Cosmic gamma-ray source map unveils origins of high-energy particles

Cosmic gamma-ray source map unveils origins of high-energy particles

The galactic sources of nine extremely high-energy gamma rays have been identified by scientists from Penn State and members of the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory. All of the sources generate gamma rays with powers more than 56 trillion…

Gamma rays will reach beyond the limits of light

Gamma rays will reach beyond the limits of light

Researchers have discovered a new way to produce high energy photon beams. The new method makes it possible to produce these gamma rays in a highly efficient way, compared with today's technique. The obtained energy is a billion times higher than the energy of…

Still chasing the ghost of dark matter

Still chasing the ghost of dark matter

Scientists using the Fermi Large Area Telescope have come up empty handed in their quest to prove their theories about dark matter.Tom Wilson explores why institutional science remains determined in its pursuit to prove dark matter's existence.Video courtesy of The

Giant “light bulbs” in space?

Giant “light bulbs” in space?

For more than four years, NASA scientists has puzzled over mysterious structures in the Milky Way galaxy called Fermi Bubbles. The so-called bubbles reach for tens of thousands of light years above and below the galaxy.Both the structures enormous size and their emissio

Sensing lightning from ISS

Sensing lightning from ISS

Across the atmosphere of Earth, lightning flashes about 50 times per second. That’s 4.3 million times a day and roughly 1.5 billion times a year. Using a new instrument on the International Space Station (ISS), scientists are trying to observe and dissect at

Colliding neutron stars source of all the gold in universe

Colliding neutron stars source of all the gold in universe

Contrary to what most people think, it appears that gold did not form inside our planet eons ago. The reason for this conclusion is simple. Gold is heavy, and have it formed before Earth's crust solidified it would have sunk through the liquid

Earth Gamma-Ray Blasters

Earth Gamma-Ray Blasters

From NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA’s The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been catching brief outbursts of high-energy light that are mysteriously produced above thunderstorms. The outbursts, known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), last only a few

The Quantum Guide – Pulsars

The Quantum Guide – Pulsars

A pulsar is a neutron star that emits beams of radiation that sweep through Earth’s line of sight. Like a black hole, it is an endpoint to stellar evolution. The “pulses” of high-energy radiation we see from a pulsar are due to a misalignment of the neutron star’s