Help Kepler Find A Planet!

Similar to the old SETI interface, the Kepler project is using the general public to help them sort through huge amounts of data collected by NASA's Kepler mission.  Just takes 5 minutes to do the tutorial and now even YOU can be a planet hunter!  Check it out:

http://www.planethunters.org/

Image Credit: NASA

Sciguy's Interesting Science News Radio Program

So, I will be on the radio today at 2pm AZ time talking about new science...listen live or download at your leisure: http://goo.gl/ajG5L

X Particle Explains Dark Matter and Antimatter

Two of the fundamental mysteries of physics now has a new theory to explain them both.  The "X-Particle" is a hypothetical particle that is thought to decay into matter and neutrons.  Created by the big bang, the X-particle had a companion particle the Anti-X-particle, which decayed into anti-matter and neutrons.  It is these particles which have decayed into the matter which we can see and the dark matter we cannot.  This theory has proposed new concepts that could explain why dark matter is so prevalent in the universe.

X Particle Explains Dark Matter and Antimatter at the Same Time | Wired Science | Wired.com: "out dark matter is that it is mysterious stuff that makes up a quarter of the energy density of the unive"

Largest 3D Map Of The Night Sky Ever Assembled

This is the largest 3D image of the cosmos that has ever been shown.  With over a trillion pixels, it would require over 500,000 high definition TVs to show in it's entirety.  According to David Shinga of New Scientist; "It is actually a collection of millions of images taken since 1998 with a 2.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico. The project, called the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, is now in its third phase, called SDSS-III"

It's thought that this map will be helpful in understanding dark energy, which is believed to comprise 70% of our universe.  It has also helped scientists to discover tiny "dwarf" galaxies that orbit the Milky Way.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19948-most-detailed-image-of-night-sky-unveiled.html

(Image: M. Blanton and SDSS-III)

Are We Inside a Black Hole?

Does the fact that time moves forward mean our universe is inside a black hole?  Interesting theory:


Was our universe born inside a black hole in another universe?


Paper: http://arxiv.org/abs/1007.0587


Credit: By Alasdair Wilkins