Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Best Space Pictures: A Cosmic Cluster, a Heavenly Halo, and a Supernova's Ashes
A halo of stars highlights a galaxy and a supernova image is spiffed up in this week's best space pictures.
Apollo 11 Astronauts Meet Obama at White House
U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collin, the two surviving Apollo 11 astronauts, to the White House yesterday (July 22) to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the...
J1023 And A 'Transformer' Pulsar
In June of 2013, an exceptional binary containing a rapidly spinning neutron star underwent a dramatic change in behavior never before observed - the pulsar radio beacon vanished and the...
Explorers Wrap Up Mock Mars Mission in Hawaii
Six crew members who have been on a mock Mars mission in Hawaii for the past four months are getting set to come back to the real world on Friday.
Bats use polarized light to navigate: First mammal known to use polarization patterns in the sky to navigate
The bats use the way the sun's light is scattered in the atmosphere at sunset to calibrate their internal magnetic compass, which helps them to fly in the right direction,...
Kepler-421b: Transiting Exoplanet With Longest Known Year
Kepler-421b has been revealed as a transiting exoplanet with the longest known year - 704 days. For comparison, Mars orbits our Sun once every 780 days. The farther a planet is...
'Star Wars Episode VII' X-Wing Revealed by J.J. Abrams (Video)
"Star Wars Episode VII" director J.J. Abrams is giving fans of the franchise their first look at the new movie's updated X-Wing — a fighter plane flown in the original...
Space History Photo: Boilerplate Mercury Capsule
Engineers inspect a boilerplate Mercury capsule.
Astronauts Begin 9-Day Mission ... Under the Sea
Four astronauts traded in their spacesuits for scuba gear yesterday (July 21) and embarked on a nine-day mission at the bottom of the sea as part of NASA's Extreme Environment...
Earth & Sky: Planets Align During Volcanic Eruption
A sunrise photograph shows an unusual volcano sending ash toward a conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and the moon. Tanzania's Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano of its kind.
Simulated 'engine of explosion' observed in supernova remnant
Back in 2003, researchers using the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility's (OLCF's) first supercomputer, Phoenix, started out with a bang. Astrophysicists studying core-collapse supernovae—dying massive stars that violently explode after...
Massive neutrinos and new standard cosmological model: No concordance yet
Neutrinos, also known as 'ghost particles' because they barely interact with other particles or their surroundings, are massless particles according to the standard model of particle physics. However, there is...
Researchers offer possible explanation for lack of radiation flash from gas cloud interaction with Milky Way black hole
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany has offered a possible explanation for the lack of fireworks during the interaction between a gas cloud and...
Image: Kaleidoscopic view of Mars
Astrophotographer Leo Aerts from Belgium took advantage of the recent opposition of Mars and captured the Red Planet both "coming and going" in this montage of images taken from October...
After the Fact: Light Show That Fizzled
Eagerly anticipating a gas cloud’s collision with the Milky Way’s black hole, astronomers instead saw nothing. An intriguing explanation has emerged.
Raw Data: Beyond Energy, Matter, Time and Space
Humans might think we can figure out the ultimate mysteries, but there is no reason to believe that we have all the pieces necessary for a theory of everything.
More Eyes on the Skies
Construction is starting on several gargantuan observatories, mostly in Chile, the most ambitious spree of telescope-making in the history of astronomy.
Actor Morgan Freeman Talks Mars Trips & More with NASA Astronauts
Actor Morgan Freeman grilled NASA astronauts on the International Space Station about how their work can get humans to Mars someday.
Media venture creates press litigation fund
The media venture created by entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar said Monday it was establishing a fund to help defend journalists in cases involving freedom of the press.
World Breaks Heat Record For Second Month in Row
The globe is on a hot streak, setting a heat record in June. That's after the world broke a record in May.
Buzz Aldrin Took the First Space Selfie ... in 1966
Aldrin, the second man in space, tweeted about the self-portrait he snapped in November 1966 during the Gemini 12 flight.
Why Extraterrestrial Life May Need Alien Oceans
Scientists searching for planets where E.T. may live have homed in on places where liquid water could exist. But a livable world may require not just water, but oceans, a...
Russia Launches Live Animals on Two-Month Space Mission
A high-flying package of live animals, plant seeds, and materials samples shot into space Friday (July 18) aboard a retrievable Russian Foton satellite, launching a two-month mission focusing on microgravity...
Historic View of Earth Shows Beautiful 'Blue Marble'
The astronauts who first walked on the moon also got some beautiful views of Earth during their journey. A 'Blue Marble' Earth image from July 16, 1969 shows the planet...
What am I seeing? (NASA edition)
Can you tell what's in this image? As the space race developed new technology, some ideas flourished while others fizzled
Space History Photo: Kathy Sullivan Dons Her Suit
Astronaut Kathy Sullivan poses for a picture with her space suit.
North Korea 'ready to punish' U.S., South Korea for condemning missile tests
JC FinleyPYONGYANG, North Korea, July 21 (UPI) -- North Korea warned Sunday that it is "ready to punish" those who oppose its missile tests.
Rick Perry to send 1,000 National Guard troops to Texas border
Matt BradwellAUSTIN, Texas, July 21 (UPI) -- Gov. Rick Perry will activate the Texas National Guard and deploy roughly 1,000 servicemen to Texas' portion of the U.S./Mexican border, according to...