ScienceDaily: Space & Time News

Saturn moon's ocean may harbor hydrothermal activity, spacecraft data suggest Posted: 11 Mar 2015 11:08 AM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided scientists the first clear evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus exhibits signs of present-day hydrothermal activity which may resemble that seen in the deep oceans on Earth. The implications of such activity on a world other than our planet open up unprecedented scientific possibilities.

Particle jets reveal the secrets of the most exotic state of matter Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:46 AM PDT Shortly following the Big Bang, the Universe was filled with a chaotic primordial soup of quarks and gluons, particles which are now trapped inside of protons and neutrons. Study of this quark-gluon plasma requires the use of the most advanced theoretical and experimental tools. Physicists have taken one crucial step towards a better understanding of the plasma and its properties.

The corrugated galaxy: Milky Way may be much larger than previously estimated Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PDT The Milky Way galaxy is at least 50 percent larger than is commonly estimated, according to new findings that reveal that the galactic disk is contoured into several concentric ripples.

A grand extravaganza of new stars Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:19 AM PDT This dramatic landscape in the southern constellation of Ara (The Altar) is a treasure trove of celestial objects. Star clusters, emission nebulae and active star-forming regions are just some of the riches observed in this region lying some 4000 light-years from Earth. This beautiful new image is the most detailed view of this part of the sky so far, and was taken using the VLT Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile.