Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Pluto's Atmosphere Warmer Than Thought
An in-depth study of Pluto's atmosphere reveals it is warmer, and contains more methane, than previously thought.
What determines the size of giant dunes?
Physicists at the Laboratory of Physics and Mechanics of Heterogeneous Media (CNRS / Université Paris Diderot / ESPCI ParisTech / Université Pierre et Marie Curie) have shown, in collaboration with...
Dawn spacecraft finishes Mars phase
With Mars disappearing in its metaphorical rearview mirror, NASA's Dawn spacecraft's next stop is the asteroid belt and the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn got as close as 549 kilometres (341...
Asteroid's Near Miss A Cosmic Close Call
An asteroid about the size of one that blasted Siberia a century ago just buzzed by Earth.
China to begin space center construction
BEIJING, March 3 (UPI) -- China will soon start the construction of a new space shuttle launch center in its Hainan Province, officials said.
Water ran on Mars as early humans walked the Earth, study suggests
Water that melted from ice and snow carved channels through a Martian gully and deposited a fan of mud at its mouth less than 1.25 million years ago - a...
Swift Satellite records early phase of gamma ray burst
UK astronomers, using a telescope aboard the NASA Swift Satellite, have captured information from the early stages of a gamma ray burst - the most violent and luminous explosions occurring...
NASA celebrates Landsat 5 anniversary
WASHINGTON, March 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it's celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Landsat 5 satellite, which was launched March 1, 1984, and is...
China's First Moon Probe Crashes to Lunar Surface
China's first moon probe Chang'e 1 crashed on purpose on Sunday.
Help to define a lunar lander
ESA's Directorate of Human Spaceflight is inviting industrial, technology and scientific communities to provide inputs for experiments and payload elements for accommodation on its first lunar lander.
Cassini Maps Global Pattern Of Titan's Dunes
Titan's vast dune fields, which may act like weather vanes to determine general wind direction on Saturn's biggest moon, have been mapped by scientists who compiled four years of radar...
Three ESA Earth science missions move to next phase
ESA has announced three candidate Earth Explorer mission concepts to progress to the next phase of consolidation. This selection is part of the user-driven process that will lead to the...
Astronomy's bright future
To mark UNESCO's International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009), six leading astronomers from the UK, the US, Europe and Asia write in March's Physics World about the biggest challenges and opportunities...
Satellite Firm Swaps Rockets for Next Launch
Satellite fleet operator Asiasat has changed rocket providers for its next launch.
Starwatch
Venus's stint as an impressive evening star ends later this month as it plummets into our western twilight on its way to inferior conjunction on the
Small Robots Can Prepare Lunar Surface For NASA Outpost
Small robots the size of riding mowers could prepare a safe landing site for NASA's Moon outpost, according to a NASA-sponsored study.
Origin of Life On Earth: Scientists Unlock Mystery Of Molecular Machine
A major mystery about the origins of life may have been resolved. Scientists have proposed a new theory for how a universal molecular machine, the ribosome, managed to self-assemble as...
Satellite Collision Avoidance Methods Questioned After Space Crash
The recent U.S.-Russian satellite crash has raised questions over whether it could have been avoided.
Spot a Star Cluster
It's an ideal time to break out your binoculars and explore the profusion of open or galactic star clusters.
North Korean Space Launch a 'Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'
North Korea's planned launch of what it is calling a "satellite appears" imminent.
Planet hidden in Hubble archives
A new way to process images reveals an extrasolar planet that had been hiding in an 11-year-old Hubble picture
Blackberry Bold sales halted in Japan a week after launch
A smartphone model launched in Japan last week by Research in Motion has been pulled from shelves in Japan after customers said the devices were hot - but not always...
Follow the Herschel and Planck missions online
Herschel, ESA’s infrared space observatory, and Planck, ESA’s mission that will look back to the very dawn of time, are scheduled for launch on 16 April 2009 from ESA’s Spaceport...
U.S. satellite shootdown debris said gone from space
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - No debris remains in space from the U.S. destruction a year ago of an errant spy satellite loaded with toxic hydrazine fuel, the head of the...
OasISS pre-flight crew press conference
ESA astronaut Frank De Winne is scheduled to spend six months on the International Space Station starting from May. In October 2009, he is set to become the first European...
Sweet Potato Takes A Ride On Space Shuttle Columbia
Researchers are studying microgravity's effects on a sweet potato. Seeds of several crops have been grown in microgravity, but this was the first test for plants grown from cuttings. Half...
Europe names crew for Mars 'mission'
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Friday named a Frenchman and a German who will join four Russians in an innovative 105-day isolation experiment to test whether humans can one...
Eyes of the Gods: Detail-Revealing New Time-Lapse Movies
Adapting a technique from NASA's interplanetary missions, photographers can now expose everything from darkest to brightest in a single frame, then combine many frames to make a breathtaking time lapse...