Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Two dwarf planets identified
Pluto's family just got bigger - astronomers have identified two new dwarf planets: bright red Makemake and football-shaped Haumea.
'Big bang machine' study halted for 2 months
The $10 billion "big bang" particle collider has been damaged worse than previously thought and will be out of commission for at least two months, its operators said on Saturday.
The mystery of multiple sclerosis
Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, according to an international survey.
Shake, Rattle And Roll: James Webb Telescope Components Pass Tests
You might think that shaking and freezing a state-of-the-art, meticulously crafted machine is a bad idea. But when it comes to firing telescopes and their instruments into the frigid cold...
Unique Dark-energy Probe To Measure More Than A Million Galaxies And Quasars
A unique dark-energy probe called BOSS, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, is a crucial component of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's third program. Led by physicists at the US Department...
Full moon makes birds extra energetic
If the night sky seems less tranquil on nights when the moon is bright, the observation probably isn't imagined since a new study has determined that at least one bird's...
Girders Get the Green Light
(PhysOrg.com) -- The temperature is now stabilized at a mild 68 °F (20 °C), support pedestals are in place and aligned, the paint is dry and physicists are moving in....
Phoenix Images Discarded Heat Shield
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new color high-resolution image from the Phoenix Mars Lander shows its crumpled heat shield about 150 meters away from the spacecraft.
Polar Crown Prominences
Warning: Material contained in this story may make you wish to become a solar physicist. Japan's Hinode spacecraft, launched in 2006 on a mission to study the sun, is beaming...
More than 2,000 expected at space meeting
GLASGOW, Scotland, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Officials from seven national space agencies will detail their future missions later this month during the 59th International Astronautical Congress.
NASA eClips: A New Approach to Learning
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA is making available a free Web-based educational product to learners of all ages across the country. NASA eClips consists of more than 55 short, 5-10 minute video...
Comet dust reveals unexpected mixing of solar system
Chemical clues from a comet's halo are challenging common views about the history and evolution of the solar system and showing it may be more mixed-up than previously thought.
Water Hit With Young Star's Best Shot
Water is being blasted to pieces by a young star's laser-like jets, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The discovery provides a better understanding of how water...
Dr Linda Mountain answers whether speed cameras are life savers or revenue raisers
Dr Linda Mountain answers whether speed cameras are life savers or revenue raisers
Pentagon Approves Spy Satellite Program
The Pentagon will buy two commercial-class imagery satellites for recon misions.
Johnson Space Center to reopen Monday
HOUSTON, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency said its Johnson Space Center in Houston will reopen Monday after being closed Sept. 11 because of Hurricane Ike.
Physicists Take Part in Discovery of New Subatomic Particle
It's not every day that scientists discover a new particle of matter. Florida State University physicists were part of just such a historic event recently while collaborating with researchers from...
Doppler on Wheels Deployed at Hurricane Ike
(PhysOrg.com) -- The only scientific team to successfully brave Hurricane Ike's knock-down winds and swells in Galveston was the DOW, the Doppler on Wheels mobile weather radar operated by the...
University of Leicester scientists funded to design concepts for NASA microgravity
Two University of Leicester scientists have recently been awarded 10,000 to design concepts for scientific experiments which would fly on the upcoming new generation of manned suborbital spacecraft, such as...
NASA's Most Memorable Missions
NASA's first 50 years have seen both triumph and tragedy as the U.S. space agency sent unmanned probes to other planets and the fringe of our solar system, landed the...
John Waller on the mystery of mass hysteria
The recent outbreak of fainting in a Tanzania school bears the hallmarks of mass hysteria, says John Waller. But what causes it and why is it still happening around the...
NASA Eyes Loose Insulation for Hubble Mission
Insulation issues have delayed the move of Hubble cargo to the launch pad.
New Cargo Ship Arrives at Space Station
A Russian cargo ship arrived late, but safely, at the space station Wednesday.
Water Flowed on Mars Longer than Thought
Features of plains around Valles Marineris indicated flowing water on Mars longer than though.
Building a New Rocket for the Nation
The Ares I rocket, America's next flagship in space, is now in development by NASA and its industry partners, and soon will carry human explorers and new missions of discovery...
Climate change may explain craters on Mars
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have determined so-called pedestal craters, a subclass of impact craters unique to Mars, might have resulted from climate...
Carleton student helps pin down largest known prime number
A Carleton University doctoral student has helped an international team of mathematicians discover the largest known prime number, a number so long it would fill 3,200 pages if written down.
New outing for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
An Irish author has been commissioned to write a new instalment of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", the cult science fiction comedy which became a worldwide hit, publishers said...