Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Brightest Star in the Galaxy Has New Competition
(PhysOrg.com) -- A contender for the title of brightest star in our Milky Way galaxy has been unearthed in the dusty metropolis of the galaxy's center.
Asteroid Cruises Past Earth ... With a Partner!
A small asteroid sailing past our planet right now turns out to be two giant rocks orbiting each other.
Stakeholders Meet to Ensure Longevity of Space Station
The ISS's major investors discuss ways to prevent early retirement.
Particles Retain Weight for Billions of Years
New data from a distant galaxy provide evidence that the mass of fundamental bits of matter has not changed since the universe was half its age.
James Randerson discusses a landmark mission to Mars
James Randerson analyses an audacious plan to bring back samples from the Red Planet
Alan Pickup: Spacewatch
Alan Pickup: Jupiter, by far the brightest star-like object in our southern night sky, is unmistakable well to the left of the Moon
"Baby Boom" in a Stellar Nursery
Astronomers discover an ancient galactic star factory on overdrive
Templeton leaves controversial legacy
Philanthropist's influential foundation will continue his mission to explore the space between science and faith
Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit
(AP) -- Will the Mars lander's next baking test of soil and ice be its last? Scientists worry that it could be, thanks to an electrical glitch that threatens...
A Lake That Looks Like Mars [News]
There's only so much you can do searching for extraterrestrial life when you're Earthbound. One approach is to locate and study the best terrestrial examples of what might resemble conditions...
Swiss nano-microscope delivers first images recorded on Mars
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time ever, nanostructures have been measured on another planet. On July 9, the NASA "Phoenix" Mars Probe recorded images with nanometer resolution (one nanometer roughly...
What's Wrong with the Sun? (Nothing)
Stop the presses! The sun is behaving normally. So says NASA solar physicist David Hathaway. "There have been some reports lately that Solar Minimum is lasting longer than it should....
NASA Sticks a Fork in Mars
Phoenix Mars Lander sticks fork-like probe into Martian surface, uses second microscope for first time.
Cycles, eruptions and sunspots - exploring our Sun
The Sun, a burning ball of hydrogen and helium a million kilometres wide, is our source of energy and light, and a constant focus of scientific study. Thanks to the...
Earth from Space: Persian Gulf sandstorm
Envisat captures sand and dust blowing northeast from the Arabian Peninsula across the Persian Gulf toward Iran (visible at image top).
Is That Iranian Missile Photo a Fake? [News]
If you haven't heard by now, newspapers and blogs are reporting that a photo of an Iranian missile test yesterday was digitally manipulated. There were allegedly just three missiles in...
VIDEO: Flame Trench Repair At Launch Pad 39A
KSC's launchpad 39A is under repair after the last space shuttle launch damaged a flame trench wall. Credit: NASA/Space.com
Spacewalk Outside Soyuz to Determine Malfunction
Two Russian astronauts are to undertake a highly unusual procedure intended to help engineers understand a malfunction in the capsule that will bring them back to Earth.
Universe Is More Transparent To High-energy Radiation Than Previously Assumed
New measurements have shown that the universe is more transparent to high-energy radiation than previously assumed. These measurements of high-energy gamma radiation from 5.3 billion light years away are yielding...
NIST assists in solar stake-out to improve space weather forecasts
The sun is about to undergo unremitting scrutiny. About six times each minute of every hour for at least five years, a soon-to-be launched NASA satellite will measure the sun's...
Magellan gets work on new Orion shuttle
Magellan Aerospace Corp. said Thursday it has won a $12-million US contract to build new heat shields for the Orion space shuttle replacement program.
James Webb Space Telescope full-scale model coming to COSPAR meeting in Montreal
The full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope resumes its world tour with a stop in Montreal. The model will be on display July 13 - 20 in...
Mars Lander's Heat Shield Spotted From Space
New analysis of HiRISE image reveals heat shield, color swaths.
Source Of The Most Common Meteorites Discovered
When observing with the GEMINI telescopes, two astronomers discovered for the first time asteroids that are similar to "ordinary chondrites", the most common meteorites found on Earth. Until now, astronomers...
Orbiting Gamma-ray Observatory Begins Search For Odd Space Objects
The researchers have stopped holding their breath. The $690 million observatory they sent into orbit June 11 has awoken to begin its observation of the gamma-ray light from celestial mystery...
How NASA Might Find Rock-Eating Microbes on Mars
A study offers a new way to detect biological molecules in martian rock.
SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Star Dunes, Comet Probe, More
A new view of a supernova "gumball," the California fires as seen from above, and a vivid rocket launch are part of this week's roundup of eye-catching space images.
Astronomers determine path of radio waves
IOWA CITY, Iowa, July 9 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers have determined that radio waves generated by solar particles high above the Earth travel into space in a narrow...