Astronomy: Meteorite Grains Divulge Earth's Cosmic Roots

From Denny: A short article from the folks over at Science Daily. It seems like every few years there comes along a group of scientists telling us the Universe is either older or younger than previously thought. Who said Nature's laws are written in stone? Our maybe it's just our understanding is in a fluid state...

Pair of the grains Image via Wikipedia

Here's an excerpt:

"The interstellar stuff that became incorporated into the planets and life on Earth has younger cosmic roots than theories predict..."

"Heck and his colleagues examined 22 interstellar grains from the Murchison meteorite for their analysis. Dying sun-like stars flung the Murchison grains into space more than 4.5 billion years ago, before the birth of the solar system. Scientists know the grains formed outside the solar system because of their exotic composition."

For the rest of the article just click on the title link.

Astronomy: Nebulas - nature's wonders hidden from many.

Nebulas - nature's wonders hidden from many:

"What are Nebulas?

Nebulas are interstellar bodies; clouds of dust, (hydrogen, alpha and beta) gas and plasma. The mixture attracts other matter and finally beautiful stars are formed. Some nebulas form while the stars are in the process of formation and others are formed while stars undergo destruction. You can often sight them in a dark night."

By nazishnasim @ HubPages

Eagles Head Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: This is a great basic introduction to the subject of nebulas. A lot of nebula photos to stare at in wonderment!

Photos of Crab Nebula and Pillars of Creation (Eagles Head) Nebula