Physics and Astronomy News Archive: July 2013

Image: Astronomers Detect Three 'Super-Earths'

Astronomers Detect Three 'Super-Earths'
Source: NSF Posted: 7/6/13
Astronomers find a system with at least six planets, including a record-breaking three super-Earths orbiting in the star's 'habitable zone' where liquid water could exist on the planets.

Image: Researchers Build an All-Optical Transistor

Researchers Build an All-Optical Transistor
Source: MIT Posted: 7/6/13
An optical switch that can be turned on by a single photon could point toward new designs for both classical and quantum computers.

Image: New Insights On The Early Bombardment Of Mercury

New Insights On The Early Bombardment Of Mercury
Source: SWRI Posted: 7/6/13
Were the plains of Mercury formed by volcanic flows or composed of material ejected from the planet’s giant impact basins?

Image: Explanation of Mysterious Radio Flashes?

Explanation of Mysterious Radio Flashes?
Source: Radboud Posted: 7/6/13
Mysterious bright radio flashes that appear for only a brief moment on the sky and do not repeat could be the final farewell greetings of a massive star collapsing into a black hole.

Image: Gemini Obervatory Delivers a Sharper Universe

Gemini Obervatory Delivers a Sharper Universe
Source: Gemini Posted: 7/6/13
A unique new instrument at Gemini South in Chile takes the removal of atmospheric distortions (using adaptive optics technology) to a new level.

'To myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.'

Isaac Newton
(1643-1727)