Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
UA to shape solar telescope mirror
(PhysOrg.com) -- When finished, the 4.2-meter mirror will be the largest telescope mirror ever pointed at the sun. Polished into a highly complex, asymmetric shape, it will be the centerpiece...
The end for ATV Johannes Kepler
Europe's unmanned ATV space freighter plunged on command into Earth's atmosphere today (21st June) to end its mission as a spectacular shooting star over the southern Pacific Ocean. Contact with...
European space freighter is destroyed after mission
A robot freighter was destroyed on Tuesday in a scheduled operation after a successful mission to supply the International Space Station (ISS), the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
Astronaut Cady Coleman Reflects on 159 Days in Space
Astronaut Cady Coleman's tenure on the International Space Station included the first flute duet from space.
Black hole shreds star, sparking gamma ray flash
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A monster black hole shredded a Sun-like star, producing a strangely long-lasting flash of gamma rays that probably won't be seen again in a million years, astronomers...
Video: Thousands out of work as NASA closes shuttle program
With NASA's decision to close their space shuttle program, thousands have found themselves looking for a new job. Kelly Cobiella reports.
Messages from Mercury
Latest data from NASA spacecraft reveal craters cold enough to hold frozen water
Tierra del Fuego has too many beavers
USHUAIA, Argentina, June 18 (UPI) -- More than 200,000 beavers, descendants of 25 imported in 1946, are busy wreaking environmental havoc in Argentina's far south, scientists say.
Arctic Ice June 2011
Arctic Ice June 2011The sun is the main driver of climate and weather. The Arctic solar year could be plotted as a graph of the angle of the sun relative...
The Texas Tribune: U.T. Experiment Grapples With Essence of Gravity
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment at the McDonald Observatory, part of the University of Texas, could have a bearing on finally formulating why gravity exists.
NASA's Heavy-Lift Launcher Would First Fly With Solid Rocket Boosters
NASA's initial new heavy-lift rocket design includes side-mounted solid rocket boosters.
Despite budget stress, US space ties strong: NASA
Relations between the United States and its partners in space remain strong, despite tighter budgets and concerns about costs and delays in building the space station, NASA chief Charles Bolden...
A glimpse of the end of our solar system
Astronomers are investigating the possible eventual fate of the solar system by examining ‘white dwarf’ stars elsewhere in our galaxy.
Massive Stars Shoot 100 Million Degrees Shockwaves
Super hot high-speed winds from Milky Way stars, 25 times the size of the sun, have been spotted in X-ray form by the Chandra Observatory.
Kilobots bring us one step closer to a robot swarm
(PhysOrg.com) -- When you think about robots, the odds are that you think about something that is fairly large. Maybe you picture a robot arms bolted to the floor of...
Phobos slips past Jupiter
Earlier this month, ESA's Mars Express performed a special maneuver to observe an unusual alignment of Jupiter and the martian moon Phobos. The impressive images of this rare event are...
Satellites Help in Battle to Contain Arizona Wildfires
Landsat images help firefighters plan containment efforts.
Pan-STARRS telescope spots new distant comet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa have discovered a new comet that they expect will be visible to the naked eye in early 2013.
New data suggests the universe is clumpier than thought
(PhysOrg.com) -- After analyzing data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSK), cosmologist Shaun Thomas and colleagues from the University College of London, have concluded that the universe is "clumpier"...
Space Pictures This Week: Galaxy Tendrils, Star Glob
Hubble sees a cosmic briar patch, a supernova shows its age, volcanic ash spews over Chile, and more in this week's best space pictures.
Lockheed Martin Space Division Plans Layoffs for 1,200 Employees
The Lockheed space division layoffs will take effect by the end of the year.
Pentagon to pay $500K for best "Star Trek" proposal
Pentagon wants to facilitate interstellar travel and is willing to pay big bucks to the winning cosmic idea
DARPA Lays Out Tech for 100-Year Starship Program
Uncle Sam wants your big ideas for interstellar travel in the next century.
Mercury's origins may differ from sister planets
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Mercury's origins may be very different from its sister planets, including Earth, based on early findings that show surprisingly rich deposits of sulfur on the...
Reviving an old post: Will the Sun give us a reprieve from global warming?
In light of news that the sun may be heading into a quiet period like the Maunder Minimum from 1645-1715, it is time to revisit a blog entry from last...
How much do binary stars shape planetary nebulae?
Planetary nebulae come in a dazzling array of shapes, from spherical shells of gas, to blobby structures barely containing symmetry at all. Controversy has surrounded the cause for this diversity....
Ovation for a stellar senior
Residing in space 6500 light-years away in the constellation of Cepheus, an aged star designated as IRAS 22036+5306 is making its final curtain call. Its stellar play is ending and...
Countering contamination for Mars spacesuits
To search for life on Mars, future astronauts would naturally want to step outside their living habitat for a walk. But the spacesuits keeping them alive might also carry Earth...