Hubble helps find smallest known galaxy with a supermassive black hole
Astronomers have found an unlikely object in an improbable place: a monster black hole lurking inside one of the tiniest galaxies known.
Sep 17th, 2014
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Reinterpreting dark matter
New research explores cold dark matter in depth and proposes new answers about the formation of galaxies and the structure of the universe. These predictions are being contrasted with fresh data provided by the Hubble space telescope.
Sep 17th, 2014
Read more'J' marks the spot for Rosetta's lander
Rosetta's lander Philae will target Site J, an intriguing region on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that offers unique scientific potential, with hints of activity nearby, and minimum risk to the lander compared to the other candidate sites.
Sep 15th, 2014
Read moreMartian meteorite yields more evidence of the possibility of life on Mars
A tiny fragment of Martian meteorite 1.3 billion years old is helping to make the case for the possibility of life on Mars, say scientists.
Sep 15th, 2014
Read moreUnravelling the mysteries of the Venusian atmosphere (w/video)
Underscoring the vast differences between Earth and its neighbor Venus, new research shows a glimpse of giant holes in the electrically charged layer of the Venusian atmosphere, called the ionosphere. The observations point to a more complicated magnetic environment than previously thought - which in turn helps us better understand this neighboring, rocky planet.
Sep 12th, 2014
Read moreAstronomers unveil secrets of giant elliptical galaxies
New findings of how giant elliptical galaxies move have been discovered by an international team of astronomers using the newly installed Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility.
Sep 12th, 2014
Read moreNASA research gives guideline for future alien life search
Astronomers searching the atmospheres of alien worlds for gases that might be produced by life can't rely on the detection of just one type, such as oxygen, ozone, or methane, because in some cases these gases can be produced non-biologically, according to extensive simulations by researchers in the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory.
Sep 12th, 2014
Read more'Hot Jupiters' provoke their own host suns to wobble
Blame the 'hot Jupiters'. These large, gaseous exoplanets can make their suns wobble after they wend their way through their own solar systems to snuggle up against their suns.
Sep 11th, 2014
Read moreLurking bright blue star caught
Astronomers have found evidence of a hot binary companion star to a yellow supergiant star, which had become a bright supernova. Its existence had been predicted by the team. This finding provides the last link in a chain of observations that have so far supported the team's theoretical picture for this supernova.
Sep 11th, 2014
Read moreChina's space station to be established around 2022
The deputy chief of China's Manned Space Agency has announced an ambitious space program timetable building up to the country establishing its first space station around 2022.
Sep 11th, 2014
Read moreA map of Rosetta's comet
The surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko can be divided into several morphologically different regions.
Sep 10th, 2014
Read moreScientists take key step toward solving a major astrophysical mystery
Magnetic reconnection can trigger geomagnetic storms that disrupt cell phone service, damage satellites and black out power grids. But how reconnection, in which the magnetic field lines in plasma snap apart and violently reconnect, transforms magnetic energy into explosive particle energy remains a major unsolved problem in plasma astrophysics.
Sep 10th, 2014
Read moreWhere to grab space debris (w/video)
Algorithm tested aboard the International Space Station analyzes the rotation of objects in space.
Sep 10th, 2014
Read moreFirst evidence for water ice clouds found outside solar system
A team of scientists has discovered the first evidence of water ice clouds on an object outside of our own Solar System. Water ice clouds exist on our own gas giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - but have not been seen outside of the planets orbiting our Sun until now.
Sep 9th, 2014
Read moreEvidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa
Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa. This indicates the first sign of this type of surface-shifting geological activity on a world other than Earth.
Sep 8th, 2014
Read moreScientist explores birth of a planet
Astronomers have discovered what they believe is evidence of a planet forming around a star about 335 light years from Earth.
Sep 8th, 2014
Read moreChina finishes design on its first cargo spacecraft
China has finished designing its first cargo spacecraft, which will ferry supplies and fuel to the nation's future multi-cabin, manned space station.
Sep 6th, 2014
Read moreDARPA issues RFI for robotic space services for satellites
Space community invited to submit ideas to enable a flight demonstration in the next five years and an innovative public-private partnership to jumpstart a new industry.
Sep 6th, 2014
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