ASTROPHYSICS: Astronomers Spot Their First Carbon Bomb

Carbon on the surface of an ultradense star detonated in a 3-hour thermonuclear explosion, according to a report at a meeting here last week of the American Astronomical Society's High Energy Astrophysics Division. If confirmed, the burst would be the first known cosmic explosion fueled solely by carbon rather than hydrogen or helium and could verify or revise models of carbon combustion.     

Astronomers gossip about the (cosmic) neighborhood

The Hague, Netherlands, last month welcomed 2000 astronomers from around the world for the 22nd General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). From 15 to 27 August, they participated in symposia and discussions on topics ranging from the down-to-Earth issue of light and radio-frequency pollution to the creation of elements at the farthest reaches of time and space, in the big bang. Some of the most striking news, however, came in new findings from our galaxy and its immediate surroundings.     

Astronomers watch the stars come out in berkeley

New and strange sightings caught the attention of astronomers at this June's American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Berkeley: a supernova that has changed its identity, a clutch of mysterious blue stars, and objects at the edge of the universe, shining brilliantly at the far end of the ultraviolet spectrum. Meanwhile, a more familiar object-one species of supernova-is raising hopes of predicting the ultimate fate of this cosmic zoo.