Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Tim Radford: A black hole at the heart of the Milky Way confirms we're nothing special
The black hole at the heart of the galaxy – confirmed this week by a team from the European Southern Observatory – is good news for o
A full moon spectacular (because it is at its perigee)
A night-time spectacle not seen for 15 years was produced last night when a full moon coincided with the moon orbiting the Earth almost 18,400 miles (30,000km) closer than usual...
Space Shuttle Endeavour Finally Home
Space shuttle Endeavour returned home to NASA's spaceport Friday.
New MIT detector will aid dark matter search
Several research projects are underway to try to detect particles that may make up the mysterious 'dark matter' believed to dominate the universe's mass. But the existing detectors have a...
Carbon Dioxide (No S.U.V.’s) Detected on Distant Planet
Astronomers have detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet 63 light-years away, but the planet is too hot for any possibility of life.
Key Event That Breaks Continents Apart Discovered
Researchers have captured for the first time a geological event considered key in shaping the Earth's landscape. The first "dyking event" ever recorded within the planet's continental crust.
Building World's Largest Neutrino Telescope At South Pole
It's 40 degrees F below zero (with the wind chill) at the South Pole today. Yet a research team from the University of Delaware is taking it all in stride....
Ice age wasn't simultaneous
Australian researchers have found that the Earth didn't freeze simultaneously during the last ice age, a finding that could impact climate change predictions.
New Infrared Image of Swan Nebula
Spitzer telescope has captured a new view of the star-making cloud, M17.
Astronomer says Christ was born in June
SYDNEY , Dec. 9 (UPI) -- An Australian astronomer says the Christmas star that led the three Wise Men to Jesus appeared in June, not December.
New 3-D Views From Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
The team operating the highest-resolution camera orbiting Mars has posted 362 stereo images, providing three-dimensional views of mounds, canyons, gullies and other features.
New window on the high-energy universe
New telescope finds that the high-energy share of gamma-ray bursts arrive at Earth significantly later than the low-energy portion
Next big act may be a click away
TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- All those rock star wannabes can find out how far their star will rise by using his predictive software, an Israeli...
China, Russia plan Mars trip
China and Russia will co-operate on a Mars exploration project next year, the China Daily reported, citing an official at the Shanghai Space Administration.
Cosmic Log: The future of energy
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: If President-elect Barack Obama's advisers have their way, the future of energy can be summed up in one word: electricity.
Sweet Find in Search for Alien Life
Scientists say a basic ingredient of life is abundant in our galaxy.
'Mars Webcam' offline for low-bit-rate season
On 5 December 2008, Mars and Earth lined up on opposite sides of the Sun, forcing radio signals between the ground and the spacecraft to pass through the Sun's turbulent...
VIDEO: Cemetery Is Solar Source
Near Barcelona, Spain, a large solar power plant is in an unlikely location: a cemetery.
Court readmits evidence in NASA astronaut case
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The trial of former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak for an attack on a romantic rival has been cleared to resume after an appeals court readmitted suppressed...
Meteorites hitting oceans may have kick-started life
New origin-of-life experiments mimic meteorite sea impacts and create organic molecules
Secretive Space Vehicle Tested at Private Texas Site
New light shed on secretive rocket work bankrolled by Amazon's Jeff Bezos.
Nobel Prize Winner Mather Headlines December Commencement at Maryland
Nobel Prize winner Dr. John. C. Mather will be the featured commencement speaker at the University of Maryland December 20. Mather is also an adjunct professor of physics at Maryland....
Moon geology could solve three mysteries of early Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- Not much is known about the Earth before 4 billion years ago, the earliest period in the planet`s 4.5-billion-year history. Because Earth has lost almost all geological records...
Dutch research into fair-weather clouds important in climate predictions
Research at the Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) has led to better understanding of clouds, the unknown quantity in current climate models. The Delft researcher Thijs Heus has tackled...
Researchers Find Fingerprints in Murder Case
(PhysOrg.com) -- A pioneering forensic scientist at Northamptonshire Police and the University of Leicester has helped detectives move a step closer to solving a murder case.
Atomic Clock Could Be Miniturized
The world's most precise clock - on which all time-keeping and navigation systems are based - might be made as small as a wristwatch with a new design proposed by...
Video: Branson's pledge to Virgin Galactic space tourists
If you are lucky enough to have $200,000 to spare and have signed up as one of Virgin Galactic's space tourists then this is the video Richard Branson will h
Shuttle's Calif. departure delayed
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The space shuttle Endeavour's departure from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for Florida was delayed Saturday due to technical...