middle of this change. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133952.htm A new Hubble Space Telescope image centers on the 100-million-solar-mass black hole at the hub of the neighboring spiral galaxy M31, or the Andromeda galaxy, the only galaxy outside the Milky Way visible to the naked eye and the only other giant galaxy in the local group. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133332.htm NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has looked deep into the distant universe and detected the feeble glow of a star that exploded more than 9 billion years ago. The sighting is the first finding of an ambitious survey that will help astronomers place better constraints on the nature of dark energy: the mysterious repulsive force that is causing the universe to fly apart ever faster. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133329.htm Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have solved a longstanding mystery of the type of star, or so-called progenitor, that caused a supernova in a nearby galaxy. The finding yields new observational data for pinpointing one of several scenarios that trigger such outbursts. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111113727.htm Peering deep inside the hub of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a large, rare population of hot, bright stars. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111113727.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110173451.htm Astronomers have identified the moment when a black hole in our galaxy launched super-fast knots of gas into space. Racing outward at about one-quarter the speed of light, these "bullets" of ionized gas are thought to arise from a region located just outside the black hole's event horizon, the point beyond which nothing can escape. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110173451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110163446.htm The stars we see today weren't always as serene as they appear, floating alone in the dark of night. Most stars, likely including our sun, grew up in cosmic turmoil -- as illustrated in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image shows one of the most active and turbulent regions of star birth in our galaxy, a region called Cygnus X. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110163446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110151708.htm Simultaneous radio and X-ray observations allow astronomers to calculate exact time when superfast "bullets" of material were ejected from the close vicinity of a black hole. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:17:17 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110151708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140423.htm An extremely hot, massive young galaxy cluster is the largest ever seen in the distant universe. The newly discovered galaxy cluster has been nicknamed El Gordo -- the "big" or "fat one" in Spanish. It consists of two separate galaxy subclusters colliding at several million kilometres per hour, and is so far away that its light has travelled for seven billion years to reach Earth. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:04:04 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114438.htm The collision of two clusters of galaxies 5 billion light years away could help astronomers better understand "dark matter," the invisible stuff that makes up a big chunk of our universe. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192644.htm The James Webb Space Telescope marked a year of significant progress in 2011 as it continues to come together as NASA's next generation space telescope. The year brought forth a pathfinder backplane to support the large primary mirror structure, mirror cryotesting, creation of mirror support structures, several successful sunshield layer tests and the creation of an assembly station within NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's cleanroom. Achievements were also made in the areas of flight and communications software and the propulsion system. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155727.htm Scientists have independently made the largest direct measurements of the invisible scaffolding of the universe, using the gravitational lensing effect known as "cosmic shear" to build maps of the distribution of dark matter. Their methods show that surveys with ground-based telescopes can measure cosmic shear with enough accuracy to aid in better understanding the mysterious space-stretching effects of dark energy. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155727.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109132703.htm For the first time, astronomers have mapped dark matter on the largest scale ever observed. New findings reveal a Universe comprising an intricate cosmic web of dark matter and galaxies spanning more than one billion light years. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109132703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111900.htm A new image of the Omega Nebula, captured by ESO's Very Large Telescope, is one of the sharpest of this object ever taken from the ground. It shows the dusty, rose-colored central parts of this famous stellar nursery and reveals extraordinary detail in the cosmic landscape of gas clouds, dust and newborn stars. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221211227.htm Astronomers have discovered that one of the most distant galaxies known is churning out stars at a shockingly high rate. The blob-shaped galaxy, called GN-108036, is the brightest galaxy found to date at such great distances and is 12.9 billion light-years away. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221211227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221140631.htm Astronomers have discovered two Earth-sized planets that survived their star's red-giant expansion. Researchers say that this is a snapshot of what our solar system might look like in several billion years. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221140631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220134044.htm NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface, but they are the smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun. The discovery marks the next important milestone in the ultimate search for planets like Earth. The new planets are thought to be rocky. Kepler-20e is slightly smaller than Venus, measuring 0.87 times the radius of Earth. Kepler-20f is slightly larger than Earth, measuring 1.03 times its radius. Both planets reside in a five-planet system called Kepler-20, approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220134044.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220133803.htm Astronomers have discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, providing new evidence that points to the possibility of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules lying on the surface. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220133803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219102052.htm A new statistical study sheds light on the so-called 'ultra-compact dwarf galaxies' (UCDs). A team of astronomers has investigated how many of these UCDs exist in nearby galaxy clusters and groups. They show that the properties of UCDs match those of bright star clusters. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219102052.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095237.htm Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 has captured this image of a giant cloud of hydrogen gas illuminated by a bright young star. The image shows how violent the end stages of the star-formation process can be, with the young object shaking up its stellar nursery. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215094817.htm Even the most powerful high-tech telescopes are barely able to record remote low-mass and thus faint stars. Astrophysicists have now detected a low-mass star in globular cluster M22 for the first time through microlensing. The result indicates that the overall mass of globular clusters might well be explained without enigmatic dark matter. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215094817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215094801.htm The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) has captured the beauty of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 253. The new portrait is probably the most detailed wide-field view of this object and its surroundings ever taken. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215094801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135750.htm Astrophysicists have discovered that a supernova that exploded in August -- dubbed the supernova of a generation -- was a "white dwarf" star, and that its companion star could not have been a "red giant," as previously suspected. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135748.htm It was the brightest and closest stellar explosion seen from Earth in 25 years, dazzling professional and backyard astronomers alike. Now, thanks to this rare discovery -- which some have called the "supernova of a generation" -- astronomers have the most detailed picture yet of how this kind of explosion happens. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135748.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135739.htm Astronomers have observed a cloud of gas several times the mass of Earth approaching the 4.3 million solar-mass black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and calculate that it will not survive the encounter. Astronomers calculate that by 2013, the cloud will be shredded and heated, emitting X-rays. The violent event provides a unique opportunity to record a black hole disruption until now only theorized. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135649.htm Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have discovered a gas cloud with several times the mass of Earth accelerating fast towards the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This is the first time ever that the approach of such a doomed cloud to a supermassive black hole has been observed. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213165028.htm In 16 years of data observations, the Solar Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO) -- a joint European Space Agency and NASA mission -- made an unexpected claim for fame: the sighting of new comets at an alarming rate. SOHO has spotted over 2100 comets, most of which are from what's known as the Kreutz family, which graze the solar atmosphere where they usually evaporate completely. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:50:50 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213165028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164751.htm In early November 1572, observers on Earth witnessed the appearance of a "new star" in the constellation Cassiopeia, an event now recognized as the brightest naked-eye supernova in more than 400 years. It's often called "Tycho's supernova" after the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who gained renown for his extensive study of the object. Now, years of data collected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveal that the shattered star's remains shine in high-energy gamma rays. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207134852.htm The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is once again searching planetary systems for signals that would be evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Among its first targets are some of the exoplanet candidates recently discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207134852.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207113607.htm The world's largest submillimeter camera -- based on superconducting technology -- is now ready to scan the universe, including faint and faraway parts never seen before. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207113607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207105419.htm Astronomers have obtained the best images ever of a star that has lost most of its material to a vampire companion. By combining the light captured by telescopes at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory they created a virtual telescope 130 meters across with vision 50 times sharper than the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Surprisingly, the new results show that the transfer of mass from one star to the other in this double system is gentler than expected. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207105419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205170055.htm An international team of scientists has found the fastest-rotating massive star ever recorded. The star spins around its axis at the speed of 600 kilometers per second at the equator, a rotational velocity so high that the star is nearly tearing apart due to centrifugal forces. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205170055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205141054.htm NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone," the region around a star where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count. Ten of these candidates are near-Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of their host star. Candidates require follow-up observations to verify they are actual planets. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205141054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140525.htm NASA's Kepler Mission has discovered the first super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a star similar to the Sun. A team of researchers, including Carnegie's Alan Boss, has discovered what could be a large, rocky planet with a surface temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit), comparable to a comfortable spring day on Earth. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102424.htm The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has picked up the fastest rotating star found so far. This massive bright young star lies in our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 160,000 light-years from Earth. Astronomers think that it may have had a violent past and has been ejected from a double star system by its exploding companion. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102424.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202091001.htm Astronomers have found the most numerous batch of young, supermassive stars yet observed in our galaxy: hundreds of thousands of stars, including several hundreds of the most massive kind -blue stars dozens of times heavier than our Sun. The light these newborn stars emit is so intense it has pushed out and heated the gas that gave them birth, carving out a glowing hollow shell about a hundred light-years across. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202091001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201141037.htm A strangely powerful, long-lasting gamma-ray burst on Christmas Day, 2010 has finally been analyzed to the satisfaction of a multinational research team. Called the Christmas Burst, GRB 101225A was freakishly lengthy and it produced radiation at unusually varying wavelengths. But by matching the data with a model developed in 1998, the team was able to characterize the star explosion as a neutron star spiraling into the heart of its companion star. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201141037.htm