Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
'Straight Outta Compton' makes $5M haul on first night
Marilyn MalaraHOLLYWOOD, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Music biopic {i:Straight Outta Compton} hauled in about $5 million from its first night in theaters Thursday.
How Much Contamination is OK on NASA's Mars 2020 Rover?
Contamination of samples collected by NASA's Mars 2020 rover is all but certain, so scientists must determine just how clean they can feasibly be kept.
Bubba Watson back at PGA with vengeance, Tiger relates to Rory McIlroy's return
The Sports Xchange As a human and a golfer, Bubba Watson said he can't help but allow negative thoughts to cross his mind.
Super-Earths: Exoplanets Close to Earth's Size
A super-Earth is an extrasolar planet that is close to Earth's size and mass, but does not have the mass of a gas giant.
William Shatner, 'Star Trek' Fans Honor Leonard Nimoy with Epic Selfie Mosaic
More than 6,000 'Star Trek' fans are now part of a giant online tribute to Leonard Nimoy, who played the Vulcan alien Spock on the famed series.
General Dynamics delivering more digital modular radios to Navy
Richard TomkinsFAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy is exercising a contract option to procure additional digital modular radios and related gear from General Dynamics Mission Systems.
Image: California's Jerusalem fire at night
From its orbit around the Earth, the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite or Suomi NPP satellite, captured a night-time image of California's Jerusalem Fire.
Scientists study nitrogen provision for Pluto's atmosphere
Data from the NASA New Horizons Mission hint that Pluto may still be geologically active, a theory that could explain how Pluto's escaping atmosphere remains flush with nitrogen.
New tools for predicting arrival, impact of solar storms
When the sun hurls a billion tons of high-energy particles and magnetic fields into space at speeds of more than a million miles per hour and the 'space weather' conditions...
Eyes on the Prize
The Department of Energy Office of Science's Nanoscale Science Research Centers jointly organized a workshop to discuss opportunities and challenges as imaging and data sciences merge. Those efforts will likely...
NASA analyzes Typhoon Soudelor's rainfall
Typhoon Soudelor dropped over two feet of rainfall when it made landfall in China in early August, and soaked Taiwan. NASA estimated that rainfall using data from the Global Precipitation...
Our early solar system may have been home to a fifth giant planet
Jumping Neptune solves Kuiper belt mystery
Russian and Saudi Arabian top diplomats discuss Syria's future in Moscow
Jared M. FeldschreiberMOSCOW, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Russian FM Sergei Lavrov said Moscow and Riyadh agreed on steps to help the Syrian government renew dialogue with opposition groups.
Turkey launches airstrikes against PKK militants
Tomas MonzonHAKKARI, Turkey, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The Turkish air force launched Tuesday a string of overnight air strikes against Kurdish militants in the southeast of the country.
See Venus at her most ravishing
Venus is HUGE right now but oh-so-skinny as it approaches inferior conjunction on August 15. Like crescents? You'll never see a thinner and more elegant one, but first you'll have...
What is the Oort Cloud?
For thousands of years, astronomers have watched comets travel close to Earth and light up the night sky. In time, these observations led to a number of paradoxes. For instance,...
How massive can black holes get?
Without the light pressure from nuclear fusion to hold back the mass of the star, the outer layers compress inward in an instant. The star dies, exploding violently as a...
'Deadliest Catch' star Tony Lara dead at 50
Wade SheridanSTURGIS, S.D., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Tony Lara, star of Discovery's hit reality show 'Deadliest Catch,' died Saturday morning in Sturgis, S.D. authorities say.
Why the Greenwich prime meridian shifted a few hundred feet
The prime meridian has shifted a few hundred feet. An astronomer helped figure out why.
Lightly thru space
Human spaceflight and operations image of the week: ESA’s Cebreros deep-space tracking station reflecting environmentally friendly light
Stephen Colbert: 'Late Show' advice, leaving his character
Wade SheridanLOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Stephen Colbert's preparation for taking over "The Late Show" included asking the late night legend himself, David Letterman, what to expect.
Asteroid Mining May Be a Reality by 2025
Planetary Resources deployed its first spacecraft from the International Space Station last month. The Washington-based asteroid-mining company hopes to begin transforming asteroid water into rocket fuel within the next decade.
Publicly Chosen Names for Alien Planets to Be Announced Today
Today, the International Astronomical Union will announce the results of its "Name the Exoworlds" campaign, which asked the public to vote on names for 32 alien planets in 20 different...
NASA Offers Rocket Rides for Tiny Cubesats
The space agency just opened the latest round of its Cubesat Launch Initiative, which provides rocket rides for tiny spacecraft developed by researchers at NASA, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.
Image: Darkness descending on Saturn
Saturn's unusual appearance in this picture is a result of the planet being imaged via an infrared filter.
This Week's Night Sky: Meteor Shower and a Dip in Lagoon Nebula
Wispy filaments and bright knots of gas hide within a cosmic gem.
Chris Sale, Avisail Garcia lead Chicago White Sox past Los Angeles Angels
By Brian Hedger, The Sports Xchange CHICAGO -- It was just one victory, but the Chicago White Sox were encouraged by what they saw Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
As galactic light fades, astronomers study the death of the universe
Here's some cosmically bad news: The universe is dying. An international team of scientists that used seven powerful telescopes around the world to capture light coming from more than 200,000...