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If approved, the Dark Energy Survey would measure the history of the expansion rate of the universe more precisely than ever before, using the largest camera ever built with Charge Coupled Devices (CCD). The 500 megapixel Dark Energy Camera would be placed on an existing 4-meter telescope located in north-central Chile at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.

Looking for a very cool astronomical education site for kids? One that even adults will be mesmerized by? The recently unveiled “Cool Cosmos” portal is involving students in science with multi-disciplinary educational materials produced with the goal of engaging the young minds of future generations of scientists.

Author, observer and imager Chris Schur made the Astronomical Picture of the Day for May 12th, 2004 with a beautiful shot of Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT)

Scientists to persuade reluctant fermions to bury the hatchet.

Astronomers may not have observed the fabled "Stairway to Heaven," but they have photographed something almost as intriguing: ladder-like structures surrounding a dying star. A new image, taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, reveals startling new details of one of the most unusual nebulae known in our Milky Way. Cataloged as HD 44179, this nebula is more commonly called the "Red Rectangle" because of its unique shape and color as seen with ground-based telescopes.