Physics and Astronomy News Archive: August 2007

Image: Astronomers Find Gaping Hole In The Universe

Astronomers Find Gaping Hole In The Universe

Source: UMN   Posted: 8/24/07

Astronomers have found an enormous hole in the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies and gas, as well as the mysterious, unseen 'dark matter.'
Image: ‘Thin-Layer’ Solar Cells May Bring Cheaper ‘Green’ Power

‘Thin-Layer’ Solar Cells May Bring Cheaper ‘Green’ Power

Source: Durham U   Posted: 8/24/07

The experts at Durham University are developing light-absorbing materials for use in the production of thin-layer solar photovoltaic (PV) cells which are used to convert light energy into electricity.
Image: Hubble Camera Snags Rare View of Uranus Rings

Hubble Camera Snags Rare View of Uranus Rings

Source: JPL/NASA   Posted: 8/24/07

A rare image of the ring system of the planet Uranus has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, using the onboard JPL-built and designed Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.
Image: Catching Some Rays

Catching Some Rays

Source: NSF   Posted: 8/24/07

An international team of researchers has detected low-energy solar neutrinos--subatomic particles produced in the core of the sun--and measured in real-time the rate the particles hit our planet.
Image: NASA Spacecraft Heads for Polar Region of Mars

NASA Spacecraft Heads for Polar Region of Mars

Source: JPL/NASA   Posted: 8/5/07

NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission blasted off Saturday, aiming for a May 25, 2008, arrival at the Red Planet and a close-up examination of the surface of the northern polar region.
Image: A New Wrinkle in Thin Film Science

A New Wrinkle in Thin Film Science

Source: NSF   Posted: 8/5/07

A remarkably simple experiment devised by scientists yields important information about the mechanical properties of thin films--nanoscopically thin layers of material that are deposited onto a metal, ceramic or semiconductor base.
Image: New Negatively-Charged Molecule Discovered

New Negatively-Charged Molecule Discovered

Source: CFA   Posted: 8/5/07

Astronomers using data from the National Science Foundation’s Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) have found the largest negatively-charged molecule yet seen in space.
Image: Pluto's Moon An Ice Machine

Pluto's Moon An Ice Machine

Source: ASU   Posted: 8/5/07

Frigid geysers spewing material up through cracks in the crust of Pluto’s companion Charon could be making this distant world into the equivalent of an outer solar system ice machine.