Astronomy
- Big Planet, Small Star
One of the smallest stars in the Galaxy has been found to have a planet orbiting it that is six times more massive than Jupiter. This gas giant is as far from its star as Mercury is from our Sun, but because the star is so small, it is like a scaled...
- Hubble Takes First Image Of An Extrasolar Planet
An artist's concept of Fomalhaut b The image on the left is the first visible-light photograph of a planet orbiting another star, an extrasolar planet. It was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The planet, named Fomalhaut b, orbits the star Fomalhaut....
- Corot
COROT or COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits has launched today at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is a project of the French national space agency. It's two and a half year mission will find extrasolar planet, or a planet that does not...
- Has Kepler Found A Huge Alien Power Station In Space?
The Kepler space telescope's job is to find faraway planets that could potentially support life. But this time the telescope may have detected something even more exciting. During it's observation Kepler has spotted a star called KIC 8462852,...
- Supernova Smashed Into A Nearby Star
A team of astronomers has witnessed a supernova smashing into a nearby star, shocking it and creating an ultraviolet glow that reveals the size of the companion. In a type "Ia" supernova, a white dwarf star explodes after it gains matter from a companion...
Astronomy
Red giant star Betelgeuse is shrinking
Orion?s red supergiant Betelgeuse has been steadily shrinking over the last 15 years.
Betelgeuse is so big that if placed in our Solar System it would extend to the orbit of Jupiter. But thanks to long term monitoring by Berkeley?s Infrared Spatial Interferometer (ISI) at Mt Wilson, measurements of the star?s diameter reveal the giant to be shrinking. Over the last 15 years, the star has shrunk by more than 15 percent, equivalent to the same diameter as the orbit of Venus.
Despite its diminished size however, there is no evidence to suggest that the star is dimming. But we do not know why the star is shrinking.
Since the star?s size depends on the wavelength of light used to measure it, it is difficult to compare measurements. Tenuous gas in the outer regions of the star emits light as well as absorbs it, which presents a challenge in determining the edge of the star.
- Big Planet, Small Star
One of the smallest stars in the Galaxy has been found to have a planet orbiting it that is six times more massive than Jupiter. This gas giant is as far from its star as Mercury is from our Sun, but because the star is so small, it is like a scaled...
- Hubble Takes First Image Of An Extrasolar Planet
An artist's concept of Fomalhaut b The image on the left is the first visible-light photograph of a planet orbiting another star, an extrasolar planet. It was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The planet, named Fomalhaut b, orbits the star Fomalhaut....
- Corot
COROT or COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits has launched today at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is a project of the French national space agency. It's two and a half year mission will find extrasolar planet, or a planet that does not...
- Has Kepler Found A Huge Alien Power Station In Space?
The Kepler space telescope's job is to find faraway planets that could potentially support life. But this time the telescope may have detected something even more exciting. During it's observation Kepler has spotted a star called KIC 8462852,...
- Supernova Smashed Into A Nearby Star
A team of astronomers has witnessed a supernova smashing into a nearby star, shocking it and creating an ultraviolet glow that reveals the size of the companion. In a type "Ia" supernova, a white dwarf star explodes after it gains matter from a companion...