Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
After Shenzhou Success, China Looks to the Future
In the wake of the stunning success of its third manned space mission, China is sitting proud and looking ahead to its future in space.
Russia Launches Three More Navigation Satellites
A rocket launched with three new satellites to replenish Russia's space-based navigation system.
Hubble crew boards space shuttle for practice run
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The seven astronauts scheduled to fly NASA's last mission to the Hubble Space Telescope climbed aboard their spaceship Wednesday as part of practice countdown for...
Einstein's Long Lost Telescope In Comeback
Students and visitors at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem will be able to look at the stars through Albert Einstein's long lost telescope, storage shed and renovated.
Physicists discover 'dark flow' motion
GREENBELT, Md., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Scientists using data from the U.S. space agency's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe have identified an unexpected motion in distant galaxy clusters.
Study Of Satellite Imagery Casts Doubt On Surge's Success In Baghdad
By tracking the amount of light emitted by Baghdad neighborhoods at night, a team geographers have uncovered fresh evidence that last year's troop surge in Iraq may not have worked...
Mars Polar Cap Mystery Solved: Why Southern Ice Cap Is 'Misplaced'
Scientists are now able to better explain why Mars's residual southern ice cap is misplaced, thanks to data from ESA's Mars Express spacecraft -- the martian weather system is to...
Astrophysicists 'Weigh' Galaxy's Most Massive Star
Theoretical models of stellar formation propose the existence of very massive stars that can attain up to 150 times the mass of our Sun. Until very recently, however, no scientist...
Pulsating Stars Enable New Precise Determination Of Rotation Of The Milky Way
New, very precise measurements have shown that the rotation of the Milky Way is simpler than previously thought. A remarkable result from the most successful ESO instrument HARPS, shows that...
Cosmic link to precious metals: study
Rare, precious metals may owe their presence in Earth's upper crust to a bombardment of the infant planet by asteroids billions of years ago, according to a study unveiled on...
Sun May Be Galactic Hitchhiker
Simulation shows that sun's circular orbit does not necessarily mean it stayed put.
Sunspot boom coming soon
Good reason to keep an eye on changes to Earth's magnetic field over the coming few years as the sun begins its next 11 year cycle of sunspot activity.
Broadband gives astronomy star power
Astronomers have made the first broadband hook-up between Australian radio telescopes, doing in just hours an experiment that would previously have taken weeks.
NASA images show Mars' ice dunes
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Images taken by a space probe 200 miles above the surface of Mars show a landscape of icy dunes, experts say.
Stardust evidence points to planet collision
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Masses of dust floating around a distant binary star system suggest that two Earth-like planets obliterated each other in a violent collision, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.
Robot mission to collect rock samples from asteroid
European Space Agency says analysis of asteroid could give information on how our solar system was formed
Explosion From Edge of Universe Seen
An explosion originating near the edge of the universe has been seen by an orbiting NASA telescope.
Observatory: Permafrost May Not Thaw Even During Global Warming
A new study suggests that the impact of increased temperatures on permafrost may not be as bad as forecast.
Future looks bright for interferometry
The PRIMA instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) recently saw "first light" at its new home atop Cerro Paranal in Chile. When fully operational, PRIMA will boost...
'Space' looks back at 4 years of programmes
Space is a source of inexhaustible fascination, discoveries and research. For four years 'Space' has reported on a wide variety of extraterrestrial developments. Some of these themes are explored again...
Interstellar Space Molecules That Help Form Basic Life Structures Identified
Scientists have succeeded in identifying naphthalene, one of the most complex molecules yet discovered in the interstellar medium. The detection of this molecule suggests that a large number of the...
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.
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