Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Cosmic Log: Good company
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Ever year, a few science writers are chosen for special recognition by the National Academies. This year, our own Alan Boyle is among the honorees.
Swift Catches Farthest Ever Gamma-Ray Burst
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Swift satellite has found the most distant gamma-ray burst ever detected. The blast, designated GRB 080913, arose from an exploding star 12.8 billion light-years away.
More Soil Delivered to Phoenix Lander Lab
Scientists working on the Phoenix Mars Mission are analyzing soil delivered to the spacecraft's Wet Chemistry Laboratory.
Professor Hawking: I Accept Your Bet...
Wednesday, September 10th, it was announced that Stephen Hawking was willing to bet $100 that the LHC would not find the anticipated Higgs Boson particle. Knowing his track record, I...
Astronomers discover upper mass limit for black holes
There appears to be an upper limit to how big the universe's most massive black holes can get, according to new research led by a Yale University astrophysicist.
ESA satellite keeps track of Ike
PARIS, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency said its Earth observation satellite Envisat is being used to help track Hurricane Ike as it travels across the...
1843 Stellar Eruption May Be New Type Of Star Explosion
Eta Carinae, a bright, variable star in the southern sky that is the most luminous known star in the Milky Way Galaxy, underwent a major eruption 145 years ago that...
SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Ike, Dust Devils, More
The space station offers a view of Hurricane Ike, a debris arc orbits with Saturn's moon, and more in our weekly roundup of space photos.
Climate Computer Modeling Heats Up
New "petascale" computer models depicting detailed climate dynamics, and building the foundation for the next generation of complex climate models, are in the offing. read more
Scream of Black Hole's Birth Detected Halfway Across the Universe
Gamma-ray burst most distant object visible to naked eye, revises theory of formation.
Secret of Nearby Explosive Star Revealed
A spectacular nearby star explosion observed in 1843 is now thought to be related to a class of distant supernova imposters that seem to explode periodically yet remain intact.
Supernova: Destroyer / Creator
Violent death and re-birth of stars actually makes Humanity possible. Astronomers bag the Universe's biggest blasts.
Sleek Probe To Map Earth’s Gravity
The European Space Agency is launching a new satellite to map variations in the Earth’s gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. The satellite will give UK scientists vital information about ocean...
Physicists' Analysis Leads to Discovery of New Particle
University of Michigan physicists played a leading role in the discovery of a new particle, the Omega b baryon, which is an exotic relative of the proton. It was detected...
Stuart Jeffries tries to get to grips with what 'mysteries of the universe' scientists at Cern are hoping to solve
Stuart Jeffries: gets to grips with Higgs bosons, quarks, supersymmetric particles and miniature black holes
Ariane Sherine: Black hole silver linings
Ariane Sherine: If the world is hoovered up today when physicists try to recreate the big bang, it won't be all bad
Private Suborbital Spaceships Could Aid NASA Science
The number of private groups working on suborbital vehicles is growing.
Scientists' joy after world's greatest atom-smasher starts operations (Update 2)
Particle physicists were jubilant on Wednesday after the long-awaited startup of a mega-machine designed to expose secrets of the cosmos passed its first test with flying colours.
Mars lander presents a scientific puzzle
PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency scientists say they are baffled about the origin of "clumps" that are growing on one of the Phoenix Mars...
More than 40 Earth Observation missions team up to provide data to the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme
ESA, as coordinator of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Space Component and related data access, received in response to a call 12 proposals offering to provide data...
Mysteries of Britain's autumn 'bat discos' probed
Biologists are preparing to watch and listen to an autumn phenomenon of swarming bat "discos".
NASA awards minority university grants
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the awarding of nearly $35 million in research grants to seven U.S. minority institutions.
Cern collider ready for power-up
Three decades after it was conceived, the world's most powerful physics experiment is ready to be fired up.
An accurate speedometer for astronomy
Events on a cosmic scale are often barely discernable on Earth. This explains why astronomers are currently not able to prove directly that the universe is expanding at an ever...
Federal solar energy system is inaugurated
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman inaugurated a solar energy system Tuesday at the department's headquarters in Washington.
Cosmic Log: Totally fictional doomsdays
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Black holes? Killer neutrino beams? Science fiction provides plenty of examples of physics gone awry. Take your pick from a dozen subatomic scares.
In pictures: Inside Star City
The Gagarin cosmonaut training centre in Star City, Russia. Pictures by Linda Nylind
Professors Available to Explain International Search For Rosetta Stone of Physics
Researchers hope to solve some of the universe's most mind-blowing riddles.