Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Repairs push shuttle launch to late Feb.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Ongoing investigations and repair of cracks on the fuel tank of the space shuttle Discovery will push a possible launch to late...
New Photos Reveal Birth and Death of Andromeda Stars
New photos show star birth and death in our cosmic neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy.
VISTA stares deeply into the blue lagoon
This new infrared image of the Lagoon Nebula was captured as part of a five-year study of the Milky Way using ESO's VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile....
Epic journeys of turtles revealed
The epic ocean-spanning journeys of the gigantic leatherback turtle in the South Atlantic have been revealed for the first time thanks to groundbreaking research using satellite tracking...
Mystery Deepens in Origin of Violent Black Holes
For years, scientists thought that huge black holes needed to gorge on matter from colliding galaxies. But that may not be, a new study finds.
Veteran Astronaut Leaves NASA as Space Shuttle Era's End Looms
Veteran astronaut Marsha Ivins - a five-time space shuttle flyer - has left NASA, officials announced.
Overview of ESA activities in 2011 relevant to media
Expected key events of the year (follow the ESA web site to get the final dates):
Dog's huge vocabulary turns her into a star
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Chaser the border collie might have to add "celebrity" to her repertoire of more than 1,000 words, because that's what she's becoming.
India: Connectors caused launch failure
BANGALORE, India, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- India says the failure of a rocket intended to put a satellite into orbit was caused by faulty cables between the craft's control...
Opportunity rover will spend 7th birthday at stadium-size crater
(PhysOrg.com) -- The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a Dec. 31, 2010, view of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on the southwestern...
Comet or Asteroid? Big Space Rock Has Identity Crisis
A huge asteroid discovered more than 100 years ago may not be an asteroid at all, but a dormant comet that is just now coming back to life, according to...
STAR TRAK for January 2011
As the new year begins, Jupiter will be the only planet visible after sunset, about halfway up the sky in the south-southwest. It will dominate the evening sky as the...
Smithsonian instrument 'fills the gap,' views Sun's innermost corona
During a total eclipse of the Sun, skywatchers are awed by the shimmering corona - a faint glow that surrounds the Sun like gossamer flower petals. This outer layer of...
SOHO spots 2,000th comet
As people on Earth celebrate the holidays and prepare to ring in the New Year, an ESA/NASA spacecraft has quietly reached its own milestone: on December 26, the Solar and...
Medicare payments for medical imaging are higher to nonradiologist physicians than to radiologists
Researchers have found that Medicare payments for non-invasive medical imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans, are now higher to non-radiologists than to radiologists, according to...
Cramming For HAM
In 2 weeks I test for my HAM Technician-class amateur radio license. I confess no particular interest in HAM radio. However, my satellite has a transmitter and needs a call...
10-year-old Canadian discovers supernova
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A 10-year-old Canadian amateur astronomer has discovered a supernova, an event astronomers say is a rare and significant achievement.
Recycled Haitian concrete can be safe, strong and less expensive, says Georgia Tech group
Nearly one year after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the Republic of Haiti, engineering and concrete experts at Georgia Tech report that concrete and other debris in Port-au-Prince could be safely...
New glaucoma test allows earlier, more accurate detection
A prototype glaucoma test instrument that's noninvasive and simpler to use than current procedures -- and can also be used in situations that are difficult or impossible with current tests...
Building a new planet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers over the past decade have made remarkable progress in the study of extrasolar planets; over 500 distant worlds are now confirmed. Meanwhile, as this active research community...
Experts investigate Kepler's condition
In response to the Dec. 22, 2010 Safe Mode event on the Kepler spacecraft, the mission team has brought in several experts and begun a detailed anomaly investigation.
Muse reveal plans for gig in space
Devon trio consider approaching Richard Branson about performing on a Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceshipCould Muse bring Starlight to the stars? The Devon trio have had "coherent conversations" about bringing their anthemic rock to...
Call for Media: briefing on first results from ESA’s Planck mission
ESA PR 01-2011 Media representatives are invited to a briefing on the occasion of the release of the first data and scientific results from ESA’s Planck mission.
Earth Closing in On Sun - But Don't Panic
Since July, Earth Has Been Falling Ever Closer to the Sun
Quest for Dark Energy May Fade to Black
NASA says it will probably have to put off a $1.6 billion mission to investigate a mysterious acceleration in the expansion of the universe until the next decade.
Cosmic Log: Time flies ... in one-year videos
Experience a full year of nature's changes in just a minute or two, through time-lapse videos created by a Norwegian photographer.
Researchers train software to help monitor climate change
A computer program that automatically analyses mounds of satellite images and other data could help climate scientists keep track of complex, constantly changing environmental conditions, according to an international team...
2011 Tech Trends That Won't Happen
Some of the most common tech predictions being made won't come to pass, at least not this year.