Astronomy is one of the
oldest sciences. Astronomers of early civilizations performed methodical
observations of the night sky, and astronomical artifacts have been found
from much earlier periods. However, the invention of the
telescope was required before astronomy was able
to develop into a modern science. Historically, astronomy has included
disciplines as diverse as
astrometry,
celestial navigation, observational astronomy,
the making of
calendars, and even
astrology, but professional astronomy is nowadays
often considered to be synonymous with
astrophysics.
An international team of
astrophysicists has discovered a new planet five times the size of Earth,
the smallest extrasolar planet revealed to date outside of our solar system. NASA's Swift satellite
and a combination of orbiting and ground-based observatories have for the
first time caught a supernova in the act of exploding. Space
Blog
Astronomers of early civilizations performed methodical
observations of the night sky, and astronomical artifacts have
been found from much earlier periods. However, the invention
of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to
develop into a modern science. Ancient Chinese astronomy is
best known today for its observations of comets and
supernovas.
Astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still
play an active role, especially in the discovery and
observation of transient phenomena.
Astronomy is one of the oldest
sciences. Astronomers of early civilizations performed
methodical observations of the night sky, and
astronomical artifacts have been found from much earlier
periods.
Saturn is soo far from the
sun that its atmosphere is of course colder than the one
of Jupiter. The temperature above the clouds is minus
170 degrees compared to those of Jupiter being minus 120
degrees. The atmosphere is almost similar comprising
mainly Hydrogen- Helium and also Methane and Ammonia are
present.
Scientists
using NASA data are studying a newly recognized type of cosmic explosion
called a hybrid gamma-ray burst. As with other gamma-ray bursts, this hybrid
blast is likely signaling the birth of a new black hole. It
is unclear, however, what kind of object or objects exploded or merged to
create the new black hole. The hybrid burst exhibits properties of the two
known classes of gamma-ray bursts yet possesses features that remain
unexplained.
