Astrophysics :: Physics
Cosmology :: Physics
Special Relativity

NPR Topics: Space

GeoEye-1 Will Be A High-Res Eye In The Sky
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:29:00 -0400
The GeoEye-1 satellite will be capable of making out details on Earth just 16 inches across. It will be the highest resolution satellite run by a private company; it's images will be marketed to a range of governments and private customers.
Europe Considers Joining Space-Faring Nations
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:35:00 -0400
Europe's space agency reached two milestones earlier this year. A European-built lab was installed at the International Space Station, and Europe launched a robotic cargo vehicle that successfully docked with the station. The European Space Agency is thinking about converting the vehicle so it could take astronauts into orbit.
Tensions With Russia May Hurt NASA Program
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:18:00 -0400
The conflict with Russia over Georgia might affect NASA's ability to get astronauts to the international space station after the space shuttle gets retired in 2010. Congress must pass a special waiver by Sept. 30 so NASA can buy Soyuz capsule flights.
What Makes Our Solar System Special?
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:02:00 -0400
Researchers say that if the conditions had been slightly different for our solar system, planets could have careened into the sun or been expelled into deep space. Also: A volunteer astronomer spots a strange gaseous object some are calling a "cosmic ghost."
Phoenix Finds A Salt Compound On Mars
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:07:00 -0400
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has detected a salt found on Earth on the surface of Mars. The salt, called perchlorate, is used in fireworks and rocket fuel. The news follows the recent confirmation of the presence of water on the Red Planet.
Space Company Hopes To Cut Cost Of Launches
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:44:00 -0400
A private company called SpaceX has failed three times to reach orbit with one of its rockets. But the company says it's learning from its failures and still hopes to radically decrease the cost of putting objects in space.

 

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A Brief History of Time - quotations from the Stephen W. Hawking book.
Meta Description: [ A Brief History of Time - Stephen W. Hawking - Quotes ]

Astronomy Today - Cosmology - Articles on related topics in popular magazine style.
Meta Description: [ Both thought provoking and informative these cosmological articles are written in a popular magazine style. ]

Cambridge Cosmology Homepage - A site dedicated to cosmology, both basic and advanced, maintained by Cambridge university

COBE - The Cosmic Background Explorer satellite. Instruments, scientific results, related links.
Meta Description: [ COBE Overview ]

404 Conversational Cosmology - by Henry E. Kandrup. A college-level textbook for an introductory course in cosmology for nonscientists. Comes in a zipped postscript file.

Cosmology - Companion site to the PBS mini-series, discussing the challenge to traditional Christian views posed by the scientific understanding of cosmological evolution, and ways in which they might be reconciled.

500 Cosmology - A summary of research areas at the University of Kansas, with links to activities and personnel.

Cosmology Books and Links - Annotated list of books, articles, and websites from a popular course at Sonoma State University.

Cosmology: A Research Briefing - An online book from the National Academy of Sciences. Includes chapters on CMBR, the large scale structure of universe, and the physics of the early universe.

CosmoNet - An interactive book focusing on the topics of astronomy, cosmology, and theoretical physics. It also provides a number of services including an index of all 88 constellations, several interactive games and quizzes, and extensive information on stars, galaxies, and the Big Bang.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to CosmoNet, a site dedicated to all forms and aspects of cosmology. Fasten your seat belt and return your chair to its upright position, because you are about to embark on a breathtaking journey into the mysteries and wonders of our universe. May your voyage be filled with fun and learni... ]

Distant Galaxies and Cosmology Models - Article on possible cosmological models.
Meta Description: [ Cosmological models of distances and recession velocities use redshifts, apparent luminosity, Hubble constant, general relativity Ripples in the CMBR imply flat space, cosmological constant, lambda. ]

Galaxy Formation and the Intergalactic Medium - This site is dedicated to summarizing the research of Paul Shapiro's cosmology group. Of interest mainly to specialists.

Good Cosmology Sites - Links to cosmology resources, and a tutorial by a UCLA professor.

Great Debates in Astronomy - Following in the footsteps of the famous April 1920 'Great Debate' between Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis, this series of debates among leaders in the astronomical community highlight major quests in astronomy and astrophysics in an open forum at the turn of the millennium.

Introduction to Cosmology - A NASA site for the general public featuring a collection of questions and answers on cosmology.

Introduction to Cosmology - These notes form an introduction to cosmology with special emphasis on large scale structure, the cmb anisotropy and inflation. In some places a basic familiarity with particle physics is assumed, but otherwise no special knowledge is needed.

Introduction to the Cosmic Microwave Background - Basic explanations of key concepts, including the Big Bang, expansion of the universe, and the ripples in the density of the early universe that led to the galaxies and stars we see today.

LAMBDA - Legacy Archive for Microwave Background Data - Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) archive of science research. CMB data is an important aspect of research in cosmology.
Meta Description: [ LAMBDA - CMB data archive of science research on microwave cosmic background radiation related subjects. ]

MACHO Project - Primary aim is to test the hypothesis that a significant fraction of the dark matter in the halo of the Milky Way is made up of objects like brown dwarfs or planets: these objects have come to be known as MACHOs, for MAssive Compact Halo Objects.

MAP Home Page - MAP is a MIDEX class mission, selected by NASA in 1996, to probe conditions in the early universe. MAP measures temperature differences (anisotropy) in the cosmic microwave background radiation.
Meta Description: [ Public access site for The Wilkinson Microwave Anisortopy Probe and associated information about cosmology. ]

Max Tegmark - Cosmologist's personal site including discussions of movies, experiments, and data analysis efforts.

Messier 81 Internal Motions - van Maanen's astrometrically determined internal motions of the spiral nebula Messier 81.
Meta Description: [ Van Maanen's astrometrically determined internal motions of M81 shown compared to a color photo of M81 ]

MSAM/TopHat High Altitude Scientific Balloons - A series of scientic experiments flying as balloon payloads in Texas and Antarctica, designed to measure the medium-scale anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR).
Meta Description: [ MSAM/TopHat is a series of scientic experiments flying as a balloon payload in Antarctica. These experiments are desigend to measure the medium-scale anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). ]

Mysteries of Deep Space - History of the Universe Timeline - From PBS Online

Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial - An illustrated introductory guide to the topic, attempting to summarize modern discoveries on the origin, current state, and future of our Universe.
Meta Description: [ Cosmology tutorial: an illustrated introductory guide to cosmology ]

NOVA - Runaway Universe - Examines the size, future and fate of the universe as well as the possible existence of others. Also explores what happens in a supernova explosion, a map of the universe on a cosmological scale, and the ability to spin a spiral galaxy on two axes using QuickTime VR.
Meta Description: [ NOVA Online presents Runaway Universe ]

Phantom Energy and Cosmic Doomsday - Phantom energy, with negative sum of pressure and energy density, could lead to the universe tearing itself apart in a Big Rip

Planck Satellite - ESA mission designed to find the three cosmological parameters: the Hubble parameter, the density and the deceleration parameter from variations in the cosmic background radiation.

404 Review of Mistake of Einstein - Cosmologists have used recent data to constrain the type of 'dark energy' that may fill all of space.
Meta Description: [ Cosmologists have used recent data to constrain the type of 'dark energy' that may fill all of space. ]

Revved-Up Universe - Astronomers are convinced that the expansion of the Universe accelerates.
Meta Description: [ Astronomers are busy testing the seemingly bizarre notion that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. ]

500 Sloan Digital Sky Survey - A dedicated 2.5 meter telescope which uses sensitive electronic light detectors to systematically map a quarter of the sky, building a catalog of celestial objects, galaxies, and quasars.
Meta Description: [ Home page of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey ]

Supernova Cosmology Project - This Berkeley labs site is based on observation of red shift in stars going supernova.

The Big Bang (One More Time) - A new model of the universe says it repeats itself in an endless cycle. Article from Christian Science Monitor.
Meta Description: [ A new model of the universe says it has no beginning or end, but replenishes itself in an endless cycle. ]

The Boomerang Project - Cosmic microwave background mapping project. Press releases and downloadable academic papers.

The Cosmic Microwave Background - Extensive CMB information from the University of British Columbia.
Meta Description: [ The Cosmic Microwave Background ]

The Origin of Elements - Arno Allan Penzias Nobel Lecture.

Tufts Institute of Cosmology - The Cosmology group at Tufts University with links to other cosmology sites

404 Turning On the Universe - Astronomers say the Universe's expansion has been accelerating recently. A new model for repulsive 'dark energy' may help explain the acceleration in a more natural way than other models. From Physical Review Focus.
Meta Description: [ Astronomers say the Universe's expansion has been accelerating recently. A new model for repulsive 'dark energy' may help explain the acceleration in a more natural way than other models. ]

500 WMAP- Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe - WMAP is a NASA Explorer mission measuring the temperature of the cosmic background radiation over the full sky. This map provides answers to fundamental questions about the origins and fate of our universe.