Massive galaxy cluster spawns more than 700 stars a year A newly discovered cluster of galaxies, more than 5 billion light years from Earth…is among the most massive clusters of galaxies in the universe, and produces X-rays at a rate faster than any other known cluster. It also creates new stars at an “unmatched” pace of more …
Tag Archives: gravity
What is the Higgs boson and why does it matter? (in simple terms)
What is the Higgs boson and why does it matter? (in simple terms) If you remember basic chemistry, the atom is made up a proton, neutron, and electron. Those were the basic building blocks of life when I was a kid. I remember illustrations showing the neutron and proton in the center with the electron …
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Science Experiment: How fast can you react?
I love this piece from Scientific American, written in the format of a teaching lesson, instructing you how to perform a science experiment: How Fast Can You React? Key concepts: Reaction time Neuroscience Gravity Introduction Think fast! Have you ever noticed that when someone unexpectedly tosses a softball at you, you need a little time …
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Scientists watch a black hole devour a star
Back when single-celled organisms ruled Earth, a gigantic black hole lurking quietly at the center of a distant galaxy dismantled and devoured a star. On Wednesday, astronomers reported that they watched the whole thing unfold over a period of 15 months starting in 2010, the first time such an event had been witnessed in great …
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How close does an object have to be to earth to be pulled by gravity?
Pulled from Quora, here is one of the best, and most popular, answers to a question. Written by Mark Eichenlaub, a graduate student in physics. How close does an object have to be to earth to be pulled by gravity? This question doesn’t have a direct answer because, for lack of a less-direct way of …
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A new energy form unknown to science, Dark Energy, is expanding the Universe
The year was 1998 and two highly competitive groups of astronomers were each rushing toward the same goal: they hoped to hunt down the effects of gravitational braking in the universe. Ever since astronomers had accepted the idea of the Big Bang, they had been out hunting for its subsequent cosmic deceleration. While the Big Bang …
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What is the Dark Side of the Moon?
Does the Moon rotate? And if the Moon rotates, why do we alway see the same side – it never seems to change. Well, the Moon does rotate. In fact, the Moon takes 27.3 days to turn once on its axis. But the Moon also takes 27.3 days to complete one orbit around the Earth. …
Angry Birds in Space – NASA shows what happens to a slingshot with no gravity
It’s fun to watch the birds and pigs bounce around the International Space Station, plus check out the really cool game footage at the very end.