Misterioso Ponto Gigante Descoberto Próximo do Iníco do Tempo
Um recém ponto primordial pode representar o mais maciço objecto já descoberto no início do universo, anunciaram os investigadores.
A nuvem de gás assinalada de 12,9 mil milhões de anos-luz de distância, poderá anunciar as primeiras etapas da formação da galáxia quando o universo tinha apenas 800 milhões de anos.
"Eu nunca ouvi falar de quaisquer [similares] objectos que poderiam ser assinalados a esta distância", disse Masami Ouchi, um investigador no Carnegie Institution, em Pasadena, Califórnia "É uma espécie de quebra-recorde."
Um ano-luz é a distância que a luz percorre num ano, cerca de 6 trilhões de milhas (10 trilhões de quilómetros). Um objecto à distância de 12,9 mil milhões de anos-luz, é visto tal como existia 12,9 bilhões de anos atrás, e agora a luz está a acabar de chegar.
A nuvem antecede pontos semelhantes, conhecido como Pontos Lyman-Alpha, que existia quando o universo tinha 2 a 3 bilhões de anos. Investigadores nomearam o seu novo achado Himiko, depois de uma antiga rainha japonesa com um passado igualmente escuro.
Himiko detém mais de 10 vezes a massa do segundo maior objecto encontrado no início do universo, ou aproximadamente a massa equivalente de 40 mil milhões de sóis. No universo de 55.000 anos luz de diâmetro, abrange cerca de metade do diâmetro da nossa galáxia Via Láctea.
Os Pontos Lyman-Alpha permanecem um mistério, porque os telescópios existentes têm um duro tempo para perscrutar para trás até quase ao amanhecer do universo.
Himiko está ao lado direito da entrada de uma era chamada época de reionização, que durou entre 200 milhões e 1 bilhão de anos após o Big Bang. Foi quando o Universo tinha acabado de surgir a partir do tempo da escuridão cósmica e tinha começado a brilhar através da formação de estrelas e galáxias. Quente, energizado gás hidrogénio, a partir desse período de tempo permitiu aos astrónomos começar a ver algumas objectos tão bem quanto ele faz para vesguear nesses Pontos indistintos.
"Mesmo para astrónomos, não entendemos", disse Ouchi a SPACE.com. "Estamos ansiosos para tentar entender o que aqueles sistemas são na época da reionization."
Himiko pode representar o halo de um gás ionizado em torno de um buraco negro super massivo, ou uma nuvem de gás frio que indica uma galáxia primordial, Ouchi observou. Mas pode também ser o resultado de uma colisão entre duas galáxias jovens, ou a saída de um vento muito ativo de um viveiro de estrelas gigantes.
Desvendar esta charada vai exigir mais tempo de telescópio. O W.M. Observatório Keck, no Hawaí pode ajudar a estimar com precisão a formação do ponto, enquanto que o Observatório Chandra de raios-X da Nasa pode testar ocenário dos buraco negro super-maciços, observou Ouchi. E mesmo o Hubble poderá entrar em acção.
"Nós estamos planeando o imageamento infravermelho profundo com o Telescópio Espacial Hubble para dizer se [Himiko] tem qualidades ou não de concentração", disse Ouchi.
No entanto, esta investigação especial sobre o sucesso futuro depende de uma arriscada missão de reparação do envelhecido Hubble. Os astronautas estão já listados para sair com o veículo espacial Atlantis para essa tentativa,próximo mês.
Por agora, os investigadores podem celebrar o facto de terem encontrado de facto o Himiko. Pontos quase despercebidas entre 207 candidatos, enquanto varrendo uma porção do céu designado por Subaru / XMM-Newton Deep Field Survey.
Depois de fazer a primeira observação com o telescópio Subaru no Hawaí em 2007, Ouchi e seus colegas continuaram a utilizar instrumentos das matrizes Keck / Deimos e Magellan / iMacs. Essas observações espectrográficas permitiram-lhesidentificar a assinatura do gás hidrogénio ionizado e determinar a distância e idade do misterioso Himiko.
"Nunca acreditei que esse brilhante e grande fonte era umc distante objecto real", disse Ouchi. "Pensámos que era um plano clandestino contaminando a amostra da nossa galáxia. Mas nós tentamos, de qualquer forma."
quinta-feira, abril 23, 2009
quarta-feira, abril 22, 2009
domingo, abril 19, 2009
Love in the time of recession
As this year's wedding season approaches, you may be finding fewer invitations filling up your mailbox. But don't worry; it's probably not because you've been a bad friend.
The $60 billion a year wedding industry is hurting as much as the rest of the economy, according to a recent Bloomberg article. And with couples spending an average of 24% less on tying the knot than in '07, they are scaling back on everything from the number of guests to meal selections to flowers.
A recent survey done by David's Bridal entitled "What’s on Brides' Minds" reports that 75% of weddings are being downsized in order to save money.
Sandra Chavez, who is getting married in September in Pleasanton, Calif. told Fox News:
"I would be embarrassed to spend thousands and thousands of dollars when people are losing their jobs, homes, cars etc. We understand that this is just one night."
But what happens after that night? The recession is making its mark on marriages, too ... but in somewhat surprising ways.
It's not surprising that a slumping economy puts a strain on most marriages; it's common knowledge that financial stress is one of the top causes of divorce. But according to a recent article in Yahoo! Finance, 37% of matrimonial lawyers report seeing a decrease in divorcing couples during economic downturns. The reason, the article posits, is because getting a divorce is the "worst thing you can do financially."
"Attorney fees and court costs compete with setting up a second household as the largest expense in a divorce. A simple divorce can cost $5,000 to $25,000 in attorney fees and court costs while the average complex divorce runs $20,000 to $100,000, says Bruce Hughes, an attorney and certified public accountant in Tustin, Calif."
So maybe the frugal thing to do these days is just stay single? Not so fast.
The Economist and CNN are both reporting that matchmakers and online dating websites like eHarmony.com and OKCupid.com are prospering during the recession.
Patti Novak, owner of Buffalo Niagara Introductions, a matchmaking company in Buffalo, New York, and star of A&E's former reality series "Confessions of a Matchmaker" said her business has seen a 30% increase in clients in the last eight months.
Novak tells CNN:
"I think that as people go through more difficult times, being alone becomes more difficult…[Even] if they can only afford popcorn and a six-pack on a Saturday night, they'd rather do it with somebody than alone."
Similarly, Greg Waldorf, CEO of eHarmony, reports a 20% increase in monthly registrations from September 2008 to January 2009, compared with the same time period the prior year. He also points out that the number of visits to its site was higher than average on days when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 100 points. Waldorf told The Economist, simply:
"Going through difficult times with someone special is better than doing it alone."
But searching for love during a recession isn't just limited to finding that perfect soul mate. A recent New York Times article reports that sales of romance novels are up as well.
Harlequin Enterprises, the world's leading publisher of romance fiction, reported that fourth-quarter earnings were up 32% over the same period the year before. And while sales of adult fiction were basically flat last year, according to Nielsen Bookscan, the romance category was up 7% after holding fairly steady for the previous four years. The New York Times reports:
"Like the Depression-era readers who fueled blockbuster sales of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind,” today’s readers are looking for an escape from the grim realities of layoffs, foreclosures and shrinking 401(k) balances."
So whether you're slashing your wedding budget, struggling through a financial crisis with your spouse, or searching for someone or something to help you through these dark times, it's clear the recession is affecting love all around.
Isn't it romantic?
Full article at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_bs304
As this year's wedding season approaches, you may be finding fewer invitations filling up your mailbox. But don't worry; it's probably not because you've been a bad friend.
The $60 billion a year wedding industry is hurting as much as the rest of the economy, according to a recent Bloomberg article. And with couples spending an average of 24% less on tying the knot than in '07, they are scaling back on everything from the number of guests to meal selections to flowers.
A recent survey done by David's Bridal entitled "What’s on Brides' Minds" reports that 75% of weddings are being downsized in order to save money.
Sandra Chavez, who is getting married in September in Pleasanton, Calif. told Fox News:
"I would be embarrassed to spend thousands and thousands of dollars when people are losing their jobs, homes, cars etc. We understand that this is just one night."
But what happens after that night? The recession is making its mark on marriages, too ... but in somewhat surprising ways.
It's not surprising that a slumping economy puts a strain on most marriages; it's common knowledge that financial stress is one of the top causes of divorce. But according to a recent article in Yahoo! Finance, 37% of matrimonial lawyers report seeing a decrease in divorcing couples during economic downturns. The reason, the article posits, is because getting a divorce is the "worst thing you can do financially."
"Attorney fees and court costs compete with setting up a second household as the largest expense in a divorce. A simple divorce can cost $5,000 to $25,000 in attorney fees and court costs while the average complex divorce runs $20,000 to $100,000, says Bruce Hughes, an attorney and certified public accountant in Tustin, Calif."
So maybe the frugal thing to do these days is just stay single? Not so fast.
The Economist and CNN are both reporting that matchmakers and online dating websites like eHarmony.com and OKCupid.com are prospering during the recession.
Patti Novak, owner of Buffalo Niagara Introductions, a matchmaking company in Buffalo, New York, and star of A&E's former reality series "Confessions of a Matchmaker" said her business has seen a 30% increase in clients in the last eight months.
Novak tells CNN:
"I think that as people go through more difficult times, being alone becomes more difficult…[Even] if they can only afford popcorn and a six-pack on a Saturday night, they'd rather do it with somebody than alone."
Similarly, Greg Waldorf, CEO of eHarmony, reports a 20% increase in monthly registrations from September 2008 to January 2009, compared with the same time period the prior year. He also points out that the number of visits to its site was higher than average on days when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 100 points. Waldorf told The Economist, simply:
"Going through difficult times with someone special is better than doing it alone."
But searching for love during a recession isn't just limited to finding that perfect soul mate. A recent New York Times article reports that sales of romance novels are up as well.
Harlequin Enterprises, the world's leading publisher of romance fiction, reported that fourth-quarter earnings were up 32% over the same period the year before. And while sales of adult fiction were basically flat last year, according to Nielsen Bookscan, the romance category was up 7% after holding fairly steady for the previous four years. The New York Times reports:
"Like the Depression-era readers who fueled blockbuster sales of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind,” today’s readers are looking for an escape from the grim realities of layoffs, foreclosures and shrinking 401(k) balances."
So whether you're slashing your wedding budget, struggling through a financial crisis with your spouse, or searching for someone or something to help you through these dark times, it's clear the recession is affecting love all around.
Isn't it romantic?
Full article at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_bs304
quinta-feira, abril 02, 2009
Lula da Silva's statement
Brazil's Lula Starts to Throw His Weight Around
Written by John Fitzpatrick Monday, 30 March 2009 06:44
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's statement that the financial crisis had been caused by "white people with blue eyes" must be one of the crassest comments ever made by any leader.
The fact that he said it in front of the visiting British prime minister, Gordon Brown, who incidentally only has one eye, does not make it any worse as Lula, who incidentally only has nine fingers, probably did not even know this.
http://www.brazzil.com/component/content/article/200-january-2009/10165-brazils-lula-starts-to-throw-his-weight-around.html
Written by John Fitzpatrick Monday, 30 March 2009 06:44
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's statement that the financial crisis had been caused by "white people with blue eyes" must be one of the crassest comments ever made by any leader.
The fact that he said it in front of the visiting British prime minister, Gordon Brown, who incidentally only has one eye, does not make it any worse as Lula, who incidentally only has nine fingers, probably did not even know this.
http://www.brazzil.com/component/content/article/200-january-2009/10165-brazils-lula-starts-to-throw-his-weight-around.html
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