Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Is the Rocky Alien Planet Gliese 581d Really Habitable?
The rocky alien planet Gliese 581d may be the first world beyond Earth capable of supporting life as we know it, according to a new study.
Super-Windstorms Can Strip Galaxies of Star Stuff
Raging galactic windstorms have been observed by the Herschel infrared space observatory.
Giffords to have surgery while husband is in space
(AP) -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' recovery isn't slowing down while her astronaut husband speeds around the Earth.
JPL Shares Excitement of Exploration at Open House
This year's Open House, "The Excitement of Exploration," attracted more than 38,000 space enthusiasts to JPL over the two-day event.
Researchers gain new insights into Comet Hartley 2
(PhysOrg.com) -- A tumbling comet nucleus with a changing rotational rate has been observed for the first time, according to a new paper by a Planetary Science Institute researcher.
Digital imaging software to create a 'Google Earth' view of the bladder
A more automated approach to bladder exams could be cheaper, more comfortable and more convenient. The system would use an ultrathin laser endoscope, which is like a thin piece of...
Bright Lights, Rich Cities
Satellite images of nighttime lights could help economists model GDP in regions where it is poorly reported
Hawking: 'There is no heaven'
Cosmic Log: Stephen Hawking, the famous British physicist, called the notion of heaven a "fairy story" in an interview with The Guardian newspaper published today.
Tarantulas Shoot Silk From Feet, Spider-Man Style
The big hairy spiders shoot silk from "spigots" in their feet to climb slippery surfaces, new experiments confirm.
The First Squid in Space Will Test the Effects of Space on Beneficial Bacteria
An Adult Bobtail Squid Hans Hillewaert/Wikimedia Commons We've already bid our fond farewell to the space shuttle Endeavour, but as it blasted into the great blue yonder for the last time Monday, the...
Shuttle's end spells change at NASA
As the shuttle flies its penultimate mission, the US space agency seeks to fill a looming gap in crew transport.
Bill Bailey obituary
Bill Bailey, who has died aged 88, had a long career in radio research, which he began during the second world war. As a laboratory assistant at the Radio Research Station, in...
SLoWPoKES
The Sloan Low-mass Wide Pairs of Kinematically Equivalent Stars (SLoWPoKES) catalog was recently announced, containing 1,342 common proper motion pairs (i.e. binaries) which are all low mass stars in...
Setting sight on a single star
NASA recently selected 20 small satellites to fly as auxiliary cargo aboard rockets that are planned to launch in 2011 and 2012.
Exploring space
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the most powerful and ambitious astronomical satellites designed to provide the best view yet of the Universe at far-infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths is living up to...
The Chandra Carina complex project
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Great Nebula in the constellation of Carina is a massive star-forming complex located about 7.5 thousand light-years away. The main star in the complex, Eta Carinae, shines...
Muslim creationists tour France denouncing Darwin
AUBERVILLIERS, France (Reuters) - Four years after they first frightened France, Muslim creationists are back touring the country preaching against evolution and claiming the Koran predicted many modern scientific discoveries.
Crab nebula: The crab in action & the case of the dog that did not bark
A new movie from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows a sequence of Chandra images of the Crab Nebula, taken over an interval of seven months. Dramatic variations are seen, including...
Could exoplanet be a haven for life?
Scientists said on Monday a rocky world orbiting a nearby star was confirmed as the first planet outside our solar system to meet key requirements for sustaining life.
Russia plans bikes and windmills in its Silicon Valley
Architects on Monday presented ambitious plans for Russia's version of Silicon Valley, which they say will be the country's most ecologically friendly town, with cycle tracks, solar panels and windmills.
End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears
From supernovas to zombies, here's a look at some ways life on Earth may end.
Image: Lightning over Brazil
The European Space Agency's Paolo Nespoli took this image of lightning over Brazil as seen from the International Space Station in January 2011.
Mars mission components delivered to Florida
(PhysOrg.com) -- An Air Force C-17 transport plane delivered the heat shield, back shell and cruise stage of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on...
Air France flight recorders readable: investigators
French investigators say that flight recorders from an Air France jet found in Atlantic depths nearly two years after it crashed are readable.
The stars come out for Edinburgh TV festival
Professor Brian Cox, The Killing star Sofie Gråbøl and Google chairman Eric Schmidt are among the speakers at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television FestivalProfessor Brian Cox, the star of hit Danish crime...
Starwatch: Something shocking in the Lagoon
If we imagined the Lagoon Nebula to be a tranquil pool floating between the stars, this image from the Gemini South telescope in the Chilean Andes might come as a shock.Indeed, the...
Galactic Star Laboratory Shines in New Hubble Photo
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals a dwarf galaxy packed with young stars and gas clouds.
What's 96 Percent of the Universe Made Of? Astronomers Don't Know
A new book tells the story of the missing 96 percent of the universe composed of dark matter and dark energy.