Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Big black holes may not stop star birth
New study suggests models may have given these supermassive beasts too much credit
Newly Launched Satellite Fails in Space
The new W2M communications satellite has failed just over a month after launch.
Scientists glean new insights into convection in planets and stars
A new study overturns a longstanding scientific tenet and provides new insights into how convection controls much of what we observe in planets and stars. read more
Is that two moons around Saturn I see?
ROME (Reuters) - Italian and British scientists want to exhume the body of 16th century astronomer Galileo for DNA tests to determine if his severe vision problems may have affected...
'Super-Neptune' Exoplanet Discovered
Astronomers have discovered a planet somewhat larger and more massive than Neptune orbiting a star 120 light-years from Earth. While Neptune has a diameter 3.8 times that of Earth and...
Astronauts Watch President Obama's Inauguration from Space
Two astronauts watched President Barack Obama's inauguration from space Tuesday.
Frantic Activity Revealed In Dusty Stellar Factories
Astronomers have studied the fine detail in NGC 253, one of the brightest and dustiest spiral galaxies in the sky. Adaptive Optics (AO) corrects for the blurring effect introduced by...
Testing when eyes become vulnerable to cataracts
(AP) -- Space shuttle science may soon come to an eye doctor near you: Researchers are using a NASA gadget to finally tell if a cataract is brewing before...
Bobsled Design: Hammerhead On The Test Bed
After nearly two years of development and production, the day had arrived: the "Citius" bobsleigh went into the wind tunnel. The tests exceeded expectations. Now the next hurdle must be...
40 Years of Astronauts, Moon Craft in the Presidential Inaugural Parade
For the second time in 40 years, astronauts will walk in the Inaugural Parade.
NASA Radar Provides First Look Inside Moon’s Shadowed Craters
Using a NASA radar flying aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists are getting their first look inside the moon's coldest, darkest craters.
Space Mission For Worms
Worms from The University of Nottingham should be checking in for a flight onboard the Space Shuttle later this year — to help researchers investigate the effect of zero gravity...
China plans own satellite navigation system by 2015: state media
China plans to complete its own satellite navigation system by 2015, making it independent of foreign technology such as the US-developed Global Positioning System (GPS), state media said Monday.
A bluffer's guide to Jodrell Bank
The Lovell Telescope: Facts & FiguresMass of the telescope: 3,200 tonnesMass of bowl: 1,500 tonnesDiameter of bowl: 76.2 metresSurface area of bowl: 5,270 square metresAmount of paint for three coats:...
Rethinking the Genetic Theory of Inheritance
Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have detected evidence that DNA may not be the only carrier of heritable information; a secondary molecular mechanism called epigenetics...
NASA chief Michael Griffin praises post-Columbia effort in farewell
The administrator says goodbye to employees via a live broadcast. ...
Space Commander Cheers for Steelers in NFL Playoff
Space station commander Michael Fincke is rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL playoffs.
"Missing" Moon Linked to Major 1761 Eruption?
A lunar eclipse so dark that the moon seemed to vanish from the sky was most likely the result of a mysterious volcanic eruption in the 1700s, a former NASA...
Wind Farm Off Cape Cod Clears Hurdle
A federal agency said Friday that the nation’s first offshore wind farm, proposed for the waters off Cape Cod, posed no serious environmental threat.
NASA Recruits Unmanned Aircraft for Earth Science
NASA will use two Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles for Earth science.
ESA seeks to join US dark energy mission
Deal would boost JDEM budget but scupper Europe's Euclid.
Landmark year ahead for Earth observation science missions
With three Earth Explorer satellites set to launch this year, another three under construction and up to three more about to be selected for feasibility study, 2009 promises to be...
Chicago Firm Protests Space Station Cargo Contract
Chicago-based PlanetSpace is protesting NASA's station cargo award to other firms.
Orion Dominates Winter Night Sky
Orion is by far the most brilliant of the constellations and is visible from every inhabited part of the Earth.
Boy Gets Tongue Stuck to Frozen Streetlight Pole
A 10-year-old boy in Hammond, Ind. got his tongue stuck streetlight pole Wednesday evening.
Earth from Space: Canada’s James Bay
This Envisat image features an ice-covered James Bay in Canada’s Nunavut territory, with the provinces of Quebec (right) and Ontario (left) visible.
Nuke code cracks stellar mystery
A nuclear weapons lab program simulates the birth of massive stars.
Socializing on Mars
(PhysOrg.com) -- After five groundbreaking years exploring the Red Planet, the communications engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory pretty much know what they are getting when another downlink from Spirit...