Latest science news in Astronomy & Space

New dad in space focuses on shuttle job

NASA's new dad in space, shuttle astronaut Randolph Bresnik, said he had no problems focusing on his job while awaiting his daughter's birth.

Water mission returns first data

A European satellite launched to study the Earth's water cycle returns its first data, confirming its novel instrument is working well.

Watching a cannibal galaxy dine

1 week ago from Science Centric

Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is the nearest giant, elliptical galaxy, at a distance of about 11 million light-years. One of the most studied objects in the southern sky, by 1847...

Video: Spy Tech Tools

1 week ago from CBSNews - Science

Science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg showed Harry Smith new gadgets that make watching over your belongings easy.

Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System

1 week ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- When NASA's Cassini spacecraft began orbiting Saturn five years ago, a dozen highly-tuned science instruments set to work surveying, sniffing, analyzing and scrutinizing the Saturnian system.

Before Darkness Falls: Cassini to Scan Enceladus on Winter's Cusp

1 week ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft will fly by Saturn's moon Enceladus this weekend for a last peek at the intriguing "tiger stripes" before winter darkness blankets the area for several...

Inauguration of site of Galileo station at Kourou

1 week ago from European Space Agency

ESA PR 29-2009. The site of a ground station for Galileo, Europe's global navigation satellite system, inside the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), near Kourou in French Guiana, was inaugurated on...

Astronauts get extra moving time at space station

1 week ago from Physorg

(AP) -- The astronauts aboard the shuttle-station complex are getting some extra moving time.

Binary systems share stardust

1 week ago from Physics World

Rare glimpse of planet formation in binary star system

SOFIA Seeks Secrets of Planetary Birth

1 week ago from Physorg

You don't always have to have a rocket to do rocket science. Sometimes a mere airplane will do - that is, a mere Boeing 747 toting a 17-ton, 9-foot wide...

Hunting for Planets in the Dark

1 week ago from Physorg

A proposed space mission that aims to measure dark energy could also detect planets that current surveys are unable to find.

Mystery of the Solar Tsunami -- Solved (w/ Video)

1 week ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- Sometimes you really can believe your eyes. That's what NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) is telling researchers about a controversial phenomenon on the sun known as the...

PETA Protests NASA Monkey Radiation Experiment

1 week ago from Space.com

PETA members protested research into effects of space radiation on monkeys.

Video: Meteor Explodes in Night Sky

1 week ago from CBSNews - Science

Caught on Tape: A surveillance camera in Utah captured a meteor exploding in the night sky.

Search engines are source of learning

1 week ago from Science Daily

Search engine use is not just part of our daily routines; it is also becoming part of our learning process, according to researchers.

The Next Generation of Spy Plane

1 week ago from CBSNews - Science

"Early Show" Gets Exclusive Clearance into Global Hawk Spy Plane's Mission Command Center

40 Years Ago: Apollo 12 - Truth of the Moon

1 week ago from Space.com

Apollo 12 - the 2nd manned lunar landing - made a pinpoint landing in Nov. 1969 and helped reveal the moon's origins.

Energy-saving bulbs 'get dimmer'

Energy-efficient light bulbs lose on average more than a fifth of their brightness over their lifetime, a study finds.

Maps Unveil the Source of Starburst Galaxy's Winds

1 week ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- A research group at Kyoto University has discovered that shocks are the primary energy sources that excite the galactic wind region of starburst galaxy NGC 253. Their images...

Pole problem topples osprey nest site

Part-time feathered residents of a northwest Calgary neighbourhood might have to find a new home after city workers removed a rotten light pole that hosted their nest.

Discovery of a Retrograde or Highly Tilted Extrasolar Planet

1 week ago from Physorg

Astronomers have found that the extrasolar planet HAT-P-7b has a retrograde or highly tilted orbit. Studying such planets is important in understanding the diversity of planetary systems and assessing current...

SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Baby Star, Crescent Earth, More

1 week ago from National Geographic

A Saturn moon takes center stage, a star is born, a space shuttle gets a step closer to its curtain call, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Surprising gamma-ray source highlights how particles get revved up in the cosmos

1 week ago from Sciencenews.org

Radiation from microquasar found to precede radio-wave blast

Cosmic Triple-Play: Asteroid Flyby, Fireball over Utah, Meteor Shower

1 week ago from Space.com

A fireball over Utah, an energetic asteroid whizzing past Earth and a dazzling meteor shower give skywatchers are just par for the course in astronomy.

New Z Bosons That LHC Can Discover In Three Months

1 week ago from Scientific Blogging

I recently discussed here the Tevatron results of searches for new Z bosons in electron-positron or dimuon samples collected by CDF and DZERO, pointing out that there seem to be...

U.S., China to Explore Cooperation in Space

1 week ago from Space.com

The heads of the U.S. and Chinese civil space agencies will exchange visits next year to discuss potential cooperation in space exploration, including human spaceflight, according to a joint statement...

Explore the Crescent Moon and Earthshine

1 week ago from Space.com

View Earthshine and watch the Sun rise over the mountains of the moon.

Mercury mission clears key hurdle

Science delegations to the European Space Agency approve a much more expensive mission to Mercury.