Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Image: A solar system family portrait, from the inside out
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has constructed the first portrait of our solar system by combining 34 images taken by the spacecrafts Wide Angle Camera on Nov. 3 and 16, 2010.
Japan Mulls Plan to Send Humanoid Robot to Space Station
The Humanoid Robot Would Help With Daily Chores - Even Tweeting to Earth
Bolden to announce fate of shuttles
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden says he will decide by this spring where the agency's three shuttle orbiters will be housed in their...
NASA infrared satellite data see an intensifying Tropical Storm Dianne
Infrared satellite data from NASA's Aqua satellite reveal that Tropical Storm Dianne is getting organized off the coast of Western Australia today. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) infrared...
Reflected glory
Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionise the gas to make it...
Herschel finds less dark matter but more stars
ESA's Herschel space observatory has discovered a population of dust-enshrouded galaxies that do not need as much dark matter as previously thought to collect gas and burst into star formation...
Dot Earth: A Harder Rain's Gonna Fall (and Already Is)
Scientists using weather records and climate models describe a definitive human fingerprint in patterns of heavy precipitation.
VIDEO: Space Station loses item in orbit
Footage of a routine Russian space walk shows an unidentifiable object drifting away from the international space station
February's Full Moon Friday Is a Wolf
The full moon of February is known as the Wolf Moon to some Native Americans.
Violent storms on alien planets
Hundreds of planets have now been detected outside our solar system. So far, very little is known about the physical conditions on these fascinating objects. Kevin Heng from the Institute...
Spectacular Photo Spotlights Reflecting Nebula M78
An exquisite, shimmering nebula draped in a veil of interstellar dust is the focus of an image from the European Southern Observatory.
Secrets of the High-Flying Bar-Headed Goose
Jessica Meir studies how bar-headed geese fly, leading flight training sessions with goslings.
Foreign Scientists Will Move to Front of U.K. Visa Line
Fleshing out the details of its controversial new immigration cap, the UK Border Agency...
The Sun Woke Up on Valentine’s Day
Our local star blasted its first X-class flare in more than four years on February 14, 2011 at 8:56 p.m. EST. These most powerful of solar events can trigger...
Potential treatment for Chikungunya discovered by Vivalis and A*STAR’s SIgN
Singapore - Nantes (France) -- February 15, 2011 (SGT) - The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), an institute of the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and VIVALIS (NYSE...
International Year of Chemistry launches across the world
Luminaries from the world of chemistry highlight the project goals at the Paris launch event
Quiz-playing computer system could revolutionize research
TV star Watson is a step towards a new kind of search engine.
Watch the launch of ATV Johannes Kepler live
Following a measurement anomaly in the liquid oxygen propellant tank of the cryogenic main stage for Flight 200's Ariane 5 launcher, yesterday's countdown was stopped. The new launch time has...
Rare Daytime Fireball Lights Up Sky Over Eastern U.S.
A fireball lit up the daytime sky over much of the eastern United States yesterday (Feb. 14), causing necks to crane and jaws to drop from Maryland to Massachusetts.
Galaxy's 'bulge' offers creation clues
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A U.S. astronomer studying the Andromeda galaxy says a thick stellar disk of older stars offers clues to how large spiral galaxies like...
Spacewatch: The next mission to Mars
After rounding the Sun's far side 12 days ago, Mars stays hidden in our pre-dawn twilight until June. This time next year, though, it will be the brightest object in our midnight...
Post-Game Analysis: How Watson Did in Round 1 of 'Jeopardy!'
Here is some of the play-by-play, with commentary from the experts, in preparation for tonight's second round.
Solar System 'Nemesis': Nearby Stars Could Pose Threat
Astronomical detectives have assembled a stellar lineup, identifying nearby stars that may come close enough to disrupt our solar system in the next billion years or so.
Why Photos From Deep Space Take So Long to Get to Earth
Why did it take almost four hours for the images of comet Tempel to be beamed to Earth from space? Life's Little Mysteries explains how weather and a computer glitch...
Europe's Heaviest Robot Spaceship to Launch Today
The European Space Agency will launch its heaviest spaceship ever, the ATV-2 Johannes Kepler, today.
Mission Lifetimes
All space missions end-- some with a whimper, some with a 'fwoosh' of reentry. For longevity, it's hard to surpass the twin Voyager probes. They have been flying steadily for...
A month in space: Organic fingerprints, a ghostly green blob and a stellar bullet
Our pick of last month's best space images includes a ghostly green blob, the mysterious molecular fingerprints of large organic molecules, and a star blasting a path through space at...
Missile Defense Demo Satellites Ready for Testing
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is merging a satellite demo mission with ground and sea missile tests.