Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
New Planet Discovered Orbiting Dangerously Close To Giant Star
Astronomers have discovered a new planet that is closely orbiting a red-giant star, HD 102272, which is much older than our own Sun. The planet has a mass that is...
Complex Systems And Mars Missions Help Understand How Life Began
Understanding how life started remains a major challenge for science. At a recent European Science Foundation and COST 'Frontiers of Science' conference scientists discussed two new approaches to the problem....
Improved measurements could mean safer, more reliable electroshock weapons
Electroshock weapons - such as stun guns and other similar devices that temporarily incapacitate a person by delivering a high-voltage, low-current electric shock - have helped law enforcement officers safely...
Gemini releases historic discovery image of planetary 'first family'
Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope and W.M. Keck Observatory on Hawaii's Mauna Kea have obtained the first-ever direct images identifying a multi-planet system around a normal star. The Gemini...
SHIMMER successfully observes Earth's highest clouds
The Naval Research Laboratory's Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals (SHIMMER) has successfully observed a second northern season of Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs), which are the Earth's highest clouds. This...
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Mysterious Aurora Spotted on Saturn
A NASA orbiter has captured a "unique brand" of aurora that lights up much of Saturn's north pole region.
Brown cloud covering parts of India, China
BEIJING, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A thick layer of soot and manmade particles stretches across parts of India and China, clouding the sky in some areas, a U.N....
Super-tough sunshield to fly on the James Webb Space Telescope
Imagine sunglasses that can withstand the severe cold and heat of space, a barrage of radiation and high-speed impacts from small space debris. They don't exist, but Northrop Grumman engineers...
NASA's carbon-sniffing satellite sleuth arrives at launch site
NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate, has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to begin final launch...
NCAR Installs Massive Digital Storage Library from Sun Microsystems for Climate and Weather Records
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced the arrival of a massive new digital storage library that will preserve and protect valuable...
Focus on Putting Humans on Mars, Group Argues
The Planetary Society calls for shifting NASA focus from moon to Mars.
Divining Rod Designed for Mars
Detecting water underground does not require a magical stick.
On Being Selected as an LROC Participating Scientist
A SETI scientist describes his involvement with the development of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Goodbye little Lander
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough...
New radar helps predict rainfall
A team of Oxfordshire scientists develop new technology which will help forecast rain more accurately.
Will Mars Phoenix and its Twitter feed rise from the ashes?
It seems not.
Student teams needed for GENSO projects
PARIS, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says it is seeking student teams to fill vacancies in the Global Educational Network for Satellite Operations project.
'Technical problems' shut down Nigerian satellite
A Nigerian satellite heralded at its launch last year as being at the vanguard of an African communications' revolution has had to be shut down due to technical problems, officials...
SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Stellar Nurseries, Paloma, More
Hurricane Paloma pummels Cuba, Saharan sands take flight, new stars are born, and more make up this week's best space photos.
NASA announces management change
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says Rick Gilbrech, the associate administrator of its exploration directorate, is leaving NASA for a position in the private...
Dusty Shock Waves Generate Planet Ingredients
Shock waves around dusty, young stars might be creating the raw materials for planets, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Radio player a little too late
I've been testing a type of gadget I've wanted for some time - a pocket-size, iPod-like radio player that delivers the variety of programming available from satellite radio. There's only...
Cosmic Log: Virtual telescopes tweaked
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Virtual telescopes are becoming more and more like video games, letting you zoom out from Earth to explore a 3-D universe.
Mushroom foragers love thrill of the hunt
When rain soaks into the ground, sweet and cool, and mist slinks low across the land, that's when the time is right. Autumn rains are the starting gun for wild...
Spiders' secrets unwoven at Isis
Their silk is stronger than steel, so how do spiders spin it? Isis 2 will help scientists find out.
Video - Mysterious Airflow Around Wind Turbines
Johns Hopkins researchers model wind power's mysteries
Blind NASA engineer solves Russian problem
GREENBELT, Md., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A U.S. space agency team led by a blind engineer built a system to receive data from a Soyuz spacecraft just days...
Shedding light on ancient oceans
(PhysOrg.com) -- There's a powerful source of energy humming away inside a laboratory at the University of Alberta. The energy is ultra-violet light, and it packs the same spectrum of...