Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
European Rocket Leaves Troubles Behind With Smooth Launch
After weeks of delay, a European Ariane 5 rocket launched two satellites into orbit on Saturday, Aug. 6.
Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week - Aug. 7, 2011
This week we saw debris from space shuttle Columbia found after eight years, launched a five-year mission to Jupiter and discovered two new planets near Neptune.
Video: Two moons in the night sky?
Scientists think the Earth had two moons until 4 billion years ago, when the moons apparently collided and merged. Jeff Glor reports.
Earth Had Two Moons, New Model Suggests
Our moon once had a smaller companion, but it was destroyed in a collision that left one side of the lunar orb lumpy, scientists say.
Gagarin probe launched from ISS
Russian cosmonauts release an educational satellite in a lengthy and problematic spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
Telescope reveals hidden star clusters
MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A telescope in Chile has detected 96 star clusters in our Milk Way galaxy previously unseen because they are hidden by galactic dust,...
Scientists seek multiple universes
LONDON, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- British physicists say the theory that our universe is contained inside a bubble, just one of multiple bubble universes in a "multiverse," can now...
Spacewalkers ready space station for Russian upgrade
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A pair of spacewalking cosmonauts floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday to prepare the orbital outpost for upcoming Russian renovations.
Russia says high ice melt opens Arctic trade routes
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Arctic ice cover receded to near record lows this summer, opening elusive northern trade routes from Asia to the West, Russia's climate research agency said on Wednesday.
NASA Announces News Briefing on Mars Orbiter Science Finding
NASA will host a news briefing on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT) about a significant new Mars science finding.
Rare look inside the flames of shuttle's final launch
A view of the powerful liftoff that sent the shuttle Atlantis hurtling into space
Potential meteor menace said overstated
Study: Previous errors overstated case for frequency of giant meteors crashing into Earth
Solar Flare May Spark Dazzling Northern Lights Displays Friday
A cloud of charged particles from the sun hurling toward Earth might cause a treat for skywatchers.
NASA Satellite Tracks Severity of African Drought
New data from NASA's Aqua spacecraft highlight the extreme dryness that is currently gripping northeast Africa, contributing to spreading famine.
Earth's lost second moon
Earth once had two moons, until one of them made the fatal mistake of smacking into its big sister in what is being called the "big splat," some astronomers theorize.
INTEGRAL observations suggest unified model for Active Galactic Nuclei requires a rethink
Scrutinizing a large sample of Active Galactic Nuclei with INTEGRAL, astronomers have found that, unexpectedly, sources affected by stronger absorption at lower energies show an excess emission in the hard...
The art of precision cooking -- in space
If you think it's tough to make Baked Alaska or a delicate soufflé or some other temperature-sensitive dish in your kitchen at home, imagine the painstaking task of trying to...
Tracking binary black holes
Two scientists from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology have been testing a method to look past the intense radiation pouring out of merging galaxy pairs to see...
First opal-like crystals discovered in meteorite
Scientists have found opal-like crystals in the Tagish Lake meteorite, which fell to Earth in Canada in 2000. This is the first extraterrestrial discovery of these unusual crystals, which may...
Double the Rubble
Astronomers think that each of Epsilon Eridani's asteroid belts could have a planet orbiting just outside it, shepherding its rocky debris into a ring in the same way that Jupiter...
Do planets rob their stars of metals?
t has been known for several years that stars hosting planets are generally more rich in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, known in astronomy as metals. These heavy elements...
Japanese astronomy pushes on after hard year
From faulty spacecraft to two damaged facilities, the past year has been a tough year for Japans astronomical programs. Yes despite the setbacks, Japan has already begun working to fix...
Eyes in the sky
Dense veils of cloud over Venus, rocky barren landscapes of frozen ice on Saturn's moon Titan, white patches in the red sand of Mars these are images of completely...
Q&A: Bernie Fanaroff on South Africa's bid to host the Square Kilometre Array
Bernie Fanaroff, director of South Africa's Square Kilometre Array project, tells SciDev.Net how hosting the world's most powerful radio telescope would benefit Africa.
Shadowy Galaxy Has Most Dark Matter Than Any Other Known
A dwarf galaxy called Segue 1 is weighed down by mysterious dark matter.
The Fizzics of Guinness
Look closely at a pint of Guinness and tell me: do the bubbles go up, or do the bubbles go down? Why is the head coloured the way it is? Is foam...
NASA Closes Historic Antenna Station That Tracked Every Space Shuttle Launch
The historic MILA tracking station was built in the Apollo era and used for all 135 shuttle flights.
Space Station Spotted Crossing Sunspot
Merely a bug in the face of our solar mammoth, the international space station was captured through the eyes of telescopes using a Canon Digital Rebel XT for still photography...