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With Pluto’s recent demotion from the ranks of proper planets, the slippery definition of what is or is not a planet has revived several astronomical conspiracy theories. Learn about the most bizarre conspiracies surrounding Planet X in this episode.
If there are millions of stars in the universe, why is it so dark?
by Marshall Brain | December 9, 2009
You Asked: If there are millions of stars in the universe, why is it so dark? — Navin, Jamshedpur, India Marshall Brain Answers: It has to do with distance. The universe contains billions of galaxies, and galaxies contain billions of stars. But when we look at the closest spiral galaxy to us – the Andromeda [...]
Space Music: Johannes Kepler has an Opera
by Robert Lamb | November 23, 2009
I can’t say I expected my next Space Music post to revolve around an opera, but here we are. And yes, I mean an honest-to-god opera. Not a pulp-fueled Star Warsian “space opera” and not even a science fiction opera like the L.A. Opera’s adaptation of “The Fly.” We’re talking ladies in Viking helmets. The latest opera from living musical legend Philip Glass centers on the life of noted 16th century astronomer Johannes Kepler. The opera’s title? “Kepler.” What a minimalist, eh?
Disruptive Change – “In 1981, your $100 got you about a second of HD Video. By 1993, your $100 could cover about a minute of HD Video. By 2000, your $100 got you about an hour and 15 minutes of HD Video. By 2006, your $100 could buy you 1 and 2/3 days of HD [...]
Astronomers Lose Access to Government Satellites
by Robert Lamb | June 18, 2009
Let the conspiracy theories run wild. For years, planetary scientists and astronomers have benefited from an unofficial arrangement with the U.S. Military. With access to data from the Defense Support Program satellite network (part of the Pentagon’s early-warning system), they’ve had the ability to better study incoming meteorites — but no longer.
Astronomers Spot Oldest Object in the Universe
by Robert Lamb | April 30, 2009
One thoughtful gaze into a clear night sky is enough to put our measly little lives in proper context. All those pinpricks of light have been traveling across the cosmos for billions of years, from stars born in a truly ancient galactic past.
Last week, astronomers spotted something in the sky that surpasses everything we’ve seen before. According to New Scientist, NASA‘s Swift satellite spotted the gamma radiation burst from a star exploding 13 billion light-years away. Again, that’s 13 BILLION years in the past — a mere 640 million years after the big bang. Following the April 23, 2009, event, astronomers from around the world turned their attention to the inferred afterglow.
A lightyear is a way of measuring distance — specifically, the distance light can travel in one year. Just how far is that? Check out this podcast from HowStuffWorks to learn more about astronomy.
Planets outside our solar system were not discovered until 1991. Learn more about discovering extrasolar planets in this HowStuffWorks podcast.
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