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Archive for the ‘cosmology’ category: Page 417

Aug 25, 2015

Sci-Tech Universe: Black Holes are Escapable, Hawking Says

Posted by in category: cosmology

Matter that drops into a black hole is gone forever, right? Not so, declares Stephen Hawking.

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Aug 25, 2015

Stephen Hawking believes he knows how information escapes black holes

Posted by in category: cosmology

Black holes may not be as inescapable as we once thought.

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Aug 11, 2015

The Universe is Slowly Dying

Posted by in categories: cosmology, energy

Brace yourselves: winter is coming. And by winter I mean the slow heat-death of the Universe, and by brace yourselves I mean don’t get terribly concerned because the process will take a very, very, very long time. (But still, it’s coming.)

Based on findings from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) project, which used seven of the world’s most powerful telescopes to observe the sky in a wide array of electromagnetic wavelengths, the energy output of the nearby Universe (currently estimated to be ~13.82 billion years old) is currently half of what it was “only” 2 billion years ago — and it’s still decreasing.

“The Universe has basically plonked itself down on the sofa, pulled up a blanket and is about to nod off for an eternal doze,” said Professor Simon Driver from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Western Australia, head of the nearly 100-member international research team.

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Aug 11, 2015

Slow death of Universe confirmed with precision

Posted by in categories: astronomy, cosmology, gravity, physics, space
  • The universe radiates only half as much energy as 2 billion years ago
  • New findings establish cosmos’ decline with unprecedented precision


From CNN
—The universe came in with the biggest bang ever. But now, with a drooping fizzle, it is in its swan song. The conclusion of a new astronomical study pulls no punches on this: “The Universe is slowly dying,” it reads.

Astronomers have believed as much for years, but the new findings establish the cosmos’ decline with unprecedented precision. An international team of 100 scientists used data from the world’s most powerful telescopes — based on land and in space — to study energy coming from more than 200,000 galaxies in a large sliver of the observable universe. [Full story below or at CNN.com]…

Based on those observations, they have confirmed the cosmos is radiating only half as much energy as it was 2 billion years ago. The astronomers published their study on Monday on the website of the European Southern Observatory.

Analysis across many wavelengths shows the universe's electromagnetic energy output is dropping.The team checked the energy across a broad spectrum of lightwaves and other electromagnetic radiation and says it is fading through all wavelengths, from ultraviolet to far infrared.

Continue reading “Slow death of Universe confirmed with precision” »

Jul 28, 2015

How to Use a Black Hole’s Spin to Harvest Energy

Posted by in categories: cosmology, energy

A black hole isn’t the energy sink you might think it is. By hurling matter towards a black hole, it might be possible to get energy out of it. Learn how a spinning black hole could be an energy turbine for an entire civilization.

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Jul 28, 2015

Astronomers Discover a New Class of Freakishly Dense, Compact Galaxies

Posted by in category: cosmology

Imagine what our night sky would look like if its stellar density was a million times greater than it is now. Remarkably, such places actually exist: They’re called “Ultracompact Dwarfs,” and astronomers are calling them an entirely new kind of galaxy.

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Jul 27, 2015

Here’s the only way to destroy a black hole

Posted by in category: cosmology

You can’t defy the laws of physics.

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Jul 24, 2015

China is Building an Absolutely Massive Radio Telescope

Posted by in categories: alien life, cosmology

Construction is well underway on what will become the world’s largest radio telescope. Once complete, the half-kilometer-wide dish will explore the origins of the Universe and scour the skies for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

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Jul 8, 2015

Using the gravity of the universe to peer into a black hole

Posted by in categories: cosmology, space

Researchers at the European Space Agency harness the natural lensing properties of cosmic gravity to get a closer look at a black hole.

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Jul 7, 2015

Hidden supermassive black holes revealed

Posted by in categories: cosmology, futurism, space

An artist’s illustration of a signs of a supermassive black hole actively feasting on its surroundings. The central black hole is hidden from direct view by a thick layer of encircling gas and dust. (credit: NASA/ESA)

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