Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Newborn Massive Stars Dwarf Full-Grown Stellar Giants
Astronomers studied the young star B275 in the Omega Nebula.
UN climate talks 'ambition' call
The International Energy Agency calls for "more ambition" at the UN climate talks, as a report suggests emissions will make the world 3.5C warmer by 2100.
Most 'Earth-like' planet yet is discovered
MOFFAT FIELD, Calif., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers say an Earth-like planet outside the solar system is in its star's "habitable" zone with a surface temperature averaging a...
NASA Fires Up Engine for Giant New Rocket
The J-2X engine will power the second stage of NASA's new heavy-lifter.
Successful Chinese Satellite Launch Breaks Record
The Chinese Long March rocket launched into orbit carrying a navigation satellite.
No Need to Tweak New Mars Rover's Course, NASA Says
The Mars Science Laboratory is on track and there's no need to adjust its trajectory at this time.
Milky Way Shreds Dwarf Galaxy Into Four Star Streams
As a dwarf galaxy, in this case Sagittarius, falls into bigger galaxies (Milky Way), it has been known that tails of stars are pulled out of the dwarf by gargantuan...
Christmas burst reveals neutron star collision
A strangely powerful, long-lasting gamma-ray burst on Christmas Day, 2010 has finally been analyzed to the satisfaction of a multinational research team. Called the Christmas Burst, GRB 101225A was freakishly...
Space Artifacts at Auctions Draw High Bids and Higher Scrutiny
An Apollo 13 checklist fetched six figures, but a rocket engine was reclaimed by NASA.
Alien Planet Is Rolling Over, Forcing 4 Others to Do Same
The massive planet 55 Cancri d flips itself upside-down and drags its four sibling planets along for the ride.
NASA satellites find Texas aquifers at record low
A historic drought has depleted Texas aquifers to lows rarely seen since 1948, and it could take months — or even years — for the groundwater supplies to fully recharge,...
Magnetic Pole Reversal Happens All The (Geologic) Time
Scientists understand that Earth’s magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times over the millennia. In other words, if you were alive about 800,000 years ago, and facing what we...
Russia Mars probe failure underlined by successful U.S. launch
As the NASA rover Curiosity, launched from Cape Canaveral, streaks toward Mars, Russia's Phobos-Ground probe is marooned in near-Earth orbit and largely unresponsive to ground controllers' commands.
Baby Seals Need the Nicest Ice
Warming Arctic may limit prime whelping grounds for harp seals
New exhibition, website guide visitors through the evolving universe
The cosmos constantly changes. Stars are born, live out their lives, and die - sometimes calmly, sometimes explosively. Galaxies form, grow, and collide dramatically. A new exhibition and website, developed...
How to Keep Commercial Spaceflight Safe: Q&A With FAA's George Nield
Private spaceships can be just as safe as NASA's, Nield says.
SpaceX Expanding Florida Facilities to Meet Launch Demand
SpaceX is building an addition to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's launch complex.
NASA's Fla. Visitor Center Clearing Way for Shuttle Arrival
Workers are preparing the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the arrival of Atlantis.
Dot Earth Blog: Other Voices: Life on Planet 3.0
A climate scientist broadens his view and builds a new blog.
FOR KIDS: A shock to the solar system
Scientists suspect a nearby exploding star ignited the formation of the sun and planets
Cosmic Purple
A spiral galaxy gains a purplish hue in the false-color view from a space telescope.
Worms reveal effects of long space voyages
Worms can be sent into space and monitored remotely for many generations, a new study shows, providing a way to research the effects of long space voyages such as those...
Amazing Aurora Over Sweden - Time-Lapsed
Vibrant Northern Lights filled the night sky over Abisko National Park on November 28, 2011. Chad Blakley (www.lightsoverlapland.com) captured this stunning time-lapse video.
The human cost of Russia's lost spacecraft
It hasnt been a great year for Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency. In the last twelve months, it has lost four major missions on top of the aerospace industrys...
Could Curiosity determine if Viking found life on Mars?
One of the most controversial and long-debated aspects of Mars exploration has been the results of the Viking landers life-detection experiments back in the 1970s. While the preliminary findings were...
NASA's Nanosail-D 'sails' home -- mission complete
After spending more than 240 days "sailing" around the Earth, NASA's NanoSail-D -- a nanosatellite that deployed NASA's first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit -- has successfully completed its Earth...
Satellite Images Suggest Blast Obliterated Iran Military Base
The deadly explosion on Nov. 12 appears to have been far more devastating than Iranian authorities suggested, with images showing vast destruction and chaotic disarray across a sprawling complex.
Photos: Atop NASA's Huge Mobile Launch Tower
An up-close look at the space agency's new $500 million, 355-foot-high mobile launcher.