Unlocking the mysteries of 'little starlets'
For the first time a powerful laser has been used to further our understanding of some of the most mysterious celestial objects just beyond the solar system - brown dwarfs.
Nov 6th, 2015
Read more
Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines
Subscribe to our Space Exploration News feed
MAVEN mission reveals speed of solar wind stripping Martian atmosphere
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the Martian climate from an early, warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold, arid planet Mars is today.
Nov 5th, 2015
Read moreHubble uncovers the fading cinders of some of our galaxy's earliest homesteaders
Using the Hubble Space Telescope to conduct a 'cosmic archaeological dig' at the very heart of our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers have uncovered the blueprints of our galaxy's early construction phase.
Nov 5th, 2015
Read moreScientists discover the gene that will open the door for space-based food production
Plant geneticists discovered the gene in the ancient Australian native tobacco plant Nicotiana benthamiana, known as Pitjuri to indigenous Aboriginals tribes.
Nov 3rd, 2015
Read moreDisk gaps don't always signal planets
When astronomers study protoplanetary disks of gas and dust that surround young stars, they sometimes spot a dark gap like the Cassini division in Saturn's rings. It has been suggested that any gap must be caused by an unseen planet that formed in the disk and carved out material from its surroundings. However, new research shows that a gap could be a sort of cosmic illusion and not the sign of a hidden planet after all.
Nov 2nd, 2015
Read moreHow stars grow into heavyweights
Astronomers find a stable disk around a young, massive sun.
Nov 2nd, 2015
Read moreResearchers model birth of universe in one of largest cosmological simulations ever run
The simulation, run on the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, modeled the evolution of the universe from just 50 million years after the Big Bang to the present day - from its earliest infancy to its current adulthood.
Oct 30th, 2015
Read moreSpirals in dust around young stars may betray presence of massive planets
A team of astronomers is proposing that huge spiral patterns seen around some newborn stars, merely a few million years old, may be evidence for the presence of giant unseen planets. This idea not only opens the door to a new method of planet detection, but also could offer a look into the early formative years of planet birth.
Oct 30th, 2015
Read morePreparing for extreme space weather
A newly published National Space Weather Strategy identifies high-level priorities and goals for the nation, while an accompanying Action Plan outlines how federal agencies will implement the strategy.
Oct 29th, 2015
Read moreVISTA discovers new component of Milky Way
The Vista Variables in the Via Lactea Survey (VVV) ESO public survey is using the VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory to take multiple images at different times of the central parts of the galaxy at infrared wavelengths. It is discovering huge numbers of new objects, including variable stars, clusters and exploding stars.
Oct 28th, 2015
Read moreWall-less Hall thruster may power future deep space missions
Scientists have experimentally optimized the operation of the first wall-less Hall thruster prototype, a novel electric rocket engine design suitable for long-duration, deep space missions.
Oct 27th, 2015
Read moreArtificial intelligence finds messy galaxies
An astrophysics student has turned to artificial intelligence to help her to see into the hearts of galaxies.
Oct 27th, 2015
Read moreScaling the universe
Some of the most intractable scientific problems involve natural and physical processes that span many scales and disciplines, from atoms to organs, and from quarks to galaxies. Developing coherent theories that can describe these fundamental phenomena will be crucial to understanding the origins of the Universe and life on Earth. Researchers are inventing solutions to link the vast with the tiny.
Oct 23rd, 2015
Read moreMilky Way photo with 46 billion pixels
Astronomers compile the largest astronomical image of all time. In order to view it, researchers have provided an online tool. The image contains data gathered in astronomical observations over a period of five years.
Oct 21st, 2015
Read moreDust particles from outer space
Researchers have analyzed the Ulysses interstellar dust measurements.
Oct 21st, 2015
Read moreTo save on weight, a detour to the moon is the best route to Mars
For a piloted mission to Mars, fueling up on the moon could streamline cargo by 68 percent.
Oct 15th, 2015
Read moreYoung stars' flickering light reveals remarkable link with matter-eating black holes
An international team of astronomers has discovered a previously unknown link between the way young stars grow and the way black holes and other exotic space objects feed from their surroundings.
Oct 13th, 2015
Read moreMysterious ripples found racing through planet-forming disk
Astronomers have discovered never-before-seen structures within a dusty disc surrounding a nearby star. The fast-moving wave-like features in the disc of the star AU Microscopii are unlike anything ever observed, or even predicted, before now. The origin and nature of these features present a new mystery for astronomers to explore.
Oct 7th, 2015
Read more