Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Chromium - The Secret Ingredient In Early Earth Formation
Early in the formation of the Earth, some forms of the element chromium separated and disappeared deep into the planet's core, according to a new study in Science. The team studied...
FAQ: Will NASA Settle Debate Over Existence of Giant Planet 'Tyche'?
Here’s a look at NASA debate over the existence of the giant planet Tyche, and whether NASA spacecraft WISE will play a role in resolving the debate.
NASA Spacecraft Images New Zealand Quake Region
Two new images from NASA's Terra spacecraft show the region devastated this week by New Zealand's most destructive earthquake in 80 years.
Launch of NASA Glory satellite postponed again
NASA says the launch of an Earth-observing satellite from California has been postponed because of a problem with ground equipment.
Aussie Science Chief Resigns
MELBOURNE—Australia's chief scientist, astronomer Penny Sackett, surprised the scientific community last Friday by announcing...
Everyday Tech From Space: How GPS Systems Help People Navigate
GPS is a marvel of space-based technology. The GPS receivers in cars and smartphones calculate locations, velocities and directions based on signals pinged out by a constellation of 24 satellites...
Toward computers that fit on a pen tip
A prototype implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients is believed to contain the first complete millimeter-scale computing system.
IEA watching Libyan unrest closely
PARIS, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The International Energy Agency said Tuesday it was ready to intervene should the market prove unable to cope with unrest in Libya.
Gazprom presses for tight link to Ukraine
MOSCOW, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The Ukrainian natural gas transit system will be filled to the brink if state energy company Naftogaz merges with Gazprom, a Russian energy chief...
'Wandering' planets may have water, life
CHICAGO, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Liquid water may be found on planets that have gone adrift from their stars and may have acted as stepping stones to spread cosmic...
Plankton key to origin of Earth's first breathable atmosphere
Researchers studying the origin of Earth's first breathable atmosphere have zeroed in on the major role played by some very unassuming creatures: plankton.
Space probe set to enter Mercury orbit
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- NASA's Messenger is preparing to enter orbit around the planet Mercury, a world one U.S. scientist says has been "under-appreciated."
Feature: Understanding a lumpy universe
To understand how galaxies interact with their surroundings, Catherine Farage is looking at the filaments of dust and gas that move within them.
VIDEO: Mercury Messenger's special design
Messenger mission systems engineer Eric Finnegan explains some of the features on the craft designed to help it cope with Mercury's extreme conditions.
A wealth of molecules in an extreme galaxy
(PhysOrg.com) -- Arp 220 is the closest galaxy to the Milly Way with an extreme luminosity, defined as being more than about 300 times that of our own galaxy. Some...
A Romp Through Theories Into the Cradle of Life
Two dozen chemists, geologists, biologists, planetary scientists and physicists gathered recently to ponder where and what Eden might have been.
The Year of the Higgs?
This February, researchers will renew their search for one of the universe's most elusive mysteries, the Higgs boson--a hypothetical particle that if found would give an insight into why particles...
Giant galaxies akin to snowflakes in space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Giant galaxies that contain billions of stars are born in much the same way as delicate snowflakes, new research from Swinburne University of Technology has shown.
Hockey puck may visit moon in X Prize plan
A group of Canadian space buffs wants to make a hockey puck boldly go where no hockey puck has gone before: the surface of the moon.
NASA instrument gets close-up on Mars rocks
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, will carry a next generation, onboard "chemical element reader" to measure the chemical ingredients in Martian rocks and soil. The instrument is...
China Mars probe set for November launch
China's first Mars probe will be launched from a Russian rocket in November, two years later than originally planned, state media reported Monday.
Russian defense satellite in wrong orbit
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A Russian defense satellite sent into the wrong orbit can't perform its mission, said First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin.
U.S. mulling defence plan for space
The U.S. military needs to better protect its satellites and strengthen its ability to use them as weapons as the uncharted battlefield of space becomes increasingly crowded and dangerous, Pentagon...
Super-sharp radio 'eye' remeasuring the universe
Using the super-sharp radio 'vision' of astronomy's most precise telescope, scientists have extended a directly-measured 'yardstick' three times farther into the cosmos than ever before, an achievement with important implications...
Cosmic census finds crowd of planets in our galaxy
(AP) -- Scientists have estimated the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy and the numbers are astronomical: at least 50 billion planets in the Milky Way.
'Music of the stars' now louder
The Kepler space telescope is significantly better at measuring the age and sizes of stars by measuring the sounds they make, say researchers at the AAAS conference.
Catastrophe Looming? The Risks of Rising Solar Storm Activity
The sun unleashed its most powerful eruption in more than four years this week, but it could have been a lot worse, experts say. The sun's space weather cycle have...
Huge Solar Eruption Actually Made Astronauts Safer
Dramatic as it was, the huge solar eruption on Valentine's Day didn't send astronauts aboard the International Space Station scurrying for cover. In fact, the coronal mass ejection probably helped...