Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Massive solar flare biggest in years
A powerful solar flare that exploded from the surface of the sun this week is the biggest in the current solar cycle, NASA says.
How to Spot Giant Asteroid Vesta in Night Sky This Week
Vesta, the brightest and second largest asteroid, can be seen in the constellation Capricornus.
Post-shuttle, U.S. space explorers need not be human
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Now that the shuttle fleet is permanently grounded, the U.S. space spotlight could shift toward the path-breaking astronomical science that NASA does without human beings on board.
Oxygen molecules found in deep space
PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- NASA says instruments on board the Herschel Space Observatory have provided the first confirmed finding of oxygen molecules in space.
Study: Ancient tides much more variable
CORVALLIS, Ore., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The Earth's tides, considered one of the most predictable events on the planet, are actually quite variable over long time periods, U.S. researchers...
SpaceX plans to get humans on Mars
At an August conference hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed plans for how they hope to get humans on Mars within the...
Moon, Saturn & Star Form Last Evening Sky Triangle for Now
Saturn, the moon and the bright star Spica are taking a final bow in the late-night sky.
The Fizzics of Guinness
Look closely at a pint of Guinness and tell me: do the bubbles go up, or do the bubbles go down? Why is the head coloured the way it is? Is foam...
NASA Closes Historic Antenna Station That Tracked Every Space Shuttle Launch
The historic MILA tracking station was built in the Apollo era and used for all 135 shuttle flights.
Space Station Spotted Crossing Sunspot
Merely a bug in the face of our solar mammoth, the international space station was captured through the eyes of telescopes using a Canon Digital Rebel XT for still photography...
Gallery: Herschel Space Observatory's Latest Amazing Photos
ESA's Herschel Space Telescope peers deep into the universe.
Observatory: Tracing Social Networks of the Asian Elephant
New research shows that while Asian elephants may change their day-to-day associations, they maintain a larger, stable network from which they pick their companions.
Ambitions as Deep as Their Pockets
A group of deep-pocketed daredevils — including James Cameron, Richard Branson and Eric E. Schmidt — are investing in crafts to explore the ocean’s deepest spot, known as Challenger Deep.
Israel confirms electro-optic guided missile
Infantry-operated missile can strike armored targets 25 miles away
The Planet That Never Was: Vesta
Possibly the last surviving proto-planet of the early Solar System, the giant asteroid is the 2nd most massive object in the Main Belt. Just massive enough for gravity to shape...
Shatner talks "Star Trek" with former captains
The original Captain Kirk films a documentary featuring the succeeding generations of Star Trek captains
Astronomy without a telescope: The unlikeliness of being
History has proved time and again that mathematical modelling is no substitute for a telescope (or other data collection device). Nonetheless, some theoreticians have recently put forward a statistical analysis...
Found: Heart of darkness
Astronomers using the 10-meter Keck II telescope in Hawaii have confirmed in a new paper that a troupe of about 1,000 small, dim stars just outside the Milky Way comprise...
Nemesis is a myth
Danger looms from out of space: asteroids and comets are a threat to our planet. The history of Earth has always been punctuated by cosmic catastrophes. Several studies have claimed...
Smiley Face On The Sun?
Is the Sun telling us to have a nice day? Images shown in order from lowest temperatures to highest as taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory reveals what appears to...
Physics could be behind the secrets of crop-circle artists
In this month's edition of Physics World, Richard Taylor, director of the Materials Science Institute at the University of Oregon, takes a serious, objective look at a topic that critics...
VIDEO: Rain or shine: 150 years of forecasts
On 1 August 1861 the Times newspaper published the first ever weather forecast. Graham Satchell looks back at the history of a famously difficult art.
Satellite eye on Earth: July 2011 - in pictures
Desert snow, Arctic melt ponds and the space shuttle Atlantis streaking across the atmosphere – this month's stunning shots from space
VIDEO: Etna eruption lights up Sicily night
Mount Etna eruption provides a spectacular display, but makes no impact on flights from nearby Catania Airport, in Sicily.
'Red Dragon' Mission Mulled as Cheap Search for Mars Life
The life-hunting mission could launch toward Mars in a Dragon capsule in 2018.
Canceling The James Webb Space Telescope Redux
Science 2.0 favorite Lawrence Krauss of ASU tackled the James Webb Space Telescope issue on the Richard Dawkins website and a commenter there linked to my rationalization that canceling it...
NASA Must Evolve Its Interaction with Private Companies, 2nd-in-Command Says
NASA deputy chief Lori Garver says NASA's work with private space industry is too important to fail.
Driving on the Moon: Photos of NASA's Lunar Cars
NASA put the first cars on the moon and has plans for even newer lunar models.