Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Atlantis lands to end space shuttle era
Space shuttle Atlantis landing brings 30-year program to a close.In the faintest glimmer of dawn, Atlantis safely touched down Thursday, ending the flawless final mission of NASA's space shuttle program.
Scotland Yard formerly charges hacker
19-year-old Ryan Cleary charged with hack attacks against websites operated by CIA, Sony
Cassini captures Saturn's icy moon Helene
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has successfully completed its second-closest encounter with Saturn's icy moon Helene, beaming down raw images of the small moon. At closest approach, on June 18, Cassini flew...
Galileo's Soyuz launchers arrive at French Guiana
(PhysOrg.com) -- The two Soyuz launchers that will fly the first four satellites of Europes Galileo navigation system into orbit have arrived at Kourou harbour in French Guiana, completing a...
New CryoSat-2 satellite redraws Arctic sea-ice map
Scientists have produced the most extensive map of Arctic sea-ice thickness yet using just two months' worth of data from the European Space Agency's ice mission, CryoSat-2.
Study: Galaxies are 'awake' or 'asleep'
NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 21 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers say they've discovered that galaxies in the universe display one of two distinct behaviors: they are either "awake" or "asleep."
NASA sees Hurricane Beatriz 'wink' on the Mexican coast
Hurricane Beatriz is skirting the southwestern Mexican coast today, June 21 and bringing heavy rains and high surf to coastal areas, including Mexico's biggest port. NASA satellite imagery showed that...
Space station supplies launched into orbit
Russia launched a cargo spacecraft carrying fuel and water bound for the International Space Station on Tuesday.
Simmering Sun: Summer Solstice Starts with Solar Storm
The intense summer solstice solar flare triggered a coronal mass ejection.
Astronomers find evidence for a strange new planetary system
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of astronomers, including Dr Gavin Ramsay of the Armagh Observatory, has found evidence that suggests the existence of an extraordinary planetary system. Two giant planets appear...
How to See the Great Hercules Cluster of Stars
18th century observer Charles Messier only cared for comets, yet he's remembered for his catalogue of stars and clusters.
How to Keep Spacesuits Germ-Free on Mars
European Mars simulations are honing skills needed to avoid contaminating the Martian surface.
'Ultimate cloud' comes to the rescue
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Cloud computing isn't just for your music player anymore. Satellite communications can provide the "ultimate cloud" for data links from anywhere.
Pluto's Mysterious Moons, Nix & Hydra, Turn 5
It has been five years since Nix and Hydra, Pluto's tiny moons, were named. Mysteries still abound with the pair.
Echinopsis Atacamensis and the Milky Way
The Milky Way is seen in all its glory, as well as, in the lower right, the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Japanese Computer Named World's Fastest
Japan creates world's fastest computer, US drops to number three, while NASA itself rings in at number seven.
Comet-Chasing Probe Snaps First Photos of Icy Target
The pictures show comet 67-P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as a point of light.
"Beat the heat" shield: Can it best Mars?
Giant heat shield on next Mars Rover to encounter highest heat ever encountered by NASA probe
Le Bourget: DG press conference replay
Today in the ESA Pavilion at the Paris Air & Space Show, Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, updated media on latest developments and achievements. Watch the replay
X-Rays Reveal Baby Black Holes in the Infant Universe
New discoveries suggest that black holes and galaxies may be born together. Hubble and Chandra teams combined the deepest X-ray image ever made with some of the faintest light ever...
Exomoons could be excellent incubators
With the arrival of the CassiniHuygens mission in 2004 to Saturns satellite Titan, we terrestrials became acutely aware that similar moons could be orbiting similarly large planets in other solar...
Astronomy without a telescope -- star seeds
Molecular clouds are called so because they have sufficient density to support the formation of molecules, most commonly H2 molecules. Their density also makes them ideal sites for new star...
Recycling water in space
During the last space shuttle flight, astronauts will test a new method for recycling 'used' water. Water is essential for life, and having access to water beyond Earth will be...
Space Image: Flight test
In this image from November 2010, the U.S. Air Force's ACAT F-16D flew through Sierra Nevada canyons and past peaks during ground collision avoidance test flights.
Most elliptical galaxies are 'like spirals'
(PhysOrg.com) -- The majority of 'elliptical' galaxies are not spherical but disc-shaped, resembling spiral galaxies such as our own Milky Way with the gas and dust removed, new observations suggest.
Let's Clear Up A Few Things About Geomagnetism
If you're anything more than an infrequent stumbler to Science 2.0, then you will probably have noticed - if not, read - Helen's article on geomagnetic polarity reversals, which until...
Green ring fit for a superhero: Spitzer Space Telescope spies powerful light of giant 'O' stars
This glowing emerald nebula seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is reminiscent of the glowing ring wielded by the superhero Green Lantern. In the comic books, the diminutive Guardians of...
Next solar cycle could be a no-show
Sun may be entering a long period of reduced activity, several studies suggest