DEAD GALAXY The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5044, seen in this composite image, is filled with cold gas, yet it is not making stars. New research suggests a black hole may be to blame. The galaxy is filled with threads of warm hydrogen gas (red) that snake through an atmosphere of hot gas (blue). Stars appear white.
Digitized Sky Survey, Chandra/NASA , Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research, Very Large Array
LASER DEFENSE The U.S. Navy is reportedly deploying a laser weapon system on one of its ships. New work on carving out air-based conduits for high-energy laser beams could improve this technology.
Copyright U.S. Navy
BEAD CAPTURE A 50-nanometer-wide plastic bead (yellow circle, center) is trapped by light in this illustration. Laser light gets focused by a bow tie–shaped hole etched into a thin gold film at the tip of an optical fiber.
R. Quidant
GIVE A HOOT Peacocks make guys-only noises, including a hoot that may exaggerate their popularity and attract females during breeding season.
R. Dakin
SUN-SCORCHED WORLD Tau Boötis b orbits close to its sun, as seen in this artist’s illustration. The planet glows brightly with infrared light, which astronomers used to detect water in the planet’s atmosphere.
L. Calçada/ESO
Note: To comment, Science News subscribing members must now establish a separate login relationship with Disqus. Click the Disqus icon below, enter your e-mail and click “forgot password” to reset your password. You may also log into Disqus using Facebook, Twitter or Google.
