Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Brightest Star in the Galaxy Has New Competition
(PhysOrg.com) -- A contender for the title of brightest star in our Milky Way galaxy has been unearthed in the dusty metropolis of the galaxy's center.
See Mars in wide-screen
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: One year after a famous man-vs.-machine poker tournament, the machine finally won out.
Templeton leaves controversial legacy
Philanthropist's influential foundation will continue his mission to explore the space between science and faith
Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit
(AP) -- Will the Mars lander's next baking test of soil and ice be its last? Scientists worry that it could be, thanks to an electrical glitch that threatens...
Swiss nano-microscope delivers first images recorded on Mars
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time ever, nanostructures have been measured on another planet. On July 9, the NASA "Phoenix" Mars Probe recorded images with nanometer resolution (one nanometer roughly...
Study Puts Solar Spin on Asteroids, their Moons & Earth Impacts
Asteroids with moons, which scientists call binary asteroids, are common in the solar system. A longstanding question has been how the majority of such moons are formed. In this week's...
What's Wrong with the Sun? (Nothing)
Stop the presses! The sun is behaving normally. So says NASA solar physicist David Hathaway. "There have been some reports lately that Solar Minimum is lasting longer than it should....
NASA Sticks a Fork in Mars
Phoenix Mars Lander sticks fork-like probe into Martian surface, uses second microscope for first time.
Cycles, eruptions and sunspots - exploring our Sun
The Sun, a burning ball of hydrogen and helium a million kilometres wide, is our source of energy and light, and a constant focus of scientific study. Thanks to the...
Earth from Space: Persian Gulf sandstorm
Envisat captures sand and dust blowing northeast from the Arabian Peninsula across the Persian Gulf toward Iran (visible at image top).
Is That Iranian Missile Photo a Fake? [News]
If you haven't heard by now, newspapers and blogs are reporting that a photo of an Iranian missile test yesterday was digitally manipulated. There were allegedly just three missiles in...
VIDEO: Flame Trench Repair At Launch Pad 39A
KSC's launchpad 39A is under repair after the last space shuttle launch damaged a flame trench wall. Credit: NASA/Space.com
Spacewalk Outside Soyuz to Determine Malfunction
Two Russian astronauts are to undertake a highly unusual procedure intended to help engineers understand a malfunction in the capsule that will bring them back to Earth.
NASA Ocean Wind Power Maps Reveal Possible Energy Sources
Efforts to harness the energy potential of Earth's ocean winds could soon gain an important new tool: global satellite maps from NASA. Scientists have been creating maps using nearly a...
Universe Is More Transparent To High-energy Radiation Than Previously Assumed
New measurements have shown that the universe is more transparent to high-energy radiation than previously assumed. These measurements of high-energy gamma radiation from 5.3 billion light years away are yielding...
NIST assists in solar stake-out to improve space weather forecasts
The sun is about to undergo unremitting scrutiny. About six times each minute of every hour for at least five years, a soon-to-be launched NASA satellite will measure the sun's...
Magellan gets work on new Orion shuttle
Magellan Aerospace Corp. said Thursday it has won a $12-million US contract to build new heat shields for the Orion space shuttle replacement program.
James Webb Space Telescope full-scale model coming to COSPAR meeting in Montreal
The full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope resumes its world tour with a stop in Montreal. The model will be on display July 13 - 20 in...
Mars Lander's Heat Shield Spotted From Space
New analysis of HiRISE image reveals heat shield, color swaths.
Source Of The Most Common Meteorites Discovered
When observing with the GEMINI telescopes, two astronomers discovered for the first time asteroids that are similar to "ordinary chondrites", the most common meteorites found on Earth. Until now, astronomers...
Orbiting Gamma-ray Observatory Begins Search For Odd Space Objects
The researchers have stopped holding their breath. The $690 million observatory they sent into orbit June 11 has awoken to begin its observation of the gamma-ray light from celestial mystery...
How NASA Might Find Rock-Eating Microbes on Mars
A study offers a new way to detect biological molecules in martian rock.
Swerve Left To Avoid That Satellite: The Growing Issue Of Space Debris
Think you have trouble getting rid of the clutter in your living room? After more than 50 years of launching rockets and satellites into space, the human race now has...
SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Star Dunes, Comet Probe, More
A new view of a supernova "gumball," the California fires as seen from above, and a vivid rocket launch are part of this week's roundup of eye-catching space images.
Astronomers determine path of radio waves
IOWA CITY, Iowa, July 9 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers have determined that radio waves generated by solar particles high above the Earth travel into space in a narrow...
Fascinating analysis of pioneer anomaly
Another blogger here, who is generally so far off the mark that I don't want to point to his earlier discussion, had some odd things to say about the "Pioneer...
The World's First Flying Saucer: Made Right Here on Earth [Extreme Tech]
If a professor at the University of Florida (U.F.) has his way, the first flying saucer to grace Planet Earth's skies isn't likely to come from outer space but rather...
Wetlands Update--Has Preservation Had an Impact? [EarthTalk]
Dear EarthTalk: What is the status of wetlands in North America? Years ago I remember that wetlands loss, due to development and sprawl, was accelerating fast, but I haven’t heard...