Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Cyberspace's 10 Most Dangerous Celebrity Search Names
Movie Stars, Models Dominate List of Search Names Targeted by Malware Authors
Pair of Telescopes Captures Supermassive Black Hole Eruption
M87 Black Hole Eruption NASA/Chandra Observatory At the heart of M87, the Virgo A galaxy, is one of the biggest black holes ever seen - about 6 billion times more massive than...
Transocean says BP withholding information
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Transocean has accused BP of withholding information necessary for its internal investigation into the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded and sank in April. ...
Asteroid Probe, Rocket Get Nod from Japanese Panel
Japan's space program has approved a successor to the Hayabusa asteroid explorer and plans for the Epsilon rocket.
Countdown to Vesta
Let the countdown begin. NASA's Dawn spacecraft is less than one year away from giant asteroid Vesta.
First use of cosmic lens to probe dark energy
Astronomers have devised a new method for measuring perhaps the greatest puzzle of our universe - dark energy. This mysterious force, discovered in 1998, is pushing our universe apart at...
Painfully Slow Inflation
The last time, I discussed that cosmic inflation loses its glamor if one considers that volume doubles only about 260 times. Still, if this happens during an amazingly short time...
Martian 'mud' volcanoes eyed for life
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Researchers say if life existed on Mars, the best place to look today is a region rich in what they say were mud volcanoes...
Moon has shrunk, scientists say
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists examining new images of the moon say the Earth's partner shrank in the geologically recent past and may be shrinking still. ...
ScienceShot: A Glimpse of the Early Moon
Cracks on the lunar surface hint that it's still cooling down from its sizzling past
Galactic super-volcano in action
A galactic 'super-volcano' in the massive galaxy M87 is erupting and blasting gas outwards, as witnessed by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and NSF's Very Large Array. The cosmic volcano is...
AMS experiment takes off for Kennedy Space Centre
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), an experiment that will search for antimatter and dark matter in space, leaves CERN next Tuesday on the next leg of its journey to the...
ESA Bulletin 143 (Aug 2010)
As part of their training, ESA's new astronauts experience 'parabolic flight', creating weightless conditions to simulate working in space, featured on the cover and inside the ESA Bulletin. Read the...
Galaxies' glory days revealed
Astronomers have experienced the galactic equivalent of discovering pictures of a mild-mannered grandmother partying as a wild youth. New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal the early 'wild' days...
Texas A and M team determines ancient galaxy cluster still producing stars
Much like quiet, middle-aged baby boomers peacefully residing in some of the world's largest cities, families of some galaxies also have a hidden wild youth that they only now are...
LISA gravitational-wave mission strongly endorsed by National Research Council
The National Research Council (NRC) has strongly recommended the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) as one of NASA's next two major space missions, to start in 2016 in collaboration with...
New U.S. Postage Stamps to Honor Mercury Probe, Alan Shepard
New U.S. postage stamps to be released next year will honor 1st American in space Alan Shepard and NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury.
Saint Michael's Astronomer John O'meara Identifies Gamma Ray Burst
Saint Michael's astronomer, assistant professor of physics, Dr. John O'Meara and two collaborators were the first to identify the distance to a gamma ray burst on the night of August...
1st Communication Satellite: A Giant Space Balloon 50 Years Ago
The era of communications satellites began 50 years ago with a giant space balloon called Echo 1.
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope deemed top priority
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), in which Lawrence Livermore plays a large role, has been ranked by a key scientific committee as the top priority for the...
Ghost-Like Nebula Revealed in Haunting Space Photo
An enigmatic and little-known nebula, located in the constellation Taurus, is seen billowing out among the surrounding bright stars and dark dust in an impressive new image from the Hubble...
New NASA Spaceships Forge Through Uncertain Atmosphere
NASA is pushing ahead with work its new Orion spacecraft and Ares rockets despite their ambiguous status.
Young Stars Blamed for Space Cloud Ripples
Periodic waves caused by the emissions from young massive stars have been seen rippling through a giant space cloud.
US survey sets cosmic priorities
Dark energy rises to the top in decadal report ranking future astronomy and astrophysics projects.
UALR Prof, students helping keep NASA's rovers from getting stuck
(PhysOrg.com) -- A paper co-authored by Dr. Cang Ye, associate professor in UALR's Department of Applied Science, and two UALR students won "Best Paper" at the 2010 Institute of Electrical...
'Star Wars' Fans Feel the Need for Real Hyperspeed
At the "Star Wars" conference Celebration V last weekend in Florida, the movie series' fans and makers implored NASA to develop a hyperdrive engine.
Neptune Finally Makes First Orbit Around the Sun Since Discovery In 1846
On Aug. 20, Neptune will be in opposition, completing its first trip around the sun since its discovery in 1846. Seasoned skywatchers may be able to see Neptune during opposition...
Sailing Among the Stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA launch will evaluate how a nanosatellite spacecraft and its payload performs.