Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
NASA tries to awaken mars rover
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- NASA says it is trying to re-establish communication with its stuck Mars rover Spirit after months of silence as temperatures rise during the...
2011 Quadrantid Meteors: See What You May Have Missed
Did the winter chill keep you from watching the Quadrantids this week? See global views of this "reliable and productive" meteor shower.
Video: First Solar Eclipse of 2011
The first solar eclipse in 2011 amazed many onlookers on the other side of the world Tuesday morning. Gary Hamilton reports.
Arkansas mass bird plummet mystery 'is solved'
Scientists believe the shock caused by New Year's Eve fireworks display may have caused thousands of birds to rain from the sky over an Arkansas town.
Arianespace says it plans 12 launches in 2011
Arianespace said on Tuesday that it planned 10 launches in 2011, including six of its Ariane 5 rockets and the first Russian Soyuz rockets from the European space base in...
Researchers helping electric-wheelchair users move more easily
Thick gravel, mud, snow, steep ramps or hills ... They might get a pedestrian a little dirty or out of breath, but to someone in an electric wheelchair, they could...
Television's Top 10 Science Fiction Shows Ever
Newsarama counts down the 10 Best Sci-Fi TV shows ever to hit the small screen, from Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica.
Restaurants uploading menus on iPads for diners
(AP) -- The bar is buzzing on a busy night at Chicago Cut steakhouse as regulars Keith and Peg Bragg sit at a high table scanning the wine list.
The universe's most massive stars can form in near isolation, new study finds
New observations by University of Michigan astronomers add weight to the theory that the most massive stars in the universe could form essentially anywhere, including in near isolation; they don't...
US and Germany developing secret spy satellites: cable
The United States and Germany are jointly developing secret spy satellites under the guise of a commercial programme despite opposition from France, leaked US diplomatic cables showed Monday.
Global network of new-generation telescopes will track astrophysical events as they happen
Astronomers will, for the first time, be capable of tracking astrophysical events across the sky as they happen.
One Year On
It is now just over a year since I started blogging on Life and Physics. Here's a sort of end-of-year review and some resolutions.Happy new year all. I read two physics books...
Bizarre bioluminescent snail: Secrets of strange mollusk and its use of light as a possible defense mechanism revealed
Two scientists have provided the first details about the mysterious flashes of dazzling bioluminescent light produced by a little-known sea snail.
China to explore Mars with Russia this year
China's first Mars probe is expected to be launched in October this year in a joint operation with Russia after a two-year delay, state media reported Sunday.
Martian Odyssey: Rovers Set to Celebrate 7 Years on Red Planet
As folks here on Earth prepare to mark the passage of another year, two robots a world away are creeping up on a big milestone of their own: seven years...
Cosmic Embryo #1: My Erdös Number Is 2i. January 1, 2011
Icon for Cosmic Embryo: Erupting starV838 Monocerotis _ Cosmic Embryo #1: My Erdös Number is 2i January 1, 2011 ”On 2010-09-26, at 5:01 AM, Frithjof A.S. Sterrenburg wrote: Dear Richard! Sorry to hear you have...
Meteorite Hunters Undaunted by Antarctica�s Challenges
A team of rock hounds is on a chilly pursuit for meteorites in Antarctica, scouring their snowy surroundings as part of the 2010-2011 field season of the Antarctic Search for...
Brazil to join in international astronomy
BRASILIA, Brazil, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Brazil says it is to be the newest member of the European Southern Observatory, a leading intergovernmental astronomy organization.
NASA finds more cracks in shuttle fuel tank
NASA has ordered additional repairs to the fuel tank of the shuttle Discovery after finding four more cracks, the space agency has announced.
TRMM satellite sees system 98s raining on western Australia
System 98S is currently bringing rains and gusty winds to the northwestern coast of Western Australia, and NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite spotted areas of moderate to heavy rainfall...
Honour for British-born astronaut
British-born astronaut Piers Sellers is appointed an OBE in the New Year Honours List for his services to science.
New Year's ball sets an energy example
Cosmic Log: As you head out to ring in the New Year, take a cue from that iconic ball in Times Square. It sips its juice rather than guzzling it,...
Space Photos This Week: Gravity Waves, Chicken Nebula
Stars swirl over Kilimanjaro, the moon gets a color treatment, weird waves roll off New Zealand, and more in the week's best space pictures.
New Year's Eve Sky Show Stars Venus and the Moon
Venus and the moon will offer an early New Year's Eve spectacle for skywatchers rising before dawn on Dec. 31 to mark the end of 2010.
Did Life Fall from the Skies? Lessons from Titan
In sci-fi movies, the first stirrings of life happen in a gooey pool of primordial ooze. But new research suggests the action might have started instead in the stormy skies...
Voyage of the DNA Treader
Richard Feynman was right: there is plenty of room at the bottom, and the beeping, lumbering trashcans of 1950s science fiction are gradually giving way to micro-droids the size of...
Argentina heads for sweltering New Year, power cuts & drought
BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Argentina is heading for a sweltering New Year's Eve as a heat wave sweeps through the Latin American country, raising concerns about electricity...
Asteroid Itokawa Sample Return
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa spacecraft has brought home to Earth tiny pieces of near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. In today's story from Science@NASA, a NASA specialist on the Hayabusa...