http://ec.europa.eu//research/index.cfm?pg=whatsnew en Fri, 17 May 2013 13:50:25 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss For more RSS news feeds click the link above. Fri, 17 May 2013 13:50:25 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-highzlens&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29134 Young French astronomer Johan Richard was able to fulfil many young boys' dreams to explore the Universe… through the eye of a telescope, and discovered that the first galaxies may have formed much earlier than thought – just 200 million years or so after the Universe's explosive birth. And his bold journey continues... ]]> Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-01-30:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-highzlens&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29134 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-elsa&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=28934 August 2013 will see the launch of Gaia, a five-year space mission packed with scientific ambition that is quite literally astronomical. The European Space Agency (ESA) aims to chart about one billion stars, or roughly 1% of the Milky Way. It is expected to discover thousands of new celestial objects, from extra-solar planets to failed stars called brown dwarfs. It is an extraordinary endeavour, taking astrometry to a new level of complexity and precision, but it will mean little if Europe's science community cannot handle the volume of data that Gaia space mission is expected to send back to Earth. And this is where ELSA comes in. ]]> Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-01-10:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-elsa&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=28934 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_11_20_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28213 Astronomers have gotten a first look at the aftermath of Saturn's 'Great Springtime Storm' thanks to the heat-seeking capabilities of the international Cassini spacecraft and two ground-based telescopes. Even though the cosmic event is hidden to the naked eye, a giant oval vortex continues to exist long after the visible effects of the storm have subsided. These spectacular observations were made possible thanks to the ground-based observations made by the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile, and NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-11-20:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_11_20_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28213 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_11_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27954 European astronomers have discovered a new source of cosmic rays emanating from the vicinity of the Arches cluster, near the centre of the Milky Way. According to the researchers, these particles are accelerated in the shock wave generated by tens of thousands of young stars moving at a speed of around 700 000 km/h. What makes this discovery stand out is that their origin differs from that of the cosmic rays discovered exactly 100 years ago by Victor Hess, which originate in the explosions of supernovae. The findings were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.]]> Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-11-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_11_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27954 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_10_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27773 In 2004 Stephen Hawking famously changed his mind about black holes – a place in space where gravity pulls so much that not even light can escape from it. Now astronomers have made a new discovery that may well once again change the way science sees black holes, or more precisely the company they keep. A team of international astronomers have discovered two black holes, bucking theorists who suggested that there could only be one. The discovery is making scientists rethink their understanding of the environment in globular star clusters, tight-knit collections containing hundreds of thousands of stars.]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-10-30:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_10_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27773