Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Saudi Arabia announces anti-extremism 34-member Islamic coalition
Andrew V. PestanoRIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia announced it has formed a new military coalition to combat Islamic extremism made up of mostly Muslim countries.
It's not too late to see Geminid meteor shower
Did you miss the much-anticipated Geminid meteor shower last night? Here are some great photos to encourage you to try again tonight.
Hacktivism group Anonymous sets sights on Donald Trump
Amy R. ConnollyWASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The website for Trump Towers briefly went down Friday after Anonymous denounced Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump for his anti-Muslim comments.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots try to regroup from two-game losing streak
The Sports Xchange FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady has been taking his hits lately. Directly or not, that's led to the New England Patriots (10-2) to their first two-game losing...
Image: Prometheus up close
NASA's Cassini spacecraft spied details on the pockmarked surface of Saturn's moon Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) during a moderately close flyby on Dec. 6, 2015. This is...
Secrets of Vampire Stars Revealed in Hubble Telescope Data
New Hubble data has revealed the hidden hosts feeding vampirelike blue straggler stars, which stay uncannily young-looking instead of growing into red giants.
'Mona Lisa' not 'Lisa' at all, scientist says after 10-year analysis of da Vinci masterpiece
Doug G. WarePARIS, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A French scientist says a new light analysis has allowed him to see layers beneath the Mona Lisa, where he has found other...
Study: Sun capable of destructive superflare
Brooks HaysWARWICK, England, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Scientists suggest our own sun may be capable of a superflare -- a flare 1,000 times stronger than any previously recorded.
What to look for when buying a telescope
I'm often asked what inspired me to become an astronomer, and I explain that a pivotal moment for me was stargazing through my grandfather's telescope.
What are Wormholes?
With all my enthusiasm for humanity's future in space, there's one glaring problem. We're soft meat bags of mostly water, and those other stars are really really far away. Even...
Bindi Irwin welcomes 'Dancing With The Stars' partner Derek Hough to Australia
Marilyn MalaraBEERWAH, Australia, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- 'Dancing With The Stars' winners Derek Hough and Bindi Irwin reunited this week in Australia.
Pierre Auger cosmic-ray observatory set for expansion
Scintillation detectors will be added to the 1660 existing Cerenkov detectors spread across Argentina
Outlook for Texas energy sector uncertain
Daniel J. GraeberHOUSTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The outlook for the oil-based economy in Texas is anything but certain, though some form of recovery is expected later in 2016, an...
Galileo taking shape
A new video shows Galileos 11 and 12 being readied for their 17 December launch, concluding a year when the number of satellites in orbit will have doubled
UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015
By United Press International On Dec. 8, 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the historic Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Fox News pulls two personalities off air for profanity after Obama's TV address
Doug G. WareNEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Fox News temporarily banned two contributors from the air after they leveled profane criticisms of President Barack Obama after his televised address...
Pluto Probe Snaps Record-Breaking Photos of Frigid, Faraway Object
New Horizons, which performed history's first flyby of Pluto this past July, took four photos of a 90-mile-wide (150 kilometers) Kuiper Belt object (KBO) called 1994 JR1 on Nov. 2,...
Alien-Hunting SETI Telescopes Boogie in Spectacular 'Dishdance' Video
A stunning new time-lapse video shows off the tireless movement of radio astronomy facilities used in searching for aliens across the universe.
Chris Hemsworth details getting hit on during prison visit
Wade SheridanLONDON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Chris Hemsworth has detailed a unique experience he had while visiting a prison to do research for his upcoming film, "Blackhat"
Do you need a "smart" shower?
European startup Hamwells has designed a shower that connects to your smartphone and recycles water
Justice Department to investigate whether Chicago police violate civil rights
Ed AdamczykWASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department has begun a civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police Department, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Monday.
Forges de Zeebrugge tests new laser-guided rocket
Ryan MaassWASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Forges de Zeebrugge, a subsidiary of Thales Group, reported a successful test-firing campaign for its new FZ275LGR Semi-Active Laser-Guided Rocket.
What are the Earth's layers?
There is more to the Earth than what we can see on the surface. In fact, if you were able to hold the Earth in your hand and slice it...
Two University of Rochester students found safe after kidnapping
Ed AdamczykROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Two University of Rochester students were rescued one day after allegedly being kidnapped when police stormed a home and detained four suspected kidnappers.
In Alien Solar Systems, Twin Planets Could Share Life
Alien planets that are close neighbors to each other around the same parent star could help each other support life, creating what scientists are now calling "multihabitable systems."
Imaging an expanding supernova shell
Supernovae, the explosive deaths of massive stars, are among the most momentous events in the cosmos because they disburse into space all of the chemical elements that were produced inside...
Mars compared to Earth
At one time, astronomers believed the surface of Mars was crisscrossed by canal systems. This in turn gave rise to speculation that Mars was very much like Earth, capable of...
Image: Hubble peers through the elliptical haze
Like a lighthouse in the fog, the luminous core of NGC 2768 slowly fades outwards to a dull white haze in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.