Magnificent Cosmos
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Cover; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editors; Magnificent Cosmos; by Rennie; 1 Page(s)

Treasures in the Stars

Discovering Worlds; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Discovering Worlds

Giant Planets Orbiting Faraway Stars; Magnificent Cosmos; by Marcy, Butler; 6 Page(s)

Awed by the majesty of a star-studded night, human beings often grapple with the ancient question: Are we alone?

Searching for Life in Our Solar System; Magnificent Cosmos; by Jakosky, sidebar by Lipkin; 6 Page(s)

If life evolved independently on our neighboring planets or moons,then where are the most likely places to look for evidence of extraterrestrial organisms?

Searching for Life in Other Solar Systems; Magnificent Cosmos; by Angel, Woolf; 4 Page(s)

Life remains a phenomenon we know only on Earth. But an innovative telescope in space could change that by detecting signs of life on planets orbiting other stars

Planetary Tour; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editors; 2 Page(s)

Some four and a half billion years ago, and for reasons that scientists have yet to agree upon, a flat, round cloud of gas and dust began to contract in the interstellar space of our Milky Way galaxy, itself already at least five billion years old.

Mercury; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

The innermost planet in the solar system

Venus; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Though named for the goddess of love, Venus is more like Earth's ugly sister.

Earth; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

That it teems with life makes Earth a precious oddity among plants- although just how odd, scientists cannot say.

Mars; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Mar's relative nearness, mythological connotations and even its hue have made it the favored planet of popular culture.

Jupiter; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Jupiter represents a departure from the four relatively tiny rock planets that precede it as we travel away from the sun.

Saturn; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Uranus; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

The placid blue face of Uranus, because of the presence of methane, is quite dull compared with the hectic and variable view

Neptune; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Astronomers searched for an eighth planet when Uranus's observed orbit disagreed with its calculated one, leading to suspicions of a large body exerting gravitational forces.

Pluto; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Is Pluto really a planet? Until about six years ago, the question would have seemed silly.

Asteroids; Magnificent Cosmos; by staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Concentrated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter float thousand of what astronomers often call minor planets, or asteroids

Comets; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

The word "comet," from the Greek, means "long-haired," an apt description for what may appear to be a blur or smudge in the heavens .

Fire and Light; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Fire and Light

SOHO Reveals the Secrets of the Sun; Magnificent Cosmos; by Lang; 6 Page(s)

A powerful new spacecraft - the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO - is now monitoring the sun around the clock, providing new clues about our nearest star

V1974 Cygni 1992: Most Important Nova of the Century; Magnificent Cosmos; by Starrfield, Shore; 5 Page(s)

This nova answered many questions during its life and raised more in death

Cosmic Rays at the Energy Frontier; Magnificent Cosmos; by Cronin, Gaisser, Swordy; 6 Page(s)

These particles carry more energy than any others in the universe. Their origin is unknown but may be relatively nearby

Gamma-Ray Bursts; Magnificent Cosmos; by Fishman, Hartmann; 6 Page(s)

New observations illuminate the most powerful explosions in the universe

Colossal Galactic Explosions; Magnificent Cosmos; by Veilleux, Cecil, Bland-Hawthorn; 6 Page(s)

Enormous outpourings of gas from the centers of nearby galaxies may ultimately help explain both star formation and the intergalactic medium

The Ghostliest Galaxies; Magnificent Cosmos; by Bothun; 4 Page(s)

Astronomers have found more than 1,000 low-surface-brightness galaxies over the past decade, significantly altering our views of how galaxies evolve and how mass is distributed in the universe

A Universal View; Magnificent Cosmos; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

A Universal View

The Evolution of the Universe; Magnificent Cosmos; by Peebles, Schramm,Turner, Kron; 6 Page(s)

Some 12 billion years ago the universe emerged from a hot, dense sea of matter and energy. As the cosmos expanded and cooled, it spawned galaxies, stars, planets and life.

The Expansion Rate and the Size of the Universe; Magnificent Cosmos; by Freedman; 6 Page(s)

The age, evolution and fate of the universe depend on just how fast it is expanding. By measuring the size of the universe using a variety of new techniques, astronomers have recently improved estimates of the expansion rate.

The Self-Reproducing Inflationary Universe; Magnificent Cosmos; by Linde; 6 Page(s)

Recent versions of the inflationary scenario describe the universe as a self-generating fractal that sprouts other inflationary universes

Dark Matter in the Universe; Magnificent Cosmos; by Rubin; 5 Page(s)

As much as 90 percent of the matter in the universe is invisible. Detecting this dark matter will help astronomers better comprehend the universe's destiny

A Scientific Armada; Magnificent Cosmos; by Beardsley; 4 Page(s)

Space-deployed sensors promise a revolution in science's understanding of the cosmos