ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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Dust grains highlight path to planet formation Posted: 29 Nov 2012 06:31 AM PST Astronomers have captured a clear image of the protoplanetary disk of the star UX Tauri A. The team's subsequent, detailed study of the disk's characteristics suggests that its dust particles are large in size and non-spherical in shape. This exciting result shows that these dust grains are colliding with and adhering to each other, a process that is expected to eventually lead to planet formation.

One step closer to 'space climate' forecasting Posted: 28 Nov 2012 06:37 AM PST The Sun determines the course of the planets. But the planets may also exert an influence on the Sun. Their configurations appear to be responsible for long-term cycles of increased solar activity. Scientists have compared cycles of solar magnetic activity over the past 10,000 years – as reconstructed from ice cores – with the action of the planets. The agreement observed is very striking, raising hopes that our ability to forecast periods of intense solar activity may ultimately be improved. This is becoming increasingly important as our society is ever-more dependent on technologies such as satellite communications and navigation systems – as well as power grids – which can be disabled by major solar eruptions.

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