Astrophysics - Origins of Universe Topics
Meet Conan the Bacterium
1999 — April 6, 2011
A radiation-resistant microbe could play a major role in Martian exploration. First, it can help scientists determine the best locations to seek life on Mars. Later, it may help keep Astronautshealthy and then reshape Mars for colonists.
The Bouncing Baby Universe
1999 — April 6, 2011
New research by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope indicates that the Universe is only 12 billion years old. This could revive the old paradox in Astrophysicsthat the Universe appears younger than some of the stars in it.
A Supernova Sheds Light on Dark Energy
2001 — April 6, 2011
A discovery by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope supports the notion that the Universe is filled with a mysterious form of energy pushing galaxies apart at an ever-increasing rate.
The First Starlight
2002 — April 6, 2011
By peering through a giant cosmic lens, scientists have found some of the first-born stars in our Universe.
Great Intergalactic Cobwebs
2002 — Sept. 20, 2011
Astronomers using NASA's FUSE spacecraft have spotted vast clouds between galaxies that might permeate the early Universe like a tangled spider's web.
Picture of the Early Universe
2000 — April 6, 2011
New images from an Antarctic balloon flight in 1998 have brought the cosmic microwave background into sharper focus. Detailed analysis of the images is shedding light on some of cosmology's outstanding mysteries -- the nature of the matter and energy that dominate intergalactic space and whether space is "curved" or "flat."
The World in a Grain of Stardust
2003 — April 6, 2011
On January 2, 2004, NASA's Stardust spacecraft will fly through a comet and collect samples of dust for return to Earth.
The Oldest Light in the Universe
2003 — April 6, 2011
A NASA satellite has captured the sharpest-ever picture of the big bang's afterglow.