Home

On:

A star that goes nova is only supposed to explode once… right?

That long-held assumption was upended when astronomers spotted a Type II-P supernova in progress in a star 509 million light-years away on September 8, 2014. The exploding star in question, iPTF14hls, was predicted to fade within 100 days, but its luminosity not only persisted for the next 600 days, it also flared to an even greater brightness at least five more times, implying that this single star had experienced a supernova at least six times.
read more

On:

Through ALMA, the world’s most sophisticated and powerful telescope of its kind, astronomers have finally been able to prove beyond doubt what poets and mystics have known intuitively all along: Life is everywhere.

With the use of the Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array telescope, which can detect “the faint millimeter wavelength radiation that is naturally emitted by molecules in space,” researchers have identified the presence of complex organic molecules essential to life in a protoplanetary disk surrounding ‘MWC 480,’ a million-year-old star.
read more

On:

There is tremendous worldwide sorrow over the loss of the seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle. It’s much greater than the sadness that would attend the loss of a 747 with 350 people aboard.

There is a reason for this, and it is a good one: our astronauts are at the leading edge of human endeavour. They are carefully chosen for their accomplishments, abilities and general excellence. They are the best we have, striding into danger with a smile and a wave.

Among the most vivid memories of my life are the moment when the Apollo capsule burned in January of 1967, and the stunning sight of Challenger exploding. I will never forget the power of those images, the shock, and then the deep, abiding fear that crept in afterward.
read more