Friday, 2 December 2016

Out There: Twinkle, Twinkle Little [Insert Name Here]

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An international astronomy group has published a first set of approved names for 227 stars, seeing that there are more Mimosas and fewer HD 85512s.
via New York Times

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Why 'Arrival' is wrong about the possibility of talking with space aliens

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Even if aliens had human-like eyes or ears, they wouldn't interpret images and sounds the same way we do, researchers suggest.
via Science Daily
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A Triple Star is Born

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A triple star system is forming, enshrouded within this dusty natal disk some 750 light-years away in the Perseus molecular cloud. Imaged at millimeter wavelengths by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the extreme close-up shows two protostars separated by a mere 61 AU (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance) with a a third some 183 AU from the central protostar. The ALMA image also reveals a clear spiral structure indicating instability and fragmentation led to the multiple protostellar objects within the disk. Astronomers estimate that the system, cataloged as L1448 IRS3B, is less than 150,000 years old. Captured at an early phase, the starforming scenario is likely not at all uncommon, since almost half of all sun-like stars have at least one companion.
Tomorrow's picture: beyond the stars
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3 Months After Explosion, SpaceX Plans to Launch Rocket Bearing Satellites

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The launch hinges on approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing SpaceX’s investigation of the Sept. 1 launchpad explosion.
via New York Times

Russian Spacecraft Carrying Supplies Burns Up in Flight

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The cargo ship, which was not carrying any astronauts, disappeared shortly after liftoff, according to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.
via New York Times

Embryonic cluster galaxy immersed in giant cloud of cold gas

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Astronomers studying a cluster of still-forming protogalaxies seen as they were more than 10 billion years ago have found that a giant galaxy in the center of the cluster is forming from a surprisingly-dense soup of molecular gas.
via Science Daily
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Climate cycles may explain how running water carved Mars' surface features

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Dramatic climate cycles on early Mars, triggered by buildup of greenhouse gases, may be the key to understanding how liquid water left its mark on the planet's surface, according to a team of planetary scientists.
via Science Daily
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