Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
You Can See 5 Bright Planets in the Night Sky: Here's How
Skywatchers, get set. All five naked-eye planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter — are appearing together in the pre-dawn sky for the first time in a decade.
A planetary quintet is dancing across the skies
"When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars."
This Monster Galaxy is Too Bright for Its Own Good
The brightest known galaxy in the universe is illuminated by the monster black hole at its center — which may also be tearing the galaxy apart.
NASA measures winds in Tropical Cyclone Victor
NASA's RapidScat instrument found the strongest winds in Tropical Cyclone Victor were occurring south of its center on Jan. 20, 2016. Imagery from NOAA's GOES-West satellite revealed that Victor still...
NOAA and NASA: 2015 was the hottest year on record
2015 was Earth's hottest year on record, according to new data released Wednesday by NOAA and NASA. For the last 12 months the average surface temperature across the globe was 58.47...
NASA's Van Allen probes revolutionize view of radiation belts
About 600 miles from Earth's surface is the first of two donut-shaped electron swarms, known as the Van Allen Belts, or the radiation belts. Understanding the shape and size of...
New largest prime number found
(Phys.org)—A team at the University of Central Missouri, headed by Curtis Cooper has announced, via press release from the Messene organization, that they have found the largest prime number ever—it...
Rings of Saturn and 2 Moons Shine in Gorgeous NASA Photo
The photo, which was taken on Oct. 27 but just released Tuesday (Jan. 19), shows the spherical Tethys and the lumpy Janus, whose disparate shapes are a direct result of...
Leonard Nimoy Loved Space Shuttle Enterprise's Final Flight (Exclusive Video)
A newly released video shows Nimoy — best known to legions of dedicated "Star Trek" fans as Mr. Spock — calling the ferry flight that brought the shuttle Enterprise to...
First Space Zinnia Blooms—See How NASA Has Made Botany Cool
If astronauts one day travel to Mars, a green thumb will come in handy. See pictures of NASA's gardening success so far.
Upgraded MOIRCS instrument achieves better images
MOIRCS, the Multi-Object Infrared Camera and Spectrograph for the Subaru Telescope, has undergone a significant upgrade during 2015. Members of the project team were delighted to achieve first light (the...
From sea to space
Technology image of the week: What looks like an abstract artwork is actually a novel antenna to track global ship traffic from orbit
India launches satellite, moves closer to its own GPS
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India successfully launched the fifth of a constellation of navigation satellites on Wednesday, as part of a program that will reduce dependency on the United States'...
'Green-pea' galaxies may have kick-started universal reionization
Energetic photons from compact sources offer insights into the evolution of the early universe
NASA-funded balloon launches to study Sun
On Jan. 18, 2016, the GRIPS balloon team sent their instrument soaring towards the stratosphere above Antarctica, suspended underneath a helium-filled, football-field sized scientific balloon. GRIPS, short for Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter...
Stargazer Spots Comet Catalina, Meteor and Venus Together (Photo)
Astrophotographer Derek Demeter took this image of Comet Catalina in December, 2015 from Chiefland Florida.
Nearing the limits of life on Earth
Scientists are looking for life in an area of Antarctica that is thought to be the place on Earth that most closely resembles the permafrost found in the northern polar...
Raging Fires in Australia Visible from Space
Creating smoky clouds easily visible from space, the bushfire in Yarloop, Australia was wild and deadly at the beginning of January.
[Report] ASASSN-15lh: A highly super-luminous supernova
We report the discovery of ASASSN-15lh (SN 2015L), which we interpret as the most luminous supernova yet found. At redshift z = 0.2326, ASASSN-15lh reached an absolute magnitude of Mu,AB = –23.5 ±...
[Report] How surface composition and meteoroid impacts mediate sodium and potassium in the lunar exosphere
Despite being trace constituents of the lunar exosphere, sodium and potassium are the most readily observed species due to their bright line emission. Measurements of these species by the Ultraviolet...
[Perspective] Sampling the Moon's atmosphere
In H. G. Wells' 1901 science fiction classic The First Men in the Moon, two protagonists, English businessman Mr. Bedford and the eccentric physicist Dr. Cavor, knock back a special enervating concoction designed...
[In Depth] Caltech suspends professor for harassment
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena has suspended a faculty member for gender-based harassment. The university has not disclosed the name of the faculty member, but Science has...
[In Depth] Astronomers see ashes of the first stars
A team of astronomers has found a gas cloud that existed when the universe was 13% of its current age that appears to be made of the pristine gas produced...
Indonesian shipyard launches frigate
Richard TomkinsVLISSINGEN, Netherlands, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Indonesia's PT PAL shipbuilding launched the first of two Dutch-designed guided missile frigates for the Indonesian Navy, the SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal.
UPI Horse Racing Roundup
By Robert Kieckhefer, UPI Racing Writer American Pharoah team sweeps Eclipse Awards while potential stars of the future take the stage in weekend Thoroughbred racing action
Watch Taurus' Orange 'Eye' Disappear from Tonight's Sky
A stellar eclipse will be visible from almost all of the United States tonight (Jan. 19), when a bright waxing gibbous moon passes in front of the star that marks...
Astronauts and Skydivers to Help Open Houston 747-Shuttle Exhibit
The countdown has begun to the opening of Houston's newest landmark — a $12 million, eight-story tall exhibit devoted to the largest historic artifact saved from NASA's 30-year space shuttle...
Plant gravity
Human spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: A lentil root grown on the International Space Station