Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Nasa and Esa sign Mars agreement
The US and European space agencies sign the "letter of intent" tying together their Mars programmes.
Japan eyes solar station in space as new energy source
It may sound like a sci-fi vision, but Japan's space agency is dead serious: by 2030 it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth,...
The Sunyaev- Zeldovich Effect is independent of Redshift because of Cosmic Dust
Cosmic dust explains why the intensity of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect is independent of Redshift. Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
Law change call for space flight
A law change is needed before Scotland can be considered as a launch site for commercial space flights, Virgin Galactic says.
Russian rocket to launch from French Guiana in 2010
A Russian rocket will next year for the first time blast off from a European launch pad in South America, officials said Saturday, as the first rockets headed for the...
A Tale of Planetary Woe
Long ago, something calamitous happened to Mars, transforming a hospitable world into the apparently lifeless desert we see today. Many scientists believe the Red Planet lost most of its...
2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked
Supposed Maya predictions of the end of the world in 2012 have some people seriously scared. See what experts say about the unknown planet predicted to pummel Earth, the cataclysmic...
PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked
Asteroids slamming into Earth, a planet sneaking up on us, an angry sun singing the planet—find out why these and other end-of-the-world events won't be happening in 2012.
Space Junk Buzzes Station as Astronauts Sleep
A small chunk of space trash headed for an uncomfortably close pass by the International Space Station late Friday, but not close enough to force the astronauts aboard to take...
Station Prepares For New Spacecraft, Monitors Debris
The station crew prepared Friday for the arrival of the Russian Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2) which is scheduled for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Nov. 10. The MRM2...
U.S. 'Decades Behind' on Space Debris Threat, Official Says
The chief of U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday that America needs to step up its game in monitoring the orbital debris that's up there and planning to avoid collisions with...
Rosetta approach on schedule
(PhysOrg.com) -- After the trajectory correction manoeuvre on 22 October, Rosetta has lined up on a near-perfect Earth approach path. The manoeuvre was so precise that mission controllers decided not...
'Dropouts' pinpoint earliest galaxies
Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by...
Rugged, Scarred Terrain Seen in New Mars Images
New Mars Express images showcase huge crater, chaotic Martian terrain.
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have published the discovery of the farthest known object in the cosmos: a star that exploded when the universe was only 630 million years old -- only...
Kepler Mission Update
(PhysOrg.com) -- Kepler completed another science data download over October 18-19. In this download, a month's worth of science data was transmitted through the NASA Deep Space Network and into...
Pioneering Swiss solar-powered plane rolled out
Solar Impulse, the Swiss bid to make the first solar-powered flight around the world, rolled out its prototype on Friday at an airbase near Zurich.
The CoRoT Satellite : 3 More Years To Hunt For Planets And To Listen To The Music Of Stars
The operations of the CoRoT mission has been extended for three additional years, until 31 March 2013.
Moon's Friends Say 'No' to Future Lunar Crashes
When a NASA spacecraft rammed into the moon in October, it tossed up a hard-to-see plume of lunar material and stirred up a cloud of public anxiety.
Development of the ESMO student Moon satellite gets under way
ESA's Education Office has awarded a contract to Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd of the UK to manage the development and testing of the first European student mission to the Moon....
Primary sources | John Crace
John Crace sifts through new research and discoveries from around the world The hole that time forgotFor a long time now the Mexicans have got it in the neck for being home...
Study: Whale-watchers ignore speed limits
SCITUATE, Mass., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A study of whale-watching boats visiting Stellwagen Bank from Massachusetts ports found all of them exceeding voluntary speed limits.
Take Me Out to the Ballpark - On Mars!
Students in fourth through seventh grade will work to create the ultimate baseball experience "on Mars," even designing the rules for how to play a game on the Red Planet.
Mutant Bacteria Are Likely to Threaten Future Space Travelers
When humans eventually travel to Mars and beyond, they'll have plenty to worry about along with the discomforts of eating freeze-dried food and drinking their own urine. A new report says they will...
Unusual meteorite found by time-lapse camera observatory
(PhysOrg.com) -- An unusual meteorite with an interesting orbit has been tracked to the ground using a photographic observatory that records time-lapse images of fireballs traveling across the sky.
Digital TV Switch A Boon For Astronomers
The brief period of radio silence during the switchover makes it possible to listen for pulsars and other space entities that are otherwise drowned out While most of the world looked forward...
Tweak Gravity: What If There Is No Dark Matter?
Theorists and observational astronomers are hot on the trail of dark matter , the invisible material thought to account for puzzling mass disparities in large-scale astronomical structures. For instance,...
New type of supernova explosion reported; predicted by theoretical physicists at UCSB
A new class of supernova was discovered by scientists at Berkeley and may be the first example of a new type of exploding star. A team of astrophysicists at UC...