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Meteorite's Organic Matter Older Than the Sun, Study Says Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News November 30, 2006Organic globules found in a meteorite that slammed into Canada's Tagish Lake may be older than our sun, a new study says. The ancient materials could offer a glimpse into the solar system's planet-building past and may even provide clues to how life on Earth first arose. "We don't really look at this research as telling us something about [the meteorite itself] as much as telling us something about the origins of the solar system," said Scott Messenger of the NASA Johnson Space...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 April 7 NGC 281: Cluster, Clouds, and Globules Credit & Copyright: Jean-Charles Cuillandre (CFHT), Hawaiian Starlight, CFHT Explanation: NGC 281 is a busy workshop of star formation. Prominent features include a small open cluster of stars, a diffuse red-glowing emission nebula, large lanes of obscuring gas and dust, and dense knots of dust and gas in which stars may still be forming. The open cluster of stars...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 June 11 Inside the Eagle Nebula Credit & Copyright: T. A. Rector & B. A. Wolpa, NOAO, AURA, NSF Explanation: From afar, the whole thing looks like an Eagle. A closer look of the Eagle Nebula, however, shows the bright region is actually a window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust. Through this window, a brightly-lit workshop appears where a whole open cluster...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 May 12 At the Edge of the Helix Nebula Credit: R. O'Dell and K. Handron (Rice University), NASA Explanation: While exploring the inner edge of the Helix Nebula with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, astronomers were able to produce this striking image - rich in details of an exotic environment. This planetary nebula, created near the final phase of a sun-like star's life,...