Scientists reviewing over thirty years worth of data from a series of Earth observing satellites have found the coldest region on the planet. A thousand kilometer long ridge on the East Antarctica Plain has temperatures plummeting down to a blistering -93.2° Celsius, over 30° colder than the lowest temperature recorded in the coldest permanently inhabited town, in Siberia. The ridge lies between two peaks, Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, at an altitude of almost fourteen thousand feet – almost half … Continue reading →

Welcome, everybody, to the 343rd Carnival of Space! Every week, space science and astronomy writers from around the world submit samples of their writing to the Carnival of Space’s host, to have their work highlighted and shared across the Internet. Each week the Carnival moves to a new host blog, and this week the host is Urban Astronomer! If you are a science writer and would like your articles to be included on the Carnival of Space, drop a mail … Continue reading →

Back in 1972, radio astronomers discovered  vast elongated cloud of gas arcing across the entire sky.  Long enough to stretch from horizon to horizon, the only clue as to its origins were that it seemed thickest around the Large and Small Magellanic clouds (LMC and SMC).  Over time, increasingly sophisticated computer models suggested that the gas had been dragged out of the Magellanic Clouds by the Milky Way’s gravity after a series of close encounters between the different galaxies.  It … Continue reading →