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Jan.
21, 2003 |
In a Galaxy Near You
Scientists said a newly discovered ring of stars
that encircles the Milky Way promises to be an ideal place to
study the mysterious dark matter, which makes up most of the mass
of the universe, and its role in shaping cosmic structures, according
to "Science Times" of the New York Times. The
Jan. 14 Times article detailed Rensselaer astrophysicist
Heidi Newberg's findings that may alter our concept of the Milky
Way and how it was formed.
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Hubble Space Telescope/NASA |
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Two separate teams of astronomers, one with the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey — headed by Newberg, associate professor
of physics, and Fermilab's Brian Yanny — and an Australian
team, discovered a ring of stars encircling the Galactic diameter
that is estimated at 120,000 light-years. Its thickness is about
10 times that of the rest of the galaxy and it extends well above
and below the galactic plane.
For access to the entire New York Times
article, go to: http://www.rpi.edu/web/News/NYTNewberg.html
Additionally, the Albany Times
Union's William Dowd featured a profile of Heidi Newberg in
its Jan. 14 issue.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID
=92526&category=RENSSELAER&newsdate=1/14/2003
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