Stars

The New Hottest Spot in the Milky Way

Two days ago, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealed an image of what could be the brightest star in our galaxy: Wolf-Rayet star WR 102ka or, more fondly, the "Peony nebula" star. Astronomers say that it burns with the light intensity of 3.2 million suns — but that's a rough estimate, and one that might even stretch to 4 or 5 million suns. More »

2:39 PM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Nivair H. Gabriel
977 views, 10 comments

Latest by travelina: I hate to disappoint y'all, but I believe that photo was actually taken by the Hubble Space Kaleidoscope: [www.theonion.com] more »

Astroforensics

World's Greatest Astronomical Detective Strikes Again!

Donald Olson, an astrophysicist at Texas State University has a habit of taking well-known historical facts and turning them upsidown. Using the stars and Moon and a little bit of math, he's re-dated the original running of Marathon in 491-490 BC, precisely determined the spot in which Edvard Munch painted "The Scream," and figured out the exact minute that Vincent Van Gogh depicted in his painting "Moonrise." As if that weren't enough, now he's changing the date Julius Caesar landed in England, an event that sparked a massive battle and changed the course of Western civilization. More »

9:50 AM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Michael Reilly
1,560 views, 19 comments

Latest by Michael Reilly: @Nebris: oh c'mon, I said BC the first time! but you're half right. I need a copy editor, not a fact-checker (this time). Thanks for pointing that out. more »

scientology

Get the Skinny on Scientology's Favorite Alien, from Leaked Short Story by Hubbard

Anyone who has heard about the Ultimate Secret of Scientology, the tale of Xenu the alien and his cruel volcano-esploding ways, has probably wanted to know more. What motivated Xenu? What kinds of clothes did he wear and what was his favorite music? Was he friends with psychiatrists? What were his true feelings about the Galactic Confederation and the Loyal Officers of the People? Now you can find out all this and more in a 1975 novella called "Revolt in the Stars," written by L. Ron Hubbard himself. More »

12:43 PM on Mon Jun 2 2008
By Annalee Newitz
5,533 views, 42 comments

Latest by RAHfanboy: @munkles: "Is this the part where, in the interest of fair play, we do the same to Judeo-Christianity?" No, this is the part where arrogant morons disparage things of which they have no understanding. Nice job! more »

space porn

We Can Predict When Stars Will Explode

Need to get rid of a bunch of space trash, or jumpstart a wormhole? Now you can, at least if you can get near enough to a neutron star when it's heading into explosion mode. Using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), some astronomers have made an extraordinary breakthrough: they've discovered how to predict when neutron stars will unleash massive explosions. What this means, in essence, is that stellar explosions can be compared to Old Faithful, the geyser in Yellowstone Park that erupts at precise times. More »

1:21 PM on Wed Apr 30 2008
By Annalee Newitz
692 views, 6 comments

Latest by moff: @DocGratis: I'm having a love affair with these ice cream sandwiches. more »

false utopias

Paradise Is A Lie: A History Of False Utopias

If you're living in a shiny happy world where everything is provided to you, and your white pajamas never ever get stained, then chances are you're in a false utopia. Someone's going to be coming and harvesting your organs, or culling you at age 30, or drugging you into obedience. The fake paradise built on a foundation of shit seems to flourish most during times when technology seems to be solving all our problems (like during the dotcom boom.) Click through for a list of false utopias. More »

10:11 AM on Tue Mar 25 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
9,716 views, 83 comments

Latest by Silver_Back: @Metropolis: Oh, I should've been clear with what I said! :x What I meant was the idea of a dedicated facility based off on clones being used as organ "donors". The movie all around was pretty blah...and yes more »

found footage

The Most Incompetent Self-Destruct Sequence In Galactic History

I don't know how we missed the dramatic conclusion of Battle Beyond The Stars in our roundup of starship suicides. After all, how many other self-destruct sequences feature a Majel Barrett Roddenberry clone who's too ditzy to count down properly? (And a hero who doesn't really care if the ship actually destructs or not.) Roger Corman's own Star Wars-Seven Samurai mashup, Battle features the universe's greatest villain, Sador. Click through to see a clip of Sador's finest moment. More »

11:23 AM on Thu Mar 6 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
4,177 views, 36 comments

Latest by victheremin: This movie rocked in a saturday matinee, fun, way. And kudos to Roger Corman for having Robert Vaughn riff on his Magnificent Seven part. more »

space porn

300 Baby Stars In Our Nearest Star-Factory

Newborn stars are surrounded with dust in the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud, in this new image from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Only about 407 light years from Earth, Rho Oph is one of the closest star-forming regions to us. There are more than 300 young stellar objects within the central cloud, which contains the crucial molecular hydrogen needed to form new stars from cosmic gas. Click through for another Rho Oph image, plus a picture of the galaxy that ended the dark ages. More »

2:30 PM on Wed Feb 13 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
948 views, 7 comments

Latest by n/a: For a better experience, goto:[www.spitzer.caltech.edu]You can download mp4 movies. more »

george lucas

Lucas: These Aren't The Streets You're Looking For

Why is George Lucas is refusing to allow his name to be submitted for approval for the Hollywood Walk of Fame? That's the question on literally several people's lips after Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross discovered that Lucas himself is responsible for his absence from the sidewalks of Hollywood and Vine. More »

5:59 AM on Wed Nov 14 2007
By grae
73 views, Comment

billions of stars

See Black Holes From The Roof Of Your House

New digital light-filtering technologies make it possible for city-dwellers to build astronomical observatories into the rooftops of their homes, complete with high-powered telescopes. Today's New York Times has the story:

At a time when amateur astronomy is becoming increasingly popular — thanks in part to the availability of high-tech equipment like digital cameras that filter out light pollution — . . . a growing number of Americans [are] incorporating observatories into new or existing homes. Manufacturers of observatory domes report increasing sales to homeowners, and new residential communities are being developed with observatories as options in house plans.

Image by Striatic.

More »

5:20 PM on Thu Oct 4 2007
By Annalee Newitz
103 views, Comment

io9

A Taste of the Comic-Con Expo Floor

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