http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/sun/ News about the Sun. Science articles on Sunspots and the Sun's Corona; evidence the Sun has a companion star; images from the far side of the Sun and more. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/sun/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142954.htm Using high-speed cameras to look at jets of plasma in the lab, researchers have made a discovery that may be important in understanding phenomena like solar flares and in developing nuclear fusion as a future energy source. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142954.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/2012/02/120209101327.htm On February 5, 2002, NASA launched what was then called the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) into orbit. Renamed within months as the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) after Reuven Ramaty, a deceased NASA scientist who had long championed the mission, the spacecraft's job was to observe giant explosions on the sun called solar flares. Ten years since its launch, RHESSI has observed more than 40,000 X-ray flares, helped craft and refine a model of how solar eruptions form, and fueled additional serendipitous science papers on such things as the shape of the sun and thunder-storm-produced gamma ray flashes. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:13:13 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209101327.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/2012/02/120201142402.htm A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was aimed away from our planet. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131150828.htm Space scientists have described the first detailed analyses of captured interstellar neutral atoms -- raw material for the formation of new stars, planets and even human beings. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131150828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131143745.htm When scientists discovered two great swaths of radiation encircling Earth in the 1950s, it spawned over-the-top fears about "killer electrons" and space radiation effects on Earthlings. The fears were soon quieted: the radiation doesn't reach Earth, though it can affect satellites and humans moving through the belts. Nevertheless, many mysteries about the belts -- now known as the Van Allen Radiation belts -- remain to this day. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131143745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131140114.htm A great magnetic bubble surrounds the solar system as it cruises through the galaxy. The sun pumps the inside of the bubble full of solar particles that stream out to the edge until they collide with the material that fills the rest of the galaxy, at a complex boundary called the heliosheath. On the other side of the boundary, electrically charged particles from the galactic wind blow by, but rebound off the heliosheath, never to enter the solar system. Neutral particles, on the other hand, are a different story. They saunter across the boundary as if it weren't there, continuing on another 7.5 billion miles for 30 years until they get caught by the sun's gravity, and sling shot around the star. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131140114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131135743.htm Using data from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft, an international team of researchers has measured neutral "alien" particles entering our solar system from interstellar space. A suite of studies provides a first look at the constituents of the interstellar medium, the matter between star systems, and how they interact with our heliosphere. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131135743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131093104.htm Hydrogen molecules may act as a kind of energy sink that strengthens the magnetic grip that causes sunspots, according to scientists using a new infrared instrument on an old telescope. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131093104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130100202.htm The sun unleashed an X1.8 class flare that began at 1:12 PM ET on January 27, 2012 and peaked at 1:37. The flare immediately caused a strong radio blackout at low-latitudes, which was rated an R3 on NOAA's scale from R1-5. The blackout soon subsided to a minor R1 storm. Models from NASA's Goddard Space Weather Center predict that the CME is traveling at over 1500 miles per second. It does not initially appear to be Earth-directed, but Earth may get a glancing blow. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130100202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129150958.htm Researchers have explained the puzzling disappearing act of energetic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt using data collected from a fleet of orbiting spacecraft. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129150958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172736.htm The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft traveling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172736.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/2012/01/120125132612.htm Researchers working at the US Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have used the world's most powerful X-ray laser to create and probe a 2-million-degree piece of matter in a controlled way for the first time. This feat takes scientists a significant step forward in understanding the most extreme matter found in the hearts of stars and giant planets, and could help experiments aimed at recreating the nuclear fusion process that powers the sun. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125132612.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093821.htm Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space. These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While these are the most common solar events, the sun can also emit streams of very fast protons -- known as solar energetic particle (SEP) events -- and disturbances in the solar wind known as corotating interaction regions (CIRs). All of these can produce a variety of "storms" on Earth that can -- if strong enough -- interfere with short wave radio communications, GPS signals, and Earth's power grid, among other things. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091057.htm The planet Jupiter keeps asteroids on stable orbits -- and in a similar way, electrons can be stabilized in their orbit around the atomic nucleus. Calculations have now been verified in a new experiment. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120010600.htm On July 6, 2011, a comet was caught doing something never seen before: die a scorching death as it flew too close to the sun. That the comet met its fate this way was no surprise -- but the chance to watch it first-hand amazed even the most seasoned comet watchers. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120010600.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/2012/01/120118203110.htm A subset of data that helps map out the sun's magnetic fields was recently released from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Observations that measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields on the solar surface -- known as vector magnetograms -- play a crucial role in understanding how those fields change over time and trigger giant eruptions off the surface of the sun such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118203110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133518.htm Astronomers have discovered two new transiting "circumbinary" planet systems – planets that orbit two stars. This work establishes that such "two sun" planets are not rare exceptions, but are in fact common with many millions existing in our Galaxy. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133518.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/2012/01/120109192512.htm NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will spend the next several months at a site informally named "Greeley Haven." The name is a tribute to planetary geologist Ronald Greeley (1939-2011), who was a member of the science team for the Mars rovers and many other interplanetary missions. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192512.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109115830.htm A team of astrophysicists has discovered a ring system in the constellation Centaurus that invites comparisons to Saturn. This is the first system of discrete, thin, dust rings detected around a very low-mass object outside of our solar system. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109115830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106130334.htm NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will spend the next few months during the coldest part of Martian winter at Greeley Haven, an outcrop of rock on Mars recently named informally to honor Ronald Greeley, a professor of planetary geology, who died Oct. 27, 2011. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106130334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104134806.htm Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is an alien world covered in a thick atmosphere with abundant methane. Titan boasts methane clouds and fog, as well as rainstorms and plentiful lakes of liquid methane. The origins of many of these features, however, remain puzzling to scientists. Now, researchers have developed a computer model of Titan's atmosphere and methane cycle that, for the first time, explains many of these phenomena in a relatively simple and coherent way. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104134806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111908.htm "Humanity's adventurous, stubborn, mad and glorious aspiration to reach the stars," is the subject of a new article. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111908.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084228.htm Given the incredible amounts of energy in a supernova explosion -- as much as the sun creates during its entire lifetime -- another erroneous doomsday theory is that such an explosion could happen in 2012 and harm life on Earth. However, given the vastness of space and the long times between supernovae, astronomers can say with certainty that there is no threatening star close enough to hurt Earth. Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084059.htm One of the most bizarre theories about 2012 has built up with very little attention to facts. This idea holds that a cosmic alignment of the sun, Earth, the center of our galaxy -- or perhaps the galaxy's thick dust clouds -- on the winter solstice could for some unknown reason lead to destruction. Such alignments can occur but these are a regular occurrence and can cause no harm (and, indeed, will not even be at its closest alignment during the 2012 solstice.) Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111224134633.htm The recently discovered Comet Lovejoy has been captured in stunning photos and time-lapse video taken from the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory in Chile. The comet graced the southern sky after it had unexpectedly survived a close encounter with the Sun. Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111224134633.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/2011/12/111221140343.htm Two Earth-sized planets have been discovered around a dying star that has passed the red giant stage. The discovery marks the first known case of planets surviving being engulfed by their parent star and may shed new light on the destiny of stellar and planetary systems, including our solar system. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221140343.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/2011/12/111220133711.htm Astronomers have detected two Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. This discovery marks a milestone in the hunt for alien worlds, since it brings scientists one step closer to their ultimate goal of finding a twin Earth. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220133711.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/2011/12/111214135649.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/2011/12/111213190202.htm The Radiation Assessment Detector, the first instrument on NASA's next rover mission to Mars to begin science operations, was powered up and began collecting data Dec. 6, almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule. RAD is the only instrument scheduled to collect science data on the journey to Mars. The instrument is measuring the energetic particles inside the spacecraft to characterize the radiation environment an astronaut would experience on a future human mission to the Red Planet. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213190202.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/2011/12/111213164612.htm NASA's car-sized Curiosity rover has begun monitoring space radiation during its 8-month trip from Earth to Mars. The research will aid in planning for future human missions to the Red Planet. Curiosity launched on Nov. 26 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard the Mars Science Laboratory. The rover carries an instrument called the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) that monitors high-energy atomic and subatomic particles from the sun, distant supernovas and other sources. These particles constitute radiation that could be harmful to any microbes or astronauts in space or on Mars. The rover also will monitor radiation on the surface of Mars after its August 2012 landing. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164612.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207000851.htm Solar storms and associated Coronal Mass Ejections can significantly erode the lunar surface according to a new set of computer simulations by NASA scientists. In addition to removing a surprisingly large amount of material from the lunar surface, this could be a major method of atmospheric loss for planets like Mars that are unprotected by a global magnetic field. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207000851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205141802.htm NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a new region between our solar system and interstellar space. Data obtained from Voyager over the last year reveal this new region to be a kind of cosmic purgatory. In it, the wind of charged particles streaming out from our sun has calmed, our solar system's magnetic field is piled up, and higher-energy particles from inside our solar system appear to be leaking out into interstellar space. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205141802.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140609.htm Astronomers using the Keck, Gemini and MacDonald observatories have discovered the largest black holes to date: Two monsters with masses equivalent to 10 billion suns that are threatening to consume anything, even light, within a region five times the size of our solar system. These monsters may be the remains of quasars that brightened the early universe. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140609.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/2011/12/111202155801.htm Discoveries of new planets just keep coming and coming. A team of astronomers has found 18 Jupiter-like planets in orbit around massive stars. The discoveries further constrain theories of planet formation. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202155801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130175618.htm The NASA Kepler Mission is designed to survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way Galaxy to discover Earth-size planets in or near the "habitable zone," the region in a planetary system where liquid water can exist, and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. It now has another planet to add to its growing list. Researchers have shown that one of the brightest stars in the Kepler star field has a planet with a radius only 1.6 that of Earth's radius and a mass no greater that 10 earth masses, circling its parent star with a 2.8 day period. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130175618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129183126.htm After spending more than 240 days "sailing" around Earth, NASA's NanoSail-D -- a nanosatellite that deployed NASA's first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit -- has successfully completed its Earth orbiting mission. Launched to space Nov. 19, 2010 as a payload on NASA's FASTSAT, a small satellite, NanoSail-D's sail deployed on Jan. 20. The flight phase of the mission successfully demonstrated a deorbit capability that could potentially be used to bring down decommissioned satellites and space debris by re-entering and totally burning up in Earth's atmosphere. The team continues to analyze the orbital data to determine how future satellites can use this new technology. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129183126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128174526.htm The constellation Cygnus, now visible in the western sky as twilight deepens after sunset, hosts one of our galaxy's richest-known stellar construction zones. Astronomers viewing the region at visible wavelengths see only hints of this spectacular activity thanks to a veil of nearby dust clouds forming the Great Rift, a dark lane that splits the Milky Way, a faint band of light marking our galaxy's central plane. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128174526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116180536.htm NASA has announced that it will extend the MESSENGER mission for an additional year of orbital operations at Mercury beyond the planned end of the primary mission on March 17, 2012. The MESSENGER probe became the first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet on March 18, 2011. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116180536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115073934.htm Why the temperatures in the solar wind are almost the same in certain directions, and why different energy densities are practically identical, was until now not clear. With a new approach to calculating instability criteria for plasmas, researchers have solved both problems at once. They were the first to incorporate the effects of collisions of the solar wind particles in their model. This explains experimental data significantly better than previous calculations and can also be transferred to cosmic plasmas outside our solar system. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115073934.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114151131.htm NASA's Voyager 2 has successfully switched to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the spacecraft to make the change on Nov. 4 and received confirmation Nov. 14 that the switch has been made. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114151131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095550.htm Given a legitimate need to protect Earth from the most intense forms of space weather – great bursts of electromagnetic energy and particles that can sometimes stream from the sun – some people worry that a gigantic "killer solar flare" could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth. Citing the accurate fact that solar activity is currently ramping up in its standard 11-year cycle, there are those who believe that 2012 could be coincident with such a flare. But this same solar cycle has occurred over millennia. Anyone over the age of 11 has already lived through such a solar maximum with no harm. In addition, the next solar maximum is predicted to occur in late 2013 or early 2014, not 2012. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095110.htm New observations indicate that the asteroid Lutetia is a leftover fragment of the same original material that formed the Earth, Venus and Mercury. Astronomers found that the properties of the asteroid closely match those of a rare kind of meteorites found on Earth and thought to have formed in the inner parts of the solar system. Lutetia must, at some point, have moved out to its current location in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142102.htm Just as an expert chess player sacrifices a piece to protect the queen, the solar system may have given up a giant planet and spared the Earth, according to a new article. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142050.htm For the first time, astronomers have found pristine clouds of the primordial gas that formed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang. The composition of the gas matches theoretical predictions, providing direct evidence in support of the modern cosmological explanation for the origins of elements in the universe. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106142709.htm NASA's Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the Voyager 2 spacecraft Nov. 4 to switch to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Confirmation was received today that the spacecraft accepted the commands. The change will allow the 34-year-old spacecraft to reduce the amount of power it requires to operate and use previously unused thrusters as it continues its journey toward interstellar space, beyond our solar system. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106142709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190028.htm Scientists have compiled years of research to help locate areas in outer space that have extreme potential for complex organic molecule formation. The scientists searched for methanol, a key ingredient in the synthesis of organic molecules that could lead to life. Their results have implications for determining the origins of molecules that spark life in the cosmos. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027132502.htm Three planets -- each orbiting its own giant, dying star -- have now been discovered by a team led by Alexander Wolszczan, the discoverer of the first planets ever found outside our solar system. One of these stars has another mystery object orbiting it. The research is expected to shed light on the evolution of planetary systems around dying stars and the influence of metal content on the behavior of dying stars. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027132502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026143805.htm Astronomers have measured the diameter of the dwarf planet Eris by catching it as it passed in front of a faint star. This was seen by telescopes in Chile, including the TRAPPIST telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory. The observations show that Eris is an almost perfect twin of Pluto in size and appears to be covered in a layer of ice. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026143805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026143721.htm Researchers from Hong Kong report that organic compounds of unexpected complexity exist throughout the Universe. They indicate that an organic substance commonly found throughout the Universe contains a mixture of aromatic and aliphatic components. The results suggest that complex organic compounds are not the sole domain of life but can be made naturally by stars. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026143721.htm