Latest science news in Astronomy & Space

A faraway planet intrigues: Exoplanet with extremely tilted orbit raises new interest in stellar astronomy

2 weeks ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two teams of astronomers have found a planet outside the solar system that might be orbiting backwards compared to its star's rotation, a discovery that could shed light...

Soviet H-bomb scientist Ginzburg dies

2 weeks ago from Reuters:Science

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vitaly Ginzburg, a Russian physicist who survived Stalin's purges by working on the Soviet atomic bomb project and later won the Nobel Prize for physics, died in...

Happy, look for a warm person to cross all one’s life

2 weeks ago from Science Blog

Happy, look for a warm person to cross all one’s life.

Manta ray's secret life revealed

The once secret life of a huge, recently discovered species of manta ray is unveiled.

Cassini Makes Successful Flight Through Plume Of Saturn's Moon Enceladus

2 weeks ago from Science Daily

The Cassini spacecraft has weathered the Monday, Nov. 2, flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus in good health and has been sending images and data of the encounter back to Earth....

Nasa and Esa sign Mars agreement

The US and European space agencies sign the "letter of intent" tying together their Mars programmes.

Japan eyes solar station in space as new energy source

2 weeks ago from Physorg

It may sound like a sci-fi vision, but Japan's space agency is dead serious: by 2030 it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth,...

The Sunyaev- Zeldovich Effect is independent of Redshift because of Cosmic Dust

3 weeks ago from Science Blog

Cosmic dust explains why the intensity of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect is independent of Redshift. Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect

Law change call for space flight

A law change is needed before Scotland can be considered as a launch site for commercial space flights, Virgin Galactic says.

Russian rocket to launch from French Guiana in 2010

3 weeks ago from Physorg

A Russian rocket will next year for the first time blast off from a European launch pad in South America, officials said Saturday, as the first rockets headed for the...

A Tale of Planetary Woe

3 weeks ago from Science @ NASA

Long ago, something calamitous happened to Mars, transforming a hospitable world into the apparently lifeless desert we see today. Many scientists believe the Red Planet lost most of its...

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

3 weeks ago from National Geographic

Supposed Maya predictions of the end of the world in 2012 have some people seriously scared. See what experts say about the unknown planet predicted to pummel Earth, the cataclysmic...

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

3 weeks ago from National Geographic

Asteroids slamming into Earth, a planet sneaking up on us, an angry sun singing the planet—find out why these and other end-of-the-world events won't be happening in 2012.

Space Junk Buzzes Station as Astronauts Sleep

3 weeks ago from Space.com

A small chunk of space trash headed for an uncomfortably close pass by the International Space Station late Friday, but not close enough to force the astronauts aboard to take...

U.S. 'Decades Behind' on Space Debris Threat, Official Says

3 weeks ago from Space.com

The chief of U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday that America needs to step up its game in monitoring the orbital debris that's up there and planning to avoid collisions with...

Rosetta approach on schedule

3 weeks ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- After the trajectory correction manoeuvre on 22 October, Rosetta has lined up on a near-perfect Earth approach path. The manoeuvre was so precise that mission controllers decided not...

'Dropouts' pinpoint earliest galaxies

3 weeks ago from

Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by...

Rugged, Scarred Terrain Seen in New Mars Images

3 weeks ago from Live Science

New Mars Express images showcase huge crater, chaotic Martian terrain.

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

3 weeks ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have published the discovery of the farthest known object in the cosmos: a star that exploded when the universe was only 630 million years old -- only...

Kepler Mission Update

3 weeks ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- Kepler completed another science data download over October 18-19. In this download, a month's worth of science data was transmitted through the NASA Deep Space Network and into...

Pioneering Swiss solar-powered plane rolled out

3 weeks ago from Physorg

Solar Impulse, the Swiss bid to make the first solar-powered flight around the world, rolled out its prototype on Friday at an airbase near Zurich.

The CoRoT Satellite : 3 More Years To Hunt For Planets And To Listen To The Music Of Stars

3 weeks ago from Science Daily

The operations of the CoRoT mission has been extended for three additional years, until 31 March 2013.

Moon's Friends Say 'No' to Future Lunar Crashes

3 weeks ago from Space.com

When a NASA spacecraft rammed into the moon in October, it tossed up a hard-to-see plume of lunar material and stirred up a cloud of public anxiety.

Development of the ESMO student Moon satellite gets under way

3 weeks ago from European Space Agency

ESA's Education Office has awarded a contract to Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd of the UK to manage the development and testing of the first European student mission to the Moon....

Primary sources | John Crace

3 weeks ago from The Guardian - Science

John Crace sifts through new research and discoveries from around the world The hole that time forgotFor a long time now the Mexicans have got it in the neck for being home...

Study: Whale-watchers ignore speed limits

3 weeks ago from UPI

SCITUATE, Mass., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A study of whale-watching boats visiting Stellwagen Bank from Massachusetts ports found all of them exceeding voluntary speed limits.

Take Me Out to the Ballpark - On Mars!

Students in fourth through seventh grade will work to create the ultimate baseball experience "on Mars," even designing the rules for how to play a game on the Red Planet.

Mutant Bacteria Are Likely to Threaten Future Space Travelers

3 weeks ago from PopSci

When humans eventually travel to Mars and beyond, they'll have plenty to worry about along with the discomforts of eating freeze-dried food and drinking their own urine. A new report says they will...