Messages from around the world are to be beamed into space at the speed of light as part of a cultural project to create a celestial time capsule. In autumn 2016, dispatches from the public will be converted into radio waves and broadcasted towards the North Star, Polaris, this autumn, reaching their destination in 434 years. The…
Lab Discovery Gives Glimpse Of Conditions Found On Other Planets
Scientists have recreated an elusive form of the material that makes up much of the giant planets in our solar system, and the sun. Experiments have given a glimpse of a previously unseen form of hydrogen that exists only at extremely high pressures – more than 3 million times that of Earth’s atmosphere. Hydrogen –…
Climate Outlook May Be Worse Than Feared, Global Study Suggests
Close-Up View Of Galaxies Prompts Re-think On Star Formation
Astronomers have identified for the first time one of the key components of many stars, a study suggests. A type of gas found in the voids between galaxies – known as atomic gas – appears to be part of the star formation process under certain conditions, researchers say. The findings overturn a long-standing theory about…
Distant World’s Weather Is Mixed Bag Of Hot Dust And Molten Rain
Weather patterns in a mysterious world beyond our solar system have been revealed for the first time, a study suggests. Layers of clouds, made up of hot dust and droplets of molten iron, have been detected on a planet-like object found 75 light years from Earth, researchers say. Findings from the study could improve scientists’…