* Astronomy

The Sea Launch team has initiated a 72-hour countdown at the equatorial launch site, in preparation for the launch of Intelsats Galaxy 19 satellite on September 24. Liftoff is planned at 2:28am PDT (9:28 GMT), at the opening of a two-hour launch window. [url=http://www.sea-launch.com/news_rel...

A strange light was seen across Chorley on Monday evening sparking a 'UFO alert' in the town. Read more

[url=http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/southport-southport-news/2008/09/24/thousands-mark-140th-birthday-celebrations-at-hesketh-park-10102...

The West Wales Astronomy Group, which meets every month to share experiences and use telescopes to seek out constellations and planets, has been campaigning to turn off street lights in Pembrokeshire for a while now in an effort to prevent light pollution. [url=http://www.westerntelegraph.co...

Chinese researchers claim they've confirmed the theory behind an "impossible" space drive, and are proceeding to build a demonstration version. If they're right, this might transform the economics of satellites, open up new possibilities for space exploration and give the Chinese...

The condensed-matter physicist Sir Brian Pippard died on 21 September at the age of 88. Pippard was Cavendish Professor of Physics and head of the physics department at the University of Cambridge from 1971 until he retired in 1984. The physicist proved the existence of the Fermi surface. [url=htt...

A US Department of Defence rocket was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on California's Central Coast at 11:57 p.m local time. The Chimera target launch vehicle took off from an underground silo as part of an experiment designed to help the military track missiles. [url=http:...

[url=http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=59831]Read

With lengths over 11m, the giant gypsum crystals found in Mexico's Cueva de los Cristales are a great natural wonder. Now, a Spanish-Mexican team thinks it can explain how these marvels acquired their immense form. The scientists studied tiny pockets of fluid trapped in the crystals and conducted...

Title: System Parameters for the Eclipsing B-Star Binary HD 42401 Authors: S. J. Williams I present results from an optical spectroscopic investigation of the binary system HD 42401 (V1388 Ori; B2.5 IV-V + B3 V). A combined analysis of V-band photometry and radial velocities indicates that the sy...

Title: BS196: an old star cluster far from the SMC main body Authors: E. Bica, J. F. C. Santos Jr., A. A. Schmidt We present B and V photometry of the outlying SMC star cluster BS196 with the 4.1-m SOAR telescope. The photometry is deep (to V~25) showing ~3 mag below the cluster turnoff point (TO) at Mv=2....

A new sunspot, 11002, has appeared. Expand (158kb, 560 x 560) Credit NASA/SOHO

Workers reveal historical formulas sealed behind a wall Twenty-two years ago, workers renovating a WHOI conference room decided that two chalkboards covered in mathematical formulas looked too interesting to throw away. In a corner of one board, they added a few notes, then sealed the boards beh...

Albert Einstein's long-lost telescope, forgotten for decades in a Jerusalem storage shed, goes on display this week after three years and $10,000 spent restoring the relic. Read more

Astronomer to talk about sun School pupils are encouraged to attend a fun lecture by a top astronomer about the sun. The free illustrated lecture, open to the public, will take place at Forum 28 on Wednesday October 1 at 7.30pm. It will be the seventh lecture about space and the planets given in Barrow b...