Dec 06
We already knew that the universe had a distinct starting point, and now researchers at MIT have actually seen the very first stars born from that beginning. More »
Nov 21
Heavenly Gifts for the Star Gazer
Posted in: Today's Chili
We all have one of those friends who seems more interested in the rest of the universe than our home planet. They’re glued to NASA TV, they’re awed by every new image from the Hubble telescope, and nothing makes them happier than a clear, cloudless night. And if there’s someone on your list fascinated by the stars, here are some great suggestions to get your shopping done early. More »
Nov 15
If you’re stuck in a big city with no hopes of seeing more than a handful of lights in the night sky, you’ll more than get your fill of celestial bodies with this mind-blowing site that puts 100,000 stars in your browser. For full enjoyment you’ll need a capable system with a decent graphics card, and about three hours of free time this afternoon to fully explore the wonders in our local galaxy. [100,000 Stars via The Awesomer] More »
Oct 27
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this just leaves us speechless. Pictured above is a compressed 108,500 x 81,500 pixel image of 84 million stars across central parts of the Milky Way. Taken by the VISTA survey telescope at the ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile, this 9-gigapixel photo is the result of thousands of individual images being meshed together. If it were printed out at the average resolution of a standard book it would measure a mind-boggling 9 x 7 meters. Using three separate infrared filters, VISTA is able to see through dust fields that normally obscure the view of an optical telescope. By studying this monumental image, astronomers hope to gain a better understanding of how galaxies form and evolve. If you’d like to take a look at this galactic work of art in its entirety, you can do so by visiting the source link below.
(Image credit: ESO/VVV Consortium)
Continue reading 9-gigapixel image of the Milky Way reminds us just how small we truly are
9-gigapixel image of the Milky Way reminds us just how small we truly are originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oct 24
You are looking at more than 84 million stars, the largest ever catalogue of the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Astronomers at the Paranal Observatory in Cerro Paranal, Chile, stitched the 9 gigapixels of the original image from thousands of individual infrared pictures.You can see the full, zoomable version here. More »
Sep 30
The answer to that question seems easy: Because it’s night, duh. But on second thought, you’ll remember the sky is actually littered with stars, and even though our sun is pretty close, it seems like a few hundred thousand (Hundred million? Hundred trillion?!) other stars should at least put out a better glow. More »
Sep 02
Constellations are pretty awesome to look at, that is if you’re not living in a big city. Once you get out of urban areas, you can see plenty of them in the clear night sky. This new concept watch attempts to put a constellation on your wrist, so you can see one even if you live downtown. TokyoFlash design contributor Sam F.’s watch is based upon the Cassiopeia constellation.
With a sleek and minimal bracelet design, the Cassiopeia watch has got a zig-zag display featuring a strip of colorful, twinkling LEDs. The pattern of the LEDs is supposed to mimic the one of the actual constellation.
You can tell the time by counting the number of colored LED lights that are lit up. With the arrangement of LEDs looking almost haphazard, telling the time might take some… time. Anyway, I’m sure that the final display will be streamlined if Tokyoflash ends up making this watch.
Head on over to Tokyoflash to vote for it so that it gets made!
[via Tokyoflash]
Aug 10
Scientists release biggest ever 3D map of the universe, lacks turn-by-turn navigation (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
The stargazers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have released a huge three-dimensional map of outer space, a core part of its six-year survey of the skies. Encompassing four billion light-years cubed, the researchers hope to use the map to retrace the movements of the universe through the last six billion years. Using the latest Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III), the center says the data will help improve their estimates for the quantity of dark matter in space and the effect that dark energy has on the universe’s expansion, “two of the greatest mysteries of our time” — if you’re an astrophysicist. Even if you’re not, you’ll still want to board the animated flight through over 400,000 charted galaxies — it’s embedded after the break.
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Scientists release biggest ever 3D map of the universe, lacks turn-by-turn navigation (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 01
Like NASA says, these stars look like the thousand bright flashes of people taking photos just before a big rock concert. In reality, they are the oldest stars in our very own Milky Way, captured by Hubble. More »
Jul 24
IBM cluster powers Murchison Widefield Array’s radio telescope, answers mysteries of the universe faster than ever (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Radio telescope operators have as much of a problem coping with the avalanche of data as getting that information in the first place. The Victoria University of Wellington is all too aware and is leaning on IBM for a powerful (if very tongue-tying) iDataPlex dx360 M3 compute cluster to sift through the deluge at the upcoming Murchison Widefield Array. Combined, the 4,096 array antennas probing deep space and solar atmospherics will have the Xeon-based cluster tackling signal data to the tune of 8GB per second, and about 50TB per day — that’s a Nexus 7‘s worth of astronomy faster than you can sneeze, folks. A 10Gbps network connection will feed the results to Perth to save scientists a roughly 435-mile trek. Construction is still in mid-stride, but the $51 million Australian ($52.2 million US) being spent on the Murchison array may be worthwhile if it helps solve the riddles of star formation and solar flares.
Filed under: Science
IBM cluster powers Murchison Widefield Array’s radio telescope, answers mysteries of the universe faster than ever (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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