A new multimillion-rand telescope in the Karoo will offer astronomers an unprecedented view of the stars. The MeerLICHT instrument in Sutherland will be specifically linked to the MeerKAT radio telescope
20-60% Stars Can Give Rise To Life-Supporting Planets Boston (Massachusetts): Planets resembling Earth can be found orbiting many Sun-like stars in our galaxy, increasing the prospects of finding extraterrestial life on some of them, according to a study released on Sunday. University of Arizona astronomer Michael Meyer, working with Nasa's Spitzer space telescope, said his research shows that between 20% and 60% of stars similar to our Sun have conditions favorable for forming rocky planets like Earth.
Boston: Life on Mars may have been snuffed out early on because the water there was too salty, a biologist involved in exploring the red planet said. "Mars has been a very dry place for a very long time,' said Andrew Knoll, an expert member of a team operating two US robots that are currently exploring Mars. "The best place to look for life is in the earliest history,' he added.
Titan, the deep-frozen moon of Saturn, is emerging as the most likely place in the solar system for new life to evolve, according to scientists who have been studying its atmosphere and surface chemistry. They found that Titan's atmosphere is drenched in a wide range of complex organic molecules very similar to those that gave rise to life on Earth billions of years ago. Although it is far too cold for life at present, this is likely to change because stars such as the sun expand and grow far hotter as they reach old age.
Researchers have discovered two planets in a solar system 5,000 lightyears away that appear to be structured in some important ways like our own. The planets are gas giants similar to but smaller than Jupiter and Saturn. In addition, they circle their star at a distance proportional to the distances of Jupiter and Saturn from the sun. "This is the first time we've found a Jupiter-like planet in the same system as a Saturn planet,' said Scott Gaudi of Ohio State University, lead investigator. The discovery, published in the online edition of the journal Science, lends support to the long-held belief of many astronomers that there are many planets orbiting their stars in ways similar to our solar system. The simultaneous discovery of two planets is rare and this was the first time researchers had the opportunity to do so using a technique called gravitational microlensing, which magnified the light of the distant star 500 times.
Astronomers Discover A Scaled-Down Version Of Our Planet System Washington: Astronomers and amateur stargazers have used an unusual technique to find a solar system that closely resembles our own and say it may be a new and more productive way to scour the universe for planets
It Formed 700 Million Years After Our Universe Began, Claim Astronomers New York: Astronomers have discovered a galaxy which they claim is one of the youngest and brightest ever seen right after the cosmic "dark ages', just 700 million years after the beginning of our Universe. The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the image of the infant galaxy with a redshift significantly above 7, using a natural zoom lens, the Nasa said.
Europe is to launch the most powerful space telescope ever built, with the ability to capture light from stars that were born and died up to 13 billion years ago. The Herschel space telescope, named after an 18th-century British astronomer, could help solve the mystery of how galaxies and stars formed and how these processes eventually gave rise to life-bearing planets like Earth.
twin of the sun: Astronomers have found the Sun's long-lost twin. The star HIP 56948, considered to be the best solar twin, is about 200 light-years away. The mid-sized star is one of many in the
google Sky images of the night sky have become clearer. New colour images taken at different wavelengths were added to the interactive online feature on October 2. Each image contains specific
The surprise discovery of a vast void in the universe will give a new dimension to the study of the development of the universe. Cosmology probes how cosmic structures developed in the universe after
