Latest science news in Astronomy & Space

Black hole found in binary star system: More than five times greater in mass than our Sun

14 years ago from Science Daily

The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) has obtained the first spectroscopy data from the X-ray transient binary XTE J1859+226, which confirm the existence of a black hole. Only about 20 binary...

A very cool pair of brown dwarfs

14 years ago from Science Blog

Brown dwarfs are essentially failed stars: they lack enough mass for gravity to trigger the nuclear reactions that make stars shine. The newly discovered brown dwarf, identified as CFBDSIR 1458+10B,...

Scientists earn their bread, discover a new yeast

14 years ago from MSNBC: Science

A new type of yeast sporting spores with rings around their centers, a la the planet Saturn, has come out of hiding in a cloud forest in Ecuador, researchers recently...

Weird Saturn Radio Signals Puzzle Astronomers

14 years ago from Live Science

Saturn's odd radio emissions likely show the sun's shifting influence on the giant planet.

NASA's Juno spacecraft completes thermal vacuum chamber testing

14 years ago from Science Daily

NASA's Juno spacecraft has completed its thermal vacuum chamber testing. The two-week-long test, which concluded on March 13, 2011, is the longest the spacecraft will undergo prior to launch.

Goddard annual Sun-Earth day has a tweeting twist

14 years ago from Physorg

Every year, near the equinox, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. hosts -- and encourages other museums and educators to host -- a solar extravaganza called Sun-Earth Day....

Are you a Martian? We all could be, scientists say -- and new instrument might provide proof

14 years ago from Physorg

Are we all Martians? According to many planetary scientists, it's conceivable that all life on Earth is descended from organisms that originated on Mars and were carried here aboard meteorites....

NASA's Planet-Hunting Telescope Back Online After 6-Day Glitch

14 years ago from Space.com

A computer glitch sent NASA's Kepler telescope into hibernation for 144 hours.

NASA's 100-Year Starship Project Sets Sights on Interstellar Travel

14 years ago from Space.com

NASA and DARPA are spending $1 million on project to help enable a starship ride in the 2100s.

VIDEO: Viewing the Northern Lights in Canada

14 years ago from BBC News: Science & Nature

Brandy Yanchyk travels to Yellowknife in Canada for a view of the famous Northern Lights.

National Briefing | WEST: California: Scientist Accused of Bias

14 years ago from NY Times Science

An Interior Department report released Tuesday found that a scientist committed misconduct by misusing photographic evidence that appeared to contradict her contention that an oyster farm’s operations disturbed harbor seals.

New estimate of alien 'Earths': Billions

14 years ago from UPI

PASADENA, Calif., March 22 (UPI) -- A new estimate of the number of possible alien Earths orbiting distant stars puts the figure at 2 billion in our Milky Way...

News in Brief: Atom & Cosmos

14 years ago from Sciencenews.org

Ancient galaxies found full-grown, plus stellar hearts and Mars’ rocky past in this week’s news

NASA 'wakes up' asteroid-bound probe

14 years ago from UPI

PASADENA, Calif., March 22 (UPI) -- NASA says the instruments on its Dawn spacecraft, headed for a rendezvous with an asteroid, have been awakened after a six-month hibernation.

Laser proposed to deflect space junk

14 years ago from Sciencenews.org

Ground-based device would use light to push debris off collision course

NASA Space Capsule Begins Tests at New Proving Ground

14 years ago from Space.com

The Orion vehicle is slated to begin operational flights in 2016.

Zeta Ophiuchi in Dust

14 years ago from Space.com

The blue star Zeta Ophiuchi (center) appears surrounded by a cloud of interstellar dust and gas.

NASA to William Shatner: 'Happy Birthday,' Captain Kirk

14 years ago from Space.com

NASA has sent an official note to wish Capt. James T. Kirk a happy 80th birthday.

Honey bee search strategy: Robot swarms to search Mars caves

14 years ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a recent paper published in Acta Astronautica, Aron Kisdi, a University of Southampton engineer, proposes an idea of utilizing a swarm of robots to search large areas...

Habitable planets and white dwarfs

14 years ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- The search for habitable planets similar to Earth has routinely focused around active nuclear burning stars. However, in a recently published paper by Eric Agol from the University...

NASA's Orion Space Capsule

14 years ago from Space.com

A look at NASA's Orion space capsule, which could carry astronauts to the moon, asteroids and other deep-space locales. The first test flight of the spacecraft is scheduled for 2013.

NASA Picks Winners of 'Space Craft' Contest

14 years ago from Space.com

The grand prize winner is "Northstar Table," which boasts a hidden drawer that pops out when it's touched in the right spot.

NASA Budget Woes Batter Ambitious Planetary Mission Plans

14 years ago from Space.com

NASA's budget problems are limiting the agency's choices for flagship missions to the planets.

Reading The Cryosphere

14 years ago from

Reading The Cryosphere A picture is worth a thousand words - but only if you can speak the language. When examining satellite images of the cryosphere it helps to know something of...

Mining plans pose threat to South African astronomy site

14 years ago from News @ Nature

Search for natural gas raises questions over bid to host Square Kilometre Array.

Step 1 in Astronauts-to-Asteroid Mission: Pick the Right Space Rock

14 years ago from Space.com

Finding the right asteroid to send astronauts to visit in 2025 is vital for NASA planners.

Enriching the intracluster medium

14 years ago from Physorg

(PhysOrg.com) -- Galaxies are sometimes found in large clusters with many hundreds of members. Typically there is a giant elliptical galaxy near the center; most of these ellipticals are very...

Radiation, Once Free, Can Follow Tricky Path

14 years ago from NY Times Health

How — and how fast — radioactive elements travel depends on many factors, including weather, soil and what they land on first.