Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
The star that should not exist
A team of European astronomers has used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to track down a star in the Milky Way that many thought was impossible. They...
Pictures: New Views of Saturn's "Sponge" Moon Hyperion
New pictures from a recent flyby of Hyperion may help scientists decipher the body's oddly cratered surface and "tumbling" rotation.
Deflecting doomsday: New ideas for deflecting killer asteroids
One plan would use spacecraft propelled by solar sails; another would crash a spacecraft into an asteroid
New instruments may settle Mars life hunt
DENVER, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- New instruments 1,000 times more sensitive than previous ones may soon answer question about whether there is life on Mars, U.S. scientists say.
NASA Tests Asteroid Exploration Tech in Arizona Desert
The tech includes an exploration vehicle, habitat units, a rover and communications systems.
Report: Russia Identifies Cause of Rocket Launch Failure
Determining the cause of the accident could help clear future Soyuz missions to fly.
News in Brief: Atom & Cosmos
Planets born with off-kilter orbits, the planet formerly known as a star and more in this week's news
New discovery sheds light on the ecosystem of young galaxies
A team of scientists, led by Michael Rauch from the Carnegie Observatories, has discovered a distant galaxy that may help elucidate two fundamental questions of galaxy formation: How galaxies take...
Pakistan to expand satellite network
Pakistan plans, through collaboration with other countries, to expand its network of satellites in space.
Ice loss opens both arctic sea routes
PARIS, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Two major Arctic Ocean shipping routes have opened simultaneously for only the second time since satellite observation began in the 1970s, researchers say.
No climate effect of cosmic rays seen
GENEVA, Switzerland, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- European scientists studying the effect of cosmic rays on the Earth's atmosphere say they've found no proof they are a factor in climate...
Astrophysicists simulate a Milky Way-like galaxy; Supercomputer experiment supports cosmological model of a 'cold dark matter' universe
After nine months of number-crunching on a powerful supercomputer, a beautiful spiral galaxy matching our own Milky Way emerged from a computer simulation of the physics involved in galaxy formation...
New theory suggests Mars was once cold and wet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Alberto Fairуn, an astrobiologist who works for both the SETI Institute (the group using radio telescopes to listen for extraterrestrial life) and NASAs Ames research center, along with...
Season for Mysterious 'Night-Shining' Clouds Is Here
Noctilucent clouds grace skies in summer months around dusk.
Sunrise Over Buenos Aires
On Saturday, August 27, 2011, Ron Garan pointed an HD camera out a window of the International Space Station Cupola.
Colliding Galaxies Form Exclamation Point in Space
Two colliding galaxies, in the early stages of their interaction, form a bright exclamation point in space.
Earth’s neighbouring star found
A 40 million years old red-dwarf star has been found to be Earth’s closest neighbour – 27 light years away.
The first nuclear power plants for settlements on the moon and Mars
The first nuclear power plant being considered for production of electricity for manned or unmanned bases on the Moon, Mars and other planets may really look like it came from...
NASA sees Super Typhoon Namadol explode in strength, Talas also strengthens
Within 24 hours Tropical Storm Nanmadol contracted and organized quickly, exploding into a Category Four Typhoon as NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead.
Starwatch: the September night sky
The Sun is tracking southwards at its fastest for the year when it crosses the celestial equator at the autumnal equinox on the 23d. As darkness arrives earlier, the daily westwards shift...
Space hotel to give rich a thrill that's out of this world
Russian aerospace engineers join race to provide wealthy thrill-seekers with the ultimate holiday destinationRussian engineers have announced the ultimate get-away-from-it-all holiday, revealing plans to put a hotel into orbit 200 miles above Earth...
Photos: Most Powerful Storms of the Solar System
Storms can exist on any planet with an atmosphere, even the sun.
Comet Double Feature: Comets Elenin & Garradd Now Showing in Night Sky
Two fairly bright comets are gracing our skies: Comet Elenin and Comet Garradd.
Linked solar eruptions explained
Linked solar eruptions explainedNature News , 20110826doi: 10.1038/news.2011.509Ron Cowen
Milky Way to keep the stars a’coming thanks to gas halo
The Milky Way will have the fuel to continue forming stars, thanks to massive clouds of ionized gas raining down from its halo and intergalactic space. This is the conclusion...
Greenhouse effect could extend habitable zone
The distant region beyond Saturn is too cold for liquid water, a necessity for life as we know it. But new research indicates that rocky planets far from their parent...
Nigerian sats are picture perfect
Nigeria's two new Earth observation satellites have begun to return their first pictures.
Japanese asteroid mission a success; next up, NASA
A space mission to a nearby asteroid launched in 2005 has yielded some interesting clues about earths early formation.