Updated Articles and Resources
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Interacting Galaxies
Created:
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Galaxies are enormous groups of stars, planets, gas and dust and billions of them exist in our Universe. Mostly, they are at great distances from one another, owing to the immense size of our Unive... -
Starburst Galaxies
Created:
Friday, August 31, 2012
Updated:
Friday, September 28, 2012
Starburst galaxies are not a separate class of galaxy, but rather exhibit special properties. Specifically, these galaxies are in the midst of a season of rapid star formation, hence the name. Howe... -
Peculiar Galaxies
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Friday, September 28, 2012
Not all galaxies have the beautiful spiral or elliptical shape that we normally imagine galaxies having. Some are quite unusual in their features and shapes. These galaxies are known as Peculiar ga... -
Galaxies
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Friday, September 28, 2012
Galaxies can contain, in some cases, hundreds of billions of stars. They sometimes collide, merge, rotate and are, occasionally, sources of incredible radiation. But where do galaxies come from? -
The Andromeda Galaxy
Created:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Updated:
Friday, September 28, 2012
The closest "regular" galaxy to the Milky Way is the spiral galaxy known as Andromeda. Visible through a telescope, this galaxy is part of our local group of galaxies. And while there are many inte... -
Could Warp Drive Be Possible?
Created:
Friday, September 28, 2012
Updated:
Friday, September 28, 2012
Warp drive was an important plot element in the infamous Star Trek television series, but is often looked upon as simply science fiction. But is it? -
Types of Galaxies
Created:
Friday, August 31, 2012
Updated:
Friday, August 31, 2012
When we picture galaxies in our minds, we often imagine spirals like Andromeda or our own Milky Way. But there are many different types of galaxies. -
Lenticular Galaxies
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Friday, August 31, 2012
Lenticular galaxies are misfits of sorts; they seem to fall in between the two better known classes of spiral galaxies and elliptical galaxies. These objects tend to share features and properties w... -
Spiral Galaxies
Created:
Friday, June 29, 2012
Updated:
Friday, August 31, 2012
Spiral galaxies are the most populous among all galaxy types. Our best estimates reveal that we likely live in a spiral (or barred spiral) galaxy. The infamous Andromeda galaxy is a spiral. But wha... -
Elliptical Galaxies
Created:
Friday, June 29, 2012
Updated:
Friday, August 31, 2012
When we imagine galaxies in our mind we most often run to images of Andromeda or The Whirlpool. These spiral galaxies, though, represent only one type in the Universe. Another, elliptical galaxies,... -
Was Neil Armstrong's Famous Line Misquoted?
Created:
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Updated:
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The line, uttered by astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped off of the Lunar Lander, is known by billions around the world. But was he m... -
Remembering Neil Armstrong
Created:
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
On Saturday, August 25, 2012 the world lost one of its heroes. Neil Armstrong must be considered among one of the most inspirational figures in our nation's history. As he set foot on the Moon in J... -
The Small Magellanic Cloud
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Small Magellanic Cloud is one of two Irregular galaxies named for the famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan who noted their presence during his voyages in the early 1500s. Its close proximity to th... -
The Large Magellanic Cloud
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Large Magellanic Cloud is the larger of two companions that orbit near our Milky Way galaxy. They, themselves, are small Irregular type galaxies that likely formed around the time of our host g... -
The Magellanic Clouds
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Large and Small Magellanic clouds are two of the nearest objects to our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, they are so near that our host galaxy is in the act of swallowing them up. But in the meantime... -
Irregular Galaxies
Created:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Galaxies come in all sizes, shapes and compositions. Some of these galaxies are, in fact, characterized by their distinct lack of shape. These so-called irregular galaxies comprise nearly a quarter... -
The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies on Collision Course
Created:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
What has long been suspected was recently confirmed by researchers, that our own Milky Way Galaxy and the nearby Andromeda Galaxy are on a collision course and will one day merge into a single, mas... -
The Local Group
Created:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Universe is a big place and we are only a small part in it. We live in the Milky Way galaxy, and we are part of a group of 54 (known) galaxies, known as the Local Group, that are close enough t... -
Dwarf Galaxies
Created:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Dwarf Galaxies are sometimes hard to find, since they are small and dim. But these galaxies don't differ much from regular galaxies - whether it be spiral, elliptical or irregular - they are simply... -
The Milky Way Galaxy
Created:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Updated:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Our little corner of the cosmic neighborhood: The Milky Way Galaxy. Our understanding of our home is evolved over time, and is just now really coming into focus. So what is the Milky Way Galaxy and... -
What is the Cosmological Constant?
Created:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
When Einstein first formulated his theory of general relativity he noticed that they predicted the Universe to be expanding. But, to the scientists of the day, the Universe was thought to be static... -
Is Dark Matter Real?
Created:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
We thought that we were so close. Einstein's theories of relativity gave us a framework to explain the motion and dynamics of the Universe on a large scale. But as we sought to apply his equations ... -
Evidence of Dark Energy - Is it Real?
Created:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Dark Energy is perhaps the greatest mystery of physics, at least for the moment. In fact, it has scientists so puzzled that some question if it is actually real. So what evidence exists that dark e... -
Composition of the Universe
Created:
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
One of the major revelations of the last quarter century is that there seems to be more that we don't see, than what we do. We throw around words like Dark Energy and Dark Matter, but what are thes... -
Discovering Dark Energy
Created:
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
It was long thought that the Universe should be slowing down, either leading to a -
The Speed of Light
Created:
Monday, April 30, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
One of the revelations of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity was that the speed of light in a vacuum was a constant and that nothing could travel faster. But what is the speed of light, exactly? -
Red Supergiants - The largest Stars in the Universe
Created:
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The largest stars in the Universe are red supergiants. The creation and evolution of these behemoths is an active area of research among scientists. It is believed that high mass stars eventually e... -
The Oort Cloud - The Outer Reaches of our Solar System
Created:
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
When we think of the solar system, we primarily imagine the Sun, the planets and moons. But the solar system is much larger than that; it extends well beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto into a ... -
Could a Gamma-ray Burst Destroy Life on Earth?
Created:
Monday, February 27, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful events in the Universe. Despite being far, far away in distant galaxies, their radiation is detected - in significant quantities - here on Earth. This ... -
What Are Gamma-ray Bursts?
Created:
Monday, February 27, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) have an interesting history. Discovered while spying on our enemies, GRBs are on of the most powerful and dynamic sources of radiation in the Universe. But what creates such... -
The James Webb Space Telescope
Created:
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has produced some of the most amazing images, rivaling creative works of art. However, the aging satellite is nearing the end of its operational life time and a rep... -
What is Dark Matter?
Created:
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Updated:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
There is much that we do not know about the Universe, but one of the greatest mysteries surrounds a substance known as dark matter. By its very nature it is invisible to the naked eye, but is appar...