The Milky Way and hundreds of galaxies surrounding it are being drawn toward a mysterious force scientists call the “Great Attractor”.
And it took the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) Parkes telescope to see them.
The force was first revealed back in the 1970s, when it was discovered that the Milky Way was one of hundreds of galaxies deviating from the “universe is expanding” model.
Posted in space
Karl Sagan ka thene dikur se ka me shume yje ne univers se sa kokrriza rere ne te gjitha plazhet e Tokes. Ne te njejten kohe, ka me shume molekula H2O ne dhjete pika uji se sa ka yje.
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The scale of the universe (HD)
Published on Sep 23, 2015.
Carl Sagan told us that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all of the Earth’s beaches. At the same time, there are more H2O molecules in just 10 drops of water than there are stars.
Ranging from the unimaginably small to the unimaginably big, the scale of the universe is mind-boggling. Watch to try to wrap your head around it.
A NASA team plans to build the first integrated-photonics modem, using an emerging, potentially revolutionary technology that could transform everything from telecommunications, medical imaging, advanced manufacturing to national defense.
The cell phone-sized device incorporates optics-based functions, such as lasers, switches, and fiber-optic wires, onto a microchip similar to an integrated circuit found in all electronics hardware.
The device will be tested aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2020 as part of NASA’s multi-year Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD). The Integrated LCRD LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) User Modem and Amplifier (ILLUMA) will serve as a low-Earth-orbit terminal for NASA’s LCRD, demonstrating another capability for high-speed, laser-based communications.
The Xeelee had to build their damned ring SOMEWHERE…
The “Xeelee Sequence” novels. by Stephen Baxter, are some of the best hard science fiction ever written. If you haven’t read them, do so. Immediately. In the meantime (even if you’ve already read the entire Xeelee series) check out this atmospheric musical composition by Oliver Lugg, inspired by the above mentioned science fiction series. It’s quite beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiYxHpGmPwQ
Astronomers just uncovered hundreds of hidden galaxies a mere 250 million light years away from Earth—well within our own galactic neighborhood. But how did they stay unknown for so long? The fault isn’t with them, it’s with our own Milky Way.
The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research just completed a survey, published today in the Astronomical Journal, detailing the hundreds of newly discovered galaxies—as well as giving a much better idea of where some older suspected galaxies were hiding. Altogether, they mapped 883 galaxies lurking behind the Milky Way; you can see an artist’s representation above.
Scientists had some idea that there was something out there — but they didn’t know what. Some of the brightest clusters of galaxies were already visible, an even better clue, though, was a strange gravitational force pulling the Milky Way towards it.
The Red Planet is a hostile, barren world. So if we’re going to live there, we’re going to need to develop a new kind of home.
During a panel talk about the ins-and-outs of filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival, director Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), who will be directing Star Wars: Episode IX, teased an idea he’s working on for his Star Wars movie: shooting in space.
“I asked the question, ‘Is it possible for us to shoot IMAX film plates in actual space for Star Wars, and I haven’t gotten an answer yet,” said Trevorrow during the panel.
Trevorrow made the comments while on a panel that included Christopher Nolan and cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Fruitvale Station).
Posted in biotech/medical, genetics, space
Robots aren’t exactly known for their delicate touch, but soon, the stereotype of the non-gentle machine may change. Scientists say they have managed to develop a robot with “a new soft gripper” that makes use of a phenomenon known as electroadhesion — which is essentially the next best thing to giving robots opposable thumbs. According to EPFL scientists, these next-gen grippers can handle fragile objects no matter what their shape — everything from an egg to a water balloon to a piece of paper is fair game.
This latest advance in robotics, funded by NCCR Robotics, may allow machines to take on unprecedented roles. “This is the first time that electroadhesion and soft robotics have been combined together to grasp objects,” said Jun Shintake, a doctoral student at EPFL. Potential applications include handling food, capturing debris (both in space and at home), or even being integrated into prosthetic limbs.
At Singularity University, space is one of our Global Grand Challenges (GGCs). The GGCs are defined as billion-person problems. They include, for example, water, food, and energy and serve as targets for the innovation and technologies that can make the world a better place.
You might be thinking: We have enough challenges here on Earth—why include space?
We depend on space for telecommunications, conduct key scientific research there, and hope to someday find answers to existential questions like, “Are we alone in the universe?”. More practically, raw materials are abundant beyond Earth, and human exploration and colonization of the Solar System may be a little like buying a species-wide insurance policy against disaster.
