Pam Frost Gorder » Astronomy

Medical Software has Astronomers Seeing Stars

Pam — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:31:22 +0000

A project at Harvard University is proving that two very different disciplines have very much in common. The Astronomical Medicine Project is working to convert medical imaging software into tools that fuel discoveries in astronomy. But if the scientists behind the project have their way, any discipline that relies on large, complex data sets will reap the benefits. Full story (PDF)

Cosmic Quest

Pam — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:28:06 +0000

Fueled by out-of-this-world curiosity, millions of dollars, and a lot of coffee — Ohio State researchers are reaching for the stars. Full story (PDF)

Universal Understanding

Pam — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:25:38 +0000

Married physicists Samir and Smita Mathur have their differences — especially when it comes to black holes. Full story (PDF)

A Dark Universe Like Our Own

Pam — Mon, 01 Mar 2004 05:00:06 +0000

As scientists confront an increasingly mysterious universe of mostly dark matter and dark energy, there’s comfort in the discovery that the dark matter, at least, moves in ways that are already familiar. A new theory suggests that dark matter doesn’t hover around galaxies in formless halos as once thought; rather, it clumps together in ways that mirror normal matter. Full story (PDF)

The Googling of Astronomy

Pam — Tue, 01 Jul 2003 05:00:09 +0000

The largest astronomical search engine ever created just spawned its first hit. Full story (PDF)

Modeling a Magnetic Moon

Pam — Thu, 01 May 2003 05:00:13 +0000

Using an innovative computer model, scientists might have solved a decades-old mystery about the moon’s geology. A giant plume of hot rock, they say, might have burst out from the lunar core four billion years ago, kicking off a series of events that endowed the moon with a temporary magnetic field. Full story (PDF)

Where Have All The Comets Gone?

Pam — Sat, 01 Mar 2003 05:00:15 +0000

Comets are the fossils of the solar system. From their chemical composition to the path they cut across the sky, they convey a wealth of information about how the planets first formed. But because comet sightings are so rare, astronomers must use computer simulations to fill the knowledge gap. Full story (PDF)