On April 27, a blast of light from a dying star in a distant galaxy became the focus of astronomers around the world. The explosion, known as a gamma-ray burst and designated GRB 130427A, tops the charts as one of the brightest ever seen. A trio of NASA satellites, working in concert with ground-based robotic telescopes, captured never-before-seen details that challenge current theoretical understandings of how gamma-ray bursts work.
Nov 21st, 2013
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For the first time scientists have uncovered concrete evidence for highly energetic neutrinos stemming from outside our solar system. The IceCube experiment, a huge neutrino detector in Antarctica, has observed 28 neutrinos that most likely stem from cosmic objects such as supernovae, black holes, pulsars or other extreme cosmic phenomena.
Nov 21st, 2013
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Astronomers using the combined power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a far-flung trio of primitive galaxies nestled inside an enormous blob of primordial gas nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth.
Nov 21st, 2013
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The International Space Station celebrated its birthday yesterday, 15 years after the first module was launched in 1998.
Nov 21st, 2013
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Astronomers have long sought strong evidence that Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is producing a jet of high-energy particles. Finally they have found it, in new results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array radio telescope.
Nov 20th, 2013
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New images of ISON indicate that the comet has lost individual fragments.
Nov 20th, 2013
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The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) introduced a new generation of small satellites today with the launch of two experimental 'cubesats' designed for a range of national security and space science operations.
Nov 20th, 2013
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Physicists have been able to simulate the motion of billions of electrons within astrophysical plasma jets and calculate the light they emit with the help of a high-performance computer. They have been nominated for the Gordon Bell Prize as a result of their work.
Nov 19th, 2013
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Scientists find that Mars, not Earth, shakes up some near-Earth asteroids.
Nov 19th, 2013
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Comet ISON recently brightened and is currently visible with telescopes or binoculars in the constellation Virgo. Today the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is releasing new images of ISON obtained with the MicroObservatory robotic telescope system.
Nov 18th, 2013
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Researchers now have stronger evidence of granite on Mars and a new theory for how the granite - an igneous rock common on Earth - could have formed there, according to a new study. The findings suggest a much more geologically complex Mars than previously believed.
Nov 18th, 2013
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Scientists from the University of New Hampshire and colleagues have published comprehensive findings on space-based radiation as measured by a UNH-led detector aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The data provide critical information on the radiation hazards that will be faced by astronauts on extended missions to deep space such as those to Mars.
Nov 18th, 2013
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World-leading scientists will push the boundaries of studies on how to deflect asteroids and manipulate space debris, as the University of Strathclyde gets set to transform international space research.
Nov 18th, 2013
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The algorithm uses a variety of image processing steps to segment the image, first into coarser (foreground) and finer (background) grains. The image is then further segmented until most grains are outlined. The code processes a single image within 1 to 5 minutes.
Nov 15th, 2013
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Researchers assessed the details of halogen variability and an unusual process that may influence it. The group investigated the potential for an existing halogen cycle on Mars, which would alter the current paradigm of halogens distributed mostly by water-related processes.
Nov 15th, 2013
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NASA crewmembers reflect on the most complex space repair in history.
Nov 15th, 2013
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The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best ever image of the globular cluster Messier 15, a gathering of very old stars that orbits the center of the Milky Way. This glittering cluster contains over 100 000 stars, and could also hide a rare type of black hole at its center.
Nov 14th, 2013
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A new, detailed radio image showed that what astronomers thought was one galaxy actually is two, superimposed on the sky. The alignment allows using the farther one as an unexpected tool for studying the foreground galaxy.
Nov 14th, 2013
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