The Pioneer Anomaly

  Apr 16, 2013 Scientists have found a small but significant deceleration in the Pioneer spacecraft as it makes its way through interstellar space. For several years, NASA analysts have reported a slow but steady “tug” on the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft as they head outward in opposite directions from the…

Continue reading

Galactic Superwinds

Apr 15, 2013 Radial filaments within galaxies identify them as plasma phenomena. “If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him.” — Seneca The irregular galaxy M82—otherwise known as the Cigar Galaxy—forms a pair with M81, Barnard’s Galaxy in the constellation…

Continue reading

Island Universes

  Apr 10, 2013 Galactic magnetic fields were discovered more than 50 years ago. Astronomers continue to ask basic questions about galaxies: what generates their magnetic fields? What gives those fields their shape and their strength? Researchers using the latest computer simulations think they have found the answers. Cool gas…

Continue reading

Pits and Chains

  Apr 09, 2013 Rather than volcanic vents, pits in craters could be a sign of electrical activity. On August 3, 2004, NASA launched the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) experiment from the Cape Canaveral facility on a 7-year mission to study the Solar System’s innermost planet. The last…

Continue reading

Let it Rain

Apr 08, 2013 External electric flux influences Earth’s climate According to a recent press release, ten years of data analysis has revealed that cloud height changes over time in response to an electric field generated by “global thunderstorms”. Although Earth’s electric field is brought into the discussion, and the electric…

Continue reading