Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
SpaceX Falcon launches on successful delivery mission
Daniel UriaCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 5 (UPI) -- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered a SES-9 commercial communications satellite into orbit on Friday.
'Star Wars' Toys in Force at 2016 New York Toy Fair
It's a good time to be a "Star Wars" fan. This year at the 2016 New York Toy Fair, there were "Star Wars" toys galore, thanks to the explosion of...
Record night for Henrik Lundqvist as New York Rangers defeat St. Louis Blues
By Rob Rains, The Sports Xchange ST. LOUIS -- There really was no mystery about the reason goalie Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers earned his place in the...
What happens without leap years?
What happens without leap years? Not much, at least at first. But little by little, the calendar year would get out of sync with the solar year. That’s because our...
Searching for planet 9
Using observations from the Cassini spacecraft, a team of astronomers has been able to specify the possible positions of a ninth planet in the Solar System.
NFL Combine interviews: Notable quotes from draft prospects
By Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange INDIANAPOLIS -- A record of more than 1,200 media met with the first wave of college stars Wednesday as the 2016 NFL Combine began...
Newly discovered planet in the Hyades cluster could shed light on planetary evolution
University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Mann and colleagues have discovered a planet in a nearby star cluster which could help astronomers better understand how planets form and evolve....
Channing Frye contributes to Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-103 win
The Sports Xchange CLEVELAND -- A freshly showered Channing Frye asked for one of the ice bags and placed it on top of his head.
Climate of Jupiter and Saturn may yield clues to Earth's weather
What can the climates of other planets tell us about the Earth's weather? According to a researcher at the University of Houston, data being collected from Jupiter, Saturn and Saturn's...
Biggest fireball since Chelyabinsk streaks over Atlantic Ocean
A fireball hit the Earth with nearly the energy of a Hiroshima-type atomic bomb earlier this month, making it the most powerful meteor strike since a 2013 event that injured...
New CubeSats to test Earth science tech in space
Sometimes we need to leave our home planet to better understand it. Before Earth-observing missions launch, NASA must verify instruments on board will work as expected. This is not always...
Charon: Pluto's Largest Moon
Charon was discovered in 1978 and named for the discoverer's wife, as well as the mythological ferryman. Pluto and Charon are considered a binary planet system.
Large-ish Meteor Hits Earth... But No One Notices
If a space rock hits the atmosphere, and no one is around to hear it, does the tabloid press still report it as an Earth-shattering event?
Powerful Laser Could Blast Spacecraft to Mars in 3 Days (Video)
Robotic spacecraft could get to Mars after a journey of just three days, researchers say. The key to making this happen is photon propulsion, which would use a powerful laser...
Stargazer Sees Milky Way and 5 Planets Dance in the Night Sky (Photo)
The Milky Way and five planets in one stunning image took some patience, but paid off handsomely for skywatcher Matt Smith. The image was taken from Carthage, Texas on February...
Robert Griffin III is done with Washington Redskins, says team president
The Sports Xchange If there had been any doubt about the future of Robert Griffin III with the Washington Redskins, team president Bruce Allen made the future perfectly clear on...
For Weather Forecasting, Precise Observations Matter More Than Butterflies
Small disturbances, like the flapping of a butterfly's wings, don't really matter for weather forecasts. What's more important is getting accurate observations at larger scales.
Astronaut Ron Garan Joins Balloon-Based Space Tourism Company
Arizona-based World View Enterprises, which aims to begin crewed operational flights by the end of 2017, has tapped Ron Garan as its chief pilot, the company announced today (Feb. 23).
How Friendly Is Enceladus' Ocean to Life?
Saturn's icy moon Enceladus has an alkaline ocean, a promising sign of geochemical activity, and the potential to support life.
Video: Watch the chemistry of a burning match in ultra-slow motion
To fire up the grill or the gas stove, we often reach for a match. It turns out there's a lot of chemistry going on to make those little wooden...
Mars recalls its chocolate candies across Europe
Ed AdamczykVIERSEN, Germany, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The German division of candy maker Mars Inc. announced a safety recall of Mars, Snickers, Milky Way Minis and Celebrations products.
Boarding soon
Save the date: media and social media accreditation details for our ExoMars 2016 launch event, to be held at ESA in Darmstadt, on 14 March are coming soon
How To Discover An Alien Planet | Video
Astrophysicist Paul Sutter explains the transit method, one of the two most common techniques for finding exoplanets: If a distant world orbits ‘edge-on’ to our line-of-sight, it dims the light...
Messier 4 (M4) – the NGC 6121 globular cluster
During the late 18th century, Charles Messier began to notice that a series of "nebulous" objects in the night sky that he originally mistook for comets. In time, he would...
Image: ExoMars 2016 trace gas orbiter fuelled for Mars
The ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter being fuelled at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Plans Being Devised for Human Outpost Near the Moon
Researchers are mapping out how to build a human outpost in the region around Earth's moon. The ongoing work is expected to help plot out other deep-space trips, such as...
Image: Hubble's diamond in the dust
Surrounded by an envelope of dust, the subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is a young forming star known as HBC 1. The star is in an immature...
Image: Cassini captures group photo of Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas
Three of Saturn's moons—Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas—are captured in this group photo from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.