Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
India Launches Unmanned Orbiter to Moon
The mission is scheduled to last for two years, in which the craft will search the lunar surface for natural resources.
What a View! Space Bubbles Would Thrill Tourists
Space tourists may get an unprecedented view of the Earth aboard a new bubble-like spaceship.
The Case of the Missing Gamma-ray Bursts
Gamma-ray bursts are by far the brightest and most powerful explosions in the Universe, second only to the Big Bang itself. So it might seem a bit surprising that a...
Phoenix Lander Finishes Soil Delivery to Onboard Labs
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has finished scooping soil samples to deliver to its onboard laboratories, and is now preparing to analyze samples already obtained. Scientists are anxious to...
A Large Spiral Galaxy, NGC 7331, In All Its Splendor
The spiral galaxy NGC 7331, in Pegasus, can be seen with small telescopes under dark skies as a faint fuzzy spot. It is an island universe similar to our own...
'Filament' Of Dark Matter Supports 'Bubbly' Universe Theory
Despite thousands of years of research, astronomers know next to nothing about how the universe is structured. One strong and accepted theory is that large galaxies are clustered together on...
Telescopes focus on distant galaxies
A computer program developed by a Sydney PhD student is giving scientists a clear and detailed view of galaxies far, far away.
NASA Probe To Map Solar System's Edge
A small NASA spacecraft embarks on a two-year mission this weekend to give scientists their first view of the happenings at the edge of the solar system. Also, efforts to...
Military switches to fluorescent lights
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy says 84 military bases have shifted from traditional incandescent light to the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Great World Wide Star Count begins
BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The 2nd annual Great World Wide Star Count began around the world Monday, with schoolchildren, families and citizen scientists gazing skyward after...
Strange Weather on Alien Planets Explained
A new model explains the exotic weather on distant "hot Jupiters."
Airliner had near miss with UFO
A passenger jet en route to Heathrow Airport had a near miss with a UFO, Ministry of Defence files reveal.
Man Who Helped Set the Stage for Nobel-Winning Work Has Left Science
Douglas C. Prasher provided the essential piece that made the work that won this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry possible.
Observatory: Worm Grunting: A Mystery Solved
Researchers have provided an answer to why vibrations made with a stake driven into the ground can cause earthworms to come to the surface.
Science Weekly Extra podcast: David Rooney discusses the decimalisation of time
Alok Jha speaks to David Rooney,the curator of time at the Royal Observatory Greenwich
Running for my life: 1 woman's race against time
(AP) -- The routine was the same as always - the exact way I have grown accustomed to dealing with the hours before a big race. But on that...
Europe delays ExoMars mission, again
LONDON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says it's delaying its unmanned mission to Mars until 2016 and may seek help from Russia and the United...
U.S. to study possible space-based defense
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress has approved $5 million for an independent study of possible space-based missile defenses, a potential step toward a system once mocked as "Star Wars."
Lucy Mangan on evolution stopping
Lucy Mangan: If God made man in his own image, he is a fat bloke with his feet up watching Sky+
VIDEO: Mexico Lakes Linked to Mars?
A northern Mexico valley may hold the first human footprint in the Americas, and could even provide the basis for discovering organisms on Mars, according to a NASA scientist.
CERN says atom smasher back in action in spring
(AP) -- Damage to the world's largest atom smasher caused by a bad electrical connection will take much of the planned winter shutdown to repair, but it will be...
Star quest knowledge provides new view of ourselves
In a basement laboratory at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), surrounded by instruments built to detect the universe’s distant secrets, sits a machine that will help us look not outward to the...
Scientists have new clue to mystery of sunken sub
(AP) -- It's long been a mystery why the H.L. Hunley never returned after becoming the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship in 1864, but new...
One Mystery of Jet Streams Explained
A simulation shows how thunderstorms create jet streams on giant planets.
FOR KIDS: A new look at Saturn's rings
New information from space missions suggests Saturn's rings may be older and have more mass than previously thought
Microwaves Could Extract Water From Moon And Mars
When astronauts land on the Moon in the not too distant future, it's possible they will be visiting an outpost where they can pick up some fuel and a refreshing...
Viewing the Universe in a different light
European scientists are preparing two new windows on the Universe that will give astronomers an unprecedented look at stars forming, and the aftermath of the 'Big Bang.'
Epilogue: Jim Benson, Space Pioneer
Recently deceased founder of SpaceDev shared his roadmap for settling the Solar System. Credit: SPACE.com