David Dandaneau- ABD, MBA '06

Posted 5 days ago

Wants to remind everyone to wear that smile proudly today, as it is a #happysaturday #motivation

Photo reblogged from rm -rfv /

distant-traveller:

Hubble finds dead stars “polluted” with planetary debris

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has found signs of Earth-like planets in an unlikely place: the atmospheres of a pair of burnt-out stars in a nearby star cluster. The white dwarf stars are being polluted by debris from asteroid-like objects falling onto them. This discovery suggests that rocky planet assembly is common in clusters, say researchers.
The stars, known as white dwarfs — small, dim remnants of stars once like the Sun — reside 150 light-years away in the Hyades star cluster, in the constellation of Taurus (The Bull). The cluster is relatively young, at only 625 million years old.
Astronomers believe that all stars formed in clusters. However, searches for planets in these clusters have not been fruitful — of the roughly 800 exoplanets known, only four are known to orbit stars in clusters. This scarcity may be due to the nature of the cluster stars, which are young and active, producing stellar flares and other outbursts that make it difficult to study them in detail.
Hubble’s spectroscopic observations identified silicon in the atmospheres of two white dwarfs, a major ingredient of the rocky material that forms Earth and other terrestrial planets in the Solar System. This silicon may have come from asteroids that were shredded by the white dwarfs’ gravity when they veered too close to the stars. The rocky debris likely formed a ring around the dead stars, which then funnelled the material inwards.
The debris detected whirling around the white dwarfs suggests that terrestrial planets formed when these stars were born. After the stars collapsed to form white dwarfs, surviving gas giant planets may have gravitationally nudged members of any leftover asteroid belts into star-grazing orbits.
Besides finding silicon in the Hyades stars’ atmospheres, Hubble also detected low levels of carbon. This is another sign of the rocky nature of the debris, as astronomers know that carbon levels should be very low in rocky, Earth-like material.
This new study suggests that asteroids less than 160 kilometres across were gravitationally torn apart by the white dwarfs’ strong tidal forces, before eventually falling onto the dead stars.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and G. Bacon (STScI)

Hubble finds dead stars “polluted” with planetary debris

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has found signs of Earth-like planets in an unlikely place: the atmospheres of a pair of burnt-out stars in a nearby star cluster. The white dwarf stars are being polluted by debris from asteroid-like objects falling onto them. This discovery suggests that rocky planet assembly is common in clusters, say researchers.

The stars, known as white dwarfs — small, dim remnants of stars once like the Sun — reside 150 light-years away in the Hyades star cluster, in the constellation of Taurus (The Bull). The cluster is relatively young, at only 625 million years old.

Astronomers believe that all stars formed in clusters. However, searches for planets in these clusters have not been fruitful — of the roughly 800 exoplanets known, only four are known to orbit stars in clusters. This scarcity may be due to the nature of the cluster stars, which are young and active, producing stellar flares and other outbursts that make it difficult to study them in detail.

Hubble’s spectroscopic observations identified silicon in the atmospheres of two white dwarfs, a major ingredient of the rocky material that forms Earth and other terrestrial planets in the Solar System. This silicon may have come from asteroids that were shredded by the white dwarfs’ gravity when they veered too close to the stars. The rocky debris likely formed a ring around the dead stars, which then funnelled the material inwards.

The debris detected whirling around the white dwarfs suggests that terrestrial planets formed when these stars were born. After the stars collapsed to form white dwarfs, surviving gas giant planets may have gravitationally nudged members of any leftover asteroid belts into star-grazing orbits.

Besides finding silicon in the Hyades stars’ atmospheres, Hubble also detected low levels of carbon. This is another sign of the rocky nature of the debris, as astronomers know that carbon levels should be very low in rocky, Earth-like material.

This new study suggests that asteroids less than 160 kilometres across were gravitationally torn apart by the white dwarfs’ strong tidal forces, before eventually falling onto the dead stars.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, and G. Bacon (STScI)

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Posted 1 month ago

I just unlocked the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game sticker on GetGlue

3383 others have also unlocked the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game sticker on GetGlue.com

You’re watching the 2013 NCAA Championship! Dribble your way to the TV and layup on your couch to watch this epic game. May the best team win! Share this one proudly. It’s from our friends at Turner Sports & CBS Sports.

Posted 1 month ago

I just unlocked the 48th Annual ACM Awards sticker on GetGlue

6012 others have also unlocked the 48th Annual ACM Awards sticker on GetGlue.com

The 48th Annual ACM Awards – Thanks for watching the 48th Annual ACM Awards LIVE on CBS! You just earned your chance to win a trip to the 2014 ACM Awards by checking in! Share this one proudly. It’s from our friends at Academy of Country Music.

Posted 1 month ago

I just unlocked the 2013 NCAA Final Four sticker on GetGlue

3965 others have also unlocked the 2013 NCAA Final Four sticker on GetGlue.com

Congrats on unlocking the 2013 NCAA Final Four sticker! You’re watching the teams battle it out for the top two coveted spots. Get courtside and root for the team you want to see make it to the top! Share this one proudly. It’s from our friends at Turner Sports & CBS Sports.

Posted 1 month ago

I just unlocked the G.I. Joe Retaliation Box Office sticker on GetGlue

1520 others have also unlocked the G.I. Joe Retaliation Box Office sticker on GetGlue.com

Thank you for seeing G.I. Joe Retaliation in theaters! We hope you enjoyed this action-packed movie. Share this one proudly. It’s from our friends at Paramount Pictures.

Posted 2 months ago

I’m watching Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning

“Never stop believing… Go Bolts!”

Check-in to Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning on GetGlue.com

Photo reblogged from Loonatics

Found the coolest illustration of one of my favorite paintings #VanGogh ROCKs!

(Source: luanica)

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Posted 2 months ago

I just unlocked the The Oscars 2013 sticker on GetGlue

33332 others have also unlocked the The Oscars 2013 sticker on GetGlue.com

You’re cracking up as the man of many voices, Seth McFarlane hosts The Oscars! Who will win tonight? Thanks for watching The Oscars on ABC and visit http://Oscar.com for more funny moments with Seth! Share this one proudly. It’s from our friends at ABC.

Link reblogged from Tampa Bay Lightning

Agress w/ Keys to Preventing Flyers from Lifting Off <- Exactly @TBLightning #BetheLightning

http://tblightning.tumblr.com/post/41620869621/bolts-insider-keys-to-preventing-flyers-from-lifting

tblightning:

This season-long, five-game home stand continues tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, who dusted the Florida Panthers, 7-1, last night in Sunrise. The stretch at the Tampa Bay Times Forum got off to a good start on Friday (the second period withstanding, but more on that later) with a 6-4…

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