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| Different concentrations of elements in a meteorite: magnesium is green, calcium is yellow, aluminium is white, iron is red and silicon is blue. Image credit: Open University. Click to enlarge. |
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| Oldest Meteorites Hint at Early Solar System |
| Sep 20, 2005 - Of all the meteorites found around the world, on 45 formed before our Solar System. They provide a unique insight into the composition of the stellar nebula that went on to form our Sun and planets. These early rocks have very few volatile materials in them, like zinc, lead and sodium. So this "volatile depletion" must have been one of the first things to happen in the stellar nebula, and not during planetary formation as previously believed. (Full Story) |
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| Flooded streets in New Orleans. Image credit: Liz Roll. |
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| Number of Powerful Hurricanes Has Doubled |
| Sep 20, 2005 - Think there are more hurricanes these days? Well, you're right. In the last 35 years, meteorologists have recorded that the number of powerful category 4 and 5 hurricanes has doubled. In the 1970s, there were approximately 10 category 4/5 storms globally each year. In 2004 there were 18. The trend is happening because global sea temperatures have risen over the last half century. Powerful hurricanes in the North Atlantic, such as Hurricane Katrina, have increased at an even faster rate. (Full Story) |
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| Deep, wide field view of the Virgo Cluster showing a diffuse web of galaxies. Image credit: Chris Mihos et al. Click to enlarge. |
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| Wide Image of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies |
| Sep 20, 2005 - Astronomers from Case Western Reserve University have created the deepest, wide-view image of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, which shows the faint web of starlight that connects the different galaxies together. The image was built up over the course of 14 moonless nights using the newly refurbished 24-inch Burrell Schmidt telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. This web of stars is evidence of the violent collisions that galaxies go through as they merge together to form larger galaxies. (Full Story) |
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