Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Russia's Progress docks with ISS
MOSCOW, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Russia's Progress cargo ship has docked successfully with the International Space Station, space officials said Friday.
Model suggests origins of Mars gullies
University of Arkansas researchers have used chemistry and geology to create a model that may explain the mystery of how modern-day gullies form on the surface of Mars...
Stardust Logs A Decade Under The Stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- Saturday, Feb. 7, marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of NASA's well-traveled Stardust spacecraft.
Astronauts Swab the Deck
If you saw a mushroom growing in your bathroom, you'd probably bring out the heavy artillery. - Mr. Clean, astride a Howitzer
Former NASA Chief Says Ares I Rocket Two Times Safer
Former NASA chief Mike Griffin says the new Ares I rocket is twice as safe as existing expendable boosters.
Mars Craters Tell Story of Water and Ice
Martian surface features suggest a watery, icy past.
Laser-sculpted Optical Devices For Future Giant Telescopes
Th emerging field of astrophotonics shows promise in analyzing light from the night sky. Future telescopes, with mirrors half the size of a football field, will need special components to...
NASA's SkyView Delivers The Multiwavelength Cosmos
Some three million times a year, researchers, educators, and amateur astronomers all over the world ask NASA's SkyView virtual observatory to serve up images of some interesting corner of the...
'Silver sensation' seeks cold cosmos
The European Space Agency's Herschel observatory is finished and ready to go into orbit, to study the processes that form stars and galaxies.
Modest Lunar Eclipse Monday Morning
A modest eclipse of the moon will occur early Monday morning, Feb 9.
First N. American antenna lets ALMA Observatory do its thing
Astronomers today celebrated the formal acceptance of the first North American antenna by the Joint ALMA Observatory. ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is a gathering armada of short-wavelength radio...
Saving The Space Shuttle, Piece By Piece
As the retirement of NASA's shuttle fleet looms, the agency wonders what to do the orbiters and their spare parts.
NASA-JPL scientist elected to National Academy of Engineering
In one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to engineers and scientists, the National Academy of Engineering has elected Moustafa T. Chahine, a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion...
Scientist: Keep Mars Pristine
Christopher McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center argues for tougher restrictions.
Emerald comet approaches Earth
In 1996, a 7-year-old boy in China bent over the eyepiece of a small telescope and saw something that would change his life--a comet of flamboyant beauty, bright and puffy...
Biologists solve mystery of black wolves
Why do nearly half of North American wolves have black coats while European wolves are overwhelmingly gray or white? read more
Astronomers Will Train Big MMT Telescope on Moon During 2009 Impact
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers will use the powerful University of Arizona/Smithsonian MMT Observatory on Mount Hopkins, Ariz., to search for lunar water ice when NASA fires a 2-ton rocket into a...
Newfound Comet Lulin to Grace Night Skies
During the next few weeks, a fine comet bright enough for observation in binoculars and possibly even with the naked eye will be making astronomical news.
US analog TV shutdown bolder, riskier than most
(AP) -- The U.S. has planned for more than a decade to have TV broadcasters turn off their analog signals, yet when the Feb. 17 deadline loomed, it flinched,...
Satellites Capture Sea Surface Heights Around the World
(PhysOrg.com) -- This artist's rendering shows a "family portrait" of Jason-1, Topex/Poseidon, and OSTM/Jason-2, all NASA satellites that collect data about sea surface heights around the world. Sea surface heights...
Two suns found in distant planetary system
SEOUL, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- South Korean researchers say they've discovered a planetary system that has two suns.
Nine institutions officially sign agreement for 25-meter Giant Magellan Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Corporation is pleased to announce that nine astronomical research organizations from three continents have signed the Founders' Agreement to construct and operate the 25-meter Giant...
Oh, Roar a Roar for THEMIS
Five satellites are helping scientists understand what causes the Northern Lights. It involves a flux rope, which sounds like it should be the cable that'll help launch the space elevator. Also...
Space station may continue to 2020
MOSCOW, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Russia's leading spacecraft maker RSC Energia said an agreement has been reached to continue using the International Space Station until 2020.
Shaky Space Station Doesn't Rattle Astronauts
Space station astronauts were surprised when their outpost shook unexpectedly last month.
Improved telescopes measure pulsars
Astronomers were recently able to combine data from telescopes across Australia to boost sensitivity – giving them the ability to test gravity theory on a pair of pulsars.
Samsung Announces First Validated 40-nanometer Class DRAM
Samsung Electronics announced today that it has developed and validated the first 40-nanometer (nm) class DRAM chip and module. This new 1-Gigabit DDR2 component (x8) and a corresponding 1-Gigabyte...
Looking Back 13.8 Billion Years: The countdown for Planck satellite has started
The Planck satellite is set to eavesdrop with hitherto unsurpassed precision on the echo of the Big Bang, thereby providing a sharp image of the infancy of the Universe. The...