Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
NASA's MODIS and AIRS instruments watch Igor changing shape, warming over 3 days
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS, is an instrument that flies on NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites and provides incredible views of tropical cyclones like Hurricane Igor, from its...
Cosmic Log: Titanic frontiers still beckon
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Oceangoing researchers are back in port at the end of a 3-D survey of the Titanic, but this isn’t the final chapter of the historic...
NASA'S LRO exposes moon's complex, turbulent youth
The moon was bombarded by two distinct populations of asteroids or comets in its youth, and its surface is more complex than previously thought, according to new results from NASA's...
Five things about NASA's Mars Curiosity rover
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mars Science Laboratory, aka Curiosity, is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term program of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The mission is scheduled to launch...
Astronomers find 'cannibal' star
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Astronomers say a "cannibal" star is devouring a companion star and possibly creating a second generation of exoplanets from the resulting orbiting material. ...
The Worst Part of Going to Space? Your Fingernails Come Off
Oh, It Hurts Some astronauts report losing their fingernails on spacewalks because of bulky gloves that cut off circulation and chafe against their hands. To avoid this inconvenience, a couple astronauts have taken...
Alien Planet's Missing Methane Stumps Scientists
The atmosphere of a big, hot alien planet contains almost no methane, surprising astronomers who had thought the stinky gas was a common feature of such worlds.
Elusive Mercury Visible at Dawn This Week
Next week is the best 2010 morning apparition of Mercury for northern hemisphere observers.
Video: Soaring with the Eagles
This Sunday Morning nature piece takes you to the Tonawanda Wildlife Refuge in upstate New York which is guarded under the watchful eyes of eagles.
Astronomers seek cosmic 'building blocks'
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Scientists say a search for the "building blocks" of the solar system has proved fruitful as they've added new objects to their cosmic...
NASA's Aqua satellite takes snapshot of Arctic Ocean sea ice
The Arctic Ocean is covered by a dynamic layer of sea ice that grows each winter and shrinks each summer, reaching its yearly minimum size each fall. While the 2010...
Astronaut Double Take: Identical Twins Headed for Space Station
Twins Scott and Mark Kelly are slated to command simultaneous NASA missions to space next year.
Colorado's 'Reservoir Road Fire' can be seen from space
NASA's Aqua satellite flies around the Earth twice a day and captures visible and infrared imagery. On Sept. 12 at 19:20 UTC (3:20 p.m. EDT), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer...
Super Bright Star Outshines Galaxy In Cosmic Photo
An intensely bright star that lies between Earth and a distant galaxy stole the show in an image from the Hubble Space Telescope that was intended to capture the star-filled...
NASA's Hubble harvests distant solar system objects
Beyond the orbit of Neptune reside countless icy rocks known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). One of the biggest, Pluto, is classified as a dwarf planet. The region also supplies us...
Doom From Space
I'm a nice guy launching a nice little musical satellite. But what if I were a super-villain? What if _you_ were a super-villain and launching your own satellite? Think-- and...
Supernova shrapnel found in meteorite
Scientists have identified the microscopic shrapnel of a nearby star that exploded just before or during the birth of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Russia's summer fires tracked for 'atlas'
PARIS, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Data from European satellites show more wildfires burned around Moscow this year than in the last 15 years, scientists say.
Russia Finds Last-Days Log of 1912 Arctic Expedition
For decades, mystery clouded the fate of Georgy Brusilov, the captain of the first Russian crew to seek the elusive Arctic trade route from Asia to the West.
An astronaut field trip: NASA practices in the deserts of the Southwest
What's it like to be on an alien planet? According to NASA, it could be pretty similar to a trip to the Grand Canyon.
Pictures: Best Astronomy Photos of the Year Named
From starlit trees to a ring of fire, see the 2010 winners of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich's annual astrophotography contest. ...
Hair Dryer Glitch Pushes Private Danish Rocket Launch to 2011
A $70,000 private rocket built by Danish volunteers aims for next year after a first launch attempt fizzled.
Air Force General Tapped to Lead U.S. Space Command
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. William Shelton has been nominated to serve as commander of Air Force Space Command.
14 Big Space Rocks Discovered Beyond Neptune
A cache of 14 large space rocks beyond Neptune was recently discovered by astronomers searching through the archives of the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA Team's Exploration Proposal Aligns with Senate Bill
A NASA team's plan rejects parts of the president's space exploration strategy but aligns with a version of the Senate's NASA authorization bill
Sun Eruption May Supercharge Northern Lights Monday
The luminous auroras of Earth's northern lights show may get a boost Monday from a weekend solar eruption.
Satellites Search for 770M Tons of Dust in the Air
Using data from several research satellites, scientists at The University of Alabama in Huntsville will spend the next three years trying to understand the climate impacts of about 770 million...
Stephen Hawking Speaks Out On Space Exploration, Time Travel
Stephen Hawking talks about time travel, human space exploration, his family and various other topics in a wide-ranging interview with PARADE Magazine to be published this Sunday.