Heavens

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- When we think of a galaxy the first thing that comes to our minds is an assembly of stars. Indeed, the stars of a galaxy are one of its most important characteristics.

Research led by Johns Hopkins University scientists has found new persuasive evidence that could help solve a longstanding mystery in astrophysics: Why did the pace of star formation in the universe slow down some 11 billion years ago?

HANOVER, N.H. - More mercury than previously thought is moving from aquatic to land food webs when stream insects are consumed by spiders, a Dartmouth College-led study shows.

The findings, which appear in the journal Ecological Applications, shed new light on the influence of dissolved organic carbon in the spread of mercury contamination. A PDF is available on request.

The following press release and accompanying image can be found at: http://news.agu.org/press-release/solar-storms-trigger-jupiters-northern-lights/

WASHINGTON, DC -- Solar storms trigger Jupiter's intense 'Northern Lights' by generating a new X-ray aurora that is eight times brighter than normal and hundreds of times more energetic than Earth's aurora borealis, new research finds.

New research by engineers from the Universities of Bristol and Lund, working alongside National Instruments (NI), has demonstrated how a massive antenna system can offer a 12-fold increase in spectrum efficiency compared with current 4G cellular technology.

High speed and athlete inexperience are top contributing factors to injuries and accidents on the Whistler sliding track, according to a UBC study conducted following the death of an athlete during a training run before the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Results showed that the track, used for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events, was not significantly more dangerous than other Olympic sliding tracks.

Rather like an uncontacted tribe living deep in the Amazon rainforest or on an island in Oceania, WLM offers a rare insight into the primordial nature of galaxies that have been little disturbed by their environment.

Human activities continue to expand. At the same time, an increasing number of plants face habitat loss and fragmentation. In fact, more than 700 plants are classified as endangered in the United States.

One such plant is the shrubby reed-mustard. Natural gas and oil extraction projects have increased in Northeastern Utah where the plant grows. The construction of roads and well pads has fragmented shrubby reed-mustard habitats. The species is at risk for extinction.

Researchers have developed a new conceptual framework for understanding how stars similar to our Sun evolve. Their framework helps explain how the rotation of stars, their emission of x-rays, and the intensity of their stellar winds vary with time. According to first author Eric Blackman, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, the work could also "ultimately help to determine the age of stars more precisely than is currently possible."

AMHERST, Mass. - Astronomers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report that they have observed the most luminous galaxies ever seen in the Universe, objects so bright that established descriptors such as "ultra-" and "hyper-luminous" used to describe previously brightest known galaxies don't even come close. Lead author and undergraduate Kevin Harrington says, "We've taken to calling them 'outrageously luminous' among ourselves, because there is no scientific term to apply."

Tropical Cyclone Emeraude was pummeled by northeasterly wind shear that weakened the storm into a depression by March 22, 2016 before the Suomi NPP satellite passed overhead.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible image of the depression at 0800 UTC (4 a.m. EDT), that looked more like a swirl of clouds with an isolated burst of thunderstorms southwest of the center.

NASA's planet hunter, the Kepler space telescope, has captured the brilliant flash of an exploding star's shock wave--what astronomers call the "shock breakout" of a supernova--for the first time in visible light wavelengths.

The fastest winds ever seen at ultraviolet wavelengths have been discovered near a supermassive black hole by a research team that includes a Penn State University astronomer. "This new ultrafast wind surprised us when it appeared at ultraviolet wavelengths, indicating it is racing away from the ravenous black hole at unprecedented speeds -- almost like a bat of out Hell," said William Nielsen (Niel) Brandt, the Verne M. Willaman Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics and a professor of physics at Penn State, a member of the research team.

A new map of Mars' gravity made with three NASA spacecraft is the most detailed to date, providing a revealing glimpse into the hidden interior of the Red Planet.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just got a little closer to launch with the completion of cryogenic testing on its science cameras and spectrographs and the installation of the final flight mirrors.