An ambitious study of active and inactive galaxies has given new insights into the complex interaction between super-massive black holes at the heart of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and star formation in the surrounding galaxy. The study finds that gas ejected during the quasar stage of AGN snuffs out star formation, leaving the host galaxies to evolve passively. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Billions of years ago, small galaxies across the universe regularly collided -- forcing the gas, dust, stars, and black holes within them to unite. The clashing of galactic gases was so powerful it ignited star formation, while fusing central black holes developed an insatiable appetite for gas and dust. With stellar nurseries and black holes hungry both for galactic gas, a struggle ensued. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Long-lived magnetic fields are sustaining a mammoth network of spaghetti-like gas filaments around a black hole, a new study suggests. Previously, it was not clear what prevented the delicate filaments from being destroyed by competing gravitational forces. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

This composite color infrared image of the center of our Milky Way galaxy reveals a new population of massive stars and new details in complex structures in the hot ionized gas swirling around the central 300 light-years. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The company is working with UK space exploration company Surrey Small Satellites on plans to develop a launcher that could propel a 200kg satellite into space at roughly 10pc the cost of current technology. picked by kakana 4 months ago

A new image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows baby stars sprouting in the backwoods of a galaxy -- a relatively desolate region of space more than 100,000 light-years from the galaxy's bustling center. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Astronomers have found nine of the faintest, tiniest and most compact galaxies ever seen. The little objects are hundreds to thousands of times smaller and vastly younger than our Milky Way, lending support to a "building block" theory in which hundreds of the tiny galaxies merge together and form larger bodies of stars. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Astronomers have long believed that most stars are homebodies which stick close to their birthplaces. But a new simulation supports the suggestion that our sun might have once hitchhiked through the galaxy. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Cosmic debris stripped away from the wreck of colliding galaxies has been found by the Subaru telescope atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

The debris fields could shed light on galaxy formation and starburst activity in the early universe by allowing astronomers to retrace the paths of the colliding galaxies before they merged. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

An international team of astronomers using NASA's Swift satellite and the Japanese/U.S. Suzaku X-ray observatory has discovered a new class of active galactic nuclei (AGN). picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

In the Mojave desert, Richard Branson today showed off for the first time the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft that will launch his commercial space craft SpaceShipTwo.

More info a the official site Virgin Galactic

Obviously a complete coincidence that this coincides with NASA's 50th. picked by pocksucket 1 year ago

The most energetic particles in the universe likely come from enormous black holes nestled in the restless hearts of traumatized galaxies, scientists say. Where these cosmic "bullets" originated has been a source of much speculation, with scientists proposing everything from gamma ray bursts to decaying dark matter. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Astronomers have produced a scientific gold mine of detailed, high-quality images of nearby galaxies that is yielding important new insights into many aspects of galaxies, including their complex structures, how they form stars, the motions of gas in the galaxies, the relationship of "normal" matter to unseen "dark matter," and many others. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Scientists have spotted a rare class of galaxy that could represent a cosmic halfway house between two stages of galaxy development. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Virgin Galactic completed a successful test yesterday of its hybrid nitrous oxide motor that will propel space tourists into orbit. SpaceShipTwo will launch into orbit using these motors after reaching the upper atmosphere after detaching from the mother ship called Eve. picked by equinox 6 months ago

Follow up to willster's earlier post about Sir Richard Branson's space tourism endeavor.

dmmit I've fixed this themepic crop 2 times now.... picked by suebe 2 years ago

Star Trek did have its share of lovely ladies, some wearing some very interesting clothing. A beginning Flickr set covering the original series. picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago

In a cosmic battle of sorts taking place in the centers of galaxies, stellar forces muscle up and kick out brewing invisible matter. The result, finds a new study, evens out the amount of invisible matter held in galactic cores, resolving a cosmological puzzle. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

This new guide for astronomers, known as the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL) shows the Milky Way in submillimetre-wavelength light (between infrared light and radio waves). Images of the cosmos at these wavelengths are vital for studying the birthplaces of new stars and the structure of the crowded galactic core. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

An international team of astronomers has identified huge star streams in the outskirts of two nearby spiral galaxies. For the first time, they have obtained a panoramic overview of an example of galactic cannibalism similar to that involving the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy in the vicinity of the Milky Way. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago