Space & The Universe

Physics in Action

Our Very Own Black Hole

The Milky Way is a vast spiral, similar to our neighbor the Andromeda galaxy. Read More »

When Vincent Rodgers was six years old, he and his twin brother Victor got toy robots for Christmas. "The most fascinating thing about this," Rodgers recalls, “was a panel you could take off the side [so] you could actually see inside." Read More »

Physics Buzz Blog

All in a Gamma Ray.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Have a look at the image above; you are viewing the first map of the sky made entirely of gamma ray wavelengths! The thin golden-orange streak across what looks like a blue egg is actually gas and dust accumulated in the plane of our Milky Way. These menacing little photons, gamma rays, are the most energetic in the spectrum, and are emitted from the nucleus of certain radioactive atoms.The gamma rays situated in the Milky Way are caused by cosmic rays, super-fast (mostly proton) particles coll.. Read more »

About Space & The Universe

One of the largest branches of physics is devoted to studying our vast universe. This branch studies things such as gravity waves, black holes and stars.

Physics in Pictures

Space and The Universe Vodcasts

Kids Discovering New Asteroids
Astronomy students looking for supernovae examined photographs and found asteroids. They used both unaided eyes and computer analysis to identify the asteroids. The images were composited from three separate images, one each of green, red, and blue. When combined into one image, asteroids stand out because they move against the background.
Mystery Diamonds
Carbonados, black carbon formations that resemble diamonds, have been show to have a chemical spectrum that indicates they originated before the formation of the Earth; their high hydrogen content suggests they are from a star-like environment. Since this carbon is only found in two locations on our planet, it may have arrived via an asteroid.
The Mysterious Gravity Hill
At several hilly locations around the U.S., know as "gravity hills," objects such as cars left on neutral supposedly roll uphill, driven by unknown forces and against the force of gravity. Physicists say -- and GPS measurements confirm -- that the effects are illusions caused by the landscape. The position of trees and slopes of nearby scenery, or a curvy horizon line, can blend to trick the eye so that what looks uphill is actually downhill.