Guardian Unlimited - November 16, 2007
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Already the impact of this is being seen. Earlier this week the STFC announced plans to withdraw the UK from the Gemini Observatory, an international collaboration that operates twin telescopes with 8m mirrors, one based in Hawaii and one in Chile. These two telescopes detect visible and infrared light and are amongst the largest in the world. Telescopes of this class can see exquisite detail and detect faint and often very distant objects. Amongst other quests, these instruments help astronomers search for planets around other stars and enable them to see images of galaxies that formed soon after the Universe began. Participation in Gemini and facilities like it help our scientists stay in the forefront of research in these areas - stepping stones to answering questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life and the origin of the cosmos.
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Friday, November 16, 2007
UK plans to withdraw from Gemini
Physicsworld.com - November 16, 2007
Astronomers in the UK are shocked at plans by the Science and Technology Funding Council (STFC) to withdraw from the Gemini Observatory, which consists of two eight-metre optical and infrared telescopes in Hawaii and Chile. The STFC, which intends to finalize its decision on 21 November, says it has to pull out from Gemini because of the “current financial climate”. The council has a total budget this year of £678m, but this will only increase in line with inflation in 2008 following the government’s recent comprehensive spending review.
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Thursday, November 15, 2007
How new planets form near the Seven Sisters
PhysOrg.com - November 15, 2007
Astronomers using the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Spitzer Space Telescope report their findings in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
"This is the first clear evidence for planet formation in the Pleiades, and the results we are presenting may well be the first observational evidence that terrestrial planets like those in our solar system are quite common," said Joseph Rhee, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in astronomy and lead author of the research.
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Astronomers using the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Spitzer Space Telescope report their findings in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
"This is the first clear evidence for planet formation in the Pleiades, and the results we are presenting may well be the first observational evidence that terrestrial planets like those in our solar system are quite common," said Joseph Rhee, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in astronomy and lead author of the research.
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New Earths may be popping up in Pleiades
MSNBC - November 14, 2007
Small, rocky planets that could resemble Earth or Mars may be forming around one of the hundreds of stars in the Pleiades cluster, astronomers reported Wednesday.
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The team used NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope as well as the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to detect the dust. The resulting findings are reported in the Astrophysical Journal.
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Small, rocky planets that could resemble Earth or Mars may be forming around one of the hundreds of stars in the Pleiades cluster, astronomers reported Wednesday.
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The team used NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope as well as the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to detect the dust. The resulting findings are reported in the Astrophysical Journal.
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Rocky Planets Might Inhabit Popular Nearby Star Cluster
Space.com - November 15, 2007
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Astronomers have spotted a thick cloud of dust surrounding a star in the Pleiades, or "Seven Sisters," star cluster that they speculate is debris created from the collisions of rocky planet embryos or full-fledged planets.
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Using the Gemini Observatory and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the researchers found that dust surrounding HD 23514, a star in the Pleiades that is slightly more massive and bright than our sun, is hundreds of thousands of times thicker than in our solar system.
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Astronomers have spotted a thick cloud of dust surrounding a star in the Pleiades, or "Seven Sisters," star cluster that they speculate is debris created from the collisions of rocky planet embryos or full-fledged planets.
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Using the Gemini Observatory and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the researchers found that dust surrounding HD 23514, a star in the Pleiades that is slightly more massive and bright than our sun, is hundreds of thousands of times thicker than in our solar system.
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Planets Collide! Not Just In The Movies Anymore
Wired News - November 15, 2007
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Astronomers have been observing a star system called HD 23514 in the Pleiades cluster that seems to be going through the same bumper-cars evolution as our own, with rocky planets potentially similar to Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars in the process of formation.
Using an infrared camera with the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, a UCLA-led team has found hot dust surrounding a star much like our own Sun, but about 45 times younger. The warm dust appears to indicate what they call "catastrophic collisions" in a region roughly comparable to the space between the orbits of Mercury and Mars in our own solar system.
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Planets Forming In Pleiades Star Cluster, Astronomers Report
Science Daily - November 14, 2007
Astronomers using the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Spitzer Space Telescope report their findings in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal, the premier journal in astronomy.
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Astronomers using the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Spitzer Space Telescope report their findings in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal, the premier journal in astronomy.
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Small planets forming in the Pleiades
Reuters - November 14, 2007
Small, rocky planets that could resemble the Earth or Mars may be forming around a star in the Pleiades star cluster, astronomers reported on Wednesday.
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The team used two telescopes to spot the dust, and report their findings in Astrophysical Journal.
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Small, rocky planets that could resemble the Earth or Mars may be forming around a star in the Pleiades star cluster, astronomers reported on Wednesday.
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The team used two telescopes to spot the dust, and report their findings in Astrophysical Journal.
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