Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
NASA: No fourth STS-131 spacewalk required
HOUSTON, April 15 (UPI) -- NASA managers say they've decided there is no need for a special fourth spacewalk to replace a jammed International Space Station nitrogen tank.
Newest Mars Rover Gets Powerful Camera Eyes
NASA has just received two science cameras, the latest models of the Mars Rover's Mastcams. The fixed focal length cameras will provide full color images and high-definition video.
Discovery that quasars don't show time dilation mystifies astronomers
(PhysOrg.com) -- The phenomenon of time dilation is a strange yet experimentally confirmed effect of relativity theory. One of its implications is that events occurring in distant parts of the...
Hubble snaps heavyweight of the Leo Triplet
The unusual spiral galaxy, Messier 66, is located at a distance of about 35 million light-years in the constellation of Leo. Together with Messier 65 and NGC 3628, Messier 66...
Ice mission blasts off
The European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 satellite will monitor changes in Earth's ice thicknesses
2010 Major Meteor Showers
(PhysOrg.com) -- The very best thing you can do to maximize your meteor shower enjoyment is get as far away from light pollution (city lights, etc.) as you can and...
Indian space mission advances with satellite plan
India plans to put a satellite into orbit using its indigenously built cryogenic rocket engine, marking another step in the nation's ambitious space programme, officials said.
NASA satellites monitor Icelandic volcano
PASADENA, Calif., April 8 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency scientists say they are closely monitoring the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland that was first detected by satellites.
Pluto dwarfed again
Australian scientists have further reduced the status of Pluto by suggesting there are many more dwarf planets in the Solar System.
Astronomers take close-up pictures of mysterious dark object
For the first time, astronomers have directly observed the mysterious dark companion in a binary star system that has puzzled skywatchers since the 19th century. Using an instrument developed at...
China and Nepal agree on an official height for Mount Everest
China and Nepal agree on an official height for Mount Everest - ending a long-running disagreement over the issue.
'First image' of star's eclipse
The first close-up image of an eclipse beyond the solar system is captured by scientists using light from four telescopes.
Instant insight: Searching for greener ionic liquids
Nicola Wood and Gill Stephens discuss the methods available for testing and predicting toxicity in ionic liquids.
Cosmic Log: The planet-hackers are coming
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Some of the ideas for fighting Earth's warming trend may sound unthinkable, but a new book suggests that scientists are giving them increasingly serious thought. ...
Scientists Use Atomic Physics Codes to Study Coronal Mass Ejections
(PhysOrg.com) -- Giant eruptions of ionized gas, or plasma, from the Sun called coronal mass ejections [CMEs] produce solar energetic particles that cause spacecraft anomalies and communication interruptions, and can...
GOES-15 Opens Its 'Eyes' and Sees First Image of Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- From approximately 22,236 miles in space, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite - GOES-15 - took its first full-disk visible...
Buzz Aldrin Gets the Moon-Boot on 'Dancing with the Stars'
Forty years later, Buzz Aldrin is still the second man out. The world's second man on the moon was booted of "Dancing With The Stars" Tuesday night.
Telescope arrays give fine view of stars
Optical interferometry is no longer on the fringe of astronomy.
Triton's summer sky of methane and carbon monoxide
According to the first ever infrared analysis of the atmosphere of Neptune's moon Triton, summer is in full swing in its southern hemisphere. The European observing team used ESO's Very...
Secrets of Shady Star System Revealed
New images of two strange stars, where one passes in front of the other to block its light periodically as seen from Earth, are beginning to give up the secrets...
ESA Euronews: Star Story
We barely think of it but, without the Sun's energy, life on Earth would be impossible. Studying the Sun is essential and fascinating. The Sun in all its aspects –...
Looking for life beyond Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientist Carolyn Porco explored the deeper regions of the solar system and her work with the Cassini mission to Saturn during a talk at Radcliffe.
Astronomers study galaxy cluster growth
TOKYO, April 7 (UPI) -- A team of scientists from Japan and Taiwan says it has uncovered details explaining the growth of galaxy clusters.
Cosmic Dust Offers Zodiacal Light Show
The zodiacal light, well placed this week, has been brighter than the Milky Way lately.
NASA Plans New Robot Generation to Explore Moon, Asteroids
American astronauts may not return to the moon anytime soon, but robotic explorers seem poised to go there in short order.
In pictures: Satellite eye on Earth - March 2010
Sandstorms in China, dark days in Dakota and hydrogen sulphide eruption along the coast of Namibia - this month's stunning shots from space
Scientists find errors in hypothesis linking solar flares to global temperature
(PhysOrg.com) -- The field of climate science is nothing if not complex, where a host of variables interact with each other in intricate ways to produce various changes. Just like...
Video - Cosmonaut Rituals, Astronauts Pranks
Cosmonaut traditions; astronaut Photoshop prank; Constellation losing Metric System; Toyota troubles investigated by NASA.