An Earth-sized planet found in the habitable zone of a nearby star : The Conversation

NASA scientists have discovered a new planet orbiting around a nearby star that is in a habitable zone. But does this planet have liquid oceans that can support life?

Source: An Earth-sized planet found in the habitable zone of a nearby star : The Conversation

The Observer view on space exploration and the perils facing Earth | Opinion | The Guardian

There is nowhere we can appreciate our planet more than from out there

Source: The Observer view on space exploration and the perils facing Earth | Opinion | The Guardian

What would it have been like to witness the beginning of the universe? : The Conversation

Something wonderful happened about 13.8 billion years ago. Everything in the universe was created in an instant as an infinitesimally small point of energy: the Big Bang. We know that this event happened, as the universe is constantly expanding and galaxies are moving away from us. The more we peer into the past, the smaller it gets – that’s how we know it must have once been infinitesimally small, and that there must have been a beginning.

But of course there weren’t any humans around to see how it all started. What would it have been like – what would we have seen and felt? Now new research posted on the open science repository ArXiv, has investigated the amount of light available in the newborn universe to offer some clues.

The universe may seem dark and cold now, but there is a lot of light around. Humans can see some of this, but there’s also light at frequencies that we can’t see. The night sky, for example, appears dark but in fact glows at a frequency of light invisible to human eyes. Still, we can see this light using microwave detectors and it is a light that fills space and is practically exactly the same wherever we look.

 

Source: What would it have been like to witness the beginning of the universe? : The Conversation

What can science tell us about the Star of Bethlehem?

Northumbria University, Newcastle provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.Republish this article

Source: What can science tell us about the Star of Bethlehem?